The ROBLOX Content team recently put the finishing touches on its latest game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtle Trouble, as part of an advertising deal with Nickelodeon. At the time of this writing, users have played the game almost 300,000 times and it continues to sit atop the Games page – a testament to the collective effort the team poured into its development.
The Content team set out to create a game that felt like part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles now-CGI universe – a far cry from ROBLOX’s traditional, blocky look. That required pushing the engine with advanced combat, character models and animations, enemy artificial intelligence (AI), and level design. Content Team Lead Deepak Chandrasekaran (Sorcus) encouraged the developers to critique one another’s work, and bring standard ROBLOX elements to a new level in a cohesive experience.
When games are cohesive and feel intuitive, you don’t find yourself asking too many questions — such as, “What am I supposed to do in this game?” — as you play. Eliminating those types of questions was the Content team’s overarching goal.
Character animation
Turtle Trouble’s character animations are based on the 14-joint animation system we developed for LEGO: Hero Factory Breakout, but it wasn’t as simple as replacing LEGO characters with Ninja Turtles. The existing running animation, for example, looked too robotic, so Visual Artist Tara Byars researched “run cycles” to get a feel for the key poses of human running. She ended up with 15 poses, each of which she key-framed using an internal animation plugin for ROBLOX Studio, and leveraged a standard capability known as inbetweening (or “tweening”) to fill the gaps between poses.
A sample human run cycle
Each playable character in Turtle Trouble has a unique weapon and personality, meaning each has a custom weapon-equip and weapon-strike animation. What’s interesting here is that we used three levels of animation to mix movements. While your character’s lower half is running, you can equip, hold and attack using your torso; similarly, you can equip weapons while you’re jumping. This little feature goes a long way in smoothing the play experience.
Combat and Artificial Intelligence
Turtle Trouble’s hand-to-hand combat is interesting for a couple reasons. First, it introduces a move that’s never been seen before in ROBLOX: the tumbling roll (you can execute it by double-tapping in any direction). Developed by Game Engineer Tyler Mullen (HotThoth), the move helps players evade large numbers of foot soldiers, and really puts the “Ninja” in Ninja Turtles. Second, each playable character has unique weapons, seemingly giving those with long range the advantage. In order to maintain the balance of the game, Tyler tweaked weapon damages: the shorter the range, the more damage done. While short-range weapons do more damage, you’re more exposed to damage.
The combat is made more interesting via the enemies’ artificial intelligence, which actually increases every round. The further you survive, the nimbler the foot soldiers become; eventually, they even start dodging. They were also built to disperse, meaning their AI tells them to manage multiple enemies instead of piling on one unfortunate turtle. Mullen wanted to action to be frenzied, even when multiple players were involved.
Turtle Trouble culminates with a “boss fight” between Shredder and the Turtles. Tyler likened the battle to those in the Megaman series.
If you’ve ever played a Megaman game, you know every boss acts out of repetition. The key to victory is learning patterns. Shredder’s AI was implemented in a similar fashion – his attacks, whether a rushing charge, a flurry of shurikens, or summoning foot soldiers – are part of a pattern. Each of the attacks was designed to react to differing combat scenarios. If Shredder is surrounded, he throws the shurikens. If it’s one on one, he charges.
The most fun part, according to Tyler, was Shredder’s defeat. He doesn’t simply lie down when you beat him; he begins floating in the air, then explodes.
Level design
In Turtle Trouble, there’s a similar amount of detail packed into very different-sized spaces. The small training dojo, where players initially spawn, is loaded with accoutrements, such as punching bags, fancy rugs and weapon racks. The city streets, on the other hand, are comparatively sparse. One quality that makes the game’s level design successful is you don’t really notice the disparity as you move from environment to environment.
Luke's initial sketches for the Turtle Trouble sewers
Starting with just a reference image of the training dojo, Content Engineer Luke Weber (or stickmasterluke) built out a network of sewer tunnels using a Tic-Tac-Toe-like grid. He removed a section here, added a combat arena there, until there was balance, room for action and a reason to visit each corner. At the same time, he placed manholes, which lead you to the city proper. Luke initially carved the city out of a hilly piece of terrain. While it worked, it left a grassy exterior that killed the sense of place. As a fix, he created walls that look like city buildings and added tunnels that create the appearance of streets running into the distance.
There are three distinct environments in Turtle Trouble: dojo, sewers and city. They’re built using building elements that usually contrast: terrain and parts. Still, the entire game looks cohesive because Luke stuck to a unified color palette – in terms of materials, you’ll see a lot of granite, gravel and cement.
Little Details
Strewn about Turtle Trouble are little details that add extra interactivity to the game. Trash cans dent if you hit them. Hit trees and leaves will fall. The potions in the dojo break and the punching bags move when struck. Knock off vent covers and they’ll spray steam. You can pick up special weapons, and each one has a unique motion and effect associated with it.
As mentioned at the front end of this article, Turtle Trouble was a collective development effort. It pushes ROBLOX’s engine further than most — if any — games ever have. Still, there are design, development and interactivity techniques you can take as inspiration.
You can play Turtle Trouble on ROBLOX right here.
Alan Fackler contributed reporting to this story.
As soon as I discovered this game, it was very fun! I worked my way up into getting the masks, prizes, and even Master Splinter. It’s a great game. I sure wish I could do all of this, but unfortunately I’m not a pro at scripting and all. Amazing job ROBLOX Team. Keep up the spectacular work!
I think it’s very nice of roblox to make a game where nbc’s can get hats and a gear cause they cant afford much :D
Sweet… You should add the animation system as a package, you buy the animation system, and link it up with any package and it animates it.
Can WE make bodys like that ?
Anything is possible…
Given how much time you want to commit to scripting and testing…
This is most likely something you would have to do yourself, though.
tmnt is a great game.
If I knew how to do what this game did then my place would be a bit more sucessful
sweet dude
Wait…do you use ragdolls with the turtles or do yo get them from something else.
Please explain it to me.
I am very confused.
They used a special animation system created by the design team that allows the turtles to move fluidly.
As of now, it does not seem to be available to normal users, but that may be coming soon.
Wow, nice work. I mean, the sewers are completely made out of terrain (except the water), the animation for the turtles is flawless and all that programming…woah. The turtles animations should be put into a package, it would boost your profits by 50-60%. I give this game a 20 out of 10. ;)
I agree with your ratings :]
Man i wish i could script, if only Shedletsky could show me
I want the punching bag horrifically. I want to make a gym.
yeah me too i want it for a training room instead
that does sound nice to have a gym
yeah I want to make a gym.
sweet, just so sweet
loved the video…lol
Roblox, if your Reading this Wanna know what would be cool if the weapons of TMNT were Some how Possible in the catalog Say like if you win a character you get there weapon
That’ll just be overkill dude. A turtle bandana is awesome enough,
:D I liked this game a lot! The game looks so simple, but I can tell you all put hard work into it <3 I got all the masks, too!
Lol, Awesome game. This is going to be the future of ROBLOX, you will be customizing a mesh character and all the games will be realistic. If they do that I hope that they at least keep the old classic games with a block person, cause then the name will change from ROBLOX to “ROMESH”
Is it possible for us the players to make those kinds of animation, with simple scripting or advanced scripting and do those kinds of meshes in great detail?
I do not believe so but you can create a simular movement.
That is a cool game!
This kind of animation should be put into a package. ROBLOX should have realistic models and body packages like those. :D.
It sits on the top of the page because people want the free stuff. Although the game IS well made.
they should put this kind of animation in a package/body, that would really bring in big money for roblox . keep this up and 5 million could turn into 6.4 billion
Yeah that idea is awesome! I’m not saying I’m a massive fan of TMNT but that is a great idea! I have an alt account called TeenageMNT and a package like that would be great!
I vote no on a package. Unless you wanted the turtle body. Turtle body package: yes. Animation system IN that package: NO. I’m sorta a game designer, and I think players would benefit more by having free access to the system to put in their games.
Ya that would be awesome if some packages came with gear! The turtle ones could have their weopons it would be so cool!
Now that’s EPIC!
I can see that it took a long time to develop, but it all paid off in the end. Kudos to the ROBLOX Team for developing it and kudos to the producers at Nickelodeon for giving us this re-vampted edition of T.M.N.T; you guys rock! Furthermore, I want say that ROBLOX needed games like this and we still need more, so I hope to see more stuff coming around. ALEX OUT!
you should make a package of this on roblox
could you put out a set with all the meshes? (with their textures)
Guys, please finish the ingame character changing. Thank you. I’m looking forward to it.
I played the game before raeding this and it was F-U-N!
Feel free to let us access the Non-Tool equipped button pressing, custom mesh, custom bodies, custom sound effects and core GUI access any time soon, even just one of those would be freaking awesome, especially body part, even if it can only be used in one of our games and costs 1,000 robux to buy a body.
I vote for all of those things, just sayin’
Or Roblox could make a 13+ site with animations and morphs like that, so we can have more action…
This is how games on Roblox should be like, realistic models like those…
When i first went into the gami isaid that no one could make these kind of morphs no way and i thought that i couldent be like this one guy bt now i know that it was the roblox team good job guys fantastic game and the actuall show is also good.
So when or are they gonna open-source the new animations?
It should be cool if we can get animated morphs like robloxian 4.0 just like 1.0 but then with more human animation!
i wonder how they made them walk like that
I’m not meaning to be mean but didn’t you read this! They animated and scripted.
Allow us to make these features and you will bring joy to people lol. What I really like it your scripting for the dents etc.
I ADORE the animations in this game. The swords, nunchucks, bo staff, the feeling that I’m playing a REAL platform game. This is one for the books.
Nice, but if Turtle Trouble were to be uncopylocked at the end. Alot of creative users can use the special scripts and animations in this game to make amazing games, the amazing games that we look in the future.
I wish ROBLOXians were like that!!
Maybe ROBLOX could make more games like as high tech with character animations and it would be called a regular ROBLOX place, then the other games would be called classic places, or even 13+ games with fast paced combat and character animations.
If ROBLOX had 13+ games, it just wouldn’t be ROBLOX.
I like that game very much! The details are amazing! Good job ROBLOX!!!
awesome. i never really liked ninja turtles. but now that it has evolved to roblox, i couldn’t deny playing. when i played city, the graphics were good. but this is undeniably awesome.
hey i got an idea why dont you make a 4.0 new morph that looks more human like real!…….. that could take roblox to the next level is PERFECT! :D
Nice!
maybe you should make a feature that sets all the roblox event places on the first page, so evyone would get to know about them, and you acould also add that thingy from catalog that says:”New” and make it say “Roblox Event” or “Event”
That was cool to find out how you made the animations but can someone help me with making shooting animations i really want my people to be able to shoot but nothing i try works so can anyone thats made a shooting NPC help me a little?
They should make a RTS game that would be great like Star craft 2 for example
didnt think it would be a good game, now that ive seen it, i might give it a shot(if i can get off Hunger Games and homework!)
This game was kind of hard beating shredder to get Splinter but now i got Splinters cane and now i invited my friends to be Leo,Donne,Mick,and Ralph and I’m Splinter.
i beat beat shredder and I have splinter already
I have all prizes.
Yes, play it. The level design and interactive environment is superb and the animations are spectacular.
Megaman is boss. :3
Too much mesh in that contest.
Stunning how did you make the turtle actually look realistic?
A mesh thats how. They get too cheat like that we would have to spend a long time making those shapes with the bricks we have available.
Load’s OF Mesh And Script’s
They used meshes.
Meshes of course. Unless they did HARD work and made the giant “meshes” from bricks with tools and use the “Minimap”.
liked the sketch.
make it easier to animate on roblox oh and also thannx for making hero factory bodys like a requested
This should be the future anamation for the robloxians
Impressive, VERY impressive indeed
Any idea how users can obtain this 14-joint animation system?
When will features such as mesh creation and the animation system be released?
No one knows how to solve the problem of disappearing and not being able to select a turtle?
Good job roblox team!
Cool animations
Awesome
I can’t play the game. When I join, it’s blank and nothing pops up. Does anyone know how to solve this?
Map is still rendering; it took me about 5 minutes to fully render it- but that’s just my computer.
The same thing happened to me a while ago. Are you talking about when you enter any game all you see is sky? If you are, It goes away after a week or so. Hope this helped. :D
I had no ide that so much went into this game. I have to say, it looks great.
i had somewhat and idea that it took this much effort, because you dont just wake up in the morning and say “im gonna profesionately animate a 3D game, it takes alot of effort and its awesome! thanks roblox!
Amazing! HOW DID YOU INSERT THE MESHES!? LIKE the Street Lights, and Dumpsters!?