I’d wanted to create an outdoor map since about a week before the contest ended, but I kept hearing that we didn’t have the time!
So, as soon as the contest wrapped up, I jumped right into building it, though at a more relaxed pace compared to the other maps.
In the end, the workflow turned out to be pretty similar to what we used mid-contest.

For our map-making workflow, I start by creating a rough version in Hammer with simple geometry, covering all the main walkable areas.
I add some visual appeal with a mix of Facepunch’s cloud hotspots and materials that Jammie made.
Once we have this basic version, we playtest it heavily.
When we're confident with the layout, Jammie takes over to refine it further.

Jammie focuses on making the map's outer boundaries visually compelling (instead of just an open sky) and also revisits my geometry, adding subtle details and bevels to give it a more polished look.

For this Halloween update I also wrote a basic little spiderweb editor tool that makes a web out of line renderers.

It's not Halloween without some spooky props and cosmetics, and we've got them!
We wanted some versatile pumpkin models that could be used in maps as well as well as in the Hub, so I created four pumpkins with unique faces. These pumpkins come in two varieties. There's a more realistic versions and the plastic ones that are tintable and uses self-illumination.

I had some fun with creating several cosmetics. There's a new pumpkin hat, an autumn leaf, and a blue fire haircut. ShadowBrain also made an awesome cosmetic inspired by Frankenstein.

I've recently started experimenting with Shaders, and the blue fire hair is my latest one. I find the Shader structure in S&box much more intuitive than what Unity offers. It's really fun and powerful, and I hope to make more in the future!

ShadowBrain has spookified the hub. Hopefully you're not too scared to enter.

Since our original controller was cobbled together super quickly during the contest, I spent some time re-writing the player controller from scratch. There are some neat new mechanics like wall jumping, sliding, and backflips.

The code is also a lot more cohesive and error proof! Since there is a bit of unreliability in components (especially across the network), I decided to add a little helper function which takes it multiple IValid.

// before

if ( !Character.IsValid() && !Camera.IsValid() && !Animator.IsValid() )

    return;



// after

if ( !AreValid( Character, Camera, Animator ) )

    return;

We are also using Small Fish's Shrimple Character Controller instead of the s&box's base Character Controller. I inadvertently dogfooded the controller for ubre, and I am pretty happy with how it behaves now. Apparently it performs way better, although it doesn't make much of a difference for a game like Micro Mayhem.

If you're interested in trying out Micro Mayhem, join our Discord or ask in the #playtest channel in the s&box Discord. We would love to receive more feedback so we can polish the game further!