Welcome to the Fright Map Development Guide!

This guide will help you create your very own map for the JasX game Fright, with a focus on learning and using the Fright Dev HUD.
Please note that this guide won’t cover the basics of building or scripting in Second Life. A general understanding of building is needed to create a map, but scripting knowledge is not required at all!

I’ve also included a small, handy script later in the guide to help you set up vents.

REQUIREMENTS

• FrightDev 1.1 HUD: You can grab this along with the main Fright game at the JasX Store at Quiddity.
  • Make sure you are using version 1.1!
• The TOME: This is the actual game controller for Fright. You can get one from any of the free maps. Just unlink it, as it is full perm!
• A Large Build Area: You’ll need plenty of space to build your map, a generous prim allowance, and a long auto-return timer so your work stays safe.

GUIDELINES

I highly recommend fully building your map before doing anything with the FrightDev HUD.

Pick a theme and build a layout that keeps players exploring, searching, hiding, and chasing each other. Things like hiding spots, dense forests, and uniquely themed rooms can all help keep the map interesting.
As you build, think about where you might eventually place traps, treasure, and props, but don’t worry about getting everything perfect yet. You can always adjust things later.

Keep these key factors in mind while building:

SIZE & PRIMS

One of the biggest challenges with Fright maps is balancing size, prim count, and platform limitations. The larger and heavier your map is, the harder it becomes for hosts to find somewhere they can rez it.

• The Sweet Spot: I recommend keeping maps around 100m x 100m and under 1,000 prims.
• Player Scale: Keep your typical player count in mind. A huge sim-wide arena might sound great, but most matches average around 8 players. If the map is too large, players will spend more time searching for each other than actually playing.

The goal is to keep the map dense and interesting without hurting region performance or limiting where it can be hosted.

TOME LOCATION

The TOME

When building your map, you’ll need to place the TOME, usually shaped like a book, in a central or easily accessible location. It’s the main hub where players gather to start the game, hosts configure the rules, and players return the treasure to win.

Keep the path tips below in mind when deciding where to position it.

There are two critical things you HAVE to keep in mind:

I cannot stress this enough: set your TOME and map position before using the FrightDev HUD.

If you set up your spawn locations and later move or rotate the TOME, or rotate the map, all of your spawn points will be wrong. You’ll have to set up every prop, door, trap, and item all over again.
The FrightDev HUD records each spawn point as an offset from the TOME’s position and rotation. Change either one, and those offsets no longer line up with your map.

Before you record a single coordinate, make absolutely sure your TOME and map are exactly where you want them to stay!

PATH TIPS

Paths back to the TOME are extremely important. You want enough access points for players to approach from different directions, while still giving others a chance to catch them.
Finding that balance can be tricky, so test your map with a few people and see what feels right. A little playtesting will quickly show you where paths need to be opened up or tightened.

OPTIMIZATION & BEST PRACTICES

• Strategic Placement: Move furniture around to make trap, prop, and treasure locations more interesting.
• Detailing: Add decorations to areas that feel empty or boring.
• Linking & Physics: Link as many items as possible. When you can, use Convex Hull for the physics shape to reduce your prim count.
• Mesh Efficiency: Replace high-prim items with mesh where possible if you aren’t already using mesh.

BACKUP!!

1. Create Notecard

Create a new notecard in your inventory and name it Assets.
On the first line, enter: PSR: 2.2
This controls how often items spawn. You may want to adjust it later to find the right balance for your map, but 2.2 is a good starting point.

2. Add traps

Only add the lines for the traps you want to include in your game to the notecard. Typically, you’ll want to include all of them unless a specific trap doesn’t fit your map’s theme.
Refer to this page for more details: Fright Traps

3. Add props

Only add lines to the notecard for the props you want to exclude from your game. Unless a prop doesn’t fit your map’s theme, leave it out of the notecard entirely.
See the Fright Props page for details on the available props and what they do.

4. Save the notecard

You’ll use this notecard to paste in the data generated by the FrightDev HUD. The finished notecard will eventually be placed inside the TOME, which we’ll cover later in the guide.

Alternative: You can use an external text or Word document while building. This can make editing and using find/replace much easier. Just paste the final text back into the notecard when you’re done.

Use whichever method works best for you!

FRIGHTDEV HUD

Clicking most buttons on the FrightDev HUD will spawn a box in front of you. Move the box to where you want the item to appear, then click it.
The box will output a line of text containing the item type, location, and rotation coordinates. Copy and paste this line into the Assets notecard you created earlier.

Below is a breakdown of what each button does, how to use it, and the data it returns.

ADD PROP

Click the button to rez a cube, then place it where you want a prop to spawn. These are the items players can pick up to use against others, such as flash bombs, ghost necklaces, and paddles, or use on themselves, such as food and drinks.

• Good Locations: Tables, counters, beds, seats, and crates are all great places to position props.
• Warning: Avoid placing props directly on the floor, as they can be difficult for players to pick up when positioned too low.

Example

ASL:<-1.43226, -2.57622, 0.16138>:<0.00000, 0.00000, 0.78946, 0.61380>

PULL CHAIN

Stand close to and face a wall or pillar, then click the button to spawn a pull chain. Players use these to unlock doors throughout the map.

• Good Locations: Place pull chains on walls where players can easily reach them.
• Important: How pull chains and doors are linked is explained later in this guide.
• Warning: Make sure the chain isn’t blocked by geometry. A blocked chain can leave a door permanently locked and may break other game elements.

Example

TRG:PullChain:<0.46631, -1.62662, 1.24414>:<0.50000, -0.50000, -0.50000, 0.50000>:0

HUNTER SPAWN

Click the button to rez a cube, then place it where you want a Hunter spawn point. The Hunter randomly spawns at one of these points at the start of a match, and players can also be teleported here when using a flash bomb.

• Good Locations: Hide them behind crates, under stairs, or in other out-of-the-way spots to reduce the chance of the Hunter spawning directly on a player.
• Warning: Never place a spawn point inside a room that can be locked, or the Hunter may get trapped.
• Warning: Keep the cube at the exact height it rezzes. Lowering it can cause the Hunter to spawn stuck in the floor.

Example

HSP:<-3.97649, -0.42627, 0.86011>:OFFSETHSP

TREASURE

Click the button to rez a cube, then place it where you want the treasure to spawn. This is the main item players must find and return to the TOME.

• Good Locations: Hide it in a locked room or other hard-to-reach area, preferably a reasonable distance from the TOME. This gives players time to find and catch the treasure carrier.
• Warning: Make sure the treasure has plenty of clearance and won’t spawn inside a wall or floor, or players won’t be able to pick it up.

Example

TRS:<-2.77027, 1.75032, 0.21143>:<0.00000, 0.00000, 0.63696, 0.77090>

TRAPS

Click the button to rez a cube, then place it where you want a trap to spawn. Traps can either catch or strip players.

The output line has an extra option at the end. Add 1, 2, or 3 to choose which type of trap can spawn:

• 1: Outdoor traps (Snow, Ice, Santa Sack)
• 2: Indoor traps (Bear Trap, Piston, Rune)
• 3: Randomly spawns either type
• Good Locations: Floors, walkways, and main paths. Slightly hiding traps can make them more challenging to spot.
• Warning: Space traps out and don’t overdo it. Too many traps close together can disrupt the flow of the game.

Text Result Example

TRL:<-5.16827, 0.45842, 0.16138>:<0.00000, 0.00000, 0.58538, 0.81076>:3

DESC CREATOR

The Description Creator rezzes as an item, but you don’t need to place it on your map. It generates text strings that you paste into an object’s Description field to give it special functions, such as footsteps, animations, or redressing.

How to use it:

1. Click the Desc Creator.
2. Choose an option from the menu.
3. Select <PRINT> to generate the text.
4. Copy the text into the object’s Description field.

Here’s what each option does and where to use it:

Footsteps (Important)

Makes floors play sounds such as grass, concrete, or stone when walked on.

• Location: Any surface players can walk on. If you miss a floor, it will be silent.

Dresser (Important)

Generates DRS, allowing stripped players to interact with an object to redress themselves.

• Location: Closets, dressers, wardrobes, or clothing piles.

Tap

Makes nearby players or the Hunter turn toward the object when interacted with.

• Location: Windows or noisy objects meant to attract attention.

MoveLock

Freezes the interacting player for a set amount of time.

• Location: Environmental hazards, such as an icicle that freezes players when touched.

Text

Displays a custom message on the player’s screen when they face the object.

• Location: Permanently locked doors or objects with descriptive or funny text.

Cooldown

Information missing — update pending.

Vul

Makes the interacting player vulnerable to the Hunter for a set amount of time.

• Location: Objects that create a temporary disadvantage, such as a slippery bar of soap.

Touchsound

Plays a sound effect when the object is clicked.

• Location: Interactive audio objects, such as pianos or tapping windows.

Seats

Makes the player sit on the object when clicked.

• Location: Beds, chairs, benches, and stools.

Animation

Plays a specific animation. Type animlist in local chat while wearing the Fright HUD to see the available animations.

• Location: Objects where a physical pose makes sense, such as a chair.

<PRINT>

Outputs the text for your selected options in local chat so you can copy it into an object’s description.

<READ>

Reads an existing text string from the Desc Creator. Use this to modify an existing description or see what functions are assigned to it.

GET SCRIPT

Selecting this option gives you a folder containing interactive assets for your map, such as doors and ambush locations.

Just like the other HUD items, rez the objects on the floor, position them where you want them, then click them to generate their text string. Copy and paste that text into your Assets notecard.

Door / IntWoodDoor / BigmetalDoor / Stonedoor

Rez the door of your choice on the ground, then move it into position.

• Good Locations: Anywhere you want to slow players down or lock access to a room.
• Important: How doors and pull chains link together is explained later in this guide.
• Warning: Doors move in a specific direction, so test the movement path before finalizing the position.

Setting up the Door Description:

Before clicking the door, give it a unique name in its Description field, such as Door1, Library, or Office. Duplicate or blank descriptions can prevent the doors from rezzing correctly.

Once named and positioned, click the door to generate the text for your notecard.

Example

SPA:IntWoodDoor:<2.03439, 4.92380, 1.16162>:<0.70711, 0.00000, 0.00000, 0.70711>:<1.29385, 2.50027, 0.28668>,Door1
TEL:Door1: :8ae0e71f-6763-067f-073b-b299d687bc98

AmbushCrate / Ambush Coffin / Snowambush

Rez the ambush item of your choice, then move it into position.

• Good Locations: Corners, hallways, and spots where the item blends naturally into the environment.
• Warning: Don’t overdo it. Too many ambush points close together can become frustrating for players.

Example

SPA:AmbushCrate:<0.90072, 6.00021, 0.43506>:<0.00000, 0.00000, 0.00000, 1.00000>:

BUY MESHES

This option links to the JasX Store by Jasdac Stockholm, where you can find free mesh items to use in your map.

DOORS & DUCTS

DOORS / PULL CHAIN

Doors and pull chains need to be balanced carefully to keep your map interesting and prevent every door from unlocking at once. The number of pull chains determines how many doors start the game locked.

Example: With 10 pull chains and 12 doors, exactly 10 random doors will be locked at the start, while the other 2 stay unlocked.

Avoid the “Chicken and Egg” Trap: Never place pull chains inside rooms that can be locked. The system could lock each room while placing the other room’s chain inside it, creating an impossible loop where neither door can be opened.

Always place pull chains somewhere players can reach without unlocking a door first.

DUCTS / TELEPORTERS

Vents let players quickly travel between different areas of the map. To set them up, you’ll need the local distance between the entry and exit points and add it to the entry duct’s Description field.

1. Measure the local distance between the ENTER and EXIT points. The helper script below can calculate this for you.
2. Add a small offset to the exit coordinates so players don’t teleport into a wall or vent frame.
3. Add this to the entry duct’s Description field: TEL:NAME:<Local distance exit to> CUS

Replace <Local distance exit to> with your calculated coordinates and NAME with a unique name for the vent pathway.

For example:

TEL:DUCT:<7.5,1.8,0.7> CUS

Additionally, add the following line to the notecard. This determines the sound effect that will play whenever a player enters a duct.

TEL:DUCT:cb37b81b-bfef-cdf9-6f2c-9605801732e2:01206f26-d594-00f7-9236-0676e58654cf

The image below shows the ENTER point and its corresponding EXIT point. The exit is marked by the blue cube rather than the vent itself, ensuring players don’t spawn stuck inside the exit vent’s mesh.

vector ENTER = <1,1,1>; //Add the position of the enter location.
vector EXIT = <2,2,2>; //Add the position of the exit location with the offset.

default
{
    state_entry()
    {
        llOwnerSay("Distance to exit is: " + (string)(EXIT - ENTER));
    }
}

ALMOST DONE!

Saving Your Map Data

Once you have placed all of your elements and generated the text strings, put everything into the Assets notecard you created earlier.

1. Open your TOME‘s contents.
2. If an older Assets notecard is already inside the TOME, delete it.
3. Drop your newly updated Assets notecard into the TOME.

Testing Your Map

• If everything works during your solo test, organize a playtest with others. 5 players is a good starting point, though this may vary depending on your map size.
• Wear your Fright HUD and click the TOME. You may need to reset the TOME’s scripts to make it read the updated notecard and rez your map components.
• Start a match and watch closely to make sure all items, spawns, and traps rez where they should.

That’s it! I hope this guide helps you create a fun and exciting map for Fright.

If you have any feedback about the guide or questions about Fright map creation, feel free to use the contact form on my website or contact me directly in-world.
~Drau ♥

Credit to:

• Jasdac Stockholm for creating these games we enjoy.
• Kulza Bluestar for the continued development of Fright and assistance with this guide.

Images taken in Second Life by Drau
Guide written by Drau