M-Ballz

M-Ballz is a turn-based mini-game where players drop balls (represented by falling blocks) from the top of the game board. The goal is to make the balls reach the bottom of the board using gravity and taking advantage of the various elements composing the board itself to move them further. Elements can also be used to block or damage opponents. The number of goals scored and strategic use of board elements determine the player's final score.

Due to the substantial size of the game board, it is recommended to play in Creative mode to freely move around the board. Items will still be consumed when used. For convenience, it is better to place the board on flat terrain or in an open area to avoid interference from world structures. Bonuses dropped during the game appear in front of the board, so a flat surface makes them easier to see and collect.

Basic Game Rules

• To prevent issues, do not place any blocks other than those provided by the mod in the game board area.
• Each player chooses a color and uses only items of that color.
• All players start with the same number of Player Tokens (16 per craft by default).
• Turns are taken in a fixed order until players run out of tokens.
• A player must use all their Player Tokens unless no more shots are possible.
• Victory is determined either by the number of Reward Coins collected or by Scoreboard points.
• If a player scores (sends a ball into the goal), they get an additional shot until their turn ends.
• Before throwing a shot, a player can place 1 strategy tile on the board (the allowed amount can be configured).

Game Board

The game board is a large wall with game elements attached to it. Its size is configurable. For the mod to work correctly, do not break blocks unrelated to the board and do not place foreign blocks in the board area except for allowed tiles. The configuration also allows adding a wooden platform with stairs to climb up to the droppers.

Blocks

Game Spawner

The main block of the mod, crafted by surrounding a vanilla dropper with sand blocks. Allows creating the game board, which is always oriented in the same direction. The side marked with a red cross indicates where the player must stand when activating it with an empty hand. After the board is fully created, this block breaks, signaling that the game can start. The elements of the board are shuffled randomly each time it is spawned. Do not click the block again to avoid generation issues.

Panel Blocks

Used only for decorative purposes to create the background of the game board.

Droppers (Active/Inactive/Tilted)

A row of droppers is located at the top of the board. Each releases a falling block when activated with a Player Token. The color of this block matches the player's token color. After dropping the block, the dropper locks and changes color. To use it again, a player must unlock it using an Unlocker Key. If there is no space below the dropper to release a block, the dropper tilts when attempting to use it. When space becomes available, the Unlocker Key will reopen the dropper as usual.

Ball / Falling Block / Shot

The falling block represents the ball on the game board. It falls down due to gravity and is moved around by board elements. Available in 16 colors to identify players.

Receivers

A row of receivers is located at the bottom of the board. When hit by a falling block, they drop a Reward Token confirming a successful goal.

Flippers (Random/Left/Right)

Flippers move the falling block horizontally by one tile in the indicated direction. The Random Flipper, when hit for the first time, chooses a random direction and turns into a regular flipper. Each time a flipper moves a block, it reverses its direction, pointing the opposite way.

Bricks

Brick tiles are solid blocks that simply stop falling blocks. Once a falling block is stopped, it settles into another brick tile.

Vortexes

A vortex teleports the ball to another part of the board when it falls on top of it. The destination is another randomly chosen vortex. There is a limited time to find an exit vortex. If no exit is found within this interval, the ball is lost in space. After the ball exits a vortex, it continues to fall, so the top and bottom of vortexes must be kept clear for at least 1 block for the vortex to be usable.

Traps

Traps instantly destroy any block that falls on them.

Bonus Tiles

Bonus tiles randomly drop bonuses when hit by a block. The ball passes through the tile without breaking it, so it can be hit multiple times. To prevent the ball from being lost, keep the space above and below the tile clear. The number of dropped items is configurable.

Water Tiles

Water tiles absorb and solidify the falling block. The solidified block has a chance to become either a regular brick tile or a malicious slime tile.

Slime Tiles

Slime tiles are malicious and contagious blocks, randomly generated by water tiles when hit by a falling block. Once a slime tile forms, it instantly infects any adjacent block on any side, turning them into slime tiles. If a slime tile reaches the row below the droppers, balls released from neighboring droppers are immediately captured and turned into slime tiles.

TNT

Malicious blocks that explode when hit by a ball. The ball is lost in the process. The explosion generates an expanding waste tile.

Waste Tiles

Malicious expanding blocks created by TNT explosions. Any ball hitting them instantly turns into a waste tile itself. Once formed, they slowly expand to neighboring positions, eventually consuming every block present. Expansion can occur every turn with a configurable chance. Waste tiles can be removed using a cleaner dropped from bonus tiles.

Items

Player Tokens

Player tokens allow activating droppers. Activation occurs by right-clicking a dropper while holding a token. Each player is identified by color. When the ball is dropped, the token is consumed. Extra tokens may randomly drop if a falling block hits a bonus tile. One craft yields 16 tokens, but any amount can be used as long as all players start with the same number.

Reward Coins

Reward coins drop when a ball hits the receivers. They are the first indicator of a successful goal. The player who collects the most coins wins the game.

Dropped Skulls

Skulls drop when a ball is lost in space, blocked by a barred tile, or destroyed by a trap. Currently used mainly for collection purposes.

Dropped Bonuses

Unlocker Keys

Unlocker keys randomly drop when a ball hits a bonus tile. Allow the player to unlock locked droppers for reuse. After unlocking, the key is consumed.

Strategy Tiles

Flipper items. Allow placing random flippers:

Vortex items. Allow placing vortexes:

Bonus items. Allow placing bonus tiles:

Brick items. Allow placing brick tiles:

Trap items. Allow placing traps:

Cleaner items. Allow removing waste tiles:

Strategy tiles are items that randomly drop when hitting a bonus tile. They are used on the game board to place additional tiles that can be used in subsequent shots or to damage an opponent. The tile is placed by right-clicking on the board panels while holding the item. After placement, the item is consumed.

Scoreboard

Score Book

Score books are crafted by mixing a piece of paper with a sand block. Every action in the game, such as activating blocks, earns the player points. In most cases, points are added to the player's score, but when malicious blocks are activated, points may be deducted. The image shows an example of the scoreboard accessible by opening the score book. It also indicates (from left to right) the number of shots taken by the player, the number of balls killed or lost, the number of goals scored, the number of vortexes successfully crossed, and the number of flippers activated.

Configuration

In the configuration file, you can set the size of the game board, the number of elements on it, and various rate values. It is also possible to adjust the points assigned for each valid action.