How a match works¶

Every match goes through the same phases:

WAITING → COUNTDOWN → DEPLOYING → ACTIVE → DEATHMATCH → ENDING → reset

Each match is played on a temporary copy of the arena's map. The original map (the template) is never touched, and the copy is deleted when the match ends.

Per-arena values

All the game.* values on this page live in game.yml and can be changed for a single arena, either from the setup GUI (Match rules category) or in the arena's settings: section. See Per-arena settings.

1. Lobby and queue¶

Players join with /br join, the arena menu (/br menu or the hub compass), a [BR] sign or an NPC (see Hub, NPCs & signs).

/br join without an arena joins the fullest available match when quick-join is on; /br join solo|duo|squad does the same for one mode. With quick-join: false it opens the menu instead.
Waiting players are sent to the arena's own lobby, or the global lobby (/br setlobby) when the arena has none.
In the waiting lobby players get a Cosmetics item, a stats book and a red Leave bed. In DUO/SQUAD they also get the Choose Team banner (see Teams).
A party leader brings the whole party into the same match.
The action bar shows Waiting for players... 3/4 until min-players is reached.
Joining a match that has already started makes you a spectator.

The maximum number of players is the arena's own max (or game.max-players). In SPAWNS mode it is also capped by the number of spawns: every player needs one.

2. Countdown¶

When min-players is reached (and auto-start is on) the countdown starts. It is announced in chat and with a big title at every multiple of 30 seconds, at 15, at 10 and on each of the last 5 seconds.

If players leave and the count drops below the minimum, the arena goes back to waiting.
An admin can force a start with /br start (a 5 second countdown that ignores the minimum) or change the countdown with /br admin countdown <seconds>.

When the countdown ends, teams are formed. If everyone ended up on one team (one big party, or all players picking the same colour) the teams are split automatically. A match with only one team never starts: the players stay in the lobby until someone else joins.

game:
  min-players: 2
  max-players: 10
  countdown-seconds: 30
  auto-start: true
  quick-join: true

3. Deploy¶

The arena's deploy mode decides how players arrive on the map. Change it in the setup GUI (General → Deploy mode) or with /br setup deploymode <spawns|skydive>.

SPAWNSSKYDIVE

Every player is teleported to a spawn point and frozen there for the grace period: you can look around, but you can't walk or jump. The title says Get ready.

Every player appears high in the sky wearing a locked elytra and starts gliding right away (DROP! Glide and choose where to land!).

Several launch points: an arena can have up to 16. Players are split between them: each team stays together on one point, and every point gets about the same number of players. Ties are random, so the points change every match.
No launch point: everyone drops above the zone centre, at deploy.skydive-default-height (always at least 60 blocks above the ground there).
No fall damage while gliding and for a moment after landing.
Gliding players can't hit anyone.
The glide ends when you touch the ground, water or a ladder/vine, or after skydive-max-seconds. The locked elytra is then removed and any chestplate you wore before is given back.

Add launch points in Spawns & Launch → Launch points (skydive) (fly high above the map and left click) or with /br setup skydive.

deploy:
  skydive-default-height: 180
  remove-elytra-on-land: true
  skydive-max-seconds: 60

The skydive values are in the setup GUI under Spawns & Launch → Launch settings.

4. Grace period¶

The deploy lasts grace-period-seconds (counted once the map copy is loaded). During it:

in SPAWNS mode players are frozen on their spawn;
hunger does not drain and nobody can build;
team colours and the teammate glow are already active, so you can spot your squad while gliding.

When it ends, everyone sees GO! Loot, survive, win! and the match becomes active.

game:
  grace-period-seconds: 10

5. Active phase¶

This is the real match:

the zone starts its phases and its boss bar appears;
chests are full, airdrops start falling after supply-drop.first-delay-seconds;
hunger drains normally;
killed players may go to the gulag for a second chance;
in DUO/SQUAD lethal damage knocks you down instead of killing you.

Other match rules:

Setting	Default	What it does
`drop-loot-on-death`	`true`	Eliminated players drop their inventory
`combat-tag-seconds`	`15`	The last attacker gets the kill if the victim dies of a fall, the zone or anything else within this time
`world-time`	`6000`	Fixed time of day of the match world (6000 = noon)
`block-teleport-items`	`false`	Blocks ender pearls and chorus fruit during the match

Other commands are blocked during a match so nobody can teleport away (see commands in config.yml and Commands).

6. Building¶

By default players can't place or break blocks. Turn it on per arena with Match rules → Building or:

game:
  allow-building: false
  placed-blocks:
    decay-seconds: 60
    cobweb-seconds: 15
    crack-seconds: 3

When building is on, players see a BUILDING ON title right after the drop, plus a chat line.

Temporary blocks¶

Blocks placed by players don't stay forever:

a normal block disappears after decay-seconds;
a cobweb has its own, usually shorter time: cobweb-seconds (a trap, not a wall);
water, lava and powder snow poured with a bucket are temporary too;
in the last crack-seconds the block shows the crack animation, so nobody is surprised when their wall breaks.

0 means the block stays. These two values are in Match rules → Temporary blocks / Temporary cobwebs (shown only with Building on).

When building is always blocked¶

Even with building on, blocks can't be placed or broken:

before the fight starts (lobby, deploy) and after it ends;
by players in the gulag;
by anyone inside the gulag area. The gulag is always protected, also from explosions and fire. See Gulag.

Buckets and dispensers follow the same rules. Admins playing a match follow them too.

7. Geysers¶

Geysers are spots on the map that launch you into the air: step on one and you are thrown upwards, then you glide down wherever you want (WOOSH!).

A column of white particles marks each geyser (visible within 48 blocks).
They only work during the active phase, not in the deathmatch.
3 seconds cooldown per player. Downed players can't use them.

Add geysers in Loot & Features → Geysers (also launch power, marker height and on/off) or with /br setup geyser / /br setup removegeyser.

geyser:
  enabled: true
  power: 2.5
  glide-delay-ticks: 8
  marker: true
  marker-height: 20

8. Deathmatch and anti-stall¶

When the last zone phase is over, the match enters the deathmatch (FINAL SHOWDOWN, purple boss bar). The gulag closes for good.

To avoid endless matches (camping, running in circles), after deathmatch-timeout-seconds the zone starts closing again until it is completely closed, in deathmatch-collapse-seconds (THE ZONE IS CLOSING). At that point nowhere is safe.

game:
  deathmatch-timeout-seconds: 60
  deathmatch-collapse-seconds: 20

deathmatch-timeout-seconds: 0 disables the anti-stall. Both values are in Match rules (Deathmatch duration, Final collapse). Admins can trigger the collapse at once with /br admin deathmatch.

Note

With the default phases the last phase already closes the zone completely (target-radius: 0), so the deathmatch is fought with zone damage everywhere. Give the last phase a radius above 0 if you want a small safe area during the deathmatch. See Zone.

9. End of the match¶

The last player or team still in play wins. Players waiting in the gulag still count as "in play".

Titles per viewer:

Who	Title
The winners	VICTORY ROYALE (You won with X kills! / Your team won!)
Players who took part and lost	DEFEAT, with the winner and your own placement
Players who only watched	MATCH OVER, with the winner

Then fireworks on the winners (effects.victory-fireworks), the winner's reward commands, and the end-of-match summary. After end-delay-seconds everyone goes back to the hub with their own inventory, and the match copy is deleted.

End-of-match summary¶

With game.end-summary: true every player gets a personal recap in chat:

placement (per team in DUO/SQUAD, e.g. #2/6) and win/eliminated;
kills, damage dealt, time survived;
teammates revived (DUO/SQUAD only);
gulag won/lost (if you went there);
XP and coins earned (not in event matches);
the top killer of the match.

game:
  end-delay-seconds: 10
  end-summary: true

Info

A "win" with nobody else ever in play (every other team left during the deploy) gives no stats or rewards. A match where everyone disconnects ends with no winner.

10. Disconnects and rejoin¶

If an alive player disconnects, they have rejoin-grace-seconds to come back:

everyone is told X disconnected. They have 60 seconds to rejoin;
when they log back in they are put back on the map and keep playing;
if the time runs out they are eliminated (and come back as a spectator if they log in later).

Some disconnects are never paused:

a downed player or a player in the gulag who quits is eliminated at once;
quitting while combat-tagged (hit by a player within combat-tag-seconds) is a combat log: you are eliminated at once, your loot drops and the attacker gets the kill.

game:
  rejoin-grace-seconds: 60

0 = eliminated immediately on disconnect. The value is in Match rules → Rejoin time.

11. Leaving¶

Leave with /br leave (or /battleroyale leave) or the red Leave bed.

In the queue: you just leave. If you are a party leader, your party leaves the queue with you.
During the match: it counts as a death. Your loot drops where you stood (if drop-loot-on-death is on), you get a placement and the match is recorded as a loss in your stats.
As a spectator: you go back to the hub.
In an event match: you go back to the event lobby instead (see Events).