GoreBox Map Editor Basics

The GoreBox Map Editor empowers players to build custom arenas without external 3D modeling suites. Based on concepts from the official Steam community guide, this text-only tutorial walks beginners through first launch, basic geometry, texture application, prop placement, lighting passes, playtesting, and export to the MAPCG format for mod.io publishing. No video accompanies this page — treat it as a structured checklist you can follow at your own pace inside the editor.

Custom maps integrate with the v16 addon pipeline alongside Lua scripts and GoreDoll skins. Completed exports appear in your local map list and can be uploaded for others via Workshop. Pair this guide with Map Editor documentation and our port custom maps guide for distribution after your first build.

Open the Map Editor from GoreBox's main menu or dedicated editor entry point. The interface divides into viewport navigation, tool palette, texture browser, and property inspector panels. WASD moves the camera; right-click drag rotates view; scroll adjusts movement speed. Save early and often — the editor creates periodic backups but manual saves before major experiments prevent heartbreak.

Start a new map with a flat ground plane template rather than blank void geometry. Name your project with version suffixes like warehouse_v01 so iterative exports stay organized when publishing updates to mod.io.

Blockout your arena using primitive brushes — walls, floors, ramps, and ceilings scaled to player height. Keep corridors wide enough for vehicle tests if building race tracks; tighter widths suit horror GoreDoll gauntlets. Apply textures from the built-in library: align UV scales so repeating patterns do not blur on large floors.

Place props from the entity palette — crates, barriers, furniture, and decorative items add cover and visual identity. Freeze critical structural props mentally even before in-game /navgenerate — the Map Editor marks static geometry separately from physics props. Reference GoreDoll spawn zones when designing AI arenas with sightlines and choke points.

Lighting transforms blockout spaces into believable environments. Place point lights in interiors, tune ambient color for outdoor Legacy-style daylight or Pillars twilight moods, and bake or preview lighting depending on editor version capabilities documented on custom maps. Over-bright scenes wash out textures; under-lit horror maps need intentional contrast for screenshot appeal on Workshop listings.

Playtest directly from the editor launch button. Walk every route, jump railings, drive vehicles if included, and note stuck geometry. Export to MAPCG when stable — the format packages geometry, textures, and embedded metadata for GoreBox loading. Test exported files in a clean Creator Mode session separate from editor preview to catch export-only bugs.

New Map Editor authors frequently build ceilings too low for /divine flight testing, forget player spawn points facing walls, or export before sealing geometry gaps that cause fall-through on playtest. Run a full walk around the map perimeter every hour of editing — seams you miss in top-down view become instant bug reports after Workshop release.

Another pitfall is publishing without listing /navgenerate instructions for GoreDoll maps. Players assume AI is broken when the map simply needs navmesh generation documented in your mod.io description. Link to this guide and port custom maps from your listing to reduce support comments.

Package exported MAPCG with addon manifest files for mod.io upload. Write descriptions listing player count intent, required dependency addons, and recommended /navgenerate steps for GoreDoll AI. Include screenshots and version tags for v16 compatibility.

Update maps based on community feedback — fix fall-through seams, add spawn points, rebalance lighting. Advanced authors integrate Lua triggers via Lua modding for buttons, doors, and game modes. Promote releases on Discord and link players to mod.io subscription instructions for frictionless installs.

Study default Legacy and Pillars layouts before inventing novel floorplans — successful Workshop maps often remix familiar choke points with new textures rather than reinventing scale constants. Measure door heights against player jump arcs and vehicle clearance early. A week of blockout playtests saves months of comment threads asking why trucks clip through garage doors on otherwise polished releases.