Source: https://shadowfrag.com/blog/your-arena-your-rules/ # Letting the rules change the fight By the SHADOWFRAG developer · Game systems · Oct 18, 2026 · 3 min read I separated objectives, weapons and protection so you can change the kind of fight on a familiar map. That also meant teaching the [bots](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-bot) what each match asks them to do. [SHADOWFRAG match builder with map, objective, equipment policy and a limit of 64 players including bots.](https://shadowfrag.com/_astro/0f105859ea645fa428170f4bed1f46d7b418970cab7ba79f881e98e7c1bddc0f.xfcGI4gA.png) The match builder exposes the rules and the current limit of 64 total players, including [bots](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-bot), in one place. Archive date: Oct 22, 2026. **Update — 25 October 2026:** SHADOWFRAG now includes [Shogun conquest](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shogun), [Shogun Highlands](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shogun-highlands) and [Precision Dojo](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-precision-dojo). Read [why we describe it as a Movement FPS](https://shadowfrag.com/blog/movement-fps/) and explore the [current 21-map roster](https://shadowfrag.com/maps/). When I added [Capture the Flag](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-capture-the-flag), Scroll and [Demolition](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-demolition), I had to decide how much of a match should be determined by its map. I wanted players to be able to return to a familiar arena and give themselves a different problem to solve. I kept the objective, equipment and protection rules separate, with the same movement controls underneath them. The October 18 work tested those combinations in the game and with [bots](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-bot). It also exposed [bot](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-bot) behavior that needed fixing: adding an objective to a menu was not enough if the [bots](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-bot) did not know how to play it. ## Choosing what wins the match Deathmatch supports [free-for-all](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-free-for-all), teams and a two-player [duel](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-duel). In [Capture the Flag](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-capture-the-flag), bringing back the enemy flag only scores if your own flag is home. [Last Ninja / Scroll](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-last-ninja-scroll) lets you win either by holding the scroll for 60 uninterrupted seconds or by becoming the last survivor. In [Demolition](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-demolition), attackers carry a bomb and defenders protect two sites. Protection changes how risky those objectives are to pursue. You can play without [shields](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shield), give players a [shield](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shield) only when they spawn, or let kills recharge [shields](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shield). [Armor](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-armor) adds one layer above a [shield](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shield), so incoming hits work through [armor](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-armor), then [shield](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shield), then the kill. [Armor](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-armor) cannot stack, and picking it up does not repair a broken [shield](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shield). An unprotected player dies from one damaging hit. Those settings change the decisions inside the same arena. A player with [kill-recharged shields](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shield) has a reason to keep a successful fight going. With classic [instagib](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-instagib) rules and no protection, every exposed crossing risks ending in a single hit. ## Choosing how to fight Rail, Bow, Stars, [Shrapnel](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shrapnel) and [Melee](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-melee) can be enabled independently, as long as at least one damaging weapon is available. The optional net slows an opponent's horizontal movement for two seconds, then takes 40 seconds before it can be used again. Access to [shadow grenades](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shadow-warp) is another separate choice; the shared jumps remain the foundation. The weapons ask different things of a route. Drawing a bow lets you choose when to release and affects the arrow's speed. Stars give you four quick throws before a reload. [Shrapnel](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shrapnel) bursts on contact, but cover blocks its fragments. A doorway that suits one weapon may be a poor place to fight with another, even though getting there uses the same controls. The later server testing established a limit of **64 players including [bots](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-bot)**. That limit is applied both when setting up a match and when admitting players. Within it, the aim is to let you choose a set of rules that works together and save it for the next session. ## A plan you can inspect A retained native match-builder image shows the map, equipment and population settings together. Its archive date identifies the retained image file; the article explains the scope of the host testing. [SHADOWFRAG match builder with map, objective, equipment policy and a limit of 64 players including bots.](https://shadowfrag.com/media/development/ui-planner-original.png) **Match builder**Archive date · Oct 22, 2026 The match builder exposes the rules and the current limit of 64 total players, including [bots](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-bot), in one place. [Original PNG](https://shadowfrag.com/media/development/ui-planner-original.png) Still-image archive dates come from retained image file timestamps in Los Angeles time. An earlier-dated article may include later builds; each image is dated separately. Images are genuine engine or native-editor output. [Download sources, transforms and SHA-256 hashes](https://shadowfrag.com/media/development/manifest.json). [Back to blog](https://shadowfrag.com/blog/)[Browse the glossary](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/) ## Request an _invite code._ SHADOWFRAG is opening by invitation. Request a code and receive development updates. [Shadow Council](https://shadowfrag.com/glossary/#term-shadow-council) contributors receive priority when invitations begin. Enable JavaScript to request an invite code and confirm your email address. Email confirmation required. Codes will be issued later; a request does not guarantee access. Unsubscribe at any time. [Privacy](https://shadowfrag.com/privacy/) Confirm your email to join the invitation list. Codes will be issued in a future round; a request does not guarantee access. Unsubscribe at any time. Anyone can request a code. For [Shadow Council](https://shadowfrag.com/shadow-council/) priority, introduce yourself on Discord with your role, experience, region and time zone. Include examples of your maps or content if you have them. [Join Discord](https://discord.gg/EHj7rZDNj)