Roblox Has Very Bad Hitboxes & It's Not Their Fault

Storyline / Topic

The video doesn’t follow a story plot; it’s an explanation of Roblox hitboxes—why they often feel “unfair” or “clunky,” what makes them different from other games, and how developers can build more controllable hit detection for abilities.

Key Gameplay Ideas + How Hitboxes Work in Roblox

• Common Roblox hitboxes are just the avatar’s body parts

  • Head, arms, torso, and legs are used as the practical collision/damage targets.

• The speaker demonstrates damage using a raycast/laser concept:

  • The laser fires from point A to point B.
  • Damage is applied when the raycast hits a part that matches a chosen character identifier/name (their “original lamp” / character reference).

• Why this feels wrong (core moment):

  • You can be in the same visual position but either take or not take damage depending on small changes like rotation.
  • The reason is that the actual body-part hitboxes occupy slightly different spatial volumes relative to the ray.

Why Some Games Feel Different (Comparison Examples)

• TF2-style concept (hitbox stays put vs avatar moves)

  • Some implementations can separate the damageable hitbox from the visible/emoting animation.
  • This can allow shots to register on an “invisible” hitbox even while the character model moves through walls.

• Roblox (default approach) vs more controlled systems

  • Roblox’s typical method uses simple, avatar-attached hitboxes: generally easier, but less precise.

• Fighting/ability games on Roblox

  • The speaker argues that flashy melee/dash/catch abilities often use custom hitboxes for better “feel,” since relying on tiny limb/arm/leg volumes can cause frustrating misses.

Gameplay/Developer Strategies Highlighted (Custom Hitboxes)

The video explains how custom hitboxes can improve ability hit detection.

Building a Custom Hitbox (Roblox Studio approach)

• Decide hitbox shape

  • Block / circle / cylinder are mentioned, but it uses a square/block shape.

• Size it larger than the avatar

  • This makes abilities feel fair and consistent.

• Make it non-intrusive

  • Set it transparent and configure it so it doesn’t collide with world objects.

• Attach it to the character

  • Follow movement via HumanoidRootPart.
  • Use a WeldConstraint so the hitbox moves/rotates with the player.

• Set it Massless

  • Helps avoid slowing the character.

• Use code to switch from body parts to a name check

  • If the laser/raycast hits a part named “hitbox”, apply damage.

Why Bigger Custom Hitboxes Help

• Abilities feel more satisfying because impact becomes intuitive: “you were close enough,” rather than requiring perfect pixel/thread-the-needle accuracy.
• It reduces issues like:
  • “I hit them point-blank but nothing happened.”
  • “I died after cover because the hit registered at an old position.”

The Main Reason It Feels Unfair: Client/Server Delay

A major section argues that “clunkiness” is commonly caused by client/server delay and network conditions.

What the speaker claims happens

• The client shows your movement immediately.
• The server is the authority for what “really happened.”
• Because updates take time:
  • The shooter may effectively check collisions based on where the target was slightly earlier.

Example symptom:

• You dodge or move, but you still take damage as if you were in the previous position (the hitbox “trails behind” by ~0.2–0.5s in the demo concept).

Demo concept used in the video

• The speaker simulates delay by letting a hitbox update its position only after a set time.
• The hitbox intentionally “lags behind” the character, mimicking poor network/rubber-banding situations.

Potential Solutions Mentioned

• Use larger hitboxes / bigger ability areas

  • Common in fighting/ability games.
  • Timing/position errors become less noticeable because players don’t need exact alignment.

• Rollback-style systems (more complex)

  • The video mentions “rollback”/prediction concepts:
    • The game predicts or rewinds state to better match what players saw.
  • Goal: reduce cases where “I fired at where they were on my screen, but the server disagreed.”

• Movement rubber-banding and security checks

  • Roblox often allows immediate client movement for smoothness.
  • Later server validation may correct “illegal” movement by teleporting the player back, causing rubber banding.

Key Tips the Video Implies

• For developers:

  • If your game has fast, flashy, proximity-based abilities, custom hitboxes usually improve player experience versus relying purely on default avatar parts.
  • Consider multiple hitboxes per ability type (different shapes/sizes for different projectiles/weak points).

• For players:

  • Some “unfair hits” can be explained by network delay, not your aim or the enemy’s aim.
  • If hits feel delayed or reversed, poor connection/latency may be the cause.

Gamers / Sources Featured

• No specific gamer names or external sources are formally featured at the end.
• Named game references inside the content:
  • TF2 (Team Fortress 2)
  • Fortnite
  • Overwatch
  • Arsenal
• No explicit “featured gamer/source” credits are provided in the subtitles’ ending section.