Converting Maps

Up one category: Tutorials

This is a tutorial on how to convert newer Roblox maps to work with old Roblox clients (older than 2013). This is a very advanced tutorial, so please read it carefully.

Also, be sure to check the Important Info section below if you have any issues.

If you prefer, a video tutorial is available!

Introduction and Requirements

You cannot load .rbxl files (Roblox place files) saved in clients from 2014-present in any client version earlier than 2013. If a map was saved in a client version more recent than 2013, it will have to be converted in order to be opened in clients earlier than 2013. GoodBlox uses a (modified) early 2010 client, so newer maps will have to be converted to work with it.

First of all, you'll need these items:

• ConversionScripts
• Roblox Late 2013 Studio
• Roblox FIBv11 Studio

ConversionScripts contains two important scripts: Save.txt and Load.txt. You'll need them.

You won't always need to use FIBv11 Studio for converting maps, but it's good to have for when you do need it.

If you're wondering, FIBv11 is an old development build of Future is Bright, Roblox's modern lighting system. Oddly, it has been found to be useful for fixing errors with map conversion.

Once you have these items, you're ready to start converting.

Directions

1. Open the map you want to convert in Modern Roblox Studio.
2. At the top of the screen, click [MODEL], then [Run Script] (above the Advanced section). Locate Save.txt, and open it. Wait a few seconds for the script to finish running. (If you have Output open, you can see when the script is finished.)
3. Save the map.
4. Now, open the Late 2013 Studio.
5. In 2013, open the map you just saved. All the parts should have no color, and any GUI text will be really small. This is normal, don't worry. If you get an error, please check the bold text just below these directions.
6. At the top of the screen, click [Tools], then [Execute Script...]. Locate Load.txt, and open it.
7. All the parts should have their colors returned, and GUIs should be fixed.
8. Save the map.

You're done! Now you should be able to use the map in GoodBlox, and any other old client!

If you get an error while trying to load the map in 2013, try saving the map in FIBv11 Studio instead of in Modern Roblox Studio, and then try loading the map in 2013 again. If this still doesn't work, please check the Important Info section below.

Converting Models

If you'd like to simply convert a model, you must load the model through an .rbxl file in 2013. You cannot simply load .rbxm (model) files from Modern Roblox Studio in 2013. Follow the same steps as above to convert the .rbxl file.

You can just save the model on an empty baseplate, convert the map, and grab the model while you're in 2013.

Note: If you save an .rbxmx or .rbxlx file in Modern Roblox Studio (instead of an .rbxm or .rbxl), you might be able to load it in older clients without having to convert, but the colors and other factors will still be reset. This will not always work, and the colors will still be reset if it does work, so it's best to just convert it normally.

Important Info

If you have any issues with converting maps, you should check here.

• If you get an error while trying to load the map in 2013, try saving the map in FIBv11 Studio instead of in Modern Roblox Studio, and then try loading the map in 2013 again.
• If you still can’t open a map in 2013 after trying FIBv11, and you followed all the steps correctly, it could be some object in the place that’s preventing it.
• If your map has CharacterMesh objects in it, the map might not load in 2013. If the map doesn't load, delete them before converting and then re-add them after converting. (CharacterMesh objects don't exist in GoodBlox's client anyway, so there's really no point in keeping them, unless you're converting a map for another old client that supports them.)
• If your map has KeyframeSequence objects in it, the map will not load in clients older than 2013. You can delete them in 2013 or in Modern Roblox Studio.
• If you convert a map that uses features added after 2013, such as Unions, MeshParts, ParticleEmitters, Accessories, etc., then those items will be removed from the map. You can separate your Unions into Parts and replace MeshParts with Parts that use SpecialMeshes.
• Meshes uploaded to Roblox after April 2019 will not load in ANY older client. (This does not affect map conversion; the meshes will just be invisible)
• GoodBlox's client only supports mesh format 1.00. If you don't know what this means, don't worry about it. But keep in mind, if you discover that a mesh in your place will not load in GoodBlox's client, yet it loads in other clients, it's probably because it uses a mesh format other than 1.00.
• If your map has newer colors added after 2016, those colors will be changed to the closest available BrickColor when you run Load.txt in 2013.
• If your map has BodyColors, SelectionBoxes, or any type of Lasso objects in it, all the colors in them will be reset when you convert. We currently do not have a system for converting the colors inside these objects.
• Asset IDs that use the rbxassetid://XXXXXX format will not work in clients older than 2013. Change these asset IDs to use http://www.roblox.com/asset/?id=XXXXXX (the old format) instead, so that they will work after conversion.
• Upon conversion, the formFactor properties of Parts may be reset to Brick.