Paddleboats are an unscripted, physics-reliant vehicle designed to float and 'sail' on smooth terrain water and was designed to be easier alternatives to script-based boats and ships. Paddleboats were introduced throughout 2012 during the new terrain updates and were moderate in popularity during 2012 to 2014. However, they have since lost their fame due to being outcompeted by various other methods of Roblox water transport.
General Uses[]
Wood Planks
An example of a tanker ship, used for cars. Notice the lack of stability.
A fleet of Scytech ships in a stormy ocean. However, these do not have weapons.
Player Transport[]
The most common type of usage for paddleboats was for transportation of players across water-filled maps, particularly lakes or oceans. These tended to be lightweight, fairly manoeuvrable, carried plenty of seats and were typically constructed from Wood or Wooden Planks.
Tankers and Cargo[]
Although uncommon, some players would construct larger paddleboats for use in cargo transport, materials, other vehicles and other goods. This was a risky move, as physics would play a huge role in keeping everything stable enough for unanchored parts. This is an unreliable type due to physics, weight and speed.
Military[]
The second most common type of usage was for military groups based on terrain water, especially naval warfare groups. These were equipped with classic weapons such as the click button cannon, joint breaking parts, and were built with thicker parts for tougher armor against explosions. However, they were not the most manoeuvrable and suffered from cannon angle limitations.
Problems[]
Physics[]
All paddleboat designs relied on physics of some sort. Most notably tankers and cargo ships, this was a massive problem for boats designed to carry other unanchored parts. Paddleboats carrying cargo would often glitch when lag spikes were encountered and were rarely ever stable, tossing and turning at the slightest bump.
Armor[]
A paddle wheel.
Military paddleboats had limitations of how thick their armor could be. Too thick and the speed would suffer, or the ship would sink. Too light and explosions could make mincemeat of the ship. Areas like weaponry, vehicle seats and paddles would also have to be protected.
Use on land and water[]
Amphibious paddleboats were almost impossible to make without minor glitches. Multipurpose paddleboats were slow and buggy. This has always been a problem for paddleboats.
Decline in popularity[]
Replacements[]
As script-based boats became more common, paddleboats began to see a decrease in usage from 2014, and modern paddleboats are rarely ever uploaded. From 2016, script-based boats were the norm for a lot of developers in terrain water.
A capsized paddleboat. One of the problems of old boats.
Comparison[]
On average, script-based boats are less likely to capsize from speed or power. Other alternatives also allow more armor to be placed upon boats for warships, weaponry to have more degrees of freedom, and more manoeuvrability.
Gallery[]
