HowBridge Port Battle
What is HowBridge Port Battle?
HowBridge Port Battle is a free team paintball game that HowBridge made on Roblox, for up to 16 players split into two teams. Each round lasts up to 6 minutes, and the first team to reach the target score wins. There are no paid items in the game, and it is currently open only to players aged 16 or older who have passed Roblox's age check. The setting is a fictional adaptation and has no partnership with Taiwan International Ports Corporation or Roblox Corporation.
It is for players who want to know how the game works, how the gear differs and how to coordinate in bigger teams, and for parents who want to understand the content and age limit first. If you are looking for shipping, freight rates or customs information, see China-to-Taiwan shipping cost calculator. This game and the shipping service are two separate things.
What are the basic rules of the game?
Each team starts from its own spawn room on opposite sides, scores by taking out opponents, and wins by reaching the target score first or by leading when 6 minutes run out. Gear has to be opened from crates on the map; you start with nothing in your hands.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Players | Up to 16 players, Blue Crew and Red Crew, that is 8 vs 8 |
| Round | Up to 6 minutes; after a round ends there is a 10-second break before the next one, and teams are balanced automatically if they differ by more than 1 player |
| Winning | First to the target score wins (12 points at 1 player per team, 110 points at 8 per team); when time runs out the higher score wins, and equal scores are a draw |
| Out | You are out when your 100 health is covered in paint, and you respawn after 3 seconds; there is no gore, and an eliminated character turns into a splash of paint and disappears |
| Gear | Opened at random from crates, up to 3 items on the mobile toolbar; opening the same item again refills its ammo |
| Falling | No damage up to 24 studs; a 70-stud fall always means you are out; falling into the sea puts you out immediately |
| Cost | Free to enter, with no paid items in the game |
| Language | The game interface is in English, but icons and colors make most things understandable |
| Computer opponents | None at the moment; at least two real players are needed for a match |
The pictures on this page are AI-generated to explain how the game works. The actual game screen is whatever the version on Roblox shows.
What age can play now? Why can't players under 16 get in?
Right now only players aged 16 or older who have passed Roblox's age check can get in. Roblox requires new games to go through a trial phase open only to age-checked users aged 16 and over; to open a game to players under 16, the creator must also meet several conditions and pass an evaluation, which this game has not yet completed.
| Roblox's conditions for opening a game to players under 16 | HowBridge's current status |
|---|---|
| Creator completes identity verification and two-step verification | Not completed |
| Evaluation threshold of 250 plays by highly engaged players within 60 days | Not reached |
| A one-time refundable fee of 1 000 Robux, or a Plus/Premium subscription for 2 consecutive months | Not completed (the 1 000 Robux has not been paid) |
| Complete the maturity and compliance questionnaire | Completed, rated Mild |
Account age is how Roblox protects minors. If your child is under 16 and wants to play, please wait until the game passes the evaluation; this page will be updated once it opens.
How do I start playing? What are the controls on phone and PC?
Open the game's page on Roblox and press Play to join. There is no separate download and nothing to pay. Once inside, the system assigns you to a team automatically; run to your crew crate outside the spawn room door to get your first item.
1Open the game page
Open the game page in the Roblox app or a browser, sign in to your Roblox account and press Play.
2Get gear at your crew crate
There are 6 crew crates outside the spawn room door. Each player has their own timer, so there is no need to fight over them, and you can open one again right after respawning. Walk up and hold to open.
3Head out and find teammates
Watch the score and target score at the top of the screen. When your team has 3 or more players, four dots appear next to the team name, and one lights up for each teammate nearby.
4Aim and fire
On PC, aim with the mouse and hold the left button for rapid fire; on mobile, use the big SPLAT button on screen to fire and swipe to aim. When the crosshair turns red, you are on target.
The game has aim assist: a shot that passes near an enemy you can see counts as aimed at them. It will not find an invisible player for you, and it will not pull shots onto a player who cannot be hit.
What gear is there, and how does it differ?
Gear comes in two kinds, attack items and utility items, each with a different effect, and no attack item can take a player out in a single hit. The paint amounts in the table are base values; actual damage is adjusted by player count (see the next section).
| Gear | Paint per shot (base) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deck Mop | 34 | Melee sweep, no ammo needed |
| Paint Marker | 15 | The standard one, 30 shots, the most practical range |
| Splat Spreader | 5 pellets of 10 each | The closer the hit, the more pellets land; 12 shots |
| Rainbow Hose | 6 | Fastest fire rate, 60 shots |
| Sticky Goo Gun | 8 | A hit halves the target's speed for 2.5 seconds; 16 shots |
| Super Glue Gun | 5 | A hit stops the target walking or jumping for 5 seconds, but they can still fire; 5 shots |
| Paint Balloon | 60 at the center, 15 at the edge | Bursts over an area and knocks players back; 3 shots |
| Medkit | Heals 50 | Wipes the paint off you; the medic boxes on the map heal 40 on touch |
| Invisibility Cloak | － | Invisible for up to 20 seconds, revealed as soon as you attack |
| Super Bubble | － | For 10 seconds you lose no health and cannot be glued or stuck |
Why does each shot do less damage when there are more players?
At 1 player per team a shot is 1.5 times the base value, and at 8 per team it is only 0.53 times, so with big teams one player struggles to take anyone out. With more players, more enemies are shooting at you at once; if damage stayed the same you would often be out before you could react. The formula is 1.5 divided by the square root of the player count, where your own team counts for 75% and the opposing team for 25%.
| Players per team | Damage multiplier | Paint Marker shots for a full hit | Target score | Simulated round length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.50 | 5 | 12 | 5 min 38 s |
| 2 | 1.06 | 7 | 25 | 5 min 37 s |
| 3 | 0.87 | 8 | 40 | 5 min 36 s |
| 4 | 0.75 | 9 | 55 | 5 min 32 s |
| 6 | 0.61 | 11 | 85 | 5 min 31 s |
| 8 | 0.53 | 13 | 110 | 5 min 26 s |
- As each shot gets lighter, you get more ammo (the Paint Marker has 57 shots at 8 per team), except for the glue and sticky guns.
- Only damage between players is adjusted; falling and rising-tide damage stay the same.
- The round lengths come from a simulation HowBridge ran with the game's real values, assuming a 50% hit rate, a map flattened to a plane, and no traps or falls counted. They are not measured with real players.
In the same simulation, if the 8 vs 8 target score were fixed at 30, the round would end in about 1 minute 34 seconds, before the typhoon, rising tide and double points could ever appear. After the adjustment, rounds at most team sizes end after about 5 minutes.
How can teamwork win games when teams are bigger?
With 3 or more players per team, staying close to teammates and attacking the same enemy both give a damage bonus; with 4 or more per team, a full team working together deals about twice the damage per shot of a lone player. This is the main way to play when teams are large.
- Advance in groups of three or four: safer than going alone, and you can actually take players out.
- Go over when you see an outline: that is an enemy your teammates are attacking.
- Save medkits for everyone: wait until teammates nearby are hurt, so one kit can save several players.
- Watch out for Paint Balloons: they hit an area, so standing too close together gets everyone hit.
Stay close to teammates
Within 30 studs, each teammate adds 20% damage, counted up to 3 teammates. The four dots next to the team name tell you how many are near you right now.
Attack the same enemy
If a teammate has also hit the same enemy within 4 seconds, each such teammate adds 15%, counted up to 2. Your team sees an outline of that enemy, even through walls; invisible players are not marked.
Share supplies
When you use a medkit, teammates hurt within 30 studs also recover 25 health each. When you open a Golden Crate, nearby teammates also each get a Paint Balloon or a refill of it; a player already carrying a full set of other gear will not have anything swapped out.
Helping counts too
If you hit an enemy within 8 seconds before they are taken out, it counts as one Helps, which shows on the leaderboard. Even if you miss the final blow, you can see how much you helped.
After all bonuses are counted, one shot is at most 1.5 times the base value, so no matter how well you coordinate, attack gear cannot take a player out in one hit. At 1 or 2 players per team these bonuses do not apply, but Helps still count.
How do portals help me get behind the enemy?
There are fixed teleport points on top of the quay's crate stacks; step on one and you are sent one-way to the top of the container stack on the opposing side's container ship, facing the enemy quay. There is one on each of the east and west sides, and both teams can use them. By distance estimates, walking from your own door to the landing spot takes at least about 24 seconds, and the portal takes about 7 seconds.
- One-way: standing on the landing spot does not send you back.
- 15-second cooldown per player: wait at the entrance and you will be sent when the cooldown ends.
- You cannot teleport while glued, caged or roped, nor between rounds.
- Teleporting while invisible makes no sound and you stay invisible afterward; normally others can hear the entrance and the landing spot.
- No traps can be placed at the entrance, the landing spot or beside the stairs, so you will not land straight into a trap, and the route cannot be blocked.
1Look for the cyan beam
Above the entrance there is a tall cyan beam and a PORTAL sign, visible from far away.
2Climb the stairs onto the crate stack
There is only one staircase up the stack; walk onto the ring at the top and you are teleported.
3Look around before moving after landing
After you teleport, the camera turns to face the enemy quay. To come back down, you can only use the stairs of the same crate stack.
What map events happen during a round?
At fixed times in a round the typhoon, rising tide and double points appear, while Golden Crates and the X-ray gate come around at regular intervals. Below is the timetable for a 6-minute round.
| Event | Time | What happens | How to respond |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customs X-ray gate | Scans every 30 seconds | Reveals invisible players within 70 studs of the gate and marks them for 3 seconds | Stay far away while invisible |
| Golden Crate drop | From 1 minute in, every 90 seconds | Lands at one of three spots on the center line, always containing a Paint Balloon and an Invisibility Cloak | A light beam warns 10 seconds ahead; bring teammates along |
| Typhoon | 2 min 30 s to 3 min | Strong wind blows toward the sea | Hide in the spawn room, hold on to a ladder, or stand behind a wall for cover |
| Rising tide | From 1 min 30 s remaining | Seawater floods over the quay within 20 seconds; being in the water costs 4 health per second | Climb onto a crate stack or the ship |
| Double points | Last 1 minute | Each takedown scores 2 points | A trailing team still has a chance to catch up |
| Bounty | 3 takedowns in a row | The player glows gold, taking them out scores double, up to 4 times in the last minute | Gang up on them |
How do I get the five traps, and how do I guard against them?
Traps can only be opened from the purple crates on the ship's deck. Once placed, only the person who placed it can see it for 10 seconds, and after that nobody can, even you will trigger it if you step on it. Traps do not run out and only disappear when the round restarts; there can be at most 40 on the field.
| Trap | What happens when you trigger it |
|---|---|
| Splash Trap drop into the sea | The floor opens and you fall into the sea and are out; a trap placed by the enemy scores for them |
| Cage Trap cage | You cannot walk or jump for 30 seconds, but you can fire |
| Rope Trap rope | For 60 seconds you can only move within 10 steps, but you can fire |
| Glow Trap glow | Your whole body glows and is visible through walls, and everyone gets an arrow pointing at you until you are out |
| Oops Trap empty backpack | All the gear you carry disappears |
- Traps cannot be placed in or near the spawn rooms, crew crate squares, slopes, jump pads, ladders, gangways or crate-stack stairs, so those routes are safe.
- Neither the Super Bubble nor the respawn shield blocks traps.
- After you step on one, you have to move away before it can trigger again.
Is the Taipei Port in the game the same as the real Port of Taipei?
No. The game's quay, ship and cranes are fictional adaptations laid out for combat, and are not a map of the real Port of Taipei. The real Port of Taipei lies in the coastal waters from Bali to Linkou districts, New Taipei City, and is operated by Taiwan International Ports Corporation.
| Item | Real Port of Taipei | Game |
|---|---|---|
| Location | South bank of the Tamsui River mouth, coastal waters from Bali to Linkou districts, New Taipei City | Fictional map, about 470 by 230 studs |
| Size | Port area of 3 091 hectares, 28 wharves | One quay, one container ship, two quayside cranes |
| Operator | Taiwan International Ports Corporation (Port of Taipei Operations Office, Keelung Branch) | A player-made game created by HowBridge |
| Containers | The North Wharf area is a container storage and transfer center | Containers are cover, and also where you open gear |
This game is not an official work of Taiwan International Ports Corporation, the Port of Taipei or any container company, and does not represent how the actual port operates. Roblox is a trademark of Roblox Corporation; this game was made by HowBridge and is not an official Roblox work.
How does research view team-based games?
Existing research supports the idea that cooperation and interdependence strengthen the bonds between players, but it has limits and does not mean every game has the same effect. Among the studies HowBridge found, none directly evaluates a design that scales damage by player count, so this game's approach is a design judgment that still needs to be validated with real players.
| Study | Subjects | Finding | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depping & Mandryk (2017) | Video game players | Cooperation and interdependence are two distinct design mechanisms, and both increase social closeness | Not about paintball or Roblox |
| Plass et al. (2013) | 58 urban middle school students | Both cooperation and competition raised interest and enjoyment; the cooperation group wanted to play again more | The cooperation group's performance dropped in that session, and out-of-game math fluency did not differ between groups |
| Roseth et al. (2008) | 148 studies, over 17 000 early adolescents | Cooperative goals are associated with higher achievement and more positive peer relationships | The studies were about classrooms, not video games |
| Han et al. (2023) | A systematic review of 40 studies on learning with Roblox | Lists learning benefits as well as challenges such as bullying and security | The authors state that empirical research is only just starting |
Scholars still disagree. Prescott et al. (2018) pooled 24 longitudinal studies and found a small but significant association; Ferguson (2015) pooled 101 studies and found a very small effect. Neither effect size is large, and neither is about this game.
What should parents watch for? Is the content too violent?
The game's Roblox maturity label is Mild; the content is cartoon-style paint battles with no gore. Roblox defines Mild as content that may include repeated mild violence and the like, and in the game a character who is taken out turns into a splash of paint and disappears.
- Roblox's label and Taiwan's rating system are two different systems. Article 4 of Taiwan's Regulations for the Management of Game Software Ratings divides games into five levels; the text does not clearly address player-made games on foreign platforms, and HowBridge found no interpretation from the competent authority, so we do not claim which level this game falls under.
- Watch play time. Article 43 of the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act provides that children and youths must not use electronic products for an unreasonable length of time in a way harmful to their physical or mental health, and parents and other caregivers must prohibit it.
- Use parental controls. Roblox offers parent account linking so you can view and manage your child's use; chat has different defaults depending on account age.
- You can report inappropriate content. The iWIN Internet Content Protection Organization accepts public complaints under Article 46 of that Act.
Why did HowBridge make this game? Does it have anything to do with shipping?
This is a free game HowBridge made to help more people get to know the brand, and it is not tied to the shipping service. HowBridge was founded in 2017 and offers consolidated shipping from mainland China to Taiwan, operating from its Shenzhen consolidation warehouse and its Taoyuan Dayuan operations warehouse.
- Points and gear in the game cannot be exchanged for shipping discounts, and they do not affect your parcels.
- The game does not collect your shipping data and does not need a HowBridge member account.
- HowBridge is not a customs broker; customs declarations are handled by partner customs brokers. The customs X-ray gate in the game is only a game feature and does not represent the actual customs clearance process.
What do the common English terms in the game mean?
- <span class="hpb-lit">Splat</span>
- One takedown of an opponent; the score column on the leaderboard.
- <span class="hpb-lit">Helps</span>
- You hit an enemy within 8 seconds before they were taken out, but the final blow was not yours; the assist column on the leaderboard.
- <span class="hpb-lit">Outs</span>
- The number of times you were taken out.
- <span class="hpb-lit">Crew</span>
- Team; the blue team is Blue Crew and the red team is Red Crew.
- <span class="hpb-lit">Crate</span>
- A container; walk up and hold to open it and get gear.
- <span class="hpb-lit">Bounty</span>
- A bounty; a player who takes out 3 opponents in a row glows gold, and taking them out scores double.
- <span class="hpb-lit">Typhoon</span>
- The typhoon; strong wind blows toward the sea.
- <span class="hpb-lit">Tide</span>
- The rising tide; seawater floods over the quay.
- <span class="hpb-lit">Portal</span>
- The portal; it sends you one-way to the ship on the opposing side.
What are the sources and the scope of fact-checking?
The sources below were checked on 2026-11-06; document dates are shown separately from the date of checking, and dates that are not stated are not made up. Game values follow the game code and may change after updates.
Government and official sources
- Taiwan International Ports Corporation: Port of Taipei port information | Document date: not stated; the Port of Taipei is on the south bank of the Tamsui River mouth, in the coastal waters from Bali to Linkou districts, New Taipei City; port area of 3 091 hectares and 28 wharves, under the Port of Taipei Operations Office of the Keelung Branch.
- Taiwan International Ports Corporation: Company profile | Document date: 2026-09-18; after the March 2012 reform of the maritime and port system, Taiwan International Ports Corporation operates and manages 7 international commercial ports: Kaohsiung, Taichung, Keelung, Taipei, Hualien, Suao and Anping.
- Keelung Branch: Introduction to the Port of Taipei | Document date: 2026-09-29; the Port of Taipei is an artificial port, its North Wharf area is a container storage and transfer center, and its East Wharf area hosts automobile logistics.
- Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China: Regulations for the Management of Game Software Ratings | Document date: 2019-05-23; Article 4 divides game software into five levels (Restricted, Guided-15, Guided-12, Protected and General); Article 2 defines the persons obliged to manage ratings.
- Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China: Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act | Document date: 2021-01-20; Article 43 provides that children and youths must not use game software and internet content that is violent, gory or otherwise harmful to their physical or mental health, nor use electronic products for an unreasonable length of time to the detriment of their health, and parents and others must prohibit this; Article 44 covers game software rating; Article 46 covers content protection bodies and platform self-regulation.
- iWIN Internet Content Protection Organization | Document date: not stated; accepts public complaints about online content under Article 46 of the Act.
- Roblox Creator Hub: Content maturity | Document date: 2026-11-05; defines the labels Minimal, Mild, Moderate and Restricted; Mild may include repeated mild violence and the like.
- Roblox Creator Hub: Kids and Select | Document date: 2026-11-05; in the trial phase a game is open only to age-checked users aged 16 and over; to open it to users under 16, the creator must complete verification, two-step verification, a questionnaire and a paid requirement, and pass an evaluation of 250 plays by highly engaged players within 60 days.
- Roblox Creator Hub: Publish games and places | Document date: not stated; the one-time refundable fee for opening a game to users under 16 is 1 000 Robux.
- Roblox: Parental controls | Document date: not stated; parents can create an account link to their child's account and view and manage the child's use of Roblox.
- Roblox, Inc.: 2025 annual report on Form 10-K (US SEC) | Document date: 2026-02-11; the company describes itself as an immersive gaming and creation platform; headquartered in San Mateo, California; average daily active users in 2025 were 127,000,000.
Research literature
Promoting early adolescents' achievement and peer relationships: The effects of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic goal structures
Early adolescents; 148 studies, over 17 000 people, 11 countries (classroom settings, not video games). Compared with competitive or individualistic goal structures, cooperative ones are associated with higher achievement and more positive peer relationships.
The impact of individual, competitive, and collaborative mathematics game play on learning, performance, and motivation
Urban middle school students, N = 58, randomly assigned (small sample). Both cooperation and competition raised situational interest and enjoyment; the cooperation group wanted to play again more and was more willing to recommend it; but the cooperation group's performance dropped in that session, and out-of-game math fluency did not differ between groups.
Cooperation and Interdependence: How Multiplayer Games Increase Social Closeness
Strangers matched online (in pairs); the abstract does not give a number. Cooperation and interdependence are two distinct factors, and both improve the play experience and social closeness; the effect of interdependence can be explained by more conversational turns.
Effect of Playing Violent Video Games Cooperatively or Competitively on Subsequent Cooperative Behavior
Experiment participants (the abstract gives no number; they played Halo II, a first-person shooter). The cooperation group showed more tit-for-tat (which usually precedes cooperative behavior); the social context of the game mattered more than its content.
Ingroup Versus Outgroup Conflict in the Context of Violent Video Game Play
80 participants played a violent game with confederates posing as ingroup or outgroup members. Cooperative play can increase helping behavior; cooperating with an outgroup member can even reduce aggression.
Video Games Do Affect Social Outcomes
A meta-analysis of 98 studies and 36 965 people (mostly general players). Violent games increase aggression and lower prosocial outcomes; prosocial games have the opposite effect.
Learners in the Metaverse: A Systematic Review on the Use of Roblox in Learning
A systematic review of 40 studies on learning with Roblox. Roblox can be combined with collaborative learning, attracts a large number of users and brings about positive attitudes; there are also challenges such as bullying, security and insufficient instructional design; empirical research is only just starting.
Harmful Design in the Metaverse and How to Mitigate it: A Case Study of User-Generated Virtual Worlds on Roblox
An empirical study of Roblox user experience (the abstract gives no number). User-created games are hard to moderate, and harmful designs include inappropriate content and gambling-like incentive mechanisms.
What enhances or worsens the user-generated metaverse experience? An application of BERTopic to Roblox user eWOM
Roblox user reviews and ratings (text mining, not a population survey). Entertainment, escapism, social interaction and avatar self-expression raise satisfaction; identity theft, scams and child safety lower it.
Learning in ports with serious gaming
Port terminal workers (practitioners) in playtest sessions; the abstract gives no number. Explores whether serious games can build the skills of future port handling staff, presents a prototype and reports playtest results (the abstract gives no quantified effect).
Let the Game Begin: Enhancing Sustainable Collaboration among Actors in Innovation Ecosystems in a Playful Way
Actors in the Port of Rotterdam (simulation games). The authors developed two Port of Rotterdam simulation games and argue they can reveal participants' interactions and tensions and help in understanding innovation adoption; the conclusion is what the authors are "convinced" of, not a quantitative test.
Balancing multiplayer first-person shooter games using aiming assistance
Novice-expert pairs (players in pairs). Aim assistance improved the weaker player's performance, but scores did not get closer and enjoyment was unaffected; balancing is more complicated than simply assisting aim.
The round-length and pacing numbers tied to player count come from HowBridge's simulation and are not measured with real players. Whether the Regulations for the Management of Game Software Ratings apply to player-made games on foreign platforms is unclear in the text, and this page makes no judgment. For the opening year of the Port of Taipei only older 2012 data was found, so this page does not state it. For scaling damage by player count, credit for assists, and the industry knowledge that location-based games raise awareness, no direct empirical evidence was found this time.
What are the common questions about HowBridge Port Battle?
Does HowBridge Port Battle cost money?
What age can play?
Can I play on a phone?
Can I play alone?
Does the game save my gear or score?
Is the game in Chinese?
Why can't I take anyone out when I play alone?
Can I portal back?
Is this an official game of Taiwan International Ports Corporation or Roblox?
Can I get shipping discounts for playing?
Who do I tell if I find a problem with the game?
Further reading
Bring friends to fight it out on the Taipei Port quay
The game is free and is currently open to players aged 16 or older who have passed Roblox's age check. It is more fun with more players, and it takes more teamwork too.
Play on Roblox