If you're building a horror game on Roblox, getting a functional roblox scp 173 script is probably at the top of your to-do list because nothing beats the tension of a statue that only moves when you aren't looking. It's a classic mechanic that has been around since the early days of the SCP foundation fandom, and honestly, it's one of those things that feels incredibly satisfying to get right in Luau.
The whole "Don't Blink" concept sounds simple enough, but when you actually sit down to code it, you realize there are a few moving parts you have to balance. You aren't just moving a brick; you're dealing with player camera angles, raycasting to check for walls, and making sure the server doesn't lag out when the statue decides to snap someone's neck. Let's break down how to approach this without pulling your hair out.
Why the Statue Mechanic is a Great Challenge
Actually building a roblox scp 173 script is a fantastic way to learn about how Roblox handles 3D space. Most beginners think you just need to check if the player is "near" the statue, but that's only half the battle. The real magic happens when you start playing with the camera's view.
If you've played any of the popular SCP games on the platform, you know the feeling of backing down a dark hallway, staring intensely at that concrete monstrosity, only to turn a corner for a split second and—crunch—you're back at the spawn point. That "crunch" is the result of a script calculating exactly where you are looking and whether there's a clear line of sight between your eyes and the monster.
The Core Logic: How Detection Works
The heart of any roblox scp 173 script is the detection system. You basically need the script to constantly ask two questions: Is the player's camera facing 173? And is there anything blocking the view?
To figure out if a player is looking at the statue, we usually use something called the "Dot Product." Now, don't let the mathy name scare you off. In plain English, it's just a way to check if two directions are pointing the same way. We compare the direction the player's camera is facing with the direction from the player to the statue. If that number is high enough, the player is looking at it. If it's low, their back is turned, and 173 is free to move.
But wait, there's a catch. What if the player is "looking" at the statue through a brick wall? Without a raycast check, the statue would stay still even if it's behind a solid steel door. That's why your script needs to fire a "ray" (an invisible line) from the camera to the statue. If that ray hits a wall first, the statue knows it's hidden and will start creeping up on the player anyway.
Making the Movement Feel Scary
Once you know the statue is not being watched, you have to decide how it moves. There are two main ways to do this in a roblox scp 173 script.
The first way is the "teleport" method. This is where the statue literally disappears from its spot and reappears a few studs closer to the player instantly. This is very true to the original lore and can be terrifying because it feels glitchy and unpredictable. If the player blinks (or even just flickers their camera), the statue is suddenly right in their face.
The second way is "tweening" or using a linear velocity. This makes the statue actually slide toward the player at a high speed. While less "supernatural" than teleporting, it can look smoother if you're going for a more modern horror vibe. Most people prefer the teleporting style because it avoids the awkwardness of seeing a giant concrete statue sliding across the floor like it's on ice skates.
Dealing with the "Kill" Mechanic
Let's talk about the part everyone remembers: the neck snap. When your roblox scp 173 script determines that the statue is close enough to a player (usually checked using .Magnitude), it needs to trigger the end-game state for that player.
Don't just make the player's health zero. That's boring. To make it feel like a real SCP game, you want a bit of flair. Maybe the camera forcibly jerks to a specific angle, you play a "crack" sound effect, and then the player's character collapses using a ragdoll system. It's those small polish items that take a basic script and turn it into a memorable gameplay moment.
Also, a quick tip: make sure you put a small "debounce" or a cooldown on the kill logic. You don't want the script trying to kill a player 60 times a second because they're standing too close. It'll tank your server performance and might lead to some weird double-death glitches.
Handling Multiplayer and Lag
One thing that trips up a lot of developers when writing a roblox scp 173 script is how it behaves when there are ten people in the room. If one person is looking at the statue but nine people aren't, the statue should stay still.
This means your script needs to loop through every player on the server (or at least everyone within a certain distance) and check their visibility. If any player has a clear line of sight, the statue freezes. This can be a bit heavy on the CPU if you have 50 players in a small room, so it's usually best to run these checks on the server but maybe stagger the timing a bit so it isn't checking every single frame.
Another trick is to do the "looking" check on the client side and then tell the server. However, you have to be careful with that because exploiters love messing with client-side scripts. If a cheater tells the server "I'm looking at it" when they aren't, they could effectively break the monster for everyone else. Keeping the core logic on the server is usually the safer bet for a horror game where atmosphere is everything.
Adding the "Blink" Mechanic
If you want to go full "SCP: Containment Breach" style, you'll need to add a blinking meter. This adds a whole new layer to your roblox scp 173 script. Even if the player is staring directly at the statue, their "blink" bar will eventually run out, their screen will go black for half a second, and that's when 173 makes its move.
Implementing this usually involves a simple GUI with a bar that drains over time. When it hits zero, you fire a remote event to the server saying "The player is blinking," which the statue script interprets as "nobody is looking." It creates this frantic gameplay loop where players have to time their movements and find safe spots before their character inevitably has to close their eyes.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
When you're messing around with a roblox scp 173 script, it's easy to run into bugs. One of the most common ones is the statue getting stuck on corners. Since 173 is usually moved via CFrame or Position updates, it doesn't always "slide" around walls nicely. Using a PathfindingService can help, but it can be a bit slow for a fast-moving monster.
A simpler fix is to check if the path between the statue and the player is clear before it teleports. If there's a wall in the way, you might have the statue move to the last visible "waypoint" instead of trying to phase through the wall like a ghost.
Another thing to watch out for is the "jump scare" sound. If you're playing a sound every time the statue moves, it can become incredibly annoying if the statue is moving in tiny increments. You're better off triggering the sound only when the statue is within a certain range or when it makes a significant "jump" toward the player.
Wrapping it Up
Building a custom roblox scp 173 script is one of those projects that starts simple but has a lot of room for depth. You can start with a basic "if not looking then move" script and eventually evolve it into a complex system with pathfinding, blinking mechanics, and dynamic soundscapes.
The best part about Roblox is that the community is huge, so if you get stuck on the math for the dot product or the raycasting logic, there are tons of resources out there. Just remember that the goal is to create tension. Whether the statue teleports five studs or fifty, the most important thing is that the player feels like they aren't safe the moment they turn their back. Happy scripting, and try not to get your neck snapped while testing!