If you're looking to build a roblox custom message system script, you've probably realized that the default chat system, while functional, can feel a bit restrictive. Maybe you want your game to have a specific aesthetic, or perhaps you need specialized channels for teams, global announcements, or even just a cleaner UI that fits your game's futuristic or medieval vibe. Whatever the reason, stepping away from the "out of the box" chat and coding your own is a huge milestone for any Roblox developer. It's one of those projects that looks complicated from the outside but is actually pretty logical once you break it down into pieces.
The truth is, communication is the backbone of most multiplayer experiences. Whether players are plotting a heist or just saying "GG" after a match, how those messages appear on the screen matters. A custom script gives you total control over the font, the color, the timing, and even who gets to see what. Let's dive into how you can actually pull this off without pulling your hair out.
Why Bother Building Your Own?
You might be wondering if it's really worth the effort. Roblox's standard chat is robust and handles all the filtering for you, so why reinvent the wheel? Well, for starters, branding is everything. If you're building a high-intensity horror game, a bright white chat box in the corner might kill the mood.
Beyond just looks, a roblox custom message system script allows for features that the default chat just isn't built for. Think about "system messages" that alert players when a boss has spawned, or a specialized combat log that shows damage dealt in a different color. You can also create "Admin Only" channels or localized chat ranges where you can only hear players who are standing near you. When you write the script yourself, the world is your oyster.
The Core Components You'll Need
Before you start typing lines of code, you have to set the stage. A message system isn't just one script; it's a trio of elements working together. You'll need a User Interface (UI) to display the messages, a RemoteEvent to handle the communication between the player and the server, and the actual Scripts (both local and server-side) to move the data around.
Setting Up the UI
Your UI is where the players will spend their time. Usually, this involves a ScreenGui containing a ScrollingFrame for the message history and a TextBox for inputting new messages. Pro tip: make sure your ScrollingFrame has a UIListLayout inside it. This makes it so every time a new message is added, it automatically stacks neatly below the last one. It saves you the nightmare of manually calculating pixel offsets every time someone says "Hello."
The Importance of RemoteEvents
Since Roblox is a client-server environment, a player typing a message on their screen (the client) won't show up for anyone else unless the server hears about it. You'll want to place a RemoteEvent in ReplicatedStorage. Let's call it something obvious like SendMessageEvent. This is the bridge that carries the text from one person's keyboard to everyone else's screen.
Writing the LocalScript
The LocalScript lives inside your UI. Its job is simple: listen for when the player presses the "Enter" key on the TextBox. When that happens, it needs to grab the text, clear the box so it's ready for the next message, and fire that RemoteEvent.
It looks something like this in your head: "Hey Server, this player just typed 'Need help at the base!', can you check if it's okay and send it to everyone?"
One thing people often forget is to add a small debounce or a check to see if the message is empty. You don't want players spamming the "Enter" key and flooding your server with empty strings. It's a small detail, but it makes the whole roblox custom message system script feel much more polished.
The Server-Side Logic and Filtering
This is where things get serious. When the server receives a message via the RemoteEvent, you can't just blast it out to every player immediately. If you do that, you're breaking Roblox's terms of service. You must filter the text.
Using TextService for Safety
Roblox is very strict about chat filtering to keep the platform safe. You'll need to use TextService:FilterStringAsync. This takes the raw string and the PlayerID and runs it through the Roblox filter to turn any "bad words" into hashtags.
If you try to skip this step, your game could get flagged or even taken down. Plus, it's just good practice. Once the string is filtered, the server then fires a signal back to all clients (using FireAllClients) with the clean, safe version of the message.
Handling Ranks and Colors
This is the fun part. Since the server knows who sent the message, you can check their stats. Is this player a VIP? Give them a gold name tag. Is this player an Admin? Give them a specific icon. You can bundle this extra data (like name color or a prefix) into the message data you send back to the clients. This is how you get those cool "Developer" or "Legendary" tags you see in popular games.
Displaying the Message on the Client
Back on the client side, you need another bit of code that listens for the server's "Hey, here's a new message" signal. When it receives that data, it should create a new TextLabel (or a pre-made template) inside the ScrollingFrame.
You'll want to set the text to something like [PlayerName]: [Message]. Because you used a UIListLayout earlier, the new label will just pop into place at the bottom. To make it feel really smooth, you can use the CanvasPosition property of the ScrollingFrame to automatically scroll down whenever a new message arrives. Nobody likes having to manually scroll down to see the latest chat.
Advanced Features to Level Up Your Script
Once you've got the basics down, you can start getting fancy. A basic roblox custom message system script is great, but why stop there?
- Chat Commands: You can make the server look for specific strings like
/whisperor/dance. If the message starts with a slash, the server can trigger an action instead of broadcasting the text. - Time Stamps: Adding a small, grayed-out
[12:01]before a message gives it a very professional, "Discord-style" feel. - Message Fading: You don't always want a big bulky chat box on the screen. You can script the messages to fade away after 10 seconds, only reappearing when someone types something new or the player hovers over the chat area.
- Rich Text: Roblox supports Rich Text, meaning you can use simple XML-like tags to make certain words bold, italicized, or even a different color within the same sentence.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Even seasoned devs trip up sometimes. One big mistake is doing too much work on the server. The server should handle filtering and routing, but the actual "making the UI look pretty" should happen on each player's local machine. This keeps the server from lagging when fifty people are chatting at once.
Another thing to watch out for is memory leaks. If your game stays open for hours and people are chatting constantly, you might end up with thousands of TextLabel objects inside that ScrollingFrame. It's a good idea to write a small function that deletes the oldest message once the total count hits a certain limit—say, 50 or 100 messages.
Wrapping It Up
Building a roblox custom message system script is honestly one of the most rewarding UI projects you can take on. It touches every part of the Roblox engine: UI design, client-server communication, data handling, and security.
Don't be afraid to experiment with different layouts and features. Maybe your chat shouldn't even be in a box; maybe it should appear as speech bubbles over players' heads, or as a scrolling ticker at the bottom of the screen. Once you have the logic of the RemoteEvent and the TextService filtering down, the way you present that information is entirely up to your creative vision. Just remember: keep it clean, keep it filtered, and most importantly, make it fit the world you're building. Happy scripting!