Tag: gaming

  • Top Features Released This Week for HYTOPIA Creators

    Top Features Released This Week for HYTOPIA Creators

    We’re excited to share another week of significant progress across our platform. Our team has been hard at work delivering new features, improving performance, and expanding the tools available to our creator community.

    Enhanced SDK Capabilities

    Visual Effects & Rendering This week we’ve significantly expanded the visual capabilities available to creators. Our new fog control APIs allow developers to create atmospheric environments and dynamic weather effects. We’ve also released powerful particle emitter systems that can now be attached directly to model nodes, opening up possibilities for realistic fire effects, magical spells, environmental ambience, and much more.

    Dynamic Content Scaling

    Creators can now rescale models and colliders at runtime through our new API, providing greater flexibility for dynamic gameplay mechanics. Whether you’re creating growing crops, transforming characters, or adaptive environments, this feature gives you the control you need.

    Improved Rendering

    We’ve enhanced our chunk rendering system to properly account for fog effects, and resolved several shadow rendering issues that were affecting entities outside the screen boundary and large-scale scenes.

    Frontiers Content Expansion

    The Frontiers experience continues to grow with exciting new content. Spider webs are now destructible entities that respond to damage, and we’ve introduced weaver entities with associated item drops. The Gorkin faction has arrived with multiple entity types including hunters, swordsmen, and chieftains, each bringing unique gameplay dynamics.

    A blocky character standing on a dirt path surrounded by trees and plants in a game environment, displaying a toolbar at the bottom with inventory items and experience points.
    Hearthwilds update, a massive new region added to the Frontiers.
    A user interface displaying a blacksmithing menu in a game, featuring an apprentice blacksmith named Arden. The menu shows various items, including an iron helmet with requirements for crafting, such as iron ingots, raw hide, and gold.
    Our favorite blacksmith Arden has some new gear he can help you craft.

    We’ve also implemented more sophisticated enemy AI where certain creatures will engage in combat with each other, creating more dynamic and unpredictable encounters. The atmospheric heartwilds area now features fog effects, enhancing the immersive experience.

    Creator Tools & API Development

    HYTOPIA MCP Release

    We announced the release of our HYTOPIA MCP & AI API plugin that integrates directly with Cursor. This tool allows creators to build HYTOPIA games through natural language prompting, simply describe what you want to create, and watch as features, gameplay mechanics, and debugging solutions come to life in minutes rather than hours.

    Demo video of HYTOPIA MCP & AI API plugin that integrates directly with Cursor

    Whether you’re prototyping a new game concept, adding complex features, or troubleshooting issues, the AI-powered development workflow dramatically accelerates the creation process. Get started with AI-powered game development here.

    Revamped Developer Documentation

    We’ve completely refreshed our developer documentation to make building on HYTOPIA more accessible than ever. The updated docs at dev.hytopia.com, feature clearer explanations, better organization, and more comprehensive examples to help both newcomers and experienced developers get up to speed quickly.

    Additionally, we’ve added a dedicated guide on publishing your games to HYTOPIA, walking you through everything from final testing to launching your creation for the community to enjoy. No more guesswork, just clear, step-by-step instructions to get your game live.

    API Key Management

    A major milestone this week is the rollout of our API key system and accompanying JavaScript packages. This empowers creators to programmatically interact with their games for essential functions like user moderation, leaderboard management, and community features. The streamlined management interface makes it easy to generate, monitor, and control API access.

    Simplified Content Creation

    We’re introducing a more intuitive cosmetic item creation workflow that reduces complexity for creators. Now you can create custom items by simply providing a 3D model and filling out basic metadata and we handle the technical implementation details.

    Wallet Integration

    Enhanced Privy wallet management now includes better session handling and support for external wallet connections, providing creators and players with more flexible authentication options.

    Platform Performance & Reliability

    • We’ve improved responsiveness across mobile devices, ensuring a smoother experience for players accessing games on phones and tablets.
    • Several critical fixes have been implemented, including resolution of a memory-related crash in our event system and database connection optimizations that improve overall platform stability.
    • Fixed issues with character settings (skin tone, hair color, etc.) not properly syncing to the frontend, ensuring player customizations appear correctly across all game experiences.

    Behind the Scenes: Infrastructure Advances

    Resource Monitoring As our platform grows, we’ve implemented comprehensive resource tracking to ensure optimal performance and identify potential bottlenecks. This system monitors API usage patterns and helps us maintain a high-quality experience for all users.

    Save States System Our new persistent data service is now in internal testing and will soon power the SDK’s player.persistedData feature, allowing games to maintain player progress and preferences across sessions.

    Global Leaderboards We’ve deployed an initial version of our scalable leaderboard system, designed to handle real-time scoring, multiple ranking criteria, and the diverse needs of different game types. This system supports live top-25 streams, real-time rank updates, and flexible scoring mechanisms.

    Asset Library Growth

    This week we’ve added 42 new dungeon-themed assets and 5 additional clothing textures to our creator asset library. We’ve also updated the player walking animation and created new icons for shiny armor and mobile hat accessories.

    Looking Ahead, we have some exciting developments in the pipeline that we can’t quite share yet, but we think you’re going to love what’s coming next. Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, thank you to our incredible creator community for your continued feedback and support.

  • Weekly Product Update: Particle Systems, Zero-Downtime Hosting, and Major Platform Improvements

    Weekly Product Update: Particle Systems, Zero-Downtime Hosting, and Major Platform Improvements

    This week brought significant advances across our entire platform, from the first particle system implementation to revolutionary zero-downtime hosting upgrades. Here’s everything new in our ecosystem.

    SDK & Client Improvements

    Particle Systems Are Here! We’ve implemented initial particle support in the client, with server-side APIs coming soon. This opens up exciting possibilities for visual effects, from magical spells to environmental ambiance.

    We’ve also squashed several critical bugs:

    • Fixed click events for Safari and other WebKit browsers
    • Resolved “WebGL Context Lost” errors when switching worlds
    • Fixed touch events on mobile devices’ left screen area
    • Eliminated player duplication issues in Frontiers

    Our client has also gotten more polite—it now properly closes server connections instead of abruptly cutting them off. We’re also researching advanced shadow rendering for off-screen objects and giving creators fog control options.

    A player character stands in a grassy area surrounded by trees and stone ruins, with a HUD displaying health, level, and inventory.

    Developer Support

    Introducing the HYTOPIA SDK Help Bot! Developers can now get instant help with SDK questions directly in our Discord’s game-dev-hub channel. This bot is specifically trained on our engine’s internals and documentation, providing immediate solutions and answers to technical questions.

    No more waiting for human responses or digging through docs, just ask the bot and get expert-level assistance instantly. This represents a major step forward in developer support and should dramatically speed up your development workflow.

    Screenshot of the HYTOPIA Discord server's game-dev-hub channel, showcasing communication and assistance for developers utilizing the HYTOPIA SDK Help Bot.

    Frontiers Game Evolution

    Combat & Balance Updates:

    • Enemy health regeneration prevents exploitative “death-cheese” strategies
    • Sword special attacks now deal more damage with increased knockback but longer cooldowns
    • Healing potions are now cheaper to encourage strategic use

    User Experience:

    • HUD tooltips provide helpful context throughout the interface
    • Mobile-optimized crafting and merchant interfaces for smoother gameplay
    • A massive new region releasing very soon

    We’ve also fixed item pickup detection and eliminated race conditions in player state loading for more reliable gameplay.

    World Editor Power Tools

    Terrain Painting is now live! Select the mountain icon under Placement Size/Shape to try this game-changing feature that lets you sculpt landscapes naturally.

    Block Replacement Tool allows creators to swap selected blocks for different types, with configurable random weights for variety. Perfect for quickly changing materials across large areas.

    Quality of Life Improvements:

    • Tools reset to default state when switching tabs
    • Improved toolbar layout with new swap menu
    • Enhanced tooltip behavior
    • Fixed undo/redo for line strokes

    Authentication & Wallet Integration

    We’re building the foundation for comprehensive user management:

    • API key creation coming soon to the Create website
    • Wallet management page in development (not yet live)
    • Privy integration for external wallet support

    These features will give creators and players more control over their accounts and assets.

    Platform Enhancements

    Play Platform

    • Responsive design improvements with better name truncation and mobile featured image display
    • Extended HTML support now allows symbols like &, <, and >
    • Safari compatibility fixes for button interactions
    • UI consistency improvements across game overlays

    Create Platform

    • Real-time feedback for image aspect ratio issues
    • Improved save behavior for better consistency across form fields
    • Critical bug fixes that previously required page refreshes

    Revolutionary Hosting Upgrades

    Zero-Downtime Instance Upgrades are now possible! When we need to update servers, old instances keep running until all players naturally leave, then seamlessly transition to new ones. No more forced disconnections.

    ARM64 Support allows us to use more cost-effective instances with equal or better performance, savings we can pass on to creators.

    Crash Recovery means game servers automatically restart if they encounter issues, instead of destroying the entire lobby session.

    Performance Optimizations:

    • Dramatically reduced internet bandwidth usage for instance management
    • Added comprehensive telemetry for match creation and queue monitoring
    • Simplified architecture for better reliability
    • Fixed caching issues that served outdated files

    Save States Progress

    Our simplified save state system is taking shape with new endpoints for loading, bulk updating, and deleting player data. We’ve also implemented the JavaScript package that will integrate with the SDK, making save state management as easy as working with regular objects.

    Load testing is showing promising results for performance at scale.

    Items & Economy

    Item Burning is now fully functional—burn lootboxes to receive loot, burn bundles to get their contents, and more. We’ve also fixed contract address formatting to ensure proper checksum compliance.

    Fresh Assets & Art

    Our art team delivered an impressive array of new content:

    New Models:

    • Alchemy table for magical crafting setups
    A pixelated treasure chest containing various items: a red potion, a purple potion, a book, and pieces of food.
    • HYTOPIA banner and wooden table for world decoration
    A pixel art wooden table with wooden planks as the surface and four sturdy legs.
    • Complete dungeon kit: gates, fences, coins, and crates
    Pixel art representation of a textured wall panel with alternating sections of light and dark gray patterns, featuring vertical green accents.
    Three wooden crate models, including one barrel and two rectangular boxes, rendered in a pixelated video game style.
    Three pixel art blocks stacked in different configurations, featuring yellow and brown colors, resembling honeycomb or a sweet dessert.
    Pixel art illustration of a pair of decorative metal gates with vertical bars and ornate toppers.
    • Marker model for world navigation
    Pixelated red banner with a yellow emblem and decorative edges, shown in two sizes.

    Visual Upgrades:

    • Shiny new armor replaces the old rusty versions
    A pixel art character dressed in shiny armor, holding a wooden shield and wooden sword, with a flame-like plume on the helmet.
    • Redesigned test sword and shield with improved aesthetics
    • Refreshed promotional hats for Android and iOS platforms
    A 3D pixel art character model wearing a red apple hat with a green stem, styled in a minimalistic environment. The character has green eyes and is depicted standing on a grid.
    3D character model wearing a green frog hat, white shirt, and blue jeans, rendered on a dark background.

    Research Projects:

    • Default schematics for the world builder (like pre-built trees)
    • Transparent tree leaves for more realistic forests
    A blocky character stands in a grassy landscape, facing a large, pixelated tree and rocky terrain under a blue sky.

    Looking Ahead

    With particle systems landing, zero-downtime hosting now possible, and instant SDK support available through our Discord bot, we’re entering an exciting phase where creators can build more ambitious experiences without worrying about technical limitations. The upcoming save states API will make persistent game worlds simpler than ever.

    We’re grateful for the community’s continued feedback and engagement. These updates directly reflect your suggestions and bug reports—keep them coming!

    Ready to build? Check out the new terrain painting tools in the World Editor, or join the Frontiers Discord for the latest game updates.

  • What’s New This Week at HYTOPIA: Performance Optimizations

    What’s New This Week at HYTOPIA: Performance Optimizations

    We’ve been incredibly busy this week shipping improvements across our entire platform. From major SDK performance optimizations to exciting new features like simplified save states and global leaderboards, here’s everything that’s new.

    SDK Performance & Features

    Our development team has been laser-focused on performance this week. We’ve added new helper functions that make it easier to work with entity dimensions, introduced environmental entity marking for better performance (these entities skip unnecessary processing), and completely revamped our network synchronization to use memory more efficiently.

    One highlight: particles now stick to their movement paths. This means when you attach a smoke emitter to a vehicle’s exhaust, you’ll get that realistic trailing effect you’d expect. The particle system is currently under review and should be live soon!

    We’ve also fixed a critical issue with world switching for managed hosts and optimized event routing throughout the platform.

    Frontiers Game Updates

    Frontiers continues to evolve with substantial new content and systems:

    New Content & Regions:

    • Weavers Hollow – An entirely new region to explore
    • Environmental variety with new models (including some cheeky additions to the Ratkin Nest)
    • Wearable equipment: hoods, leggings, gloves, and boots
    • Interactive cobwebs that slow player movement

    Core Systems:

    • Crafting system now live at the Stalkhaven blacksmith
    • Item damage modifiers for weapons (better gear = more damage)
    • Leveling system improvements with health increases per level
    • Enhanced tooltips across the UI for better user experience
    Frontier’s Tool Tips
    Frontier’s crafting

    We’ve also launched a dedicated Discord server and X Page for Frontiers players to stay connected and get real-time updates.

    World Editor Enhancements

    Content creators get powerful new tools this week:

    • ZIP file import support for easier asset management
    • AI schematic builder now includes environment models in builds
    • Improved stability across all AI-powered features
    • New terrain building tools currently in research

    Infrastructure & Hosting

    Behind the scenes, we’ve significantly upgraded our hosting infrastructure:

    • Larger instance sizes providing more resources for every game
    • Research into zero-downtime upgrades for scaling instances and updating systems
    • More robust game hosting capabilities overall

    Revolutionary New Features

    Save States – Simplified

    Based on community feedback, we’re completely reimagining how player data persistence works. Our new system will be as simple as working with regular JavaScript objects:

    js// Add or update player data
player.persistedData.health = 20;
player.persistedData.inventory = [{id: "wooden-sword", amount: 1}];

// To delete fields
player.persistedData.inventory = undefined;
OR
delete player.persistedData.inventory;

    We handle all the complex loading, saving, and race condition management behind the scenes.

    Global Leaderboards

    We’re solving one of game development’s trickiest problems: global leaderboards that actually scale. Our new system addresses the challenges of:

    • Multiple servers updating simultaneously
    • Expensive real-time calculations
    • Unnecessary data transfer
    • Implementation complexity

    Soon you’ll be able to create leaderboards through our dashboard, submit scores via the SDK, and we’ll handle all the technical complexity.

    Items & Economy

    Our items system received major upgrades:

    • Gasless item burning – burn lootboxes to get loot, burn bundles to get items
    • New endpoints for tracking item relationships and collections
    • Promotional item dispensers for platform-specific rewards (Android & iOS hats)
    • Improved caching and performance monitoring

    Character Customization

    The Locker system now supports:

    • Hair hiding flags for items that conflict with hairstyles
    • Rebuilt inventory tab using our latest APIs
    • Fully functional character settings
    • Smoother player preview without flickering or cutoff issues

    Assets & Animation

    Our art team delivered:

    • New shield blocking animations
    • Dancing animation for pig models
    • Interactive chest models with opening animations
    • Fixed positioning for platform-specific cosmetics

    What’s Next?

    We’re continuing research on dungeon doors, candle models, and advanced terrain tools. Keep an eye out for more save states and leaderboards documentation coming soon.

    As always, we’re grateful for the community feedback that drives these improvements. Keep the suggestions coming!

  • HYTOPIA Weekly Developments: New Features and Enhancements

    HYTOPIA Weekly Developments: New Features and Enhancements

    Good morning, builders, creators and developers!

    This week has been absolutely packed with game-changing updates across every corner of the HYTOPIA ecosystem. From powerful new SDK features to major Frontiers expansions, we’re seeing the platform mature into the comprehensive game development solution we’ve always envisioned.

    SDK: Unleashing Developer Power

    Our SDK continues to evolve with features that give developers remarkable control and flexibility:

    Event System

    • Global Event Router: Developers can now hook directly into player and world manager events, enabling deep integration with platform systems
    • Custom Events: Define your own custom events while maintaining full type safety – perfect for complex game mechanics and inter-system communication
    • Enhanced Flexibility: Show specific glTF meshes even when they’re in the hidden list, giving granular control over what players see

    Visual Effects Breakthrough

    • Particles System: The initial implementation of our particles system is here! This opens up possibilities for everything from magical spell effects to environmental ambiance and combat feedback

    Core Improvements

    • Latest Player Model: Updated to our newest player model with enhanced capabilities
    • Camera Fixes: Resolved issues with the player camera’s lookAt method for smoother visual experiences

    These SDK improvements are the foundation that makes everything else possible!

    Frontiers: A Living, Breathing World

    Our flagship MMORPG continues to showcase what’s achievable with HYTOPIA, adding major new systems and content:

    World Expansion

    • Stalkhaven Port: A bustling new harbor area complete with maritime atmosphere
    • New NPCs: Meet the Boat Repairman and the mysterious Captain Shroud, each bringing their own stories and interactions
    • Ratkin Nest: An entirely new region packed with challenging Ratkin enemies and valuable loot to discover

    Game Systems Revolution

    • Quest System: Full quest implementation bringing structure and narrative progression to the world
    • Persistent Progress: Player health, items, XP, and region progress now save between sessions – no more lost progress!
    • New Player Experience: Comprehensive help menu with tips to onboard newcomers smoothly
    • Smart Spawning: Players now spawn facing important locations like shops rather than random portals

    Combat & Activities

    • Diverse Quest Types: Foraging challenges, dodging trials, combat objectives, and more
    • Streamlined Items: Simplified item system for better user experience and easier development

    Frontiers is proving that HYTOPIA can handle the complexity of full MMORPGs while remaining accessible to solo developers.

    World Editor: Smoother Building Experience

    Our world editor received crucial quality-of-life improvements:

    Enhanced Building Mechanics

    • Y-Axis Locking: Dragging now locks to the original Y position, preventing accidental vertical movement
    • Performance Optimization: Only meshes actually being used are added to the scene, dramatically improving editor performance
    • UI Polish: Input elements can no longer be accidentally focused, reducing builder frustration

    Stability Improvements

    • Persistent Ground Tool: Fixed issues where blocks deleted by the ground tool wouldn’t save properly
    • Ghost Item Fixes: Resolved rendering issues that caused phantom objects in the editor

    Marketplace: From Wallets to People

    The marketplace transformation continues with a focus on human-centered design:

    User Experience Upgrades

    • Real Profiles: Seller profile pictures and usernames now display instead of cryptic wallet addresses
    • Sales Analytics: Comprehensive tracking system for the upcoming marketplace model (details in our tokenomics documentation)
    • Content Moderation: Terms of Service flagging system to maintain quality and safety standards

    These changes make the marketplace feel like a real community space rather than a cold transaction system.

    Locker: Character Customization Unleashed

    Our character customization system received massive upgrades:

    Expanded Customization

    • Complete Character Editor: New page for customizing skin tone, hair style, and hair color
    • Eyewear Slot: Brand new equipment slot for glasses, goggles, and other face accessories
    • Hair Variety: Support for 10 new hair styles, each available in 10 different colors (100 combinations!)
    A collection of voxel-style character hair models in various colors and styles, displayed against a dark background.

    Technical Improvements

    • Unified Textures: Now uses the same texture generator as the actual game for perfect consistency
    • GraphQL Migration: All features moved to GraphQL for improved performance and reduced costs
    • Bug Fixes: Resolved edge cases preventing certain players from equipping items

    Search: Quality Control

    • Clean Results: Delisted items no longer appear in search results, ensuring users only see available, approved content

    Assets: Building Blocks of Creativity

    Our asset library expansion continues with practical and beautiful additions:

    New Models & Animations

    • Smoke Particles: glTF particle effects for atmospheric enhancement
    • Upgrade Bay Building: Perfect for sci-fi and industrial environments
    • Portal Model: The same stunning portal used in Frontiers, now available to all creators
    • Rusty Armor Set: Complete armor models for medieval and fantasy games
    Two pixelated knights in armor standing in a vibrant green landscape with trees and flowers, holding swords and shields, with a castle in the background.

    Player Animation Expansion

    • Foraging Animations: Realistic gathering and collection movements
    • Battle Stance Idle: Combat-ready positioning for action games
    • 5-Hit Combo: Fluid combat animation sequence for fighting mechanics
    • Hair Integration: Updated texture generator supporting all new hair styles

    The Ecosystem Effect

    What makes this week’s updates particularly exciting is how they work together. The SDK’s new event system enables the complex quest mechanics in Frontiers. The improved marketplace benefits from better character customization in Locker. The expanded asset library gives World Editor users more tools for expression.

    This is what a mature platform looks like – not just individual tools, but an interconnected ecosystem where each improvement amplifies the others.

    Looking Forward

    Every update brings us closer to our vision of democratizing game development. Whether you’re building your first simple game or developing the next breakthrough MMORPG, HYTOPIA provides the foundation, tools, and community to make it happen.

    Ready to start building? Jump into our World Editor at build.hytopia.com, explore our expanded SDK documentation, or dive into Frontiers to see these systems in action.

    The future of gaming is being built by creators like you, and we’re honored to provide the tools that make it possible. Keep building, keep innovating, and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

    Want to stay updated on all HYTOPIA developments? Follow our weekly development updates for the latest features, improvements, and community showcases.

  • HYTOPIA: Major SDK & Game Hosting Upgrades This Week

    HYTOPIA: Major SDK & Game Hosting Upgrades This Week

    This week has been absolutely incredible for HYTOPIA! Our team has been firing on all cylinders, delivering major improvements across every aspect of the platform. From new SDK features to a massive asset library expansion, we’re building the most comprehensive game development ecosystem in the space.

    SDK Updates

    Our SDK continues to evolve with features that unlock new creative possibilities:

    New Capabilities

    • Override default model textures and swap them in real time, perfect for customization systems, damage states, or seasonal variants
    • Test if shapes would collide before placing them, essential for smart building tools and physics-based gameplay
    • New utility functions for converting direction vectors to quaternions, simplifying 3D rotations

    Quality of Life Improvements

    • Default entity controller’s stopping distance is now customizable for precise movement behaviors
    • Improved camera zooming for better player experience
    • Player entities now properly respect “can move” flags during animations

    Critical Bug Fixes

    • Resolved a significant memory leak in networking code
    • Fixed timing issues for world events
    • Improved overall stability and performance

    ‘Frontiers’ is Shaping Up

    Frontiers continues to showcase what’s possible with HYTOPIA SDK, with massive feature additions this week:

    Commerce & Trading

    • Buy/Sell System: Complete item trading with merchants
    • Real-time Updates: Item quantities update instantly across the game
    • Bartering XP: Gain experience through trading activities
    • Smart Notifications: Keep players informed of important events

    World Expansion

    • Portal System: Seamless travel between regions using our world switching technology
    • Chitters Forest: Brand new region to explore
    • Enemy Spawners: Dynamic creature population system
    • Foraging Mechanics: Gather resources from the environment

    Combat & Progression

    • Consumables: Health potions and other usable items
    • Sword Spin Attack: Area-of-effect combat abilities
    • Projectile Enemies: Ranged combat challenges
    • Death/Respawn System: Complete player lifecycle management
    • Auto-Respawn: Players who fall out of bounds are automatically rescued
    • Balanced Progression: Refined leveling and damage formulas for optimal gameplay

    The improvements to pathfinding and enemy AI make the world feel truly alive!

    Infrastructure: Performance at Scale

    Game Hosting Revolution

    We’ve completely upgraded our game hosting infrastructure:

    • More Powerful Instances: Significantly increased game performance across the board
    • Amazon Linux 2023: Leveraging AWS hardware optimizations for maximum efficiency
    • Zero Downtime Upgrades: Early prototype for seamless game runner updates (no more maintenance windows!)

    Authentication & Wallet Integration

    • Pre-calculated Wallets: Reduced complexity, costs, and response times for player onboarding
    • External Wallet Support: Connect existing wallets in read-only mode for seamless Web3 integration

    Promotional Items: Rewarding Our Community

    We will be launching an exciting new reward system that recognizes both on-chain activity and community participation:

    Cross-Chain Rewards

    Similar to Collab.land, connect your external wallet to receive rewards based on your assets. For example, special Ape masks for Bored Ape community members or exclusive rewards for Worlds, Avatars, and Gray Boys owners

    Testing Economy

    • 1000 ‘Fake’ USDC: Risk-free marketplace testing currency
    • Locker Integration: Test our new inventory system with real items

    Marketplace: The Web3 Gaming Economy

    Major marketplace improvements are setting the foundation for a thriving creator economy:

    Technical Upgrades

    • Gasless Transactions: Create and execute listings through our foundation gasless system
    • Performance Boost: Migrated from legacy APIs to new, optimized systems
    • USDC Integration: Simplified from ‘credits’ to USDC for easier Web3 onboarding

    Items & Inventory: Smart Asset Management

    Our items system received significant backend improvements:

    Bulk Operations

    • Multi-NFT Queries: Retrieve item balances for multiple NFTs and owners efficiently
    • Inventory Aggregation: Get complete user inventories and equippable items per Locker slot
    • Statistics Dashboard: Track unique owners, total supply, and other key metrics

    Performance & Reliability

    • Enhanced Caching: Improved caching for tracked contract addresses
    • Error Handling: Fixed server errors related to on-chain/database mismatches
    • Code Cleanup: Streamlined metadata handling for better maintainability

    87 New Creative Building Blocks

    We believe the biggest blocker for game development isn’t programming, it’s art. That’s why we’re constantly expanding our free asset library for creators.

    This Week’s Massive Addition

    Starting with 25 assets, we’re adding 87 more to

    New Asset Categories

    • Enhanced Player Animations: Consuming animations for potions and food
    • Environmental Variety: Multiple pot types with plants, flowers, and cactuses
    • Natural Elements: Pebbles, cobblestone patches, snow-covered rocks
    • Urban Assets: City-themed objects for modern environments
    • Living Worlds: Wind animations for plant models
    • Character Customization: 10 hair styles × 10 colors = 100 combinations!

    And much more! Our asset team is working around the clock to give developers everything they need.

    Platform Polish: Better Player Experience

    Play Platform Improvements

    • HTTPS Integration: Fixed game launching from friends list to use secure connections
    • Real-time Updates: Global player counts now update instantly (solved a Redis version mismatch)

    Creator Dashboard

    • Status Accuracy: Fixed packages incorrectly showing as ‘Live’
    • UI/UX Research: Ongoing design iterations for item creation pages

    What This Means for You

    Whether you’re a developer, player, or creator, this week’s updates directly impact your HYTOPIA experience:

    For Developers:

    • More powerful SDK tools for complex game mechanics
    • Expanded asset library reduces development time
    • Improved hosting performance for better player experience

    For Players:

    • Smoother gameplay experiences
    • New reward systems for community participation
    • Enhanced marketplace for trading and collecting

    For Creators:

    • Streamlined Web3 integration
    • Professional-grade tools for content creation
    • Growing ecosystem of opportunities

    The Momentum Continues

    This development update showcases more than just feature additions, it demonstrates our commitment to building a comprehensive platform where creativity meets cutting-edge technology. From SDK improvements that enable new gameplay mechanics to infrastructure upgrades that ensure smooth experiences at scale, every update brings us closer to our vision of democratizing game development.

    Ready to start building? Explore our expanded asset library at build.hytopia.com , or dive into SDK development with our latest tools.

    The future of gaming is being built right here, right now. Join us in creating it!

    Want to stay updated on all HYTOPIA developments? Follow us for weekly updates showcasing the latest features, community creations, and platform improvements.

  • Discover the Latest SDK Updates and ‘Frontiers’ RPG

    Discover the Latest SDK Updates and ‘Frontiers’ RPG

    Hey everyone!

    We’ve been hard at work rolling out new features, fixes, and even a brand-new RPG to test the limits of our SDK. Here’s a rundown of what’s fresh:

    SDK Improvements

    The SDK just got even more powerful with these additions:

    • NEW: ‘Over the shoulder’ camera mode for dynamic perspectives
    • NEW: Texture & model swapping, plus per-node color tinting
    • NEW: Pointer lock decoupling (mouse movement no longer strictly tied to camera/game movement)
    • UPGRADE: Extra key inputs + support for the new single-texture player model
    • BUGFIX: Camera zooming now behaves consistently across Windows and MacOS
    • RESEARCH: Voxel colliders with edge collisions may make a comeback—stay tuned!

    Introducing ‘Frontiers’ – A New RPG

    ‘Frontiers’ is an exciting new RPG built by @iamarkdev to push the SDK’s boundaries and refine its features. It’s already available in the SDK examples repository, and we can’t wait for you to try it out!

    Latest Additions:

    • Inventory menu & “hotbar” item selection
    • Stats menu & knockback effects on damage
    • Day/night cycle with a game clock
    • Basic dialog system & dodging mechanics
    • Item dropping/picking up + merchant UIs
    • Fancy region arrival text + gold as an item

    World Builder Fixes

    • BUGFIX: Faces now re-render correctly after block removal.

    Asset Additions

    • NEW: Clothing, eye layers, and a variety of hairstyles for player customization
    • NEW: Desert biome-themed assets + items for Locker testing
    • UPGRADE: Player model now uses a single texture for better performance

    Items & Locker Updates

    • NEW: Multi-wallet/chain item queries
    • UPGRADE: Rarity system now aligns better with lootbox drop rates
    • BUGFIX: Contract addresses now return in checksummed format
    • LOCKER: Glasses support + new texture generator for unified character looks
    • REFACTOR: Cleaned up legacy Polygon item code

    Marketplace Upgrade

    • Transactions now use the foundation’s gasless implementation.

    That’s it for now!

    Dive into the new features, test out ‘Frontiers’ and let us know what you think.

    More exciting updates are on the way, stay tuned!

  • HYTOPIA May Update: A Month of Major Breakthroughs

    HYTOPIA May Update: A Month of Major Breakthroughs

    Hey HYTOPIA Community!

    May was a month of massive technical leaps, quality-of-life upgrades, and foundational improvements that make HYTOPIA more powerful than ever. From a complete World Editor overhaul to game-changing SDK features like world switching and wedge colliders, here’s everything you need to know:

    World Editor: From Spaghetti to Stability

    “The Great Refactor”: We kicked off the month with a crucial foundation update to our world editor at build.hytopia.com.

    Major New Features:

    • Redesigned UI with compact sidebar toggle for smaller screens
    • Placement Size Tools: Choose from 1×1, 3×3, 5×5, and diamond placement patterns
    • Smart Search: Find blocks, models, and schematics instantly
    • Schematics Tab: Save and reuse AI-generated structures
    • Remove Hidden Blocks Tool: Automatically hollow out terrain for optimization

    Performance Gains:

    • Chunks now load 2-4x faster on initial load
    • Instanced meshing for previews dramatically improves frame rates
    • Eliminated redundant rebuilds that were happening every 10 seconds

    Creator Dashboard: Complete Control for Developers

    The launch of our Creator Dashboard at hytopia.com/create, give developers a comprehensive self-service platform:

    • Direct Upload: Upload game packages without intermediaries
    • Customization Suite: Control settings, tags, and media galleries
    • Live Testing Environment: Test your games in real-time
    • Real-time Crash Reports: Debug issues as they happen
    • One-Click Review Submission: Streamlined publishing process

    SDK Evolution: Power and Performance

    SDK 0.4.5: Introducing Wedge Colliders

    We introduced wedge colliders – essentially “ramps” that players can walk up smoothly. This opened up entirely new possibilities for level design:

    • Create stairs, ramps, and sloped terrain
    • Fully configurable in x, y, z directions
    • modelPreferredShape: Tell the engine what physics shape to use for automatic collider generation
    • Support for trimesh colliders that tightly match model visuals

    SDK 0.5.2: World Switching Revolution

    This major release introduced World Switching capabilities through the new WorldManager:

    • Multiple Worlds: Create complex multi-area experiences
    • Swimming Mechanics: Full swimming support with automatic liquid detection
    • Performance Optimizations: Significant engine improvements across the board
    • Breaking Changes: Refactored PlayerEntity to DefaultPlayerEntity for better extensibility

    SDK 0.6.1: The Performance Update

    We delivered massive performance optimizations that affect every aspect of the engine:

    • New Player Controller: 48 animations available with dramatically improved movement
    • Skybox Control: Adjust brightness via world.setSkyboxIntensity() for day/night cycles
    • Flexible World Creation: Optional automatic world creation for more control
    • Enhanced Entity Controllers: Automatic animation triggers for move, idle, jump states

    SDK 0.6.5: Polish and Fixes

    We wrapped up the month with important quality-of-life improvements:

    • Fixed applyImpulse: Now works correctly with players for knockback and external forces
    • Debug Rendering: Visualize colliders and sensors without performance impact
    • Selective Debug Views: Control what collider types render in debug mode

    What’s Next?

    While we’ve made incredible progress, we’re not stopping here. Our roadmap includes:

    • Enhanced Collider Support: Trimesh for precise model matching, wedge for stairs/ramps, and sensor for non-colliding areas
    • Missing Texture System Fix: Complete overhaul of the texture pipeline
    • Visual Collider Representation: See collider types directly in the editor
    • One of the most exciting upgrade coming to the default character animations and movements in the next HYTOPIA SDK release

    Founder’s Corner: Leading by Example

    Our co-founders aren’t just building the platform, they’re actively creating games that showcase HYTOPIA’s incredible versatility and push our tools to their limits.

    Arkdev: “Frontiers” – Farming Meets MMORPG

    Arkdev has been hard at work on “Frontiers,” an ambitious farming-sim/MMORPG crossover that’s already demonstrating some of our latest SDK features in action:

    Arkdev implemented a complete day/night cycle system. Each full cycle runs 24 minutes in real-time, creating dynamic gameplay opportunities as the world transitions from day to night.

    The game features intelligent NPC pathfinding around cities and recently gained a dodge roll mechanic inspired by souls-like games.

    Temptranquil: Tower Defense Excellence

    Temptranquil is pushing HYTOPIA in a completely different direction with a top-down tower defense game that showcases our engine’s incredible flexibility:

    Managing tons of projectiles, enemies, towers, upgrades, and waves simultaneously—all while maintaining smooth performance thanks to our May performance optimizations.

    From 3D adventures to top-down strategy games, this project proves that HYTOPIA isn’t limited to any single game type. The same engine that powers farming sims and MMORPGs can seamlessly handle real-time strategy mechanics.

    Both projects are perfect examples of how our May updates—from performance optimizations to advanced physics—translate into real gameplay innovations. Our founders aren’t just talking about what’s possible with HYTOPIA; they’re building it.

    Community Appreciation

    Special recognition goes to our community contributor who tackled the complex codebase refactoring that made much of May’s progress possible. The HYTOPIA platform thrives because of developers like you who push the boundaries of what’s possible.

    May 2025 proved that HYTOPIA is more than just a game development platform, we’re building the foundation for the next generation of multiplayer experiences. With improved stability, powerful new features, and a relentless focus on performance, we can’t wait to see what you’ll create.

    Ready to start building? Visit build.hytopia.com to try the latest editor, or check out our Creator Dashboard to publish your next game.

    Game Jam #3 is starting soon! Register at gamejam.hytopia.com and put these new tools to the test.

  • HYTOPIA Update: The Great Refactor & Platform-Wide Improvements

    HYTOPIA Update: The Great Refactor & Platform-Wide Improvements

    Hey Hytopians!

    We’ve been working tirelessly behind the scenes to make HYTOPIA smoother, faster, and more powerful than ever—and today, we’re thrilled to unveil a massive wave of improvements.

    From a completely revamped World Editor to SDK optimizations and gameplay refinements, this update is all about stability, performance, and quality-of-life upgrades. Let’s dive in.

    World Editor 1.6 – ‘The Great Refactor’

    We’re thrilled to announce the release of World Editor 1.6, our most stable version yet. Many of you have been avoiding the editor due to instability, but we’re confident you can now rely on it without losing your work.

    Key New Features:

    • Redesigned UI with a ‘Compact Sidebar’ toggle for better use on smaller screens
    • Placement Size Returns. Choose from 1×1, 3×3, 5×5, and diamond/+ placement patterns
    • Search Bar added to Blocks, Models, and Schematics sidebar
    • New ‘Options’ Panel on the right-hand side for selected tools
    • Export Options for individual models and blocks as .zip files
    • ‘Schematics’ Tab to store AI-generated structures
    • ‘Remove Hidden Blocks’ Tool to automatically hollow out terrain
    • Environment Model Preview and Stackable Environment Models

    Performance & Stability Improvements:

    • Massive code refactor improving both performance and stability
    • 2-4x faster chunk loading on initial load
    • Instanced meshing for selection area preview, schematics, and placement previews
    • Fixed numerous bugs including ghost model placement and import/export inconsistencies

    Check out the full World Editor update at: https://build.hytopia.com/

    SDK Improvements

    Our SDK has received several important updates to enhance both development and player experience. We’ve added basic telemetry to the server, making it easier for creators to diagnose performance issues. Visual enhancements include a new tint effect when players enter liquids, and liquids now render properly from the inside as well.

    Performance has been a key focus – we’ve moved chunk mesh creation to WebWorkers, significantly reducing stutters by offloading work from the main thread. Developers can now support multiple worlds within the same game, and players will experience fewer disconnections thanks to our new connection recovery system that gives them 3 seconds before getting kicked by the server.

    We’ve also fixed numerous bugs, including issues with collision boxes from JTF models, cutting related to “liquid” blocks, and texture atlas resizing problems. Players should no longer get kicked out of servers after a minute of play, resolving a frustrating experience many had reported.

    Game Experience Updates

    The Play Page experience has been completely overhauled with numerous optimizations to speed up loading times. We’ve added a stylish new loading indicator that shows the game as a background with useful tips, making the wait time more engaging. Individual game pages have also received performance improvements.

    For creators, we’ve upgraded our package validation system to use the same VM as actual game hosting, ensuring consistency between development and production environments. This means fewer surprises when your creations go live.

    Our matchmaking system now supports HYTOPIA SDK v0.54 and benefits from improved parallelism, making the matchmaking process faster and more efficient. The marketplace has been enhanced with real-time updates and better rate limiting for GET requests, along with improved matching algorithms that reduce load and response times.

    On the authentication front, users now get a smart account created upon login, powered by the Privy team. We’ve expanded our asset library with new tropical and environmental models including trees, tree stumps, mushrooms, flowers, and cacti. Player animations have been significantly improved, with smoother movement for the default player entity and enhanced swimming animations.

    Game hosting has undergone a complete overhaul, with all games now bundled at package validation time, reducing crashes due to new SDK releases. Game assets are now served through NGINX and a static web server, and we’ve ported all existing game packages to the new bundled format for consistent performance.

    What’s Next?

    While we’ve made significant improvements, we’re not stopping here. We’re actively working on fixing the broken texture system and adding support for various collider types including Trimesh (which uses the model mesh as the collider), Wedge (for stairs/ramps), and Sensor (non-colliding). We also plan to visually represent the collider type for each model to make development more intuitive.

    Special thanks to our dedicated team members who made these improvements possiblen and to YOU for being part of HYTOPIA’s journey. Stay tuned for more, and as always…

    Happy creating! 

    The HYTOPIA Team

    Follow us on X/Twitter | Join the Discord

  • HYTOPIA April Update: Mobile Readiness, AI Tools, Game Jam 2 Winners & More!

    HYTOPIA April Update: Mobile Readiness, AI Tools, Game Jam 2 Winners & More!

    The HYTOPIA universe is evolving faster than ever. From mobile milestones to AI-powered creativity and important technical upgrades, April has been a whirlwind of progress. Let’s dive into the highlights:

    UI Overhaul: Preparing for a Mobile-First Future

    New UI, New Playground

    We’ve revamped the HYTOPIA interface to prepare for mobile compatibility. The chat system now acts as an overlay, letting you stay connected while immersed in gameplay.

    📱 Android + iOS public testing is LIVE!

    The future of voxel gaming is mobile—and it’s closer than ever.

    For iOS: https://testflight.apple.com/join/AfKTgWkr

    For Android: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.hytopia.app

    Call for Feedback:

    Found a bug? Have suggestions? Share them in our Discord channel. Your input will directly shape HYTOPIA’s mobile future.

    🛠️ Developer Spotlight: SDK Upgrades & AI-Powered Creativity

    SDK 0.4.2: WebRTC & Networking Revolution

    The latest SDK (0.4.2) introduces WebRTC-powered networking, delivering smoother gameplay, lower latency, and support for more concurrent players.

    Key upgrades:

    • Hybrid Protocol: Seamlessly switches between WebRTC and WebSockets for uninterrupted play.
    • Thread Offloading: Networking now runs on a separate thread, slashing CPU usage.
    • Stability Boost: Reduced crashes from malformed packets.

    How to upgrade?  Run:

    bun remove hytopia && bun add hytopia@latest && bun pm trust mediasoup

    Physics & Performance (SDK 0.3.32)

    • 20–30% faster physics: Handle bigger worlds and more entities.
    • Rapier SIMD 0.15.1: Fixed phantom collisions (RIP glitchy balls!).
    • Nagle’s Algorithm Disabled: Reduced latency spikes.

    AI-Powered Creativity

    Unleash your imagination with new AI tools on build.hytopia.com:

    • AI Building Assistant: Generate entire structures from text prompts.
    • AI Texture Creator: Craft custom textures in seconds.

    Custom Models & Assets

    Modify HYTOPIA’s core models (including the player!) with our new Blockbench repository:

    👉 GitHub Assets Repo

    Fresh Blocks & Models

    HYTOPIA’s asset library just got a major expansion. Explore new voxel assets on build.hytopia.com—with even more on the way.

    🏆 HYTOPIA Game Jam 2 Winners

    The second HYTOPIA Game Jam concluded with a burst of creativity, showcasing what’s possible with the SDK and AI tools. After fierce competition, we crowned our champions:

    🥇 Pulse Floor: A pulse-pounding survival trial where the floor literally collapses.

    🥈 Sky Siege: Team-based airship warfare with squad strategy.

    🥉 Havoc: Physics-driven chaos in a blocky battle royale.

    Congrats to all participants—your creativity is reshaping the future of HYTOPIA.

    What’s Next?

    This is just the beginning. With mobile apps nearing launch, AI tools expanding creativity, and HYTOPIA’s SDK pushing technical boundaries, the voxel revolution is accelerating.

    Jump In:

    Stay tuned for more updates—HYTOPIA is building the future, one block at a time.

    Build. Play. Thrive.

    The HYTOPIA Team

    Follow us on X/Twitter | Join the Discord

  • HYTOPIA Game Jam 2: Time to Build – Celebrating Innovation, Chaos, and AI-Powered Creativity

    HYTOPIA Game Jam 2: Time to Build – Celebrating Innovation, Chaos, and AI-Powered Creativity

    The second HYTOPIA Game Jam has come to a close, and the submissions are nothing short of spectacular. This jam brought together creative minds from across the development spectrum to embrace the concept of ‘vibe coding‘—harnessing AI tools and the HYTOPIA SDK to transform bold ideas into playable realities. With a $6,000 prize pool up for grabs and a freestyle theme encouraging limitless creativity, participants delivered an eclectic mix of mini-games that redefine what’s possible in voxel-based gaming.

    Let’s dive into the highlights of this groundbreaking event and showcase the 11 incredible games born from the HYTOPIA community’s imagination.

    The Vision: Vibe Coding Meets Freestyle Innovation

    This Game Jam celebrated speed, collaboration, and AI-assisted development. Participants were challenged to push boundaries with the HYTOPIA SDK, crafting web-based games that prioritized:

    • Gameplay Innovation: Unique mechanics, fresh interactions, and unexpected twists.
    • Technical Excellence: Clean code, optimized performance, and polished execution.
    • Immersive Aesthetics: Striking visuals, intuitive UI, and atmospheric sound design.

    The rules were simple but demanding: build fast, think bigger, and let creativity reign.

    The Submissions: A Diverse Gaming Showcase

    From chaotic survival challenges to math-skydiving hybrids, here’s a glimpse at the standout entries:

    1. Among Cubes

    Trust no one—especially the blocks.

    A thrilling multiplayer game where trust is fragile and betrayal hides in plain sight. Players are divided into two teams: The Impostor (a secret player trying to eliminate crew members) and The Crew (working together to find the impostor). Features include real-time multiplayer, emergency meetings, voting systems, and fast-paced strategic gameplay.

    2. PaintballBlitz

    Unleash your inner artist—with bullets.

    A fast-paced, first-person paintball shooter set in a vibrant voxel world. With infinite ammo and no need to reload, this game focuses on nonstop action, precision, and movement in chaotic deathmatch arenas. The voxel-based maps feature dynamic structures for tactical combat, while paint splatters accumulate across the battlefield, visually tracking the intensity of each match.

    3. The Overseer

    Survive the AI’s wrath—or become its experiment.

    Outwit a malfunctioning AI warden in a decaying biodome in this co-op survival challenge. Players must defeat K.O.R.O. (Kinetic Operations & Resource Overseer) before it eliminates all players. The adaptive AI becomes faster and more aggressive as it takes damage, offering progressively challenging gameplay with environmental warfare, hazardous ground effects, and strategic shield mechanics.

    4. Sky Siege

    Command the skies. Crush the Goliath.

    Team-based combat where players work together to destroy the enemy’s Goliath (airship) by capturing and holding missile silos. Once the enemy’s shield is depleted, players can board the Goliath to take it down from the inside. Features class-based gameplay with unique abilities, squad mechanics, and objective-based progression.

    5. HyBounce

    Ricochet, react, reign supreme.

    A voxel-style character is shown dynamically jumping while holding a glowing disc in a colorful, action-oriented design, with the word 'HYBOUNCE' prominently displayed below.

    Inspired by Valve’s Ricochet, A high-octane disc-bouncing duel where players knock rivals off floating platforms. No jumping allowed—just precision timing and jump-pad mastery.

    Vibe: A nostalgic yet fresh take on arcade-style competition.

    6. Maze Dash

    Race the clock. Escape the undead.

    A timed, single-player arcade-style game challenging players to navigate a randomly generated maze from entrance to exit as quickly as possible. Adding to the challenge is a depleting oxygen supply and hostile zombies roaming the paths. Players can collect oxygen potions to extend their time while avoiding obstacles in this fast-paced maze runner.

    7. Free Fall

    Math has never been this thrilling.

    An educational journey through the skies where players dive through a vibrant tunnel filled with colorful voxel cubes displaying numbers. Players must solve arithmetic challenges (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) by falling toward the correct answers. Perfect for children learning math fundamentals while enjoying an exciting skydiving experience.

    8. Havoc

    Survival of the blockiest.

    A chaotic voxel party royale where adorable blocky characters dash, dive, and tumble through wild obstacle courses to be the last one standing. Features multiple game modes including race courses (Seesaw Survivor, Gate Crash, Bounce Rush) and survival challenges (Beam Blitz, Top Drop, Block Party), along with a progression system for earning XP and collecting rewards.

    9. Voxel Fall

    Fall Guys, but faster.

    Colorful game cover for 'Voxel Fall' featuring three surprised voxel characters on a grassy platform, floating blocks in the background, and vibrant sky with clouds.

    A platformer game inspired by Fall Guys featuring a compact obstacle course map designed for quick, timed runs. Players compete to complete the level as fast as possible, with a built-in leaderboard tracking their best times and ranking them accordingly. Simple controls make this accessible while offering depth for speed running enthusiasts.

    10. Pulse Floor

    One misstep, and the abyss awaits.

    A fast-paced, timing-based survival mini-game where players are trapped on a floating platform suspended above lava. Every few seconds, glowing statues fire beams that create deadly pulses across the arena floor. Players must time their jumps perfectly to avoid standing on tiles when pulses reach them, with escalating challenges including cracked tiles, sticky tiles, and various pulse patterns.

    11. BEDWARS

    Defend your bed. Demolish theirs.

    HYTOPIA’s first-ever Bedwars adaptation! Team up, fortify your base, and obliterate rivals with upgradable gear. Strategy meets sabotage in this fan-favorite mode.

    Prizes & Recognition

    With $6,000 split across winners, the stakes were sky-high:

    • 1st Place: $4,000
    • 2nd Place: $1,300
    • 3rd Place: $700

    While every game dazzled, only three could claim the top spots—but the real winners are the players who now get to enjoy these creations.

    Winners will be announced tomorrow via official discord & twitter handle, stay tuned.

    What’s Next? Play, Share, Repeat!

    HYTOPIA Game Jam 2 represents more than just a competition—it’s a glimpse into the future of game development where AI assistance and HYTOPIA SDK enable creators to build incredible experiences with unprecedented efficiency. The combination of vibe coding and HYTOPIA SDK has resulted in a diverse collection of games that showcase how accessible game creation has become. From educational experiences to multiplayer adventures, these submissions demonstrate that the barrier to entry for game development.

    Ready to play?
    Dive into these games now on https://hytopia.com/games/ and follow HYTOPIA Twitter for updates on future jams, SDK releases, and more.

    Build. Play. Repeat.

    P.S. Missed Game Jam 2? Join the HYTOPIA Discord to prep for the next one. The voxel revolution is just beginning.