Tag: minecraft

  • Exciting Updates in HYTOPIA: SDK, Creator Fund, and More

    Exciting Updates in HYTOPIA: SDK, Creator Fund, and More

    Gm HYTOPIA community! We’ve been busy this week shipping some exciting updates across our platform. From major SDK enhancements to launching our creator fund, here’s everything new in the HYTOPIA ecosystem.

    SDK Gets Major Upgrades

    Our development team has been hard at work making HYTOPIA more powerful and accessible for creators.

    New Developer Tools

    • Public Telemetry Settings – Developers can now integrate their own analytics providers
    • Three.JS Exposure – Direct access to Three.JS for advanced UI customization
    • GLTFLoader Integration – Streamlined 3D model loading for creators

    Performance & Quality of Life

    • Windows Developer Support – Made Mediasoup optional to simplify Windows development workflows
    • Optimized Physics – Environmental entities now skip unnecessary collision checks for better performance
    • Audio System Fixes – Resolved multiple issues that caused audio to suddenly stop
    • Visual Improvements – Fixed face culling issues with transparent blocks

    We’re also researching WebTransport integration for true UDP datagrams without head-of-line blocking – a technical upgrade that could significantly improve real-time gaming performance.

    Creator Fund Goes Live

    We’re thrilled to announce the launch of HYTOPIA Creator Fund, specifically designed for established studios looking to build flagship experiences on HYTOPIA.

    Image promoting the HYTOPIA Creator Fund, featuring two characters in a pixel-art style, one wearing a strawberry hat and the other in a green frog costume, with the text 'HYTOPIA CREATOR FUND: Build flagship gaming experiences on HYTOPIA' and a colorful logo.

    Ready to apply? Check out all the details at creatorfund.hytopia.com

    Farcaster Integration Progress

    We’ve been exploring Farcaster apps as a potential distribution channel and made significant progress this week. While we’ve hit some external blockers (landscape mode limitations and gesture conflicts), we’re actively working with Farcaster to resolve these issues. This could open up exciting new ways for players to discover HYTOPIA games.

    Enhanced Gaming Experience

    New Features for Players

    • Play Counter System – Games now track total plays across all sessions
    • Smart Game Sorting – Games will soon be ranked by popularity (currently in testing)
    • Play Count Display – Game cards will show total plays (rolling out soon)
    • Improved Gallery – Media no longer repeats in game galleries

    Coming SoonGame reviews! Players will be able to rate and review games they’ve played, helping boost their favorites and giving creators valuable feedback.

    Platform Improvements

    Creator Experience

    • Email Notifications – Creators now receive updates about game submissions, approvals, and rejections
    • Better Feedback – Game rejections now require detailed reasons from reviewers

    Technical Infrastructure

    • Item System – New read-only flags for NFT-tied items and improved collection queries
    • Marketplace Analytics – Enhanced tracking for item page views and sales data
    • World Editor Research – Ongoing improvements to environment model handling and skybox options

    Fresh Content & Assets

    Our art team has been incredibly productive this week

    New Animations & Cosmetics:

    • 11 new player animations
    • Updated crouch animation
    • Summer Straw Hat cosmetic

    Environmental Assets

    • 19 city-themed assets: bicycles, park benches, fire hydrants, parking meters, trash cans, and more
    • 9 volcano-themed assets: burnt trees, obsidian formations, and other apocalyptic elements
    A 3D model of a dead tree with a textured dark bark and irregularly shaped branches, primarily designed for use in gaming or virtual environments.
    A collection of three stylized crystalline formations in red and yellow colors, set on a gray base.
    A stylized 3D model of three purple and pink crystals arranged together on a gray base.
    Three stylized blocks of different shapes and sizes with a reddish-brown texture featuring bright yellow and orange veins, set against a gray background.

    Coming Next: More armor sets for player customization

    What’s Next

    We’re continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible, with our creator fund now live, enhanced development tools, and continuous platform improvements, we’re building the foundation for the next generation of social gaming experiences.

    Ready to start building?

    Have feedback on these updates or ideas for future features? We’d love to hear from you in our Discord community!

  • Latest Development Updates: Performance and Tools

    Latest Development Updates: Performance and Tools

    We’re excited to share some significant updates from our development team this week. Our focus has been on performance optimization, new creative tools, and expanding our platform capabilities.

    Performance & Optimization

    This week brought major performance improvements across the board. We’ve implemented an optimized allocation pool that dramatically reduces server-side stutters – games like Frontiers are seeing substantial improvements in smooth gameplay.

    We’ve also upgraded our chunk system with several key enhancements:

    • Faster collision detection – Chunks now use optimized voxel-specific colliders
    • Improved rendering – Opaque chunks are now processed more efficiently, reducing transparency issues
    • Physics optimization – Chunk collision meshes are now attached to fixed rigid bodies, significantly reducing physics processing time

    New Creative Tools

    Particle System Enhancements

    Our particle emitters just got much more powerful with new .pause(), .restart(), and .burst() methods. The burst feature will be perfect for effects like grenade explosions and hit indicators. We’ve also added sizeStart and sizeEnd options for more dynamic particle animations.

    Enhanced Block Rendering

    We’re introducing support for opaque blocks with alpha testing – perfect for creating realistic transparent materials like glass blocks.

    Game Improvements

    Frontiers Updates

    • Optimized environmental entity collisions for smoother gameplay
    • Fixed flower collision issues in Chitter Forest
    • Temporarily adjusted enemy behavior to prevent performance issues from excessive item drops

    Platform Infrastructure

    Migration

    We’ve successfully migrated our entire item system (marketplace, locker, lootboxes, and promotional items) from HYCHAIN to Base’s Sepolia testnet. This transition improves reliability and performance across all item-related features.

    Quality Assurance Process

    To ensure the best user experience, we’re implementing a new QA workflow for frontend updates. This means features will be thoroughly tested by both developers and designers before going live.

    Developer Experience

    • Game hosting improvements with better asset replication and ARM64 server support
    • Marketplace performance boost with ~30% faster query times
    • Create tool fixes to ensure Featured game tags are properly maintained
    • Locker enhancements with centered player models and improved rotation controls

    New Assets

    Our art team has been busy creating new content:

    • Chicken eating animation
    • Farming tools (iron watering can and hoe)
    A pixelated white watering can and a brown hoe against a dark brick background.
    • Bee models (baby and adult versions)
    3D rendered pixel art of a yellow beehive and two stylized bees, set against a dark background.
    • 12 new crop types including blueberry, corn, cotton, pumpkin, sunflower, and wheat – each with 5 growth stages
    • Improved wind animations (now called ‘idle’ animations for SDK compatibility)

    What’s Next?

    We’re continuing to work on transparency rendering improvements and exploring new ways to enhance the development experience. Thank you for your continued support and feedback – it helps us prioritize the features that matter most to our community.

    Stay tuned for more updates next week!

  • 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.

  • 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 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.

  • HYTOPIA March Update: Game Jams, AI Innovation, and Empowering Creators

    HYTOPIA March Update: Game Jams, AI Innovation, and Empowering Creators

    Hey HYTOPIA Creators and Players!

    March has been a month of explosive creativity and technical leaps forward. From AI-powered game development to groundbreaking tools that blur the lines between imagination and reality, we’re thrilled to share how HYTOPIA is reshaping the landscape of user-generated content (UGC) gaming. Let’s dive into the latest developments!

    HYTOPIA Game Jam 2: Chaos, Code, and Community

    The wait is over—HYTOPIA Game Jam 2 is officially live. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or a first-time coder, HYTOPIA Game Jam 2 invites you to build web-based mini-games using our SDK and AI-powered “vibe coding.” Here’s what you need to know:

    • Theme: Freestyle (no restrictions—unleash your wildest ideas)
    • Duration: 14 days to build + 7 days of judging
    • Tools: HYTOPIA SDK + AI-powered MCP Server
    • Prize Pool: $5,000

    Newcomers can lean on HYTOPIA’s AI tools to jumpstart their projects, while seasoned developers are already flexing their skills with advanced mechanics.

    “Over 50% of the first games on our platform were made by people who’d never coded before. We’re expanding the pool of game devs—not fighting over the same ones.” said ArkDev

    Sign up now: https://gamejam.hytopia.com/

    MCP Server & AI: Coding at the Speed of Thought

    We’ve launched the MCP Server (Model Context Protocol (MCP), a first-of-its-kind system designed to simplify game development for everyone. Think of it as a digital puzzle master: when faced with a complex task (like coding a weapon system or designing a destructible environment), MCP helps AI break it down into smaller, manageable pieces.

    Here’s how it empower creators to:

    • Generate code snippets, game logic, and even entire structures via natural language prompts.
    • Debug and optimize projects in real-time with AI assistance.
    • Seamlessly collaborate with AI agents like Claude 3.5/3.7 (used to build HYGROUNDS—more on that below!).

    The impact is already visible in projects like HYGROUNDS, a frenetic mashup of Fortnite’s chaos and CallOfDuty’s precision, built using Claude 3.5/3.7.

    Want to see vibe coding in action? Play HYGROUNDS now

    Mobile Docs Live: Build Games for on-the-go play.

    Mobile gaming is no longer an afterthought. Our new Mobile Development Guides equip creators to optimize controls, performance, and cross-device playtesting. Key features include automatic guest accounts (no sign-up needed), cross-platform synchronization (players can jump between devices mid-game) and tools to ensure smooth gameplay on everything from budget phones to high-end tablets.

    Start building mobile first : https://dev.hytopia.com/sdk-guides/mobile

    Minecraft Map Conversion: Bridging Two Worlds

    One of March’s most exciting updates lets creators import Minecraft maps directly into HYTOPIA. Using the World Editor, builders can convert legacy Minecraft worlds into HYTOPIA-ready environments with a single click—opening the door for endless cross-platform creativity.

    While large maps (>500×500) may temporarily lag during conversion, the team is already optimizing performance.

    “This is about respecting the Minecraft community’s legacy,” said ArkDev. “We’re not replacing their work—we’re giving it new life.”

    Community Spotlight: Creators Leading the Charge

    The HYTOPIA community continues to astonish us. Highlights from March include:

    • @debuwikkedo’s Tower Defense Prototype
    • @dresnite’s AMONG CUBES (A blocky twist on Among Us, built by a first-time HYTOPIA dev)
    • @gabebusto’s Battle Cube, a Rubik’s-inspired space brawler submitted for #vibejam

    “The speed at which these games come together proves our engine’s power,” ArkDev remarked. “We’re seeing Roblox-level creativity without the complexity.”

    Founder’s Vision: Why HYTOPIA?

    “We’re building a home for the next generation of creators,” ArkDev wrote. “And with AI lowering the barrier to entry, the best is yet to come.”

    In a recent community post, ArkDev outlined HYTOPIA’s core philosophy:

    • Fairer revenue splits: Developers keep 40% of earnings vs. Roblox’s ~20%.
    • Simplicity-first design: Code in JavaScript/TypeScript, design UIs with HTML/CSS, and let HYTOPIA handle physics, netcode, and scaling.
    • Early-mover advantage: Front-page visibility for pioneering games.

    Read the full post here https://x.com/iamArkDev/status/1906408072475812327

    Co-founder Temptranquil also weighed in on community curiosity about HYTOPIA’s web3 future.

    “We’re not just slapping NFTs onto a broken model. Every element, tokenomics, avatar interoperability, node systems—is being stress-tested for long-term balance. Whether you’re a passive holder or an active creator, our ecosystem will reward meaningful participation.”

    Both founders echoed a shared conviction: “When this flies, it’ll fly fast. But we owe it to our community to make sure the foundation is unshakable first. We’re iterating faster than ever. The pieces are falling into place.”

    What’s Next?

    April will bring Game Jam 2 submissions, performance upgrades, and experiments with AI-driven NPCs.

    Join the movement:

    Together, we’re not just making games—we’re building a movement. Let’s keep pushing boundaries.

  • HYTOPIA Update: Migrating Our Auth System from HYPLAY to Privy

    HYTOPIA Update: Migrating Our Auth System from HYPLAY to Privy

    Hey HYTOPIA community!

    At HYTOPIA, we’re always looking for ways to improve our platform, enhance user experiences, and streamline our operations. As part of this commitment, we’re excited to share an important update: we’ve migrated our authentication system from HYPLAY to Privy. This change marks a significant step forward in simplifying user registration, login, and account recovery while allowing us to focus on what we do best—building an exceptional gaming platform.

    In this blog post, we’ll dive into the reasons behind this decision, how it benefits our users, and what it means for the future of HYTOPIA.

    Why Did We Migrate to Privy?

    Our decision to partner with Privy for authentication was driven by several key factors:

    1. Seamless Infrastructure: Privy’s authentication SDK offers a robust, scalable, and user-friendly solution. After encountering bottlenecks and maintenance challenges with HYPLAY’s auth system in games like Loot Legends and Dragon Legends, we knew we needed a more reliable and efficient solution. Privy’s infrastructure has proven to be seamless, reducing friction for both our team and our users.
    2. Improved User Experience: Registration, login, and account recovery are critical touchpoints for any platform. With Privy, we’ve simplified these processes, making it easier for users to access HYTOPIA and enjoy our games without unnecessary hurdles. This enhances the overall user experience and ensures that players can focus on what matters most—having fun.
    3. Resource Optimization: By offloading authentication to Privy, we’ve been able to redirect valuable engineering resources toward enhancing the core features of HYTOPIA. Instead of spending time maintaining and debugging auth systems, our team can now focus on delivering innovative gameplay experiences, improving performance, and adding new features that our community will love.
    4. Proven Expertise: Privy specializes in authentication and user engagement, and their track record speaks for itself. By partnering with them, we’re leveraging their expertise to ensure that our auth system is secure, scalable, and future-proof.

    What Does This Mean for HYTOPIA Users?

    For our users, this migration translates to a smoother, more reliable experience. Here’s what you can expect:

    • Simplified Registration and Login: Creating an account and logging into HYTOPIA (you can use your pre-registered username) is now faster and more intuitive. Whether you’re a new user or a returning player, you’ll spend less time on authentication and more time enjoying our games.
    • Easier Account Recovery: Forgot your password? No problem. Privy’s system makes account recovery quick and hassle-free, so you can get back to gaming without delay.
    • Enhanced Security: Privy’s infrastructure ensures that your account information is secure, giving you peace of mind as you explore HYTOPIA.
    • A Better Overall Experience: By streamlining authentication, we’re removing barriers to entry and making HYTOPIA more accessible to everyone. This is just one of the many ways we’re working to create a platform that’s both fun and user-friendly.

    You can now claim your pre-registered usernames!

    https://preregister.hytopia.com/ is now closed! If you preregistered a username, using the same email when creating a new Privy-HYTOPIA account will give you the option of claiming your pre-registered username. If you decline to accept your pre-registered name, it will become free to register by another user.

    What does this mean for HYPLAY?

    Since one of the major goals of moving to Privy was to free resources, we will pause further development of HYPLAY. HYPLAY in it’s current form will still exist for the apps (such as Loot Legends and Dragon Legends) that currently use it, but we won’t improve it further beyond fixing critical or breaking bugs. We don’t have any sort of wallet “Migration” planned, so you will have to make a new Privy account.

    The original goal of HYPLAY was to function as a SSO solution for all of HYCHAIN, but for now our Privy account system is going to be HYTOPIA-only. This means we won’t be providing extra functionality or developer APIs for third-party HYCHAIN apps. This will likely change in the future, but it is a low priority until we have a larger userbase.

    Looking Ahead

    This migration is just one of the many steps we’re taking to improve HYTOPIA and deliver a world-class gaming platform. By partnering with Privy, we’re able to focus on our core mission—creating unforgettable gaming experiences—while leaving the complexities of authentication to the experts.

    We’re incredibly excited about the future of HYTOPIA and the opportunities this change will unlock. As always, we’re committed to listening to our community and making decisions that benefit our users.

    Have Questions or Feedback?

    We’d love to hear from you! If you have any questions about the migration or feedback on your experience with HYTOPIA, feel free to reach out to our team or join the conversation in our Discord (https://discord.com/invite/hytopia)

    Your input helps us continue to grow and improve. Thank you for being part of the HYTOPIA community.