Tag: rpg

  • 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 February Update: Alpha Launch, AI-Powered Building, SDK Upgrades, and More!

    HYTOPIA February Update: Alpha Launch, AI-Powered Building, SDK Upgrades, and More!

    Hey HYTOPIA community!

    February has been an incredible month for HYTOPIA, and we’re thrilled to share some exciting updates with you. From the long-awaited Alpha release to new AI experiments and SDK upgrades, there’s a lot to dive into. Let’s get right into it!

    HYTOPIA ALPHA IS HERE!

    This is a major milestone for all of us. After years of hard work, dedication, and community support, the first early versions of HYTOPIA are now live and ready for you to experience.

    Play HYTOPIA Games Now: https://hytopia.com/games

    This is just the beginning, but it’s a huge step forward. The Alpha release includes core features that allow you to:

    • Login or register and claim your username if you preregistered.
    • Explore the play page to see available games, player counts, and join servers by region.
    • Add friends by their HYTOPIA username, see who’s online, and join their games to play together.

    A few important notes:

    • Currently, HYTOPIA is optimized for desktop play. Mobile support is coming soon.
    • This is an Alpha version, so expect some bugs. Your feedback is invaluable as we stress-test and polish the platform.
    • Core features like the HYTOPIA marketplace, locker system, and token integrations are still in development and will roll out soon.

    Community made games takes centre stage

    Many of the games available in this Alpha release were created by you—our amazing community. These games are submissions from our recent HYTOPIA Game Jam – SDK Exploration Edition.

    If you missed it, check out the full recap of the Game Jam here:

    HYTOPIA Game Jam Blog Post

    AUTH System Update: Welcome PRIVY

    We’ve made a significant change to HYTOPIA’s authentication system. Instead of using HYPLAY for auth, we’ve partnered with Privy to streamline the process.

    What does this mean for you?

    • Simpler logins and account recovery.
    • Faster, more reliable access to HYTOPIA.
    • No changes to your HYTOPIA accounts or platform data—everything is still securely held by us.

    This shift allows us to focus on what matters most: building an incredible platform for you to play, create, and connect. You can read more about this announcement here.

    Game Night every Friday!

    Mark your calendars—it’s Game Night  on the HYTOPIA Discord!

    Whether you’re a casual player or a competitive pro, there’s a spot for YOU. Let’s play, connect, and have a blast together!

    AI + HYTOPIA: Revolutionizing Game Development

    We’ve been experimenting with AI models like Claude 3.7 to push the boundaries of what’s possible in HYTOPIA.

    A recent demo by @Potrock_ showcased how AI can be used to build entire game worlds just by chatting with it. Imagine typing a simple command like /build a house with a tree in front, and watching the AI generate the code, place the blocks, and even self-correct errors—all in real-time.

    Here’s how it works:

    • The AI writes the code to define structures (like walls, floors, and windows) using nested loops and functions.
    • The code is executed on the server, and if there’s an error, the AI fixes it automatically.
    • This approach eliminates the need for manual block placement, making it faster and more efficient to create complex builds.

    This is just the beginning. As AI continues to evolve, we’re excited to explore how it can empower creators to build bigger, better, and more immersive games in HYTOPIA. Watch the demo here

    HYTOPIA SDK Updates: Empowering Creators with Powerful Tools

    We’ve been improving the HYTOPIA SDK to give creators the tools they need to build incredible games. Here’s a consolidated look at the latest updates across multiple versions:

    Key Improvements Across SDK Versions

    1. Physics Engine Overhaul
      • Version 0.2.3: We removed cross-platform determinism and enabled SIMD support, resulting in a 30% to 300% performance boost for physics simulations.
      • Version 0.2.8: Fixed collision event inconsistencies, ensuring that events like started = false fire correctly when colliders despawn.
    2. New Math Functions
      • Version 0.2.3: Added support for Matrix2, Matrix3, Matrix4, Vector2, Vector3, and Quaternion transforms, making it easier to handle complex game mechanics.
    3. Smooth Terrain and Player Movement
      • Version 0.2.8: Resolved terrain clipping and juttering issues, making movement and jumps feel more natural.
      • Improved player wall collisions and edge clipping, fixing issues in games like Hole in the Wall and stair-jumping scenarios.
    4. Account Authorization
      • Version 0.2.8: Players now have their correct usernames and unique IDs in your games, accessible via player.id and player.username.
    5. New Event System
      • Version 0.3.1: Replaced myEntity.onBlockCollision with a more robust .on(), .off(), and .once() pattern. Learn more here.
    6. Automatic GLTF/GLB Model Optimization
      • Version 0.3.1: Models are now optimized automatically, resulting in 50% to 300%+ improvements in frame rates. This happens behind the scenes, so you don’t need to do anything!
    7. Chunk Rendering Fixes
      • Version 0.3.1: Games that use setBlock() will see significant performance improvements, especially in games like Block Splat and Color Run.
    8. Coming Soon: Persistent Player State
      • The next update will introduce the ability to save and retrieve persistent state data for players, allowing you to store JSON-compatible objects that persist across lobbies and regions.

    These updates are designed to make your game development process smoother, faster, and more powerful. Whether you’re building a physics-based puzzle game or a sprawling open-world adventure, the HYTOPIA SDK has you covered. To take advantage of these improvements, simply run bun update hytopia in your project folder.

    In-game Usernames & Chats are Live

    • See who’s who with usernames displayed above players’ heads.
    • Chat in real-time with other players during gameplay.

    This feature adds a whole new layer of interaction and fun to your HYTOPIA experience.

    A New Chapter: Sunsetting Hychain Game Publishing

    As of February 28th, 2025, we will be sunsetting the Hychain game publishing arm to focus all our efforts on growing HYTOPIA. We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported Hychain over the years. Your trust and enthusiasm have been the driving force behind our journey, and we’re excited to channel that energy into making HYTOPIA the ultimate platform for gaming and creativity.

    Read the full update here: https://tinyurl.com/hychain

    WHAT’S NEXT?

    This is just the beginning of an exciting journey. As we continue to refine and expand HYTOPIA, your feedback and support are crucial. Go play some games, report any bugs, and join us for Game Night to celebrate this new chapter together.

    Thank you for being part of the HYTOPIA community. Let’s make history!

    Play Now: https://hytopia.com/games
    Join the Community: HYTOPIA Discord