Hytale Discord Q&A Recap

What Slikey, Zero, Minikloon and Simon Just Revealed

On November 22nd the Hytale Discord basically turned into a live dev blog in chat form. Over the course of the session, core developers Slikey, Zero, Minikloon and Simon answered a barrage of questions about modding, servers, performance, gameplay systems and monetization. It was the clearest picture yet of what Hytale will feel like not just as a game, but as a platform.

Here is a breakdown of the big themes, with direct quotes from the Q and A under each section.

TLDR: Key takeaways from the Hytale Discord Q and A

• • • Modder first: Almost everything is data driven. You can swap out worldgen, NPCs, items and even build full new games. Asset mods use JSON and tools, server plugins use plain Java.
    • No walled garden at launch: Mods and monetization will live on platforms like CurseForge and Modrinth at first. No ingame marketplace on day one and no partner program gate for tools.
    • Safe client, powerful servers: Clients never download code. You only get assets and config. Logic on the client side is via visual scripting. Full power lives in Java plugins on the server.
    • Shared source server: After launch, the server will be released as shared source with comments. You can heavily modify it or even re implement compatible servers.
    • Docs are coming, but light at first: Public GitBook plus access to source. They admit there is tech debt and that some early mods may break, with a goal of better deprecation later.
    • Servers and networking: Dedicated servers day one, self hosted or via providers. Runs on modern Java, uses multiple cores, and networking is built on QUIC. Max players basically equals how much CPU you have.
    • Performance: Aimed at modest PCs. Uses OpenGL 3.3 for now, uncapped framerate, tree physics but no gravity for placed blocks. Lighting is being upgraded for nicer and more consistent results.
    • Gameplay systems: No hunger, stamina instead. Built in status effects and custom UI for things like mana bars. Combat is driven by a flexible interaction system so crazy weapons and combos can be made with data only.
    • Adventure mode is still the priority: Orbis and the base game are the main focus. Factions, living world NPC behavior and shareable world seeds are all confirmed. Prefabs and creative tools support builders.
    • Creator tools: Official Blockbench plugin replaces Hytale Model Maker. Ingame machinima tools will let players create cinematic videos and trailers.
    • Monetization: No pay to win for official Hytale content, now or ever. Cosmetics tied to supporter and deluxe editions plus low price cosmetic packs to support official minigames infrastructure.
    • Fun bits: Join friends in single player, mod your character into a potato, servers control avatars in multiplayer, and silly transformation potions already exist with clear mod potential.

you take one thing away from the Q and A, it is this: Hytale is being built as a very open sandbox for creators.

Hytale will not launch with a locked down, Bedrock style marketplace. Instead, the team is leaning on existing community platforms like CurseForge and Modrinth for discovery and monetization of mods and asset packs, at least at the start. They explicitly do not want to create an in game walled garden on day one and want to learn from the community before they ever integrate mod browsing directly into the client.

Server owners and creators will also not be locked behind partner programs to access tools or publish content. If you own the base edition of the game, you can use all of the tooling. No paywalled tool tiers, no special partnership gates.

Almost the entire game is data driven. Most of the core game is changeable: custom world generation, NPCs, weapons, blocks, and even entirely new adventure experiences are possible. In theory, you could throw out all of the vanilla content and build an entirely different game on top of Hytale’s engine and tools.

For “asset mods” you will not even need Java. If you just want to add new NPCs, items, recipes and similar content you can do it through in game tools or by editing JSON data.

On the server side, plugins are “just plain Java.” You can connect to databases, make HTTP calls to your own APIs, run shops, or integrate external systems. You can even create your own Java libraries and frameworks and plug them in. The team even uses Lua as an example of something that could be embedded by the community as a scripting layer.

Supporting quotes

Slikey: “We will let the community handle this. You will be able to use CurseForge, Modrinth, etc. to discover mods. We want to bring it into the game in the future but we need more time.”

Slikey: “That is up to the community using the established platforms for now. We need to learn more here and do not want to create an ingame walled garden on day 1.”

Slikey: “It is completely free and open to absolutely everyone. There is no partnership or walled garden. If you have the base edition of the game, you can use all the tooling and we will not hide any tooling behind any paywall or contract.”

Slikey: “Most of our core game is changeable. You can make your own version of Orbis with custom world generation, custom NPCs, custom weapons, custom blocks. If you really wanted you could toss out all our content and start from scratch by making your very own adventure mode or map that is using none of our game.”

Slikey: “You do not need to learn Java for all the mods. If you just want to add more NPCs, items, crafting recipes, etc, all you have to do is use our ingame tools or modify the JSON files.”

Answer: “Server plugins will be able to do anything you want. Connect to DBs, make web requests, etc, it is just plain Java. You can then if you want expose some of those features in game with things like commands, or even expose them to be used in assets if you wish.”

Answer: “Yes, you can create Java libraries and frameworks. Let me give you an example. We are not adding text based scripting. We are not stopping anyone from adding a Lua library as a Java plugin and maintaining that.”

Image of the Client Menu V1

There is a very deliberate security stance here.

When you join a modded server, the client will not download executable code. Instead, you only receive configuration and assets. There is a strong emphasis on avoiding remote code execution exploits in the client.

To give creators more flexibility without sacrificing safety, the team is pushing visual scripting as a fully sandboxed way to implement logic in asset packs. Visual scripts are planned to replace things like command blocks and in file command systems that other games rely on.

Server plugins are where unrestrained power sits. Because the server is Java, plugin authors have full control there, including networking to third parties. That is also where risk lives, but it is controlled by the server owner rather than pushed blindly to every connecting client.

Supporting quotes

Slikey: “You will NOT download code. We want to NOT expose our community to ‘remote code execution’ exploits. It is sandboxed. Right now all you download is configuration and assets. We plan to resolve some of this using visual scripts which is fully sandboxed.”

Slikey: “Visual Scripting will be our way to replace commands. We do not plan to have command blocks and rather use something accessible like visual scripts for asset packs.”

The Q and A was surprisingly candid about documentation and tech debt.

At launch, official documentation will exist, but it will be sparse. The plan is to host docs in a public GitBook and allow people to browse the Hytale source code directly, then iteratively fill in the written documentation over time. Years of rapidly evolving development left some areas under documented, and the team is upfront that they are catching up now.

For server plugins specifically, more formal docs may only arrive once the server shared source is released after launch.

The plan is to ship the server as shared source after release, with no obfuscation and even their own comments left intact. Advanced developers will be able to compile heavily modified server binaries or even re implement server software in other languages, as long as they stay protocol compatible with the live Hytale client.

Because the priority is “break the curse” and get Hytale into players’ hands, the team acknowledges that some tech debt is unavoidable and that early mods may break as systems improve. Long term, they want a proper deprecation policy with advance warning and efforts to maintain backward compatibility where they can.

Supporting quotes

Slikey: “We are planning to release a public GitBook which will hold documentation. You will also be able to browse our source code directly. Documentation will be sparse in the beginning but we are working on filling it up. A lot of it was not maintained over the years of development and we have to catch up.”

Question: “When could we possibly see first documentations of the server API”
Answer (Slikey): “When the server source code is shared shortly after launch of the game.”

Answer: “We are releasing the server as shared source, you will have the source code with no obfuscation and all our comments in it. You can run very heavily modified versions of the server.”

Slikey: “It is real and we have tech debt. There is no way around it. We try to keep that as an ‘our’ problem. I cannot promise that mods will not break initially. It is the cost of getting the game better and better. Eventually we want to move to a proper deprecation policy.”

If you plan to host or rent servers, this section of the Q and A matters a lot.

Dedicated servers are available from day one. You can self host or use game server providers like Nitrado. Linux dedicated server files will be available, and the server runs on any platform that supports modern Java.

The server will make use of multiple cores. Each world has its own main thread for core logic, with parallel execution used for some tasks. In terms of player counts, the theoretical max is basically “how much CPU do you have” which implies scaling with hardware rather than a fixed hard cap.

Networking uses QUIC, not TCP. There are currently no alternative transports and they fully rely on QUIC, which has implications in countries where QUIC is restricted.

Joining servers is currently done by direct IP, with easier server discovery planned after release.

Hosting as a business is explicitly allowed without special licensing. You just agree to the EULA and TOS, no separate contract required.

Supporting quotes

Slikey: “Day 1. You can host them yourself or use GSPs such as Nitrado.”

Slikey: “Yes, the server runs on any platform that supports Java 25.”

Zero: “Currently requires compiling for at least Java 21 but we plan to ship with a Java 25 JVM.”

Zero: “Each world has their own main thread for the core logic but then can use parallel execution for some tasks. It is not perfect and we have improvements we want to make but it will make use of a multi core machine.”

Zero: “How many maximum people could Hytale theoretically support on a single server
Answer: How much CPU do you have”

Zero: “The protocol uses QUIC.”

Slikey: “We fully rely on QUIC. I am sorry when governments are doing such things.”

Zero: “Currently it is by direct IP but we plan to do server discovery after release which will make it much smoother for both players and servers.”

Slikey: “You will be able to very easily, no need for a business agreement or contract with us. All you have to do is agree to our EULA and TOS.”

For people worried about specs and smoothness, the answers were reassuring.

Minimum specs are not finalized, but the goal is to run on modest PCs. You should not need a new 1000 dollar rig to enjoy Hytale.

Hytale currently uses OpenGL 3.3 for rendering to keep Mac compatibility, with a possible move to Vulkan or Metal later. They are committed to keeping the art style as is and to running on lower end hardware long term.

The game supports uncapped framerates, so if you have a 180 Hz monitor you can let your GPU cook as much as you like.

Trees use a dedicated block physics system, but placed blocks do not all obey those rules. So you can still build floating bases even though trees fall when their trunk is cut.

Lighting is being reworked so that models get proper light gradients like full blocks, and to unify static and dynamic light behavior.

Supporting quotes

Slikey: “All I can say for now is that you will not need a new 1000 dollar PC. We aim to make it as accessible as possible and I think we are in a good place right now.”

Slikey: “Currently we use OpenGL 3.3 to stay compatible with Mac. In the future we may move to Vulkan or Metal but that is up to the rendering team. We are committed to keeping the artstyle exactly where it is right now.”

Minikloon: “You can run the game at uncapped framerate and make your GPU heat up your room as you wish”

Zero: “The trees use a block physics system, this is defined for some blocks but not everything. Blocks you place will not break from physics in the same way so you can build a floating base, or a house out of logs, etc.”

Slikey: “The lighting engine changes are supposed to fix the model and voxel inconsistencies. Currently models only have a single light value while full blocks have gradients of light. We need to fix the models also having those gradients.”

Image of the Stamina Hotbar

There were also juicy details about how Hytale actually plays.

Hytale does not have a traditional hunger mechanic. Instead, it uses stamina, and the devs explicitly point out that if you really want hunger you can add it via a mod.

There is a built in status effect system for buffs and debuffs, and you can add more through modding. Name tags are a bit limited in the short term, but the ongoing transition to NoesisGUI might open more room for customization. On the HUD side, the custom UI system already allows modders to add new interface elements, such as a mana bar.

For combat, weapon combos and special item behaviors are powered by a data driven interaction system. Attack chains use interaction assets that are read by both client and server, which allows for lag free feeling combos through client side interpolation. Those interactions are reusable across items, which opens up a lot of wild designs without needing to write code.

Hitboxes are already subdivided for large bosses, though the devs admit the system needs refinement to fully support monster hunter style limb cutting. They actively invite modders to try this and report issues so they can prioritize improvements.

Supporting quotes

Slikey: “We use stamina but you could add one in a mod.”

Slikey: “Yes, we have a status effects system which allows you to add buffs and debuffs.”

Slikey: “Name tags are currently quite limited. We are doing the NoesisGUI transition right now which may potentially make nameplates much more customizable. Yes you can add more stuff to the HUD using the custom UI system.”

Minikloon: “It uses the interaction system, which is a data asset type that lets you define many ways that items interact and benefit from being read by both the client and server, meaning you can have data driven client side interpolation to remove lag. Those combo chains are defined as interactions that you will be able to edit and apply to other items.”

Minikloon: “With a data asset mod, no code, you can use a crossbow model and hold it like a bat that shoots missiles on left click if you want, then move or reuse the missiles interaction to the Q ability on a new, different stick item.”

Answer: “We have sub hitboxes but I think the system needs work. If you have an idea for a monster hunter style boss fight and you try to implement it, please give me a list of the issues or blockers you encounter and we will prioritize them.”

Image of the Hytale V1 World Gen

Modding power is not coming at the cost of a strong base game. The team stressed that Orbis and adventure mode are the top priority, and that all of the mod systems are being built in service of making the main game better rather than instead of it.

The NPC system under the hood is already quite advanced. Adventure mode will use faction mechanics and supports living world interactions like a bear attacking a deer. NPCs can form flocks or herds that stick together, and the plan is to use these systems to build dynamic villages and evolving relationships between villages and players.

World generation remains a big topic with its own blog in the works, but the Q and A confirmed that Hytale will have world seeds that you can share, similar to Minecraft and Terraria. You can create your own maps and biomes without writing Java, using the world generation tools and creative mode, then share builds as prefabs or entire world saves. World height is one of the few things that is not moddable right away, as the voxel storage tech is still changing.

Supporting quotes

Slikey: “The base game is our top priority. We believe that all the effort we put into modding is worthless if we do not offer a compelling and immersive experience in the base game. Orbis is our focus and the way we make the adventure mode happen is by building the systems using an architecture that also enables modders.”

Slikey: “That is exactly our plan with the factions in adventure mode. We already have living world interactions like a bear attacking a deer. It is just something that requires configuration which we need time for. You will find a quite powerful NPC system under the hood even allowing flocks or groups of NPCs that keep a herd together.”

Zero: “Will Hytale have worldgen seeds we can work with and share, like in Minecraft and Terraria
Answer: Yes.”

Slikey: “Not right now. The voxel storage tech is undergoing changes as we speak and it may change in the future.” (on increasing world height)

Slikey: “Yes We have a sophisticated prefab system and even an ingame editor for them. Stay tuned for the creative tools reveal.”

Image of the Blockbench tool

Image of the machinima tool

Creative tooling is a core pillar.

The original “Hytale Model Maker” has been abandoned in favor of Blockbench, which has become the standard for block games. The team partnered with Blockbench’s creator to build a high quality official plugin, which they use internally and plan to release by or before launch.

There is also an in game machinima tool that has already been used to create official trailers, and players will have access to it to build their own cinematics. Between prefabs, worldgen tools, Blockbench integration and machinima, there is a full pipeline for building worlds, characters, and even cinematic stories entirely inside Hytale’s ecosystem.

Supporting quotes

Slikey: “Some of you may remember the trailer showing the Hytale Model Maker, we abandoned it. Blockbench has become the de facto standard that everyone is using. We partnered with Blockbench creator Jannis to bring you a high quality Blockbench plugin and use it internally too.”

Slikey: “If it is ready before the game launches, we will release it ahead of the game itself. The latest point in time would be with the launch of the game.”

Slikey: “We created the Hytale announcement trailer in 2018 using exactly that machinima tool. Yes, you will be able to use them and make cinematics.”

Monetization is a sensitive topic after years of aggressive practices in the industry, and the devs tackled it head on.

At launch, cosmetics are tied to the supporter and deluxe editions, and future monetization for official content will focus on low price cosmetic mini packs that help fund infrastructure for official minigames. There will be no pay to win monetization, now and ever, for official Hytale content.

The EULA will spell out what is allowed for community servers and stores. The team is careful not to oversimplify this in a yes or no, because real world cases tend to be nuanced, but the direction is clearly to avoid predatory monetization.

On top of that, they are exploring development bounties to reward community contributions to the game itself, though the exact structure is still being figured out.

Supporting quotes

Simon: “At launch the cosmetics will be tied to the supporter and deluxe edition. We will NOT have any P2W monetization, now and ever. We will only do cosmetics mini packs (alongside ton of free ones) when we launch minigames to support the infrastructure costs as there will be NO monetization added to the official Hytale minigames at all. We are aiming at low price cosmetics, no bullshit.”

Slikey: “We are releasing a EULA with all applicable terms. I do not want to shortcut the legal speak by saying yes or no because usually it is more nuanced than that.”

Slikey: “We are trying to figure out the details. We know that we want to give back to contributors. We want to work with the community and take contributions and we do not want to just take them for free.”

A few smaller nuggets from the Q and A are still very fun and say a lot about the game’s vibe.

You will be able to join a friend’s single player world through an official system, without needing third party hosting services.

Character skins and models in single player are mod friendly. You can absolutely mod yourself into something silly.

Servers control your avatar in multiplayer, which allows them to enforce consistent visuals or races if they want.

Transformations already exist via potions of transformation in alchemy. They are currently just for fun, but obviously scream modding potential.

Supporting quotes

Slikey: “Yes, we are working on a system so you can join the singleplayer of your friend.”

Simon: “Yes, you can mod yourself into a potato if you want.”

Slikey: “That is not intended. Servers will control your avatar.”

Simon: “Right now I added potions of transformation in the alchemy, it is useless and just for fun. But I am sure some of you will mod into doing cool stuff with it.”

Slikey: “Good, happy and focussed on making Hytale. Thank you all for the questions. You do not need much patience anymore. Stay tuned for the release date announcement”