Our Master Plan

Preface

Our master plan is centered around the following:

Modernized Game Engine - Craft a groundbreaking, Minecraft-like game engine from scratch that is built in a more performant and modern language (Rust) that resolves competitors' long-standing limitations, modernizes gameplay, and meets the evolving demands of players and creators.
Cross Compatibility - Ensure seamless transitions for players and creators with backwards compatibility for Minecraft's network protocols, allowing play compatibility with legacy Minecraft servers while using none of their assets or code.
Free, Everywhere - Deliver an unparalleled, free-to-play, cross-platform experience on all devices, including web browsers.
Support Creators - Empower content creators by offering them flexible monetization policies, state-of-the-art tools, and a unified player ecosystem. All of which is governed and directed for decision and feature development through creator-led governance.
Leverage Competitor Shortcomings - Captivate players and content creators with enhanced quality of life offerings, long-awaited features that competitors have failed to provide, and superior content.

Let's dive into the details and motivations behind each step.

1. Modernized Game Engine

In an era of rapid technological advancement, established games like Minecraft and Roblox, built over a decade ago, can struggle to keep up with today's hardware, content creator demands, and ever-evolving gamer needs. HYTOPIA benefits from the wisdom of hindsight, learning from the successes and shortcomings of our predecessors.

Our foundation rests on robust, modern technologies like RUST and Bevy for our game engine, enabling us to develop a blazing-fast, versatile platform that runs seamlessly across all environments—PC, Mac, web browser, game console, and mobile devices.

HYTOPIA's creator-first approach results in a game engine and systems built for modularity, customization, and ease of development. Our innovative platform grants creators unparalleled control, including:

Comprehensive UI customization through straightforward HTML/CSS standards, thanks to our Tauri implementation that powers in-game UI/UX.
Unrestricted in-game assets and models, with intuitive APIs that allow for intricate model interactions, entity behaviors, and moving objects—capabilities often deemed challenging or impossible in legacy games.
Server-pushed updates and client control that let developers tailor player experiences without necessitating manual installation of third-party mods.
A hybrid networking protocol with higher tick rates, leveraging both TCP and UDP for smooth gameplay and competitive gaming environments.
And so much more.

At HYTOPIA, we stand on the shoulders of giants, poised to revolutionize the gaming landscape and usher in a new era of immersive, unparalleled experiences.

2. Cross Compatibility

Bridging the gap between the old and the new presents a formidable challenge for any newcomer in the gaming industry. For HYTOPIA, we've devised a unique hybrid approach, drawing on our experience of what worked while NFT Worlds was still built on top of Minecraft, which rapidly amassed over 100,000 active players within our first months of launch.

As HYTOPIA is a Minecraft-inspired game, we've prioritized backward play compatibility with Minecraft servers. This allows us to offer HYTOPIA's myriad of improvements—such as smoother frame rates, enhanced visual graphics, modernized user interfaces, and superior user experiences—while seamlessly introducing Minecraft players to the HYTOPIA ecosystem. The goal of this is to smoothly pull players into the HYTOPIA ecosystem without compromising their experience or access to content.

Remarkably, we've achieved this compatibility without using any of Minecraft's assets or codebase. At its core, HYTOPIA interprets the network protocol packets sent by Minecraft servers, responding in kind to facilitate backward-compatible gameplay. Players are immersed in a world composed entirely of HYTOPIA assets, models, and interfaces while playing Minecraft server experiences.

The success of custom clients like Lunar Client, despite their Java codebase limitations, attests to the efficacy of our approach. By building HYTOPIA from the ground up, without cutting any corners, we believe we are also creating the ultimate Minecraft-compatible game client. This advantage positions us to attract a significant player base, propelling HYTOPIA to the forefront of the gaming world.

We believe we can draw a significant player base into HYTOPIA through this approach. From there, players will also be introduced to our HYTOPIA world servers that offer content and gameplay of significantly more depth and capability.

3. Free, Everywhere

We are harnessing cutting-edge technologies to create a game that is not only accessible on any device and across all hardware specifications but is also entirely free to play. We envision HYTOPIA as a truly open ecosystem, devoid of a purchase requirement, where everyone around the world can come together and enjoy the game. Rest assured, creating accounts for HYTOPIA will always be free.

While playing on all HYTOPIA servers is free, it is crucial to mention that players seeking backward compatibility play with their favorite old/legacy Minecraft servers through the HYTOPIA game client must link their Microsoft/Minecraft accounts to their HYTOPIA accounts. This requirement stems from Microsoft/Minecraft's stipulation that a valid game account is necessary to play on Minecraft servers, and serves as a testament to our commitment to abide by rules while providing an unparalleled gaming experience.

4. Support Creators

Creators form the foundation of the HYTOPIA ecosystem, and their needs have taken center stage in our development roadmap. We are committed to making HYTOPIA a haven for creators, outshining competing platforms by focusing on several key areas:

We provide familiar yet incredibly powerful developer tools and APIs that enable creators to craft immersive experiences, surpassing the limitations of games like Minecraft.
HYTOPIA offers flexible monetization policies and tools, empowering creators to sell their custom cosmetics, in-game items, and more through HYTOPIA's in-game currency or fiat currency ($).
Our creator-led governance approach allows creators to propose changes to HYTOPIA's features, systems, and player-creator relationships, fostering a democratic platform that benefits both players and creators.
HYTOPIA prioritizes showcasing top creator games, regularly highlighting new and emerging titles for our player base. This collaborative effort drives the HYTOPIA content ecosystem forward and helps creators gain traction for their games.

5. Leverage Competitor Shortcomings

In the world of gaming, specifically within creator communities of existing games like Minecraft and Roblox, we've identified glaring gaps that have remained unfilled for years.

For example, creators have long requested improvements, such as the ability to create moving objects, first-party support for more extensible custom game modes in the Java-based version of Minecraft, and enhanced monetization policies, yet these calls have gone unheard for nearly a decade.

At HYTOPIA, every decision we've made thus far has been informed by our years of experience and pain building in these competitor ecosystems and by the publicly and privately expressed needs of the most successful creators across these platforms.

Our unwavering commitment to placing the community, creators, and players at the forefront – listening intently to their needs and building an open game platform inspired by the familiar play-feel of the most popular game of all time, Minecraft – sets the stage for HYTOPIA to become something truly extraordinary.