thanderhall

@Simon_Hypixel As you said if a mod have a lot of subscriptions that could be publicised and get more visibility thanks to the mod browser. Also as in patron, supporters could have a better role on the mod road map, and participating more in the developing, like voting feature ecc

@Simon_Hypixel I think gaining access to early features for supporters is perfectly fine! Instead I disagree to freeze extra features behind pay wall cause you would be still "forced" to pay for very cool features. Be able to test features earlier (weeks) sound perfect instead.

I want to talk about the in-game mod browser and monetization, but first: this is not a final answer or a locked policy! I'm brainstorming with the community because this is one of those decisions that can shape the game's future, and I want feedback before we commit to the exact model. I've had people in DMs tell me Hytale needs paid mods, because modders put real work into their creations and should be able to earn from them. I've also had people tell me paid mods would destroy the ecosystem, because the mod browser would stop feeling like a place to explore and start feeling like a store. Both sides have a point, and I don't think you have to pick one or the other. The model I keep coming back to is a hybrid that hasn't really been tried before: protect the player experience in-game while giving creators strong ways to earn player support. Important note: none of these changes the EULA. This is not about taking away what modders can do outside the game. It's about what we choose to show and promote inside the in-game mod browser. Here's my thinking: I want players to open the mod browser and feel like they're walking into a community library of cool things to try, not a shopping mall. That doesn't mean I think modders shouldn't make money. Quite the opposite. I bring years of experience in modding and monetization, and I know the scene has evolved a lot. Creators put serious time into their work, and great modders should be able to build an audience, earn support, and make a living from what they create. But there is a real cost when the first thing players see in a mod browser is price tags everywhere. Mods are most magical when trying them is easy. You see something weird, useful, funny, beautiful, or ambitious, and you install it because there's no friction. That sense of discovery matters a lot to me. There's also a deeper problem with paid mods that people don't talk about enough: the incentive structure between the game developer and the modder. Imagine a creator makes an amazing fishing mod and sells it for $5. It gets huge. Later, the game team decides that fishing should be part of the base game. Suddenly, there's tension where there shouldn't be any. The creator feels like the game is stepping on their work, and if the studio is taking a cut from mod sales, it now has a financial incentive to leave feature gaps rather than fill them. Why add fishing to the base game if you're making money from someone else's fishing mod? I really don't want that relationship. Our goal is to make a great game, give creators powerful tools, and let the whole ecosystem grow around that, not to leave holes for modders to fill and monetize. So the direction is: mods in the in-game browser are free to install. No price tags in the browsing experience. No paywall as the default relationship between player and modder. But creator support should be real. We will give players ways to support their favorite creators, make creator profiles matter, highlight great work, and offer Hytale-side rewards for supporting modders: badges, titles, cosmetics, and so on. For example, if a player supports several creators, they get a special reward from us, not because they bought a mod, but because they supported the people building the ecosystem. Longer term, there's room for something closer to an in-game Patreon-style system: support a creator, get early access to experimental builds or extra creator updates, while the mod itself stays free to browse and try. That part needs careful design, and I don't want to overpromise the exact shape today. The principle is what matters: support should be pull, not push. Players should feel invited to support creators they love, not pressured every time they browse. We make money when people buy the game and through optional cosmetics. That gives us a cleaner incentive structure: make Hytale better, invest in player experience, and help creators earn because players genuinely value their work. BTW, if we ever handle creator payments directly, the only reason to take a cut would be to cover transaction and operational costs. We're not designing this around taking a percentage from modders. This is not the obvious business-maximizing route. I know that. But I think it's the right one for players. I believe that if we are players first, we will do great in the long term. I'd rather have a modding ecosystem that feels open, generous, creative, and alive than one where every cool idea immediately becomes another checkout screen. I believe we can help modders make great money while giving players a much better experience than a storefront-first model! It will take time to get right, and some details will change as we build it. We'll share more as the mod browser takes shape, and I genuinely want to hear what players and modders think about this direction.

@KweebecCorner Please take a look also to mod with new system, like radiant quest generating , settlements and colony, for example "normal 20", "project civic" or 'atherhaven". Saying this because I fear attention is too much focused on World Gen 2 that in my opinion add less to the game

I’m going to be checking out competition entries on stream this week! There’s still $81,000 in prizes to be awarded 🔥🔥🤞

@Kaupenjoe @plstcfntstc Hope that town and colony mods with advanced npcs behaviours (friendly and neutral) will be considered, I think that's a big lack in game side actually, and I saw some awesome work there ❤️ That's the best way to breath life in the world, at least in my opinion.

@plstcfntstc Even things that are getting major makeovers right now are still useful to get feedback on. To help the team with any blind spots they might have! :)

There are so many great submissions! 🤩 Not only am I a judge for the contest, but as I am going through the mods, I will note down some names to reach out to in the coming weeks for some interviews about Hytale Modding improvements! You are also free to reach out to me, if you already have some immediate ideas! The team is hungry for feedback from the community! 🫡

@MKOutlaw87 @Kaupenjoe And system too! I see colony and town system mods, and we need a lot this in game :)

@Kaupenjoe Must be highly motivating to see all those World gen 2 mods and minigames. Really awesome stuff !

@GibsonHougland @Simon_Hypixel Add this in game would add an big depth, hope Simon and Slikey will consider to hire this amazing modder to bring this system in vanilla ❤️

I've just added a tool to build paths for your towns in Aetherhaven! You can choose between a couple different styles or configure your own! @Simon_Hypixel Have you considered adding spline building tools to creative? I think it would be a really useful addition! #HytaleModding #Hytale

@CurseForge In my opinion "project civic" would deserve a 10.000, it's the most revolutionary mod I saw honestly, and a totally entire new system. It's a mod the bring new features on both system and NPCs side.. making the world true alive! Hope it will inspire the Hytale devs

Our final batch of mid-contest winners is here! Check out these amazing submissions to the Hytale New Worlds Modding Contest, who each win $300 in this stage and still have the chance to win up to $10,000 in grand prizes 👀 Submissions close on April 28th! Make sure to submit your mods while you still have the chance, and good luck to all 🧡

@Prowl8413 To note that at the moment automation is a lot faraway, advanced Minecart, ship and submergible could be very simple. They could be for example pre-made, structure that you can find and use. Complex system like building and expand or power them could come after.

@Prowl8413 Going up! - Airship! Everwind inspired! At starting they could be pre made and after modular and buildable - Teleport gate across the world to achive "flying islands" with interesting POI and different biomes To go down! - Submarine/submergible - Advanced minecart for cave

So, if Hytale is adding infinite world height and depth... traveling up and down without any additions to the game would suck... so... whats a creative method you would add to travel vertically, that wouldn't be massively OP for horizontal travel???

@slikey About core game, personally I have been totally amazed by Project Civic mod I think that evolving village and NPCs routines could be something that should be part of the core game, with big potential on narrative and immersion side And that could have a role on automation too

I want to be very clear that we are not currently working on anything like create in Hytale. We are still looking at community mods and giving them better capabilities to get "Create"-like results as mods. The 2 new designers are working on the core game design of Hytale with our existing designers. This is exploring questions like "how do we balance adventure and homesteading?", "what is the progression supposed to be?", "how do we make the living world more immersive?", etc. These topics are foundation to having a game that is fun even without automation. @Prowl8413 is probably already working on a video about this 😅 We have a lot of devs working on Hytale that are not anywhere close to working on the white whale they are obsessed by yet. I think rendering, physics, tools, voxel tech, worldgen, npcs, etc. We have a lot of foundational work to do before we can unleash our obession and present truly innovative block game and UGC content. We are sitting on hot coals here waiting for the right time to bring you all the crazy stuff in our vision.

@Prowl8413 @slikey Will "infinite height" influence progression at some degree? For example, will height influence climate and temperature? Are you already considering vehicle to go up on hypothetical sky island? or Submergible to touch the underwater abyss?

I'm going to be interviewing @slikey about INFINITE WORLD HEIGHT and cubic chunks. I am getting questions from YOU to ask, so drop your questions here! Technical, gameplay related, simple, complex, it doesn't matter, ask away! I'll be picking a bunch!

@SignDemon @Prowl8413 @slikey Also wondering if Infinite Height will come out before World Gen 2, so we could get already infinite biome on WG1, or will be rolled out only after WG2 implementation.

@Prowl8413 @slikey World gen v2 release when ? 🙃

@OGLemon04 @Prowl8413 @slikey Yeah, and also I wonder if there will be a limit on island side in that case. Everwind already have sky island, but at least for me they feel very small... Would be cool have big Sky island, may be with several POI and not just one to make it interesting

@Prowl8413 @slikey Are sky islands going to be thing

@Heurazy @Prowl8413 @slikey Yea, have more info about possible scii fii mod with space travel would be welcomed :)

@Prowl8413 @slikey Does with infinite World height in a far future Do you think it would be possible to have a galaxy system within a single world?

@Prowl8413 @slikey 1) How cave and sea depth will benefit from infinite height? For what I understand adventure mode will not necessary make cave infinite (also if this would be possible), so I wonder if team have already an idea about max ocean and cave depth, and if it will be customisable.

@nerwi_ This is already very cool! But imagine this when Infinite Height will be unlocked ❤️

Imagínate meterte a una partida de Hytale y encontrarte un bioma así. La generación 2.0 va a romper internet 🤯 Bioma de la comunidad hecho por @ breadleyishere

@breadleyishere This is crazy beautiful, especially the biome with the big tree! Hope to see this as mod soon or later :) Good job!

to any artists hesitant to try their hand at hytale's worldgen: i picked it up just over a month ago having never done a day of programming in my life, and this is where i'm at today you should definitely give it a try. entire worlds are waiting

@Simon_Hypixel @PacificKB @CurseForge This is also a frequent requested feature! Have villages and towns that grow with NPCs routine like this is absolutely what make truely feel a world a live! ❤️ May be we could get this natively one day with the contribute of this hired modder? 🤔😄 Please!

@PacificKB @CurseForge This is insane, great work :O

What if villages were alive? What if villages could grow on their own? What if villagers had a real day night cycle? What if players could help them thrive or destroy them? That’s Project Civic Core, my solo entry for @CurseForge modjam. #Hytale #HytaleModding #HytaleNpc

@PacificKB @CurseForge Simon please watch this, it's so awesome 😍 ❤️

@OrbitechMod This mod seems always better! Good job Orbitech team! ❤️

The cogs are turning against us! #Hytale #HytaleModding