# Hyperfy Discord - 2025-07-15

## Overall Discussion Highlights

### Version 0.14.0 Release
A major platform update was announced with significant technical improvements:
- Ambient occlusion for enhanced lighting effects
- New scene application format
- First-person perspective support
- Camera-facing character controls
- Touch device improvements with joystick UI
- URL parameter reading/writing capabilities
- UI updates with sleeker sidebar and reduced reticle size
- Radial distance-based fog
- Fixes for transparency ordering issues
- Real-time updates to the apps list when users add/remove applications

### UI/UX Improvements
- Ashxn pushed new character controls to the dev branch, receiving positive feedback
- Discussions about minimalist and transparent UI approach
- Debates about optimal placement of UI elements
- Consensus that radial menus would improve building UX across all devices
- Sidebar UI overlap issues with builder prompts on smaller desktop screens identified

### Technical Implementations
- **Mesh Instancing**: Ashxn explained that cloning is an efficient way to create multiple instances as the engine handles auto-instancing
- **Billboarding**: Code examples provided for implementing billboarding for non-particle meshes
- **Elevator Physics**: Recommendations to use kinematic rigidbodies and fixedUpdate for smoother movement
- **Network-synced Meteors**: Upcoming feature with explosion effects mentioned

### Community Concepts
- **Hyperfy Overworld**: johan proposed a showcase and central hub for the platform, serving as "ground zero" for Hyperfy with notable builds
- **World Data Sharing**: hiroP suggested a community resource allowing world builders to share real-time data about world usage with flexible schema
- **Token Discussions**: Debates about HYPER token value, with some emphasizing building and participation over price speculation
- **Market Comparisons**: Unity (12.342B) and Roblox mentioned as valuation benchmarks for Hyperfy

## Key Questions & Answers

### Development
Q: How do I set a spawn point?  
A: Use "/spawn set" to set it to your current location

Q: Is there any example of instancing a mesh in hyp code?  
A: You can use clone() for instancing as the engine auto-instances things behind the scenes

Q: Any tips for billboarding non-particle and non-UI meshes?  
A: You can grab the camera position/rotation and use that; there are different types of billboarding

Q: Why is my elevator shaking?  
A: Try using fixedUpdate instead of update to move the elevator and make sure it's a kinematic rigidbody

Q: Can we set fixedUpdate to a specific value to save resources?  
A: It matches the physics rate at 60fps but uses an accumulator to distribute perfectly regardless of render framerate

### Community & Platform
Q: How do you envision the hyperfy overworld?  
A: "Ideally a few things - showcase of what's possible aesthetically and technically - ground zero for hyperfy, like the capital or similar with some of the best/most relevant builds, with additional portals to more great stuff - heavy on onchain metaverse culture and lore"

Q: Will there be staking for HYPER tokens?  
A: It will likely only happen after locked tokens unlock

Q: What's more important than token price?  
A: Getting more people excited to use the platform

## Community Help & Collaboration

1. **Mesh Instancing Guidance**: Ashxn helped hiroP implement mesh instancing by explaining that clone() creates instances and the engine handles instancing automatically

2. **Billboarding Implementation**: Ashxn provided code examples with three different approaches to implement billboarding for non-particle meshes

3. **Elevator Physics Troubleshooting**: Ashxn helped Gert-Jan Akerboom fix shaking elevator issues by suggesting fixedUpdate and kinematic rigidbody for smoother movement

4. **Domain Donation**: Fibelius offered to donate the hyperfy.fi domain to the project for potential DeFi purposes

5. **Hyperfy Overworld Concept**: hiroP expanded on johan's "hyperfy overworld" concept by proposing a detailed implementation involving a community resource for world builders to share real-time data

## Action Items

### Technical
- Implement radial menu for object interaction to improve UX across all devices (Mentioned by Ashxn)
- Fix sidebar UI overlap with builder prompts on smaller desktop screens (Mentioned by 0mka)
- Implement toggle for sidebar UI elements to improve game UI space (Mentioned by 0mka)
- Fix issue with applyEffect() not working with new character locomotion setup (Mentioned by .hyp shaman)
- Implement the new scene app format (Mentioned by ash)
- Integrate ambient occlusion lighting (Mentioned by ash)
- Update applications to utilize browser URL parameters capability (Mentioned by ash)
- Implement avatar node visibility controls (Mentioned by ash)
- Evaluate using hyperfy.fi domain for DeFi purposes (Mentioned by Fibelius)
- Consider implementing token staking after locked tokens unlock (Mentioned by ai16zgm)
- Explore token buyback mechanism for staking emissions (Mentioned by MUDBONE)
- Implement grouping of in-world objects to apply edit tools to multiple objects simultaneously (Mentioned by Enryt)

### Feature
- Add ability to read/write browser URL parameters (Mentioned by hiroP)
- Create a dedicated billboard node for easier implementation (Mentioned by Ashxn)
- Implement first-person view that shows hands/feet when looking down (Mentioned by Alexa)
- Create a "hyperfy overworld" as a showcase and central hub for the platform (Mentioned by johan)
- Develop a community resource for real-time world usage data sharing (Mentioned by hiroP)
- Develop more memetic aspects for the token with mascot and brand positioning (Mentioned by johan)

### Documentation
- Update docs to include AI agent information (Mentioned by CheddarQueso 🧀)
- Document new first-person support implementation (Mentioned by ash)
- Create guides for the new camera-facing character controls (Mentioned by ash)
- Update documentation for touch device joystick UI (Mentioned by ash)
- Define and document the concept of "onchain metaverse culture" (Mentioned by johan)
- Better communicate the value proposition of Hyperfy compared to Unity/Roblox (Mentioned by Xukonth and Tone)