Custom Content? Great. Tactics? GREATER. My Reaction to "Custom Content in Hytale"

I'm sure you know this already: This is speculative and based on pre-release information and Minecraft. This is not to be taken seriously; this is just for fun.

I suggest reading "Custom Content in Hytale" before reading this.

While Hypixel Studios reiterated in their July 2019 development update that they'll post once every few weeks, I still braced myself for absurdly long delays, and thanks to my vacation, I cared less about Hytale (and more on Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which I will hopefully talk about on September 8) so I kept my sanity intact.

That is, until Codiak from The Game Gurus posted this smexy info on his Discord server on August 8, 2019:

Yeah, boi.

I will admit, this got my brain and blood on a frenzy, thinking that Hypixel Studios won't repeat the absurdly long delay between "Rising expectations" and the Outlander reveal/fan art showcase/July 2019 update.

But, being the psychopathic "scholar" I am, I still remained skeptical of this statement; for me, an upcoming blog post is too good to be true and can be delayed anytime without anyone else knowing. I immediately ignored the "week" part and assumed the "two" part was only slightly possible, until...

Hypixel Studios friggen' released a new blog post on August 21, this time about...well, custom content. When I look at the first few words and pictures, I think of the "live scripting" part of the trailer, where whatever programming code or assets are placed into the game are immediately added into Hytale without pausing or closing the game.

To be honest, I don't care much about changing many of the existing visual assets of Hytale; I like the graphics as they are.

So this post will focus a lot more on tactics than aesthetics and modding.

Weather

Let's talk about the vanilla Hytale weather first, specifically the zone 1 sunset and fog.

The sunset is quite dark, actually. The screenshot is nice, but in a practical situation, that would be bothersome because I'm used to Minecraft sunsets still being fairly bright enough to spot threats and hazards.

I'm not sure though if the sun's orientation affects lighting. I thought maybe the blocks near the player would be slightly brighter because the sun is sort of pointing towards them, but they seem just as dark as the other blocks.

Thankfully, the tower stands out in the sunset background because of its height compared to the trees, so if the tower has nothing dangerous, I could camp in there before the sky completely darkens.

I freaking love the fog. The green tint and "windy" appearance make it feel ominous yet somehow adventurous, like I'm in a fantasy movie. It's not very thick, either, so I still have some sense of direction and can properly defend myself against hostile mobs; I don't need Safety Goggles or a thief.
However, some problems with fog include long-range snipers that can see through fog and mobs that can camouflage within the fog--I hope I can tell zombies apart from the green fog.

If I were to mod the zone 1 sunset, I'd make it a brighter orange and red to match the sunset at my own home. I'm not a fan of the peach color in vanilla Hytale.

I'm mostly indifferent to the weather-changing clip for zone 3, but the snowstorm looks cool.

Live Texture Changes

Great for testing texture packs and RGB-tinted blocks.

By the way, notice how the soil does not change color in Hytale's block tech post, even though the grass does? It was expounded on "Custom Content" by saying even soil can be changed without changing the grass. I wonder how this works... Are there separate texture files for the same block?

The problem is that, if I'm not mistaken, Hytale reloads chunks each time a texture is changed. I was thinking of servers trolling players by switching textures around, but having the game suddenly interrupted by a moment of no blocks can be distracting.

Oh well, at least I can preview Minecraft block textures as soon as I put them in Hytale and see how weirdly nostalgic Hytale becomes. This might help me get used to each Hytale block thanks to familiarity with Minecraft.
(Or I can just wait for someone to make a Minecraft texture pack for Hytale.)

Advanced Building Tools

Basically the "Paint the World" part of the trailer, except I didn't know that it could be done with a player in-game. I thought maybe it was done outside the game using a separate development tool.

As for Otium's build clip (Otium is a transgender woman), she made it look so easy that it's just like using Microsoft Paint. Interestingly, the chunks didn't reload once the textures were changed; did she just change textures, or did she actually change the blocks to ones that work differently?

She also replaced areas of blocks as if drawing with a permanent or whiteboard marker.

Well, this saves a massive amount of time!

By the way, how are these copied builds saved? Can they be made into a separate file that others can use to copy each other's builds into their own worlds? I would very much like to copy-paste a battle arena into my world.

Custom Weapons and Effects Zombies

I don't care much about the laser rifle, but at least it gives modders a point of reference for making firearms or similar sci-fi-themed assets. Too bad no aim-down-sight feature was shown.

I'm mainly here to talk about the walking dead--no, not the TV show--that were shown in the clip featuring the laser rifle.

I'll assume the zombies are manually spawned; I don't think common mobs like zombies would generate in large, tightly-packed groups.

First off, they seem to have a really short aggro range--shorter than the standard 16-block aggro range of many Minecraft hostile mobs.

Second, I forgot that Hytale mobs have alert animations with exclamation marks over their heads (and the sound design post also stated that mobs make sounds when alerted), but this clip helped me remember. This further helps me stay alert of incoming hostile mobs, not just zombies.

Then again, I'll still be ready for stealthy hostile mobs similar to creepers.

The zombies look a bit faster than their Minecraft counterparts, but they're still slow enough for me to outspeed, I think. With that said, I should be more careful than in Minecraft because groups of zombies can easily trap me.

The most bothersome thing about the zombies, however, is how they did not take knockback from the laser rifle. Maybe being undead removes the sense of pain?

This means, unless some weapons or attacks can still knock them back, I can't shove zombies into disadvantageous terrain or off a mountain. It also means I have to back away constantly while fighting, unlike Minecraft zombies where I can properly move forward and sideways while rapidly hitting zombies for maximum mobility.

I don't know if zombies can climb blocks like spiders can, but fudge it, I'll use the good 'ol pillar jumping tactic.

Character Models (and Throwing Weapons)

Funny thing is, I was skeptical of this at the beginning because I thought it only made sense to play as a human or humanoid species like an elf. I shouldn't have been skeptical, though, because--thank goodness--Hytale allows players to change their player models and even gain the ability to fly when playing as certain mobs.

When modded in (if I'm not mistaken), these mobs can even properly wield human equipment, as shown by Hytale's clip of a pigeon throwing an iron dagger.

I think this is a strong indicator of players being able to throw some weapons, and if this is true, I'll be extremely happy! I get to properly defend myself with cheap ranged weapons without having to craft a bow and arrows!
Then again, I'll continue to be skeptical in case that pigeon was an actual pigeon, not a player.

Those gray weapons on the very top left look like stone weapons, judging by their crude designs.
I think this means I can easily mass-produce stone daggers.
Concept art from Hytale

Okay, I admit that I stated multiple times that throwing weapons are a bad idea for game balance, but I don't give a firetruck about me using throwing weapons in my Adventure Mode playthroughs; I need to properly defend myself and my team.
As for PvP, throwing weapons can be used when desperate in Hunger Games or to quickly knock an enemy off their bridge in SkyWars/BedWars (assuming throwing weapons can only be carried in small stacks since the pigeon's dagger didn't disappear upon being thrown), but I think they can be abused in games like Ultra Hardcore simply by filling the hotbar with throwing weapons and repeatedly sniping unprepared foes almost immediately.
Oh well, I think this is a good reason to remove my ban on Tinkers' Construct throwing knives in my Hytale practice regimen.

Okay, back to changing models.
Imagine if the player could get the abilities of the mobs they're transformed into (besides flight). Like maybe a player transformed into an ice dragon can breathe ice (obviously). Combined with additional modding for human equipment and proper animations, that would make for an interesting Super Smash Bros.-like minigame.
My main might be the deer because I'm joining the Golden Deer, and I might wield a bow just like Claude. Fite me. (Let's just wait for eagles and lions. I bet money they'll add a lion for sure because of some of Hytale's Tweets related to The Lion King.)
Besides, the Hypixel server in Minecraft already has a Super Smash Bros.-like minigame called...well, Smash Heroes.

If the Deadeye Pigeon was an Actual Enemy...

This is pure speculation.

psychopaths exposed

If vanilla Hytale actually has a dagger-throwing pigeon as a standard hostile mob thanks to this Tweet, I'd better be ready, mainly because it's a ranged flier. I stated before that I do not like fighting fliers.

The deadeye pigeon was only shown to throw a dagger while on the ground, but I'll be ready in case it can throw in midair.

Obviously, a shield will protect against its daggers, at least when thrown. If the pigeon does a swooping attack with its dagger, beak, or talons, I can simply dodge sideways or counter with a sword.

Speaking of swords, they're my primary melee weapon against small fliers like deadeye pigeons because swords are cheap, lightweight, and can cover a wide arc with a simple slash. For a specific kind of sword (if different sword types have different combos), I'd use one with a curved blade, like a falchion or katana.
Plus, it's hard to hit a small target with a spear.

Pigeons typically appear in groups in my real-life neighborhood, and I assume something similar in Hytale, except they're much more common in zone 1 forests. I'd better be careful with chopping trees or else I risk destroying one with a deadeye pigeon's nest, causing a whole flock to rain a storm of daggers.

Before woodcutting, I should pillar-jump with dirt blocks to take a closer look for trees with deadeye pigeon nests, and signal the safe trees by maybe shooting arrows at them so my allies know which trees to chop down.

When stealth-killing, all the nested deadeye pigeons must be killed simultaneously with a synchronized volley of arrows.

If stealth is not an option, a strong, aggressive magic attack like a fireball or lightning bolt should deal heavy damage and scare away, if not kill, nearby deadeye pigeons.

As for home defense, I think deadeye pigeons are near-harmless. The least they can do is chip away very slowly at my builds with their beaks or daggers. This leaves them open to a sneak-attack, especially when using another player as a distraction.
If they chip away at my Trump wall, I'll put up machicolations (those holes through battlements allowing archers to shoot enemies adjacent to the wall).
They become extra dangerous, however, when combined with other mobs such as griefers that can open up holes for deadeye pigeons to throw their daggers through.

If Trorks can be made into allies, they would be effective against deadeye pigeons because they get distracted by birds to the point of throwing spears.

Lazy Conclusion

Have a little Tweet as a gift from Simon:

Yeah, boi, again.

I hope this goes beyond simply changing basic data like damage values.

I'm not really a modder (heck, my Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones ROM hack has an unchanged story from the original game), but boy am I glad I could build tactics around the stuff Hytale did not specifically focus on in the blog post.

Bad News

UP Open University greatly shortened our vacation time from 6 weeks to only 3 weeks, so I didn't expect to be back to school so quickly.
This time, I enrolled in a course all about...theories. And the professor is a former soldier. Well, time for me to work so hard that it's like I'm a recruit. SIR, YES SIR!

It ends on November 16 (assuming the professors don't give extra work and I finish my work quickly), and thankfully, they're giving us a long Christmas vacation as usual.

Other News

Besides a Three Houses-themed post, there will be three other posts coming every week until September 8--I've drafted large chunks of them already.

Also, I'll be in Singapore on September 3 to hang out with the guy who helped me with my Pest Control: Pokémon Edition (Johto to Alola).

My Quick Thoughts on the No National Pokédex Controversy

Serebii.net has listed all the Pokémon currently in Pokémon Sword and Shield here.

To recap, only Pokémon in the Galar Pokédex can be transferred into Pokémon Sword and Shield; not all of the 809 previous Pokémon will be in the new games. This has sparked a lot of controversy in the Pokémon fanbase.

To be honest, I don't like this idea either because I'm used to having every single Pokémon from previous generations in a main series Pokémon game, but I still respect GAME FREAK's decision.
Interestingly, however, I think I'm not as bothered by the lack of a National Pokédex as some other people, and here are my quick and lazy thoughts as to why.

First off, I've played Pokémon Prism, a ROM hack of Pokémon Crystal. Due to technical limitations, Pokémon Prism only has 253 Pokémon; some Generations 1 and 2 Pokémon were replaced with Pokémon from Generations 3 and 4 plus Sylveon and a few fan-made Pokémon.
Admittedly, I have difficulty making up a "best team" for Pokémon Prism in the style of the Pokémon YouTuber MysticUmbreon, but I still enjoyed the game despite the limited team options. There were several other redeeming qualities in the ROM hack such as the Generation 4 physical/special split.
In other words, I can still enjoy Pokémon Sword and Shield with limited Pokémon choices (assuming I can actually play it) because I've played a ROM hack that did the same thing.

Second, I think there will be other ways to play with a full National Pokédex--yes, including the Galar Pokémon. These are Pokémon Showdown, Pixelmon, and a hypothetical Hytale Pixelmon.
I don't own a Nintendo Switch, and neither I nor my parents have the budget to pay for a Nintendo Switch. (Plus, my paternal uncle is just as stupid as my paternal grandma.) But we do have a PC, and my mom and dad are willing to buy me Hytale.
Pokémon Showdown is a Pokémon battle simulator from Smogon that can be played on both PCs and mobile devices (using an Internet browser), while Minecraft and Hytale are both PC games.
Additionally, Pokémon Showdown has a Custom Game feature which has very few restrictions--heck, Pokémon can be given moves they can't learn! I think it's likely that it would also allow the whole National Pokédex.

A Custom Game in Pokémon Showdown. Note the illegal moves on Magikarp.

Third, some of my favorite Pokémon, including the Ralts and Roselia evolutionary lines, are in the Galar Pokédex. 'Nuff said.

Behind the Scenes: I was gonna say I'm more bothered about Fire Emblem: Three Houses not having a weapon triangle, but I just found out that weapon breaker skills can be learned by improving skill in a particular weapon; for example, Axebreaker can be learned by improving sword skill.

Edit, November 21, 2019:

Yes, you can battle a Gigantamaxed Pokémon with a Mega Evolved Pokémon, among other crazy things.

Reaction to Hytale's Outlander Reveal Post

Screenshot from my ROM hack based on Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Outlander Camp Atmosphere background by Hypixel Studios

The original post may be read here.

DISCLAIMER: This is speculative and based on pre-release information and Minecraft. This is not to be taken seriously; this is just for fun.
Except for official Hytale statements, which can be taken seriously.

After THREE MONTHS of AGONIZING WAITING, Hytale has finally posted, not just one, but THREE blog posts at once! My blood rushed so much at the thought that I roamed around aimlessly just thinking about how amazing the content was. The fan art was extremely innovative as always.
I admit, the July 2019 development update was mostly redundant, but at least they updated the media page to include all of the media from the blog posts plus some media they shared on social media. This way, I can get back to them quickly for research purposes without wasting time digging the blog posts or Hytale's Twitter account.
Besides that, the interesting part was that they've worked on "improvements to [Hytale's] core technology" which implies to me that they fixed bugs and added features to improve the stability of Hytale's engine. (Honestly, there's so much content already revealed to the public that I think Hypixel Studios should be focused on fixing bugs and making combat and PvP. I'm half-glad they took time off of making blog posts.)

But, of course, the crown jewel lies within the Outlander reveal post: one that explained in detail a faction that was only slightly introduced in concept art. Unlike your friendly neighborhood Kweebecs or the deadly-in-a-cartoony-way Trorks, these Outlanders are serious business: they act like a combination of post-apocalyptic survivalists and dark mages or cultists. They are expert hunters, have well-defended settlements, and can control "darker forms of magic than you may encounter elsewhere."

That big masked thing with the helmet that was being fought by two players in the trailer? That's, I think, the Outlander boss--I thought at first that he was just a strong monster, or at most a mini-boss. Turns out, he's human--I just got thrown off by the gray skin, menacing design, and diamonds that resembled the Varyn mark. And he's officially called the Colossus Outlander according to Simon of Hypixel.
I guess Hypixel Studios thought that the Colossus Outlander looked too much like a generic monster, so they increased his muscle mass and gave him a big hand (I don't know if it's a glove, a mutation, blood stains, or injuries) to make him look more like a boss, and the way they reintroduced him in this post was amazing thanks to the camera angle and shaking screen--I was legitimately scared. They also changed his eyes from green to yellow and removed the glowing green light from the diamond on the chest area.
The Colossus Outlander's speed seems slightly faster from the trailer, but he's still slow to the point where I think I can outspeed him. No need to "cry every time".

Alright, enough with the analysis of the lore because I'm lazy. Let's get on with speculative battle tactics.

Outlanders in General

Like how survivors in The Walking Dead fight zombies, Outlanders often have to fight the predators and monsters of the wild. This, I think, is one of their biggest weaknesses because both Outlanders and beasts are so focused on fighting each other that they won't notice me if I sneak-attack and kill them all in one hit each after both sides have sustained injuries.

Outlanders are human and will attack prey and strangers on sight. Turns out, I think I might hate these guys more than Trorks since, unlike Trorks which love meat, Outlanders may also steal crops, judging by their hardened survivalist lifestyle. I'll have to pay more attention when I farm in zone 3. Or, better yet, just farm in a different zone (zone 1 seems to be the best in terms of climate) and bring a ton of food.

Outlanders may have supposedly strong defensive structures, but they don't matter in a Minecraft sense when each block can be easily broken by tools or explosives. A head-on assault won't be so bad.

Outlanders are well-adapted to the cold climate of zone 3, so I think fire magic will hurt them a lot because they're probably not used to excessive heat. (I'm adapted to the strong tropical heat of the Philippines, so I feel very cold even in mildly airconditioned rooms.)
However, I think fire magic will be ineffective if they're accompanied by a particular Outlander leader which I will discuss later.

Also, can I disguise as an Outlander by stealing their clothes? Or can Outlanders identify strangers even when they're dressed like Outlanders? (I have East Asian skin.)

Outlander Rangers

Outlander rangers are the Outlanders' basic ranged unit and are described as "roaming further afield than most of their kind", which may imply that they're more common to find across zone 3 as a whole than other Outlanders which are typically restricted to certain areas. Not only are they "expert ambushers", but their mostly brown or dark-colored clothing camouflages them in the thick forests of zone 3.

Obviously, it's wise to put up light sources in forests to improve our visibility--I think Hytale has colored lighting, so torches can make Outlanders distinguishable from the leaves and tree trunks.
Alternatively, we can chop down nearby trees or set up a base that is far from a forest. The good thing is, unlike Minecraft, trees can "collapse in a big explosion" when the trunk is broken, so I don't need to break leaves or wait for them to decay so I can see and navigate properly.

A Snowy Tundra biome in Minecraft.
A Hytale equivalent would be an ideal place to put up a base to easily spot Outlander rangers.
Screenshot from the official Minecraft Wiki

Of course, shields are a must-have to weaken, if not block, arrow impact. If that doesn't work, then let's trust in good ol' block barriers.
(Or I can use my recent strategy of evading skeleton arrows by pillar-jumping.)

Side note: Hypixel Studios did the Outlander ranger's bow pull-back animation correctly. Well done, guys. (I watched some archery tutorial videos.)

Outlander Priests

Outlander priests are leaders that "bring water magic to bear in defense of their people" and are supposedly "masters of death itself". From the "defense" statement, I think they have water-based support magic, which I imagine to heal and increase defenses, while the "leader" statement might mean that they act as tacticians and are tankier than other Outlanders.

Killing the priests first may lower Outlander morale or fighting skill and cut off their support, so that's what I plan to do--that is, if I can outmaneuver the melee attackers and archers. I imagine that the priests can cast a spell that sends a water current to redirect an arrow harmlessly, so I'd primarily use my fists or spear against them since magic users typically take a lot of damage from physical attacks in RPGs.

Pokémon Silver is one of Thomas Frick's favorite games, and Simon said in an interview with AutCraft that he would pick a Water-type starter Pokémon, so I'm wild-guessing that they know many of the type matchups. The lightning element is Hytale's equivalent of the Electric type, which is super effective against the Water type, so I'd have BoltOLightnin use lightning magic against Outlander squads led by priests.

But Outlander priests raising the dead? NO PROBLEM! My squad and I fought zombies and skeletons from various games before.

Side note: Notice that the back end of the priest's staff has a blade (I think) on it. Does this mean they have a melee attack?

Colossus Outlander

This is going to be HIGHLY speculative because the Colossus Outlander is both a boss and an important member of the Outlanders. As intimidating as he looks with his bulked-up body and "bloody hand", I honestly imagine the actual fight to be easier than I think.

The only move we know he has (or at least had) is a wind-up by pulling his cleaver all the way back, then doing a simple downward swing causing the cleaver to get stuck to the ground for a while. The player with the two-handed mace then did a spin attack to the Colossus Outlander's side. The new Colossus Outlander appears to wield an axe, so I think his axe can get stuck as well. Thanks to "announcing" his attack with a wind-up, this makes it slow and predictable (and makes Skallagrim angry), so I can direct his attention to me while my ranged attackers do chip damage. If possible, I want a finishing move where I can climb his back and stab the back of his neck with a dagger.

Notice that there were skeletons joining the fight; these can distract us when avoiding the Colossus Outlander's attacks. Thankfully, either BoltOLightnin or YoSquid can redirect their attention to the skeletons (or whatever minions the Colossus Outlander has), so I can focus on my job of baiting the boss. If I'm alone, though, I'll keep my distance from the boss and take down the skeletons first.

But what about other attacks?
I'd expect a big, muscular boss to have an area-of-effect attack where it damages the ground including players surrounding it, so an easy solution would be to jump.
The Colossus Outlander seems weak to ranged attacks thanks to his slow speed and his only move being a melee attack, so I think it's a good idea for Hypixel Studios to give him a ranged attack. A ground shockwave that hits faraway enemies in front is plausible, but it can be evaded, again, by jumping. If that "bloody hand" is a mutated tentacle, it could grab or stab faraway enemies, but it should have a similar wind-up to the melee attack in the trailer to remain consistent with typical bosses and allow players to see it coming. Maybe he can even use dark magic since he is the strongest of all Outlanders (which may explain the skeletons in the trailer).

Notice how, near the end of the clip which showed the new Colossus Outlander about to do what looks like a hammerfist attack (I'm not sure if that's really an attack or just for boasting/intimidating/advertising), there's a bit of dark red in the background, which I think is the night sky. Does this mean we can fight him outdoors? I think that's convenient; I specialize in outdoor combat.

Overall Critique

I give the Outlanders an 8 out of 10. I think their reveal post gives the best link between their culture and actions as a whole, considering how cold and dangerous zone 3 is, as well as its dark storyline according to the visual tour of zone 3. This is in contrast to the simplistic actions of the Trorks where they like meat but are distracted by birds, or the currently unexplained friendliness of Kweebecs.
I don't understand why the Outlanders practice dark magic, though; the post does not imply whether they have an evil goal or are just using dark magic to defend themselves. Oh well, I'm happy regardless!

Thanks, Hypixel Studios. You have indeed given me "plenty of food for thought." While I would appreciate it if you give us more within at least 3 weeks, just keep focusing on developing the game. Squash those bugs for us!

Befriending Outlanders?

This is HIGHLY speculative.

In my Hytale play style part 3, I had an alternate bad guy playthrough plan where I befriend the hostile factions and destroy the friendly ones. I'm including Outlanders in the list of factions to befriend (normally, I would destroy them).

I speculate, however, that this would be one of the hardest factions to befriend because they are very distrusting of strangers. I bet, even if I send them gifts, they would be generally suspicious.

So, because of their attraction to "ancient battlefields and ritual sites", I'd probably send them treasure that is heavily linked to the history of zone 3.

If that doesn't work and they attack me, I might incapacitate and disarm them (without killing them). When they wake up, I'll do favors for them.

Or maybe I can just disguise myself. Maybe if I stealth-kill an Outlander to steal their clothes, it won't affect my reputation?

Outlanders, being adapted to the nature of zone 3, would make excellent allies against the wild animals and monsters of zone 3. They probably know almost every animal's and monster's weaknesses--in the first place, they need that information to survive.

Outlander rangers can help with stealth kills or chip damage against dodgy/tanky enemies because of their incredible hunting skills.

And, of course, Outlander priests can protect us from damage. However, I'm worried about them potentially having low defenses as allies, so they might need a lot of babysitting.

I'm certainly not bringing these guys to zones 2 or 4, though--they might die of heatstroke.

Behind-the-Scenes

I kept referring to the Colossus Outlander as an "it" instead of a "he" while drafting this blog post. Sorry, Hypixel Studios, but as much as I acknowledge that Outlanders are human, the Colossus Outlander still looks too much to me like a monster.

This was originally going to be a filler post just for an audio recording assignment, but I'm impressed with what I've written.
As for the recording, I'm actually not trained in voice acting, so I "twisted" my tongue a lot while trying to speak fast and fluid. (I normally speak slowly.)
Speaking of which, thanks again, Hypixel Studios, for helping me dodge a bullet called school work!

My Unreasonably Difficult Hytale Practice Regimen

GIF from The Tylt on Twitter

DISCLAIMER: Unless otherwise specified, all Hytale-related statements are speculative and based on pre-release information and Minecraft. They are not to be taken seriously; they are just for fun.

I put so many limitations that some may be inconsistent with others. I may not see errors even after multiple re-readings, so kindly point them out for me.

Hytale is a potentially big game release—almost all of us Hytale fans know that. Considering the vast amount of content showcased by Hypixel Studios in the Hytale trailer and the early 2019 blog posts, as well as the modding potential, it's no surprise that many fans have sky-high expectations.

I'm a mixed bag, I think. I expect Hytale to be the 2nd greatest video game I've ever played (next to the Pokémon series), but at the same time, I'm bracing myself for parts of Hytale being bad or controversial. (Just not the law-breaking kind of controversial, please.) Besides, even the staff at Hypixel Studios are aware of overhyped games that sucked when they were released.

One major thing I'm afraid of with Hytale is the difficulty of Adventure Mode. Again, I know that the people at Hypixel Studios are generally very friendly, but, like any good game developer, I think they would provide reasonably difficult challenges to encourage the player to fight hard and think hard to win. You know that feeling when you finally make it to the end of a really tricky level after multiple fails? That's the feeling that I think Hypixel Studios wants to give to the players.

Plus, again, ThirtyVirus wants Hytale to be difficult. I agree with him; even in Hard difficulty, most Minecraft mobs are too easy to kill (heck, I didn't break a sweat against the 1.9 Ender Dragon despite it being a boss) and it took a much longer time to get hungry in 1.9+. Just like the Mario and Zelda games, I expect Hytale to have enemies (including some regular ones, not just bosses) to encourage the player to think about how to fight them rather than "simply show up with strong armor and a weapon that does loads of damage". Besides, Simon, co-founder of Hypixel, privately answers ThirtyVirus's questions and replies to his Tweets. I think Simon will also take some of ThirtyVirus's suggestions into consideration with a slightly higher priority than other fans, considering that ThirtyVirus is a game developer himself.

A Big Green Chuchu from The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
Although it's actually normal size and appears big because Link is shrunken down, it cannot be defeated by simply hitting it multiple times, unlike when Link is at normal size.
Its jelly has to be sucked out first before it can be damaged by Link's sword.
Nice eyes, by the way.

So, ever since I watched the Hytale trailer, I've been practicing for Hytale using Minecraft and my own set of rules, and, in short, I failed and rage-quit a lot.

You know I suck at introductions, so let's do this.

For ease of searching (Ctrl+F or Command+F), I'm currently editing this to include rule numbers similar to Terms and Conditions...uh, articles found in many products and services.

Game Settings

G1: Typically, I use Bytesize because it's friendly for less powerful PCs. (I know there's a Hytale modpack by AsianHalfSquat, but I'm lazy to download and I'm worried that the improved graphics might kill my PC.) I sometimes use Pixelmon, vanilla Minecraft 1.8.9, or the latest Minecraft version as well, but this post mostly applies to Bytesize.
Edit, June 13, 2020: Dad bought me a new gaming laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650.

Long-overdue edit, June 21, 2022: I use my own set of mods inspired by, but not as extensive as, ByteSize so I don't have to think of too many things at once.

G2: The rule of all rules: DON'T TAKE DAMAGE (see Hytale Play Style Part 1) because taking damage makes me over-stressed, leads to multiple mishaps and bad plays, and will negatively affect my ability to lead a Hytale army.
Once I take damage, I forfeit the playthrough immediately.
(Damage caused by glitches, advancement attempts, and PvP/friendly fire don't count. Additionally, deaths due to PvP/friendly fire don't count.)
Edit, August 17, 2019: Damage caused by glitches now counts as a fail to encourage vigilance.

G3: Difficulty is set to Hard (not Hardcore). This allows me to continue playing the world in case I forfeit or lose. Sometimes, I get emotionally attached to no-damage worlds where I failed but still played well.

G4: I start with full health so I can take damage from poison. This discourages me from eating spider eyes and means I have to avoid poison ivy.

G5: In Minecraft 1.12+, advancements that require the player to take damage like How Did We Get Here?, Postmortal, and A Balanced Diet can be obtained without causing a failure. However, dying while attempting these advancements will always cause a fail.

G6: World type is set to Biomes O' Plenty to mimic the zone and biome variety in Hytale. (For non-Bytesize playthroughs, I use the Default world type.)

G7: The Shoulder Surfing mod is installed to mimic the over-the-shoulder camera angle in Hytale. Minecraft's default third-person view is disabled.

Above: Screenshot from Minecraft 1.12.2 with Shoulder Surfing mod
Below: Screenshot from Hytale's "Grass Swaying" clip
Looks pretty close, if you ask me.

G8: Hostile and neutral Mo' Creatures mobs have higher spawn rates while "useful" Mo' Creatures mobs have lower spawn rates.

G9: The chance of a creeper turning into a Ghost Creeper when killed is set to 100. This prevents complacency and carelessness, especially if Hytale can RNG-screw the player similar to the Fire Emblem series.
(Default is 35.)

Eirika from Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones starts at level 1 with 4 Strength and has a 40% Strength growth rate.
Just look at how much this level 13 Eirika's Skill and Speed are far beyond her awful Strength.
If Hytale does something like this, I'd better be ready.
Screenshot from u/RedWolke on Reddit; original thread here

G10: Update, July 14, 2021: Thanks to the summer 2021 development update (which has announced Hytale is delayed to 2023 at the earliest), Zelda Sword Skills is now allowed. The rules of this mod are as follows:

• G10.1: Skills that currently don't exist in any form in Hytale, such as Armor Break and Sword Beam, are disabled. However, mobs with these skills can still use them.
• G10.2: All skills require the Basic Technique, hence why it's allowed. Additionally, most hack-and-slash games have the final hit of a Normal Attack combo as the strongest attack in that combo.
• G10.3: Skill orbs cannot be randomly dropped by mobs. They must be found in chests.
• G10.4: Skill usage is restricted to certain weapon types and situations.
• G10.4.1: Signature move charging (any weapon): Using a signature move costs 10 charges. 1 charge is gained per attack landed with any weapon (not including fists). Charges reset if I forget to count them in my brain.
• G10.4.2: Dash: Requires a sword. Can be used on its own. Must be used immediately after a Spin Attack.
• G10.4.3: Spin Attack: Part of the sword's signature move. Must immediately be followed up by a Dash.
• G10.4.4: Leaping Blow: The mace's signature move. Requires any bludgeoning weapon like a hammer. Not allowed due to technical issues. I'm not sure if I screwed something up or I can't allow Tinkers' Construct hammers to function as ZSS weapons because they can't block which is necessary for many moves like Dash.

Tool/Weapon Limitations

If applicable, these only apply to Tinkers' Construct. When not playing Tinkers' Construct, vanilla Minecraft tools and weapons are allowed.

TW1: Using a non-weapon to attack mobs is banned. This includes vanilla Minecraft axes regardless of version--we don't know whether Hytale will have specialized battleaxes and woodcutting axes or will let all axes perform both combat and woodcutting equally well. We also don't know if fists or non-weapon tools like pickaxes can deal damage to mobs. In other words, only swords, bows, etc. can be used to inflict damage.

TW2: Some vanilla Minecraft tools and weapons are banned, such as swords, bows, axes, pickaxes, shovels, and hoes. I want to craft my tools and weapons the hard but rewarding way using Tinkers' Construct since I think it's similar to how Hytale tools and weapons are crafted; according to the Hytale UI sneak peek, "...you will be able to experiment with crafting ingredients and found components to make powerful weapons and gear. This rewarding crafting system allows you to combine and experiment to discover new recipes."
In Tinkers' Construct, every individual part of a tool or weapon is crafted first before the actual tool/weapon. Different materials have different stats and abilities; for example, obsidian adds an Unbreaking-like effect to a tool/weapon, but gives low durability when used as a head/blade or handle. Parts made of different materials can be mixed together to create a unique tool/weapon.

Crafting a cleaver in Tinkers' Construct.
It uses a steel large blade, an obsidian large plate, and two bronze tool rods.
Reinforced III gives the tool a 30% chance of not consuming durability.

TW3: I banned some Tinkers' Construct tools and weapons like the hammer (which mines stone in a 3x3 box), rapier, and frying pan.
3x3 mining tools make resource gathering too easy and we've only seen Hytale blocks being broken one at a time. Hammers can only be used to attack mobs since they're the closest we have to maces.
The lumber axe may only be used to chop down trees; it cannot break wood blocks that don't form a tree. According to Noxy in an interview with the AutCraft server, trees will "collapse in a big explosion" when the trunk is broken, similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Stardew Valley, and the Treecapitator mod.
While the rapier has a fast attack speed in exchange for low damage and durability which would be applicable for Hytale because Hytale weapons have attack speeds, I banned it because of its armor-negating ability, making it easy to do chip damage to armored mobs like zombies and magma cubes.
The frying pan's attack slows down an enemy. Again, this makes fights too easy by keeping the player out of range of mobs' generally short-range melee attacks, and I want to adapt to when Hytale introduces a speedy enemy. (The frying pan's cooking ability is not banned, however, since it cooks food at the same rate as a furnace.)
Edit, June 13, 2020: Throwing weapons are now legal thanks to the May 30, 2020 progress update which also confirms throwing something...unpleasant.

TW4: Some Tinkers' Construct abilities are banned, such as the longsword's lunge and charge boost abilities, the broadsword and cleaver's block, and the hatchet's ability to quickly break leaves.
Lunging makes hit-and-run attacks and dodging way too easy; it can evade skeleton arrows with ease. When lunging in midair, it can travel incredibly far distances, making parkour way too easy.
The longsword's charge boost increases damage and knockback when sprint-attacking, making it way too easy to knock mobs off of cliffs or into risky terrain like water.
Blocking with a broadsword/cleaver is pointless because it only blocks 50% damage, so I'll take damage regardless. Plus, we don't know if Hytale weapons besides shields can block, and swords can't block in Minecraft 1.9+. (Blocking with a broadsword/cleaver works almost exactly the same as with a vanilla Minecraft sword, except it does not decrease movement speed as much.)
Edit, June 13, 2020: The graphics update showed NinjaCharlieT blocking with a fire sword similar to Chrom and Lucina, but he wasn't attacked during the block. I'll still make blocking illegal.
The hatchet does not lose durability when breaking leaves and it breaks leaves faster than a vanilla Minecraft sword. The hatchet may only break wood, while shears or fists must be used to break leaves.
For the longsword, broadsword, and cleaver, only their regular attacks plus certain Zelda Sword Skills attacks may be used.

TW5: Note that I am aware that Hytale weapons can have additional effects; in the Hytale UI sneak peek, the Demonic Axe increases the player's damage after killing enemies, but reflects damage inflicted by the player back towards the player. In Pokémon terms, it's like a combination of Moxie and recoil damage.
I chose not to use some weapons with additional effects in case they won't be included in Hytale or require certain conditions like enchantments.

TW6: Vanilla Minecraft arrows are banned. Tinkers' Construct arrows must be used.

TW7: The mattock can only be used as a hoe. It cannot break wood or dirt.

TW8: Vanilla Minecraft shields are banned regardless of whether vanilla or modded Minecraft is played. While a Hytale shield was shown to block a Trork's attack, we don't know what kinds of limitations they will have, such as if heavy attacks or projectiles can be blocked, parried, or have their damage reduced but not nullified. Plus, I think taking 0 damage while blocking with a shield makes the game too easy, and in some situations, unrealistic.
(Using a shield to get advancements is fine, though.)
Edit, June 13, 2020: The low-tier Trork in the April 30, 2020 progress update dealt damage to a shielding player.

Food Limitations

F1: Food may only be acquired from crops, certain vanilla Minecraft animals, and fishing.

F2: Eating rotten flesh is banned. Because of how common it is, it makes hunger management way too easy, especially since I'm playing on Hard difficulty where hitting a zombie spawns more zombies. I doubt Hytale will make rotten flesh work like in Minecraft since, in real life, rotten meat not only tastes awful, but can also cause aches, pains, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and the list goes on.
Rotten flesh may only be used to trade with villagers.

F3: Eating apples is banned. Similar to rotten flesh, they're easy to get just by breaking oak leaves. We also don't know if Hytale will have apples or where they will drop from; will it be an oak tree or an actual apple tree?
Regular and enchanted golden apples may be crafted (if applicable) and eaten, but taking damage while under the effect of Absorption will still count as a fail.
(This means the only use I have for golden apples is to cure zombie villagers. Enchanted golden apples are practically a waste of resources since the only immunity-granting effect it has is Fire Resistance which lasts for 5 minutes versus an extended Potion of Fire Resistance which is cheaper and lasts 8 minutes.)

F4: Eating raw meat is banned. In real life, some raw meats, especially raw chicken, contain harmful microorganisms like Salmonella. We don't know if Hytale will extend food poisoning to other meats and whether food poisoning will actually deal damage or inflict other debuffs.
Plus, it discourages the player from avoiding low hunger in situations where a furnace and/or coal are unavailable or unusable (such as field combat).

F5: Killing fish is allowed, but eating fish from killed mobs is banned. It removes the challenge of crafting a fishing rod and patiently waiting for a fish to bite, especially considering how common and slow fish mobs are in both Mo' Creatures and vanilla Minecraft 1.13+.
Therefore, the only benefit of killing fish is getting XP.

Mo' Creatures foods are banned, especially crab. Crab is too commonly found on isolated islands in ocean biomes, and we don't know if the Hytale counterparts of Mo' Creatures mobs will drop food.

P.S. I'm still angry that I have to compete with Trorks for food because they love meat. Who knows how large the Trork faction will be and whether or not it can be completely destroyed...

I actually drafted that Trork part before the Outlander reveal post. Now, it looks like I also have to compete with Outlanders for food. Hopefully they're rare (if not nonexistent) outside of zone 3...

Item Limitations

I1: Smelting ores with a furnace is banned except for the first 3 iron ores. Again, I want to smelt the hard way: with a smeltery that yields 2 ingots per ore but requires a LOT of materials to build. Plus, unlike the part builder which gives mostly wood and stone parts, the smeltery gives metal parts which are much stronger.
The 3 iron ores are used to make a bucket, which is required to fill the smeltery with lava. Lava is used as fuel for the smeltery.
(Smelting non-ore items in a furnace is still allowed.)

(See rule P14 the Pixelmon section for the Pixelmon-specific version of this rule.)

I2: The quest book from the Hardcore Questing Mode mod is banned because of the almost free stuff.

I3: Unless otherwise specified, anything that doesn't exist in vanilla Minecraft or Hytale and also makes the game easier is banned. This includes Mo' Creatures fur and hide armor which give the same protection as iron armor, which I find unrealistic, OP, and extremely cheap.

Unless otherwise specified, items may only be obtained from certain vanilla Minecraft sources, Hytale-like sources, or Tinkers' Construct sources.

Getting items from generated chests is banned except for exclusive items like name tags and horse armor.

Oreberries and oreberry bushes are banned. These provide an infinite source of metals or XP, which is unrealistic, OP, and unlikely to be added to Hytale.

Items from mobs that were not killed by the player cannot be kept. This means situations like sheep being killed by wild wolves or skeletons burning in sunlight without taking damage from the player.
Note that "player kills" in this situation mean more than what Minecraft registers as a "player kill". These special player kills include kills by the player's constructions (usually mob-grinding machines).
I want to exert effort to get loot, not have it handed over for free by a random world event.
Edit, August 17, 2019: Skeletons that have been chased at least once by wolves cannot be attacked and must be made to despawn. Their items also cannot be picked up regardless of how they died. I don't like free hostile mob kills with minimal or no effort.

Wool from killing sheep cannot be picked up (regardless of who or what killed the sheep). All wool must be obtained with vanilla Minecraft shears.
Mutton (both vanilla and modded) can be picked up and eaten, though, if the sheep were killed by the player.

Some rare drops are banned such as all mob equipment, iron ingots from zombies, gold ingots from drowned, and potions from witches.

Leather armor is allowed for roleplay purposes. However, it cannot be enchanted. (Edit: I forgot why I banned enchanting leather armor. I think I'll allow it.)

Villager trading is mostly banned; only vanilla Minecraft/Hytale-like items that can be obtained exclusively from villagers may be kept, such as the woodland mansion map (1.11+, not on Bytesize). Emeralds may also be kept.

Mob Limitations

M1: Using allies like iron golems, snow golems, parrots, or tamed wolves is banned. I don't care if Kweebecs become the player's earliest allies; who knows: Kweebecs (besides Razorleaf Rangers when provoked by the player) may actually dislike fighting. Again, we don't know how common Kweebec villages will be.

Allied players are totally fine, though! However, I mostly practice alone because I plan to play Hytale alone.

M2: Iron golems cannot be damaged by the player in any way. If an iron golem dies (such as when killed by hostile mobs), only the poppies may be picked up; the iron ingots cannot.

M3: Only 5 pillagers plus the captain can be killed per pillager outpost. Since pillagers generate infinitely and quickly near pillager outposts, this allows for easy grinding, which makes the game too easy.
Extra pillagers may be killed only for self-defense.

M4: Speaking of easy grinding, mobs from monster spawners cannot be killed unless either their dungeon is undiscovered or I'm in danger of taking damage.
M4.1: Blazes are an exception because of their exclusivity to monster spawners, but I can only kill blazes if I need their blaze rods. Once I have enough blaze rods for my crafting and brewing needs, I cannot kill any more blazes. Blaze rods cannot be used to smelt.

Donkeys cannot be loaded with chests in case Hytale mobs can't carry items besides saddles.

Cats must be immediately killed on sight. I find it unfair to repel creepers and phantoms with cats--who knows, Hytale's hostile mobs could be incredibly brave or persistent. Besides, the Outlanders' survival instincts mean they don't give a firetruck as long as they survive.
Edit, June 13, 2020: Fen Stalkers can be distracted by frogs and torches, but I'm not changing the above rule.

Feathers cannot be picked up from parrots.

Vindicators cannot be renamed "Johnny". This prevents lazy auto-farming; I'd rather exert effort to make a mob farm or just kill mobs by myself.

Exploration Limitations

E1: Living in a generated structure is banned because it removes the challenge of building one's own base and we don't know how common Hytale's generated structures will be, despite the massive variety.

E2: Strongholds may only be used for going to the End.

E3: Generated books and bookshelves cannot be stolen. All books and bookshelves must be crafted by the player.

Other Limitations 

O1: To mimic the unbreakable spawn point mechanic in vanilla Minecraft survival servers, blocks within a 40-block area centered around the spawn point cannot be mined or have blocks placed. This is to prepare for a similar limitation in Hytale servers. (Note that I chose 40 blocks instead of 20 so I can safely break blocks regardless of where the spawn point is.)

Edit, July 14, 2021: I've disbanded my Hytale team in November 2020 but I'm still keeping this rule in case I make a new team.

Edit, June 21, 2022: I reformed the team. However, I'm not sure how often we will play since, assuming Hytale does come out in 2023, Aby and YoSquid will be stuck in the hell known as college.

O2: Some beneficial creepers like the Cookie Creeper, Cake Creeper, Earth Creeper (and similar block-placing creepers), and Stone Creeper are banned. Cookie and cake creepers are banned because of my food restrictions, block-placing creepers are banned because they remove the challenge of getting blocks the normal way, and the Stone Creeper makes mining way too easy by only removing a large area of stone.
If I forget to disable these from spawning, they must be killed normally. Any items they drop or blocks they place/destroy cannot be picked up. Blocks spawned by these creepers must be destroyed with Creative mode.

O3: Minimap mods are banned because they make navigation way too easy, especially when they point the locations of mobs. They remove the challenges of memorizing important routes, placing navigation markers, and watching my back for hostile mobs.
We don't know if Hytale will have a minimap; the least we have as a navigation tool is a (sort of) compass in the Hytale UI blog post. Then again, thanks to Minecraft's debug screen which tells the player the direction they're facing, a compass is unnecessary.

Notice the compass on the top of this screenshot.
Also notice that there's no separate compass item in Kaelos's inventory.
Screenshot from Hytale

O4: Allied players may choose whether or not to avoid taking damage. If any ally doing a no-damage playthrough takes damage (except from advancements or PvP/friendly fire), all players must forfeit the playthrough.

Anyway, should I ban beds in case they don't work the same way as Hytale?
Then again, some open world games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim allow the player to skip time.
Edit, August 15, 2019: Fudge it, I'm banning beds because they make outdoor life too easy! Besides, I don't think Hytale would make it that easy.

Edit, August 15, 2019: Stalling is banned except on the first 3 nights in a pre-1.9 playthrough. While Hytale is supportive of those who play as settlers, I think it might also have a way to punish those who stay at home too long. You never know when Varyn or the Trorks start actively looking for your hidey-hole...
Also, since this regimen was designed to prepare for a co-op playthrough, stalling may lower allied morale because I'm not helping the team. (There's not much to do in Minecraft at night early on.)
If I need to temporarily stop playing, I must pause the game normally.
Stalling in the first 3 nights is allowed when playing 1.8.9 or earlier because hunger drains much faster in those versions and I need time to grow crops.

Pixelmon Limitations

Screenshot from Pokémon Essentials

Note that I only use Pixelmon and OptiFine for this kind of playthrough.

The wild Gyarados used Earthquake!
A critical hit!
It's super effective!
Pikachu: Pi...ka...chuuu... (I'm sorry, Trainer... I failed you... Please...live on...)
Trainer: NO, NO, NO! Pikachu! Please don't die! Come on, keep fighting! You can do this!
Pikachu died!

P1: Permadeath is turned on, meaning if a Pokémon faints, it must either be released or stored in the PC permanently.

(I chose not to do a Nuzlocke because Minecraft biomes can be so big that catching one Pokémon per biome requires a lot of traveling and hunger management, and it takes more time to get a team with diverse type matchups.)

P2: The config option allowVanillaMobs is set to true. This allows vanilla Minecraft mobs to spawn.

P3: If all my Pokémon faint, the playthrough is considered a fail and must be forfeited immediately.

P4: Poison damage outside of battle is turned on and can kill Pokémon. I know Pixelmon uses Sword and Shield rules, but I'm feeling hardcore.

P5: Getting vanilla Minecraft items from defeating wild Pokémon is banned. In the case of Mareep, which gives wool and mutton and is very common in plains biomes, this makes survival a joke. Hunger management becomes way too easy and hostile mobs almost never spawn because Mareep makes beds easy to craft.

P6: Beds may only be used during sunrise if a Pokémon Center or healer is unavailable. A tiny bit of red in the night sky is enough for sleeping to be legal.

P7: Only vanilla Minecraft tools, weapons, and armor may be used for mining and combat. Pixelmon tools can only be used for Pixelmon-related activities such as crafting Poké Balls. Pixelmon weapons and armor, including Running Shoes, are banned.

P8: The Forage move skill is banned.

P9: Wearing Safety Goggles is banned in case there are locations in Hytale where fog can't be removed or lessened. Pokémon are still allowed to hold Safety Goggles, though.
(Safety Goggles in Pixelmon extend the player's line of sight in the Ultra Space dimension, which is foggy.)

P10: Trading Pokémon with NPCs is banned unless the NPC has a Pokémon that has already been registered in the Pokédex.
I want to exert effort in catching a Pokémon while still allowing me to get Pokémon that evolve through trading, like Kadabra which evolves into Alakazam.

P11: Most items cannot be used in battle. Only Poké Balls are allowed as well as most items held by Pokémon.

P12: The Exp. Share is banned.

P13: All official Pokémon in the core series games are allowed. Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, Dynamax, and Gigantamax are allowed.

Hard mode: Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, Pokémon in the Uber and AG tiers, Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, Dynamax, and Gigantamax are banned. (Banned Pokémon can still be caught for the purpose of completing the Pokédex but cannot be used in battle.)

Very hard mode: In addition to the bans above, Pokémon in the OU tier, including their pre-evolutions, are banned. Additionally, Treecko cannot be picked as a starter Pokémon and must be caught in the wild due to how broken it is in the early game.

Bans on specific Pokémon species (not mechanics like Mega Evolution) are lifted once I get 6 Pokémon to Lv. 100.

These rules do not cover PvP Pokémon battles. PvP rules can be decided by the players.

P14: When playing Pixelmon with Tinkers' Construct, smelting is only allowed for the first 6 iron ores I get. I must then use the iron ingots to craft a bucket and a vanilla Minecraft iron pickaxe. The iron pickaxe can only be used to mine 2 bauxite ores which, when combined with 1 copper ore, is enough to make 4 tool casts: one for the pickaxe head, one for the binding, one for the tool rod, and one extra. This rule overrides rule I1.

By the way, the longest I've survived in a Pixelmon Hytale practice is 35 in-game days.

Conclusion

A hot mess where I restrict myself so much that I lose my sanity. But this is what I gotta do if I want my Hytale playthroughs to be as enjoyable as possible. If Hypixel Studios wants to be a jerk, then I gotta know how to beat the jerk.
(YoSquid actually agreed that this is a hot mess when I showed him a draft of this post.)

Try these rules at your own risk. However, I think Minecraft players with decent experience can handle this challenge fairly well, considering how even average players beat me in PvP.

TL;DR summary: My Hytale practice regimen, which mainly uses the Bytesize modpack, is a Minecraft no-damage playthrough where many items and mechanics that I either think make the game too easy or do not exist in vanilla Minecraft or Hytale are banned.
When using Pixelmon, Pokémon that faint are considered permanently dead.

It's really hard to sum everything up into a TL;DR summary because of how many specific details there are, so I suggest reading the bold text.

Side Notes

Besides replying to fan art and liking the Tweets of people who are hyped for Hytale, here are other proofs of Hypixel Studios's friendliness:

This is a reply to my fan art where I drew my nightmare in which my mom turned into a near-invulnerable Fen Stalker with a tentacle blade.
(Thomas Frick is one of the artists of Hytale.)

Simon, a co-founder of Hypixel, helped ThirtyVirus with his Soylent-only One Punch Man fitness challenge.
This has nothing to do with Hypixel or Hytale, by the way.

I am thankful that they're so friendly, but that doesn't mean I'll be complacent in Hytale; on the contrary, I'll train even harder to conquer Hytale! What better way to return the favor than by playing and enjoying the game that they've worked on for 6 years (and counting)?

Also, I suggest searching images of "ban all the things" after reading this.