Otherside Developer Community Office Hours

The Spaces centers on organizing and empowering the Otherside builder community. Host Adventurous lays out a plan for a recurring developer-focused space to showcase builds, surface technical blockers, and provide lightweight tech support, recordings, and resources. Mikey recounts learning Unreal/ODK through consistent, brief daily practice and community streams. Rita details a fast‑paced, Rocket League‑style vehicle soccer experience leveraging the latest ODK vehicle support, balancing avatar visibility with technical complexity. Uncle Mac highlights bubbles.one’s live streaming capabilities and offers modular vehicle assets, noting rigging and transparency constraints common to ODK/Unreal workflows. Substance previews an ODK‑centric 4–5 week learning program with Render Pool, led by Tropical and Angie, with assets, prizes, and content for both beginners and advanced builders, distinct from ongoing MML initiatives. He encourages builders to book onboarding sessions and flags wider Yuga ecosystem updates (Figgy’s APAC tour momentum; a new KYC website meetups feature). A recurring theme is the need for tighter collaboration and office hours with Improbable/Emporium (M²) engineers to address ODK limitations versus native Unreal. Overall, the session blends community coordination, concrete project updates, and actionable next steps to sustain builder momentum in Otherside.

Otherside Developers Community Space — Summary and Notes

Participants and roles (as identified in the discussion)

• Adventurous (Host; Speaker 1): Organizer of the community space for Otherside developers; coordinating streams, resources, and support.
• Co-host (Speaker 2): Joined in early banter; name not stated.
• Mikey (Speaker 3): Builder learning Unreal/ODK over the past year; runs early-morning build streams; collaborates across communities.
• Otherside community team representative (Speaker 4): Shared official updates on ODK bootcamp, MML support, and meetups hub; involved with Discord roles and community enablement.
• Rita (Speaker 5): Builder leading a Rocket League–style ODK game; active in enabling ODK vehicle gameplay; frequent contributor to community builds.
• Uncle Mac / Okumac (Speaker 6): Builder of bubbles.one (streaming/experience tech); long-time Otherside builder; provides technical insights and reusable assets.
• Swamp (Speaker 7; community member): Offered feedback and support for bringing official teams into the space.
• Additional mentions: Tropical (ODK teaching/lead), Angie (co-lead for the camp), Emporium (studio working with Improbable on ODK), Improbable (core infrastructure partner), James (hosted prior builder-focused spaces), PM (suggested as a weekly co-host), Render Pool (partner synced for upcoming program), various community members (e.g., Crypto Cats, JB, MD Codes), and broader communities (Mutant Cartel, etc.).

Opening context

• Informal check-in covered the heat wave, outdoor work, and general well-being. The host noted being under the weather but proceeding with the session.
• Light banter about sports (England match), preferences for heat vs. cold, and some humor about network “rugging.”

Purpose and structure of this space

• The host introduced a recurring Otherside Developers Community space aimed at:
  • Keeping momentum beyond prior “Vibe Code” activities and builder showcases.
  • Providing a unified place for devs to demo builds, surface issues, and receive tech support.
  • Curating resources: organizing streaming schedules (e.g., early-morning streams), pinning build threads under the space, and archiving replays/recaps so newcomers can catch up asynchronously.
• Positioning vs. other spaces: This is distinct from James’s prior showcase spaces (which highlighted builders and community-made tools). The new space is a developer-centric forum for practical support, cross-help, and resource sharing specifically focused on building in Otherside (with ODK/Unreal in scope).

Builder updates and efforts

• Mikey

  • Background: Transitioned from full-time video editor; began learning Unreal Engine about a year ago, initially with one hour per day via short tutorials. Emphasized consistent, incremental learning.
  • Streams: Wakes at 4–5 a.m. to stream while his kids are asleep; uses the sessions to practice and share progress.
  • Community: Doing many collaborations (e.g., Mutant Cartel scavenger-type sessions), building in the ODK, and learning from peers.

• Rita

  • Game in progress: A Rocket League–style, 10-a-side car soccer experience in ODK. Goal is to ship in time for the current World Cup window.
  • Technology: Leveraging the latest ODK release that enabled vehicles (Chaos Vehicles). Addressing complexity around showing avatars in drivers’ seats vs. usability—if avatar rigging becomes a blocker, will ship as generic cars first to preserve fun and stability.
  • Tournaments: After core gameplay stabilizes, plans to hand the experience to community organizers (referenced “dupes/Otherballs team”) to run tournaments.
  • Iteration: Resolved early spawning bugs (e.g., accidental mass car spawns). Prioritizes keeping gameplay smooth over forcing complex visual features.

• Uncle Mac (Okumac)

  • Tech/platform: Built bubbles.one, which can stream live content (sports, Otherside) into experiences—described as “pirate radio” style capability. Demonstrated flexibility to stream “anything,” with intent to link into Otherside experiences when appropriate.
  • Assets offer: Has procedural, customizable “mine cart” vehicles (suspension, wheels, materials, headlamps) available; open to sharing for Rita’s game if useful.
  • Effects/shaders: Has implemented certain effects in Three.js for bubbles.one; noted that transparency/renderer constraints in ODK may prevent 1:1 replication. Offered to share tricks and cheats, acknowledging that engine limitations might still block them in Otherside.

Technical discussion: ODK vs. Unreal, support needs, and constraints

• ODK layering: Community sentiment (Rita and others) is that ODK is a layer on top of Unreal with multiple baseline Unreal features not exposed or removed in ODK. As a result, many things that are “straightforward” in pure Unreal require workarounds or official assistance under ODK.
• Support channels: Strong consensus that more active involvement from Improbable/Emporium staff in community spaces would improve velocity and unblock devs. Emporium (studio acquired/partnered in the ODK stack) was specifically cited as the team to tap for weekly presence and troubleshooting.
• Feature trade-offs: Avatar-in-vehicle support is desirable but can be costly (rigging, camera setups, compatibility across diverse models). Teams are opting for pragmatic solutions (generic vehicles first) to avoid complexity that undermines shipping.
• Rendering limits: Transparency and related shader effects are cited as problematic in ODK due to engine constraints. Workarounds exist elsewhere (e.g., Three.js) but may not map to ODK.

Community coordination and improvements

• Streams and archives: The host intends to coordinate multiple community streams (e.g., Mikey’s early morning stream; Uncle Mac’s demos) and maintain a shared repository of recordings and recaps for structured learning.
• Developer surfacing: Builders are encouraged to post their builds and issues directly under the space thread so they can be pinned for visibility and tackled collaboratively.
• Weekly cadence and guests: Proposal to broaden the space beyond ODK-only to “Otherside development” more generally and to:
  • Invite PM (suggested as a weekly co-host), Emporium engineers, and Improbable staff.
  • Align timing with UK hours to accommodate Emporium’s time zone.
  • Continue nudging PM—community noted he “likes being harassed” in good fun, implying persistence helps.

Official and ecosystem updates (from the Otherside community team representative)

• ODK-centric bootcamp (4–5 weeks)

  • Status: Sync completed with Render Pool; launch shifted to the week after July 4 to accommodate holidays. Promotion and outline to go public in the coming week.
  • Scope: Designed to serve both newcomers (“Where do I begin with Unreal/ODK?”) and advanced builders. Led by Tropical and Angie, with support from the team and likely surprise guests.
  • Resources and incentives: Working on prizes, assets, and kits for Unreal/ODK builders; intent to materially support participants.
  • Positioning: Separate from the recent Vibe Code Fund with MML. Unreal/ODK is more technical, requiring 3D and engine-specific skills, but success stories demonstrate learnability (e.g., Mikey’s journey).

• MML builder pathway

  • Continuation: The team continues to back MML efforts post-Vibe Code Fund. Shoutouts to builders (Crypto Cats, JB, MD Codes) who are advancing MML worlds/kits.
  • Onboarding: The rep is offering 0-to-100 MML onboarding calls. Community members can DM to grab a calendar slot for a full walkthrough.

• Community and events

  • APAC tour: Figgy’s APAC swing is drawing large crowds with “no photo” keynotes, fueling speculation and excitement.
  • Meetups hub: A new meetups feature launched on the KYC website to submit and discover official meetups. UX improvements are being discussed publicly and will roll out.

Notable product/experience mentions

• “Cota cam” in Rita’s build (fun reference to in-experience camera/POV), highlighting tighter tie-ins with Otherside assets.
• The game session “Monkey Derby” was referenced during the space, reinforcing community gameplay momentum.

Open questions and requests

• Emporium/Improbable presence: Can we secure a weekly presence from Emporium (and/or Improbable) engineers in this space for hands-on ODK Q&A?
• PM weekly co-host: Can PM commit to a steady cadence for co-hosting or guesting, synchronized with UK/EU time zones?
• Shader/transparency constraints: Is there an official roadmap or guidance on transparency/renderer limitations in ODK, and what best-practice substitutes are recommended?
• Avatar-in-vehicle standards: Is there a canonical approach (sockets, poses, camera rig) for consistent avatar-in-car support across varied avatar rigs/collections?

Action items

• Host (Adventurous)

  • Continue organizing the Otherside Developers Community space as a developer-first support forum.
  • Pin build threads and issue reports under the space; archive stream recordings and recaps into a shared repository.
  • Reach out persistently to PM, Emporium, and Improbable to join weekly sessions; adjust scheduling to UK hours where helpful.

• Rita

  • Push to ship the car-soccer game before the end of the World Cup; prioritize core gameplay and stability. Defer avatar-in-car visualization if it risks scope.
  • Coordinate tournament handoff to the designated community team once MVP is stable.

• Uncle Mac

  • Share procedural mine cart assets and any applicable shader/effect tips for potential reuse in Rita’s game, acknowledging ODK constraints.
  • Continue iterating bubbles.one streaming integration pathways for future Otherside-compatible broadcasts.

• Otherside community team representative

  • Publish ODK bootcamp outline and promotional materials; confirm dates (week after July 4).
  • Finalize prizes/assets/kits pipeline for participants; announce guest lineup (Tropical, Angie, others).
  • Keep offering MML onboarding and promote the KYC meetups hub for official events.

Risks and blockers

• Engine limitations: ODK’s abstraction over Unreal limits certain native features (e.g., transparency and some physics/rigging workflows), requiring official assistance or re-scoping.
• Support bandwidth: Without regular Emporium/Improbable participation, devs face slowdowns on ODK-specific blockers.
• Scope creep: Avatar-in-vehicle visuals can quickly overcomplicate; teams are opting to ship gameplay first to manage risk.

Highlights and takeaways

• Community momentum: Builders are self-organizing a practical developer forum to keep shipping, sharing resources, and unblocking each other.
• Learning model: Consistency (even an hour per day) can compound into meaningful ODK/Unreal proficiency—Mikey’s path is a strong example.
• Shipping mindset: Teams are prioritizing fun and reliability (generic vehicles if needed) over complex visual polish that risks delays.
• Official enablement: A structured, multi-week ODK bootcamp with assets and prizes is imminent, signaling deeper investment in the builder pipeline.
• Ecosystem breadth: Support will continue for MML in parallel, with direct onboarding offered; meetups hub centralizes community IRL activity.

Light banter and community culture

• Real-time sports chatter (England vs. Congo), jokes about heat waves vs. cold weather, and playful speculation about ApeFest location (London was humorously claimed; official answer not confirmed in-space). Some “rug” moments added levity and familiarity.