Divitverse: Otherside. We need to talk about Otherside!

The Spaces focused on Yuga Labs’ launch of Otherside: Nexus, with Aaron and Ernest leading a deep dive into the experience, tech stack, onboarding, and early ecosystem behaviors. Aaron described the cinematic intro continuing the classic Curtis trailer, praised spatial audio and in-world “bubbles” for voice chat, and framed Nexus as a genuine game‑changer built on Unreal Engine and Improbable’s M² for massive concurrency. The panel covered practical setup: using Chrome, creating a Glyph wallet, delegating assets via delegate.xyz safely, and funding ApeCoin on ApeChain (EVM). They contrasted avatar integrations—many collections ship a single generic avatar—versus Bulls & Bears’ plan to deliver per‑token 3D avatars, including rigging to Otherside specs and resolving a clothing “clipping” issue seen in Nifty Island GLB uploads. The group validated live in‑game NFT trading (e.g., a DonSocks sale for 1 APE with royalties), noted maintenance downtime, and speculated that landowners may get ODK (Otherside Development Kit) access within ~90 days. They discussed adult‑first positioning (Curtis cursing, cigar mascot), child safety versus Roblox, and possible cloud gaming distribution (Amazon Luna). Community items included Unvault rebrand, a planned “find Aaron” giveaway, and Bulls & Bears avatar claims on bullsontheblock.com, with expectations for Otherside‑ready avatars next week.

Otherside Nexus launch, in‑world trading, and community avatar plans

Overview

A community Twitter Spaces centered on Yuga Labs’ launch of Otherside: Nexus covered first impressions of the new intro experience, onboarding and wallet setup, early in‑world trading with ApeCoin, avatar integration for third‑party collections, and immediate next steps for a community project (Bulls & Bears) integrating their assets into Otherside and Nifty Island. The session also discussed platform positioning (adult‑oriented content, cloud/console possibilities), social features (spatial audio, profile connectivity), and builder access via the ODK (Otherside Development Kit).

Participants and roles

• Aaron (host): Led the discussion, shared hands‑on experience with Nexus, onboarding flow, avatar integration work for Bulls & Bears, and thoughts on platform implications.
• Ernest (co‑host): Provided technical checks (wallet/indexing, transaction tracing, royalties), offered perspective on rigging costs/timelines and platform comparisons.
• Albatross: Commented on the cinematic intro and plans for “Albata” character presence; shared info about in‑world trading flows via Glyph.
• Swiv (Klaynosaurz community): Confirmed Klaynosaurz assets are Unreal Engine‑based and technically portable; the team doesn’t have direct access to all 3D models but can adapt to Otherside specs; shared personal collection notes.
• Dwayne: Added concrete examples of collections “shipping one avatar first,” data points on in‑world trading, and tips on the Curtis interaction.
• E Money: Confirmed downtime/maintenance, shared scheduling thoughts for weekend spaces, and contributed to Otherside ecosystem chatter.
• Others referenced: “John Dark” (co‑founder, SDK) encountered in‑world via voice chat; “Macavelli” (referenced as a source for ODK timelines and early marketplace activity); broader community members in comments.

Key takeaways

• The Nexus launch feels like a genuine step‑change in gaming scale and quality, with a cinematic onboarding and a live MMO‑style social layer, built in Unreal Engine and leveraging large‑scale concurrency tech (M²/Improbable).
• In‑world, peer‑to‑peer NFT trading on ApeChain via the profile Shop tab is already functioning for some users, with royalties observed on‑chain.
• Onboarding requires a Glyph wallet and careful delegation/linking from a custody wallet (delegate.xyz), with a strong emphasis on safe link verification.
• Avatar integration varies by collection: some shipped a single generic avatar; others (e.g., BAYC/Mutants/Codas) map 1:1 to holder traits. Bulls & Bears are pursuing full trait‑complete sets (thousands of unique avatars), which increases complexity and cost but preserves holder identity.
• Otherside appears to be designed for adults (language, tone, cigar‑smoking mascot), which sidesteps child‑safety/crypto‑custody challenges typical of Roblox‑like ecosystems.
• Social UX includes spatial audio proximity chat and “bubbles” (topic areas akin to Twitter Spaces). User profiles can link to X accounts, enabling discovery and off‑platform connection.

First impressions of Otherside: Nexus

• Cinematic intro: The opening reprises Yuga’s iconic Curtis/Koda dock scene and continues the story into a wormhole/Nexus arrival. Participants consistently called it “literally a movie.”
• Scale and fidelity: Even on modest hardware, users remarked on the vastness, color palette, and cinematic feel. Performance is heavy; streaming mode is available, and Chrome is recommended.
• Live operations precedent: Prior Otherside live events featured real‑time Curtis narration and beatbot performances, reinforcing Otherside’s capability for synchronized, live MMO moments.

Onboarding, wallets, and client tips

• Glyph wallet is required to interface with Otherside and fund ApeCoin activity; users link a wallet that actually holds assets to Glyph via delegation rather than exposing cold storage.
• Delegate through delegate.xyz; verify links from Yuga’s official X profile to avoid phishing.
• ApeChain is EVM‑compatible; standard EVM wallet practices apply.
• Client access: Some users preferred the downloadable client; others used the browser stream. Chrome is the recommended browser. Resource usage is significant on Mac during streaming.
• Downtime: During the session, Otherside was temporarily down for updates/maintenance, interrupting a planned in‑space “find Aaron” mini‑game.

Avatars and collection integration

• One‑avatar approach: Several collections currently present a single avatar model for the entire set. This accelerates time‑to‑presence but does not preserve holder‑specific traits.
• Trait‑complete approach: Bulls & Bears are pursuing full unique avatars (≈9,600 Bears and ≈10,000 Bulls), which increases effort and cost. Rigging complexity scales with trait count, not pure supply.
• Technical stack and specs:
  • Otherside is built in Unreal Engine; collections with Unreal‑ready assets can be adapted, but models must meet Otherside’s avatar spec and be rigged accordingly.
  • Klaynosaurz: Assets exist in Unreal but community managers do not have direct 3D access; technically feasible to adapt once access/coordination is sorted.
• Indexing lag: The in‑game wallet avatar picker may list NFTs previously sold, indicating delayed indexing.

Nifty Island and GLB export for Bears

• Bulls & Bears site enables GLB export after wallet link, for use in tools like Blender and upload to Nifty Island.
• Early user‑reported issue: Clothes “falling off” some Bears on Nifty Island. The team is investigating if this is a rigging/spec alignment issue versus platform import settings. A “clipping” descriptor was used; working hypothesis is a rigging/mesh intersection problem.
• Next steps: Confirm whether a base URI update is needed to align delivery of Nifty Island and Otherside files; coordinate with riggers/platform support.

In‑world economy and ApeCoin

• Intro coin: The onboarding sequence visually features ApeCoin; some participants believed a 1 APE drop to Glyph occurred, others could not confirm among dense transaction activity. Consider this unverified.
• Live P2P trading: Users cited the first in‑world sale (example: “Don Socks/DonSocks” token 4072) executed for 1 APE via the profile Shop tab. Key observations:
  • NFTs and APE must reside in the connected Glyph wallet (not only delegated) to transact.
  • Royalties appeared to have been paid according to on‑chain review by Ernest.
  • Anecdotal reports of a user operating as an in‑world “NFT dealer,” reinforcing person‑to‑person commerce emergent behavior.
• Significance: Native, wallet‑settled, on‑chain item trading inside a live social MMO differentiates Otherside from Web2 analogs where items are custodial and platform‑bound.

Social and discovery features

• Spatial audio: Proximity chat limits noise and creates micro‑communities. Users reported fluid voice text switching and local conversations.
• Bubbles: Topic‑specific audio zones functioning like localized Spaces.
• Profiles: Visible handle tags; linked X profiles enable out‑of‑world follow‑ups.
• Travel/teleport hints: UI sections suggest future navigation categories such as “Yuga” and “ODK,” implying curated hubs and builder‑made destinations.

Builders and ODK access

• ODK: Referred to as Otherside Development Kit. The group expects that land owners will gain broader access “within ~90 days” per community rumor (credited to “Macavelli,” speaking personally, not on behalf of a company). Treat as speculative until official confirmation.
• Roadmap speculation: “Resource game” mentioned as a potential next‑summer milestone; subject to change.

Audience targeting and platform positioning

• Adult‑leaning content: Curtis uses strong language; mascot depicted with a cigar. This likely excludes younger kids and alleviates child‑safety and crypto‑custody constraints common to Roblox/Fortnite ecosystems.
• Distribution possibilities: Discussion touched on Amazon’s role in distribution (redeemable codes for playable avatars purchased on Amazon) as a Web2.5 bridge; curiosity about Amazon Luna and broader cloud/TV streaming paths akin to Xbox Cloud or potential PlayStation app streaming.
• Comparative context: Roblox discussed “NFT‑like” monetization in 2023 but remains custodial; Otherside is delivering tradable NFTs on ApeChain at launch. Disney’s “Pinnacle” and Xbox item economies were noted as closed vs. portable NFTs.

Bulls & Bears project updates and timelines

• Claiming: Bears avatars are now claimable at BullsOnTheBlock.com; check Bulls for linked Evos and potential Bear eligibility.
• Otherside delivery: Team target is “next week” for Bears in Otherside, with Bulls following; subject to final rigging/spec validation and potential base URI adjustments.
• Nifty Island: GLB export live; community already uploading Bears. The team is coordinating with Nifty Island on import fidelity and asset clipping issues.
• Costs and process: Budgeting depends on trait complexity; rigging for Otherside spec is the gating factor. Team is open to coordination support for avatar ingestion.

Operational notes and issues observed

• Platform maintenance: Temporary downtime during the space; users could not re‑enter Nexus.
• Performance: Browser streaming consumes significant resources on Mac; client and Chrome recommended for stability.
• Indexing delays: In‑game wallet UI lagged asset state, showing NFTs already sold.
• Security hygiene: Strong emphasis on verifying official links (delegate.xyz) via Yuga’s official X posts.

Standout moments and anecdotes

• The first 15 minutes of the Nexus intro were widely praised as “movie‑quality.”
• A playful “find Aaron in Otherside” giveaway was postponed due to maintenance.
• Dwayne shared that repeatedly failing the “sacred ritual” prompts angrier (and funnier) lines from Curtis.
• A pinned post highlighted a Mutant Ape giveaway by a YouTuber “AJ” plus a Tesla giveaway; tangential to core conversation but noted by the group.

Open questions and follow‑ups

• Verification of any onboarding ApeCoin drop (some users could not confirm among dense tx activity).
• Final process and UX for in‑world P2P NFT trading for all users (beyond anecdotal examples).
• Timeline and scope for broad ODK access to land owners; official confirmation pending.
• Identity of the Curtis voice actor and whether future events will continue with live narration.
• Resolution of Nifty Island rigging/clipping issues for Bears; whether fixes are design or rigging spec.
• Base URI updates coordinating Otherside/Nifty Island pipelines for Bulls & Bears.

Action items and near‑term plans

• Aaron/Ernest:
  • Investigate Otherside profile Shop trading flow end‑to‑end once maintenance lifts; validate royalties and transaction visibility on‑chain.
  • Confirm base URI needs and coordinate with riggers/platform teams for Bears/Bulls Otherside specs.
  • Continue Nifty Island troubleshooting and escalate with platform contacts.
  • Reschedule the “find Aaron in Otherside” community game (targeting next Tuesday if platform stable).
• Community:
  • Claim Bears at BullsOnTheBlock.com and check Bulls for Evos.
  • If experimenting with Nifty Island, report any asset import anomalies (screens, specs) to help triage.
  • Use Glyph wallet best practices; delegate safely via verified links.

Bottom line

Otherside: Nexus demonstrates a credible blend of AAA presentation, large‑scale social presence, and native on‑chain commerce. The adult‑oriented positioning simplifies compliance and monetization relative to kid‑centric platforms. Early friction (maintenance, indexing lag, rigging specs) is expected at launch scale, but the foundational pieces—Unreal Engine build, M² concurrency, ApeChain + Glyph wallet, and ODK‑driven extensibility—position Otherside as a meaningful evolution for Web3 gaming and a viable competitor to Web2 virtual worlds.