Collaborative Build Mode

Overview

Where regular multiplayer is about playing a world together, Collab Build is about making it together: every brush stroke, every block placement, every Code Blocks edit, and every component update streams to everyone in the session as it happens.

What It Is

A live, low-latency multiplayer mode for the in-world creator tools. Up to four players share:

• One shared voxel world (the host's save).
• Synchronized cursors, selections, and AB-Mode regions so you can see what your collaborators are about to do.
• The same Code Blocks workspace per script — edit functions side-by-side without trampling each other.
• Shared inventory and component palettes (optional; configurable per session).

How It Works

Under the hood, Collab Build is regular multiplayer with three extras layered on top:

1. Operational Transform for code edits — two creators editing the same script at the same time merge cleanly without one overwriting the other.
2. Region locking for AB-Mode — when one player starts a multi-block selection or paste, that region is briefly locked to them so simultaneous AB Mode edits never collide.
3. Presence indicators — every collaborator's cursor, current tool, and currently selected block/component renders as a colored ghost in everyone else's view.

Use Cases

• Co-built games. Two designers, one scripter, one builder — all in the same lobby, shipping a playable Tokyube experience together.
• Live workshops. Run a creator tutorial where the audience watches every change land in real time from inside the world.
• Family / group projects. Build a shared town or theme park where each member owns a district but everyone can wander and tweak in real time.
• Pair programming on Code Blocks. One person drives the logic, another tests in-world; both edit the same Blockly workspace.

Sessions & Roles

A session has one host and up to three collaborators. The host owns the world's save data; collaborators are temporary editors whose work persists in the host's world.

• Host — owns the save, can configure session-level permissions, kick collaborators, and end the session.
• Builder — full block place/break + AB Mode access.
• Scripter — full Code Blocks + Component Mode access; cannot place/break voxels by default (configurable).
• Visitor — read-only; can move around but not modify anything. Useful for showcasing.

Live Editing Tools

Every in-world creator tool extends naturally into Collab Build:

• Block place/break — broadcast as compressed delta packets per chunk; peers see the change within ~50ms.
• AB Mode regions — your selection box renders in your peer's color, so collaborators stay out of the way until you commit the operation.
• FBX attach and TokyNode mode broadcast the attach/detach event itself; the attached entity's transform syncs at the same 10Hz cadence used for regular networked entities.
• Component spawn — peers see a phantom outline as you drag a component into place, then the committed instance appears once you release.

Co-scripting

The Code Blocks workspace can be opened by multiple collaborators at once. Each collaborator has their own cursor in the workspace; edits merge via operational transform so no one gets clobbered.

• Per-script lock toggles let you mark a script solo-edit if you don't want collaborators in there yet.
• Console output in scripted experiences is shared — you all see the same logs as you play.
• Triggers fire on the host first and replicate to peers, keeping authoritative behavior consistent with regular multiplayer.

Permissions & Safety

• The host can flip permissions on the fly without ending the session.
• Every collaborator's actions are tagged with their Steam ID in the world's audit log, so accidental damage is easy to roll back.
• The world's auto-save cadence remains the same; in case of a sync hiccup, the host can revert to the last saved snapshot from the pause menu.
• Collaborators can never trigger a destructive operation (delete world, rename, reset chunks) — only the host can.

Release Timeline

Status is tracked alongside the platform roadmap on tokyube.com. If you'd like to participate in the Collab Build closed playtest, join the Discord server and post in the #playtests channel.