Since launch, I've been focused on stability and accessibility. Today's update addresses critical bugs, introduces bot opponents for solo play, and dramatically improves the feel of the game—even at relatively low latencies like 20ms.
What's Fixed
Workshop & Scrap Management
- Scrap count now displays correctly when opening the workshop, instead of showing 0 until your first action
- Scrapped posts are immediately removed from your deck so you can't accidentally play with destroyed weapons
- Safeguard added: Old saved decks are automatically cleaned of scrapped posts when loaded, preventing edge cases from lingering damage
New: Solo Play with a Second Player Bot
With only one match since launch, I needed to make the game accessible to solo players. If you're alone in the lobby, a bot joins as a second player after 10 seconds, so you can start your match.
This is a one-time exception - bots are normally not allowed in HIVEMIND. This bot exists only to let you try the game without waiting for another player. Ideally it'll be removed once there's enough of a playerbase for organic games.
How the Bot Works
The bot uses the same mechanics as human players:
- Same weapon types, damage calculations, and RPS interactions
- Lets posts wear down to 50% durability before fixing them, a suboptimal strategy that gives you a slight edge if you play smarter
- Consistent, predictable opponent so you can practice and learn matchups
- Fair latency handicap: Bot experiences a 50ms firing delay, simulating network latency so it doesn't have instant-reflex advantage over real players
I am aiming to make it as good as the average player - I'm waiting to see how it goes and can tune it if it's over or underpowered. It contributes to the reward pool like everyone else via my account so it remains fair.
Session Resumption
Disconnect from the server? No problem. Your session token lasts 30 minutes, so you can reconnect without re-authenticating via Keychain. If the server restarts, you can still use your token to get back in the game—perfect for handling unexpected downtime or a quick bathroom break during a match.
New: High-Ping Feel Improvements
I noticed the game felt sluggish even at 20ms latency. I rebuilt the networking layer with intelligent prediction and extrapolation:
How It Works
- Local player prediction: Your movement is predicted locally using the same physics as the server, so you feel instant response to input. The server quietly confirms your position and smoothly corrects if needed.
- Remote player velocity extrapolation: Instead of opponents teleporting between snapshots, I now send their velocity with each update. Opponents smoothly glide to the correct position, even on 10Hz snapshots.
- Ghost projectiles: When you fire, the projectile appears on your screen immediately. The server confirms it on the next snapshot. If there's any discrepancy, the ghost vanishes and the server's version takes over seamlessly.
- Server-side latency compensation: The server measures your round-trip time (via WebSocket ping/pong) and advances projectiles forward by your estimated latency. This means your shots land where you aimed, not where you aimed several frames ago.
The result: the game feels responsive and fair at any latency. Movement is instant, remote players flow smoothly, and projectiles behave consistently with what you see on screen.
Why This Matters
HIVEMIND's core mechanic - your actual Hive posts as weapons - only shines when you're playing. Bot matches let you:
- Test deck compositions without waiting for lobbies
- Learn weapon matchups and RPS dynamics
- Build your arsenal and experiment with repairs
- Understand how post stats affect combat
Once there is a playerbase, human matches will be the main event. Bots are the on-ramp.
Play now: arena.hive.uno
Have feedback? Find a bug? Drop it in replies.