Angler's Almanac

An award-recognized Hytale fishing framework mod written in Java, featuring a JSON-driven progression architecture, adaptive minigames, and a third-party developer API.

HytaleJavaGame
Angler's Almanac screenshot
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Hytale Modding Contest Finalist: Experiences

Recognized as a "Hidden Gem" by CurseForge.

Overview

Angler's Almanac is a full-scale fishing overhaul and progression framework mod for Hytale. It transforms standard fishing into a systemic gameplay loop featuring biome-specific ecosystems, rarity-scaled interactive minigames, and a persistent collection journal.

As Lead Developer & Software Architect, I designed the core Java codebase, the JSON data-loading pipeline, the interactive UI systems, and the public developer API used by third-party community mods.

Tools & Technologies: Java, Hytale Modding API, JSON Data Schemas, Hytale Asset Editor, Git

Technical Contributions & Systems Breakdown

1. Public Developer API & Mod Interoperability

  • Extensible Hook Architecture: Engineered a documented public API that allows external mod authors to register custom fish species, inject biome loot tables, and subscribe to catch lifecycle events.
  • Documentation & Ecosystem Adoption: Authored the Official Developer Wiki, enabling multiple third-party Hytale mods and minigame networks to build native integrations on top of Angler's Almanac.

2. JSON-Driven Data Architecture

  • Data-Driven Species & Loot Tables: Decoupled fish attributes, spawn weights, biome conditions, and rarity tiers from compiled Java code into modular JSON configuration files.
  • Hytale Asset Editor Compatibility: Structured the data schemas to work directly with the Hytale Asset Editor, empowering server administrators and content creators to introduce custom fish species and loot tables without recompiling source code.

3. The Almanac Book & Persistent Telemetry

The central player progression interface is The Almanac Book, an in-game compendium tracking catches across the waters of Orbis:

  • Species Discovery Logging: Records first-time discoveries, size records, and habitat metadata for every unique species caught.
  • Player Statistics Tracking: Persists historical catch totals and minigame completion rates per player.

4. Rarity-Scaled Minigame Engine

  • Adaptive Tension Bar (Stardew-Style): Programmed an interactive capture minigame where fish movement speed, direction changes, and capture bar tolerances scale dynamically based on the hooked species' rarity tier.

Media & Project Showcase

Showcase

Link

Direct Impact

  • Industry & Community Recognition: Selected as a Finalist in the CurseForge Hytale Modding Contest (Experiences category) and featured as a CurseForge "Hidden Gem".
  • Third-Party Ecosystem Adoption: Adopted as an underlying framework dependency by external studio projects, including GINCo's Byte Crashers.

Authors

The Team

  • @RM20: Lead Developer & Software Architecture.
  • CapnSloth: Designer of the original Stardew Style Fishing mod concept for Hytale.
  • ColdLavenderSun (Aka. Fluttershy): Promotional and UI art assets.

Support the Project

  • Support development on Buy Me a Coffee
  • Use Creator Code RM20 when purchasing Hytale.
  • Watch live development streams on Twitch.
  • Watch the development process live on Twitch.