News

Developer Panel May '25 recap

Missed the Hornbill Dev Panel? Catch the latest on Daerah, Bandaraya v4 and Lebuhraya, ACS 2.0, Certifier tech, potential MDEC funding, and upcoming collabs with Malaysian orgs. Big things are coming to MYSverse in 2025!

Did you manage to catch our recent Hornbill Interactive Developer Panel on our Discord? If not, there's no need to worry; we've got a summary for you right here.

The team shared some significant news about the future of MYSverse, and we think you'll find it quite interesting. We're committed to keeping you informed and plan to hold these panels regularly, perhaps once or twice a year.

So, please make yourselves comfortable, and let's go through the exciting updates.

A new chapter for Hornbill Interactive & MYSverse

Firstly, we want to be candid with you. We recognise that development might have seemed a bit slow - one of our developers rather frankly described it as "absolutely dog water".

We've taken your feedback on board, and since the beginning of 2025, we've implemented some important internal changes. This means more structured projects, dedicated project leaders, and a firm commitment to delivering quality updates and keeping you all in the loop.

MYSverse team members at U-Digitaloka in 2024

Most of our team are passionate volunteers, dedicating their time and effort to MYSverse because they care about it deeply, just as you do. We do have some key paid roles (a special thank you to our scripters!), and occasionally, we distribute bonuses when finances allow. Our lead, Yan, has been forgoing payments from MYSverse for several months which are reinvested back into the team and projects.

In addition, we've applied for an MDEC (Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation) grant. If our application is successful (we're hoping for good news in June!), this could provide a substantial boost to development, particularly for Daerah, enabling us to bring in more professional builders and scripters.

We're also embracing a more open-source approach for some of our technology, such as web platforms and useful tools like the Certifier module (more on that shortly). This involves sharing our knowledge and contributing to the wider Roblox community, whilst keeping our unique MYSverse assets distinct.

Speaking of community, we're very keen on collaboration. We're looking to partner with real-life organisations like the Ministry of Education (KPM); imagine MYSverse contributing to Malaysia Madani and innovative digital learning initiatives.

Additionally, we're open to connecting with other excellent Malaysian Roblox communities (such as the virtual Pahang state under our MYSverse Network initiative!). It's all about creating positive experiences, both in-game and in the real world.

Oh, and we might also arrange some PR training for our developers to ensure they're even more polished communicators next time! 😉

Project spotlights: see what's new

Daerah: your next big adventure

Latest screenshots of Daerah, presented by lindaxy

Who's leading?
- The talented lindaxy!
What's happening?
- Daerah is making considerable progress.
- The team (lindaxy, Ahhan, and other builders, with a special mention to Eric_Yap for his work on the hospital) has already completed 7 out of 10 main buildings in the last five months.
- They are now focusing on the finer details like roads, trees, and even a fishing village.
When can we play?
- We're aiming for late 2025.
- This is dependent on a few factors, notably the MDEC grant.
What kind of game will it be?
- If we receive the MDEC grant:
  - Expect a Lebuhraya-style game: a large, open world with many features.
- If there's no grant:
  - It will be more Sim-friendly, ideal for our Polis MYSverse and simulation enthusiasts.
Interesting features teased
- Look forward to a fishing job, an MFC job, a post job, and another secret job that Exaltrd will reveal soon.
- Plus, player-owned houses are planned.
- (A quick note: Daerah will primarily use R15 avatars, so Tentera MYSverse presence might be slightly different at launch).
Will it run smoothly?
- We're working diligently on optimisation.
- It's reportedly running well (around 60 FPS on decent systems), comparable to or even better than Bandaraya.

Bandaraya v4: bigger, better, refined

Latest screenshots of Bandaraya v4, presented by Jojo

Who's leading?
- The capable Jojo!
  - With assistance from Grep, Cartnez and others.
How far along?
- It's about 80% complete.
- The building work is nearly finished, and excellent systems from Lebuhraya are being integrated.
Release date?
- Planned for this year, with beta testing anticipated before the full launch.
What's new and improved?
- Substantial map expansion
  - We're talking roughly double the size of the current Bandaraya.
  - You'll be able to explore:
    - a brand-new Dataran Merdeka (featuring the River of Life) as a new central meeting point
    - an impressive government complex inspired by Putrajaya, an "Office of the King's Seal Keepers"
    - new embassies (including Thailand's)
    - a revamped Masjid Jamek area with its own LRT station
- LRT on its way
  - Yes, an LRT system (possibly inspired by the Kelana Jaya line) operated by MyTransit is in development.
  - Train models are ready, and work on stations and tracks is underway.
- New hubs
  - A new MyTransit Terminal is under construction.
  - You'll find a new car dealer in Masjid Jamek.
- Fresh vehicles
  - Expect 15-30 new cars (for HCC and regular players), with all existing cars being remastered.
  - Unfortunately, we'll be saying goodbye to the old Saga and Myvi.
  - However, new motorbikes like the Ysuku (Y16ZR) and Wave are planned.
- Smoother gameplay
  - We're optimising buildings with meshes and textures, and our scripters are applying their expertise.
- More activities
  - Look out for more free jobs (potentially logistics and binman roles from Lebuhraya) and engaging new crime options such as money printing, financial crimes, and even crafting items through a new black market system.
- Club Kunyet update
  - It's staying but will be rebranded.
- Environment updates
  - Plaza Rakyat is being removed to make way for other interesting social spaces.
  - TRX and Merdeka 118 inspired buildings will serve as impressive background scenery.
- New IPD
  - IPD Dang Wangi is getting a fresh, reimagined design.
- AI NPCs?
  - Not currently planned.

Customise your ride
- A new vehicle customisation system, similar to the one in Lebuhraya, is on its way.

Bandaraya Klasik: a trip down memory lane

Yan is working on this as a side project.
Fancy reliving the classic experience? This will likely be released before Bandaraya v4.

Lebuhraya: more to do, more to earn

Efforts are currently being led by our scripter Exaltrd (part of the skilled script team with Yan and irfanzakir).
New free jobs
- Welcome logistics drivers, rubbish collectors, and cashier jobs to keep things interesting.
Season passes
- Prepare for objectives that unlock exclusive seasonal items (vehicles, for example), with a premium Robux tier for additional benefits.
Shared technologies
- Job systems developed for Lebuhraya are designed to be transferable to Bandaraya and Daerah as well.
Immersive teleports
- Yan is experimenting with technology to allow teleportation between Lebuhraya and Bandaraya.
- It's still a work in progress but very promising.

Under the bonnet: impressive tech upgrades

Our developers are not just creating new areas, they're enhancing the entire MYSverse experience.

ACS (Advanced Combat System) 2.0

Led by Daniel3L (with Ethan2L on models/animation)
You might remember the old gun system (ACS 1.7.7) and its quirks (some of the code was even in Portuguese!).
Well, allow us to introduce "MYS ACS 2.0". It has been in development for seven months and represents a significant improvement.
What's better?
- Expect:
  - smoother movement (similar to ACS 1.7)
  - recoil that isn't heavily dependent on your FPS
  - realistic shell ejections and muzzle flashes
  - refined new scope effects (parallax and zoom with shift + scroll)
  - updated gun models (such as the SOAR)
  - and more polished animations.
- Even the Federal Riot Gun has been re-scripted.
- Head rotation will also be more intelligent:
  - off in urban areas
  - on in combat zones
Performance
- It's optimised. Tests with 60-70 players in Tentera MYSverse test experiences showed minimal server lag.

It's even (somewhat accidentally) live in Bandaraya and performing reasonably well.
It will soon be implemented in Sulu (MAF map).
Mobile support is something we'll consider, especially for Daerah's R15 ACS.

The future of ACS
- With the original ACS 3.0 development having stalled elsewhere, our MYS ACS 2.0 is designed to be a robust, long-term solution for enjoyable combat.

Certifier integration

Imagine receiving official, verifiable digital certificates for your in-game accomplishments.
Yan, drawing from experience with projects like Maxis eKelas Minigames, demonstrated a live system where completing an in-game quiz in the Lebuhraya school resulted in a downloadable, QR-scannable certificate.
Why is this noteworthy?
- It connects your in-game skills with real-world recognition.
- We're considering collaborations with KPM for engaging educational content and events with tangible rewards.
Sharing our work
- The code for this Certifier module will likely be made open source.

MYSair website & in-game phone enhancements

MYSair now has its own dedicated portal (fly.mys.gg) where staff can manage flights.
Seamless synchronisation
- Flight details are updated instantly in your in-game phone app, complete with a button to join flights (and airport teleports are planned for the future).
Coming soon (potentially?)
- Imagine booking your MYSair flight online and receiving a scannable boarding pass for in-game gate access. That would be quite something!

MYSverse Wiki (MYSwiki)

We now have an official MYSverse Wiki (mys.wiki)!
It's designed to be multilingual (English, BM, Malaysian Chinese, and Tamil to start, with others to follow) to welcome players from all over the world.
It currently features a "Get Started" guide for Bandaraya, and you can contribute to its growth through GitHub.

Community, future plans and more

Interested in becoming a scripter?
- Our Scripter Apprenticeship Programme (SAP) is being revamped.
- Expect a more structured 1 to 3-month programme with assignments and a final assessment.
- Successful participants could join the Hornbill team.
Real-life meetups?
- Yes, we're keen. We're looking into organising one, possibly at an anime event (Lush is exploring this).
- We've also registered our interest in MDEC's Immerse KL 2025 event in July.
On working with influencers and content creators
- We're open to organic collaborations.
- At present, our main focus is on refining the games, but once they are thoroughly polished, we'll look more into marketing and influencer partnerships.
On internships
- We are not currently offering public internships as we believe in fair remuneration and our resources are focused on development.
- However, for our existing team members who require an internship for university purposes, we may be able to assist under specific circumstances.
MYSverse merchandise?
- Once our games are of a high standard, we'll consider it.
- Perhaps some limited runs for real-life events, but a full merchandise store isn't an immediate plan.
Customise your MYSverse phone
- We're planning to reopen the system for you to submit your own third-party apps for the in-game phone.
Happy belated anniversary!
- MYSverse (originally [MYS] Malaysia) celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024.
- We didn't formally mark it at the time, but the achievement is certainly noted.

That was quite a lot of news! A heartfelt thank you to our incredible community for your continued support and enthusiasm.

And, of course, a huge thank you to all our hardworking developers who are dedicating their talent and time to making MYSverse the best it can be.

Stay tuned for more updates, please keep your suggestions coming, and we look forward to seeing you in MYSverse!