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Manifest & config

hive-game.json tells the network how to size lobbies and load your game. Config is a typed Java class operators tune from the dashboard.

Two files describe a game to the network. hive-game.json is the manifest - fixed facts the network needs to register, size and route your game. The config class is the per-network knobs operators tune at runtime.

hive-game.json

The manifest sits at the root of your game jar. The network reads it to register the game, size the lobby, and boot a fresh instance whenever one fills.

hive-game.json 
{
  "id": "skywars",
  "name": "SkyWars",
  "genre": "match",
  "engine": "hytale",
  "main": "net.example.SkyWars",

  "minPlayers": 2,
  "maxPlayers": 12,
  "countdownSeconds": 20,

  "arena": {
    "world": "skywars-map-1",
    "spawns": "Player_Spawnpoint"
  }
}
FieldMeaning
idthe serverType / world type matchmaking routes by - must be unique on your network
namedisplay name shown in lobbies and the dashboard
genrematch or party - picks the lifecycle (match / party)
enginehytale or minecraft - which adapter this jar targets
mainfully-qualified class that extends MatchLifecycle / hosts the party
minPlayersplayers needed before the countdown starts
maxPlayerslobby capacity; also what matchmaking treats as “full”
countdownSecondslobby countdown once minPlayers is reached
arena.worldthe GameWorld template to instantiate per match
arena.spawnsthe marker type the genre reads for spawn points

minPlayers / maxPlayers / countdownSeconds are exactly the numbers matchmaking’s start-aware routing uses to fill lobbies top-down - declare them here and the routing follows.

Party rounds

A party game lists its micro-game pool instead of a single arena. The host rolls from this pool each turn:

hive-game.json 
{
  "id": "blockparty",
  "genre": "party",
  "engine": "hytale",
  "main": "net.example.PartyHost",

  "board": "party-board-1",
  "turns": 12,
  "rounds": [
    "net.example.rounds.FallingFloor",
    "net.example.rounds.HotPotato",
    "net.example.rounds.CoinRush"
  ]
}

Typed config

Per-network settings are a plain Java class - no annotations, no schema file. The network loads it, validates the types, and hands it to your instance. MatchLifecycle<SkyWarsConfig> is generic over it, so ctx.config() is fully typed.

SkyWarsConfig.java 
public final class SkyWarsConfig {
  int chestRefillSeconds = 120;
  boolean doubleJump = true;
  int coinsPerKill = 10;
}

Read it straight off the context:

SkyWars.java 
public void onStart(MatchContext ctx) {
  if (ctx.config().doubleJump) ctx.players().forEach(this::enableDoubleJump);
}

Manifest vs. config - which goes where

A simple rule keeps the split clean:

  • Manifest = facts the network needs before your code runs - how to register, size and route the game. Fixed per build.
  • Config = knobs your game reads at runtime. Tunable per network without a rebuild.

The field defaults in your config class are the starting values; an operator overrides them per network from the dashboard, and the network passes the resolved object to every new instance. You never parse a file or read an environment variable - you read typed fields.

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