Community Interview: Running a Top 5 Hytale Server
An exclusive interview with BlockMaster, owner of Nexus Network, sharing insights on building and maintaining one of Hytale's most successful gaming communities.
We sat down with BlockMaster, the owner and lead developer of Nexus Network, to discuss what it takes to build and maintain one of Hytale’s top servers.
About Nexus Network
Server Stats:
- Founded: October 2023
- Current players: 8,500+ daily
- Staff members: 45
- Game modes: 6
- Uptime: 99.9%
The Interview
Getting Started
Q: How did you get started with server hosting?
BlockMaster: I’ve been running gaming communities since I was 15, starting with small Minecraft servers. When Hytale was announced, I knew I wanted to be part of it from day one. I spent months preparing - building the team, planning features, setting up infrastructure.
Q: What was the biggest challenge in those early days?
BlockMaster: Honestly? Finding the right people. Technical challenges can be solved with time and money, but finding staff who share your vision and work ethic is much harder. I interviewed over 200 people before assembling my core team.
Building the Community
Q: Nexus Network has a reputation for its positive community. How did you achieve that?
BlockMaster: It started with our values. We defined them early:
- Respect - Everyone matters
- Fun - Gaming should be enjoyable
- Fairness - No pay-to-win, period
- Growth - Always improving
We hire and moderate based on these values. It’s not just words on a page - we make real decisions based on them.
Q: Can you give an example?
BlockMaster: Sure. We once had a major donor who was consistently toxic in chat. Small stuff mostly - passive-aggressive comments, putting down new players. Some staff wanted to let it slide because of how much they donated.
I banned them personally. We refunded their donations. It sent a clear message: money doesn’t buy immunity. After that, the whole community understood we were serious about our values.
Technical Insights
Q: What’s your infrastructure setup like?
BlockMaster:
Primary Setup:
- 3x dedicated servers for game instances
- 1x dedicated server for proxies
- 2x dedicated servers for databases
- Cloud failover system
- CDN for assets
Specs per game server:
- AMD EPYC 7443P
- 256GB RAM
- 2TB NVMe RAID
- 10Gbps networkWe’re probably over-provisioned, but I’d rather have headroom than lag spikes.
Q: How do you handle scaling during events?
BlockMaster: We use cloud bursting. Our baseline can handle 5,000 concurrent players comfortably. For events, we spin up additional instances automatically when we hit 70% capacity. The system scales down during off-peak hours to save costs.
Game Design Philosophy
Q: Nexus is known for unique game modes. What’s your design process?
BlockMaster: Every game mode goes through the same pipeline:
- Concept - What’s the core fun?
- Prototype - Quick and dirty test
- Feedback - Small player group testing
- Iterate - Multiple revision cycles
- Polish - Visual and audio passes
- Launch - Soft launch first, then full
We kill more concepts than we ship. Being willing to abandon months of work is crucial. If it’s not fun, it’s not fun.
Q: What’s your most successful game mode?
BlockMaster: Survival Kingdoms - it started as a simple faction survival but evolved into something unique. Players build kingdoms, forge alliances, wage wars. The politics that emerge are amazing.
Last month, we had a diplomatic crisis when one kingdom accused another of espionage. Real spies, real intel gathering, real consequences. Completely emergent gameplay.
Business Insights
Q: How do you monetize without being pay-to-win?
BlockMaster: Cosmetics only, with a twist. We have:
- Cosmetic shop - Standard skins, effects, titles
- Battle pass - Seasonal cosmetics and challenges
- Creator program - Players design cosmetics, earn revenue share
- Priority queue - For high-traffic times (controversial, I know)
The creator program has been huge. Some of our designers earn $2,000+ monthly from their cosmetic sales.
Q: What’s your revenue breakdown?
BlockMaster: I’ll share rough percentages:
| Source | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Cosmetic shop | 45% |
| Battle pass | 30% |
| Creator program | 15% |
| Priority queue | 8% |
| Donations | 2% |
Team Management
Q: How do you manage 45 staff members?
BlockMaster: Structure and autonomy. We have:
- Leadership team (5) - Strategic decisions
- Senior moderators (10) - Day-to-day management
- Moderators (20) - Player support
- Developers (7) - Technical work
- Community managers (3) - Events and content
Each layer has clear responsibilities and authority. Senior mods can make most decisions without escalating. This prevents bottlenecks.
Q: How do you handle staff burnout?
BlockMaster: It’s real and we take it seriously:
- Mandatory time off after busy periods
- Rotation schedules prevent overwork
- Mental health resources available
- Regular 1-on-1 check-ins
- No guilt for stepping back
Running a gaming community shouldn’t cost your mental health.
Challenges and Failures
Q: What’s been your biggest failure?
BlockMaster: Our first major event. We hyped a “Season Finale” event for weeks. Thousands logged in at once. The servers crashed. Hard.
Players were understandably angry. Some never came back. It taught us to:
- Load test everything
- Under-promise, over-deliver
- Have backup plans for backups
- Communicate transparently when things go wrong
Q: How did you recover?
BlockMaster: We immediately:
- Apologized publicly
- Explained what happened technically
- Gave everyone compensation
- Rescheduled with lower capacity caps
- Published a post-mortem
The honesty helped. Many players respected that we owned the mistake.
Advice for Aspiring Server Owners
Q: What would you tell someone wanting to start their own server?
BlockMaster:
- Start small - Don’t try to build everything at once
- Find your niche - What makes you different?
- Invest in people - Your team is everything
- Be patient - Communities take years to build
- Listen to players - But don’t be ruled by them
- Stay consistent - Trust builds slowly
- Have fun - If you don’t enjoy it, quit
Q: Any resources you’d recommend?
BlockMaster:
- Server administration communities (Discord)
- Business basics courses (free online)
- Other server owners (network!)
- Player feedback (your best source)
The Future
Q: What’s next for Nexus Network?
BlockMaster: Big things. I can tease:
- New game mode launching Q1 2024
- International expansion (EU, ASIA servers)
- Mobile companion app
- Content creator partnership program
Q: Any final thoughts?
BlockMaster: This journey has been incredible. The players, the team, the challenges - I wouldn’t trade it for anything. To anyone thinking about starting a server: do it. The community needs passionate people.
Nexus Network is a verified server on our platform. Check out their full listing for more information!
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