ThingsPool

A web-based 3D sandbox multiplayer game powered by Node.js. No downloads, no installs — just open your browser and jump in.

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What is ThingsPool?

ThingsPool is a shared metaverse made up of interconnected Rooms. Each Room is a fully interactive 3D virtual space where you can:

• Explore — Travel across rooms and discover what others have built
• Chat — Meet and talk with other people in real time
• Build — Make your own world and turn it into anything you imagine
• Customize — Style your character from head to toe; give it a look of its own

For Artists and Creators

ThingsPool doubles as a creative platform. Build your own virtual gallery, design an interactive installation, or craft an entire world that tells a story. Your room can either be a blank canvas waiting to be shaped into something unique, or a hidden place of adventure inviting to be explored.

For Developers

The ThingsPool source code is open source under the Apache License 2.0. It is built with a modern real-time web stack: Three.js for 3D rendering, Socket.IO for multiplayer networking, and a custom physics and voxel engine for game mechanics. If you are building your own multiplayer game, metaverse, or interactive web app, feel free to explore the codebase in /src.

Documentation

• Summary

  • Project Overview

• DevOps

  • Local Development Guide
  • Firebase & Google Cloud
  • Release Train
  • Acquisition Analytics
  • VPS Hosting Guide
    • Basic Setup
    • Networking & Security
    • Deployment
    • Maintenance

• Gameplay

  • Game Mode

• Networking

  • Authentication Flows
  • User State Management Flows
  • Single-Player Mode
  • First-Time User Experience
  • Room Population Flows
  • "My Room" Flows
  • Voxel Grid Update Flows
  • Object Update Flows

• Geometry

  • Texture
  • Wall-Attached Object
  • Voxel Grid Structure
  • Physics System
  • Room Entrance Structure
  • Room Generation System
  • Player Customization System

• Graphics

  • Camera Control
  • Instanced Mesh Composition System
  • Image Map System

• Testing

  • E2E Tests
    • Workflow
  • Integration Tests
    • Workflow
    • Framework
    • Scenarios
  • Staging Playtest
    • Workflow

License

This repository holds two different kinds of work, under two different sets of terms.

• The code is open source. src/, views/, dev/, tests/, docs/, .github/ and the build configuration are licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. Fork it, modify it, self-host it, build a business on it.
• The writing and artwork are not. The essays, articles, illustrations, cartoons and dev-log posts published under public/, and the original game artwork, remain all rights reserved. See LICENSE-CONTENT.md for exactly what this covers and why.

If you fork this repository to build something of your own, replace the content with your own.

Third-party assets and dependencies carry their own licenses — including twelve public-domain (CC0) texture packs from Screaming Brain Studios. See THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md.

The ThingsPool name and logo are not covered by any of the above; Apache-2.0 grants no trademark rights.