HideArmor v0.4.0-alpha Release Notes

Mutual Opt-In System for Multiplayer Armor Visibility

This release introduces a major new feature: the ability to hide other players' armor with a privacy-first mutual opt-in system.

What's New

Hide Other Players' Armor

Players can now choose to hide armor pieces on other players, not just their own. This feature requires explicit permission from both parties.

Mutual Opt-In System

For armor to be hidden, both conditions must be met:

1. The viewer must enable "Hide Others' [piece]"
2. The target player must enable "Allow Others [piece]"

This ensures players maintain full control over their appearance and privacy.

Expanded GUI

The interface now features three distinct sections:

• Hide My Own Armor - Control your own armor visibility (existing)
• Hide Other Players' Armor - Choose which pieces to hide on others (new)
• Let Others Hide My Armor - Grant permissions per armor slot (new)

Each section is clearly labeled with golden headers and visual separators.

New Commands

/hidearmor hideothers <piece>       # Toggle hiding on others
/hidearmor hideothers all           # Toggle all pieces on others
/hidearmor allowothers <piece>      # Toggle permission for others
/hidearmor allowothers all          # Toggle all permissions

The status command now displays all three categories of settings.

Technical Improvements

Extended Persistence System

• Upgraded from 4-bit to 12-bit state storage
• Bits 0-3: Self armor (existing)
• Bits 4-7: Hide others' armor (new)
• Bits 8-11: Allow others permissions (new)
• Backward compatible with existing save files

Enhanced Packet Filtering

• Now processes both self and other players' entities
• Implements UUID resolution with caching for performance
• Applies mutual opt-in logic server-side
• Uses reflection for compatibility with Hytale SDK

Bug Fixes

• Fixed mask clamping that prevented new settings from saving
• Fixed setAll method that was overwriting hide-others/allow-others settings
• Fixed all mask comparison operations to properly isolate bit ranges
• Corrected UI file to use proper Label syntax

Use Cases

Roleplay Servers

Players can coordinate armor visibility for immersive storytelling without affecting actual equipment.

Screenshot Sessions

Hide specific armor pieces on others (with their permission) for cleaner screenshots and cinematics.

PvP Practice

Reduce visual clutter during training sessions while maintaining full combat mechanics.

Content Creation

Streamers and video creators can customize what armor appears on screen while recording.

Migration from v0.3.0

Automatic Migration

Existing settings are automatically preserved. The new bits default to 0 (disabled), so existing functionality remains unchanged.

What You Need to Know

• All previous settings continue to work exactly as before
• No manual migration required
• Save files are automatically upgraded on first save
• New features are opt-in and do not affect existing behavior

Known Limitations

Requires Two Players

The mutual opt-in system requires both players to be online and have configured their settings. Single-player testing requires the test mode (currently disabled in production).

Visual Only

This plugin only affects client-side rendering. Armor stats, durability, and combat calculations are completely unaffected.

Entity Resolution

The system uses reflection-based UUID resolution for compatibility. In rare cases with very high player counts, there may be minimal performance impact during initial caching.

Testing Recommendations

Basic Functionality

1. Open /hidearmor GUI
2. Verify all three sections display correctly
3. Toggle settings in each section
4. Close and reopen GUI to verify persistence

Mutual Opt-In Testing

With two players:

1. Player A enables "Hide Others' Helmet"
2. Verify Player B's helmet is still visible
3. Player B enables "Allow Helmet"
4. Verify Player B's helmet is now hidden for Player A
5. Player B disables "Allow Helmet"
6. Verify Player B's helmet becomes visible again

Persistence Testing

1. Configure various settings
2. Use /hidearmor status to verify
3. Restart server
4. Verify settings restored correctly

Upgrade Instructions

1. Stop your server
2. Backup your plugins/HideArmor/players.json file (optional but recommended)
3. Replace the old .jar with the new v0.4.0 .jar
4. Start your server
5. Verify with /hidearmor that the new GUI sections appear

Support

Issues: Report bugs on the GitHub issues page Questions: See the updated README.md for detailed documentation Compatibility: Tested with Hytale Early Access SDK

Credits

Thanks to the Hytale modding community for feedback and testing.

Special thanks to PabloBora for the original HideHelmet inspiration.

Coming Soon

Future versions may include:

• Per-player permission lists (hide specific players regardless of their settings)
• Quick presets for common configurations
• Integration with other cosmetic plugins
• Admin override commands for moderation purposes

Released: January 14, 2026