BYOND

BYOND: Game Engine & Development Tool

BYOND is a game engine and development tool used to create multiplayer online games and virtual worlds. It uses a custom scripting language and allows for the quick development of complex, multiplayer environments.

What is BYOND?

BYOND (Build Your Own Net Dream) is a proprietary game engine and development tool designed for the quick creation of complex, multiplayer online games and virtual worlds. Originally released in 1995 by Danial-Keith Jamin, BYOND has developed a strong following in the indie game development community thanks to its ease of use and built-in tools like map editors, sprite managers, and debugging suites.

Games created with BYOND allow hundreds or even thousands of players to interact in real time. Its custom scripting language, called DM (Dream Maker), enables the rapid development of sophisticated game mechanics without needing to worry about low-level details. The editor is primarily tile-based, making it simple to build intricate 2D levels and environments. Integrated messaging, player management, and world persistence spare developers the work of coding their own chat systems, logins, and databases.

Over the years, skilled coders have managed to push BYOND's graphical limits to produce surprisingly advanced 3D visuals as well. Popular BYOND games tend to be based on classic codebases that have been gradually expanded and improved over many years. A few of the more prominent BYOND titles include Space Station 13, a wildly popular sci-fi roleplaying game first released in 2003, and Nanotrasen Fleet Command, a fan created spin off.

BYOND Features

Official Links