Time Helm

• Open-source
• Persistent-world
• Massively-multiplayer online
• Sandbox
• Social simulation game

Game Mechanics

• One hour in-game lasts one minute real-time.
• For the sake of "divide-by-60" symmetry, one game-year consists of 360 game-days.
• Game world and game rules are reality-centric (i.e. no supernatural or sci-fi elements)
• The ability of the player to control their character(s) is dependent on the avatar's emotional state, like The Sims but perhaps to a greater extent
• Players mostly (only?) control their characters indirectly, specifying a schedule and if-then conditions

Graphics

• Low-poly 3D graphics
• Graphical realism and animation are a secondary concern

Technical

• Frontend: Three.js (browser-based 3D graphics)
• Backend: Rust server with Axum
• Authentication: X (Twitter) OAuth 2.0
• Real-time Communication: WebSockets
• Deployment: fly.io
• Domain: time-helm.com

Planned Development Path

• Start with a person in a house, with modern amenities that are puchased from "outside world" OR
• Start with a person in a cave?

Required Research

• How long does it take to make basic things?
• How productive are ancient farming techniques?

Other Ideas

• Once sufficiently realistic, can be used as platform for modelling and tracing human history in detail, and assessing different hypotheses

Preliminary Notes and Lists

Human Activities

See https://github.com/julerex/omniscim/activities.md

Human Health Condition

• Hunger
• Thirst
• Disease
• Disability
• Age
• Exhaustion
• Sleepiness
• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Mental Illness
• Sadness
• Loneliness
• Jealousy
• Anger

Human Properties

• Genetics

Household Objects

• Hygiene
• Cleaning
• Clothes
• Electronics
• Stationary
• Furniture
• Small appliances
• Kitchen appliances
• Kitchen utensils
• Cutlery
• Crockery

Science Simulation

See (materials.md)[https://github.com/julerex/omniscim/materials.md]

• Physics

• Chemistry

• Biology

  • Human Biology
  • Food Science
  • Epidemiology
  • Botany

• Medicine

• Geology

• Meteorology

• Hydrology

• Metallurgy

• Chemical Engineering

• Civil Engineering

• Mechanical Engineering

Setup & Development

Prerequisites

• Rust (latest stable)
• Node.js 18+ and npm
• PostgreSQL 14+ (local development)
• Twitter Developer Account (for OAuth credentials)
• fly.io account

Local Development

1. Set up PostgreSQL Database

Using Docker:

docker run --name timehelm-db -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=password -e POSTGRES_DB=timehelm -p 5432:5432 -d postgres:15

Or install PostgreSQL locally:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install postgresql postgresql-contrib

# macOS
brew install postgresql
brew services start postgresql

# Create database
createdb timehelm

2. Set up Twitter OAuth

1. Go to Twitter Developer Portal
2. Create a new app
3. Enable OAuth 2.0
4. Set callback URL to http://localhost:8080/auth/twitter/callback
5. Copy your Client ID and Client Secret

3. Configure Environment

Create a .env file in the project root:

# Server
PORT=8080
BASE_URL=http://localhost:8080

# Database (adjust for your setup)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/timehelm

# Twitter OAuth
TWITTER_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
TWITTER_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret

Note: The database migrations will run automatically when the server starts.

4. Build and Run

Terminal 1 - Backend:

cd server
cargo run

Terminal 2 - Frontend:

cd client
npm install
npm run dev

The game will be available at http://localhost:5173 (Vite dev server proxies API calls to the backend).

Deployment to fly.io

1. Install flyctl

curl -L https://fly.io/install.sh | sh

2. Login to fly.io

fly auth login

3. Create the app

fly apps create timehelm

4. Create PostgreSQL Database on fly.io

fly postgres create --name timehelm-db
fly postgres attach --app timehelm timehelm-db

This will automatically set the DATABASE_URL secret for your app.

5. Set environment variables

fly secrets set TWITTER_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
fly secrets set TWITTER_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
fly secrets set BASE_URL=https://time-helm.com

Note: The DATABASE_URL is automatically set when you attach the PostgreSQL database.

6. Configure DNS with Cloudflare

Create the certificate in fly.io

fly certs create time-helm.com

This will output DNS records that need to be added to Cloudflare.

2. Add DNS records in Cloudflare:

   • Log into your Cloudflare dashboard

   • Select your domain time-helm.com

   • Go to DNS → Records

   • Add the records provided by fly.io:

     • Type: A or AAAA (depending on what fly.io provides)
     • Name: @ (or time-helm.com)
     • IPv4/IPv6 address: The value from fly.io
     • Proxy status: Turn OFF the proxy (gray cloud) - This is important! Fly.io needs direct DNS resolution for SSL certificate validation
     • TTL: Auto

   • If fly.io provides a CNAME record:

     • Type: CNAME
     • Name: @ or the subdomain
     • Target: The value from fly.io
     • Proxy status: Turn OFF (gray cloud)
     • TTL: Auto

3. Important Cloudflare Settings:

   • SSL/TLS mode: Set to "Full" or "Full (strict)" in SSL/TLS settings
   • Always Use HTTPS: Enable this in SSL/TLS → Edge Certificates
   • Proxy status: Keep DNS records in "DNS only" mode (gray cloud) until certificate is verified

4. Wait for certificate verification:

   fly certs show time-helm.com

   Wait until you see "Issued" status. This can take a few minutes.

5. After certificate is issued:

   • You can optionally enable Cloudflare proxy (orange cloud) for DDoS protection, but be aware:
     • Fly.io handles SSL termination, so Cloudflare proxy is optional
     • If you enable proxy, ensure SSL/TLS mode is set to "Full" or "Full (strict)"
     • Some WebSocket connections may work better with proxy disabled

7. Build and deploy

First, build the frontend:

cd client
npm install
npm run build

Then deploy:

fly deploy

The app will be available at https://time-helm.com

Project Structure

timehelm/
├── server/          # Rust backend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── main.rs      # Server entry point
│   │   ├── auth.rs      # Twitter OAuth handling
│   │   ├── game.rs      # Game state management
│   │   └── websocket.rs # WebSocket handlers
│   └── Cargo.toml
├── client/          # Three.js frontend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── main.js         # Entry point
│   │   ├── auth-client.js  # Auth API client
│   │   └── game-client.js  # Game client & Three.js scene
│   ├── index.html
│   └── package.json
├── Dockerfile       # Container build config
├── fly.toml         # fly.io configuration
└── vite.config.js   # Vite dev server config

Preliminary Links

General

• https://mrminimal.gitlab.io/2018/07/26/godot-dedicated-server-tutorial.html
• https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/getting_started/workflow/export/exporting_for_dedicated_servers.html
• https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Dedicated_Servers_List
• https://www.gtxgaming.co.uk/
• https://gotm.io/

Github Links

• https://github.com/riperiperi/FreeSO - A full reimplementation of The Sims Online, using Monogame.

Open Source Assets

• Check itch.io
• https://sketchfab.com/zaxel/collections/human-male-anatomy-reference
• https://github.com/makehumancommunity/makehuman