#Habbo2020 - The basics

Habbo is currently testing Habbo2020 - a new version of Habbo built from the ground up. But what is Habbo2020? Why in 2020? Why are people talking about it and what do we know? Why do people seem so angry about it? I'm going to try and answer some of those questions as part of a new HDA Blog series about Habbo 2020. This post will attempt to address and explain some of the basics. 

So what is Habbo2020?
Habbo 2020 is a rebuild of Habbo. Currently Habbo is built using Flash - an old system that has been around since basically the start of the internet. Habbo is now rebuilding using Unity. This should create a smoother experience - hopefully less lagg or technical problems, and will probably run a lot better on a variety of computers and internet connections. There will be a new *look* but the same pixel art seems to remain the same. It will mostly be the menus and other areas like the catalogue that we will see the most difference (aka the UI), like below, the current create a room menu is on the left, the possible new menu on the right (Not confirmed, may be photoshopped)

Why can't Habbo just leave it as is??
In 2017, Google announced they wil disable Flash in Google Chrome browsers by the end of 2020. It is now the end of 2020 and Habbo is leaving it to the last minute. They announced details back in June about Habbo 2020, and confirmed they were in fact working on an update to eliminate Flash. Basically, Flash is old news. There is much better ways of building apps and games like Habbo, and Flash is clunky, a security risk, can't work on mobile and only about 17 per cent of websites (in 2017) were even USING Flash. It is old, outdated and soon to be totally useless. On the 1st of Janurary 2021, Habbo will not work for the majority of internet users, Habbo has no choice but to migrate away from Flash.

Why did Habbo wait this long to move away from Flash?
I don't know, and I would love to know this, it seems very irrisponsible to leave it literally two months before Flash is shut off to start beta testing (which started last week). 

How is the beta testing going?
There have been some unconfirmed leaks (which I may go through in a future post) but for now all we know is that about 100 people were selected by Habbo to test and provide feedback in a sandbox environment. Those 100 people were selected because they had worked with Habbo previously. I would assume beta testing will be extended further

So what can we expect when Habbo2020 launches?
We don't really know yet, there have been plenty of rumours and speculation on twitter, discord and forums, but all we know for sure is what Habbo is releasing on their news page or their twitter page, which is light on a lot of specifics. We know there is a lot of fundemental changes taking place, not just how Habbo looks, but we know that basic functions like trading is changing. Whether these elements of Habbo are changing because Habbo/Sulake wanted these changes implemented (eg. for profit) or because they HAD to change them due to the limits of the unity engine they are migrating too is unclear. I suspect a combination of both. 

When is Habbo2020 starting?
Sometime in 2020! If it is delayed for any reason Haboos will lose access to Habbo after the 31st of December, so it would be very risky for Habbo to wait. It will have to happen in the next two months. 

What will it be like?
Well, we know that Habbo2020 will launch with limited features, most likely because they have run out of time and need to switch over before the end of 2020. We know that trading will change to a marketplace based trading system, and you will most likely not be able to trade with other individuals or trade privately when Habbo2020 launches. 

How can I prepare?
The HDA blog will try and collect and announce as many things as possible before it switches over, and hopefully Habbo will warn users about things that may impact their users, but be prepared for monumental changes coming to Habbo. Some things that have been confirmed or are persistant rumours include:

• Dimmers not working, at least in the early iteration of Habbo2020, if at all. Be prepared to change the look of your room, or sell off your dimmers now for a quick buck (not confirmed by Habbo, just rumours at this stage)
• HC Gifts will be removed (NOT HC Gift Boxes, as I originally thought! At this stage these will still work), if you have been planning to buy those weird HC mask things, do it now, as all those points will be removed in Habbo2020. - This has been confirmed officially by Habbo. Instead HC members will recieve a preset gift every month (Just like the really good old days!)
• You may have to pay for things that we didn't have to pay for before - like creating rooms or adding locks or passwords to rooms (this is just rumour at this stage and not confirmed!)
• Exchange tax increasing - this has already been implemented 
• There will be a change in how credits are managed on your account - referred to as vaults. This has been explained by Habbo here (but in my opinion, not very clearly!) When we get more information I will write a post about this issue on its own, but if you have been thinking of buying a rank, or supporting HDA via a donation or platinum membership, do so now as it may be heavily restricted after Habbo2020 is implemented for some time.

How can I keep up to date?
Follow @Habbo on twitter (and while you are there follow me @Like_Lanaa) and check the Habbo news section on Habbo dot com for regular updates. They are often clearing up particularly crazy rumours and denying or confirming information there regularly. Also, read the HDA Blog! We care about Habbo just as much as you do and we want YOU to be prepared for this change as much as we do. The HDA Blog will be working hard over the next few months to bring you as much news and information regarding Habbo 2020 as we can!

Please contact Vibrational for any questions you may have, or any rumours you hear, we may include it in future posts.

Written by Vibrational with contributions by Shikiri & Capt-Soap