Roll20’s Jumpgate update to VTT might mean easier integrations and more games

Founder in Residence at Roll20, a company once known as the Orr Group and which now runs DriveThru, DMsGuild and siblings, Riley Dutton, announced significant changes to the VTT.

Unlike Fantasy Grounds, Roll20’s virtual tabletop plays in the web browser and uses a subscription model, unlike FoundryVTT.

As one of the first VTTs, Roll20 uses some of the oldest code, and Riley notes it uses a rendering engine (the drawing software) over a decade old. The new software would be faster. Roll20 says;

Bottom line: it means a faster, more performant VTT, with a beautiful modern interface, built on top of the latest web technology that will last us well into the future.

The video below shows how hard a powerful computer must work to run many tokens in Roll20.

Other changes are coming, such as improved user experience and the ability to smoothly scroll right to the cursor.

However, from the announcement it feels like the lion share of the initial work will be behind the scenes and deep in Roll20 code. We see a shift from old code, through WebGL and an eye on WebGPU.

Riley says;

And as new web technology such as WebGPU becomes widespread, we’ll be ready and able to take advantage to increase these wins even further.

What is WebGPU?

WebGPU is a new JavaScript API that allows developers to access the full capabilities of a GPU for graphics and compute-heavy tasks directly from the web browser. It offers several advantages over existing web graphics APIs like WebGL, including:

• Modern GPU capabilities: WebGPU supports modern GPU features like compute shaders, tessellation, and multisampling, enabling more complex and realistic graphics.

• Lower JavaScript overhead: WebGPU reduces the amount of JavaScript code required to render graphics, improving performance and responsiveness.
• Improved security: WebGPU uses a more secure memory model, reducing the risk of security vulnerabilities.

Interestingly, the next big edition of Unity will also add a new WebGPU graphics backend. Unity, now troubled, once darling, is the engine for many computer games.

Adding a WebGPU backend to Unity will mean those game devs can code games that run through browsers. Wizards of the Coast use Unreal Engine, a Unity rival, for their Roll20 competitor and official VTT.

It’s speculation, but WebGPU might be the glue that joins cloud gaming with virtual tabletop gaming.

Just this week, Google has been testing YouTube Playables with premium users.

YouTube Playables are Google’s return to gaming since the failure of the Stadia, a system that once offered to let people watching a live stream launch straight into a game with others on the channel. These new games are small and free for desktop and mobile, and if you’re thinking of games like Tetris, then you’re right.

Imagine if Roll20 was equally as flexible and powerful. You could have board games developed more easily for Roll20 or wargames, and the VTT company now owns Wargame Vault or card games, and they also own DriveThruCards.

Riley’s post doesn’t comment on this, just the nod to WebGPU, future tech and a focus on speed.

Roll20 says that a beta version of Jumpgate will be available to Pro users by the end of the first quarter of 2024 if all goes well.