WorldShards AMA recap #6 (August 2024)

Yes, adventurers, it was a BIG AMA session. As you may remember, each and every AMA session is a tight close to a new upcoming update. And this one is not the exception for this rule. Get comfortable and find out what’s in the recap:

Whether the game will be updated with new content and islands before the wipe?

It will be updated with the new islands quite soon. This is going to be in the next update. We have our main island, but also additional islands. And these additional islands, we’re going to touch on today.

How will the replacement of a default island with a Founder’s Island affect existing buildings?

When a default island is replaced by a Founder’s Island, all existing buildings and structures on the default island will remain intact. The buildings that were previously on the default island will stay on the new Founder’s Island without any changes or disruptions, ensuring that everything remains functional and as it was before the switch.

What additional benefits do Founder’s Islands provide?

Founder’s Islands offer several advantages. Players have more space for constructing buildings and more slots for artifacts, which are significant advantages in terms of the game’s economy.

How can players travel between the main island and additional islands?

Players can use a menu that allows for instantaneous teleportation between the main island and the additional islands.

What features do the additional islands have?

Additional islands have their own statistics and come in addition to their rarities. They offer increased building capacity and separate building fields, allowing players to construct different types of buildings across multiple islands. Furthermore, these islands provide extra artifact slots. We can’t wait to see what you guys are able to cook up with not just one place for you to build, but with essentially six. Yes, each additional island has unique environmental features that make them distinct from one another.

How many additional islands can a player have along with the main island?

Players can have up to five additional islands along with the main island, making a total of six islands to manage.

Will Founder’s Islands offer unique advantages over regular islands?

Yes, Founder’s Islands will allow players to exceed the artifact slot limits that other players without Founder’s Islands will face, giving them a unique advantage.

Are there any planned changes to weapons, including stats and spells?

Yes, there are ongoing changes and balancing efforts for weapons as part of the game’s active development. The development team continually listens to community feedback and experiments with balance adjustments. For instance, the Greatsword’s Q ability was once overpowered but has since been balanced. Similarly, dual axes now include crowd control, though further refinements are still in progress. Overall, while significant changes aren’t planned at the moment, nothing is off the table.

What is the focus of the development team regarding game improvements?

The development team’s current focus is on high-priority tasks such as enhancing the economy, implementing multiplayer features, and developing the auction house. While weapon tweaks are part of ongoing adjustments, the primary attention is on these major features to benefit the player experience.

When can players expect character customization to be available, and will they be able to play as different in-game races?

Character customization is actively being developed and is confirmed to be in progress. However, specific details about its release are not yet available. As for playing as other in-game races like Meowkles, Wargs, or Gnolls, this feature is not currently confirmed but remains a possibility for the future. For now, character customization will focus on human characters.

When will we have more music in the game?

In this current update, we plan to overhaul the music system. Instead of a single looping track, the new system will introduce randomized variations with different instrumental pieces. Each new biome will have its own unique adventure theme, enhancing the musical experience with diverse and unpredictable elements.

Will there be events where players can collect items and exchange them for new rewards like skins or pets?

Events that offer exclusive rewards are planned. While specific details are still in development, the focus will be on providing unique items through these events. As for pets, the feature known as animal husbandry is anticipated to be introduced in the later phases of the roadmap, allowing players to interact with and benefit from livestock.

Will there be the possibility of obtaining cosmetic items for weapons, armor, and tools, or blueprints for crafting?

We have some customization options planned in the later stages of the roadmap. And of course, we’re going to give you the metrics of expression, as many of them as possible.

Will there be a PvP mode, or will the game remain focused on PvE?

Currently, there are no concrete plans for a PvP mode. In the future, we’re still going to have a PvE system based on skill activation that is going to depend on the situation that you find yourself in. This will ensure a unique experience for each adventure. And there are no plans to include NPCs for equipment repairs during dungeon runs.

What about open world features like world bosses, group dungeons, and endgame raids?

The game was not designed as an open world title. However, endgame content such as group dungeons, world bosses, and raids are planned, but will be integrated once multiplayer features are fully developed. The focus will initially be on developing multiplayer capabilities, which will then support the endgame content, allowing for cooperative adventures and content. Specific details on these features will be shared later.

Will the new archipelago (biome) have an entry cost in runes? How will the equipment there continue to evolve, level 6, level 7 onwards?

The new archipelago is indeed a new biome, specifically the winter biome. This will integrate into the existing progression system, so the levels one through five will remain the same, but now you’ll have access to winter islands with new and unique objects. The progression scale won’t change, but this biome will bring fresh content and replayability to the game. The enemies, adventure objects, and other elements in this biome will offer a new experience, enhancing the existing gameplay loop.

Are there any plans to revamp potions? Right now, no one seems to be using them, and it is a very overlooked gameplay feature.

It’s great that you brought this up. We are aware that potions and other consumables are currently lacking in efficacy, and this is something we’ve been looking into. Potions will indeed be tweaked to align better with the other powerful consumables in the game, giving them more utility. While we can’t say whether the changes will be drastic, they will definitely make potions more viable in the gameplay.

Will we be able to visit other players’ islands and use their workbenches or pay a usage fee in the guild system? Can we use our friends’ workbenches for free?

You can expect more details on this once we roll out the multiplayer feature. We are exploring various ways for players to interact with each other, whether it’s through adventures, visiting islands, or using workbenches. Interaction with friends is a key part of the multiplayer experience, and we aim to make it as engaging as possible.

Will there be any multiplayer function?

Yes, multiplayer is one of the major features planned for future updates. It’s not just about forming parties to go on adventures but also about spending time together on islands. We have several ideas to make cooperative, non-combat gameplay exciting and interactive. Multiplayer will be rolled out in phases, offering various ways for players to engage with each other.

Can we expect drops of higher rarity decorations after the economy launch?

Sure! Higher rarity decorations will be introduced, but not immediately after the economy launch. The timing will depend on the life cycle of the project and the development of the player base. As players are just beginning to acquire rare decorations, it doesn’t make sense to introduce higher rarities too soon. Over time, new seasons and types of assets will be added, but there won’t be a significant increase in rarities in the near future.

Will the key binding be available in the next patch?

We even have people on the team who are eager for this feature. However, as you might guess, it’s not one of the critical features, so it’s currently in the backlog. It will eventually make its way into the game in some of the upcoming updates. But right now, we are focused on the major features that are higher priority, like additional island functionality and multiplayer. We’re also working on technical improvements and constantly monitoring stability features. We’ll get to key binding when the time is right.

Is there going to be more of a focus on the depth of character development? Like different play styles, classes leaning towards standard tank, DPS, support roles?

Yes, of course, there will be something like this. But these roles don’t really make sense unless we have the multiplayer component. So that’s the main focus. What’s the point of having a healer or a tank in a single-player game? The priority right now is getting multiplayer up and running. Once we have that, we can start introducing roles that allow players to specialize in different end-game cooperative systems. This will let you develop your character differently from others, strategize, and engage in tactics together. So yes, these roles are likely to be introduced alongside multiplayer, but we’ll have to wait and see exactly what they’ll be.

What is the future of furniture in the game?

As Andrew mentioned earlier, we’re planning to add new types and varieties of furniture so you can enhance the comfort level of your island. I know many of you have been eagerly awaiting the introduction of Leagues of Comfort, and we’re excited to bring this feature in after the upcoming update. This means Comfort will have even more value in the game.

After the official launch of the game, will access only be available for codes like in Big Time today?

As you all know, we have plans to eventually make the game available to everyone. From the beginning, we’ve been building the game with a free-to-play philosophy in mind. However, while we’re in early access and likely for some time after the initial economy launch, things might remain as they are now until we feel that the game has enough features and is developed enough to accommodate more players. Eventually, it will be open to everyone, and you might see a system similar to Big Time’s or something slightly different. Also, we’re not limiting ourselves to just the PC version. You can expect mobile application to become available next year, which will make the game playable on different devices, significantly increasing the audience we can reach.

What are the two additional tickets recently added to the no active sales list, besides the one for tools artifacts?

All the tickets that we mint are tied to future sales. So if you see any tickets being minted, you can expect sales. And that’s pretty much it. So basically, every ticket is tied to one sale, but it doesn’t mean that the sale is going to happen immediately. Just be on the lookout and stay tuned!

Is there a plan B to introduce items into the game if people start buying the boxes? So are we planning to have direct sales or something like that?

This is one of the common ways to distribute assets among the community, maintaining balance by not having a guaranteed way to get any specific desired asset while distributing those assets among the early access players. We don’t have any specific plans to completely change how assets are distributed. Distributing them by sales ensures we do not distribute more items than there is demand for. In the future, there might be some changes to how different assets are introduced to the game, but you need to keep in mind that everything related to the economy must maintain value. So you can probably not expect valuable assets to be distributed often through in-game drops or other means, as that would undermine the whole idea of the economy and maintaining the value of those assets.

How will renting look like?

So obviously, renting is another alternative to selling assets. When you have several assets that cannot be used at the same time, selling is one option. Renting is a functionality that we are able to use on OpenLoot, and we will enable renting for specific types of assets. We’re not promising all web3 assets will be rentable, but that will definitely include founder’s islands as well as other land and gear, including artifacts. So all the core assets of the web3 economy will be rentable, and renting will be enabled closer to the economy launch. It will look similar to how it does with Big Time assets on OpenLoot because it’s the same marketplace and functionality is pretty much the same.

Can you properly disclose the funding status of the project? There’s concern about the project’s strength since nothing has been revealed about its financing status, especially in relation to the upcoming launcher tokens

Actually, we haven’t been trying to keep it a secret, and we did disclose information about funding earlier. The project was initially funded by the founders themselves, along with contributions from early friends and family investors. Later, during the prototype stages, we received investment from OpenLoot as part of a pre-seed round, along with additional funding from the OpenLoot ecosystem fund, which has been crucial in getting us to this point. The sales that have occurred also contributed to the studio’s ability to continue development. Currently, our financials are healthy, and we have a roadmap planned for the next couple of years, with even more active development than we’re doing now. We’re on track for the economy launch, and as we continue to work on the product, we’re increasingly excited about its potential to onboard millions of users and make a significant impact in the web3 space.

What will be the function of this Founder’s gear in the game economy?

Founder’s gear plays a crucial role in the pre-con that is required to obtain token rewards and other benefits. The rarity of each item is significant. There is no guaranteed way to obtain items of a rarity greater than common, so owning higher rarity items gives you an advantage in token rewards and upgrades. Each upgrade requires a specific number of items, and having some of these items in advance significantly reduces the time needed to reach the next rarity level. This makes the gear important in terms of performance and economy impact when the economy starts.

Are there any differences between the additional islands and the Founder’s Islands besides capacity and slots? What are your thoughts on the rare Founder’s Islands being valued below the starting box price from six months ago?

The differences between additional islands and Founder’s Islands have been communicated before. Regarding the prices and the disappointment expressed, we don’t set prices ourselves but monitor the balance between supply and demand. Price adjustments occur as new assets are introduced and supply dynamics change. The price fluctuations you’re seeing are part of the natural adjustment process. We are focused on long-term development, and while short-term price changes can be disheartening, they are part of the evolving game economy.

Is it accurate to assess prices in the short term given the lower max issuance of founder’s islands compared to future land supplies? Shouldn’t we focus on long-term trends instead of short-term fluctuations?

Exactly. It’s crucial to focus on long-term trends rather than short-term price fluctuations. Founder’s islands have a significantly lower maximum issuance compared to other land supplies that will be introduced later. This scarcity is intended to preserve their long-term value. As we continue to grow the player base and develop the game, prices will naturally fluctuate, but this is a normal aspect of the process. Our main goal is to build a strong, expanding community and ensure the game’s longevity.

How will the sale of these additional islands be? Will it be before the launch of the economy?

Yes, the sale of additional islands will occur before the launch of the economy. We plan to conduct this sale in advance of the economy’s launch.

Will there be more islands after the economy is launched, like level six, etc.?

Yes, additional islands will be introduced after the economy launch. The development of new content, including higher-level islands, will depend on player progress and the need for new content. We will continue to add new content as needed to keep the game engaging and balanced.

In case the additional island sale was before the economy, can we drop additional islands in-game after the economy?

Yes, there will indeed be new opportunities to acquire various types of assets, including additional islands, after the economy is officially launched. It’s important to note, however, that obtaining valuable assets will not be easy or without effort. The intention is to ensure that the value of these assets remains significant and not subject to inflation. Assets will be valuable due to their rarity and the effort required to obtain them, contributing to a balanced and sustainable in-game economy.

Can you explain a bit more in detail as to all the burning mechanics that you’ve prepared?

The burning mechanics in the game involve the removal of tokens from circulation whenever they are spent on various activities such as increasing item rarity, crafting, or other in-game actions. There is no redistribution mechanism; once tokens are spent, they are withdrawn from the system entirely. For NFTs, if you use items to create new ones — such as fusing rare items into epic ones — the original items are effectively removed from the system and the item’s supply/issuance is freed up allowing more such items to be crafted by players. This process helps to manage the availability and value of NFTs by ensuring that they do not become overly abundant, thus maintaining their long-term value.

Repairing NFTs is instant and doesn’t require artifacts, which might harm the economy by allowing easy asset transfers between accounts. Should artifacts be required for repairs, regardless of rarity? What does the team think?

The system allows for the repair of items without needing artifacts to ensure that collectible items remain usable for core gameplay without the requirement for web3 assets. This approach helps maintain a balanced gameplay experience for all players. However, for web3 functionalities such as charging items and increasing their rarity, artifacts and land are indeed required. Although asset transfers between accounts can occur, the associated costs and complexities involved in these transfers are designed to mitigate potential economic issues. The overall system aims to balance the economy while preserving the value of assets.

How will weapon fusion affect supply? Will free commons equal one uncommon? Will the fused weapons be destroyed or returned to supply? How many items are needed to upgrade rarity?

To upgrade an item’s rarity, you need to select one target item you wish to upgrade and then choose two additional items of the same type and rarity. For instance, if you want to upgrade a common weapon to an uncommon one, you will need three common weapons in total. After the upgrade process, you will end up with one uncommon weapon. The items used in the fusion process are removed from circulation and the supply slots they once occupied become available once more. The process involves a combination of burning the used items and potentially using a token for the upgrade.

Is it possible to communicate data bi-weekly, such as the number of active players, the number of lands, founder’s used, etc.?

We won’t provide full disclosure of stats, but we are over 1,000 daily active users, a significant milestone for us. We’re planning to announce a second stage of our ambassador contest with a prize pool of $10,000 spread across the top 20 participants. We’re also planning to have bi-weekly Fireside Chats to keep communication transparent. We’ve seen the player base grow significantly and are continually working to increase it.

What are the plans to attract a large number of players with the economy launch, and how will the sales strategy evolve to address inflation caused by too many NFTs circulating?

We are focusing on ambassador efforts and collaborations to attract new players. We have a welcome bundle strategy and are working on ways to manage sales and reduce inflation. We also have new partnerships and activities aimed at growing our user base.

Is it possible to reveal all the planned sales, including specific dates and prices?

We cannot provide exact schedules or prices for upcoming sales due to reasons such as preventing bots from exploiting the sales. Our announcements will continue to be made in due time. Game development is fluid, and our plans may evolve based on community needs and the state of the economy.

In the in-game auction house, will players be able to trade resources like wood for ore, and will this be done through player-to-player transactions or through NPCs?

The auction house will allow players to list items for sale using in-game currency. For example, you can sell wood and use the proceeds to buy ore. It operates like a market where you list items for sale, and players buy them with their currency.

What strategies or features will be implemented to attract new players and enhance gameplay?

We plan to introduce Leagues of Comfort to unite new and veteran players. Additionally, we are working on various activities and collaborations to boost user engagement and growth. We aim to create a vibrant community and keep expanding our player base.

Will there be a quality-of-life feature for crafting where players don’t have to run back and forth between storage chests and crafting stations?

We are researching the implementation of a feature that allows storage chests to function as an extended inventory while crafting. This is intended to improve the player experience, though I can’t specify the exact timeline for its release.

When will the economy start? Can you provide a more specific timeline?

The economy is planned to launch in the third quarter of 2024, around September or early October. The timing may slightly adjust based on game stability, balance, and content readiness. We aim to stick to our timeline as closely as possible.

When will the token be released on the exchange? Will it be listed on Binance or OKX? What is the total amount of tokens in circulation? Are tokens that get dropped every day locked in OpenLoot for 10 days before they can be traded, like in Big Time? Is there a maximum number of drop tokens per day? Can each player only use 5 additional islands?

That’s quite a few questions in one! For specifics about token release dates, exchange listings, and circulation, we can only share details when they’re officially confirmed. We avoid speculation and premature announcements to manage expectations accurately. We’re working hard to finalize these plans and will share updates when they’re ready. Regarding token drops and their trading restrictions, and the number of islands a player can use, please refer to the Wiki for detailed information.

Do you have any idea about the liquidity applied to the game token or its market parameters?

We’re focusing on product development and implementing new features rather than speculating on market data. We understand the importance of market parameters but prefer not to share assumptions or forecasts that may lead to misinformation. We’ll keep you updated with verified information as we progress.

Will there be a presale for the token?

Currently, there are no plans for a presale. We are finalizing the token and economy launch plans with our partners and market makers. Once everything is set, we’ll communicate the details to the community in advance. We strive to avoid sudden announcements and ensure all updates are timely and accurate.

If we burn uncommon level 2 items, do we get level 2 basic or rare items in return?

Rarity and level are different aspects. Burning a level 2 uncommon item will not directly give you a level 2 basic or rare item. The rarity upgrade process involves different mechanics, and the level of the item doesn’t change the rarity outcomes.

Will we experience multiplayer before the economy launch?

No, multiplayer features will be introduced after the economy launch. We’re focusing on preparing the economy first before rolling out multiplayer functionalities.

When will the new female main character be introduced, and can you share more details?

We’re working on the female main character and want to ensure she meets our high standards before revealing her. We aim for perfection and will showcase her when we’re confident she’s fully developed. Expect more details once everything is ready.

Thank you all for your support and questions. We appreciate your engagement and feedback. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements!