WorldShards AMA Recap #8 (December 2024)

Ho-ho-ho, welcome to our New Year’s Eve AMA! We have gathered again for a large update and, by the way, the launch of the second phase of the economy. Therefore, here are all the most interesting questions from our community. Now let’s talk about everything in order, but in the meantime, you can make cocoa and delicious cookies.

Why does the roadmap seem more decorative than an actual guide?

The question likely refers to the roadmap displayed on the site. We acknowledge that it hasn’t been updated regularly, which is a common issue in dynamic development environments. However, frequent visitors to the game can clearly see the steady stream of updates and the substantial content and functionality improvements being added at a high pace.

Updating a high-level roadmap properly would require additional planning meetings, but we prioritize delivering features efficiently over adhering strictly to predefined roadmap items. Game development is inherently a hectic process, and adjustments are often made to implement what we believe is most beneficial for the game’s current stage. As a result, some roadmap points may be deferred or replaced by more critical updates.

That being said, the roadmap will continue to be updated periodically to reflect the general direction of development for the coming years. We believe it’s time to revisit and update the roadmap once again to better communicate our plans.

Are transfers of items from additional islands to the main island being considered?

Yes, this feature is planned for the near future. Players will be able to place a certain number of inactive objects (such as those not involved in recycling, crafting, or charging) in the construction panel and move them to another island. This improvement aims to enhance usability and flexibility.

Is there a chance to increase the maximum limit of 100 decorations in the game?

Currently, there are no plans to change the maximum limit of 100 decorations. However, several related solutions are being explored, such as restricting decor in specific contexts, introducing additional slots for founders and new islands, and enabling the conversion of decor items to higher rarities. While decorations serve their current purpose effectively, we’re open to re-evaluating this mechanic in the future if needed. For now, it is not a priority as we believe the system functions adequately in its present state.

Will the materials to increase the rarity of our equipment drop from any island, or will the island level influence drop rates and amounts? Will NFTs need to be charged to obtain these materials, or will they be accessible for free-to-play players?

The resources being referred to in this question are what we call rifts. Here’s how players can obtain these rifts:

• Rift Drops: Rifts drop in a manner similar to tokens, with factors such as luck and the charge of NFT items influencing both the drop rates and the appearance of these bonus drops.
• Accessibility for Free-to-Play Players: Rifts can also drop as welcome rewards for players, even if they do not own any NFTs. This ensures that free-to-play players have access to these resources, which is an important consideration in the game’s economy.
• Player-Driven Economy: Rifts can be traded on the open-loop marketplace. Importantly, they cannot be purchased directly from the developers. This facilitates a player-driven economy where free-to-play players who acquire rifts can trade them with others. For players with NFTs that have charges and enhanced luck, the drop rates and quantities of rifts will be significantly higher.

In summary, rifts required to increase the rarity of items will be introduced into the game. They will be accessible to all players, can be traded on the marketplace, and can also be processed into higher-quality rifts.

In the Medium post, it is mentioned that to increase the rarity, we will need two NFTs: the one we want to upgrade and the one to burn. Will it be like that, or will it require more than one to burn? Does the level of both pieces matter, or does it only matter for the one I want to increase in rarity? Will the result of the rarity increase give a weapon identical to the one we upgraded, but of higher rarity?

Let’s clarify how the rarity upgrade works for NFT items and artifacts. For artifacts, the process is straightforward. You need two artifacts of the same type and rarity. Both artifacts are merged and destroyed, and a new artifact of the next rarity level is created. For example, merging two green artifacts results in one blue artifact, and so on. Artifacts do not have stats or unique attributes like weapons — they are just artifacts.

For items, the process is slightly different. Upgrading an item’s rarity involves three NFTs:

• The target item, which you want to upgrade.
• Two additional items of the same type and rarity, which will be burned.

The target item retains its stats and unique attributes after the upgrade. The other two items are merged into the target item and are destroyed in the process. While the levels or tiers of the burned items do not directly impact the result, if their levels are lower than the target item, the cost of the upgrade will be higher.

To summarize:

• For artifacts, you need two NFTs to merge.
• For items, you need three NFTs: one to upgrade and two to burn.
• The upgraded item retains its characteristics and only increases in rarity.
• This system ensures clarity and consistency in upgrading both artifacts and items.

Will the charge times of our NFTs change? The roadmap mentions this because waiting a whole day for six charges, which is just for a big island, makes the game boring unless we speed up the charging. Compared to the test, will accelerating the charging cost the same, or will it be increased or decreased?

When it comes to charging times and the costs of processes like crafting, upgrades, and charging, we aim to adjust these as seldom as possible. Currently, we are monitoring statistics and analyzing data, and based on what we see, there’s no immediate need to make adjustments. However, we are committed to optimizing for the community’s benefit. This may sometimes appear unbalanced from an individual player’s perspective, but our goal is to ensure the overall activity levels align with the community’s expectations. As of now, there are no specific plans to change charging times or costs.

What is the date of Phase Two and Phase Three?

Phase Two has already started. Phase Three is coming soon. We’re also approaching the TGE, where you’ll be able to exchange your proxy tokens. We’re excited to share more details when the time comes!

Are you going to limit the number of adventure islands we can do in a day when we have the token? Or can anyone with charged NFTs and enough time spend all their time farming?

The number of adventures you can undertake remains consistent with previous mechanics. The key resources required are unchanged: charged items, runes, gold to activate the portal.

We haven’t added any additional limitations beyond these existing requirements. For those who have started Phase Two, this should now be clear.

How long will weapon or armor upgrade times be? And will the daily gold limit remain at 10 gold in Phase Two?

There may be changes in the future, and we are currently evaluating the situation. However, as of now, we are not announcing any adjustments.

Is there any intention to bring a summary of drops at the end of every adventure?

Yes, it’s in our plans. This feature is expected to be implemented in the first quarter of next year, so you can look forward to it being added soon.

Do you plan to implement token burning for entry to the islands? What token burning methods, in addition to crafting, do you have in mind?

Tokens can be considered a premium currency that can be traded. As mentioned before, we are still at the beginning stages of the game’s operation, and a significant part of the roadmap lies ahead. This includes not only new content but also social features and numerous improvements to the game. Token sinks currently available are foundational, but we will introduce more advanced and varied mechanisms as we continue to expand the game.

Will an auction house be added in the future so players can trade basic resources with each other? When the auction house is implemented, will it allow us to sell not only wood and stone but also essences and runes?

Yes, we’ve mentioned before that an auction house will be added. It’s planned for next year, and it will allow players to buy and sell most, if not all, droppable items, including essences and runes. So, you can definitely expect this feature to be introduced.

Will legendary artifacts enable us to craft legendary items, or can legendaries only be obtained using the merge system?

Items of rarity 1 through 4 can be obtained through crafting. Items of rarity 5, however, can only be acquired via the merging system to increase rarity. Assigning numerical values to the rarities, it’s essentially common, uncommon, rare, epic — all of which can be obtained through crafting. Beyond that, merging is required. Additionally, it is important to note that merging requires an artifact of the same rarity.

Will decorations ever be used in crafting NFT weapons? Would this attract more players?

We do not plan to use decorations in any crafting processes related to equipment. While the suggestion is creative, it is counterintuitive to the role we envision for decorations. Future mechanics related to decorations themselves will be expanded, but specific details cannot be disclosed at this time.

In the future, will there be decoration rarity upgrading?

We are satisfied with the current role of decorative items. However, plans to expand the mechanics related to decorative items are in development. As for increasing the rarity of decorations, this remains undecided.

Will free game access bring in a massive influx of bots or exploiters, similar to PVU? How will you manage multi-account holders and bots?

Our primary focus is to expand and grow our audience. We believe that most players are well-intentioned, provided they do not exploit the game using cheats or other unfair methods. Anti-cheat measures are regularly updated, and a specific upcoming update will make it nearly impossible to gain advantages through external software or other means.

Any player who plays fairly is welcome, as the more players we have, the better the game becomes. We are actively increasing our community and audience as we prepare for TG. We’ve seen a significant influx of new players, and we encourage everyone to welcome and assist them in understanding the game, whether in Discord or other channels.

While we cannot guarantee this level of growth will continue indefinitely, for now, free access is working well, and we do not plan to reinstate access codes during phase two. Regarding multi-accounting, we address this through KYC (Know Your Customer) verification, which ensures that each account has a unique owner. While there have been occasional complaints about KYC issues, our customer support team is actively working to resolve these. Players experiencing problems should submit a support ticket for assistance. Multi-accounting is not permitted under our game policies, and we take appropriate measures to enforce this rule.

In summary, we are excited about the growing number of players joining the game and appreciate the community’s support in welcoming newcomers.

When will these sales stop? Endless sales drain the trust of the community

This perspective overlooks a key aspect of our approach. If there are only 100 items enabling participation in the game’s economy, then only 100 players can actively participate at a given time. To grow the community and increase active participation, more resources, gear, and items must be made available, which is achieved through sales.

When a player sells an asset to another player, the total number of items does not increase. Sales are necessary to support the growth of the community, ensuring new players can join and participate. As the community grows and becomes more dynamic, sales will occur more frequently to sustain the expansion. Our goal is to create a vibrant, large-scale community with hundreds of thousands of engaged players, and sales are an integral part of achieving that. We carefully monitor supply and demand, and the growing community is a positive sign of progress.

Will the limit of additional islands be five for the foreseeable future, or is there a possibility that the limit will be raised?

The limit of five islands per player will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future. We believe five islands is more than sufficient for property ownership within the game. Players with more than five islands are encouraged to participate in the market to trade or manage their holdings. Raising this limit is not planned at this time.

Will it be the same when converting Proxy tokens to $SHARDS as OLRP tokens are in OpenLoot?

The mechanics are similar. Proxy tokens will be converted to $SHARDS tokens after the Token Generation Event (TGE). Unlike OLRP tokens in OpenLoot, which may have a different exchange rate, the conversion rate for Proxy tokens to $SHARDS is fixed at 1:1. This exchange rate was part of our initial plan and remains consistent, as announced from the beginning.

Will there be a campaign or a main storyline, any sort of narrative involving NPCs or maybe daily missions?

Yes, we have plans to introduce campaigns, storylines, and NPCs to enrich the game. Adding narratives and daily missions will provide players with new goals and enhance their gaming experience. Currently, we are focusing on building the foundational elements, such as procedurally generated islands. While the narrative features are not a top priority at the moment, they are on our roadmap. These additions will help keep the game engaging and fresh, and we will share updates as development progresses.

When phase two of the economy starts, will we need tokens and gems to craft items, or only gems?

Currently, crafting does not require tokens. However, after the Token Generation Event (TGE), tokens will be integrated into the crafting process. You can expect this change moving forward.

Will there be a way to stash the design of the buildings built on additional islands and transfer them to the main islands, encouraging island rentals?

Yes, this is planned. Players will be able to transfer building designs between islands without losing materials and essence while upgrading workbenches.

Will the NFT item rarity upgrading be affected by the luck level of each item used in the upgrading process?

No, only the target item will retain its level and attribute aspects during the process. The other two NFTs used in upgrading will contribute to increasing the target’s rarity.

Can you explain how luck works? Players are noticing the same token drops despite having different luck levels (e.g., 400, 800, 1,200).

Luck is capped based on the difficulty of the island. Overstacking luck on simpler islands where the cap is already reached won’t yield additional benefits. Luck operates as a scalar factor, summing up across all gear and correlating with the difficulty of the island. Higher difficulty islands incentivize players with better rewards, aligning with their luck parameters.

It’s important to note that token drops are influenced by many factors beyond luck, such as the number of active players, global reward buckets, and their vesting speed. Because of this complexity, it is not possible to provide a definitive table linking specific luck levels to drop rates. However, a core design principle ensures that higher luck generally results in better rewards.

How are you monitoring supply and demand? Is there a BI team tracking the influx of new players or similar metrics? Do you have an idea of the percentage of new players or the ideal time between box sales?

The amount of audience we had in prior titles was significantly higher than what we are experiencing now. That is why we are eager to grow the game from its current state. We do have a comprehensive BI system, supported by BI engineers and analysts. As the game evolves, every new feature is accompanied by analytics events that are implemented before updates are released.

We closely monitor data for each feature and content piece in the game and make adjustments when necessary. This includes not just general metrics but also player cohort behaviors, onboarding processes for new players, and many other aspects. This process is complex, but we address it seriously. Unlike many web-based titles that struggle with this expertise, leading to poor performance post-release, we maintain high standards within our team and keep a close eye on every position within the studio to ensure success.

Can you provide details about the next sale? What will be available, and how will it be conducted?

While a full announcement will come later, we can confirm that Founders Gear will return. Many players have been eagerly awaiting this, and it will be available in limited supply due to its rarity. However, everyone participating will have a chance to acquire some.

We also plan to make some spec adjustments to ensure smoother transactions. These changes should provide more players with the opportunity to successfully participate in the sale. More details will be announced soon.

Why are you reducing player token drops but not reducing the consumption of player tokens and gems?

The token drop rate has an inverse correlation with player engagement and activity levels. If you notice a decline in token drops, it likely reflects an increase in the number of active players.

Our wiki contains detailed information about the tokenomics. The system’s design, similar to other successful games, includes an in-game rewards pool with predefined vesting timeframes and limits. These mechanics account for the changes in token rewards while maintaining a balanced economy.

What’s the price of the new box?

Details will be announced soon. Please stay tuned for updates.

How can I solve the bug where gemstones or gems are consumed after being charged and added?

So there are bugs. The update has come out. We will be fixing them. We are looking at this for sure. We’ve got a few tickets on this. With enemies being alive at zero HP, there’s a lot of new stuff that was added into this update. And not all of it’s working 100% perfectly. We’ll fix all these things out, but rest assured that is not intended behavior, okay? We’ll get that sorted for you as soon as we can.

Will there be character customization, like a female character?

Yes, customization is planned. In the future, you’ll be able to choose your character’s gender and play as a female character. This feature is expected to be introduced next year. We aim to make character customization more extensive and engaging than simply offering a basic gender choice.

Will there be new bosses, mobs, or perhaps ranged mobs?

New NPCs and enemies are in development. Recently, we introduced shielded enemies, and more exciting additions are on the way. While we can’t share specifics just yet, rest assured that there’s plenty to look forward to.

We appreciate your support and questions! Your engagement and feedback mean a lot to us. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements!