Intro: Preseason Beta Release

Intro: Preseason Beta Release

Dear Eyeballers — thanks for your support so far, we’ve been incredibly inspired by the dedication we’ve seen from each and every one of you. We are excited to take things further with the introduction of the much anticipated Pool Masters Preseason launch (previously Phase 2) which comes with a lot of new features including a brand new exciting multiplayer head-to-head game mode, revamped UI, game assets and an in-game currency, all targeted for limited release in early Q2 2024.

Read on for full details!

Multiplayer: A New Challenge

In the multiplayer player-vs-player (PvP) matches, players search for opponents and, once paired, put their skills to the test over a game of 8-ball pool. PvP matches will cost an entry fee that is denominated in soft in-game currency with the winner of the match taking home a portion of the soft currency prize pot.

A comprehensive matchmaking engine will be introduced to match players of comparable skill level against one another. The matchmaking and bots system will consider a player’s lifetime stats and XP earned to find a comparable player to challenge. To supplement the pool of players for efficient matchmaking, we’ve developed an AI bot system that we plan to introduce to make sure a challenging opponent is always available when you enter a PvP match.

But that’s not all, the overall game UI has been completely revamped in this new release.

This ground-up redesign shifts the focus from the traditional player’s goal of running through levels and beating as many opponents as possible to instead progressing through game quests, building up your game assets/collectibles and taking full ownership of them through the power of blockchain technology.

That’s right. Unlike other games, you will own your assets outright which is a big deal as we’ll explain.

CUE Sticks

The Preseason beta release also introduces non-tokenized in-game CUE sticks of varying rarity and base stat performances. Since Web 3 elements are not yet enabled in the Preseason, the game starter packs which include tokenized assets will be launched together with Web 3 enablement closer to the World Wide Release scheduled for early Q1 2025. For the Preseason, each player will get a default in-game CUE stick to play with and will have a chance to obtain upgraded CUE parts from CUE CASE loot boxes in one of the five different rarities (Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary). Each CUE stick includes unique performance stats that are based on the rarity of the CUE stick and are distributed across the following attributes:

• Power — how hard (the force) you can push the cue into the cue-ball.
• Spin — how much English you can apply — or how ‘thin’ you can strike the cue-ball. If you have a thin tip on your cue you can comfortably hit the ball ‘thinner’ and still apply reasonable force (the cue doesn’t bounce off the ball and thus make a scratch).
• Accuracy — how long the guide-lines are. At extreme angles the length of these guide-lines will be reduced! The more accuracy you have, the more visual guidance you get for the exit angles of the cue-ball and the target-ball.
• Time — how long (time in sec) does a player get to set up and make the shot. Longer time allows for the set up of more complex shots and allows for better positioning of the cue-ball to make it more favorable for the next shot.

CUE CARDS and the CUE Level-up Module

With the introduction of the collectible CUEs will come the CUE stick level up module. Leveling up a CUE cycles through each of the CUE’s stats or attributes, increasing them sequentially and making it a more powerful CUE stick to play with. In order to level up a CUE a combination of CUE CARDS (parts) and GOLD must be used. CUEs have 5 different rarities: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary (“CUREL”).

CUEs all start at level 1 and can be leveled up to their maximum level which depends on their rarity type. The maximum level that a CUE stick can be leveled up to for C/U/R/E/L rarity types is 10/20/30/40/50 respectively.

For standard CUE levels, leveling up costs an amount of GOLD and a number of the same CUE CARD type. At key levels there is a rank up which requires the merging of an additional CUE to craft the new star or rank level and also provides a greater increase across all of the CUE stats.

GOLD: Our Soft In-game Currency

One of the biggest new features is an in-game (non-tokenized) soft utility currency called GOLD that you can use to level up CUES, pay table entry fees and wager against other players which is added to the prize pot in PvP matches. Players can acquire GOLD by competing in PvP matches or quests. Daily login incentives will also be added as a source of GOLD for players to get started.

Throughout the Preseason launch, the balance of GOLD you acquire will be used to qualify for a claim of hard currency (tokenized) when Web 3 enablement is available around the time of World Wide Release.

The qualifying GOLD balance that the players have accumulated will have a multiplier applied on it based on the number of Balldroid Passes a player holds. A snapshot of all the in-game player GOLD balances will be taken (at a date TBD) and the more GOLD and Balldroid Passes a player acquires, the higher percentage they will receive of the Preseason tokenized hard currency allotment when it is introduced. The scaling factor on the end of season GOLD balance for multiple Balldroid holdings will be according to the following table:

Balldroid Originals and Early Access Pass Collections

With the introduction of the long awaited multiplayer game mode, it’s now time to expand the pool of players. To do so, we will introduce two levels of the next generation early-access passes: the Balldroid Originals Pass (migration 14 March 2024) and the Early Access Pass (mint April 2024).

The two digital collectibles will serve as Preseason beta access passes and will be launched on the Immutable zkEVM making Pool Masters among the first batch of game titles available on the new layer 2 blockchain. For the World Wide Release, the game will also be rolled out with support for assets on the Immutable zkEVM blockchain.

In addition to enabling access to the Pool Masters Preseason closed beta test, the Balldroid Originals holders will be able to claim a game starter pack of a tokenized CUE stick digital collectible and additional hard/soft game currencies at the World Wide Release, matching the benefits of the previous Balldroid Gen 0 collection (Cronos).

The game starter packs will include a limited edition Balldroid branded CUE stick to commemorate the early project supporters. Upon Worldwide Release, these limited edition CUES will never be available for purchase in the shop. They can however, be acquired through winning matches in different locations and collecting CUE CASES. The in-game peer-2-peer marketplace will be the only venue where players can buy and sell the complete limited edition CUE sticks from other players.

Both the Balldroid Originals Pass and the Early Access Pass holders will enjoy advertising free play when ads are introduced into the Worldwide release mobile game that will be launched on Android and iOS in early Q1 2025. The Balldroid Originals and Early Access Pass digital collectibles will be the only time we will offer the these passes. Holders of multiple Originals and Early Access Passes will also enjoy a collection multiplier on the regular hard currency claim as that also scales with the number of collectibles owned as previously stated.

Balldroid Originals collection will enjoy a collection multiplier of 1.3x while the Early Access Pass holders will get a collection multiplier of 1.2x. The total number of tokenized hard currency preseason claim a player will be eligible for will be according to the following formula:

Where,

Collection: is the multiplier for the different NFT collection types
(1.3x Originals / 1.2x Early Access)
NumNFT: is the number of NFTs a player owns at the snapshot date
(1–10x based on # of NFTs held)
GoldBalance: is the balance of GOLD a player has at the snapshot date
TotalGold: is the total amount of GOLD distributed in economy during the Preseason prior to the snapshot date
TotalTokens: is total amount of tokens which will be allocated to the Preseason rewards, the total token amount is TBD and pending tokenomics balancing but the overall amount in the preseason allocation scales up with the number of acquired active users.

The total collection size of the Balldroid Originals Pass will be 4,008 NFTs reserved 1:1 only for the migration of the current Balldroid Gen 0 (Cronos) collection holders. For the Early Access Pass collection size will be fixed at 1,111 NFTs. Additional digital collectible drops will be added throughout the Preseason to aid in increasing PvP player liquidity. The Early Access Pass drop will be a free mint with whitelist spots issued out for various project collaborations, community events and marketing efforts.

Current Balldroid Holders

Since the Preseason beta test will be made available exclusively for the new Balldroid Originals and Early Access Pass holders on Immutable zkEVM, the owners of the current Balldroid Gen 0 collection (Cronos) will be eligible for a 1:1 FREE mint migration (inclusive of gas fees) of the new Originals Pass collection to enjoy all of the same benefits as before with the additional new benefits.

Prior to the new Early Access Pass collection mint, the current Balldroids will have the ability to evolve into the Balldroid Originals Pass (Immutable zkEVM) by submitting the current Balldroid Gen 0 (Cronos) to a dedicated web portal where the migration will take place. The migration start date is targeted to commence on 14 March 2024. A gas free migration subsidy on the Immutable zkEVM will be offered for a limited time where the Balldroid Gen 0 holder does not need to have any IMX or ETH on the Immutable zkEVM blockchain to do the migration. All you would need is a nominal amount of CRO for the Gen 0 transfer on Cronos and an Immutable Passport wallet set up. This gas free incentive is only provided for a limited time so be sure to migrate your Balldroid Gen 0 over to the Balldroid Originals Pass early on the Balldroid Migration Portal. The migration portal is scheduled to open on 14 March 2024 at 00:00 UTC.

The existing rarity type of the Balldroid Gen 0 will be preserved but a new set of unique traits will be generated as part of the Balldroid Originals generative art characteristics. The general themes of the Gen 0 Legendary Balldroids have been hand designed into the new Originals collection.

As our journey into Web 3 began with Cronos and their accelerator program, the chain and the CROfam community will always have a special place in our hearts but we feel that we have reached the current max potential of players in the ecosystem. By migrating the existing assets to the Immutable zkEVM blockchain for the Preseason launch, the existing community will have access to greater opportunities, a larger gamer audience and focus on a chain with higher liquidity.

In addition, our go-to-market strategy will be quicker due to lower tech overhead by not having to support two very different blockchain technologies at launch.

Come Join Us!

So come on and join the revolution of digital entertainment with Pool Masters, the thrilling new game that will immerse you in a world of skill, strategy, and eye-popping fun!

With the Preseason launch scheduled to be released in early Q2 2024, Pool Masters offers a unique gaming experience like no other. Dive into the mesmerizing pool hall with your Balldroid collectibles, unlock exclusive features and rewards as you showcase your pool-playing prowess.

Join us on our Discord server, where you can connect with fellow players, engage in friendly competition and stay updated on all the exciting developments in store.

Visit our website, to learn more about the game, mint your Balldroid Passes and secure your spot on the cutting edge of gaming innovation.

Get ready to unleash your inner pool shark and experience a game that will leave you truly amazed!