The Lunatics

playSHRAPNEL
6 min readJun 10, 2024

--

The Lunatics, A Shrapnel Story — Public Beta

Dive into “The Lunatics”, an all-new strategy game developed by the talented Play Alchemy team, exclusively available on Discord. And massive shoutout to the team at GrowStudioHQ who produced the sick art and animations!

Select your team, choose your strategy, win the battle and reap your rewards!

  • Winning on Veteran and/or Elite difficulties will award players METAL, an off-chain points system granting future ecosystem rewards.
  • Winning on the Novice difficulty will award players with Play Credits to access Veteran and Elite.

Ready to start your adventure? Simply head to the #play-lunatics channel on Shrapnel’s Discord to start playing. Don’t worry if you’re new to the game; a handy tutorial is available to guide you through your first steps into the Zone.

Kindly note, that the current release is a Public Beta — expect adjustments and updates in the future! We look forward to hearing your feedback, as we continue to make updates and release new features!

Overview

  • Gameplay: In this rogue-like auto-battler, you will begin each round by choosing three Lunatics to fight with. Next, you’ll set your team up for battle by strategically choosing their abilities and positions on the battlefield. Once ready, you’ll start the battle, sit back, and watch the results.
  • Highly Accessible: Play “The Lunatics” on any device that supports Discord, with no additional system requirements needed.
  • 2 Game Modes: Shadow Arena — PvP (Available now), Solo Missions (To be released)
  • 3 Difficulty Levels: Novice, Veteran, Elite
  • Free Entry-Level Play: Novice difficulty is completely free to play, making it easy for new players to get started.
  • Play Credits: Use SHRAP to purchase Play Credits, or earn them by winning the Novice difficulty, allowing you to access the more challenging Veteran and Elite levels.
  • Benefits for NFT Holders: Shrapnel Operator NFT holders can receive 5 Play Credits per day as a reward for attempting a run on any difficulty level (the Play Credits are granted even if you lose, but you have to finish the run — no abandoning). You need to have the Operator holder role on Discord.
  • Reward Mechanism: Players earn METAL by winning the Veteran and Elite campaigns. Play Credits are awarded for winning the Novice difficulty.

Getting Started

All gameplay for “The Lunatics” takes place within the Shrapnel Discord server. The game utilizes interactive buttons, generative videos, images, and preloaded cut-scene content to create an immersive gaming environment directly on Discord.

  1. Ensure you have a Discord account.
  2. Join the Shrapnel Discord and navigate to the #play-lunatics channel.
  3. Check out the available tutorial to enhance your understanding of the gameplay.
  4. To collect the METAL rewards from completing the Veteran and/or Elite levels, confirm that your Discord account is connected and authenticated with Shrapnel’s Operations on Moku.
  5. METAL earned will be automatically deposited into your Moku account. If you’ve not yet linked your Discord account to Moku or have not created a Moku account, the METAL will be waiting for you until you do. https://shrapnel.moku.gg/

Gameplay modes

These gameplay modes will be available in all three difficulty levels:

  • Solo Mission: You’ll encounter waves of new enemies, discover Shrapnel lore, and fight three epic bosses.
  • Shadow Arena — [AVAILABLE NOW!]: You’ll fight against the shadows of other players. Get 10 wins before you get 5 losses to win!

Difficulty Levels

  • Novice
  • Veteran — available for Shadow Arena, but to be released for Solo Mission (to be released)
  • Elite — available for Shadow Arena, but to be released for Solo Mission (to be released)

10 win runs are required to unlock the next difficulty.

Solo Mission (To be released)

Play as The Lunatics: Players command a squad of Operators known as the Lunatics, contracted by Valdacha, the reigning power in the Sacrifice Zone. The game’s rich story is filled with mysteries and narrative puzzles that deepen the lore of Shrapnel.

Rogue-Like Auto-Battler Mechanics: In this rogue-like auto-battler, players will confront AI opponents in waves, with each wave comprising 3 battles that culminate in a challenging boss fight. Before each battle begins, players select their units, choose their skills, and set their positions on the battlefield. The combat is automatic, with units taking turns to act until all units on one side are defeated.

Strategic Depth Required: Success in combat depends on a combination of predictive strategy and trial and error. Players must thoughtfully select and upgrade their team’s abilities between battles, adapting their tactics as enemies grow more challenging.

Progress Through Chapters: The game is segmented into three chapters, each consisting of multiple waves of battles. As players advance in the game, their units will unlock new auto-attack and Ultimate skills, enhancing their strategic options for more difficult battles. To win the game, players must succeed in combat through all waves of each chapter. Upon completing all three chapters, players earn Play Credits (Novice) and are rewarded with METAL (for Veteran and Elite difficulty), which can be used for future ecosystem rewards.

Objective: The main goal is to effectively manage and strategize your team’s skills to survive the onslaught of enemies and ultimately complete all chapters. Achieving this not only brings game rewards but also a deep sense of accomplishment.

Game Wallet

Once you start playing the game, you will automatically receive a custodial game wallet, streamlining the onboarding process. All that’s required is a Discord account!

Play Credits

Play Credits can be acquired either by earning them or purchasing them:

  • Earn 1 Play Credit by successfully completing the Novice difficulty level, which you can repeat an unlimited number of times. You have to get 10 win runs on Shadow Arena or successfully complete Solo Mission (this game mode is to be released).
  • Purchase Play Credits directly from the main menu by selecting “Buy Credits.” The amount of Play Credits you receive depends on the pack you choose to purchase.

Funding you custodial game wallet

  • Use /balance to view balance and address of game wallet
  • Send any amount of SHRAP to game wallet address using your personal wallet software

Purchasing Play Credits

Assuming your wallet has SHRAP, you can select how many Play Credits you’d like to purchase from a dropdown menu, confirm the purchase, and then the transaction occurs on-chain.

You’ll receive a receipt and the Play Credits go into your inventory. Play Credits are off-chain, so you won’t be able to convert them back into SHRAP. You can check the amount of Play Credits you have by typing /balance into your play thread or by checking your inventory in the Buy Credits menu.

The cost to play Veteran and Elite difficulties is variable, allowing players to choose any amount within designated ranges, i.e. you can enter a single game with any amount of Play Credits chosen by you:

Veteran:

  • Min. Entry: 1 SHRAP = 1 Play Credit
  • Max. Entry: 10 SHRAP = 10 Play Credits

Elite:

  • Min. Entry: 10 SHRAP = 10 Play Credits
  • Max. Entry: 100 SHRAP = 100 Play Credits

Entering a single game with more Play Credits increases the METAL earned from successfully completing higher difficulty levels.

Min and Max Entries are subject to change and may vary in the future!

METAL Rewards

For successfully completing Veteran and Elite, players will receive METAL. METAL is an off-chain points system granting future ecosystem rewards or used to redeem gifts from the Shrapnel Shop via Moku. Learn more about METAL here: go.shrapnel.com/METAL.

The amount of METAL awarded depends on several factors:

Performance

  • Shadow Arena: a minimum of 7 win runs are required (maximum 10). The higher the amount of win runs, the more METAL you’ll receive.
  • Solo Mission: Successfully completing all 3 waves.

Difficulty Level (rewards are double for completing Elite vs Veteran)

Number of Play Credits used to initiate the run

→ Based on these factors, you can expect to earn between 220 and 87,600 METAL in a single game. Please be aware that METAL rewards may vary significantly and are subject to adjustments based on ongoing testing and player behaviour!

METAL earned will be automatically deposited into your Moku account. If you’ve not yet linked your Discord account to Moku or have not created a Moku account, the METAL will be waiting for you until you do. https://shrapnel.moku.gg/

Experience “The Lunatics” today on the Shrapnel Discord and share your thoughts with us!

--

--

playSHRAPNEL

Official Blog of SHRAPNEL the 1st blockchain-enabled AAA customizable First Person Shooter (FPS) video game to be owned by players.