New tutorial, blockchain integration update and a look forward to 2019 — Community update — Friday, November 16, 2018.
Hey guys! In this week’s update I take you through the tutorial changes we implemented in V1.0.7 based on the guidance from Apple, as well as give you an update on the blockchain integration. I hope you enjoy the read! (For those who missed it, V1.0.7 has been available in both app stores since November 13).
Tutorial update
As we briefly mentioned in our last development update, the team from Apple gave us comprehensive feedback on our onboarding process and we’ve used the last sprint to focus on improving this process by changing the tutorial. We’ll test this new onboarding process against historical data to make sure we’re on the right track, make any further changes and test again — just what a soft launch is for!
We’ve simplified the tutorial completely, it will still take players through the most important aspects of the game, but then it will leave players to learn the other things intuitively by actually playing the game. We’ve also included gameplay tips in the “waiting for battle” screen. This means that it’s a lot less text-heavy, more practical, user-friendly and shorter — getting players into actual battles quicker.
Have a look at an overview of the new tutorial process and the gameplay tips below!
Tutorial screens
In game tips on the “waiting for battle” screen
Blockchain integration update
We have some very exciting news, there has been chatter around this topic for a while — but we can now officially announce that Databits (DTBs) will be moving to the Ethereum blockchain. The ERC-20 Smart Contracts have been written, we’ve had a number of discussions with Bittrex and they’re officially on board. In other words — the switch from Counterparty to Ethereum is a go!
We’ve decided to do this for a number of reasons, mainly:
- There is more support for Ethereum based blockchain games.
- Ethereum users also represent a significant captured audience for us to talk to.
- All assets will now be on one blockchain — both the Creatures and DTBs.
We’ve earmarked Q1 of 2019 for this switch, and will release details on how to swap DTBs and everything else you need to know closer to the time.
For the last couple of months, we’ve been working with NONA on the blockchain integration, this includes the online portal that will allow you to convert DTBs to Emeralds and facilitate creature tokenization — so you’ll be able to trade creatures inside and outside of the game. Because this whole process is intrinsically linked to DTBs, this can only be launched once the swap from Counterparty to Ethereum has taken place. This means that we’ve had to juggle our timelines a bit, and we’ve had to push back the Blockchain deliverables in our Q4 roadmap, to Q1 and Q2 in 2019. This includes the start of the Creature Token Swap, which will also now begin in Q1.
In Q1, the portal will deliver the core functionalities mentioned above.
We’ve also been working very closely with NONA to find ways to ensure that we have an internal auction house or marketplace that functions off-chain so that we can provide our players with a trading solution to lower transfer fees. This will be launched in Q2 in 2019.
Looking forward to 2019
Below is a very high-level and tentative look at the beginning of 2019 — we’ll be using community feedback and data to drive our roadmap next year to make sure that we’re meeting the needs of the community. Other than completing the Blockchain deliverables covered in the previous section, what we’d like to include is as follows:
Leagues — we’d like to launch weekly competitions, in a lead up to the eventual launch of tournaments.
Achievements — this is a set of tasks that players will be rewarded for completing. This is to address some of the calls for a “single player mode.”
Store update — We’re looking at various ways to increase the utility of Emeralds, this means that we want to be able to sell more assets for Emeralds. We could potentially sell creatures and skins for Emeralds on a flash sale basis, meaning that players could have an opportunity to purchase specific creatures should they wish to do so.
We’ll release our full Q1 & Q2 roadmap in upcoming development updates.
As always, feel free to reach out to any of our team members on Discord or Telegram if you have any questions.
Weekly Killer Shot — #AugmentorsInAction
Here’s this week’s team pick for the best #AugmentorsInAction in-battle screenshot! Want to be featured in future updates? Share your killer shots on social channels using #AugmentorsInAction and our team could choose yours!
#KeepBattling
The Augmentors Team
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