Block & Chain Game Studios Weekly Newsletter December 28, 2018
Block & Chain Game Studios
Weekly Newsletter
December 28, 2018
News @ Block & Chain
Blockfight Update — Beta is coming…
Last week, we announced that we will be offering an exclusive, limited time beta test to members of our community who sign up through our contact page: https://www.haloplatform.tech/contact
We will launch the beta next week, so keep an eye on your email for detailed instructions. Feel free to direct friends, family and anyone else interested to join. We appreciate a multitude of feedback!
Draggin’ Dragons Update
Now that we’re wrapping up Speed Races, we have recorded our Speed Race trailer video. Take a moment to enjoy all that Draggin’ Dragons speed races will have to offer!
Game Maker’s Corner
Ali Buntemeyer: Lead Game Designer
The question I receive the most from friends, family, and random strangers is, “What does a Game Designer do?” A Game Designer doesn’t just ‘design games’. We are problem solvers, liaisons, and master communicators. We are broken into many different categories: Narrative Design, Content Design, and Systems Design to name a few, which can break down to anything from A.I. Designers to Level Designers and more, depending on the size of the team! Some of us wear many hats, but we are all artisans and craftsmen. So let’s look at 3 types of designers! A Narrative Designer is someone who writes and manages the fiction content. They are able to craft the story, and have it fit seamlessly within the systems, mechanics and levels of the game. Here at Block & Chain, our narrative designer manages any story or copy tied in with any of our games. The profiles from BlockFight are just one example, and there are many more to come. If you like writing a lot of stories, or creating rich characters, this one’s for you! Content Designers are the bread and butter of our industry. They design and produce the assets and features of the game. Your favorite feature in a game probably started in the mind of the Content Designer. These guys are the workhorses of the industry, implementing that feature and making sure it works correctly with the rest of the moving parts of a game. Content Designers are often considered jack-of-all-trades, and will fill any gaps that are needed, whether it’s asset design (creatively coming up with items, weapons, etc), or reward design (That super cool horse mount you just got? That’s content.) Finally, there are System Designers, who to me are the unsung heroes of our industry. System designers make the game function — they’re responsible for the mechanics, and the stats of your game. Have an RPG with an item system, where everything has attack chance and defensives? System Designer. Health and skills of your enemies? Systems Designer. XP curve? Systems designer. These masters of numbers live in Spreadsheets, and run simulations to bring you the best ‘nervous system’ that game can offer. Here at Block and Chain, I mostly do the second and third type of design, with a little of the first. Remember that comment about being well rounded? It really helps here in the industry. This also includes having a secondary discipline. Some of us were Artists first, or QA Testers, or even Developers. Having those backgrounds really help us to be an effective liaison with the other members of the team. Together, it is our goal to bring you the best games on the blockchain.
In the News
What’s hot in gaming, on and off the blockchain? Here’s where you find out!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ginaclarke/2018/12/21/crossing-the-blockchain-game-divide-with-collectibles-at-the-heart/#a9516bec52c9 — With the video game industry now worth billions, the ability to buy and sell in-house collectibles has long been mooted by blockchain enthusiasts. But although buoyant, blockchain gaming is yet to really take off.
B&C: There are two points we would like to make about this article. First, we wholeheartedly agree that collectibles are a significant and relevant driver for gamers. They are also a natural fit for the blockchain, which enables provably fair random generation of collectibles and true asset ownership. We also believe the collection compulsion alone does not a good “game” make. The collectibles need to DO something. Let’s take a look at Draggin’ Dragons. Players will be able to breed dragons and vie for those much-sought-after Legendary Dragons, but then they will be able to take their dragons into Battle Races and watch them beat the crap out of other dragons as they run around the track. Suddenly, we have collection combined with skills to bring forth a much richer gameplay experience.
Second, the article talks about the friction of current crypto wallets and the need to provide a simple solution to non-crypto gamers. While we won’t comment on the legalities of Blockchain Cuties’ use of a fiat gateway, we agree on the principal here. Our internal wallet is powered by the Halo Platform browser extension and once a player has set up their wallet (a ❤0 second effort), the wallet serves as their frictionless login and storehouse for their game currency.
https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/27/epic-fortnite-3-billion-profit/ — Fortnite, which is free to play but makes money selling digital items, has popularized the battle royale category — think Lord of the Flies meets Hunger Games — almost single-handedly, and it has been the standout title for the U.S.-based game publisher.
B&C: If there was ever a use case that demonstrates the efficacy of the free-to-play game model, Fortnite is it! But again, the game needs to be compelling. Battle Royale games are hot because PvP competition is hot. It’s in our nature to want to win and people, demonstrably, will spend big money to acquire the ability to do so. Games like this must also be balanced, though, and not just “play to win”, lest game makers alienate the masses. Fortnite seems to do a pretty good job of that. To us, this is a great use case vindicating our free-to-play approach to blockchain games. And before people ask, yes we MAY have a Battle Royale game in our roadmap…
Join The Block & Chain Community!
Originally published at community.haloplatform.tech.
