Time’s End Blog for April 22nd, 2024

Published in

PlayBigTime

9 min readApr 22, 2024

Greetings, fellow Big Time players!

Welcome to our latest blog edition! This time around, we’re super excited to peel back the curtain and give you a sneak peek at the awesome features lined up for the next patch.

Who’s ready to dive into the heart of Epoch City? 👀

But first, let’s dive into a quick recap of what’s been happening lately at Big Time:

Round Three of the preseason $BIGTIME leaderboard and the referral leaderboard have officially concluded. Have you seen the winners? 🏆
You are now able to craft decorations if you own a Forge or an Armory!
We launched Round 4 of the leaderboard! 🎉

First Time User Experience

We’ve reimagined the First Time User Experience (FTUE) to be more dynamic and straightforward than ever before. Your feedback has been very important for this transformation, and we’re thrilled to roll out these changes!

When you play a new game, the initial engagement is very important, as it sets the stage for players’ long-term relationship with the game. It’s the first interaction they have, and it’s critical in shaping their decision to either continue exploring our world or move on.

Taking this into account, we’ve carefully improved every part of the FTUE to make sure it’s an engaging and immersive experience that captivates players from the start and encourages them to delve deeper into the game.

Diving into the new FTUE, players will immediately notice the difference, as this will be a complete overhaul from the previous one. We’ve thought carefully about making every part of the beginning fun and inviting, from the big, open areas to the new challenges and how-to guides. We’ve set the pace to help new players learn while keeping the game exciting for those who’ve played before. This deliberate pacing pulls you through an introduction that not only teaches you the game mechanics but also immerses you in the game’s world like never before.

But there’s more to it than just learning the game. This new start tells a story, making it much better than just moving through the game without a clear direction. The story helps you feel like you’re moving forward and makes the game more fun and engaging from the start. It’s a big change that makes the game feel new for everyone, whether it’s your first time playing or you’ve been with us for a while.

This is just the start of how we’re making your game experience better, thanks to your feedback and our dedication to making a great game.

Epoch City

After wrapping up the First-Time User Experience, players will find themselves in Epoch City, a place designed to be the central hub for all adventurers!

When you arrive to Epoch City for the first time, you will find yourself in the Academy, where you will be met with a familiar face: Erwin Schrödinger.

As you move forward, right at the center you will find Festival Square, the bustling main hub where players can gather, share stories, and begin their journeys.

You will also find the Bazaar, where vendors offer everything from rare artifacts to essential supplies. And for those looking to hone their skills, the Training Temple awaits, offering guidance for heroes of all classes!

There are a few more things you’ll be able to experience in the city, but we’ll let you discover those 😉

It’s important to note that Epoch City, as you see it today, is just starting to unfold. Epoch City might remind you a bit of Water Town, with familiar faces and features like trainers and vendors, as this early version of our social hub marks the beginning of an evolving journey. We envision its streets filled with new areas to discover and secrets to unveil. We’re intentionally launching Epoch City in its nascent stage to open the doors for community feedback. This way, we can build and enhance Epoch City together, ensuring it grows into a bustling and beautiful area that appeals to all players.

As we lay the groundwork with its initial landmarks, we invite you to join us in shaping its future. Can’t wait for you to visit it for the first time and share your thoughts with us!

Team Member Spotlight: Augusto Pace, QA Lead

“Hi, I’m Augusto Pace, the QA Lead for Big Time and Open Loot. Essentially, I’m in charge of the team that endeavors to find all the bugs so you can enjoy the game without them!

When I was a kid, I of course wanted to play games for a living, but I wasn’t even aware of how they were made or which roles were involved in the process. I only knew that some developers created code; the rest was magic to me, haha.

As I grew up, I became more involved in the IT world since I started working as technical support for a mobile company. However, it wasn’t in video games, which was my ultimate goal. Thanks to a friend I met while playing League of Legends, which I’m a total fan of, I got an interview with a mobile game company. They were looking for QA Juniors with almost no experience or knowledge in the QA field but with some general knowledge of IT. That was my shot.

I think that after my first week at the company, I realized it was my passion. As soon as I started working in QA, I discovered a whole new world and knew what I wanted to do for my entire career and life. From there, I aimed to become the best QA ever (still trying to reach that goal, even if it seems impossible). I began taking courses and training, since the career wasn’t as well-known in Argentina as, say, developers or designers. Consequently, there wasn’t a proper career path there, nor a university that taught it.

Today, I cannot imagine myself doing anything else. Like people say, “Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” Don’t get me wrong; I put my 110% in every day, and some days are better than others. But I wake up happy to work and go to sleep thinking about what I can test or try the next day.

I also believe that QA is one of the roles that can be more involved in the process — and I love that. I love being able to give my feedback and try all the edge scenarios that you guys are going to attempt to use later.

It’s simply the best job ever. My advice? Follow a QA career. 😂

When I began my journey in mobile games, I was involved with several projects, particularly for the two companies I worked with. Some of these projects have become well-known in the mobile game industry, including titles like Panda Pop, Cookie Jam, Juice Jam, and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, among others.

One might think that testing a game is simply playing it, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. I believe the hardest part of being in QA is considering all the different scenarios and possibilities that could occur. This aspect is also the most frustrating, knowing that it’s nearly, if not entirely, impossible to find all potential issues. Despite our best efforts, achieving bug-free software is an elusive goal.

Another challenging aspect is trying to replicate an issue when you’re not sure how it happens. But when you finally find the right steps, it turns into the most satisfying feeling you’ll ever have in your life, especially for those tough or big issues.

When I normally play MMORPGs, I always opt for the ranged or mage class. Since we’re still missing the ranged one (I’m fighting to get a bow for the Shadowblade), I’ve fallen in love with the Chronomancer. I think it’s one of the best, if not the best class for me. You want to do high damage? You’ve got it. You don’t want to be in the middle of the fight? You’ve got that too. You want to cast spells from afar? Absolutely, you’ve got it!

FIREBLAST — FIREBALL — BLIZZARD — DONE!… Need to escape? BLINK BLINK for your life 🏃‍♂️

Regarding my favorite games, I spilled the beans a bit above, but League of Legends is my number one. As a dedicated LoL player, I also hate the game, haha. I try not to “work” when I play other games since I want to enjoy them and not look for issues all the time, but you cannot take the QA out of the person. I also play and really love Age of Empires 2. For me, it is a gem that never gets old, apart from all the updates and DLCs it receives.

And finally, I’m a big fan and player of Diablo, mostly D4 now, which I think is the closest of the three to Big Time. So sometimes, I get ideas there that I later try in our game.

I think that I haven’t been in a company that loves and has such a real passion for what they are building as much as Big Time does. You can talk with anyone in the company, and you can feel that everyone is so passionate about it. They want to build the best game out there, and that motivates you. I’m really proud of the team we have.

Also, I love Waffles; he is the real reason I’m here now 😂.

Thanks for all the amazing support you give to us! It’s incredible seeing all the discussions you guys are having about strategies and the meta.

Please keep reporting all your bugs, but… help me out, add some screenshots or videos 😂.”