From Triumphs to Trials: A End of Year Recap of the Events of 2022 (Part 1)
This past year has been unique and challenging, with numerous changes and obstacles that have impacted us all. However, we have also witnessed hope, resilience, and strength moments.
As we reflect on the past year and look ahead to the future, it’s important to take a moment to appreciate our progress and lessons.
Let’s start by looking back at our company’s branding journey and considering how it has evolved and where we will stand in the new year.
First Generation of Style
Problems we faced
- No longer resonating with our target audience.
- No longer accurately reflects who we are as a company; our mission, values, and target audience have improved as we evolved and grew.
- Not sufficiently distinctive in a saturated market
- Undergone significant changes as a company
What we wanted to achieve
- Improve brand recognition
- Increase customer engagement
- Drive adoption
- Stay relevant in the rapidly changing market
The company needed to undertake a rebranding effort to align better our visual identity and branding materials with our evolving mission, values, and audience.
The brand’s growth opens up possibilities for business development and new opportunities. The core team can continue working on the game and Web3, while the company focuses on expanding its reach and increasing adoption in the physical world.
The Current Style
Our brand personality encompasses the core aspects of our identity, values, and reputation, including a focus on friendship, warmth, and connection. We aim to infuse fun, vibrancy, modernity, and minimalism into everything we do. Our visual style reflects these qualities, including perspective, gradients, solid colours, and shapes.
We are excited about the opportunities this rebrand will bring and are confident that it will help us better connect with our customers and showcase who we are as a company. We are committed to putting in the time and effort necessary to ensure that our rebrand is a success, and we look forward to unveiling our new look and feel to the physical world.
What is Realm
To attract users and achieve adoption, it is necessary for us to create value propositions that are appealing to them and a business model that generates value for current holders. The factors that determine the success of our products and services are determined by the evaluation framework we use to assess our results. Play-to-earn and metaverse projects often evaluate success based only on the financial value of their cryptocurrency, without taking into account their initial project goals.
The transformational model is built upon three pillars which are the cogs in the operating model.
Personalisation
Building experiences tailored to problems
Blockchain
Connecting the physical world to the virtual world
Gaming
Progression of customer actions and decisions modelled as a game with players, moves, and payoffs.
The Beginning
Before the Realm of Karitha existed, we explored different styles and NFT types around a side-scroller game
We experimented with different styles and different approaches towards a retro-style gaming project from
- Profile Pictures
- Side-scrolling game
- Resources
- Tower defence
- Symbol
With the general art style, we directed it into creating a gaming metaverse as a pixel-art MMORPG covering the Fantasy & RPG genre! ⚔
Sketches Covered
- First Ever Build (Mage Tower)
- Genesis Buildings
- First Gen Sketches — Interiors
NFT Collections Launched
As a game developer, we were excited to offer a Pet Slime Collection: This likely refers to a collection of digital pets or creatures within the game that are represented as NFTs. Players may be able to collect and trade these pets, or use them in some way within the game world.
- Collection of digital Slimes, represented as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Players could mint and trade these pets within exchanges or use them in some way within the game world.
- Our avatars were also represented as NFTs and could be used as profile pictures or as representations of the players identity within the virtual worlds.
- We included virtual land within the game world that was represented as an NFT and could be owned by players. Players were able to use this land for a variety of purposes, such as building structures or cultivating crops.
- We also created factions or groups that players could join or align with, which were represented as NFTs. Players could use these factions to represent their identity or allegiance within the game. In addition,
- we included special items or collectibles within the game, known as artefacts, represented as NFTs. These artefacts may have been rare or unique, and players could trade or use them in some way within the game.
- We have also released phase 2 businesses for inclusion in a later phase of the game’s development, which were represented as NFTs and used for variouse purposes within the game world
- Offered certificates that players could obtain and trade for access to the phase 2 businesses
Top-down Approach
After the minting process was complete, we brought on board a team of gaming developers and artists to help us further develop the project. Together, we began to sketch out plans for various features and locations within the game world, such as a potion store where players could purchase various magical potions, a cartography guild where players could learn the art of map-making, a blacksmith where players could craft and repair weapons and armor, and a town center where players could gather and socialize. The town center was particularly important as it was intended to serve as a hub for players to meet and interact during the alpha phase of the game’s development.
Detailed Tavern
The Tavern was a central building in our game design and we put a lot of effort into creating a detailed and immersive interior for it. We wanted the Tavern to serve as an example of the level of detail and realism that we were striving to achieve in all of the public businesses within the game world. As we prepared to bring in testers for the first top-down build of the game, we wanted to ensure that the environments were as immersive and believable as possible, allowing players to truly feel like they were a part of this virtual world. By creating detailed and realistic environments for players to explore and interact with, we hoped to enhance the overall gaming experience and make it more enjoyable for players.
Valgarde City Sketches
Once we had completed the interiors of the various buildings and locations within the game world, we turned our attention to the design of the capital city Valgarde. We spent time sketching out ideas and concepts for how the city could look and function, and we also explored ways to incorporate Web3 technology into the city. For example, we considered allowing players to purchase and own individual city blocks using credits or in-game purchases. As we developed these ideas, our primary focus was on creating a believable and immersive city that players would enjoy exploring and interacting with. We wanted to create a city that felt alive and realistic, with a wide range of interesting locations and activities for players to enjoy.
Character Sketches
As our team grew, we were able to bring on new members who could help us with various aspects of the project. This allowed the rest of the team to focus on experimenting with different character designs for the game. One of the first character sketches we publicly shared was one that we were particularly proud of, as it accurately captured the appearance and style we had imagined for the characters. We were excited to show off this sketch and to get feedback from others on our progress. By sharing this sketch and seeking feedback, we hoped to continue refining and improving our character designs to ensure that they were visually appealing and consistent with the game’s overall aesthetic.
The characters shown below represent our current iteration of their design, which will be very close to how they will look when they are finally implemented into the game. We have spent a lot of time refining and perfecting these designs, and we believe that they accurately capture the appearance and style that we want for these characters. While we may make some minor adjustments as needed, these characters will be close to the final version that players will see in the game.
Here is some additional information on the design process for the characters shown below:
- We have spent a significant amount of time and effort on the design of these characters, carefully considering every aspect of their appearance, from their overall shape and form to the details of their clothing and accessories.
- We have taken inspiration from various sources, such as mythology, literature, and popular culture, to create a diverse and interesting cast of characters.
- We have worked with a team of skilled artists and designers to bring these characters to life using traditional art techniques and digital tools.
- Throughout the design process, we have sought feedback from the rest of the team and players to ensure that the characters are visually appealing and consistent with the game's overall aesthetic.
- While we may make some minor adjustments as needed, we believe that the characters shown below are very close to their final form, and we are excited for players to see them in the game.
Isometric Genesis Sketches
As we made the transition to an isometric game, it became necessary to redesign all of the genesis buildings from their original sketches. The reason for this was that the original sketches were created with a top-down perspective in mind, but they did not translate well to an isometric view. However, we made sure to preserve the essence of the original designs as much as possible in the revised designs for Genesis 2.0. These revised designs will closely resemble the original designs in isometric form, as they will appear in the game. It is important to note that the transition to an isometric game was a key factor in the need for these redesigns, as the different perspective and angle required a different approach to the building designs.
Menu Designs
As we move forward, it is essential that we work together and provide support and encouragement to one another as we navigate the challenges and changes that come with growth and development. By being there for each other and helping each other adapt and thrive, we can take full advantage of the opportunities that the future holds. As we look ahead to the new year, let’s embrace the possibilities and potential that it brings with open minds and hearts.
In the next article, we will provide in-depth updates on the progress of our game development efforts. This will include information about any new features or content we have been working on and any updates or improvements to existing features.
We will also share details about any new partnerships/collaborations we have formed and how they are helping us to achieve our goals.
In addition to updates on our game development progress, we will discuss our business development efforts and share our plans for expanding our vision and reach. This includes information about new products or services that we are working on and any marketing or outreach efforts we are pursuing.
We will also outline our Realm DAPP goals and objectives for the coming year and discuss the guiding principles we are using to stay focused and on track. This will include information about the specific goals and targets we are working towards and measuring our progress.
Finally, we will explore potential new revenue streams we want to tap into as we grow and expand our business. Including information about new markets and customer segments we are targeting and any new products or services, we are considering launching.
Overall, the next article will provide a comprehensive overview of where we are currently and where we are heading, focusing on the critical areas of game development, business development, and Realm DAPP growth and expansion.
Behind the Scene Sketches
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