ONI Dream Within a Dream — Part I: Star Atlas Roadmap Scan #10
Memories of things never lived, dreams of things that happened and are yet to come again, wisdom and illusion were faces of the same coin.
“Beware that when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become one… for when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.” Ancient MUD saying attributed to one of the first hunters of the gods.
Yago’s vision blurred. He remembered flashes of white light passing around him at high speed. He tried to move, but his body wouldn’t respond. He tried to listen, but the only thing he could hear was unintelligible shouts and a terrible scream that, in some manner, resonated inside him.
His consciousness seemed to be flickering, like a flame under a strong wind, and again, he passed out.
The next time his consciousness returned, he was in the air. He knew that, and even though his body tried to react, nothing happened, and he realized that he could not move.
“Damn.” he thought. A portion of his mind tried to start making sense of the situation he was in, but he quickly realized that he couldn’t organize any sort of coordinated thinking.
Nevertheless, somehow his body landed safely, and he perceived that everything was turning completely dark. Yago tried to scream because he hated the darkness, but to no avail. It was almost as if his body wasn’t answering him any longer. The only link he had with his body now was the notion of cold. Yes, Yago reckoned, it was indeed freezing, to the point that even breathing caused excruciating pain.
“Maybe I should just stay still?” Yago thought to himself. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt if I just stopped now…” A thought formed in his mind as it moved again towards unconsciousness. At that moment, he heard something really low in the background… It felt as if someone was calling him… “Well, it doesn’t matter now… I need to sleep”.
When Yago came back to himself, he was in a very familiar place.
He saw the salvage yard of his youth, full of broken ship modules, mechanical parts, and trash. The smell of burnt fuel, so particular to him, sent chills over his body. He was there, a child in the dumpsters, and he couldn’t help but smile, returning to the first place he ever called home.
After a short walk across the fields of piled-up scraps, Yago’s heart started to race, for he saw Wenn, Xannah, and… Clonk. He ran towards them with the highest speed his childish body could muster, and he knocked the old ustur over in a big hug, tears falling from his eyes.
The ustur, caught off guard from the sudden attack, started laughing, and Wenn and Xannah, after a moment of surprise, looked at each other and decided to add to the charge, piling on top of the other two, also laughing.
“What’s wrong, Yago? Did you cut your finger again?” The ustur, still smiling, asked gently to the Mierese while searching for a wound. Wenn interjected: “Oh Yago, you’re such a baby! This way, we’ll never become heroes and save the galaxy! Come o– Ouch, Xannah! That hurts.” Wenn said while caressing his arm. “I told you to not call Yago a baby already, Wenn! He is hurt for sure. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be crying like this.”
Yago was still crying, but he had to laugh. Everything he longed for was here. His whole family was complete again. All the hardships, all the pain, all of that was meaningless now because he was here with them again.
“I missed you guys so fucking much.” He said almost in a whisper. Xannah immediately replied: “Wow, language, Yago! You shouldn’t say those words!” Wenn laughed and said: “Oh man, Yago swore! Yago swore! Yago swore! I guess you will need to go to the reflection corner now Yago, HA HA!” Clonk looked definitely surprised and asked the Mierese:
“Are you ok, my son? Is there anything troubling you? It’s all right. You are safe now. I’m here.” The ustur caressed Yago’s head while wiping away his tears.
“The only problem is that this can’t be real, right? You remember what happens next, don’t you?” A familiar voice was heard, and time seemed to freeze for Wenn, Xannah, and Clonk. When Yago turned, he could see a vision of himself, a few years older, with eyes of many different colors, ranging from purple to black. They appeared to be like flames.
Yago immediately knew who he was. He was the Hero. The one that’s been supporting and saving him in his adventures that lived inside his mind.
After the initial shock, Yago begged: “Please, no… Let me stay here. I can’t live through this again. I simply can’t. Go away and let me stay!”
The Hero watched the young Mierese, and a very familiar expression appeared on his face, full of sadness and regret:
“You can’t, Yago. Unfortunately, heroes are not allowed to give up.” He said with a sad smile, and time suddenly resumed.
Almost immediately, he could hear the sound of an X5 landing.
Yago’s body started trembling, and all he could do was whisper a very weak “No….”
Clonk reacted quickly as if he was trained for this kind of situation. He collected the three children in a bear hug and whisked them inside their home. He then reached his hand into a nook behind the stairs and pulled out a pair of blasters. Upon seeing the scared faces of the children, he went to them and said:
“Don’t worry, my sons! I will take care of this quickly, ok?” The ustur said with a soothing smile on his face. “Please, just stay here hidden for a little while. I’ll be right back.”
As the ustur started to leave, Yago tried to move, but to no avail. He tried to scream, but nothing happened. His whole body was frozen in desperation. The frustration of having trained all his life to prevent this from happening and being unable to do anything now was the most horrifying feeling he had ever experienced.
A minute later, a bounty hunter entered their home, using a helmet as a battering ram. He had the Jorvik crest on his arm. Again Yago tried to react but to no avail. Wenn stepped in, trying to protect the group, but the boy received a punch that dislocated his jaw and sent him flying.
Yago’s mind started screaming. MOVE. MOVE, FOR THE GOD’S SAKE. MOVE NOW. But his body wouldn’t obey, and the Jorvik grabbed Xannah’s arm and pulled her with him.
The little girl screamed. “Let me go!” Yago watched her as he remained paralyzed in fear. After a few seconds, he managed to run outside, following the attackers, and he again saw the scene that had haunted his dreams for the rest of his life.
Clonk was there, scarred, beaten, surrounded by a pile of bounty hunter corpses, while the Jorvik, pointing the gun to Xannah’s head, demanded that he surrender. The ustur turned slowly from his last kill and slowly dropped his blasters to the ground.
“Don’t Clonk, please…” Yago tried to speak again, but no words came out of his mouth.
Upon perceiving Yago’s arrival, the ustur turned to him smiling and said gently: “Don’t worry, my son, everything will be alright.”
Yago knew it was a lie.
Many blaster shots pierced the ustur body. The attacker then went to loot the ustur dead body, taking something with him. Yago still couldn’t move.
The Jorvik then pulled Xannah with him to the ship, and the last thing Yago heard was Xannah screaming: “Yago!!!! Don’t let him take me!!! HELP!”
But, again, Yago’s body wouldn’t move, and all he could do was watch the ship fly away while the young Wenn finally got outside the house and ran in Clonk’s direction, shouting for Yago to help him.
This time his body responded, but he knew that it was already too late.
Weekly Project Report
Project: Showroom Alpha
Concept Art: DONE /// Art: BUILDING /// UX/UI: BUILDING /// Game Design: DONE /// Blockchain: BUILDING /// Game Play: BUILDING
Updates: Passed Content Complete Phases for Level Art, Props, Lighting, and VFX. Polish phase for the environment. Content Lock is Jun 20. /// Wallet/Authorization in mockup phase. /// Building. /// Continuing working with the Options tab for the game — Graphics, Audio, Game, Sound and working on delivery mechanics for players to get a client.
Upcoming activities: Environment Art Polish/Tweaks and Content Lock. /// Visual polish. UI Completion. /// Wallet integration. /// UI integration completion. Delivery mechanism for the client.
Project: Galactic Marketplace
Blockchain: BUILDING /// UX/UI: BUILDING /// FRONT END: BUILDING
Updates: Audit results are pending for the second pass. /// Support front-end team throughout the final implementation of the new marketplace. /// Mock data stitched into UI. Order Complete/Placed modal ongoing. Bookmarks backend completed.
Upcoming activities: Support to front-end team, ongoing design reviews. /// Replace mock data with blockchain data, load testing, and update path in URL based on marketplace state (location + filter).
Project: System Polishing
New Features: Deep link Phantom mobile wallet. /// Backlink to staratlas.com. /// Cypress enhancements. /// Added Fimbul MambaStar-atlas-portal.
Upcoming features: Bugfix: (on mobile) Star Atlas logo overlaps navigation. /// Enhanced security protocols. /// Enhanced account switching with Phantom. /// Bugfix: Ships can’t be withdrawn from Faction Fleet if a rent account is missing. /// Bugfix: Some mobile platforms can’t accept the terms of service. /// When a transaction is canceled in SCORE, players need to reconnect their wallets.
Known issues: AR experience for some rebirth posters not working. /// (on mobile) Phantom wallet scrolling is not smooth. /// When an action is canceled in SCORE, users need to reconnect their wallets.
Project: SCREAM v1.0
Game Design: PROTOTYPING /// Blockchain: PROTOTYPING /// UX DESIGN: PROTOTYPING UI: PROTOTYPING /// Economy Design: R&D /// WEB: PROTOTYPING
Updates: Continuing to define explicit requirements for core gameplay mechanics and game systems design, focusing on combat and movement. Finished prototypes for starbase upgrading and planetary resource extraction. /// Continuing to build hangar program and cargo program. Redesigning star system program and movement program. /// Continuing low fidelity wireframes based on updated requirements. Continuing Information Architecture map. /// Continuing building SCREAM screens. Focused on game HUD and ship management screens /// Onboarded Sound stakeholder (Art Director). Overlaid placeholder sounds to prototype. /// Adding gameplay depth to WebGL Proof of Concept. Started combat functionality. Added warp gate functionality. Added depth to starbase upgrading and planetary resource mining functionality.
Upcoming activities: Continue to define explicit requirements for core gameplay mechanics and incorporate feedback from SCREAM stakeholders. Validate gameplay loops playability with WebGL Proof of Concept. Assess the feasibility of game mechanics with blockchain program proof of concepts. Validate economic viability from the internal Game Economics team. Guide UX/UI design based on game mechanics. /// Test and refine prototypes across all SCREAM teams and stakeholders. Build, peer review, and test programs on testnet, then audit. /// Review wireframes with Project Stakeholders. Continue to iterate until wireframes are approved. Hand over wireframes to UI team. /// Continue to build out UI screens and elements. /// Validate gameplay loops and key SCREAM concepts with Proof of Concept.
Project: DAO
Product Design: DONE /// UX design: DONE /// Front End: BUILDING /// Blockchain: BUILDING ///
Updates: Building unstyled components, integrating locker functions. /// Assisting audit and web teams.
Upcoming activities: End-to-end testing and validation.
ABOUT STAR ATLAS
Star Atlas is a next-gen gaming metaverse emerging from the confluence of state-of-the-art blockchain, real-time graphics, multiplayer video games, and decentralized financial technologies.
Using Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite, real-time graphics technology allows for cinematic quality video game visuals. In addition, blockchain technology using the Solana protocol establishes a largely serverless and secured gameplay experience. Non-fungible tokens obtained and traded within Star Atlas create an economy that replicates tangible world assets and ownership. To learn more, visit StarAtlas.com, join a faction at Play.StarAtlas.com and send your spaceships on a deep space mission by enrolling them in a Faction Fleet.
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Disclaimer
The updates in this report are provided for informational purposes only about the Star Atlas game and metaverse, for which ATMTA, Inc. is the lead developer. Except for statements of historical fact, the statements included herein are forward-looking statements that are based on the beliefs of ATMTA, Inc.’s management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to ATMTA, Inc.’s management. Although ATMTA, Inc.’s management believes these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. ATMTA, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions should change except as required under applicable law. These forward-looking statements are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties and include, without limitation, statements about ATMTA, Inc.’s business prospects, future developments, industry and market trends and conditions, strategies, objectives, and goals. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. No financial, tax, or legal advice is given or implied.
