Building an MMO - Ethgard Phase 2

After making a "fork in the road" decision last year in May, I'm happy to share that Ethgard is now in Phase 2 (P2) and the prototype version is live: https://ethgard.com.

The existing P1 version of the game remains available at ethgardlegends.com, while the new P2 replicates the logic in an MMO environment. The exciting part? EGL is seamlessly connected - just enter the arena and talk with the NPC.

Roadmap

• Phase 0: Splinter Royale (Auto Battler)
• Phase 1: Ethgard Legends (Auto Battler + Collectible Gard Game)
• Phase 2: Ethgard (MMO) + Ethgard Legends
• Phase 3: ??? (Platform)

Why?

If you're wondering why I decided to expand the game, the answer is simple:

As a gamer, I enjoy multiple genres - strategy, RPGs, MMOs, etc. So rather than confining myself to one genre, why not think bigger and build a platform that spans across genres and enables others to build on it as well.

The Future of Gaming: Mods and Player Creativity

Many popular games started as mods of existing games:

• League of Legends and Dota 2 began as Warcraft 3 mod: DotA.
• TFT originated from the Dota 2 mod: Auto Chess.

There are even dozens of well-done fan-made Pokemon versions. Mods are a powerful way to build new game ideas, but they aren't easily monetized. What if that could be changed? Phase 3 will be crucial to achieve this.

AI Agents

Another reason to expand the game was to allow for more exciting features, such as AI agents. Imagine having an interactive world, where some NPCs are actually AI agents.

Why Pixelated Graphics?

Around the fork decision, I was playing one of my favorite OG Pokémon games, Ruby, and it struck me how much story could be told with just a few pixels. Pixel art not only makes it easier to bring games onchain due to smaller sizes, but it also lowers the threshold for people to create their own game assets. Last but not least, pixel art is timeless.

What About Ethgard Legends?

The game mode will continue to be developed! The latest update (v3.0.0) introduces an important feature:

Bi-Monthly Seasons

Starting now, there will be two seasons every month, and players who participate and achieve certain ranks will receive titles that last for the next season, increased ETHSHARD drop rates in chests, and achievements, which currently do not provide benefits but hold potential for the future.

What does this mean for Hive?

One of the advantages of pixel games is that their maps are stored as JSON - the same json which our blockchain is very well suited to store. I've been working on a potential solution of using Hive and HAF as a decentralised storage for the worlds I'm building, starting with Ethgard. If that's something you'd like to see, let me know.

PS: I've obtained Hivegard.com as well. 😉