This week concluded Sprint 17. It’s hard to believe we’ve been together for 34 weeks now. It’s exciting to watch the synergy within the team. Everyone works extremely well together, sharing ideas, technology and constantly cheering each other on. I often marvel at their pace and muse over the fact that most game teams I’ve seen with a portfolio as big as ours are twice the size. It just goes to show how important a good team culture is. The same can be said for the Halo Platform team as well.
News @ Block & Chain
While part of the team is building the cryptocurrency integration for Blockfight, we are continuing to add polish and additional features to the game.
One example of this is the addition of a quick replay button to the end-of-battle overlay. This will allow you to reset and get back into the action fast! You can also switch your arena here if you’re craving a change of venue.
Like your favorite freemium games, we include a free daily coin drop of our in-game soft currency. Just login to the game once a day and click “Collect Free Coins” to claim them. While this soft currency can only be spent in-game, you will always be able to play Blockfight with these coins.
The Draggin’ Dragons game makers have been very busy this week working on the user interface. With the majority of game mechanics done, it’s time to make the game look and feel fantastic! Like Blockfight, players will be able to play with in-game coins or Halodium, our cryptocurrency token, built on the Halo Platform. Look for a sample of new screenshots in our next newsletter. Dragon races will begin soon!
Simmering quietly in the background, we are also developing our partner platform. We at Block and Chain Games believe that platform makers must be game makers first. The systems we are using to build Blockfight and Draggin’ Dragons are being developed into SDK’s, which will allow fellow game makers to easily bring their games onto our platform, and reap the benefits we have to offer. We will be publishing our whitepaper and formally announcing our partner platform once these two games are live.
Game Maker’s Corner
Adam Testerman: Software Developer
My name is Adam and I'm one of the game programmers for Block and Chain Games. A big part of my job involves writing the code that helps run a game, including the logic for the gameplay itself. And as a gamer, I think solid gameplay is absolutely critical, which is why I'm so interested in developing games using blockchain technology.
The ability to prove that a game is fair, or to grant a player a truly unique item, or to let a player earn real currency using the blockchain are intriguing avenues to explore. They are innovative features that change the way we play video games, which is really exciting!
What other features could arise from blockchain technology? How far will it reach? Could it eventually affect things like e-sports or entire genres? Will players have a warm reception? I think questions like these are important to ask, and it's amazing to be part of a team that will help decide the answers.
In the News
What’s hot in gaming, on and off the blockchain? Here’s where you find out!
https://www.bitrates.com/news/p/apple-reportedly-forced-coinbase-to-delist-blockchain-game-war-riders - The up and coming blockchain-based game, War Riders, has reportedly become a point of contention between the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and Apple. After the MMO (massively multiplayer online) game was featured on Coinbase’s mobile apps on Android and iOS, it was unceremoniously removed from the latter without any explanation.
B&C: It’s tough to see another game maker’s hard work removed from such a major platform. Many of us have worked in the mobile game world and know how difficult it can be to navigate the submission process. This is part of the reason B&C is web first, which allows us to be more agile with fewer constraints. There is some silver lining, however, as Apple has been re-examining its approach to blockchain applications. That said, Android, which is much more permissible with application content, has a wider global reach and has been outpacing Apple’s hardware growth for several years.
https://nulltx.com/triforce-tokens-announces-blockchain-based-dynamic-advertising/ - The platform will allow companies to literally brand any object, texture, media, within a game in seconds. Immutable data and live tracking are also provided to track metrics. The platform is fully operational, and CEO Pete Mardell has provided video demos showcasing the advertising at work. Dominoes, as well as AXN in Spain, has already conducted live campaigns using this revolutionary advertising technology.
B&C: It was only a matter of time before someone in the blockchain world got into the in-game advertising business. I remember in a previous company, where placement of competitors’ ads in our games was hotly debated. Doubtless, this will eventually take off as blockchain games become more mainstream. At B&C, we won’t be using in-game ads for 3rd party games. Rather, the B&C Platform will be a place to cross-promote games on our platform. This is a service we will provide at no additional cost to game platform partners.
https://www.businessinsider.com/spider-man-ps4-review-marvel-playstation-4-2018-9#1-traversal-feels-the-best-its-felt-in-any-video-game-1 - Sony has done it again. After delivering on several exclusive PlayStation 4 hits over the past few years, including "Horizon Zero Dawn" and this year's "God of War," the studio's collaboration with Insomniac Games has yielded yet another must-have game for any PlayStation 4 owner.
B&C: We sincerely tip our hats to Sony. Movie properties can be extremely lucrative, but the catch is usually two-fold: 1. Development is usually rushed to meet a movie launch date, and 2. Player expectations are extremely high. More often than not, superhero games are critical failures, with games like Batman Arkham Asylum and its sequels the rare exception. It’s great to see more care has been taken with Spider-Man. We can’t wait to get our hands on this one!
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