Episode 86: A Yabapmatt Conversation
Welcome back to the People's Guild. This week we welcome back to the show yet another favorite guest of ours, @yabapmatt.
We sit down with team Steemmonsters, Inc. CEO and discuss all things DAO, Rebellion, conflicts, upcoming airdrop cards, land... the full gamut!
We have a great time talking shop with Matt throughout this episode and want to thank him again for taking the time to come on the show with us.
Enjoy!
Stay tuned.
CEO Yabapmatt and Future Plans
Bjangles, Hepthorn, and Yabapmatt had a discussion about the changes in the Splinterlands since Yabapmatt became the CEO and the use of card frames in town hall meetings. Yabapmatt mentioned the possibility of customizing their own card frames in the future. The conversation also included acknowledgments to Barron's Toolbox and Axler Twinblade for their contributions. Yabapmatt shared his preference for keeping the game experience simple and not using the in-game toolbar. Bjangles and Yabapmatt then discussed the current state and future direction of their game, with Bjangles sharing positive experiences, particularly the successful launch of a feature called "Rebellion". Yabapmatt reflected on the past year, emphasizing the company's focus on delivering pending tasks and strategizing for the future. He highlighted the need to attract more players to the game, which would benefit the existing player base, and mentioned plans to improve the mobile app and onboard new players.
Enhancing Player Experience and Game Mechanics
Yabapmatt emphasized the team's main focus on enhancing the core product experience, rather than just sales and revenue. He discussed the team's ongoing work on land, new mini sets, and the new reward sou bound cards. Yabapmatt and Hepthorn also discussed the player experience, with a focus on the onboarding of new players. They agreed on the need to develop a more involved tutorial that guides new players through the game mechanics. Towards the end, Bjangles suggested progressing from melee to element-focused quests and highlighted the importance of user experience. He also mentioned an upcoming overhaul to the ELO system.
Card Unlocking Costs and Game Economy Commitment
Yabapmatt proposed a baseline cost for unlocking cards based on their collection power, suggesting a rate of around 18x. He also highlighted the potential for significant discounts for players who commit to the game economy by staking SPS and using vouchers. Concerns were raised about the potential issues caused by an excess of older reward cards, with Yabapmatt proposing a six-month window to unlock these cards, after which the supply would be fixed. Hepthorn raised questions about the decision-making process, with Yabapmatt clarifying that the team handles game-related decisions and the DAO manages specific tokens. The importance of community feedback and balancing it with the team's workload was emphasized.
New Pack Sales System Performance Discussed
Yabapmatt, Bjangles, and Hepthorn discussed the performance of a new pack sales system, known as the conflict system. Yabapmatt expressed concerns about community response but was pleased with a spike in sales exceeding expectations. He emphasized the hope that the system would encourage card holding and use rather than just buying and selling. The team also highlighted the success of a new reward system in their game, which has led to increased participation, better ratings, and more competitive play. They also noted the ability to buy cards or packs on the secondary market, which has doubled market volumes and benefited the entire ecosystem. The team agreed that this system is beneficial for both the community and the company and expressed optimism about its sustainability.
Chaos Legion Cards: Balance, Distribution, and Prediction
Yabapmatt, Hepthorn, and Bjangles discussed the issue of overstocked Chaos Legion cards and the potential role of new players in balancing the supply. They also discussed the recent change in card distribution, moving from a lottery system to a guaranteed minimum amount per player, with Yabapmatt expressing his preference for the new system. They also discussed the challenges of predicting product demand before launch and the importance of accurate sales predictions. They touched on the planning and development of upcoming air drops for their game, with an emphasis on finalizing the guaranteed amount close to the conflict's end. They also discussed the balance between card strength and game excitement, the role of luck in the game, and potential adjustments to the game's RNG elements.
Land Project Discussion in Town Hall
Bjangles expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming year but raised concerns about the omission of land discussion in the Town Hall. Yabapmatt clarified that land was not neglected, but other topics took precedence. Yabapmatt shared the team was still determining the dynamics and timelines for the land project, expressing both frustration and excitement. Hepthorn raised concerns about the complexity of the Land 2.0 project, but Yabapmatt disagreed, asserting that it was what made the game interesting. Bjangles brought up the issue of grain LPs, but Yabapmatt disagreed with delaying the 1.5 release to focus on them. Yabapmatt highlighted the significance of the markets and LP within the land expansion, noting it could unlock new use cases for dark energy crystals and benefit the overall ecosystem. He also mentioned the potential for a first phase of the ancient ruins project. The conversation ended with Hepthorn suggesting a discussion about updates on ranked play.
Ranking Overhaul and Reward System Changes in Gaming Platform
Hepthorn raised concerns about the challenges of climbing the league ranks in their gaming platform, which Yabapmatt acknowledged as a longstanding issue. Yabapmatt proposed a major overhaul of the system, including a rule that players can only move up in rankings and should always be rewarded more for higher ratings. He also suggested removing level caps and matching players based on their rating, and removing leaderboards. Questions were raised by Bjangles about the implications of these changes on other rewards and rating systems, which Yabapmatt confirmed would not be affected. They also discussed potential changes to the reward system, with a focus on making sure that higher ratings result in better rewards.
Cost, Value, and Balance in Champion League Battles
Bjangles raised concerns about the high cost of ECR in Champion League battles, which Yabapmatt responded to by stating that battles have value and some cost is necessary. Yabapmatt mentioned plans to allow discounts on ECR purchases using vouchers and shared that they are collecting data on various game aspects, including the cost of ECR and energy, to make informed decisions. They discussed the need to balance the game's effects and categorize them for clarity. The conversation also touched on the game's Rebellion feature, with Yabapmatt suggesting that it could be more impactful. Bjangles, Yabapmatt, and Hepthorn discussed the performance of Splinterlands and its leader over the past 12 months.
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