Hi SolChicks fam,
As we move into the fifth instalment of the development blog, we are happy to say that we are close to finalising much of our in-game systems design and are super excited to move full steam ahead on various aspects of game development and execution. In this chapter of the blog series, we would like to show you what we have been working on leading up to the release of the Alpha 1 version of the game in April, including programming, level design, game assets, and graphics design.
Level Design
With the core game systems established (as detailed in the previous blog posts and various updates), we are now moving into the detailed level design (including the coding and art of these levels!). We aim to tell the story of SolChicks through a PvE campaign designed around immersing the players into the world of SolChicks and the planet Chicco. There will initially be 10 chapters in the full game, with each chapter consisting of 8 zones and each zone being made up of around 3 stages. That is a whopping 240 stages in total! The Alpha 1 game will showcase the first chapter of the saga.
Each of the 10 chapters will showcase meticulous level and gameplay design and unique artwork as you embark on an epic journey with your SolChicks across dungeons, forests, plains, and even tundras. A variety of monster types will inhabit different zones, which will add to the immersion the player feels when playing the game. For Chapter 1, we have revealed four of the various monster types which will appear in the starting zone dungeon in Chapter 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAmwUBmOHb4). Our artists are hard at work in creating detailed monster character models with kickass animations, and we will continue to reveal them as we get them fresh out of the development oven.
Game Assets
Speaking of game assets, we are currently in the process of optimizing some of the dungeon maps which we have made, and we are aiming to have a reveal video for them along with some real-time gameplay footage shortly before the Alpha 1 launch. Further, we are also closer to completing the 2D version of the SolVillage, which will become 3D in later versions of the game. The SolVillage will be a hub for players to stock up before they embark on their journey and will contain cool features such as the marketplace and blacksmith.
Furthermore, as per the previous blog, we have completed our work on the SolChicks base character model with arms and basic animations, and we are now in the process of making class specific animations for each of the Knight, Outlaw, Ranger, Wizard, and Priest classes which we will reveal to you over the next few weeks.
Reward Economics
As for other areas which we have been making good progress on, we are finalising the breeding and in-game earning economies. We are carefully planning rewards to balance between the supply of rewards (e.g. the amount of SHARDS/CHICKS token and the in-game currency earned) vs. the demand of them (which drives their prices). As a design philosophy, we want players to feel that rewards are meaningful, and we do not want an ever-inflating economy where numbers get larger and larger so quickly that players don’t feel their time is valued. While we understand in-game economy inflation is natural for any healthy game with growing number of players, we are also clearly aware that the economic system will make or break SolChicks, as it is ultimately a play-to-earn game. To this end, we will continuously modify the details and numbers by testing it throughout the Alpha and Beta versions by stress testing various scenarios in our models. Setting up the best basic system is our number one priority now as we know it will have a lasting impact on the success of the game.
Additional Developments
Other updates include the NFT weapons which we are all very excited about. We have a very talented team of artists who are hard at work and are targeting to have the designs ready by end of March. There will be ~50 unique weapons as detailed in our previous blog posts. We have also continued to refine the battle system, and as mentioned above once the enhanced battle system is finalized, we will show it visually in a short video closer to Alpha 1 launch. Lore-wise, we have also engaged a separate dedicated creative story writing team and they are working closely with us on expanding the story, including details such as bestiary, factions, maps, politics, language, and history of Chicco, just to name a few.
All in all, we have made tremendous strides since we started a few months ago. Building a game like SolChicks in such a short time frame is definitely what some would call an ambitious task. It is thanks to the positive community feedback that we at SolChicks continue to work tirelessly to complete this challenge and deliver a mighty fun and rewarding experience.
We also would like to take this opportunity to say, we have heard you — our community — that you would like a fixed regular date for these blog updates. However, often these blog updates coincide with many of the internal milestones from which more significant updates can be shared. In the latest AMA we have emphasized quality of the updates over quantity, but we will strive to bring you timely and weekly updates and try to be as predictable as possible while bringing you most updated, and most juicy content possible. Furthermore, we have also been working on updating the game paper and the whitepaper for those parts that have been changed or enhanced, and we will make an announcement when those are uploaded to our website.
See you in Chicco!
Jun and Ben
The Game Development Team
About SolChicks
SolChicks is the fastest growing and largest P2E in the Solana ecosystem, with a team of over 100 members, including a blue-chip game development team who have previously brought to market titles such as MapleStory, PUBG, Dungeon Fighter and Tera, and a business management team from institutions such as Wharton and McKinsey & Company.
Join the #SolChicksFam:
📫 Telegram: https://t.me/solchicksnft
🎮 Discord: https://discord.gg/solchicks
🌲 Social Media: https://linktr.ee/SolChicksNFT
📰 Game Mechanics | Whitepaper | Pitch Deck: https://www.solchicks.io/papers
