Fueling Up for New GAP Quests with Star Atlas’ SAGE Labs
In preparation for the Star Atlas quests coming soon to the Guild Advancement Program, Michael Wagner joins John Sedano, Fallencorpsez and N0acls to demo Star Atlas’ latest browser game, SAGE Labs.
The Yield Guild Games (YGG) community hosted an AMA session to announce the launch of Star Atlas Golden Era (SAGE) Labs, an early access browser-based game built on the Solana blockchain. SAGE Labs introduces players to the expansive Star Atlas ecosystem through core gameplay loops that allow explorers to create fleets, journey into deep space for resources, and acquire assets like ships and land. Players also have the option to use their resources to craft Golden Tickets, which they can put toward weekly draws for a chance to win prizes.
In this AMA, YGG’s Community Marketing Manager John Sedano, Game Operations Manager Fallencorpsez, and Game Ambassador and content creator N0acls were joined by Michael Wagner, co-founder of Star Atlas. Michael talked about the launch of SAGE Labs, which will introduce new quests to Season 4 of YGG's Guild Advancement Program (GAP). He then demonstrated how players can get started with the game, including purchasing ships from the Star Atlas marketplace, importing them into SAGE Labs, establishing efficient supply chains for resource transportation, and more.
The following excerpt features Michael explaining the upcoming mobile app version of SAGE Labs, set to release later this year. The app will track physical activity to level up in-game characters and progress within the game. Michael also elaborates on the reasoning behind incorporating features such as XP and progression systems, inventory management, and crafting on-chain, which enables developers to create mods and extensions for the game and other web3 services such as lending programs.
Watch the full recording on YouTube.
YGG Game Spotlight: Kickoff AMA with STAR ATLAS ft. Michael Wagner
Sedano (23:46): Let’s say that you aren't able to play the game yet, like you don't have a PC or you don't have access to the game. How can you experience Star Atlas?
Michael (23:58): There are a bunch of ways. And again, that's where we get into the browser-based implementation and the mobile application. The big release we have coming next Thursday is the launch of something we're calling SAGE Labs. Now, SAGE Labs is the lite version of a lite version. Our browser implementation will use WebGL 3D assets, and that's still ongoing development. We're also looking at another release of that sometime around Solana Breakpoint. We'll keep everyone aware of what the release schedule looks like.
But let's get into SAGE Labs today. [This is] a 2D menu-based browser game. The big part of this, and what we're most excited about, is the economy activation. At the start, the whole gameplay mechanics of Star Atlas Golden Era (SAGE) focus on resource extraction and crafting as the gameplay loop. The exit loop for that is to redeem assets or participate in something that we're calling the Golden Ticket raffle.
N0acls (25:10): Star Atlas has so many ongoing campaigns. You guys don't stop. It's just go, go, go.
Michael (25:17): We have been incredibly busy. The other version of this is the mobile application. For people who like to go on walks, runs or bicycle rides, this is how you can access the economy through character progression. Level your character up and sell that to another player who doesn't have the time or the interest in going out and participating in physical activity to level up their crew members. The higher your character level, the more performant your ship will be, so you'll get enhanced stats on your ship.
As I said, SAGE Labs is a lite version of a lite version. What's cool? Everything from your character profile, character creation in the future, your XP and progression, movement and coordinate systems, inventory management in your ship in the central space station and star bases, and crafting tables — these are all on-chain mechanics. When you go to craft an item, you are signing a transaction on Solana, and there's full visibility and transparency into these gameplay mechanics.
Why are we doing it this way? Given that building out full, on-chain logic and orchestrating those programs is exceptionally complex, we see massive potential in the developer ecosystem surrounding Star Atlas. [You can] build mods, extensions to the game, your own storylines, or other web3 services like lending programs or scholarship models. Or, given the complexity of the commodity system, you could even build a commodities exchange around the assets in Star Atlas.
You can watch the full recording on YouTube.
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