Star Atlas AMA recap with Crypto Society on 22 April 2021
Bilo 2000
@Santiacc and @mwagner It’s our pleasure to have you with us today. I would like to welcome you here on behalf of our entire community.
AMA with Star Atlas is live
Could we begin with a brief history of yourself and your team, and your roles at Star Atlas and what you were doing before Star Atlas?
…..
SW4GN3R
I was just working on building up some suspense!! Is everyone ready for Star Atlas?!?!
Would love to give a brief intro:
My name is Michael Wagner, Star Atlas’ CEO. My formal career was spent working up the ranks of the traditional finance ladder, where I earned my CFA Charter and worked in the field of portfolio management for both institutional and high net worth clients. My life changed considerably in 2013 when I was introduced to Bitcoin and blockchain via scrypt coin mining with GPUs. Since that discovery, I have dedicated my time to immersion in the technology and ecosystem. I forfeited my legacy career in 2015 and went full time into crypto, launched my first company in the space in 2016 (Tokes), and co-founded Star Atlas with Danny Floyd (CPO), Jacob Floyd (CTO), and Pablo Quiroga (COO) in 2020.
Bilo 2000
That’s awesome — Thanks for the background!
How and where did you first encounter gaming and subsequently crypto?
SW4GN3R
Well, I have a long history with gaming.
And they are somewhat entangled.
I spent my formative years, growing up in the 90s, doing really nerdy things, such as being in the computer club. A rather large group of my friends and I started a gaming group called the LANarchists. You have to understand, back in the 90s, broadband internet was not widely available. So the only way to really play competitive multiplayer games was bring all of our computers to someone’s house, network them together (LAN), and game all night long. It was an amazing era.
Bilo 2000
Well I guess we are living in the “Revenge of the Nerds” era now😂
SW4GN3R
I got introduced to crypto in 2013, as noted, and what sucked me was the ability to build GPU mining rigs to mine scrypt coins. I’ve built every computer I have ever owned, so it was naturally easy for me to start building some rigs for this activity.
Bilo 2000
Can you tell us about why you thought Star Atlas as a game needed to be integrated into Crypto?
SW4GN3R
Well I do want to clarify that first and foremost, we are intent on delivering a video game concept developed to the highest quality standards — AAA rated. It is imperative that the gaming experience is attractive, entertaining, and potentially even addictive.
Bilo 2000
That’s awesome — finally something interesting — hahaha
SW4GN3R
However, we saw IMMENSE opportunity to further enhance that experience with the implementation of blockchain assets. For a number of reasons:
1. True asset ownership for gamers
2. Ability to earn real income from gameplay
3. And innovative participation in DeFi through the game UI
4. Perhaps most importantly, we see this gaming experience as having massive potential to attract a mainstream audience to crypto!
Bilo 2000
So I can finally live my dream of playing video games and becoming rich?😊
SW4GN3R
Where we’re going friend, you will need only a computer and a VR headset. Enjoy the rest of your days in space. You will even be able to order food through the game, and have it delivered to your house. Top class service
Bilo 2000
How do You see Star Atlas contribution for the adoption of Blockchain Technology into the Gaming World?
SW4GN3R
Well, first of all, we believe blockchain integration will be the future of gaming. In our particular case, creating an experience that will be interesting to gamers around the world is the first step. We’d like to see, and are already in the early stages of formation, of eSports teams that will be able to compete in Star Atlas arenas on a global scale.
Bilo 2000
Very cool
SW4GN3R
It all starts with adoption of the game, which inherently leads to adoption of cryptocurrency as players learn how to monetize their time in game.
Bilo 2000
Do you plan on having Star Atlas, the game, generate profits?
SW4GN3R
Bilo 2000
Cool ship
SW4GN3R
We operate as a hybrid organization, at least initially, having both centralized and decentralized components. Game development is notably a difficult process, and as such requires a high degree of centralized planning and execution. In order to accomplish all facets of our grand vision, we do need to generate revenue to support development.
Bilo 2000
Thanks — I was hoping that you would
SW4GN3R
Separately, we also support the entire decentralized financial economy that the game is built upon. In the future, we envision having all future game development decision making be influenced by DAO voting participation, using POLIS
Bilo 2000
questions coming up on that later on in the AMA
How did Star Atlas start? And when do you plan on launching the game?
SW4GN3R
We believe that the intersection of mainstream gaming (AAA) and financial incentives delivered via blockchain provides the perfect platform for mass adoption of not only Star Atlas, but cryptocurrency as a whole. Our approach to adoption is multi-faceted. In our initial phase, the one in which we currently operate, is to promote this product to existing blockchain and crypto enthusiasts.
One of our major upcoming milestones is the launch of our very first NFT Collection titled ReBirth. This series of ‘meta-posters’ consists of 14 unique collectibles, released over the period of 14 weeks, and kicks off on April 24th. Our marketplace goes live on Saturday, April 24th, and can be found at https://play.staratlas.com/rebirth
Following ReBirth, we will be launching a web-application based minigame, delivered in-browser. Our projected date for launch is July 24th. Gamers and asset holders will be able to engage in gameplay and start generating real earnings off of their assets.
Bilo 2000
and one lucky winner today will get one🤩
SW4GN3R
And finally, as we move forward with full production of our fully immersive 3D and VR enabled version of Star Atlas, our marketing efforts will start to refocus on a broader audience, including mainstream gamers, and a global audience seeking the countless opportunities present in the Metaverse.
We are fortunate to be embarking on this vision at the very forefront of the latest technology in game development. In fact, Unreal Engine 5 will not even be available until later this year, and fully refined until 2022. So we have the advantage of being incredibly experienced in blockchain development giving us a major edge, alongside working in the latest game engine technology.
We anticipate the pre-alpha release of our UE5 game sometime mid-2022.
Bilo 2000
That is awesome
Solana is one of Crypto Society’s favourite projects. Can you tell us why you decided to build on Solana?
SW4GN3R
Solana was honestly an easy choice, but came down to a few critical areas for us. And I will note, we analyzed a number of third-generation layer one protocols before selecting Solana.
The tech — extremely high transaction throughput (50,000 tps), highly scalable, low latency (sub-second finality), and low transaction costs at $.0001/tx. All of which are essential for delivering a game of this caliber entirely on chain.
The team behind the company. These are guys of high pedigree, working with some major tech companies historically (Qualcomm, Dropbox, etc.) And they/you have all been amazing to work with.
The affiliations — having associates with teams like FTX, Alameda Research, Serum, etc. has already paid dividends.
The ecosystem. The Solana ecosystem is absolutely exploding with innovation. We have a number of partnerships in the pipeline directly resulting from being involved in the ecosystem, with teams like Stardust, Audius, Raydium, and others.
And honestly, we wanted to be the first team to build a game on Solana!
Bilo 2000
Totally agree — We are really amazed by Solana — we even have an FA report coming out soon
What is the Star Atlas token used for? Can you describe the Tokenomics?
SW4GN3R
For sure!
The Solana team is AMAZING. Highly encourage any developers out there looking to build something to seriously consider Solana.
Regarding the token…
Star Atlas operates a dual token economy, with the two crypto-native assets being ATLAS and POLIS.
ATLAS is the transactional currency of the game. Effectively the in-game gold, and the lubricant of the digital economy. It is used for virtually every transaction within the Metaverse, and will also be one of the primary financial reward mechanisms for gamers. ATLAS also provides a 33% discount on certain asset purchases from us, the developer, such as Ships and Components.
POLIS is a dual-purposed governance token. Within the game, POLIS provides the holder with strategic benefits of political domination. Controlling a region of space opens up mechanics of taxation of other players, and the ability to define rules, laws, fines and fees within the micro-metropolis. Externally, POLIS provides holders with true governance rights over long-term development decision making. Opening up the potential for pure decentralization of game development in the years to follow.
Bilo 2000
I read that your development team will retain 0 tokens in the undistributed token supply. This is quite unusual. What made you decide to go that route?
SW4GN3R
Well, I do want to caveat that and clarify that some of the underlying tokenomics are still being reviewed. We are actually engaged with Delphi Digital on the assessment of tokenomics, and are committed to delivering a fair distribution of value to gamers.
With that said, we want to ensure that the players, the gamers, are able to earn the maximum potential value from the game.
So to that end, while we as a company focus on earning sufficient revenue to continue development, we wanted as many of the decentralized token economy elements to be paid out for gameplay and financial incentives.
We’re in this for the long haul, and want our users to be happy with the value they receive.
SW4GN3R
Bilo 2000
Can you tell us a little more about node staking? Can anyone become a node operator?
SW4GN3R
For initial release, ‘node’ staking will really just consist of staking assets, with a minimum token requirement. We want this option available for people who do not necessarily have a lot of time to play the game, and want to be able to earn yield on those unutilized assets. In the future, we’ll introduce some additional benefits to being a node operator.
Bilo 2000
@Bussi4Nicole 👀
Nicole
[In reply to SW4GN3R]
🚀🚀🚀👌
SW4GN3R
But don’t think of it as staking in say, a dPOS network, or validating transactions in game or on chain. Solana handles all of that for us :)
Bilo 2000
👌
SW4GN3R
Bilo 2000
🚀
Can you explain to us what DAC (Decentralised autonomous corporations) means and what it’s all about?
SW4GN3R
DACs are the guild/clan system of the game. Because of the depth of strategy, and risks, of exploring space (especially Deep Space), we anticipate a considerable amount of teamwork required.
Through the DAC system, players can pool assets and resources to enhance their power throughout the Metaverse.
All resource management will be handled on chain, for transparency.
Bilo 2000
That is really very cool🔥
SW4GN3R
So a DAC might charge its members taxes to be in the clan. But members will see where all of those fees are being invested
One final point on DACs. POLIS permits holders to exert political dominance over other players in game. However, it will require a LOT to be impactful. So we would expect large DACs to hold considerable POLIS because of the benefits it provides, and the amount of space they can manage.
Bilo 2000
Very smart — congrats
very impressive — you really thought of everything😅
SW4GN3R
I’m sure there is a lot we haven’t considered. But yes, we put a tremendous amount of thought into this game before we announced our debut.
Bilo 2000
Tell us more about your NFT’s and when we can expect to see them released
SW4GN3R
The NFTs in Star Atlas are going to be beautiful. All of the concept art I’ve been posting will be actual NFTs in game.
Bilo 2000
I’m minting them as we speak🤫
SW4GN3R
Again, the first NFTs you can purchase will be in our ReBirth: Genesis of a Metaverse campaign, starting this Saturday.
https://medium.com/star-atlas/introducing-rebirth-genesis-of-a-metaverse-a977fa0e19c3
Bilo 2000
🔥
SW4GN3R
The NFTs ‘meta-posters’ you purchase provide serious benefits in game when you reach various reward tiers, dropped as loot boxes.
You will be receiving free skins, emotes, pets, ships, and land through the collection of the posters. Plus you get a really cool NFT collection that explains the lore of the Metaverse!
Bilo 2000
As far as decentralisation goes, you seem to have hit every mark with lending, AMM and farming. Can you please briefly discuss and elaborate on each one of these pillars?
SW4GN3R
Another benefit to building on Solana was the robust DeFi infrastructure delivered via ProjectSerum.
We will be leveraging this technology to create liquidity pools, market making yield, and yield farming opportunities.
One of the most compelling features we will be building out will be decentralized lending pools for game assets.
So players can drop their ships/land into a pool while not in use, another player can ‘rent’ it for a period of time, and both win. The renter gets to play the game and earn income from the game, and the lender gets to earn residual income on assets not in use. Kind of like AirBNB, but for cool space stuff
Oh, one more thing on DeFi and the posters.
Bilo 2000
I just wanna go play video games now — and I can’t wait to start playing star Atlas😋
SW4GN3R
We are pre-approved assets on Unic.ly. So owners of the poster series will be able to host it there, and sell fractional shares of their ownership to others who perhaps couldn’t afford the entire set.
Bilo 2000
That is unbelievable ❤️
Is Star Atlas disruptive and if so how so? Hold on wait. I think all the above explains why you are so disruptive… hahaha. I see that you also allow your players to create their own content to use in the game… How do you do that?
SW4GN3R
Player created content will be introduced in later stages. Initially, all of the game content will be delivered by us. We have expertise and comprehension of what the ‘final’ product should look and feel like. To that end, we want to be responsible for delivering that initial gameplay.
However, in the future Metaverse, the opportunities are endless.
This could come through the sale of custom skins, custom game assets, and custom experiences.
Bilo 2000
So this brings me to my next question: What are you currently working on and can you describe your future roadmap?
SW4GN3R
For example, we have partnered with mainstream musical talent on our poster series. These guys are excited about the prospect of setting up and hosting their own concerts in game.
But we want the Metaverse to be a place where any industrious entrepreneur can create a business model for themselves.
I just sit around on telegram all day 😅😂😂
Santi,
That’s my job man! 😂
Bilo 2000
ma brotha form anotha motha
SW4GN3R
I kid. There are so many moving parts to what we’re doing. Working heavily on partnerships and integrations at the moment on the Operations and Marketing side. The dev team is focused on our marketplace and game UI, coming out fully in July, but deployed in an initial release for the ReBirth event. The product team is hard at work bringing you all of these cool images I get to post
Also, we are going to have a HUGE presence at Bitcoin Miami in June.
Stop by and say hello if you’re in town for that event.
Bilo 2000
if we are allowed to travel🥺
Can you tell us more about the Star Atlas governance process and its token Polis and why it was created?
SW4GN3R
Yes, have time for just one more question!
POLIS is dual purposed:
Within the game, holders will be able to exert political dominance over regions of space. Impose taxes, set fines, fees, rules, and laws within this micro-economy.
Externally, holders of POLIS will be able to influence long term development decision making for game development. Things like economic decision making, asset release schedules, inflation schedules, feature releases, and new asset drops.
And with that, I do have to jump onto a call! But you’re in good hands with @Santiacc, our community lead.
Thank you so much for the great questions! And I hope to see you all in space!
Bilo 2000
Since you have no more time for me 😪
Welcome @Santiacc
Santi
Hello everyone!!1
Glad to be here
Bilo 2000
We are huge fans of Serum and are so excited to see you have partnered with them. Can you let us know why you chose to work with Serum and if you are working with other projects or on any partnerships?
LB
Thanks a lot ❤️ very appreciated for your time and the forwarded info’s 🙏
Santi
Serum and Solana were easy choices actually, they are great platforms and also they are really supportive with projects of their ecosystem!
Bilo 2000
Where do you see the Star Atlas project next year?
Santi
Next year we see our team with all hands on the Unreal Engine 5 development, so we can reach our target of getting the first playable version of the 3D game by Q2 😊
Also, we will not forget our community, we have lots of events planned!
Bilo 2000
Can’t wait❤️
Is there any exclusive breaking news about Star Atlas that you could share with us here today?
Santi
Oh that’s a great question 👀
So, as you may know, we are launching our ReBirth series this Saturday, I’m not allowed to make any spoilers but in the coming hours we will probably have an announcement with each tier rewards….
Aaaaand, they’re huge 😏
Bilo 2000
Do you wish to let us know anything else that was not covered in the questions above?
Santi
We had some great questions! I think Michael really covered everything!
I would love to listen to community questions if there are some, and see if I can clarify some doubts 🤗
Bilo 2000
Thank you for your time in answering our questions here today. We are all very appreciative of your time and of the answers you have provided
Djabarou
Hello @Santiacc ,
Thank you for your time & news! Does the origin of the name & functionality of the „POLIS“-Governance-Token have a relation with the ancient Greek city-states from the archaic period and it‘s core-elements like Hellenismus Demokratia, Isonomia, Autonomia and Autarkia?
Congratulations on the Project & Best regards!
Santi
Of course it has! POLIS token is fully related with the political domination that we will see in Star Atlas!
KeNroM
Do you have plans of listings this project on Steam/Epic? or any other game distros?
Santi
Full game is really far away so we haven’t thought of this to be honest, but think of only purchasing a ship to start playing
ChrisPy Rock You Invest
First : thanks for this great AMA! You made me more bullish as I already have been. I love the distributed pictures! If the game will have this quality and if you fulfill half of the announcements… I can only FOMO in! I will sell you my kidney for an allocation 😂😉
Question: compared to actual MMO-Giants like WOW, EVE…
How do you plan to balance the world or PvP, PvE for casual and hardcore gamers or those who have a lot of money. Will there be a “pay to win” or does it not matter how many ATLAS or POLIS someone has in the back.
Santi
Thank you!
Like I said ,nobody should ever be blocked out from entry level items. Other items will be higher cost, which can be earned or purchased. But the game is also balanced such that there is no ‘pay to win’ mechanic. There should be a balance struggle for classes of all types. Which might simply result in more strategic planning amongst clans/groups with weaker assets. However, everything can be defeated. So no! It won´t be pay to win but the ones with more money inside the game will get higher rewards
Think of higher risk — Higher rewards
Like real life lol !
TRADESAFE CRYPTO
Hi, this is my most anticipated launch this bullrun, Star Atlas looks absolutely amazing and I am in awe of your work and the vision that your team has.
Thank you very much for your time today for us mere mortals!
Have you already decided on a number of tokens that will be required for people to operate a node and will there be hardware requirements for the node too? I am very keen to know more on this subject and cannot wait for the launch of the game!
The graphical elements that you have been sending are absolutely next level and so is everything else that you have said, you have made me seriously excited to play Star Atlas in a stepping into the future kind of way!!!
Oh and one last thing…
Who is the best gamer on your team 😜
Santi
We have an elaborate model designed around the economy. And we are hiring PhD economists to assist with managing balance and incentives in game. We are still far away from our TGE so Tokenomics will be published more closer to 24th July which is the date of the TGE
Regarding to the other question, I’m the best gamer on the team 😏
I invite you all to join our media channels, let me find the links…
Specially our Discord, there you will be able to join guilds, and we also host our Townhall once a week where you will be able to ask questions directly to the devs!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/staratlas?s=21
Discord: staratlas.com/discord
Telegram: https://t.me/staratlasgame
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staratlasgame/
