Lucid Sight announces its latest game
This is a sponsored article from US blockchain game developer and publisher Lucid Sight.
The use of blockchain technology in gaming is still relatively new, but we’ve already seen some of the transformative power it can have over the gaming landscape.
By shifting true ownership and possession into the hands of the players, not the developers, in-game economies have a chance to flourish and grow beyond what a single group of programmers could possibly provide.
We’re impressed with designer Jason Wishnov’s creative vision for Cryptic Conjure.
And we’ve seen some excellent examples, from CryptoKitties to Crypto Space Commander, and still more to come.
Still, though, what else can the blockchain do? What other exciting possibilities await?
Introducing Cryptic Conjure
Cryptic Conjure is a multiplayer fantasy action-RPG, utilizing the Ethereum blockchain and Unreal Engine 4 to enable some very interesting mechanics.
In Cryptic Conjure, spells are everything, not only your primary forms of offense, defense, and healing, but technically, even your equipment comes in the form of summoning spells.
Some spells already exist – we’ll get to those later – but most spells are crafted by players, using resources bought, sold, and looted in dungeons. It takes quite a few resources, and a fair amount of time, but soon, you’ll be in the possession of a brand-new spell.
But here’s the thing-that-is-interesting; when you craft a spell, you gain twenty Essence, which can traded as a special token via the blockchain.
The more people have that token, the weaker your spell becomes. If you give one Essence away, the spell will drop from 200% to 190%. And a third person? It drops even further, to 185%, and so on and so forth, all the way down to 100%, that additional power dissipating entirely.
What is one of these Essence worth on the open market? Do buyers trust the original crafter to keep that spell between a set number of people? Do they demand some extra Essence themselves, so that they have some leverage in the transaction?
Cryptic Conjure is all about information, trust, and knowledge.
Cryptic Conjure is all about information, trust, and knowledge. If you obtain a rare recipe for a spell, or if you discover a new method of crafting, you won’t necessarily share that information with the world at large, because it holds some significant economic advantage.
The playerbase will reap numerous rewards for being the fastest to run a dungeon, the first to find a rare recipe, the only ones to defeat a brutally powerful boss etc and because of the blockchain that knowledge itself has value.
Secrecy, as it were, is back.
Distributed governance
Another excellent use of the blockchain is its application with regard to distributed governance; allowing users to vote freely and transparently in a democratic process. In-game, we can utilize that power.
Cryptic Conjure features a Council of Nine. One of the nine seats is controlled by the developer, but the other eight are player-held: four are held permanently, by users who purchase the unique seats in an asset pre-sale, and the other four are democratically elected every six weeks.
Every week, the Council of Nine will vote on a variety of issues that affect the playerbase: certain dungeons will be temporarily open and closed, some items will have their drop rates increased or depressed, and so on.
How will these votes be influenced? With promises, favors, or hard Ethereum? Are the elected representatives beholden to their constituents, who can vote them out the next time elections roll around?
This sort of politics-in-the-game-world intrigue are enabled by the power of the blockchain, and likely the beginning of a longer-term trend in blockchain gaming. It’s all about players feeling a sense of emotional investment and influence in a game world.
And more
Cryptic Conjure is a number of firsts for blockchain gaming – Unreal Engine 4; distributed governance; spell-degradation system – but that doesn’t mean it’s limited to those elements.
Cryptic Conjure is a number of firsts for blockchain gaming: Unreal Engine 4; distributed governance; and a spell-degradation system.
It features a more traditional spell creation system that players can take advantage of to play the economy, an in-depth narrative taking place in a fantasy/cyberpunk hybrid, and more. It’s an ambitious game, but one that we think the blockchain deserves.
“We’re impressed with designer Jason Wishnov’s creative vision for Cryptic Conjure,” said Lucid Sight CTO Fazri Zubair.
“And we love the idea of bringing such a high quality Unreal title to both blockchain gaming enthusiasts and the gaming community at large.
“With our breath of knowledge of the blockchain gaming space and Jason’s innovative game design, this is the perfect combination for our first published title.”
Its pre-sale, including the aforementioned Council seats, is in a few short weeks.
You can keep tabs on it at www.crypticconjure.com, Medium, and Discord.