In this episode, hear an AI summary of the latest Star Atlas community event. Full video recordings can be found on the YouTube channel of Star Atlas TV at https://www.youtube.com/@staratlastv.
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Podcast Transcript
This Star Atlas Brew conversation covers a range of topics including the current state of web3 gaming, recent Star Atlas updates, discussions about maps and game modes, and details on upcoming community events and tournaments.
The discussion begins with acknowledging that it has been a difficult week for web3 gaming, with multiple studios reportedly shutting down. Participants expressed sympathy for the developers and artists who made the leap from traditional gaming to web3 studios. It was theorized that these closures might be due to not fully leveraging blockchain technology beyond just NFTs as collectibles, suggesting that a real economy is needed to attract and retain players, whereas simple player ownership like skins is something platforms like Steam already do.
Shifting to more positive Star Atlas news, the UFI release last week was highlighted as successful, with many players actively participating in servers. The gunplay was noted as feeling “fantastic,” and some players’ friends are now expressing interest and joining the community, even participating in guilds and tournaments. The update led to the most daily active users since the surge test, with an average of over 70 daily active users playing multiplayer in servers in the past few days.
A significant portion of the conversation was dedicated to discussing current and future maps and game modes. Among the current shooter maps, Pyool’s Arena emerged as the favorite, described as feeling like a “classic map” akin to Rust from MW2 or Nuke Town from Black Ops. Pyool’s Arena is popular because it feels good to play and is easy to navigate, contrasting with Gateway, which has more complex areas where players can hide. Gateway’s lighting changes were also mentioned, creating dark spaces where battling often occurs. Uru was mentioned as a map with potential for future fun, having a similar dome shape vibe to Pyool. The idea of adding player tagging with paint, symbols, or text to maps was suggested as a cool perk, with awareness of the potential for inappropriate content if customization is too open.
The conversation then moved to potential future game modes. A strong desire was expressed for PvE (Player versus Environment) content, including boss fights and dungeon-like experiences to explore lore and test mechanics. The Star Atlas team internally played Destiny raids, indicating an appreciation for PvE content. Other suggested game modes included mixed PvP and PvE modes where players fight both a boss/PvE units and other player teams simultaneously, ship battles like dogfighting or large-scale fleet battles similar to Star Wars Squadrons or Battlefront 2. The concept of manning turrets on larger ships in co-op was brought up as a cool future feature. An “attack and destroy” type game mode involving invading a commander ship was envisioned as something potentially seen in the future.
Regarding current gun game modes, a debate arose about the presence and placement of health and shield pickups, with some finding them too numerous, especially in Pyool, allowing players to evade combat easily. Others felt these pickups felt “bad” and suggested testing different approaches like health regeneration or fewer pickups.
Various community-proposed game modes were shared, including Infected/zombies mode with melee combat, Capture the Flag, looting games or Battle Royale potentially on a planet with ships, and non-combat focused modes like mining with friends while dodging environmental hazards or pirates. More tactical modes like Siege (attacking/defending bases or buildings) and Search and Destroy were also mentioned. The possibility of a “no-jetty” mode was discussed, comparing it to Fortnite’s no-build mode as a way to potentially lower the skill floor, alongside the opposite idea of an “unlimited-jetty” mode, potentially on a vertical map. A humorous suggestion was an “escape the angry tufa” mode where players are small ships trying to evade a large tufa, similar to a “yeti hunt”. The potential for a community map and game mode builder was seen as a “wild” future possibility.
Upcoming events and tournaments were highlighted. The Iris Quest tournament, organized by the community (mainly Chimera), is happening this Sunday. Over 10 teams are already registered, and there’s still time to join. The tournament will feature rewards for both participants (including participation awards) and live viewers. Prizes mentioned include over 200k Atlas, 50 million fuel, a t-shirt, SDUs, and ships. The format for Iris Quest qualifiers is one game of Search in Pyool, with the finals being a best of three. A notable team called Santi, a collaboration between Aia and Rome, is participating. Automata, the development team, will also have a team called the Dyson Sphere participating. The event will be streamed live from the Atlas Amphitheater with Neil Armstrong casting.
Another ongoing tournament series is the Gallia Cup, started by Egonaut and Agent Solace. This is a more guild-focused, seasonal tournament that lasts about two months. Unlike Iris Quest’s single elimination, the Gallia Cup is structured more like a league with guilds playing each other over time and reporting results, culminating in a playoff tournament. Season 4 is starting July 1st and will focus on the shooter game mode. Guilds can sign up, and players not affiliated with a participating guild can join as free agents to be drafted by guild teams. Sponsors include the club and the Star Atlas community team, with prizes including Atlas and limited Pulse and Solo ships. The difference between Gallia Cup being async and seasonal and Iris Quest being hardcore and all-in-one-day provides options for different player preferences. Pantheon is also reportedly hosting a tournament, although fewer details were available.
Other upcoming events include the Lore Keepers session tomorrow to discuss the C4 update lore, the Gala game night on Friday for practicing the UFI build and potentially winning a ship by recording and posting content with the most views, and the weekly Council office hours on Saturday to discuss DAO governance and propositions. These events, among others, make the Star Atlas Discord server an active place to be, reflecting a community that is “more active than ever”.
The conversation concluded with excitement for the future possibilities in Star Atlas beyond the shooter, including dogfighting and exploration.
