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Star Atlas represents a pioneering metaverse initiative developed on the Solana blockchain. It transcends the conventional scope of blockchain-based gaming, presenting a fully immersive virtual universe. This system features multi-dimensional play-to-earn mechanics and a comprehensive economy, potentially reshaping our understanding of virtual and real-world interactions. Leveraging Unreal Engine 5, the project aims to deliver hyper-realistic, life-like gaming graphics, establishing new benchmarks in digital immersion.

Star Atlas operates across three primary product verticals. The first is an AAA-grade, hyper-realistic, open-world space exploration MMO. The second involves a 2D real-time strategy massively multiplayer online (RTS MMO) game, which incorporates on-chain gaming elements and forms the core of the game's economy and play-to-earn (P2E) mechanics. The third vertical, still under development, focuses on mobile gaming, promising to expand accessibility and engagement.

According to the project's documentation, Star Atlas offers a vast, open-world gaming universe. Players navigate this expansive galaxy, searching for valuable materials and building civilizations. The game enables players to construct intergalactic empires equipped with fleets of ships and space stations while defending their domains against other players. This ongoing struggle for resources, territorial control, and political supremacy encourages players to form factions, secure territories, and defend them.

All in-game assets within Star Atlas are tradable on a dynamic marketplace, linking virtual endeavors with tangible economic rewards. This innovative approach to asset management and trade within a gaming environment highlights the project's potential to blend virtual experiences with real-world economic impact.

Star Atlas: Merging MMO and Blockchain Technology

Massively multiplayer online (MMO) games such as World of Warcraft, Minecraft, and others have captivated millions globally. These games are characterized by persistent worlds, massive communities, character progression, and diverse gameplay. In MMOs, the game world continues to evolve even when players are offline, with the actions of other players significantly altering the virtual landscape. The ability to host thousands or even millions of players fosters vibrant online societies with their own cultures and social dynamics. Players create and develop avatars, acquiring skills, gear, and power as they progress through the game, providing a sense of achievement and continuity. The diverse range of activities available in MMOs, from racing rocket ships to engaging in intergalactic warfare, ensures that there is something for every playstyle.

The Star Atlas team aims to revolutionize the MMO landscape by creating a fully self-sovereign game. Current MMOs rely on developments, updates, and rules implemented by a central authority, usually the game’s developer or publisher. This centralization limits players' influence on the game's direction and makes them subject to the whims of the creators. Moreover, these games operate within closed economies where virtual goods and currencies have no real-world value and exist solely within the game's confines. In these closed economies, all player data and in-game creations are owned by the developer.

By leveraging blockchain technology, Star Atlas envisions a sprawling universe with player-driven economics and governance. This digital realm is crafted not by corporate entities but by the collective decisions of its inhabitants. Players can experience a world where every action has the weight of ownership, navigating through galactic structures designed by rogue architects and voted on by the masses. The game features a decentralized marketplace where players can trade items like armor and weapons, all created by fellow players. Instead of pre-packaged quests from non-player characters, adventures are crafted from the player's imagination. Through an autonomous governance organization, players will have the power to shape every aspect of the Star Atlas universe.

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The gameplay of this massive multiplayer space-themed metaverse includes deep space and planetary exploration, as well as the ability to fight for world dominance through war, political takeovers, and alliances by joining factions and guilds. Players can start their own decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) or simply explore the galaxy, engaging in adventures while finding and creating NFTs to build their virtual empires. NFTs will represent spaceships, buildings, land, mining materials, farming materials, clothes, and businesses, effectively mirroring real-life assets within the game.

Star Atlas players also participate in play-to-earn, peer-to-peer, and decentralized finance activities through a unique in-game interface. Users can access the decentralized marketplace functionality by connecting any Solana ecosystem wallet or directly to the Unreal Engine client using their custom-built wallet integration. The game is set in the year 2620, where three main factions compete for resources, territories, and political control. The MUD territory is controlled by humans, the ONI region, a consortium of alien species, and the Ustur sector, run by sentient cybernetic beings. Each faction has strengths and weaknesses, with strategic advantages determined by the production potential of nearby raw materials. Players can join other nationalities through passports, contributing to their nation’s overall leaderboard rankings based on their earnings and accomplishments. The Star Atlas website provides a comprehensive breakdown of each faction’s strengths and weaknesses for players to consider.

Why Onchain Matters in Gaming

Leveraging blockchain technology offers several advantages for game and metaverse development.

True Ownership of Digital Assets

Blockchain technology allows for the creation and verification of digital assets as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). This means players have true ownership of in-game items, real estate, and other assets, which they can trade, sell, or transfer independently of the game developer. This ownership is secured by the immutable nature of the blockchain. Cryptography within the blockchain provides a high level of security, protecting players' assets from hacks and fraud. Every transaction and ownership change is recorded on the blockchain, offering complete transparency. Players can verify the authenticity and history of any asset, which builds trust in the game's economy.

Decentralized Control

In traditional MMOs, a central authority, typically the game developer or publisher, controls all aspects of the game, including updates, rules, and the economy. Blockchain allows for decentralized governance, where the community can influence the game's direction through mechanisms like decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). This democratizes game development and fosters a more engaged and invested player base.

Interoperability and Portability

Blockchain enables interoperability, allowing digital assets to (potentially) be used across different games and platforms. This means players can transfer their in-game items to other blockchain-based games or marketplaces, enhancing the utility and value of their assets. This portability creates a more integrated and expansive digital ecosystem.

Play-to-Earn Opportunities

Blockchain enables the creation of complex and innovative economic models that mirror real-world economics. Players can engage in activities like trading, investing, and resource management within a virtual economy that operates under principles similar to those of real markets. Players can earn cryptocurrency or NFTs by participating in the game's economy, which can be converted to traditional currency. This model provides additional incentives for players and can significantly boost player engagement and retention.

Long-Term Sustainability

Blockchain can provide a sustainable model for game development and maintenance. The decentralized and community-driven nature of blockchain games can attract ongoing investment and participation, ensuring the game's longevity. A popular thesis in the blockchain gaming ecosystem is that players who have a stake in the game's economy and governance are more likely to contribute to its success over the long term.

Star Atlas’ In-game Economy

Star Atlas presents a vast metaverse where monetization opportunities abound for users intent on leveraging virtual environments for economic gain. Conventional revenue-generating activities include building, developing, mining, farming, and selling NFTs. This in-game economy of Star Atlas is designed to mirror real-world economic principles by creating a self-sustaining ecosystem where the earnings and proceeds are reinvested back into the game. This circular economy enhances gameplay and encourages players to engage deeply with economic strategies akin to real-life business operations. Players must manage their resources efficiently, handling expenses such as refueling, repairs, crew maintenance, advertising, and even land taxes, similar to managing a real business.

This economic model ensures that the profits generated within the game have various reinvestment channels aimed at maintaining or expanding current operations. Players face decisions about how to best use their profits, whether by reinvesting in their ventures within the game or converting their in-game earnings (like ATLAS tokens) into real-world currency. However, the latter option raises concerns about real-world inflation and low interest rates, which may diminish the real value of their earnings outside the game.

The economic design extends to a full-scale, player-driven market where peer-to-peer transactions enable the purchase and sale of goods and services. Players can embark on entrepreneurial ventures by creating and operating their businesses within the game world. These businesses can range from social venues like taverns, restaurants, and concert halls to functional facilities like fuel stations and movie theatres, all owned and managed by players. Notably, the Star Atlas team is innovating by integrating a simulated commodities exchange within the game, allowing players to construct trading platforms and decks for executing various trading activities, which underscores the depth of the in-game economy.

Moreover, the game's design allows for the integration of primary industries into the virtual economy. Mining and farming activities don't just serve as gameplay elements but feed into a larger economic framework where resources gathered can be refined and transformed into valuable components. These components can then be used to mint new NFTs, following blueprints that are created, discovered, and released progressively throughout the game. This process not only enhances the game’s immersive experience but also provides substantial economic opportunities for players.

The economics of resource management in Star Atlas adds a layer of complexity. In the future, players must consider various costs related to the extraction and retention of materials, research and development of equipment, and interspace travel. This multifaceted process allows players to assume different roles and collaborate to build efficient refinery operations. This system of resource management and NPC utilization provides a rich, strategic gameplay experience.

The governance of the in-game economy is another aspect that aligns with real-world practices. In future versions of the game, the collected taxes and operational expenses from the in-game economy will be funneled into the Star Atlas treasury. This treasury is managed by a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), ensuring that the game's development and expansion are governed by the collective decisions of its community rather than a central authority. This structure allows for a democratic approach to decision-making and investment in the game’s future, offering a unique blend of gaming and governance that reflects the evolving dynamics of digital economies in virtual worlds.

The Role of NFTs

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are set to play a pivotal role within the Star Atlas metaverse. This digital universe integrates NFTs as core elements by assigning unique digital ownership and tradeability to a vast array of in-game assets. These assets include but are not limited to spacecraft, individual ship components, weapons, crew members, land parcels, mining claims, and even pets, ensuring each item's distinctiveness to its owner.

Further enhancing the gaming experience, these NFTs can be traded or sold within the Star Atlas NFT marketplace, dubbed the "Galactic Marketplace." This platform is not merely a commercial space but an integral part of the game's ecosystem, adapting and expanding to accommodate the needs of its user base. As of now, the marketplace is operational and is experiencing growing engagement from users who are actively building their fleets for use in both an existing mini-game and the upcoming full-scale game.

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Valuable Items

Star Atlas’ robust and dynamic in-game economy of tradable assets is incredibly ambitious and unlike nearly anything attempted in the blockchain gaming world thus far. The centerpiece, the Star Atlas marketplace, allows users to trade in-game items, such as ships and equipment, as NFTs, providing opportunities for both players and investors to acquire potentially valuable assets ahead of the full game's release. While a deep understanding of the Star Atlas economy isn't necessary to enjoy or understand the game, it can enhance the overall experience and add to the strategy involved in the game. The Star Atlas economy is built on four key pillars: land, in-game items, in-game resources, and the monetary assets/tokens (ATLAS and POLIS).

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Land

The production system in Star Atlas is a foundational element of the game’s economy, heavily reliant on the strategic use and management of land and resources. Central to understanding this system is the concept of land ownership, which represents partial ownership of a planet's territory within the game's universe, segmented into regions, solar systems, and individual planets.

Land parcels in Star Atlas are crucial as they allow players to build production facilities. These facilities range from basic structures to more advanced buildings that have specific land requirements. Owning land also plays a pivotal role in governance within the game, as certain levels of decision-making and participation are tied to land ownership.

Land parcels on each planet are distinct entities recorded as on-chain non-fungible tokens (NFTs), detailing specifics such as size, borders, and current ownership. Land can be acquired in two main ways:

• Primary Market: Land is sold at auctions directly by the Star Atlas team and is payable in stablecoins (like USDC) or ATLAS tokens.
• Secondary Markets: Landowners can sell their parcels and any developments on them through an in-game marketplace, receiving ATLAS in exchange.

Here’s an overview of the land management system in Star Atlas:

All land in Star Atlas is owned outright by players, ensuring that users are not subject to eviction or discrimination through rental agreements. Buildings, including high-end facilities, are constructed on these land parcels. More developed parcels can support advanced buildings, which require significant investment and development to be functional.

To discourage speculative land holding—known as flipping, where an agent buys land only to profit from its appreciation without actual utilization—the game implements a Land Value Tax. This tax is calculated based on the development level of the land, with more developed parcels incurring higher taxes. The DAO sets the rates, which can adjust global limits, thereby aligning land value with its productive capabilities.

If a landowner fails to pay the required taxes, the land can be foreclosed, which disables any buildings on it but does not halt the accrual of further taxes. If taxes remain unpaid beyond an additional grace period, local governance may auction the land. The proceeds from such auctions cover back taxes and fines, with any surplus returned to the original owner.

Landowners in Star Atlas enjoy various incentives that enhance the desirability of land ownership:

• Land may yield POLIS or ATLAS as rewards for certain behaviors, as outlined in the sections governing these tokens.
• Owners may collect taxes in ATLAS from the productive activities conducted on their land.
• Land parcels can serve as collateral for loans in ATLAS, providing financial flexibility.
• Ownership of land is a prerequisite for engaging in certain game roles, such as Builders and Miners, thus integrating land into the broader economic and strategic gameplay.

Resources

In the immersive universe of Star Atlas, the generation of economic value hinges on various activities, with mining standing out as a pivotal element. Players are required to invest in essential resources, such as ATLAS tokens and mining equipment, to launch their mining operations. The extracted resources play a crucial role in producing in-game assets and sustaining the flow of natural resources, forming the backbone of the in-game economy.

To kickstart mining operations, players must make initial investments in necessary mining gear. This equipment is critical for extracting resources efficiently. Additionally, specific buildings need to be constructed on owned land parcels to facilitate these operations. The productivity of mining is significantly influenced by the involvement of non-player character (NPC) workers and the player's own mining skills, which affect the efficiency, speed, and yield of resource collection.

Once resources are mined, they require refinement before they can be utilized, adding another layer to the production process. Essential structures for mining setups include power plants, mining drills, and space stations. Power plants are necessary to generate the energy required to operate mining drills and other associated structures. The construction of mining drills initiates the automatic extraction of materials from the land, with auto-sleds transporting the extracted materials to the nearest space station. Space stations are equipped with trading decks, enabling players to access the universal marketplace and trade their mined resources.

Mining is poised to be a critical pillar supporting the Star Atlas economy. Players must invest ATLAS tokens in building the requisite infrastructure, hiring crew members, and participating in demand auctions. All resources mined are represented as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which can be further crafted to create superior NFTs. As miners progress, they accumulate mining experience, enhancing the quality and speed of resource gathering while also benefiting from reduced labor and maintenance costs. This dynamic system ensures that mining remains a vital and rewarding activity within the Star Atlas ecosystem.

Within this Star Atlas resource economy, their chosen roles influence the opportunities available to players. These roles encompass various stages of the resource management and production cycles, including extraction, refinement, and management. Here's an overview of these roles and their associated costs, benefits, and responsibilities:

Extractors

Extractors are pivotal in mining raw materials essential for the game’s economy. They operate buildings specifically designed for extraction. Acquiring an extractor building involves an upfront investment, which could be in the form of purchasing or producing the building. These buildings also require power supplied by power-producing buildings that notably do not incur running costs. Ongoing expenses for extractors include the land value tax and the cost of fuel needed to transport cargo into orbit. This fuel cost is collected in ATLAS, the in-game currency.

The primary output includes raw materials, which crucially also encompass additional fuel necessary for operations. Additionally, operating as an extractor offers increased energy efficiency and a higher yield of resources, making it an economically advantageous role.

Refiners

Refiners take the raw materials mined by extractors and convert them into refined resources that are ready for use in various crafting applications. Setting up a refinery requires a fixed amount of ATLAS tokens to purchase a refinery deck. Refiners also pay a land value tax. The end products are refined materials that serve as essential inputs for crafting. Refiners benefit from an increased yield or conversion rate of raw materials into usable resources, enhancing their economic impact.

Managers

Managers ensure the efficient use of resources across various operations within the game, thereby maximizing economic output and utility. Examples of manager roles include a Power Plant Manager and a Salvage Operator. Managers oversee and optimize the use of resources within their specific domains, such as energy production or resource salvage. While specific perks can vary based on the role, generally, managers can expect to enhance the productivity and profitability of their operations, leveraging their oversight to improve overall economic outcomes.

Builders

In the Star Atlas universe, builders occupy a pivotal role, driving technological advancements by creating new products that enhance gameplay. They engage in continuous innovation, utilizing resources to develop new technologies that can be deployed within the game. As players advance their skills in the Building category, they unlock blueprints. These blueprints are critical for crafting various in-game assets and enhancing the player's ability to generate and maintain economic value. Skill progression in mining not only improves the resource yield but also offers benefits such as crafting discounts and enhanced operational efficiency in farming establishments.

Builders in Research and Development (R&D) work akin to scientists or alchemists, mixing different materials to forge new technologies. The initial setup requires investment in a crafting rig, payable in ATLAS, the game's currency. These rigs must be installed on land that is actively maintained and not subject to foreclosure. The ongoing operational costs involve the procurement of both raw and refined materials necessary for each crafting session, along with a nominal fee in ATLAS for each crafting action. The fruits of their labor are advanced technological items that enhance various aspects of gameplay, including mining efficiency, building capacity, combat readiness, and exploration prowess. Key benefits of this role include faster crafting times and enhanced efficiency of the recipes used.

Explorers

Explorers are akin to the pioneers of the game, charting unknown territories and seeking out new resources. They function as the vanguard of the resource acquisition process, discovering materials that miners can extract in larger quantities or that builders can use to craft cutting-edge technologies. These materials can be used to maintain a competitive edge or sold for ATLAS. 

This role requires significant initial investment, often in the form of advanced ships, which are available on a selective basis to well-funded players. Explorers work closely with fighters to secure their missions and with builders to access the necessary technology to enhance the safety and efficiency of their expeditions.

Fighting

Fighters in Star Atlas are the warriors of the game, engaging in combat to expand their faction's territory and capture valuable loot. This loot often includes resources and technological goods from defeated opponents, which can be pivotal for a faction's advancement. Fighters rely on builders to supply and maintain their combat technology, enhancing their effectiveness in battle.

Combat roles require players to participate in scheduled matches or tournaments or to venture into the hostile outer reaches of space, where the risks and potential rewards escalate significantly. Successful combatants earn ATLAS and resources from their victories, which can be reinvested into repairing or upgrading equipment or into other economic activities such as technology production or resource farming. 

Items

Players in the game can trade in-game assets like ships and resources in Star Atlas's marketplace. While USDC can be used for transactions, ATLAS is the primary currency within the NFT marketplace. Beyond simple buying and selling, the game introduces a unique multi-tiered engagement system that incorporates risk-reward mechanics into the gameplay experience. This system enables players to engage in higher-risk activities with the potential for greater rewards.

Players have the option to explore regions of space beyond the safety of NPC-populated zones. Venturing into these more hazardous areas carries significant risks. Through seamless smart contract integration, players put their ships and crew NFTs on the line, with the possibility of permanent destruction (burn) in the event of a loss.

In these high-stakes engagements, the victors claim a random fractional share of the destroyed NFTs as salvaged assets. This mechanic introduces an element of unpredictability and scarcity, as the rewards are not guaranteed and may vary in value.

Additionally, certain farmed materials in Star Atlas are non-permanent and will be consumed or destroyed when utilized for various purposes, such as construction, fuel, or temporary boosts. This resource management aspect encourages players to carefully consider their resource allocation and prioritize their objectives.

The multi-tiered engagement system in Star Atlas offers players the opportunity to engage in higher-risk activities with the potential for greater rewards while also introducing resource scarcity and unpredictability. This mechanic adds depth and strategic decision-making to the gameplay experience, catering to players seeking a more challenging and dynamic environment.

Tokens

ATLAS

The Star Atlas metaverse is designed around two key cryptocurrencies, each with specific roles and functions within the game's economy. The first is the Atlas (ATLAS) token, which acts as the primary medium of exchange. It facilitates a range of transactions, including in-game purchases, trading on the decentralized exchange (DEX), and serving as the primary reward mechanism within the game. Players will use ATLAS to purchase digital assets like ships, crew members, components, land, and equipment. Similar to a real-world economy, a financial system is crucial for enabling commerce. Transactions, whether with NPC merchants or between players, will be conducted in ATLAS. Additionally, operating costs such as hiring personnel for mining operations, fueling ships, and repairing damages will all be settled using ATLAS.

The token is inflationary by design, meant to scale with the in-game economy to ensure new players find item prices reasonable over time. The total planned supply of ATLAS is 36 billion tokens, with full dilution scheduled over eight years and only a five percent allocation to the team.

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The monetary policy of ATLAS is strategically designed to evolve through three distinct phases, each aimed at gradually increasing decentralized governance and introducing more sophisticated economic controls. This structured approach to monetary policy in Star Atlas not only ensures a gradual increase in community control over economic decisions but also introduces mechanisms to stabilize the in-game economy in response to both internal gameplay and external market changes. The stages include: 

1. Discretionary (Central Bank)

In this initial phase, the Star Atlas development team holds the primary authority over the currency’s emission rates. They adjust these rates by manipulating the reward multipliers for various in-game activities. This discretionary control is exercised through votes within the developers’ DAO, focusing on balancing the game's accessibility for new users while ensuring reasonable revenue streams for POLIS holders. The goal here is to establish a stable user base and economic environment that supports both player engagement and monetary value.

2. Discretionary (Decentralized Governance)

As the game matures, control over monetary policy begins to shift away from the developers to the broader DAO, composed of POLIS token holders. While the method of adjusting emission rates via reward multipliers remains, the developers' direct influence is phased out. This transition represents a move towards a more community-driven governance model, where the holders of POLIS have a significant say in the economic strategies employed within the game, aiming to ensure that these strategies reflect the community's interests and the evolving dynamics of the game's economy.

3. Parametric (Decentralized Governance)

The final phase introduces an algorithmic stabilization model that autonomously adjusts the monetary policies based on macroeconomic indicators and the external token market conditions. This sophisticated model is activated only after receiving a supermajority vote from the DAO. Once enabled, it operates on predefined key performance indicators (KPIs), but these can still be adjusted by the DAO to respond to new economic challenges or opportunities. This phase is characterized by its reliance on data-driven decisions to manage the currency supply and demand dynamically, promoting long-term economic stability and growth within Star Atlas.

‍POLIS

The second currency is the Star Atlas DAO token (POLIS), which is used for governance. Holders of POLIS who stake their tokens gain the ability to participate in the governance process, influencing decisions and voting on proposals that shape the future of the Star Atlas universe. POLIS has a fixed supply of 360 million tokens, representing just one percent of the total ATLAS tokens. 

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There are several avenues through which players can acquire POLIS tokens:

1. Primary Issuance: The Star Atlas development team may offer POLIS tokens directly for sale. This method targets potential governors who wish to have immediate influence in the decentralized governance structure of the metaverse.
2. Secondary Markets: POLIS tokens can also be purchased on secondary markets. These tokens often come with various lockup or vesting schedules, ensuring that buyers are committed to the long-term development of the game's ecosystem.
3. In-game Rewards: Players can earn POLIS through specific missions within the game. These missions are designed to integrate seamlessly with the gameplay while also rewarding players with governance capabilities.
4. Metagame Rewards: Active community engagement is rewarded in several ways:some text
   • Recruiting new users who remain active for a certain period or contribute significantly to the game's economy.
   • Organizing existing users into structured guilds or factions, with rewards based on the productivity and stability of these groups.
   • Guilds or alliances receive POLIS based on their duration and activity level within the game, with incentives structured to minimize quick turnover and promote sustained participation.
5. Governance Participation: By staking their POLIS tokens in the DAO and actively participating in governance decisions, players can earn additional rewards. This engagement is crucial for the decentralized management and strategic direction of the metaverse.
6. Meta-economics Rewards: Players involved in providing liquidity on Automated Market Makers (AMMs) and other decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms within Star Atlas can also earn POLIS. This method ties the game's internal economy to broader blockchain and DeFi ecosystems, promoting liquidity and economic stability.

Together, these tokens not only underpin the game's economic structure but also ensure a dynamic interplay of gameplay and governance, creating a robust economic model that blends gaming with strategic financial planning and community-driven development.

Governance

The Star Atlas team currently holds majority governing rights within its metaverse, a strategic decision aimed at ensuring that developmental timelines and initial visions are met effectively. However, the design and future vision for Star Atlas incorporates a gradual transition to a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), which will allow the community to take over governance completely. This approach is intended to ensure the platform's expansion and evolution long after the original creators have stepped back.

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The future roadmap includes the release of APIs and software development kits (SDKs), which will empower developers and entrepreneurs to build within the Star Atlas metaverse. By providing these tools, Star Atlas is encouraging a model similar to the evolution of the internet, where content creators play a central role in shaping the environment. This philosophy extends to allowing players to contribute user-generated content, thereby enhancing their engagement and stake in the world they help to create.

In contrast to more centralized metaverses like Meta, which tends to control and monetize user data and content within a more closed or semi-open system, Star Atlas is positioning itself as a fully open, permissionless system. This foundational principle of blockchain and cryptocurrency manifests in Star Atlas's commitment to a censorship-resistant metaverse where users retain ultimate control over their digital identities, assets, and data.

Ultimately, Star Atlas envisions a self-fuelling and self-sufficient ecosystem governed entirely through decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). This ambitious goal aims to place the entirety of game control and funding into the hands of its players, using the governance token, POLIS, and the in-game currency, ATLAS, to facilitate economic and regulatory activities within the game.

Star Atlas is structured to function through a layered hierarchy of DAOs, each with specific roles and responsibilities to ensure efficient and effective governance without overlap:

• Top-Level Governance: This universal layer of governance involves all players and focuses on the overall health and direction of the Star Atlas universe. It is a constant within the game's economy and is pivotal in strategic decision-making that affects the game on a macro level.
• Game DAO Operations: The Game DAO oversees the broader economic and development aspects of Star Atlas. It manages the Star Atlas treasury and allocates funds for various purposes, including game development, NPC purchases to incentivize production, and dividend distribution. This body is crucial for maintaining the economic balance and stimulating continuous development within the game.

The DAO manages and adjusts monetary policies related to ATLAS, striving to maintain balance in the game's economy and regulate inflation or deflation as necessary. It also establishes overarching rules that govern the operations of subordinate DAOs, ensuring a cohesive governance structure. In addition, the DAO is responsible for making major decisions such as protocol upgrades, emergency actions, and the enabling or disabling of specific game updates or components. This level of control is essential for adapting the game to new developments and challenges.

Furthermore, the Star Atlas DAO's treasury plays a central role in the game’s economic system. Taxes collected in ATLAS from various in-game activities are deposited into the treasury. These funds are then utilized to sponsor further development, pay dividends to stakeholders, or manage the game's currency supply by burning ATLAS to support its value. The DAO also incentivizes active participation and governance involvement by distributing portions of the tax revenue to its members, encouraging dynamic and engaged community governance. This comprehensive approach ensures that the DAO not only regulates and oversees the game's environment but also actively contributes to its economic stability and development.

Q2 2024 State of Star Atlas

SAGE Gameplay Evolution

The Star Atlas Golden Era (SAGE), currently under development by ATMTA, is a current browser game in the evolving Star Atlas metaverse. Originally announced in early March 2022 under the project name SCREAM, SAGE is designed as a 3D grand-strategy game utilizing WebGL technology. The official name, SAGE, was revealed at the Breakpoint event in November 2022.

ATMTA planned several iterative versions of SAGE, aiming to deliver the game to users more swiftly by breaking down its development into manageable stages. The first of these iterations is known as SAGE: Escape Velocity.

Following Escape Velocity, the next iteration is SAGE Labs, which introduces resource extraction and crafting, marking the first step toward unlocking the game's on-chain economy. This version employs a temporary, simplified 2D user interface to expedite its release. 

In April 2024, the release of SAGE Starbased marked a significant milestone for Star Atlas Golden Era (SAGE), bringing a revolutionary update that reshaped the game’s dynamics. This update empowered players to collaboratively build and maintain their faction’s intergalactic infrastructure within the Galia Expanse. It heralded a new era of multiplayer objectives, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts as political groups in Star Atlas vied for influence and dominance.

This update introduced several novel gameplay mechanisms that added depth and complexity to the SAGE experience. Loyalty Points (LP) became a key feature, incentivizing player commitment and engagement. The update also brought a substantial change in ATLAS emissions, altering the in-game economy and resource management strategies. Additionally, the introduction of Council Rank Experience Points (XP), Epochs, and the ability to upgrade and maintain starbases infused the game with new layers of strategy and immersion. These enhancements not only made the gameplay more entertaining but also required players to think strategically about their long-term goals and alliances within the Star Atlas universe.

A Game for Everyone: Varied Gameplay and Stakes

Star Atlas introduces a tiered engagement environment designed to cater to varying player preferences and risk tolerances, encompassing three distinct zones: safe, medium, and danger zones. Each zone is uniquely calibrated to balance risk against reward, creating a dynamic gameplay landscape.

The safe zone serves as the starting point for all players, a PvP-free area where combat is prohibited. This zone is ideal for newcomers to familiarize themselves with the game mechanics and for those preferring a pacifist approach. Here, players can engage in activities like exploring, shopping, decorating their living spaces, and enjoying the game's visual aesthetics without the threat of conflict.

Transitioning to the medium zone, this area introduces a controlled risk setting where combat is permitted, yet with a safety net. Although players can engage in battles, any destroyed assets, such as ships or gear, are returned to the player, thus allowing them to rebuild and retry without permanent loss. This zone strikes a balance between the tranquility of the safe zone and the high stakes of the danger zone.

The danger zone represents the epitome of high-risk gameplay. Only the most daring players venture into this zone, where intense player-versus-player combat takes place, and the stakes are significantly higher. In this area, any destroyed equipment is lost permanently, and the victor gains the right to salvage and potentially utilize or sell parts of the defeated ships and equipment, all of which are unique NFTs. The allure of greater rewards comes with increased risk, as this zone also contains the most valuable mining materials, necessitating players to defend their territories vigorously.

Moreover, the game mechanics extend to strategic combat elements where players can outfit their ships with various weapon types and components, perform scans on enemy ships, and target specific subsystems to gain tactical advantages. Players also have the option to mark their ships as aggressive or passive, affecting their combat readiness and defensive capabilities.

Traction

Though the full launch of the game is still years away, Star Atlas is being released in stages. Players can already engage with mini-games that provide a preview of what is to come. These mini-games allow players to set up profiles, choose a faction, purchase and sell ships and equipment NFTs on the marketplace, and explore by running around or flying spaceships. Full public open access, including multiplayer support, is expected in the back half of 2024. 

The number of daily active users and trading volume in the early stages of the game’s life cycle can be seen in the charts below. The decline in daily active users (DAU) is most likely attributed to the gradual phasing out of Faction Fleet, a passive fleet management module introduced in December 2021. As this module is set to be fully retired in the coming months, many players have yet to transition to the active gameplay of SAGE.

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Recent Releases

Fleet Commandand the Future of SAGE 3D in Star Atlas

The UE5 version of SAGE 3D, now known as Fleet Command, is set to be initially accessible through the Star Atlas game client. Future plans include evolving this platform into a more optimized, mobile-friendly game titled Star Atlas: Golden Era (SAGE). This upcoming iteration aims to broaden its availability across various platforms, introduce gamepad support, and minimize hardware requirements to expand its reach among gamers.

Fleet Command is anticipated to enter Beta in Q3 of 2024, with the enhanced SAGE version slated for a later release. Meanwhile, the 2D Labs (browser) version will remain operational, with no immediate plans for deprecation.

Crew Packs

Crew Packs represent a significant addition to the Star Atlas gaming ecosystem, featuring unique, randomly generated crew members that unlock new game mechanics through SAGE Starbased and beyond. These crew members come with diverse traits, personalities, and skills to support fleets and infrastructures, becoming in-game avatars that enhance gameplay efficiency through various loops. As game expansions introduce crew progression systems and careers, these members will play a crucial role.

Crew members are categorized into rarity tiers, mirroring Star Atlas’ ship rarity system, from common to anomaly tier. Higher rarity crew members possess increased quantity and power of aptitudes, allowing them to gain experience faster in their areas of expertise. This categorization ensures that more potent crew members can significantly impact game dynamics.

Upon acquisition, crew members can perform crafting jobs in the Star Atlas SAGE Starbased game, enhancing in-game supply chain efficiency. Additionally, the crew art serves as Star Atlas Player Profile Pictures (PFPs), representing favorite species and factions both inside and outside the ecosystem.

As new game expansions are deployed, crew members will serve as in-game avatars, allowing players to crew their own spaceships, train them, and collect gear in RPG style. Future updates will introduce a fully developed MMO RPG system where crew progression systems, skills, and career paths are central to game dynamics. They will also be the assets used in the upcoming mobile fitness trainer and move-to-progress application: Star Atlas CREW.

Upcoming Releases

However, the team offers a regularly updated roadmap/portal, in which users can get an idea of what’s to come in the near future. Let’s take a look at a few upcoming features.

Private Beta

The private beta introduces a robust Ship Progression System, allowing players to upgrade and customize their ships for enhanced capabilities. Within the Components Hangar, players can optimize ship components to boost overall performance. Competitive PVP Racing offers the thrill of racing against other players in a dynamic space environment. Additionally, the game includes a Third-Person Shooter mode, where players can engage in tactical ground combat. As a token of appreciation for their feedback and participation, players will receive exclusive rewards during the beta phase.

Blockchain-based improvements

An on-chain protocol has been implemented to monitor player progression, capturing real-time advancements and activities. This protocol ensures that all player achievements and milestones are securely recorded on the blockchain, providing an immutable and transparent record of accomplishments. Additionally, users will soon be able to create in-game events and missions onchain.

Another key upgrade coming to the Star Atlas stack involves a collaboration with MetaGravity to develop advanced server technology to support a higher number of players in a single instance, enabling extensive multiplayer interactions. This innovation allows for a significantly increased player capacity within a single game instance, fostering hyperscale massive multiplayer experiences.

Finally, the reintroduction of the DAO protocol in Star Atlas will provide a structured system for POLIS holders to actively participate in the project's governance (as discussed in the earlier POLIS section). This initiative allows holders to submit proposals on various topics, from game development ideas to community initiatives, thereby enhancing their influence on the project's future. By facilitating voting on these proposals, the protocol promotes greater community involvement. Additionally, POLIS holders have the power to vote on the allocation of funds from the DAO treasury, supporting community-driven projects and initiatives, further strengthening their role in shaping the project's direction.

Conclusion

Star Atlas represents the bleeding edge of blockchain technology and immersive gaming, pushing the boundaries of what is possible within the metaverse. By integrating NFTs and decentralized finance (DeFi) into its ecosystem, Star Atlas not only offers players a captivating and dynamic gaming experience but also provides real-world economic opportunities. This pioneering approach has the potential to redefine virtual and real-world interactions, establishing a new standard for digital ownership and player-driven economies.

The project's multifaceted gameplay, spanning space exploration, resource management, and combat, coupled with its decentralized governance model, ensures that players have a significant influence on the game's evolution. The tiered engagement zones and strategic combat elements cater to a wide range of player preferences, from those seeking safe, exploratory gameplay to those desiring high-stakes, competitive encounters. As the game continues to develop, its commitment to leveraging advanced technologies like Unreal Engine 5 and blockchain ensures that Star Atlas will remain at the forefront of innovation in the gaming industry.

The gradual phasing out of the Faction Fleet module and the ongoing development of SAGE and other game components indicate a dynamic future for Star Atlas. Additionally, the upcoming releases and enhancements, including the introduction of Crew Packs and the private beta's advanced features, promise to further enrich the Star Atlas experience. As Star Atlas transitions into a fully decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), the community's role in shaping the game's future will only grow, reflecting the evolving dynamics and goals of the community.

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Disclaimer: This report was commissioned by the Star Atlas. This research report is exactly that — a research report. It is not intended to serve as financial advice, nor should you blindly assume that any of the information is accurate without confirming through your own research. Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and other digital assets are incredibly risky and nothing in this report should be considered an endorsement to buy or sell any asset. Never invest more than you are willing to lose and understand the risk that you are taking. Do your own research. All information in this report is for educational purposes only and should not be the basis for any investment decisions that you make.