The moment has come – the first public multiplayer demo of Supernova Shards is now available!
We have been working on the project for 3.5 years.
Let us briefly describe our path below to clarify why it took so long.
In 2013, the idea of the game was born (10 years ago!). Then the concept was described, the demo was created, and we got a clear understanding of how large and complex the project was, and how well we should prepare in order to bring it to life.
In 2016 we worked on our first space game called Space Arena, which became quite popular (over 5M downloads so far). Thanks to this, we’ve got a lot of experience on how to create an exciting starship design gameplay.
In 2018, we applied the concept of an open economy in a space game called 0xUniverse (in 2019 it became one of the most popular blockchain games on Ethereum and Polygon). We’ve learned in practice dos and don’ts of a web3 economy design, how to build a community of players based on decentralized principles.
In 2020, we were finally ready to fully implement the original concept – we had a fairly experienced team. We needed investments to build a game architecture that would allow us to create a complex sci-fi world for many thousands of players.
By the end of 2021, we had created a demo version based on a simplified singleplayer architecture. That allowed us to attract the attention of investors and get the resources to implement the multiplayer architecture. We expected to build it in 10 months, but in practice it took twice as long.
Now we’re finally ready to show the first alpha version of Supernova Shards, where we are going to present the multiplayer architecture and the Agreements concept, on the basis of which our open economy works. From this moment, the R&D stage of our project ends. We are moving to stable work on increasing the functionality. We are going to release new features on a regular basis (at least one update per month).
Now let’s list what you will be able to see in the first alpha.
First of all – the multiplayer itself. You will be able to travel around the united world (star system), meet other players. To distribute the load, our world is divided into zones. When moving to another zone, the client connects to another server. In the first alpha, the experience of such a reconnection is still noticeable, it takes a long time and is not obvious. With each next iteration, we are going to improve this experience so that in the end it won’t be noticeable at all.
You will be able to control a character and a starship. The character will be able to move around the starship and interact with its modules. In the first alpha, you will be able to do the following:
– exchange items with chests (the nearest chest to medical bed has clothes and other items);
– exchange items with starship cargo hold modules via the cargo transporter module;
– arrange items on tables, chairs and shelves;
– sit on a chair or bed;
– lie down to a medical bed and change the character’s appearance;
– sit at the pilot’s console and control the starship;
– sit at the pilot’s console and change the starship interior.
Starship mechanics will be introduced in future updates, so for now they fly clumsily. The flight parameters do not yet take into account the starship’s design and the composition of the installed modules. The function of docking to other starships is also disabled until the next update.
You can get acquainted with our Agreements system. This is what we call a system that monitors the fulfillment of the obligations that the players have taken to each other. It also includes the ability to assemble agreements yourself and help you fulfill them. This is the basis on which all relations between the players are built in general, not only economic ones. You can buy goods, order delivery, announce a reward for a pirate, ride a taxi, hire staff in your shop, bar or factory – all these are regulated by the Agreements.
In our world, the Agreements work closely with ownership the Certificates. These are documents that confirm the ownership of a thing from the point of view of a corporation. For example, if you buy a starship on the territory of corporation A, you receive a certificate of ownership of it, confirmed by this corporation. Corporation B has formed an alliance with A and trusts its certificates, so if you fly into its territory, there will be no problems. But corporation C, which is at enmity with the rest, will not be convinced by your certificate – you will not be able to sell the starship on its territory, and the police of corporation C will not help in case of its theft.
The Agreements and the Certificates are big mechanics that will be gradually revealed in future updates. In the first version, you will encounter them right away, because you will need to buy a body and a starship. For now their cost is symbolic: 100 LFC (~ $1) for a body and 1000-2000 LFC (~ $10-20) for a starship. The purchases will take place in strict accordance with the agreement that you sign. And after its completion, you will receive the ownership certificates.
Between updates we are going to wipe the world. This means that you will lose all the things you own. But of course, we will immediately refund the LFC spent on them in full. So in the end, participation in the alpha will not bring costs. On the contrary, in future updates it will be possible to earn.
In early September, we are going to release the second alpha, in which we are adding the ability to dock with other starships. You will be able to meet each other and even talk. You will also be able to walk around a space station and visit its shops.
At least once a month we are planning to release new features. You will be able to go into outer space using your spacesuit; fight monsters and other players, die and be reborn in a new body; starships will take into account the parameters of the installed modules, so you will be able to apply your design skills; fight on starships; produce starships and modules for them, earn from this and much more!
This is all intro for now. We hope you enjoyed learning more about Supernova Shards. Now let’s start testing! At the current stage, the gameplay is not yet optimized enough to work well in the browser. Therefore, we prepare downloadable versions for Windows or Mac OS. Here are some instructions in case you have any difficulties with launching them. Thank you! We look forward to your feedback!