It has been a long, winding road of ups and downs to arrive where we are today. Following a 6 month span of designing the look and feel of our project, plus all of the mechanics, the team started gearing up for launch around the end of March 2022, and shortly after that we threw our hat in the ring.

We took inspiration from the new and exciting distribution methods at the time such as Wolf Game, Wizards and Dragons, and Defi Kingdoms. All of which were good at rewarding early players and creating a community that shared a common goal. Each with their unique set of pros and cons during the course of the initial “game”.

End of the day, the structure of ours was intended to get players involved in the world we created for them, from lore to mechanics, everything had a greater purpose. And with the codebase that was being referenced, many exploits were patched and several different methods of dealing with bad actors came about.

We had assumed all best efforts were used to detract any of these exploits from happening, especially after several independent audits of our contracts. On the surface it looked like we had manufactured a bulletproof method, but we soon learned that was not the case. We had our first big scare and had to close down the Pirate minting functionality—someone was able to bypass the random chance because we didn't implement Chainlink VRF from the start to handle the seeding of those chances. This included Colonists as well, so we locked everything down. The community was in disarray after many sleepless nights of wen!

A week before this, our core developer Gnar was on his way to another state, road trip style, to take care of some family affairs that had been scheduled since before we started minting. We had only reached about 50% mints after about 2 weeks of promos and marketing, so we figured everything would be fine until he got back to his workstation, where he created the monster of contracts that make up the foundation of Shattered EON. Another week or so shouldn’t hurt right?

“Everything will be good until you get back”, I said…

Enter our lovable ChumChum, some of you like him, some of you not so much. He said he could help us get more eyes on the project and hopefully send the mints over the top so we could get to the fun stuff, and this promise he kept. We agreed that for his efforts he ought to be compensated. Fast forward 24 hours or so, the Discord is on fire, we minted out, people are euphoric, life is good. Again, we never really knew much about him, but figured it was worth the risk so that our players and holders could get up and going. And truly, it was a net positive because we got to meet so many new people who have improved the quality of our community in more ways than one. The Swampverse and many other communities will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

I reached out to Gnar, who was obviously taking a much needed rest after sleepless nights of coding our contracts up to completion and the front end work required for such a thing to operate. A little bit of time goes by and we let him know it’s time to release the floodgates. The team is biting their nails down to nubs at this point and we announced the staking open time.

I will never be able to explain the terror I felt when…. being woken up in an empty airBNB by the housekeeper, sleep deprived beyond recognition, phone / wallet / pants? all lost….

I pull it together enough to reach for the laptop nearly falling off the bed and see @Gnar X1000 “RED ALERT IT’S BROKEN” “We need you pick up your phone now!”….. -Gnar — on the post launch chaos

And, well the rest is history.

We shall never again rush any part of what we worked so hard to build, or have such an important member of the team AFK when new portions of the project launch. We also learned that some people are lazy and tell you something is good to go(independent auditors) when they can’t handle the responsibility of their task and you have no reason not to believe them until they leave you out in the rain without an umbrella (exploits). We take these hits on the chin and carry on.

A lot was learned in a short amount of time, we probably took a few years off our lifespans, but our resolve remains. Nothing will push us off course when it comes to what we set out to do, and that’s build a fucking amazing game!

Something more than just a list of chores, something more than what every other chop shop shoves down your throat. Something genuine and enjoyable, that can be played for the stories and the comradery, all while earning a few coins. We want to create that experience you felt as a kid on summer break, booting up your favorite game and wondering how you could grind so long after the day turned to dusk. Nostalgic graphics and familiar mechanics, with a new age twist.

Our mission is clear and we are going for it full speed!

Within the last two weeks we have recommended you start unstaking any gen0 Colonists you have in the contract. This ensures we are able to airdrop you the ARPS (dynamic land NFTs) you are entitled to as a holder of these genesis game pieces. The contract is not minting any further rEON and we explained early on that that would be the case in the not so distant future (well that future has arrived).

Only 50% of the available rEON tokens were ever meant to be distributed in Orbit 1. This amount enables players to acquire all of the initial Colonists, Pirates, and Shards available for mint during Orbit 1. While there have been some bumps along the way, we have handled, and continue to handle them; like when the shady con artists bypassed the need for EON to acquire the lower end tiers of Temple and Spear Shards. We stopped any further mints of those and will distribute them fairly in another way, minus the supply that was exploited.

Luckily, that part was discovered fairly quickly thanks to Yush, one of our new mods in the discord community. So as of now, no more shards can be minted until we set that up for access again.

Until every single Colonist has had its rEON claimed, you should leave your Pirates staked. You can take out the gen0 Pirates but just be warned that they will not receive the benefits of the Colonist exodus or any new Colonists being minted with a chance to steal.

• Unstake gen0 Colonists to get airdrop of new ARPS NFTs (no gas cost to you)

• Pirates can stay in until the very last moment of the snapshot date

• Date of snapshot will be announced ahead of ARPS release schedule

• New Shards are off the table until new systems commence operations

We have been seeing an uptick in Colonist distribution and purchases again, so we should also prepare you for the harsh news that not every ARPS will have enough colonists to continue building into the later tiers.

60,000 colonists from gen0 to gen5 were ever meant to exist (before burns and Pirate chances) and with each of these generations comes specific perks to their efficiency levels when utilizing them in-game.

The table is as follows:

with 20,000 ARPS initially available for the main net side of the project, you can start to see that if players need 5 Colonists to maintain operations, it will be slim pickins. We will offer some help in this realm, but they will be non-transferable helpers and will most likely increase build times, so Colonists will always be better than fillers we create.

I imagine this will eventually form generation specific values on the open market based on their work speed, so be mindful when sending a Colonist off to the airlock or otherwise.

Be mindful that gen0 pirates will also have some extra perks that will be discussed in the future. They are more experienced from being here in the system of Pytheas longer, so it makes sense that they will have some sort of edge in game.

I’ve had quite the fun time explaining the potential of what this single NFT will do. One, because it’s not just any regular non-fungible token, and two because it has a lot of moving pieces to it as far as what it unlocks for our players.

A little history if you haven’t stayed up to date, the ARPS is:

The Autonomous Rapid Prospecting System (A.R.P.S.), an Imperial Guild invention, has been in design and testing for decades. It is one of the primary drivers behind the expansion of Eonite mining on Pytheas (the other of course being the completion of the Refinery: Pylon). These units are specifically crafted to withstand the rigors of existence on the surface of Pytheas: the intense heat of day, frigid night temperatures, intermittent micrometeorites, and the blasting sand and dust. The structures are composed of hardened metal alloy coated with an Eonite-ceramic layer. This combination results in units that are both corrosion-resistant and nearly impervious to all normal environmental forces found on Pytheas.

Sounds fancy right?

This is the crown jewel of our achievements thus far, a testament to the limits of Solidity.

An ARPS base is a truly dynamic and fully composable NFT. This means that it will change in some way to represent your progress on that plot of land. From level-ups to research and skills, it all starts with this one single asset.

Built modules, resource densities, biome composition, etc… it all gets shown here, live, whenever you do something on your land.

This presents a new wave of possibilities in the blockchain gaming world. It’s not just a land piece to look at and know you have it, it’s a living history of your story on Pytheas, something to brag about, something to barter with, something to conquer others with, the only limit is your ambition to achieve greatness in the world we have created for you.

Since we are working with the EIP-2535 standard, we are able to create systems you would normally see in game engines, which would handle things like the resource gathering logic, upgrades from level 1 to level 2, and many other fun things that you don’t usually, if ever, see happen on-chain. We can also update things on the fly, so no more huge downtimes or migrations if something is acting buggy.

Shout out to Nick Mudge, the creator of the EIP-2535 diamond standard, and all of the great minds at AAVE for showing us how much more you can extend the capabilities of solidity.

The cost to mint an ARPS is denominated in EON. After gen0 allocations are made this creates an extra supply of 9,112 bases that will be available for purchase, the cost being 20,000 EON per ARPS.

You will also need 5000 rEON to activate it during the placement on the map in-game.

We are pushing to have all ARPS you own as manageable in game with a single wallet, there may be some limitations with the UNITY engine but we will prepare for any and all options that may or may not be available when it comes time.

TL;DR

• More than just a land drop

• 10,888 Free ARPS for gen0 holders (Value may differ after burns and pirate attempts have been counted)

• 20,000 EON to mint subsequent ARPS, 5000 rEON to activate them for use

• Something almost nobody has actually tried accomplishing on-chain because of how complicated it is to learn the EIP standard

• Full-featured strategy game being built on-chain, most of which is working flawlessly already in tests (just building out the rest of the systems)

• This is huge for the entire Ethereum ecosystem if it’s well received

So you know what an ARPS is, now let’s dig into what they actually do.

Modules —

Each ARPS is capable of extending its functionality with the help of neighboring modules. These modules handle things like energy output to run your labs and drilling equipment, help you feed your Colonists and hired militias, and protect your walls from outside intruders that want what you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Most handle the production of a specific resource, some may not do anything but offer further advancement opportunities or act as waiting rooms for your troops and supplies.

The primary base layer consists of a limited amount of hex grids where you can place modules around your ARPS and then a ring of secondary modules will act as your pathways to a more open world design of choices and specialized game strategies. This will be where you get to separate yourself from others and not everyone will always have the same combo of modules.

Here’s a look at the generalized/possible ARPS screen view each player will have, and the driver behind your choices and outcomes:

You will need to make wise choices to make sure your base prospers, otherwise you may get left behind on the unforgiving surface of Pytheas.

Resources —

We crafted a wide array of gameplay options, and that requires a few unique resources as well. These are in-game only resources, but allow for trading, spending, and stealing mechanics as well. The need to stuff your wallet full of more tokens is unnecessary with our new on-chain storage system.

We’ll keep the accounting of your precious resources accurate, you go have fun.

The resource types are as follows: Teknite, Thaxene, Rations, Pyroleum, Nanites, and Energy

Many of these resources, in different combinations, gate your progress to more desirable upgrades and tiers of modules. We also have a certain amount of hand holding in place during the beginning stages, but after a certain point you need to learn how to progress efficiently or you’ll hit a wall with how much upkeep you can maintain.

Lucky for you the ability to destroy certain things, if you get too big for your biome, is an option. But you might find yourself suffering slightly with the time it then takes to get that tier of module back to operational standards for your base. Fret not, this is for your own good, and can give some players an edge in their zone of the map.

All things in life and war should balance.

Obstructions —

Each new ARPS has a specific set of perks and downfalls, from size to nearby resource nodes. If you read this far, this is an Easter egg for those paying attention.

One of those downfalls may be that you have a giant friggin’ rock blocking one of your module spaces, or an endless pit of sink sand, either way you’re gonna have to make some choices yet again about what gets built first or about the time it takes to clear these obstructions, and…well a few other fun bits we’ll save for launch day.

Trading ARPS —

The method in which these assets were created will strike an interesting set of options when it comes to how they can move back and forth on the market.

If you have assigned Colonists actively keeping your base up and running, they will live within the ownership of that ARPS ID. They can be removed and added as you wish, but you can keep them assigned and extra value is added when trading them because of these bonus shards and Colonists that stay attached. The new owner will then benefit from this and the old owner has no more influence.

EON —

One utility use for EON will be instant build options for these modules— cost will depend on tier level. This helps you bypass those pesky wait times while your friends next door slave away with torches and a fabricator array.

There will, in reality, be many reasons to have EON in your travels. And many ways to spend it…

The initial intention for a dual-token economy was to help balance dynamic tides of player activity. One side only tradeable as an ERC-1155 NFT (rEON) and the other, a fast and premium version ERC-20 (EON) that is able to be traded like a normal token.

One side for playing, the other for acquiring some of the finer things Shattered EON has to offer. Both offer flexibility in strategy, and ways to offramp if necessary.

Going forward, rEON will be necessary to pay Pirates to work for you if you need some hard to acquire items not found in the immediate vicinity of Pytheas.

More on the specifics as the game gets closer to launch.

In short, your rEON will serve the purposes of day-to-day upkeep of quality of life and EON will give you access to the more powerful and sought after paths in the game.

We will also rework the refinery processing time, so it is recommended to have a ratio of the two that matches your ambitions when playing.

Another innovative way we are blazing a path in the industry is with our on-chain mapping/pathfinding system. This enables precise unit travel times, exploration missions, PVP attack times, and pretty much anything else we cook up over the course of the next couple years for expansion. Did we mention it’s all on-chain and not just some front end UI trickery?

Each ARPS obtains an assigned location where it exists on the surface of Pytheas, through x and y coords you will be able to decide if the bases you have are where you prefer to set roots, or if you want to be closer to allies. The world is wide open for these choices to take place. But the supply of choices is limited to 20,000.

Along the vast expanses of the empty lands you may be pleased to know that anomalies and other points of interest may exist, these will most likely be fought over and those who maintain control will have an edge in their area. These will be seeded randomly at launch to offer a fair spread across the entire map.

This leads us to our next hot topic…

If you have ever been promised PVP in a web3 game it usually takes the form of an over-explained rock, paper, scissors or simple coin flip. And this is usually only against another player that also holds an asset like yours or something compatible. Not overly fun, but great for the guys and gals that create that stuff, because it’s better than nothing.

But better than better is…well, better.

The tech that forms our PVP system derives from the earlier resource engine we built for the ARPS. We create a wide array of unit types, each with their own specialties and amount of resources they can haul back to your base if they successfully penetrate the defenses of another base.

This creates a complex game within itself of scouting your enemy, carefully planning which units to send that will have the most effect, and several other fine-tuned strategy components. We also may have to balance things as we go depending on how everyone is utilizing these mechanics. But we can now do precisely that, thanks to the diamond standard contracts we are utilizing going forward.

Some troop types are only available if you specialize in certain paths of secondary and primary modules, so be mindful of the future and know that you yourself will be the cause of your success or demise on the mean streets of Pytheas.

This has been a big question for a while, what will Shards do, are they consumables or permanent?

Well the time has come and some of you may have already guessed what their specific utility was, so let’s dive in a bit right now.

• Shards can be slotted into an active ARPS base, they are a permanent addition and can’t be removed after.

• Shards, from most common to Phantom, have specific positive benefits to boost build times, attack, defense, and resources. The boost is relative in value to your ARPS level and Shard type. Each tier of ARPS increases its power respectively.

• Phantom Shards make upgrade life much easier by distorting time and space, making everything it touches in its sphere of influence much faster and more robust. One of the only Shards that gives a huge starting boost to production, which may seem unfair, but such is life.

• We are researching more uses as we march forward to ensure Shards have a lasting impact in the grand scheme of the game pacing. But since this is a battle of scarcity, we will not fix any mistakes made when you decide to slot one on an ARPS unit.

• Onosia is necessary for certain missions and crafting recipes, and are consumed on use. How exactly they function will be revealed closer to the full game release but no more will ever exist so you will need to choose wisely.

The next Orbit of gameplay and systems will include a more robust way of utilizing your assets, this means the Ai-Lax scourge will be out in full force, terrorizing and profiting from the uptick in activity happening within the Omorphia system.

Some new perks will include:

• Rank specific missions to acquire rare and unique items necessary for progression in game that can then be sold on the black market. Even then, not every Pirate will arrive back to their stations safely.

• Gen0 perks that will be discussed later in development

• Pirate Stations will be implemented to organize and manage your fleet of intergalactic goons. A man needs a place to rest his head and repair his warp drive right?

• Favorable bribes in the form of rEON/EON from the Imperial Guild to make sure certain shipments and activities are secure and nobody asks questions.

• And other top secret stuff that needs further testing before we blab off about it.

What started as a simple game idea has really taken on a life of its own as the world unfolds through stories and visuals. The premise of the Shattered EON Universe has legs to expand into other forms of media, both written and video.

We are actively expanding the Shattered EON world with the intention to release a host of creative projects including audio, visual, and a written series that further expands the borders of the known universe along the way. When we venture into those realms you will be coming with us for the ride. While that's not the primary focus in the near term, we are open to such things creating extra value for our holders.

Merch is also something we have explored, this takes time and money so we want to make sure we don't go off course too soon with it. It would be something done for the pleasure and not part of our core business strategy.

A secondary goal we have is to make this a global release, something everyone can play even if they don't have blockchain assets. This auxiliary version of the game would bring in fresh monetization strategies that trickle down to genesis asset holders. This is achievable if we create something that people enjoy and that is ultimately what we’ve been aiming for this whole time.

Player royalties in the form of a real business, where your assets are your shares in that pool of distributed funds. If we succeed, you succeed.

We have many items on the to do list, most everything consists of adding compounded value to our players; and we will be playing right alongside you.

An exciting prospect every time I think about it.

As mentioned a while back we will be using the Unity game engine to create the game and the day to day activities will be deployed on Polygon (Matic).

The contracts are far too large to make main net a viable option and that would further hinder all of the things we are now able to achieve with a scalable L2 experience.

We however want to keep all the primary value of an ETH native project on that chain, so any market listings will still happen on ETH and stay there for the foreseeable future.

We have tested most functions and it will be so cheap that any and all complaints about the move will be taken with a grain of salt. It just has to be this way going forward.

The only other option would be doing something similar to Axie Infinity and hosting our own chain, which isn’t off the table, but only when we can manage such a feat and our team grows a bit more.

I have probably decided to say too much, maybe some parts not enough. This really is a huge project on the back end and more will be discussed as we get closer to ARPS airdrops and full release.

We plan to take some lucky community members beyond the veil when we get a testing environment set up to help polish most of the bugs before we go live on-chain. This playtesting round ensures we have the right balance and freedom of choice to sink your teeth into for a long time.

If you can agree to let us keep working on this for the next long while, we promise to give you something you can brag about later when it’s all up and running.

A big part of the distrust from projects in this space stems from failure to set proper expectations and deliver at even a bare minimum level. We are not perfect by any stretch, but we are also trying to actively avoid harvesting our users for more money to attain some lavish lifestyle. We will continue to eat ramen and live in a cardboard box if it means we make you happy.

The initial mayhem made us look like everyone else in the game, and that's an image we will continue working to clean up. At some points you have to do things like others so people understand at face value what your project is. But it’s what you do as a team after that establishes your permanent place in a respected succession of builders or in the gargantuan trash heap of failed devs and projects.

Let this be a guide, an open statement of our intentions to you, the cherished few who trusted in us, that we will strive to exceed your expectations and over deliver in every area we can.

Thank you for being a part of it this far.

It has been a long, winding road of ups and downs to arrive where we are today. Following a 6 month span of designing the look and feel of our project, plus all of the mechanics, the team started gearing up for launch around the end of March 2022, and shortly after that we threw our hat in the ring.

We took inspiration from the new and exciting distribution methods at the time such as Wolf Game, Wizards and Dragons, and Defi Kingdoms. All of which were good at rewarding early players and creating a community that shared a common goal. Each with their unique set of pros and cons during the course of the initial “game”.

End of the day, the structure of ours was intended to get players involved in the world we created for them, from lore to mechanics, everything had a greater purpose. And with the codebase that was being referenced, many exploits were patched and several different methods of dealing with bad actors came about.

We had assumed all best efforts were used to detract any of these exploits from happening, especially after several independent audits of our contracts. On the surface it looked like we had manufactured a bulletproof method, but we soon learned that was not the case. We had our first big scare and had to close down the Pirate minting functionality—someone was able to bypass the random chance because we didn't implement Chainlink VRF from the start to handle the seeding of those chances. This included Colonists as well, so we locked everything down. The community was in disarray after many sleepless nights of wen!

A week before this, our core developer Gnar was on his way to another state, road trip style, to take care of some family affairs that had been scheduled since before we started minting. We had only reached about 50% mints after about 2 weeks of promos and marketing, so we figured everything would be fine until he got back to his workstation, where he created the monster of contracts that make up the foundation of Shattered EON. Another week or so shouldn’t hurt right?

“Everything will be good until you get back”, I said…

Enter our lovable ChumChum, some of you like him, some of you not so much. He said he could help us get more eyes on the project and hopefully send the mints over the top so we could get to the fun stuff, and this promise he kept. We agreed that for his efforts he ought to be compensated. Fast forward 24 hours or so, the Discord is on fire, we minted out, people are euphoric, life is good. Again, we never really knew much about him, but figured it was worth the risk so that our players and holders could get up and going. And truly, it was a net positive because we got to meet so many new people who have improved the quality of our community in more ways than one. The Swampverse and many other communities will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

I reached out to Gnar, who was obviously taking a much needed rest after sleepless nights of coding our contracts up to completion and the front end work required for such a thing to operate. A little bit of time goes by and we let him know it’s time to release the floodgates. The team is biting their nails down to nubs at this point and we announced the staking open time.

I will never be able to explain the terror I felt when…. being woken up in an empty airBNB by the housekeeper, sleep deprived beyond recognition, phone / wallet / pants? all lost….

I pull it together enough to reach for the laptop nearly falling off the bed and see @Gnar X1000 “RED ALERT IT’S BROKEN” “We need you pick up your phone now!”….. -Gnar — on the post launch chaos

And, well the rest is history.

We shall never again rush any part of what we worked so hard to build, or have such an important member of the team AFK when new portions of the project launch. We also learned that some people are lazy and tell you something is good to go(independent auditors) when they can’t handle the responsibility of their task and you have no reason not to believe them until they leave you out in the rain without an umbrella (exploits). We take these hits on the chin and carry on.

A lot was learned in a short amount of time, we probably took a few years off our lifespans, but our resolve remains. Nothing will push us off course when it comes to what we set out to do, and that’s build a fucking amazing game!

Something more than just a list of chores, something more than what every other chop shop shoves down your throat. Something genuine and enjoyable, that can be played for the stories and the comradery, all while earning a few coins. We want to create that experience you felt as a kid on summer break, booting up your favorite game and wondering how you could grind so long after the day turned to dusk. Nostalgic graphics and familiar mechanics, with a new age twist.

Our mission is clear and we are going for it full speed!

Within the last two weeks we have recommended you start unstaking any gen0 Colonists you have in the contract. This ensures we are able to airdrop you the ARPS (dynamic land NFTs) you are entitled to as a holder of these genesis game pieces. The contract is not minting any further rEON and we explained early on that that would be the case in the not so distant future (well that future has arrived).

Only 50% of the available rEON tokens were ever meant to be distributed in Orbit 1. This amount enables players to acquire all of the initial Colonists, Pirates, and Shards available for mint during Orbit 1. While there have been some bumps along the way, we have handled, and continue to handle them; like when the shady con artists bypassed the need for EON to acquire the lower end tiers of Temple and Spear Shards. We stopped any further mints of those and will distribute them fairly in another way, minus the supply that was exploited.

Luckily, that part was discovered fairly quickly thanks to Yush, one of our new mods in the discord community. So as of now, no more shards can be minted until we set that up for access again.

Until every single Colonist has had its rEON claimed, you should leave your Pirates staked. You can take out the gen0 Pirates but just be warned that they will not receive the benefits of the Colonist exodus or any new Colonists being minted with a chance to steal.

• Unstake gen0 Colonists to get airdrop of new ARPS NFTs (no gas cost to you)

• Pirates can stay in until the very last moment of the snapshot date

• Date of snapshot will be announced ahead of ARPS release schedule

• New Shards are off the table until new systems commence operations

We have been seeing an uptick in Colonist distribution and purchases again, so we should also prepare you for the harsh news that not every ARPS will have enough colonists to continue building into the later tiers.

60,000 colonists from gen0 to gen5 were ever meant to exist (before burns and Pirate chances) and with each of these generations comes specific perks to their efficiency levels when utilizing them in-game.

The table is as follows:

with 20,000 ARPS initially available for the main net side of the project, you can start to see that if players need 5 Colonists to maintain operations, it will be slim pickins. We will offer some help in this realm, but they will be non-transferable helpers and will most likely increase build times, so Colonists will always be better than fillers we create.

I imagine this will eventually form generation specific values on the open market based on their work speed, so be mindful when sending a Colonist off to the airlock or otherwise.

Be mindful that gen0 pirates will also have some extra perks that will be discussed in the future. They are more experienced from being here in the system of Pytheas longer, so it makes sense that they will have some sort of edge in game.

I’ve had quite the fun time explaining the potential of what this single NFT will do. One, because it’s not just any regular non-fungible token, and two because it has a lot of moving pieces to it as far as what it unlocks for our players.

A little history if you haven’t stayed up to date, the ARPS is:

The Autonomous Rapid Prospecting System (A.R.P.S.), an Imperial Guild invention, has been in design and testing for decades. It is one of the primary drivers behind the expansion of Eonite mining on Pytheas (the other of course being the completion of the Refinery: Pylon). These units are specifically crafted to withstand the rigors of existence on the surface of Pytheas: the intense heat of day, frigid night temperatures, intermittent micrometeorites, and the blasting sand and dust. The structures are composed of hardened metal alloy coated with an Eonite-ceramic layer. This combination results in units that are both corrosion-resistant and nearly impervious to all normal environmental forces found on Pytheas.

Sounds fancy right?

This is the crown jewel of our achievements thus far, a testament to the limits of Solidity.

An ARPS base is a truly dynamic and fully composable NFT. This means that it will change in some way to represent your progress on that plot of land. From level-ups to research and skills, it all starts with this one single asset.

Built modules, resource densities, biome composition, etc… it all gets shown here, live, whenever you do something on your land.

This presents a new wave of possibilities in the blockchain gaming world. It’s not just a land piece to look at and know you have it, it’s a living history of your story on Pytheas, something to brag about, something to barter with, something to conquer others with, the only limit is your ambition to achieve greatness in the world we have created for you.

Since we are working with the EIP-2535 standard, we are able to create systems you would normally see in game engines, which would handle things like the resource gathering logic, upgrades from level 1 to level 2, and many other fun things that you don’t usually, if ever, see happen on-chain. We can also update things on the fly, so no more huge downtimes or migrations if something is acting buggy.

Shout out to Nick Mudge, the creator of the EIP-2535 diamond standard, and all of the great minds at AAVE for showing us how much more you can extend the capabilities of solidity.

The cost to mint an ARPS is denominated in EON. After gen0 allocations are made this creates an extra supply of 9,112 bases that will be available for purchase, the cost being 20,000 EON per ARPS.

You will also need 5000 rEON to activate it during the placement on the map in-game.

We are pushing to have all ARPS you own as manageable in game with a single wallet, there may be some limitations with the UNITY engine but we will prepare for any and all options that may or may not be available when it comes time.

TL;DR

• More than just a land drop

• 10,888 Free ARPS for gen0 holders (Value may differ after burns and pirate attempts have been counted)

• 20,000 EON to mint subsequent ARPS, 5000 rEON to activate them for use

• Something almost nobody has actually tried accomplishing on-chain because of how complicated it is to learn the EIP standard

• Full-featured strategy game being built on-chain, most of which is working flawlessly already in tests (just building out the rest of the systems)

• This is huge for the entire Ethereum ecosystem if it’s well received

So you know what an ARPS is, now let’s dig into what they actually do.

Modules —

Each ARPS is capable of extending its functionality with the help of neighboring modules. These modules handle things like energy output to run your labs and drilling equipment, help you feed your Colonists and hired militias, and protect your walls from outside intruders that want what you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Most handle the production of a specific resource, some may not do anything but offer further advancement opportunities or act as waiting rooms for your troops and supplies.

The primary base layer consists of a limited amount of hex grids where you can place modules around your ARPS and then a ring of secondary modules will act as your pathways to a more open world design of choices and specialized game strategies. This will be where you get to separate yourself from others and not everyone will always have the same combo of modules.

Here’s a look at the generalized/possible ARPS screen view each player will have, and the driver behind your choices and outcomes:

You will need to make wise choices to make sure your base prospers, otherwise you may get left behind on the unforgiving surface of Pytheas.

Resources —

We crafted a wide array of gameplay options, and that requires a few unique resources as well. These are in-game only resources, but allow for trading, spending, and stealing mechanics as well. The need to stuff your wallet full of more tokens is unnecessary with our new on-chain storage system.

We’ll keep the accounting of your precious resources accurate, you go have fun.

The resource types are as follows: Teknite, Thaxene, Rations, Pyroleum, Nanites, and Energy

Many of these resources, in different combinations, gate your progress to more desirable upgrades and tiers of modules. We also have a certain amount of hand holding in place during the beginning stages, but after a certain point you need to learn how to progress efficiently or you’ll hit a wall with how much upkeep you can maintain.

Lucky for you the ability to destroy certain things, if you get too big for your biome, is an option. But you might find yourself suffering slightly with the time it then takes to get that tier of module back to operational standards for your base. Fret not, this is for your own good, and can give some players an edge in their zone of the map.

All things in life and war should balance.

Obstructions —

Each new ARPS has a specific set of perks and downfalls, from size to nearby resource nodes. If you read this far, this is an Easter egg for those paying attention.

One of those downfalls may be that you have a giant friggin’ rock blocking one of your module spaces, or an endless pit of sink sand, either way you’re gonna have to make some choices yet again about what gets built first or about the time it takes to clear these obstructions, and…well a few other fun bits we’ll save for launch day.

Trading ARPS —

The method in which these assets were created will strike an interesting set of options when it comes to how they can move back and forth on the market.

If you have assigned Colonists actively keeping your base up and running, they will live within the ownership of that ARPS ID. They can be removed and added as you wish, but you can keep them assigned and extra value is added when trading them because of these bonus shards and Colonists that stay attached. The new owner will then benefit from this and the old owner has no more influence.

EON —

One utility use for EON will be instant build options for these modules— cost will depend on tier level. This helps you bypass those pesky wait times while your friends next door slave away with torches and a fabricator array.

There will, in reality, be many reasons to have EON in your travels. And many ways to spend it…

The initial intention for a dual-token economy was to help balance dynamic tides of player activity. One side only tradeable as an ERC-1155 NFT (rEON) and the other, a fast and premium version ERC-20 (EON) that is able to be traded like a normal token.

One side for playing, the other for acquiring some of the finer things Shattered EON has to offer. Both offer flexibility in strategy, and ways to offramp if necessary.

Going forward, rEON will be necessary to pay Pirates to work for you if you need some hard to acquire items not found in the immediate vicinity of Pytheas.

More on the specifics as the game gets closer to launch.

In short, your rEON will serve the purposes of day-to-day upkeep of quality of life and EON will give you access to the more powerful and sought after paths in the game.

We will also rework the refinery processing time, so it is recommended to have a ratio of the two that matches your ambitions when playing.

Another innovative way we are blazing a path in the industry is with our on-chain mapping/pathfinding system. This enables precise unit travel times, exploration missions, PVP attack times, and pretty much anything else we cook up over the course of the next couple years for expansion. Did we mention it’s all on-chain and not just some front end UI trickery?

Each ARPS obtains an assigned location where it exists on the surface of Pytheas, through x and y coords you will be able to decide if the bases you have are where you prefer to set roots, or if you want to be closer to allies. The world is wide open for these choices to take place. But the supply of choices is limited to 20,000.

Along the vast expanses of the empty lands you may be pleased to know that anomalies and other points of interest may exist, these will most likely be fought over and those who maintain control will have an edge in their area. These will be seeded randomly at launch to offer a fair spread across the entire map.

This leads us to our next hot topic…

If you have ever been promised PVP in a web3 game it usually takes the form of an over-explained rock, paper, scissors or simple coin flip. And this is usually only against another player that also holds an asset like yours or something compatible. Not overly fun, but great for the guys and gals that create that stuff, because it’s better than nothing.

But better than better is…well, better.

The tech that forms our PVP system derives from the earlier resource engine we built for the ARPS. We create a wide array of unit types, each with their own specialties and amount of resources they can haul back to your base if they successfully penetrate the defenses of another base.

This creates a complex game within itself of scouting your enemy, carefully planning which units to send that will have the most effect, and several other fine-tuned strategy components. We also may have to balance things as we go depending on how everyone is utilizing these mechanics. But we can now do precisely that, thanks to the diamond standard contracts we are utilizing going forward.

Some troop types are only available if you specialize in certain paths of secondary and primary modules, so be mindful of the future and know that you yourself will be the cause of your success or demise on the mean streets of Pytheas.

This has been a big question for a while, what will Shards do, are they consumables or permanent?

Well the time has come and some of you may have already guessed what their specific utility was, so let’s dive in a bit right now.

• Shards can be slotted into an active ARPS base, they are a permanent addition and can’t be removed after.

• Shards, from most common to Phantom, have specific positive benefits to boost build times, attack, defense, and resources. The boost is relative in value to your ARPS level and Shard type. Each tier of ARPS increases its power respectively.

• Phantom Shards make upgrade life much easier by distorting time and space, making everything it touches in its sphere of influence much faster and more robust. One of the only Shards that gives a huge starting boost to production, which may seem unfair, but such is life.

• We are researching more uses as we march forward to ensure Shards have a lasting impact in the grand scheme of the game pacing. But since this is a battle of scarcity, we will not fix any mistakes made when you decide to slot one on an ARPS unit.

• Onosia is necessary for certain missions and crafting recipes, and are consumed on use. How exactly they function will be revealed closer to the full game release but no more will ever exist so you will need to choose wisely.

The next Orbit of gameplay and systems will include a more robust way of utilizing your assets, this means the Ai-Lax scourge will be out in full force, terrorizing and profiting from the uptick in activity happening within the Omorphia system.

Some new perks will include:

• Rank specific missions to acquire rare and unique items necessary for progression in game that can then be sold on the black market. Even then, not every Pirate will arrive back to their stations safely.

• Gen0 perks that will be discussed later in development

• Pirate Stations will be implemented to organize and manage your fleet of intergalactic goons. A man needs a place to rest his head and repair his warp drive right?

• Favorable bribes in the form of rEON/EON from the Imperial Guild to make sure certain shipments and activities are secure and nobody asks questions.

• And other top secret stuff that needs further testing before we blab off about it.

What started as a simple game idea has really taken on a life of its own as the world unfolds through stories and visuals. The premise of the Shattered EON Universe has legs to expand into other forms of media, both written and video.

We are actively expanding the Shattered EON world with the intention to release a host of creative projects including audio, visual, and a written series that further expands the borders of the known universe along the way. When we venture into those realms you will be coming with us for the ride. While that's not the primary focus in the near term, we are open to such things creating extra value for our holders.

Merch is also something we have explored, this takes time and money so we want to make sure we don't go off course too soon with it. It would be something done for the pleasure and not part of our core business strategy.

A secondary goal we have is to make this a global release, something everyone can play even if they don't have blockchain assets. This auxiliary version of the game would bring in fresh monetization strategies that trickle down to genesis asset holders. This is achievable if we create something that people enjoy and that is ultimately what we’ve been aiming for this whole time.

Player royalties in the form of a real business, where your assets are your shares in that pool of distributed funds. If we succeed, you succeed.

We have many items on the to do list, most everything consists of adding compounded value to our players; and we will be playing right alongside you.

An exciting prospect every time I think about it.

As mentioned a while back we will be using the Unity game engine to create the game and the day to day activities will be deployed on Polygon (Matic).

The contracts are far too large to make main net a viable option and that would further hinder all of the things we are now able to achieve with a scalable L2 experience.

We however want to keep all the primary value of an ETH native project on that chain, so any market listings will still happen on ETH and stay there for the foreseeable future.

We have tested most functions and it will be so cheap that any and all complaints about the move will be taken with a grain of salt. It just has to be this way going forward.

The only other option would be doing something similar to Axie Infinity and hosting our own chain, which isn’t off the table, but only when we can manage such a feat and our team grows a bit more.

I have probably decided to say too much, maybe some parts not enough. This really is a huge project on the back end and more will be discussed as we get closer to ARPS airdrops and full release.

We plan to take some lucky community members beyond the veil when we get a testing environment set up to help polish most of the bugs before we go live on-chain. This playtesting round ensures we have the right balance and freedom of choice to sink your teeth into for a long time.

If you can agree to let us keep working on this for the next long while, we promise to give you something you can brag about later when it’s all up and running.

A big part of the distrust from projects in this space stems from failure to set proper expectations and deliver at even a bare minimum level. We are not perfect by any stretch, but we are also trying to actively avoid harvesting our users for more money to attain some lavish lifestyle. We will continue to eat ramen and live in a cardboard box if it means we make you happy.

The initial mayhem made us look like everyone else in the game, and that's an image we will continue working to clean up. At some points you have to do things like others so people understand at face value what your project is. But it’s what you do as a team after that establishes your permanent place in a respected succession of builders or in the gargantuan trash heap of failed devs and projects.

Let this be a guide, an open statement of our intentions to you, the cherished few who trusted in us, that we will strive to exceed your expectations and over deliver in every area we can.

Thank you for being a part of it this far.