TL:DR
We’re growing our team and partnering with gaming influencers. Also, we’ve tackled a big bug in proximity voice chat and improved our interaction system for better gameplay. Keep an eye out for potential changes to NFT staking rewards. And don’t miss out on the new $NETVR staking pools!
Studio Update
We’re excited to share that we’ve expanded our team by onboarding several new developers and artists. Their expertise and creativity will undoubtedly contribute to further enhancing our project. Additionally, we’re in the final stages of closing deals with influential figures in the gaming community. These individuals bring a wealth of experience and knowledge, and we’re particularly interested in their genuine interest in NetVRk. They’ll be participating in streaming sessions and testing the Alpha, providing invaluable feedback and insights to help us refine our upcoming releases.
Development Update
In the latest strides of development, the team achieved a significant milestone by successfully resolving a critical bug affecting proximity voice chat. This breakthrough ensures that communication within the virtual environment remains seamless, enhancing the overall user experience.
So what does this mean for the Alpha launch? we’re fully committed to rolling it out as soon as possible. Learning from past experiences, we’ve refrained from announcing a hard date until we’re certain it’s 100% ready. Rest assured, we’re nearing the finish line and our goal is to release it within a month, coinciding with influencer promotion in the gaming space. They will be testing our builds on multiple streams with their communities, and creating video content for promotion on social media as a main focus of our new group we call our NetVRk Ambassadors. Once everything is in place, we’ll make sure you’ll all be notified about it.
Moreover, our interaction system has undergone significant improvements. Previously reliant on area-based detection, it now operates on sphere tracing technology, offering more precise and responsive interaction mechanics. This advancement promises to elevate the overall user experience, making interactions smoother and more intuitive than ever before. Additionally, unique usernames have been enforced for improved user identification.
Alongside progress towards the Alpha release, we’re excited to announce that separate teams are actively working on enhancing the driving gameplay and shooting gameplay, and land development, which will later be put in your hands to mold à la Creation Engine. These dedicated efforts aim not only to deliver immersive and dynamic gameplay elements but also to provide more utility for the NFTs collected by our community.
AI Update
For the Alpha release, we’ve finalized Silk’s background story which elaborates more on the deep NetVRk backstory. We’ve added physical simulations for Silk’s body and our avatars in general. Our AI behavior trees, which dictate the decision making of AI NPCs, have also been developed further in our goal to create realistic and digital life that is dynamically powered by LLMs (Large Language Models).
We’ve enhanced multiplayer interactions by enabling NPC AI to prioritize communication with specific players. This improvement ensures that NPCs engage more effectively with players who are central to the interaction, enhancing immersion and overall gameplay experience.
We’re also working towards giving users the ability to create and customize their own characters as well. This includes their looks, story, and personality and behaviors. We see this as a powerful addition to our creation tools for our vision of what a real metaverse is. Our recent AI developments will bring more early engagement, addressing a current gap in metaverse projects today, and more utility to the $NETVR token.
Blockchain Update
In Q2, NFT staking rewards are expected to decrease significantly following the completion of the distribution of 2022 royalties. With royalties no longer enforced by OpenSea and other marketplaces, staking rewards will consequently be reduced. To mitigate this, we’re exploring options such as implementing a small sales tax on DEX purchases, with half of the revenue directed to the staking rewards pool. More details on this initiative can be found in the community section.
Furthermore, significant enhancements have been made to the Mine Runner cash-in system. Previously, transaction processing could take up to an hour, but with recent improvements, this time has been drastically reduced to just 2 minutes. This 96% increase in efficiency has streamlined the process of confirming blockchain transactions and integrating them into the in-game experience.
Looking ahead, we’re gearing up to integrate the Mine Runner Axes collection into a new marketplace. Our considerations include platforms such as Rarible, SuperRare, X2Y2, and LooksRare. Keep an eye on our X account for an upcoming poll where you can participate and help us make this decision!
Community Update
In the Q1 Questionnaire, we sought your input on the types of DAO votes you’d like to participate in. The most popular suggestions were:
- Receive NFT Staking Rewards exclusively in $NETVR.
- Distribution of unclaimed rewards to go to eligible recipients.
- Introduction of a tax on DEX transactions, with 50% going straight to the NetVRk Reserve to be distributed among eligible stakers, and the other half to be allocated to development and initiatives such as liquidity pool expansion on Polygon and future blockchains.
Let us know on Discord and Telegram what your thoughts are on these as we’ll likely move forward with some of them soon.
Additionally, we’re pleased to announce the finalization of $NETVR staking pools, offering attractive APY rates over varying periods:
- 10% APY for 6 months
- 15% APY for 9 months
- 20% APY for 12 months
Access to these pools will be facilitated through Zealy, based on the XP you earn in the upcoming contest. Start accumulating XP now by completing Boost Zone quests to gain a head start in accessing these rewarding opportunities.
In response to community suggestions, we’ve introduced a fresh array of stickers on our Discord and Telegram channels. We’re always open to hearing more from our community, so feel free to share any additional sticker or feature ideas you have in mind! And don’t forget to boost our Discord server and Telegram group to help us unlock even more exciting features.
The next Devlog will be posted on June 10th, rather than the usual 1st Monday of the month.
