MECO Status Updates
It seems that the world of blockchain gaming is constantly evolving these days. Just a few months ago, all online game stores didn't allow a whiff of crypto in their platforms, insta-banning anybody who dared say NFT. Yet today, all of them have, or are changing their minds with radical u-turns towards embracing game-fi.
With the release of new developer tools, SDKs, wallets, and integrations, the blockchain gaming experience keeps getting better and better, both for the players and the developers. Here at Covr, we are thrilled that we chose Solana as our blockchain (almost two years ago already), and the upcoming release of their new ultrafast node/validator software "Firedancer" is making us even more excited about all the possibilities that it enables for us.
Today we are super pumped to announce several exciting updates to our game/crowdfunding preview, MECO, designed to enhance the playing experience for our players. In this blog post, we will explore the latest developments in the preview, from new UX to enhanced graphics and animations, and everything in between.
Completely New Landing
You already knew our first game, and the MECO crowdfunding event ahead of the main release, are 3D web browser games made with the Unity engine for WebGL on the browser. Today we are showcasing the new initial landing page, the one you hit when you browse https://velorum.games
Welcome to the Lyra System
Lyra is located in the Valaheim Region, in one of the inner arms near the Galactic Core. The entire region is mostly uncharted but this particular system is the scene of the upcoming new entry on our Lore: The Ardent Incident.
Let's just say that the USC Ardent, the new flagship of the fleet, had an unfortunate encounter with an enemy they didn't fully understand...
Subscribe to our blog to read the whole 2 part story when it comes out soon.
New Galaxy, Sector, and Solar System Views
We've redesigned the Galaxy view to make it truly stunning, but also very easy to navigate all the regions and easy find all the solar systems and points of interest in the Galaxy
From this view, you can get access to all the Lore stories that are relevant to the current story timeline, for example, Ripley
From the Galaxy view, you can drill down into one Sector
It is full of stars!
Finally, access each of the solar systems in it to see their details. This is an even earlier version of the sector details, note the color burn on the stars.. and the lack of hexagons! a much improved one is coming soon too
Obviously from this screen, you can buy access to your own solar system, or keep looking for one richer in rare minerals until you find the perfect one.
Enhanced User Interface
We've redesigned the web user experience from the ground up to make it easier to navigate. Here are some screenshots of the new main menu
Yeah, that's me, Capt. Nolan Sinclair in-game.
How about accessing all the Solar Systems you've purchased and starting a new MECO mini-game into any of them
It is also extremely easy to add funds to your balance, we are enabling Stripe for users in the USA to be able to purchase VEC tokens directly from us. But you can always use your Solana wallet of choice to swap some SOL into VECs
Also no need to go to the blockchain explorer to find your transactions, we have them all neat and tidy for you in your transactions window
Achievements
We've added achievements to the MECO mini-game, once you unlock them they will show up in the achievements section of your profile
New Characters
We've also given all our characters a "facelift" with the latest version of Midjourney v5.2, which at the time of writing this blog post, is not the latest version anymore now that v6 is out.
In any case here is the new Darius Meister (compare it with the old by clicking on the link)
And Captain Jade Bootroot (this one is even more dramatic)
And one more, Captain Leila Darkstar, this one is now refreshed with Midjourney v6, and she looks incredible!
These are just some of the things that are coming soon, we are incredibly excited to keep utilizing all the benefits of AI-generated content in the world of gaming, and can't wait to show you all the amazing things that are already possible today. Remember "The Ardent Incident" above? Well, the story was 100% AI-generated, and believe me when I say it gave me goosebumps.
Sneak Peek
But this is not all, obviously, we are still working on the actual MECO mini-game, yes that 10-minute-long challenge game that keeps getting harder and harder as you level up.
Here is a little bonus sneak peek of one of the very early preview images
That is a fully decked-up starbase in there, ready to start deploying battleships.
Stay tuned for more updates soon.
See you around!
Capt. Nolan Sinclair
Singularity is built around four pillars: exploration, survival, combat, and trading. Players can advance in the game through numerous means such as mining, building, battling, and commerce. We are creating an infinite galaxy with infinite possibilities to give our players something valuable in return for their time in the Velorum Galaxy.
This is a game powered by web3, where it can be played on browsers, and will have fast, regular, and seamless updates.
Come join our community!