2024 New Roadmap Released, Shrapnel's Future Looks Promising
The shooting game Shrapnel has recently released its new roadmap for 2024. I have been following this project since the end of 2023, so I take this opportunity to give everyone a recap!
The shooting game Shrapnel has recently released its new roadmap for 2024. I have been following this project since the end of 2023, and I would like to take this opportunity to summarize it for everyone!
User Experience in the First Half of 2024:
First of all, the most important event is the start of the closed beta in February. Players participating in the closed beta can complete tasks to earn skin and token rewards. Similar to most game closed betas, Shrapnel experienced some issues at launch, such as server and matchmaking delays, and character model glitches. However, we could significantly feel that these issues were continuously being optimized with each round of testing. Overall, the closed beta was smooth, with no major problems. It is also evident that the game has great potential in terms of quality, and I look forward to more game content releases and overall optimizations in the second half of the year to lower the game’s hardware requirements.
Secondly, starting in April, the team began to release co-branded skins for well-known projects in the English-speaking gaming space, such as Avalanche, NeoTokyo, Gam3s.gg, SuperVerse, The BoDoggos, and Alchemy. NFT holders received airdrops. Additionally, players holding a complete set of NFTs received a Bitcoin-themed pistol skin on the day of the Bitcoin halving. This is currently the most expensive skin in the store, with a floor price of 10,000 SRHAP tokens (700 USD).
On the community level, the team has gradually been listening to community feedback. For example, the Operator NFT saw a continuous decline after the closed beta began in February due to the lack of specific benefits for players, leading to frequent complaints and suggestions from the community. Starting from the closed beta in May, the team allocated 50% of the rewards originally intended for all beta participants to NFT holders who completed tasks. This change halted the decline of the NFT and led to a slow increase. Early users also recognized this change.
Other features such as the store, staking, and points system do not have highlights or obvious flaws, so I will not discuss them.
Several Important Contents in the 2024 Roadmap:
- Sigma Skins
"Sigma skins will be a brand new type of skin that will be very rare, with completely different economic attributes compared to most current conventional skins, and will provide unique and generous rewards to users! To maintain scarcity, each rarity of Sigma skin will have a specific maximum supply and can only be obtained through specific methods. The BTC pistol and shotgun skins will be classified as the first batch of Sigma skins."
I believe that Sigma skins will likely allow users to earn tokens or other rewards when they kill enemies, open boxes, or extract while using weapons with these skins.
This change is something the community has been eagerly anticipating, as previous skins lacked clear benefits and did not match maximum supply based on rarity, leading many players to doubt whether the Shrapnel team had the capability to design an economic model suitable for blockchain games. This feature has dispelled players' doubts. Player confidence is also reflected in the prices of these two skins; we can see that since their launch in the store, the prices have been consistently rising. The following images show the current lowest price listings for the two skins.
- Blind Box System
"Players can obtain blueprints by purchasing from the market, completing tasks, finding them in the world, or through social participation rewards. This new system replaces the fixed skin rewards for completing STX tasks. The blueprints are inserted into a 3D printer, which destroys the blueprints and converts them into items. As the game progresses, items can range from weapon skins to weapon charms, and more (eventually including SHRAP). Blueprints are tradable and come with different qualities."
As a shooting game with so many cool skins, a blind box feature is a must-have. Community players have been suggesting this for a long time, and it is finally coming.
To be honest, the skin designs in Shrapnel are exquisite, and the use of Unreal Engine 5 results in high detail. They can rival mainstream shooting games on the market, such as CSGO and Call of Duty. If the game can indeed attract traditional gamers after its public beta next year, as the team expects, then these early skins and blind boxes are likely to increase in value. Furthermore, the act of opening blind boxes itself is appealing; it can attract new users with inexpensive small blind boxes while enhancing the engagement of old players through ultra-limited Sigma skins or commemorative skin blind boxes. I am looking forward to it!
- Duo Mode (Built-in Voice System)
"Duo mode will allow players to create teams using their Epic friends list. So you can invite friends from your Epic friends list, or if you don’t have friends to play with, you can enter the matchmaking system, and we will pair you with another player."
Duo teaming will greatly enhance the game's playability and players' willingness to promote it actively. It lays the foundation for a major push into web2 promotion and collaboration with streamers to host esports competitions.
- Promotion System and Esports Competition Plan
"Referral System: We will launch a player referral system where any player can earn exclusive in-game items by inviting friends to participate in the Shrapnel ecosystem. We will also create a creator program, through which high-quality content creators can become verified ambassadors, earn commissions from the store, and receive advanced rewards for bringing players from their audience."
Esports Competition Plan: Once the continuous open phase begins, we will organize offline competitive events in major cities around the world. We will also collaborate with gaming guilds, traditional esports teams, and NFT communities to release co-branded skins, etc."
The announcement of these two plans indicates that the official team will be making a more significant promotional effort in the second half of the year. The referral system can encourage existing players to promote the game voluntarily. Since the game has high hardware requirements, most players come from high-net-worth groups in Europe, North America, and East Asia, and I can feel that the core player base of Shrapnel is very loyal. If the esports competitions can be successfully implemented, it will greatly help with web2 promotion. Given that the core team of Shrapnel comes from HBO (the production company of Game of Thrones and Prison Break), and the quality of their produced short films and comic books is very high, I have reason to believe that they have sufficient resources in the global entertainment industry to realize the esports competition plan.
Current Issues:
- Cheating
Cheating is an inevitable risk in shooting games. Since May, as rewards for NFT holders participating in the closed beta increased, many players from the Chinese community began using cheats during the June closed beta, and cheats can also be found for sale on platforms like Xianyu. The official team has been continuously banning accounts and has stated that they will take a strong stance against cheating. However, I hope they can quickly implement anti-cheat measures at the foundational level rather than just banning accounts.
- Token Consumption
The price of tokens has been declining since March, primarily influenced by the overall market and the cooling of the blockchain gaming sector. On the other hand, there is a lack of effective consumption methods for in-game tokens; currently, aside from creating callsigns and store transactions, there are no other strong and effective ways to consume tokens. Fortunately, the rewards given in each round of closed beta do not exceed 100,000 USD, so the selling pressure is not particularly large. Additionally, the official team extended the unlocking period for investors and the team in April, indicating that they have a broader vision and want to continue to grow the project. At least we have to wait until 2025 for the public beta in the traditional gaming circle, hoping that by then there will be enough traditional shooting game players, and the game quality will be high enough for them to spend money on skins or decorations in the game.
Looking Ahead
The Shrapnel team has been continuously developing the game while actively engaging with the community and adopting some important feedback. Although the prices of tokens and NFTs have been continuously declining since March, this is mainly due to market influences, and they have stopped declining in recent weeks and have begun to rise slowly. The plans for the second half of 2024 are promising, and if they can be successfully implemented, they will likely enhance the game quality and overall asset performance. The future of Shrapnel looks bright!
Original Roadmap in English
https://medium.com/@playSHRAPNEL/shrapnel-2024-and-beyond-fa68d5686e16
Chinese Translation of the Roadmap
