Age of Rust: Dev Update Sept.
Blockchain game development is often a path of bridges and pitfalls, sometimes you encounter situations you didn’t expect and get painted into a corner. While Enjin will always be family, we’ve reached a place where a difficult decision was needed in order to move ahead. So the future for Age of Rust is to move it to the Polygon scaling platform for Ethereum.
Transition to Polygon
The transition from Enjin to Polygon requires reminting the game NFTs and making some changes to the structure of the assets as well improving support for the game-based NFTs as a whole. The effort here is to make it a better overall experience for those following along and who have played the alpha and beta versions. The move also gives a much needed opportunity to simplify the NFT utilization within the game; removing the onus on the player to go searching for multiples of dozens of NFTs across marketplaces. It was also critical to try to balance out the voice of the community with the needs for the project while trying to balance out the needs and wants. However, I feel the best path forward is one that not only works for the game, but continues to pay it forward for long-term project followers and also opens the door for new ones.
Extensibility was also a big factor, many times in the past, either our community or collaborators wanted to create something for Age of Rust and tie it to a token. However, the Enjin platform is overwhelmingly complicated to get even simple ownership information and as a result, put our NFTs on a difficult to reach island. However, with simple REST APIs available for NFTs on Polygon from Moralis and Ankr, it opens up the tokens to a much wider web3-friendly audience. The reverse is also true, it makes it easier now to add support for other NFTs into games being developed without having to code a complicated abstraction layer.
Planned NFT Changes
※ Rustbits will be moved to an ERC20 token on Polygon (max supply 37,289,210) and will be dropped to holders. Moving to ERC20 has been a community want for many years to address more utilization opportunities. Doing so facilitates a way to leverage platforms that only work with ERC20 tokens. The timetable for this is still pending, however it will not require a claims or wizard process.
※ Mission NFTs will be reminted (as ERC-1155 NFTs) on Polygon, current holders will be dropped new NFTs so that no claim, bridge, or wizard actions are required on behalf of the community. However, the amount will also be capped at the current distribution which is 4,865. The remaining game inventory will not be minted or distributed again.
※ Lastlight, Origin, and Ankh NFTs will all be reminted on Polygon as numbered NFTs (also ERC-1155) and dropped to holders. They too will capped at current distribution levels per token, further increasing the scarcity of the NFTs. Again, the remaining game inventory will not be minted or distributed again.
※ Privateer NFT is a new numbered NFT, with traits and unique artwork per NFT, similar to a pfp-style NFT. The metadata for the NFTs may change to reflect achievements and unlocking of game bonuses. Future capabilities to upgrade / customize the characters.
※ Game item NFTs will not be moved over from the Enjin platform or used in the game, this includes multiverse NFTs. Rather, the in-game items will all be unlocked with the game itself (thermal vision, previous Enjin multiverse items, etc). Access to the game will also be bound to the new Privateer NFT.
Simplification of Gameplay
In order to play Age of Rust moving forward, players will only need one single token, the Privateer NFT. As mentioned earlier, trying to explain the need for 44 different NFTs to play the game became a huge detractor, now it’s really boiled down to the simple concept of having one NFT to be able to play through the narrative side of the game. The narrative side of the game focuses on the storyline and playing the game from start to finish, solving puzzles to further progression though the game.
The crypto-puzzle side of the game requires additional NFTs to unlock those Easter-egg type features of the game. This side of the game contains 8 bonus puzzles and two treasure hunts. Players who want to experience this side of the game will need to get those NFTs from players who have already collected them, they will not be able to get them from the game.
Critical Important Changes
⁜ No Enjin-minted NFTs will be in the game either as a utility token to unlock content or given as a reward.
⁜ The 8 in-game bonus crypto-puzzles will be based in Ethereum and no longer based in Enjin coin.
⁜ Lastlight, Origin, and/or all 8 Mission cards will be required to play the crypto-puzzle side of the game.
⁜ Enjin Multiverse item use as well as all other NFT items will now tied to the Privateer NFT. Having an Enjin-multiverse item in your wallet will no longer have a use in Age of Rust.
⁜ CryptoSkull Keys will no longer have a use in Age of Rust post-Enjin platform as the bonus puzzles are now in Ethereum.
⁜ Access to the 8 bonus crypto-puzzles can be achieved without having all 8 mission cards but requires players to fill 8 Pathfinder slots on their Privateer NFTs by completing several challenging puzzles in the narrative side of the game.
Privateer NFTs
Privateer NFTs will feature a uniquely styled 3D avatar in a pfp-style frame for the token art, with traits and some special metadata for games and puzzles. Long term, the effort is to use the 3D avatars in a future set of games.
For Age of Rust, the new Privateer NFT also provides a way to condense several NFTs that were used on the Enjin platform into a single NFT. Unlike our Enjin minted tokens, these will be numbered, with traits, and will have unique artwork across different genres for each NFT. The NFTs will also be used in future games as well for either access or content. They also have unlockable “Pathfinder” slots in the Metadata of the NFTs for in-game achievements.
Owning a Privateer NFT will allow you play Age of Rust without purchasing the game. However, for those who may not have one before the game is released, will get one with the purchase of the game.
Privateer NFT — Free Drop Qualification Requirements
⁜ For players who purchased an item pack in the Beta, they will get a Privateer NFT in lieu of the item NFTs. Those that purchased NFT Pack #1 will get 2 Pathfinder slots unlocked or if they got NFT Pack #2, they will get a bonus of 4 Pathfinder slots unlocked on their Privateer NFT.
⁜ Lastlight, Origin, Ankh, or anyone who holds all 8 mission cards will receive a Privateer NFT for free.
⁜ Holders of the 1/1 mints from the Charged Particle Series for Age of Rust will get a Privateer NFT.
⁜ Holders of an Age of Rust MFT in addition to the “Crash on Kanbar” or “Syndicate” concept art NFTs will get a Privateer NFT.
Up Next
The transition requires a good bit of work in several areas in order to make it as smooth as possible. While this was not the path intended, as it would add additional development time, long term, this is the better choice for the game. Work is taking place now to bring these new developments forward and as soon as dates for delivering new tokens and the game are finalized, I will be sure to let everyone know.
In the mean time, the best way to stay informed and make sure you don’t miss and important event, is to join our discord channel (link below). There is also a planned event on Sunday, September 18th at 8:30am PT for a Q&A around the transition to Polygon.
Discord: https://discord.io/AgeOfRust
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AgeofRust
Telegram: https://t.me/AgeOfRust
