SUMMER UPDATE ⛱️

Store

Several infrastructural and game improvements have been carried out during summer. We have made the store way more intuitive, complete and compelling. Users can enjoy fresh skins, fiat payments, NFTs functionalities, earn bitcoin in the game.

Authentication

We have improved our login system, we had several issues when users where trying access the web store. We have also minimalistically redesign the login page with a new front image and more UX friendly forms.

Guiding Tour

We have implemented a new system that provides a helpful guiding tour about how to maximise the use of the store. This new feature is automatically triggered when users join the platform for the first time.

If by any chance the user skips or omits the guiding tour, it can be triggered again by clicking on the dark blue compass icon at the bottom right of the store next to the social icons.

News Section

We have implemented an area in the web store to link the latest news and game updates directly from the profile area. Once logged in there is a card view containing the last blog post update, as displayed in our card below.

Custodial Liquid Wallet

We have enabled a custodial liquid wallet service to host the users' skins, even if we encourage to withdraw your bitcoin and your assets to your own wallet, the skins are usable within the game when they are mounted in the game wallet.

Alternatively, withdrawing a liquid asset normally conveys to have L-BTC to cover the transaction fees. However, in order to reduce the friction for the user we are charging from the user balance in satoshis such costs. The current cost to withdraw liquid assets is fixed (2000 sats). Eventually, the cost would be dynamic based on the network traffic.

Purchase skin from explorer

We have enabled a static checkout option from our liquid skin explorer so users can enjoy exploring skins and purchasing directly from there if they have a registered account in our early-access.

Graphics

As we worked on making the assets ready for game integration, we made sure to fix the asset's store entry issues which included missing 3D models, characters facing the wrong direction, shading errors, among other things.

Covid19 Mini-Game

The Covid19 mini-game is based on the idea that oversized sars-cov-2 particles spawn from infection spots and spread out across the level. The players have to find resources to combat them, with the end goal of destroying all the infection spots within a limited amount of time.

Infection spots are composed of a few eggs slightly submerged in goo and a few other elements like blisters and veins. The eggs spew virus particles, independently of each other, into their surrounding area.

The virus particles move slowly through the air across the level to find suitable areas to create, heal and guard infection spots. If you get close to them, they will chase you, explode on contact, and cause damage over time.

The infection spots undergo stages of development from newly created to mature and capable of producing new eggs.

If the player does not break the cycle, the infection will spread, and it is all over for humanity. Be warned that infection spots, even after receiving major damage from the player, can be healed, so make sure to completely destroy them if you can afford the extra shots.

Beta version already available

In build 0.2.3 we decided to release a preliminary version of the Covid19 minigame, containing only a subset of the functionality that will be available in the final game.

This version is still pretty buggy and lacking many interesting gameplay mechanics (no pickups, only one weapon, no melee, etc), but in the upcoming months we'll be developing the remaining features, including a co-op multiplayer version.

We have also added a reward system that compensates satoshis, yeah real bitcoin! ? So, when you log in the game and play the covid19 minigame you have win the game and get perks according to the following score:

• Less than 1 000 pts: You receive 500 sats ?
• 1 000 to 3 000 pts: Your receive 500 sats + 1 skin ??
• 3 000 to 10 000 pts: Your receive 500 sats + 2 skin ???
• Over 10 000 pts: Your receive 500 sats + 3 skin ????

Bear in mind you can only earn in-game rewards every 3 hours and only during this limited covid19 minigame event, once you reach out the maximum, you wuill see a message that you have reached over the quota.

All said, now it is time to see you in the game #StackingSats.

Character Customisation

Items system

A great deal of time during these last three months was dedicated to develop our robust items system, the cornerstone of all customizable objects in the game world.

The items system allows many types of objects (could be anything, from weapons, to wearables, to vending machines, etc) to have multiple variations of the same original object (called an archetype), that differ in small ways, both aesthetically or even in functionality.

For example, in one session you play the game cereal boxes are branded in a certain way, a street has certain posters, vending machines, etc.
The next time you play, it could be different cereal boxes, different posters, etc.

This provides interesting variations on the map, keeping the game fresh, and allows for some interesting opportunities (e.g. have special easter eggs, seasonal themes, etc).

Attachments

One of the perks of the items system is that it can also be used to customize the character.

In this instance it is the player who defines which items are going to be equipped on the character, which character to use, etc.

We've built a very powerful and versatile system to attach items to each other, with complex rules, blend shapes, redefinable mount points, etc, that allow items to gracefully adapt to each other.

The system is currently used in the character customization feature, to mount items in other items, such as:  a weapon can be mounted on a backpack that is mounted on a vest, which in turn is mounted on a character (which could be mounted on a hoverboard...).

The attachment system is totally agnostic of the relationship of items between it, so it could later be used for anything that can be mounted on another thing (e.g. vehicles, puzzle elements, etc).

Assets

We spent a great deal of time making as many assets as possible customisable and ready for game integration. We are happy to announce that our initial pass over all the assets displayed in the store is complete.

Additionally, most assets have been integrated in the game. The exceptions are the assets whose functionality hasn't been implemented yet (e.g. certain types of weapons, hoverboards, etc).

Level Expansion

The CQC level has bloomed into a full island!

One of the reasons for expanding the level was to create enough space for the upcoming minigames and gameplay mechanics. The island needed to become a full playground! Now we have the sea, beautiful beaches, a dock, a river, and a lot more. Additionally, we added more details and objects to the previous zone and fixed colliders, illumination, and many other things. One of the things we focused on was balancing the brightness and colors which we believe is an easily noticeable general visual improvement.

Another reason for this expansion was to test and implement vegetation in the game at a large scale. For this objective, we changed the vegetation we had in the level for a brand new one, more complex in behaviour and more gorgeous, while also creating full forests around the island. We hope you like it!

There are also more secrets now to be discovered. Will you find all Easter Eggs? Please we are looking forward to see your reaction and impressions on Twitter! When you find a Joke/Easter Egg do not hesitate to shill on twitter about it and mention us at @lightnitegame ?

The island expansion is still in its infancy, we have many more features and surprises coming up soon, stay tuned!

Closing Remarks

Developing a game takes time, and many times the progress is not very apparent because the bulk of the changes are happening in the background, and/or in less flashy features.

Our team is working round the clock to provide the best game possible before the official launch date, next year, so if we don't always stick to our own deadlines, it's because we don't want to rush the release, possibly compromising the quality of our product, but in the end, we will always deliver.

We are deeply committed to this game, our community, and the common dream of developing a high quality game in the crypto world that will turn more mainstream players into crypto-currency, so rest assured we will not quit until we achieve it! ;)