Star Atlas

Introduction

Star Atlas is a virtual gaming metaverse based in the year 2620. In this distant future, three major factions have emerged; (1)The MUD Territory governed by humankind, (2)The ONI Region as a consortium of alien races, and (3)The Ustur Sector controlled by sentient androids. These factions are in an ongoing struggle for resources, territorial conquest, and political domination. You, a faction citizen of Star Atlas, will have the ability to influence the outcome of this intergalactic conflict while creating the opportunity to earn rewards for your contributions.

The metaverse introduces a unique gaming experience through the combination of both traditional core game and blockchain mechanic

What is Star Atlas

Space Age Technology

Major breakthroughs in recent technology created an opportunity for a futuristic science fiction experience that is entirely new and groundbreaking. Real-time graphics technology using Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite allows for cinematic quality video game visuals. Blockchain technology using the Solana protocol established a largely serverless and secured gameplay experience. Non-fungible tokens obtained and traded within Star Atlas creates an economy that replicates the tangibility of real world assets and ownership.

• Blockchain Mechanics

Blockchain is a decentralized, immutable database that is secured by its network. The larger the network the more secure it is. Because it’s immutable and decentralized this allows the data it stores to represent a digital form of a tangible asset. The result is that assets owned on a blockchain cannot be replicated or destroyed. This makes currency a viable use case for the blockchain. However, Star Atlas plans to use a nonfungible form of blockchain units to represent your assets in Star Atlas.

• Serverless Massively Multiplayer Online Game

The Solana blockchain’s breakthrough in transaction throughput sets the stage for a largely serverless online multiplayer game. Solana has an extremely high throughput allowing 50,000 transactions per second (currently, with expectations of increases as the network grows). This feature allows gameplay interactions between assets to be recorded in real time and bypasses the need for a robust traditional server backend for online multiplayer games.

• Unreal Engine 5

Nanite graphics technology has been in the works for over a decade and is set to release in 2021. Up until Nanite, polygons have bottlenecked the real-time rendering bandwidth. With Nanite compression Star Atlas has the ability to simulate cinema-quality real-time environments with the capability of managing billions of polygons.

Hybrid Space Genre

The way a blockchain network is designed closely mimics the basis for the genre of Star Atlas. Mining or staking is the core of how blockchain assets are proven to be legitimate and tangible. To discover mined assets requires exploration on the part of a miner to unlock value. People set up mining or staking nodes and plug them into the blockchain network to enhance the network while also earning value from it. The hybrid experience of Star Atlas closely mimics the nature of how blockchain technology functions.

• Grand Strategy

The grand strategy genre of video games encourages claim staking to expand your empire and install strategic trade routes using an offensive and defensive tactical plan of action. In this mode the player primarily interacts with a dynamic overview of the charted and uncharted regions of space via the map view aka the Star Atlas.

• Exploration

To augment that grand strategy, Star Atlas enables players to captain deep-space, crewed spaceships to scan and discover celestial and terrestrial assets. Once discovered, rich claims that are staked can be mined, refined and traded through a network of commercial mining installations, refineries, and the Universal Marketplace. Exploration will lead to many other surprises in the outer limits of space. In this mode the player primarily interacts with a top down space view showing their spaceship exterior with the ability to go into an x-ray view to see the interior of the ship and the crew performing their individual tasks. Players can also captain and pilot the ship manually through the first person cockpit/bridge view.

• Role-Playing Game

The first principle driving the entire economy of Star Atlas is the mining gameplay. The wealth derived from mining creates many other branching revenue streams for players to contribute to and establish a career. From trading raw and refined ore, to cargo hauling, to crafting retail components, there is a broad range of career choices a player can embody and advance within the specializations of that career.

• Space Flight Simulation

The beauty of space science-fantasy adventure is to manually pilot or captain your own spaceship into the vast unknown. For exploration, combat and various other role-specific game mechanics. This immersive first person, seated view will allow players to utilize equipment such as flight sticks, throttles, multi-functional button control panels, head tracking hardware, and most importantly, virtual reality head-mounted displays.

Gameplay Pillars

---Faction Security Zones

New players choose a faction and start in a faction-secured safe zone. This allows the player to explore all the basic functions of the game except destructive based gameplay loops such as rescue, combat and salvage. Once the player is sufficiently confident enough to venture out, there is a medium tiered safety zone that is secured by mercenary groups. Combat is now allowed but your assets will be reset if destroyed. The final distant zone of Star Atlas is a wild frontier where full combat and the destruction of assets is a permanent event. However, only a portion of assets in combat are destroyed permanently. For example, the results of a destroyed ship in combat is that the ship asset is decimated into components, scrap, escape podded crew members, and a certain amount is lost forever.

---Deep Space Exploration

All visible stars are real assets and can be visited. Although some distant stars can be prohibitively distant and will require proper fueling to reach. There will be no actual skybox so exploration can be done visually. This gives all players open exploration to go anywhere in the Star Atlas universe. Players will pilot their ships manually to uncover all the riches the universe has to hide using their upgradable scanning modules. Higher tier scanning equipment performs deeper and broader and leads to a higher amount of assets that will be discovered. Scanning data can be acted upon and staked or can be placed on the marketplace to be sold.

---Combat

Ships are outfitted with weapon turrets and missile bays. Turrets can be energy, ballistic or disruption type to target different components of enemy ships and installations. Turrets are powered by a power supply and protected by shields and a hull. When encountering another enemy ship, if scanned properly, the player can target subsystems to get an advantage in a fight. Ships can also target land and space based installations to free up competitor’s claims. However, those installations can also have their own weaponry installed ready for attacks. All players can mark their stance as aggressive or passive to signal their desired combat engagements. Passive stance affords a shield and maneuverability buff to allow for escape if attacked without formal declarations.

---Station Modular Construction

Mining installations have adjacent installations powering and protecting their mining claim. Space stations have the same installations but with major enhancements in the form of decks. Each deck enhances the functionality of the space station and unlocks the associated features that players engage with in that local station. Decks include Commerce(for storage and trading), Shipyard(for ship manufacturing, repairs, refueling, configuration and docking), Refinery(for refining raw ore into higher tiers), Hangar(for long term storage of ships) , Retail(for crafting and selling components and advanced materials), University(for training and recruiting crew), Cargo(for storing materials and components) and Defensive(for building turrets to defend the space station and its inhabitants). Space stations with commerce decks will be required to connect to the universal marketplace to sell low tier ore and items. Cargo and refinery decks will be needed to access higher tier ore, advanced materials and components requiring physical intergalactic shipping. If stars are owned to the point of building a Dyson sphere then the owner can build a jump point. Jump points allow independent systems to have immediate travel.

---Crew & Ship Component Outfitting

All ships contain components and crew members that enhance the features and stats of each ship. Ships have native aptitudes for different gameplay features. This means that ships can be fitted with specific tiered components that enhance the ship’s functionality within those professional roles. Individual crew members also enhance specific functionalities with their aptitudes that they advance via the University Decks. Crew members that trained together in University or previously on ships will buff each other when placed on the same ship’s crew. Crew continuously builds up shared touring duty and receive buffs over time. Matching crew incorrectly can cause debuffs to a ship’s performance.

---Professions

Professional Roles manifest in their chosen ship roles. Players can earn in game by having the correct ships, crew and components for their desired roles. Examples of roles: Transport, Rescue, Freight, Repair, Construction, Refueling, Miner, Salvage, Entrepreneur, CEO, Broker, Bounty Hunter, Pirate, Smuggler, Data Runner, Commander, General, Mercenary, and Scientist. Crew members within a ship also have individual station roles such as: Pilot, Engineer, Repair, Scanner, Science, Gunner, Mercenary, Rescue, Power Manager, Janitor, Cargo Foreman, Hangar Foreman, Salvage Operator, Science Officer, Military Commander, Military General, Private, Sargent, Rookie, Smuggle Cargo Foreman, and Captain.

---Decentralized Autonomous Corporations

The guild system of Star Atlas. The Universe of Star Atlas is expansive. It is a lonely, challenging journey tackling the countless perils alone. Players are encouraged to create factions, combine resources, and compete collectively to outsmart other players.

Through the implementation of Decentralized Autonomous Corporations(DAC), entire space-cities can be constructed, and the micro-economy managed by those in charge. Careful strategic cooperation enables players to dominate regions, and the resources available therein. The POLIS token will serve a pivotal role in these cities, permitting the owners of political clout to impose taxes, fees, fines, rules, and laws on those outside the DAC wishing to gain access to these entirely independently owned cities.

---Economics

Unlike most games in existence today, Star Atlas provides a unique opportunity for players to extract in-game virtual earnings into real-world income. Where many game developers opt to monopolize asset ownership and distribution through restrictions on reselling, Star Atlas fully embraces the potential of decentralized self-sovereign ownership of assets permitted through the implementation of blockchain into asset ownership and NFT marketplaces.

The ethos of the Star Atlas development team is to encourage the monetization of time spent in this virtual world, and emphasize the ability for this monetization to transcend the metaverse to the real world. Digital assets owned always belong to the holder, and crypto assets earned can be converted into fiat currencies friction-free. We believe this is the model for the future of gaming.

Star Atlas Economics

A key driver of value within the Universe of Atlas is the monetary reward system delivered via robust, well-balanced economics, supported by both in-game and blockchain mechanics. A supplemental objective of the development team is to drive real-world human innovation and progress by leveraging this virtual world as an experimental sandbox for economic and governance research. Star Atlas is driven by a dual token system (ATLAS | POLIS), with multi-currency Solana asset support.

---ATLAS: In-game currency

ATLAS will serve as the native in-game currency within Star Atlas. It is the lubricant of the metaverse. Players will initially leverage ATLAS to acquire digital assets such as ships, crew, components, land, and equipment. However, as in any real economy, a financial system is necessary to facilitate commerce. Whether it be through NPC merchants, or direct peer-to-peer transactions, ATLAS is the unit of account to execute operational requirements.

Operating a business is challenging. Managing resources will require critical strategic decision making. Players seeking the monetary rewards available ingame will need to carefully balance their operating expenses against income derived. Operating expenses, such as personnel for mining equipment, fuel for ships, and repairs for damages will all need to be paid in ATLAS. It will also serve as the predominant currency within the NFT marketplace.

---ATLAS Issuance

A fraction of the game currency will be available through various stages of the Galactic Asset Offering (GAO), leading up to full launch of the title. Upon completion of the GAO, ATLAS can only be earned through in-game activity or sales by other players. Unlike many projects in the crypto economy, the development team retains zero stake in the undistributed token supply.

POLIS: Governance token

POLIS is a multifunctional governance token, with applications both in-game and in directing real world economic policy.

• In-Game

Within the Star Atlas metaverse, political influence is yet another strategic consideration in the management of territory and the navigation of space. Controlling this political influence introduces a number of advantages for player status, which is represented by the POLIS token.

Holders of POLIS will be in a unique position of jurisdictional ownership over entire regions, regardless of who owns title (NFT) to the land and equipment rights. These players will be able to restrict some of the activity that can occur while under their oversight, impose taxes on other players, charge tolls, and otherwise create a separate set of laws with which other players must observe. However, POLIS represents voting rights, not dictatorial ownership. In this regard, it will likely require multiple players to collaborate on these rules, fines, fees, tolls, etc., lest they be superseded by a more powerful group of players.

• Real World

Externally, control of POLIS will enable the gaming community to influence decision making of the Star Atlas development team. This will follow a period of centralization of decision making, likely 2-3 years of game development and balance. At the conclusion of the centralized period, holders will be able to influence game economics (i.e. inflation rates), asset release schedules, game direction, and will otherwise provide some degree of ownership in development decision making.

POLIS Distribution

POLIS distribution will take effect in two phases. The first phase consists of a 20% sale of the governance token during the Galactic Asset Offering. Following the GAO, the exclusive ability to generate POLIS relies on staking of ATLAS currency

ATLAS staking will be delivered in-browser while game development is in preproduction, and will subsequently be accessible in-game once version 1 of the minigame is released. Players should note, there is a tradeoff that takes place to earn POLIS. ATLAS that is reserved for POLIS rewards is not accessible for any other in-game requirement. In other words, a player can either stake, or use that currency balance to play.

Asset Destruction and Deflationary Mechanics

An innovative aspect of Star Atlas is the multi-tiered engagement zones. This mechanic enables players to engage in riskier activity, with the allure of greater rewards. Those players brave enough explore the deepest regions of space forfeit the safety provided by NPC-populated zones. The equivalent to playing for ‘pink sheets, ’ or Play for Keys™ as it has been coined by the team.

Through seamless smart contract asset assignment, players entering these zones put their ships and crew on the line. A loss of a ship leads to a permanent destruction (burn) of said NFT. The victor in these engagements will claim spoils of the battle in the form of salvaged NFTs; however, at only a fractional random share of what was destroyed.

Further, certain farmed materials are non-permanent, and will be destroyed as they are consumed for use. i.e. materials used in construction (reduced return when deconstructing an item for material recapture), fuel, temporary boosts, etc.

Finally, covered in greater detail later, the Star Atlas development team is also committed to a token repurchase and burn program, based on both traditional revenues and in-game revenues.

The result of this mechanic is a natural deflation of assets in existence over time. Particularly as more players seek the rewards in the most dangerous security zones.

NFT Marketplace

The Star Atlas Universal Marketplace connects all players in game to buy and sell all asset types and post job listings for paid, in-game tasks. The majority of assets traded on the Marketplace will be earned doing in-game tasks. However, it is also a place to list assets purchased from the pre-sale and concept sales. Other players will place bid offers or settle immediately for the price limit. Due to the permanent loss during normal economic activity, all assets are considered deflationary. This deflationary, asset-burning mechanic ensures that assets are unique and of finite supply unlike traditional online games.

Defi Financial System

Facilitated by a direct integration to the Serum DEX, players will be enabled to participate in decentralized finance activities, popularized during 2020, through a unique in-game interface.

Players will engage with defi instruments (i.e. smart contracts) throughout the financial epicenters in the game. DAO cities are a likely location for the rise of these financial centers, permitting the creators to establish their own fees for trading in their facilities. Examples of activities follow:

• Lending

Loaning a variety of Solana/Serum assets to earn yield

• AMM

Automated market making on various asset pairs to earn trade fees

• Yield Farming

Identifying assets to borrow at lower yield, and lending/trading with higher yield, earning the spread on assets

Star Atlas UAMM

Net revenues from NFT asset sales will be contributed to an ATLAS:USDC AMM pool as a Universal LP. These funds will be accessible to any player with the desire to sell in-game generated currency back for alternative digital assets. Within this pool, Atlas Co. is a buyer of last resort, willing to purchase ALL remaining ATLAS units at a price equal to USDT deposited in the pool divided by the total number of ATLAS units in circulation.

Star Atlas Token Burn

In addition to contributing towards the UAMM, the Star Atlas development team will also participate in a token acquisition and burn mechanism. These purchases will occur on the same open-market DEXs for which all players have access. Similar to UAMM contributions, ATLAS repurchased will come from gross company revenues, and will create deflation in circulating supply.

Tools

---Solana

As blockchain technology continues to evolve towards greater capabilities, innovative development possibilities emerge. With the release of Star Atlas, all in-game assets will be delivered to the player as direct-owned non-fungible digital tokens. Players will possess complete control of their purchased assets. Currently, Solana is capable of processing 50,000 transactions per second, at 400ms average block times, an industry leading protocol. To complement this speed, Solana additionally delivers an expansive and robust development toolset, which the Star Atlas development team will leverage to build the metaverse. Such performance at the blockchain layer enables a future in which all game logic can be computed on a suite of on-chain smart applications. The vision at Star Atlas is to deliver a purely blockchain-driven universe that will change the gaming industry forever.

---Serum

An active in-game economy and a high volume of trading means users will need a feature-rich exchange to manage all of their asset sales. Serum’s decentralized exchange (DEX) fulfills the needs to support the Star Atlas economy. With nearly instant settlement and virtually zero operating costs, there isn’t a better fit for scaling the economy.

---Stardust

Stardust operates at a very important layer. They introduce optimized ways to deal with non-fungible token in-game assets securely and in a user-friendly manner. By utilizing their API, Star Atlas will seamlessly integrate Solana-based NFTs for usage in their initial game client. Stardust has a very prominent item on their roadmap to support Serum DEX trading, which aligns completely with Star Atlas's goals

---Unreal Engine 5

Next-generation real-time graphics technology include: Nanite for cinema quality models, Lumen for real-time global illumination, the Chaos physics engine, and the Niagara particles system.

• Nanite

With the release of Nanite technology via Unreal Engine 5 in 2021, traditional asset authoring pipelines become optimized and the visual quality is dramatically improved. Nanite allows limitless polygon counts for select objects. Without real-time polygon budget constraints, Star Atlas’ visual fidelity rivals pre-rendered computer generated imagery.

• Lumen

Lumen will allow far more believable and dynamic environments as the lighting doesn’t require faked enhancements with manually placed lighting.

• Chaos

Chaos gives the game an optimized physics template for destructible meshes and believable vehicle rigs.

• Niagara

Niagara enhances traditional particle systems with fully exposed blueprinting for the artists and easily implements high level shading language(HLSL).