write.as

Mirandus: What We Know

In a prior blog post, I explained exactly why I am excited about the vision behind Mirandus. Now, it's time to dive into what we know right now about the world of Mirandus. This Blog Post will be long and extensive, and I am building it so that it transforms into a player guide when Mirandus is released. As new pieces of information are released, this post will be updated to include information, details, and even strategies.

Mirandus Encyclopedia:

I have created an Encyclopedia “one stop shop” for Mirandus which will include all information and gamer guides. Please click here to check out the Index.

*Core Concept:*

Mirandus is a “massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG)” currently being built and developed by Gala Games. In a general sense, what we know so far is that Mirandus is set in a world ruled by five player-monarchs (Citadels). In game, players have absolute freedom of choice: they can set out into the wilderness alone to try their fortunes against the monsters of the deep woods and dungeons, join with one of the monarchs to serve as a knight in their court, or set up shop in one of the five great cities of the realm. Player ownership of in-game assets is a central mechanic, with players being able to hold land deeds which allow them to claim parts of the wilderness and set up holdfasts ranging from small farms to massive cities. In Mirandus, you decide who you will be and choose your own quest in the epic fight against evil.

At the point of writing this article, only two of the five Citadels have been purchased. The first Citadel having been purchased by Polyient Games for $800,000.00! The second Citadel was sold to a mystery partner for an alleged $1,600,000.00! While the second buyer is unknown, based on public statements from employees of Gala Games, it is highly likely that the purchaser is a mystery partner. It has also been stated by the Gala Games CEO, Eric Shiermeyer, that Gala Games will not be the first to announce the purchase, leaving that to the buyer.

*What Makes Mirandus Different?*

Other than the awesome idea behind the Mirandus “world” (which feels like a massive DnD co-op adventure world), the use of Non-Fungible Tokens (“NFT's”) is what separates Gala Games and Mirandus from the pack. An NFT is simply a token that represents something of value (or not of value if people feel that way). An example of an NFT in this game could be a sword, armor, potion, etc. Basically, in game, for a variety of reasons you could come across (or create) items that you could mint as NFT's. You can then sell these items on a secondary marketplace (like OpenSea) and possibly even a primary in-game marketplace. Unlike the vast majority of games where you spend a lot of time and everything you've accumulated means nothing (at least financially), the more time you spend in this game, the higher the likelihood that you come across items of value, which you could choose to sell.

SO, in a nutshell, you are given actual ownership of in game content! In addition, the game is more than just one concept, with Mirandus meaning different things to different individuals. For example, people may play Mirandus for the following reasons, among others:

  1. To go on awesome quests and find “bounty” (for fun or for the money);
  2. To generate income by being a landowner;
  3. To generate income by farming, working/owning a shop or cart, or many other various in-game tasks; and,
  4. Just because it is literally epic.

Another interesting and differentiating thing about Mirandus is the idea of “Interconnected Ecosystems”, which I will discuss further below. In a nutshell, Mirandus will leave behind set spawn points and stale consistent plots for a world that builds on itself and the things that happen because of your actions or the actions of other Player Characters.

To explain a few of these intricacies in detail:

Land Ownership

While not generally a big deal in many games, land ownership is one of the most exciting and intricate things about Mirandus. The land itself is an NFT! Similar to owning real estate in the real world, you own the land that you have purchased in Mirandus.

Further, land ownership is scarce. There will ever only be 1,625 Deeds. Imagine 100,000 players, and only 1,625 deeds . . . Now 500,000 players . . . 1,000,000 players . . .

The known benefits of owning land are the following:

  1. Titles and Bonus Titles – Owning land provides titles, which, in turn, provides your character with buffs. The better your land the better your title, the better your buffs. You will also have bonus titles that you can bestow on others.
  2. Safety – Players are only ever “safe” when on deeded lands. The more protected the lands are, the greater the creature the lands keep out. *Speculation – land owners will be able to charge players for safety and respite on their lands.
  3. Subdivided Plots – Each piece of land comes with a certain number of plots. Outside of the plot for your house, there are additional plots that can be for farming, ranching, shops, stables, temples, stands, taverns. etc. (I will go into these below) (referred to as a group as “Buildings”). As a land owner, you can place your own Buildings on your subdivided plot, or charge others to place theirs on your land (for example, a one-time fee and lease agreement).
  4. Heraldry – A.K.A. a cooler flag and a cooler Coat of Arms. Unclear if this will carry any benefits other than being cool.

In Mirandus, you can own the following Deeds:

  1. The Homestead
  2. The Outpost
  3. Hamlets: (A) Farming and (B) Ranching
  4. Villages: (A) Farmer, (B) Baron, © Viscount, and (D) Earl
  5. Towns: (A) Marquess, (B) Duke, © Arch Duke, and (D) Prince
  6. Citadels: (A) Earth, (B) Moon, © Sun, (D) Stars, and (E) Wind

Buildings

These Buildings (NFTs) will be important for Player Characters for a multitude of reasons. For example, while you may be able to find weapons in the “wild” in Mirandus, the easiest way may be to just go to a weapon shop or stand and purchase a basic weapon. Should you need quick healing you may go to a temple and pay a donation, or should you wish you have the capability to heal yourself while in a dungeon, you may purchase a potion from a Potion Stand or Shop. Things like bread stands (or purchased bread) and taverns could be a quick way to gain regain health in a pinch.

Like Deeds, there will be a finite number of Buildings, and Buildings can only be place on Deed plots. Unlike Deeds the number of Building will be much greater.

Owning and operating Buildings could be a source of income for Player Characters, even if these people don't actively play the game.

In Mirandus, you can own the following Buildings:

  1. Shops: (A) Majestic Armor Shop, (B) Majestic Weapon Shop, © Grand Armor Shop, (D) Grand Weapon Shop, (E) Large Potion Shop, (F) Large Armor Shop, (G) Potion Shop, (H) Armor Shop, (I) Weapon Shop
  2. Forges: (A) Majestic Forge, (B) Large Forge, © Forge, (D) Simple Forge
  3. Stables: (A) Majestic Stable, (B) Grand Stable, © Large Stable, (D) Stable
  4. Temples: (A) Majestic Temple, (B) Grand Temple, © Large Temple, (D) Temple
  5. Taverns: (A) Grand Tavern, (B) Large Tavern, © Tavern
  6. Other Buildings: (A) Grand Granary, (B) Large Dairy, © Large Mill, (D) Large Barn, (E) Large Granary, (F) Large Bakery, (G) Grand Storehouse, (H) Large Woodshop, (I) Large Archery, (J) Large Storehouse, (K) Dairy, (L) Mill, (M) Barn, (N) Granary, (O) Bakery, (P) Archery, (Q) Woodshop, ® Simple Granary, (S) Storehouse, (T) Simple Storehouse
  7. Stands: (A) Potion Stand, (B) Milking Stand, © Grain Stand, (D) Bread Stand, (E) Armor Stand, (F) Weapon Stand, (G) Woodworking Stand, (H) Archery Stand
  8. Other: (A) Hitching Post
  9. Coming Soon: (A) Breweries

In Game Currency

From what we've been told, there will be an in-game currency, and the currency across the Gala Games network will be GALA.

As for how microtransactions will be handled, that is still being considered.

Daily Mundane Tasks

A common concern with buying land deeds and/or shops is the fact that many people may not want to run them day to day, but rather would prefer to either 1) Explore in the game and/or 2) Live their life. While I do not know the answer to this for sure, in playing Gala Games' other game, Town Star, and using logic, my best guesses are:

  1. There will be NPC bots that you can purchase who will run your shop and/or take care of your land so you don't have to.
  2. You may be able to hire Player Characters to do this as well.

As a note, there have been some hints dropped that NFTs in Town Star may be transferrable if they can find a place for them.

Interconnected Ecosystems

One of the most interesting and intriguing parts of the Gala Games mission is to create a world of interconnected ecosystems.

Many of you will have heard of the Butterfly Effect. Put simply one small change can result in much larger changes in the future. A movie called “The Butterfly Effect” juggled the idea of going back in time and changing small things, resulting in huge shifts in the current state of the world.

In the case of Mirandus, if a group of Player Characters begin to chop down trees in a forest for wood, the goblins that use those trees for cover or to live in may begin to search for land outside of their diminishing territory and invade local towns. As you can see, one small change by one could have large implications for others.

The level of interconnectedness goes even deeper. In a general game when you market a sword, you are getting the same sword every time. In Mirandus, the design or quality of a sword could be based on the nature and quality of other shops in the area providing services that the forge needs, mixed with the quality and scarcity of resources in the surrounding area. Depending on the size of the land deed and the shops located therein, certain services may need to be “contracted out”.

The Gala Games team is ambitiously trying to build a game that is less “spawn point/consistent encounter” based, but rather reactive on the actions of Player Characters. This feels a lot like DnD where the DM may plan out a specific quest, but the players decide to go a whole new direction. Outside of owning things in the world, everyone will have their ability to change the world, for the better (or worse).

Making Money in Mirandus

One main goal of the Gala Games team is to open up money-making opportunities to people who otherwise would not have same. In this article, I explain how even having the opportunity to make $20 a month in a country like Cuba could be life-changing. I expect there to be far more money-making opportunities in Mirandus than in Town Star, which doesn't even use GALA in game, but rather as a reward. Town Star players can make up to 30,000 GALA a week, translated to $420 a week at today's going rate!

We do not currently know all the ways that someone can make money in Mirandus, or how to best optimize making money in game, but we have picked up tidbits here and there. And when I say “making money” I mean legitimately receiving GALA for your efforts, which is has value and can be bought and sold on cryptocurrency exchanges.

Some of the ways that a player may be able to receive GALA are:

  1. Finding or winning GALA or other currencies while exploring the world
  2. Finding or winning NFT's (like swords) that are sold either in game or on a secondary marketplace
  3. Renting out spaces on land that you own to shops
  4. Creating items in shops and selling them in game or on a secondary marketplace

The Node Network

The node network will arguably be the “heart” of the Gala Games ecosystem. While there is currently very little CPU needed these days, by the time Mirandus is released that will change. The roadmap for Nodes includes:

  1. A consensus mechanism for the Nodes
  2. All In-Game Authentication on the Nodes
  3. All game API infrastructure on the Nodes
  4. All team transactions on the node of the team leader
  5. Totally decentralized governance, with a blockchain-based upvoting/downvoting/consensus mechanism

The long-term vision for the Gala Games Node Ecosystem will include multiple game studios, each working on multiple games, and creating a steady stream of NFTs and in-game tokens which will get dropped to the node network. In addition to that, the nodes themselves will serve a vital role in supporting the ecosystem, with an economic model built out to incentivize the network and keep it stable. In the long-run, this would result in GALA being distributed to the node network in lieu of centralized systems, as the node network will ideally be supplying the computational power and storage needed to keep the network stable. The details of this are still being discussed and modeled.

Earnings for running a Node: Running a node comes with earnings, both in the form of GALA and airdropped NFTs and in-game tokens. In this post, I detail commonly asked questions regarding running a node (including the distribution structure). In this post, I detail the earnings that I have received via running a node that I purchased. As a note, I purposely have avoided any kind of bonuses in this account so that you can see the bare minimum distributions that could be received.

How to get Node Reward Bonuses: At the time of this post (subject to change), Node owners can receive rewards by referring others to purchase a node. The referral works out to a one time bonus followed by a slight increase in daily GALA received for the one who refers.

I hope you found this helpful!

Disclaimer: This is not legal or financial advice. I am a Gala holder, Mirandus Land Owner, and Gala Node Owner/Operator. Any links to Gala Games website use my referral link.

If you want to use a referral, but don't want to use mine, use those of my friends who need referrals! Here and Here!