Recap: CoM1 and CoM2

As the second term of the Council of Mortals (Council of Mortals or, for friends, CoM) comes to an end, I think it is worth looking back and trying to make a Assessment of this stage that I have been fortunate enough to experience in the first person.

I am JFA, promoter of GU Masters, and I share my recapitulation with you.

The evolution from CoM1 to CoM2

If you lived through the birth of the CoM, you know that it came at a tumultuous time for Immutable, as it coincided with a profound internal reorganization of the Gods Unchained team. This meant that the members of that first mandate of the CoM had to develop work dynamics (together and with the Gods Unchained team) and agree on appropriate procedures. The first mandate of the CoM It served to lay the foundations of its operation, including the management of the monthly meeting, and in that sense I think it was decisive (by the way, I do not want to fail to mention G Rasher for his effort, from total discretion, so that the journey of the CoM began on the right foot). What issues occupied the CoM during that first term? In general, fundamental issues for the player community and related, above all, to the gameplay of Gods Unchained. All that effort bore some fruit, which you can contrast in this splendid article published by rckmtl: "rckmtl explains: What were the acomplishments of the first Council of Mortals? (Gods Unchained) Were there even any? (spoilers: there were lots!)" .

The Second term of the Council built on the foundation laid by the Gods Unchained team and the members of the first term. The truth is that only six members of the previous Council repeated and I have, thanks to the trust and support of the community, the privilege of being one of them. During CoM2, issues related to the quality of Gods Unchained as a game were also raised (competitive scene, pending issues such as the closure of Etherbots, etc.), but there was also an emphasis on points raised during CoM1 and aspects related to the economy of the game.

Featured Issues

I have to admit that my experience as a member of the CoM has been somewhat bittersweet. On the one hand, I leave with the personal satisfaction of having done everything possible to rise to the occasion and fulfil my responsibilities as a member of this advisory body. Everything can be improved, of course, but I think I have spared no time to try to understand the needs and expectations of the community, and to transfer this information to the Gods Unchained team in a structured and constructive way. On the other hand, I think it would be possible to get more out of this body , both through greater involvement of all its members and through greater use by the Gods Unchained team.

Below is a list of Featured Topics (in alphabetical order).

Information asymmetry between players

This is one of the first questions I raised, as it has always seemed to me to be a bleeding problem. Its aspect is twofold :

• On the one hand, the evident access to information on the decks that a player is playing , provided by the API queryable in GUDecks. This translates into a multitude of players, especially at high ranks, who choose to use names that are difficult to search for (but not impossible thanks to the information provided by the Log of the items).
• On the other hand, the possibility of consulting the decks that appear in the library of a player, which is not a problem for ladder , but it is for the competitive scene. And, in addition, consult the latest Direct duels Played.

A year later, and after several positioning changes by the Gods Unchained team, There is an expectation that this issue will be addressed once and for all before the end of 2023 . Specifically, after the release of the Sealed game mode. It seems that the solution chosen is that the identity of the players is kept anonymous until the end of the game, with the possibility that the player who wants to show their name always has the option to do so. This has pros and cons, but it sure won't be worse than the current situation.

Chests

Once the problem of Etherbots has been settled, the pending issues of Gods Unchained with its most veteran players are two. One of them is the Genesis and Trial of the Gods Chests Migration to Layer Two (L2), and it is not a trivial matter. Firstly, because the buyers of these assets are in a state of total helplessness, having paid for a product that they cannot dispose of. Secondly, because the number of cards that are expected to enter the economy is significant, with the impact that this may have on the market.

After a lively discussion with the gaming community and the Gods Unchained team, the Optimal solution It seems to be clear: that the envelopes become real "NFT containers" (with this the existence of the chests would no longer be necessary), including the contents of the chests.

I don't have chests, but I empathize with the players who do and that's why I've done everything possible to try to push this issue forward. It seems that much of the work that is being done for the fine-tuning of the mechanics of Crafting They will also be useful in solving this, so I still hope that sooner rather than later the envelopes will be "Real envelopes" and the issue of the chests is solved. You also live on illusion, you know.

Balance / Play testing

Achieve a metagame Balanced is a formidable challenge for any trading card game, but if there's one thing that's indisputable, it's that most expansions and mini-expansions released have been problematic in this area. The bad news is that the Gods Unchained team hasn't added a lot of Betatesters , which would be ideal. The good news is that they have decided to rely on the specialized consulting services provided by Superpower and this should translate into a Significant improvement when launching new expansions.

It has been difficult, many options have been weighed (including the use of the Public Test Realm ), but The current situation invites optimism , from my point of view. Let's hope that this will be confirmed with the passage of time.

Spectator Mode

Making it easier for content creators is key to driving the growth of any game. Also from Gods Unchained, of course. Unfortunately, "spectator mode" will still have to Wait until 2024 and it should come with solutions for hosting tournaments in the same Gods Unchained client.

Game Modes

The availability of additional game modes has been one of the personal crusades of some Council members (special mention for CopperPitch), and rightly so. Luckily, we're already testing some alternative formats, on a rotating basis, and the Sealed It's about to arrive. In that sense We are in luck .

Roadmap

After a long period without roadmap Updated, making a new one available to the community became one of my main demands. Now we have it and, as long as the different milestones are reached on time, It is expected that next year will be a year of maturity and growth for Gods Unchained.

Progression System

Along with the asymmetry of information, the need to Redesign of the game's progression system was another of the issues that I will champion at the first meeting of the Council. A year later, progress in this regard has been virtually non-existent, which is quite irritating because it would be enough to apply a few minor changes to the allocation of win/loss points to improve the current situation.

At least the Gods Unchained team has already confirmed that they are working on a complete redesign of the system. I hope that a brand new season system, with periodic missions and challenges of different natures, will see the light of day in 2024, accompanied by ranking lists, player profiles and other improvements.

World Tournament

I commented earlier that the debt of the Gods Unchained team with their first clients were two. This is the second of them.

It is surprising that this competition enjoys prominence on the official home page of the game, when the reality is that "He is not there, nor is he expected" . It is possible that in the (not too soon) world tournaments will be held, but it will not be with the initial approach.

In view of this, which I find difficult to assume, I have stated that it seems appropriate that some way out is offered to ticket owners for this event, of a voluntary and compensatory nature, so that those who want to continue waiting do so and those who no longer want to continue in a waiting period have the possibility of recovering, even partially, the amounts disbursed. In any case, some kind of reparation would be more than appropriate. I'll leave it there (and no, I'm not one of those affected).

$GODS

During CoM1, the token did not enjoy special prominence, especially since there were many other issues to address. Nevertheless the members of CoM2 show a huge interest in the economy of Gods Unchained , with its token as one of its standout elements. As they say, "it was just and necessary".

After seeing the evolution of the token price and the management of the $GODS obtained by the team through the sale of packs and the Forge (which has basically consisted of selling everything), I have set myself a personal goal to focus on How to ensure the health of this essential element for the game economy . I have requested that, in the absence of a specific portal (which would be ideal), at least essential information about $GODS the dashboard be included for strike . Recall that Offering of the $GODS will end on October 4 and that the presentation of the new staking control panel is scheduled for the third quarter of this year, so it has to be about to fall. I will continue to report.

Forge and Shiny Cards

The promotion The Forge Reignites and the use of the Forge for the first approach to the Crafting in Band of the Wolf they highlighted the shortcomings of this tool. Luckily, the Gods Unchained team is already working to optimize it, and that's important because, unless the game's economy is radically redesigned, the Forge is set to take center stage (it's currently at the heart of Gods Unchained's economy). For this to translate into success, It is essential that high-quality cards are more desirable and I'm sure that some of the ideas that the Immutable team is already working on, such as introducing cosmetic improvements, increasing its relative weight in the Play & Earn multiplier, or exploring possibilities such as combined staking ($GODS and NFTs) and collector rewards, will bear fruit. At the CoM we have tried to offer guidance in this area, I think rightly.

Player Advantage Starting the Game

In almost all table games, the player who starts has an advantage. This is a fact. In the case of Gods Unchained there is an element that is especially problematic in this sense, which is the Favor (and the Sanctum, of course). The Immutable team has already confirmed that they intend to review this. When? That remains to be seen, but in an idyllic scenario this would take place before the release of the next expansion (it seems that in November). Most likely, this is not the case, so it remains to be seen.

Mobile Version

Let us remember that a Soft Launch of the mobile version before the end of 2023 . We can assume that it will take place, if nothing strange happens, before the holidays/holidays begin, so that early December might be a suitable time. Will there be an Alpha version so that players can try it out before the aforementioned one? Soft Launch ? It is not clear, the team's priority is to respect the planned schedule.

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Obviously, this list is not (and does not pretend to be) exhaustive, but it does offer a broad perspective on many of the issues raised over the past 12 months. The Gods Unchained team has undergone far-reaching changes: from its composition and organization, to its commitment to outsourcing software development to strategic allies (Secret6 and iLogos, to be exact). At the moment, they have my Vote of confidence .

Long live the Council of Mortals!

In the light of what has been stated in the previous section, I think it is obvious that there are reasons to feel a certain frustration. There are issues where there has been no progress in 12 months and that is problematic. At the same time, it is essential to remember the moments when the CoM has had a positive impact indisputable and significant (not to say transcendental), such as during the launch of the mini-expansion Band of the Wolf.

If there is one idea I would like to highlight, it is that I consider the Council to be a useful tool and that its existence makes sense. It is necessary, however, to continue strengthening it in order to obtain the Maximum performance possible and for that the involvement of everyone is absolutely essential. Yours too, of course.

Last but not least, I want to wish all the best to the members of the CoM3 . I have full confidence in their know-how. Inform yourself, vote responsibly to select your representatives (recommended reading: "What would you ask a CoM candidate?" ), participates in consultations, attends meetings... the reason for being of the CoM is to be the voice of players like you. Make your voice heard.

I hope you found this information helpful. I want to take this opportunity to remind you that you can support GU Masters by purchasing your cards through the TokenTrove referral link (which has no cost for you) and invite you to join all the players who already receive the GU Masters newsletter to stay on top of what's new in the Gods Unchained universe: The Herald .

Images courtesy of Gods Unchained Pty Ltd.