Over the past few days, I had the opportunity to deeply engage with LOA through the Guid tournament as a community leader. In this article, I would like to share my experience, focusing on four key aspects: the prediction protocol gameplay, overall gameplay features, highlights of the token economy, and existing challenges.
Prediction Protocol Gameplay:
LOA's prediction protocol introduces a unique gameplay element by issuing NFTs for predictions. These NFTs allow users to make predictions and guesses, granting them various benefits. This mechanism shares similarities with the popular Fallen Eyes guessing activity in the Abyss world. Notably, accurate predictions offer direct cash rewards, and participation in predictions also leads to a multiplier effect on the chips NFTs used for prediction. These chips NFTs represent future airdrops of the token $ARCA, which can be multiplied by 33 times. It's worth mentioning that the official white paper suggests a fixed future price anchoring for $ARCA, though it acknowledges that this mechanism may evolve. While current market conditions may temper the optimism, it is still recommended to hold chips NFTs and actively participate in voting to maximize potential rewards.
Gameplay:
Prior to experiencing LOA firsthand, I initially believed it to be another casual card game that was easy to learn and play. However, I soon discovered that LOA offers much more. It distinguishes itself by incorporating ample content, challenging the traditional Web2 games while introducing innovative elements. Let's delve into the key highlights:
Ease of Use: LOA follows the familiar pattern of most idle casual games, making it accessible even if you're unfamiliar with English. The gameplay revolves around collecting and upgrading heroes, progressing through levels, and utilizing automatic fighting to accumulate experience and equipment.
Rich Gameplay: Beyond the standard PVE and PVP elements, LOA offers a range of exciting features. These include Roguelike tower climbing, engaging world boss battles, an intricate equipment system, a constellation system akin to runes, and a diverse skill system. Additionally, the game features a classic faction system that allows for strategic hero lineup customization.
Innovative Elements: LOA introduces unique gameplay mechanics, such as the station points system, which assigns the level system to the station rather than individual heroes. This enables free lineup customization and flexibility. Moreover, the game presents variations in faction restraints, where the dark faction is unilaterally restrained by the light faction. However, the light faction possesses weaker basic attributes, but serves as a versatile addition to elemental factions. LOA also introduces novel methods like clothing matching, mining, and lottery systems. For a comprehensive understanding, I recommend referring to the official white paper.
Token Economic Highlights:
LOA has established a thriving ecosystem centered around the single token, $ARCA. The token's value is derived from the synthesis of two minerals, white ore, and black ore. The white ore predominantly originates from the clothing system, ensuring that heroes, irrespective of their combat power, can generate more white ore by wearing suitable attire. Conversely, black ore is mainly obtained through PVP combat, forming a bridge between traditional gaming systems and blockchain mechanics.
Token Stability: The pledge system, intertwined with the VIP system, plays a crucial role in maintaining token stability. LOA merges the recharge VIP system commonly found in Web2 games with its pledge system. VIP membership not only provides convenience, such as quick battles, but also enhances mining efficiency. Higher pledge amounts correspond to elevated VIP levels, resulting in increased mining efficiency. This arrangement creates a stable, self-sustaining closed loop. To ensure economic health, LOA implements an "average value evaluation" mechanism. Each day, the system evaluates the value converted into ARCA from the two types of ores and imposes a 5% fee, safeguarding the overall economic balance.
Existing Problems:
While my experience with the LOA's Guid tournament was largely positive, I did encounter a few issues that merit attention:
1. Login Challenges: Some users encountered difficulties logging in through Xiaohu, and although an alternative login method via unipass was available, it wasn't without its flaws. Some users reported a mismatch between the wallet address linked to the website and the actual address for receiving experience NFTs.
2. Inadequate Novice Guide: While LOA is relatively easy to grasp for players familiar with this genre, a more comprehensive beginner's guide is necessary to help users explore and understand the game's various functions. Some features, like burning idle heroes for valuable mining energy or using hero burning to replace clothing, remain relatively unknown and require proper explanation.
3. Lack of Chinese Language Support: Chinese players represent a significant demographic within the Web3 user base. To ensure a swift and seamless onboarding process for Chinese players, comprehensive Chinese language support is essential.
4. Combat Experience: Subjectively, I found that the impact of combat in LOA felt somewhat subdued. Enhancements to combat sound effects and animations could add a sense of excitement and engagement to battles, further enriching the overall gaming experience.
Conclusion:
Participating in LOA's Guid tournament provided me with a deeper understanding of the game's mechanics, prediction protocol gameplay, and token economy. LOA stands out with its diverse and innovative gameplay elements, offering a blend of PVE, PVP, roguelike, and faction-based features. The token economy, built around the $ARCA token, ensures stability through the synthesis of minerals, a pledge system, VIP benefits, and mechanisms to maintain economic equilibrium.
While LOA showcases great potential, it's crucial to address the existing challenges, including login smoothness, comprehensive beginner's guidance, language support, and combat enhancements. By tackling these areas, LOA can create a more inclusive and immersive gaming experience for players worldwide.
As a community leader and advocate for high-quality chain games, it's important to share valuable insights and contribute to the growth and development of LOA. Together, we can help shape a thriving ecosystem and build a bridge between traditional and blockchain gaming experiences.