Introduction
Gm Tigers,
"If you dig deep and wide enough, eventually you’ll find a gem." Web3 builders have been digging(experimenting) for quite some time now, and we’re starting to see some gems emerge from their labour. Recently we hosted one of these gems on our Twitter spaces--a project that’s often cited as the best web3 game in the market right now – BIG TIME.
Here’s a recap for ya!
What is Big Time?
We asked Matt(Big Time’s Community Wizard) what Big Time is exactly. This is what he told us: It’s a multiplayer RPG game that looks like a mixture of World of Warcraft and Diablo in terms of gameplay. Now that’s the kind of description that gets us really excited about a project.
Players roam a large world full of interdimensional portals and enigmatic dungeons that host breathtaking challenges. By completing these dungeon quests, players progress through the game and even earn NFTs for beating in-game bosses.
Matt told us that the economy of Big Time is really simplistic in its current form. Players can just unlock cosmetic skins and some items and sell them on a marketplace. However, once the game enters the beta launch phase, players will be able to craft their own virtual items within the game and sell them on the market place to other players. We think if the game manages to create conditions in which these player-created items hold some "real" value, it’ll really drive the creator economy within Big Time.
A Real Maverick + Early Reception
Early access for the game started back in July 2022. What was the reaction from the players and some of the road blocks Big Time has faced until now?
Overall, Big Time’s launch has been really successful. The project has carved a special place in the web3 gaming scene and is considered one of the best titles that have come out this year. It’s interesting that the project took a somewhat unconventional approach towards its launch compared to other games. While many games conduct token sales, ICOs, and take years to come up with a substandard entry, Big Time straight up released a banger game without a token. Matt tells us that the first approach seemed right to them because they’re really confident in their product. Launching early also gives the advantage of gaining feedback from the community and iterating towards what players really want.
According to Matt, they have run into pretty standard bugs, upgrades, and rebalances so far. That can be a little frustrating for an average player, but that’s why the game is in its Alpha phase right now. The developers are ironing out all the glitches so that the final product provides a flawless experience for the players.
Who’s Building Big Time
Big Time has about 60-70 full-time employees, and according to Matt, most of them are over-doxxed. The team is mostly based in the United States, but they are completely remote, working within the metaverse.
Procedural Generation: Infinite Content Machine
Procedural Generation is basically the randomization of features within the Big Time’s dungeons. Matts tells us that the Big Time world is full of purple gates(also known as portals) that lead to different dungeons in the game. These dungeons are basically instances that only last for several minutes. So basically, every time a player enters a portal, they’ll be surprised with a different layout, enemies, and a completely new game loop. This ensures infinite playtime and adventures for the players. As the saying goes, "No man ever steps in the same river twice." In the case of Big Time Dungeons, that’s literally the case. You’ll never enter the same instance twice.
Opinion on Guilds
Guilds and play to earn games go sort of hand in hand in web3 gaming. Matt prefers the web2 model for guilds, wherein players who enjoy a game come together under one umbrella to create content and compete with each other and other teams. Despite being a web3 game, Big Time will attract more traditional guilds, according to Matt. Players can work together to overcome different challenges within the game, run through dungeons, and collaborate to create in-game items and experiences.
The Play-to-earn model is really challenging right now. The industry is slowly going past it due to model instability. More and more projects are now focusing on building a good game instead of promoting the economic element that was the primary shtick for many early games in the space.
There are two parts to a web3 game. The first, obviously, is the game, and the second is the introduction of a real-stakes economy in this virtual medium through tokens. The industry is still figuring out what the ideal balance for a web3 game should be. If the scale tips on the side of hardcore gaming while ignoring the economic aspect, the effects can be devastating for the investors in the project. But if developers lean too heavily on the economic aspect, that can alienate and severely limit the player base.
Over-Financialization Kills the Fun
As we stated above, Big Time doesn't have a token. Which is just mind-blowing for us, because most games we come across have at least two tokens. This doesn't mean that the game will completely skip tokenization; they will eventually release a native token and feature NFTs. The development philosophy of Big Time appears to be that of limited financialization, at least in the early stages. The game also features NFTs, but they don’t provide any special benefits to the holder other than cosmetic effects.
In Closing
Phew! That convo was hot, just like the game that these guys are developing. We don't do shilling, folks; we tell it like it is, and when we say Big Time is potentially the best web3 game on the market right now, we mean it. They are really pushing the boundaries of how things are done in web3 gaming. Furthermore, their awesome product sets a high bar for upcoming games in the space. Most importantly, it shuts down ill-informed critics who think that web3 gaming is no fun-to them we say you’re wrong Big-Time. Go check out the game, buy a Ruby Pass for early access, and stay tuned to Tegro for more exciting conversation in the future.
Ciao!
