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Star Atlas is set to release in 2022 on PC. There isn't much of a "game" quite yet, and very little video footage of what gameplay will look like — aside from a cinematic trailer and snippets released by the developers. Style-wise, it looks like James Cameron's film Avatar.
Star Atlas is set to be a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game with the implementation of NFTs and cryptocurrency, built on the Solana blockchain. There's a browser minigame that you can try out right now, but it requires some NFT purchases.
Here's what we know so far about the play-to-earn capabilities, its NFTs, its upcoming gameplay and how to get started with the browser minigame.
Highlights
Built on Solana
Metaverse and virtual parcels
Marketplace active
NFTs galore
Two native currencies
Combat, space exploration and more planned
Not free to play
What is Star Atlas?
Star Atlas is a play-to-earn metaverse set in the year 2620, built on the Solana blockchain. The game is being made on Unreal Engine 5 — a popular 3D creation engine — and is set to release on PC in 2022.
The metaverse promotes itself as a "World vast beyond imagining" and is a strategy-based game where spacefaring players attempt to lay claim to territory and conquer opponents. The graphics look promising, one clip shows a ship arriving at a hanger, and another is a GIF of an inside view of the hanger.
This is what you've been waiting for - we're keeping our promise:
Based on this meager footage, we're not sure if players will control their character within the ship hanger, or if the developers inserted a camera in Unreal and moved it around for the teaser. Either way, we need more footage to see if we're going to have a first-person view.
We do know Star Atlas won't be free to play. Every decision or purchase in the game is processed through your Solana wallet at a predetermined cost or fee. Minimum costs for items like common ships can be as low as $20 USDC. Decisions like choosing which faction to represent can be processed via your Solana wallet for less than a penny worth of SOL.
Star Atlas will have play-to-earn opportunities, though. You can earn ATLAS and POLIS core tokens through gameplay.
While the game isn't fully released yet, there are a few things you can do right now. The marketplace is up and running, and you can send purchased ships on missions and join a faction.
Playing Star Atlas
Head to Staratlas.com and select Play Now in the top-right corner. You're prompted to connect a Web3 wallet. The game supports many wallets and recommends Phantom, Torus or Solflare.
Image source: Star Atlas
You'll need USDC or the in-game currency ATLAS to purchase NFT inventory, and a small amount of SOL in your Solana wallet to process transactions and gameplay decisions.
Next, choose which faction you want to join. You can join either the Mud, Ustur or Oni factions, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Faction selection is permanent.
Image source: Star Atlas
Each faction has players working on its behalf in the Star Atlas metaverse, and a virtual microeconomy that represents how much USDC has been earned by the players in that faction. Before choosing which faction you want to be a part of, take the time to learn about each one. You can enlist with other factions using passports — eventually.
To play the minigame that's out, you need a ship. Each ship will come with a default set of crew members — that are interchangeable — and components that players can configure themselves. You can buy a ship on the Star Atlas marketplace. To access the marketplace, select Marketplace on the left-hand side toolbar.
You can buy a ship and use it for missions, claim land around the Star Atlas metaverse and start mining operations. You'll be able to stake claims to land, add to your Faction's earned income, establish trade routes and complete missions. Select Ship Enlistment to start this minigame.
Ships need resources to go on missions: Fuel, Food, Toolkit and Ammunition. All of these can be purchased on the Star Atlas marketplace with ATLAS.
What are the Star Atlas tokens?
The game has two native tokens: ATLAS token and POLIS token.
The ATLAS token is the in-game currency used to make purchases in the marketplace. Like most cryptocurrencies, the idea is that its value grows as the economy of players and gameplay grows. You can earn ATLAS by embarking on missions within the game.
The POLIS token is the governance token, and allows you to vote on meaningful economic decisions on the platform.
How to buy Star Atlas tokens
Although you can earn both the ATLAS tokens and POLIS tokens through gameplay, you can also trade them on open cryptocurrency exchange markets like FTX.US.
It looks like ATLAS may not be available to purchase on an exchange in the US.
You can still purchase ATLAS by using a decentralized exchange (DEX) instead. Decentralized exchanges are web applications that run on blockchains like Solana and allow users to trade any asset directly with one another.
Decentralized exchanges (DEX) are unregulated and run using autonomous pieces of code known as smart contracts. To use a DEX you must interact with the blockchain directly, which is not recommended for novice users. Please learn about decentralized exchanges first if you're unfamiliar.
How to purchase ATLAS using a decentralized exchange.
Find ATLAS on a decentralized exchange and make sure ATLAS can be traded for SOL which is the native asset of the Solana blockchain. Popular DEXs include Raydium, Marinade Finance and Saber.
Buy SOL to trade for ATLAS using an exchange like
Crypto.com. You will need to purchase enough SOL to swap for ATLAS as well as SOL to pay for transaction fees on the Solana network (known as gas). Gas fees only cost a fraction of a cent on Solana, so keeping 0.01 SOL set aside for gas will be plenty.
Transfer the SOL into a Solana web 3.0 wallet like like Phantom to connect to the DEX.
Trade SOL for ATLAS on the DEX of your choice, following the instructions on screen. Make sure to leave a small amount of SOL in your wallet to pay for gas.
Wait for the transaction to finalize and the ATLAS tokens will arrive in your wallet.
You may now keep the tokens in your web 3.0 wallet or transfer them somewhere more secure like a hardware wallet.
You can follow the same process when you want to sell your tokens, or come back to this page to see if they can now be traded on an exchange in the US.
How does play-to-earn work with Star Atlas?
Some ways to earn in Star Atlas are:
Stake assets. The game will allow for the staking of in-game assets.
Play-to-earn. Completing missions can earn you the in-game currencies. As the game develops, you can engage in combat, station construction, deep space exploration, professions and more.
NFT trading. Trade NFTs with other players on the marketplace.
Mining. The amount earned through mining will be determined by territory control.
What are Star Atlas NFTs?
The NFTs purchased within Star Atlas become your Inventory. They are unique to you and are stored in your connected wallet. Use your inventory in one of two ways: To start your career in the Star Atlas metaverse or to become a Star Atlas trader.
There are multiple NFTs, including:
Ships. You have options when choosing which ship to use in the game. Filter by rarity traits and size, ranging from xx-small to large. Once you select a ship, you'll see its key features including a description, ship details, its supply in the metaverse, its list price and how to buy and sell it.
Structures. Structure NFTs range from claim stakes, mining drills, space stations and power plants. Each comes with its own rarity traits and utility in gameplay. Each structure will also give you information about the key features of the NFT, including supply and specs.
Collectibles. These include humans, skins, posters, crew gear, emotes, charms and pets. Each will have its own utility in the game and value on the Star Atlas marketplace. Each collectible in the marketplace will include key information, including where to buy and sell it.
Access. This type of NFT includes licenses and badges. For example, the "Executive Badge" has baked-in utility. Star Atlas makes it clear in its NFT description that owning the "Executive Badge" guarantees future benefit as the game evolves.
Usernames. The game plans for usernames to be ownable and tradable.
The rarity and supply scale below is listed from most common to most rare:
Common
Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary
Anomaly
How to buy and sell NFTs on Star Atlas
The game runs on the Solana blockchain and requires a Solana wallet to process transactions and track ownership of NFTs. You'll need a wallet to buy Star Atlas NFTs, sell NFTs and play the game.
Buy and sell Star Atlas NFTs in either ATLAS, the game's core token, or USDC.
Once you have your wallet connected, the appropriate amount of currency in your wallet and your NFT of choice selected in the Star Atlas marketplace, select Buy Now to process the transaction. Transaction fees apply when interacting with the Solana blockchain, so you need SOL in your wallet to cover fees.
Each NFT in the game comes with instructions on how to sell it. The Star Atlas marketplace is peer-to-peer, so you'll be able to list your owned NFTs.
Compare marketplaces to buy NFTs
About the Star Atlas developers
The CEO and cofounder of Star Atlas is Michael Wagner, whose background is in fintech. The other cofounder is Gabriel Allred, Ph.D, with a background in behavioral research, data science and behavior economics.
The same team that created Multichain Ventures is behind Star Atlas. Multichain Ventures is a parent company of other companies, including The Tokes Platform. The company mainly focuses on building cryptocurrency payment processing software and supply chain tools.
The team creating Star Atlas has experience in developing AAA titles with studios like Electronic Arts and 1047 Games, as reported by Coin Bureau.
Star Atlas roadmap
Star Atlas's development is in Phase 2, focusing on the browser minigame covered in this guide, and the release of the in-game marketplace. There are no dates mentioned on the Star Atlas roadmap, only stating that Phase 3 will begin after the successful launch of Phase 2.
Phase 3. Includes the addition of a Shipyard module sale where players can view their purchased asset and a new wave of assets released.
Phase 4. Beta is set to launch.
Phase 5. A loot box-style function called "Salvage Wars" will be implemented, which is where players will bid on containers full of assets — no doubt inspired by the show Storage Wars.
Overall, the roadmap is pretty sparse. For a game that's set to be compared to AAA titles, we hoped for more details on combat, structure creation and other promised mechanics.
Bottom line
Star Atlas is taking its time releasing this game. It's not always a bad thing — there have been horrendous nonblockchain games released way too early — but the overall fan reception seems to be "give us more information."
The developers are promising a lot, and we're not given too much to speculate about.
We'll update this page as more information becomes available. Until then, check out our list of over 50 crypto games to find one you can play right now.
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Matt George is a cryptocurrency writer for Finder. Matt is a podcast producer and writer, studying the intersections of culture, business, and technology. His current fascination is unpacking the most recent iteration of the Internet, Web3 and its cultural implications. He works in the technology space in Atlantic Canada.
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Image source: Star Atlas
Image source: Star Atlas
