After 2 years of waiting, the public beta of the blockchain version of "MapleStory MapleStory" (hereinafter referred to as MSU) and TGE are finally coming. This is the traditional game that has been in the blockchain field so far. It has been operating for more than 20 years, with a total revenue of more than US$5 billion and a total number of players exceeding 250 million. (For more details on the background of this game, please refer to:""Adventure Island + NFT", why do you choose to go on the classic game with more than 180 million registered players? 》）

Last week, MSU officially released a white paper on the game token $NXPC, detailing the game economic mechanism of the "MapleStory" blockchain version. This article will sort out the content of the white paper in detail. Let’s take a look at how traditional online game brands design a set of Web3 game economic mechanisms.

3 different forms of 1 asset

MSU's economic system is composed of $NXPC, $NESO and NFT, all of which can be redeemed in two-way.

$NXPC - is both a native token used to pay MSU Layer1 network Gas fees, or can be exchanged for $NESO or NFT.

$NESO - Used for various in-game features such as weapon enhancement, etc., and can also be redeemed for $NXPC or purchased items in the official NFT marketplace.

NFT – The characters, equipment and consumables in the game will appear in the form of NFT, which can be redeemed in both directions with $NXPC or traded in the official market with $NESO.

This does not mean that MSU adopts a dual token or three token model. In fact, the entire economic mechanism is "three different forms of one asset".

If we also regard in-game props as a kind of "token", then in the original Island of Adventure and even most MMORPG games, this "token" is a bit like Ethereum - there is no upper limit on supply, rewards contributors (kill monsters and drops props in the game), and there is a burning channel (low-level props may be consumed through prop synthesis and other channels).

The similarity also exists that in-game props will be "cyber attacked" and the intervention of the studio will greatly accelerate the output of in-game props, making the inflation of props serious.

In MSU, the source of all assets is $NXPC. In-game currencies $NESO and $NXPC have fixed redemption rates and can only be redeemed for minting via $NXPC. All game props (NFTs), such as weapons, armor and decorative items, are officially centrally managed in MSU and stored in the official "MSU item pool". To enter circulation, these props need to be redeemed using $NXPC.

It is not that $NESO and game props (NFTs) will not be dropped in the game, but these do not mean that they are independent assets, and their source is also $NXPC:

NESO can only be redeemed through NXPC. Due to the fixed redemption rate, the theoretical maximum supply of $NESO is the same as that of $NXPC.

MapleStory N receives $NXPC as an ecological contribution reward and may redeem part of $NXPC for NFT as an in-game reward. Players can obtain NFT through various in-game activities such as monster fighting and boss fighting

It can be said that $NXPC is like liquid water, while $NESO is like ubiquitous water vapor, which is needed in all aspects of the game, especially weapon enhancement, which can help players improve their combat power and better fight monsters and upgrade and obtain props in the game. NFTs, like solid-state ice, have much worse liquidity than FTs. As weapons strengthen, the price difference of the same equipment will also occur.

"$NXPC Fission" and "Item Fusion"

The "$NXPC fission" mechanism means that players can use $NXPC to redeem game props (NFTs). This mechanism is very similar to the process of FCFS (first come first served) snap-up NFTs. Players redeem not a specific item, but a fixed percentage of the maximum supply of all available item types in the "MSU item pool".

The exchange rate of $NXPC and NFT will be fixed, and the exchange rate will only rise when new props appear in future game updates and enter the "MSU item pool". Redeeming NFTs will also not result in $$NXPC destruction.

The "item fusion" mechanism is a bit like the NFT market has a Bid pool. If players want to sell their props (NFTs) quickly, they can directly smash them to the pool. However, players do not choose their own quotes in the official market and accept the settlement of earnings in the in-game currency $NESO. The official will capture the corresponding prop prices in the secondary market and take the median weighted average price to determine how much $NXPC players can get.

These two mechanisms make the entire game "GameFi flavor strong". In fact, it is equivalent to the blockchain version of Island of Adventure that there is no in-game store, nor a traditional in-buy store like "Dianqian Mall". Instead, it is replaced by a unified consumer asset $NXPC - either use $NXPC to redeem props, or use $NXPC to redeem $NESO to buy in the official NFT market (this situation will appear more on enhanced premium props with better attributes).

If you use $NXPC to redeem props, players will be forced to buy props they don't need. One advantage of this is that it will promote the overall props' mobility (such as props from unpopular professions, props with low rarity and props with low attributes, etc.).

The ideal effect is "left foot on the right foot" - players use $NXPC to redeem props to improve the efficiency of obtaining advanced items in the game -> $NXPC price increases -> The return obtained by "item fusion" (golding) increases -> More $NXPC buys and re-invests and throws gold.

But the relatively bad part of the expectation is that "GameFi is very strong" may cause a certain degradation to the fun and diversity that the game itself can bring. Because of the value of $NXPC, coupled with the special nature of blockchain users themselves, even if there is a special mechanism such as "$NXPC fission" that avoids the extreme hype of certain props and avoids most props being worthless, players will still choose the profession that is easiest to grow in the game in order to maximize the benefits of $NXPC (for example, it can have group attack skills to eliminate monsters in a map with the fastest speed, or it is relatively easy to upgrade). Many maps, tasks and dungeons that are not cost-effective for game behaviors such as upgrades may be even more unwilling to be concerned, resulting in a major impact on the diversity of the game. If the "item fusion" mechanism is monopolized by the studio, it is likely to lead to insufficient consumption power of the game as a whole.

But anyway, from the perspective of game profitability, this is indeed a bold attempt. The Island of Adventure was originally used to make money by selling fashion, enhanced scrolls and other in-game props in the game, but this blockchain version has no in-app purchases, and everything is placed on the value of $NXPC. The output of gold coins ($NESO) and props (NFTs) in the game is also controlled by $NXPC.

$NXPC

The total supply of $NXPC is 1 billion. 80% is used for MSU Ecological Contribution Rewards. Of the remaining 20%, 16.317% were airdropped to early-stage communities, 0.437% was used for liquidity provision, and 0.15% was used for exemption of Gas fees, totaling 16.904% was fully unlocked at TGE.

Of the remaining 3.096%, 2% were given to the IP licensor and 0.696% were given to the MSU team. These two parts locked positions for 9 months and unlocked quarterly within 3 years after the lockdown ended. 0.4% Give to the consultant, lock the position for 12 months, and then unlock it according to the development of the project.

Conclusion

Since the birth of GameFi, discussions about gameplay and finance have never stopped. If a truly good game appears in the currency circle, will GameFi escape from the death spiral? This question, Island of Adventure may give an answer to it with its own performance.

In addition, as an MMORPG game with social fun > Explore fun (only personal opinion), when the audience turns to the currency circle (blockchain special edition), will the social fun of the game and the powerful fission communication ability generated by it change? This question also made me very curious and look forward to it.