Pixelmon Development Update November

November brought exciting progress and partnerships for Pixelmon. Highlights include the successful launch of Kevin The Adventurer (KTA) and the strategic collaboration with Horizen Labs Ventures.

Read on for the latest updates on KTA, Arena development, and Hunting Grounds. We’ll also be diving into the insightful Q&A from our Ask The CEO chat on Twitter and revealing highlights of the YGG Games Summit we attended in the Philippines.

Partnership With Horizen Labs Ventures

We're thrilled to announce our partnership with Horizen Labs Ventures (@HLV_XYZ). HLV is a top-tier Web3 advisory firm specialising in fungible token launches. Their partners have included ApeCoin, Dust Labs, and Animoca Brands. They will be working with us to expand the Pixelmon ecosystem. Read more about them here.

See the announcement tweet here.

The Next Casual Game

This month marked the conclusion of the final season for Kevin The Adventurer (KTA), and the rewards for the first 3 seasons have been distributed. Updates on all-time winners, season 4 winners, and the top 500 leaderboard, along with prizes of golden passes and badges, will be announced on Discord andTwitter in the first half of December. e The stats for KTA are as below:

Active Players ~ 36,000 

Sessions Played ~ 617,000 

Hours Played ~ 10,100

Flaps ~ 20,800,000 

Power Ups Used ~ 445,000 

Prizes distributed ~Over $10,000 

‍

The team would like to thank everyone for their participation, and we look forward to their support in our next casual game which will be introduced in December on Discord and Twitter.

See the end of KTA tweet here.

YGG Games Summit in the Philippines

A significant highlight this month was our participation in the YGG Games Summit in the Philippines from November 18-25. This event allowed us to connect with a more concentrated Web3 gaming audience compared to our previous in-real-life events.

‍

Highlights from the summit include:

• Presentation from our product lead, Lucas.
• First playable version of the Hunting Grounds on mobile.
• Playable demo of the Arena, receiving heavy praise and appreciation.
• Giulio's fireside chat with Wei Zhou, Coinsph CEO and council member on 0n1 Force.

‍

Stay tuned to our Discord andTwitter for more updates and insights from our events. We’ll be posting some links to the fireside chat & presentation on Discord once they’re available!

Product Side Updates

• E3 Feedback Loop: Our internal Discord groups continued to prove useful for receiving invaluable feedback on E3 animations, 3D models, and sounds. Check out the tweet from our CEO Giulio on Mr.Muffles here and join ourDiscord if you’re interested in joining our focus groups.
• Next Casual Game in the Works: With Kevin The Adventurer (KTA) wrapped up, the team is channelling their learnings into crafting the next casual game release. Stay tuned for exciting updates.
• Badges and Raids Continuation: Community badges and raids are ongoing, stay in the loop by following our Twitter and joining Discord.
• Multi-Wallet Functionality: We've introduced a multi-wallet function, allowing you to consolidate your collection across multiple wallets. For more details, check out our Discord announcement here.

Arena Development

Arena development is well underway as the team strives towards a release in 2024. The December end-of-year update will provide more information. 

Hunting Grounds

Substantial progress has been made in Hunting Grounds (HG). The focus has been on refining the game's main loop, demonstrated in 2 milestone deliveries presented at conferences, Token 2049 in September and YGG Manila in November.

‍

The Token 2049 build was significant for our team, pushing us to prepare for a content lockdown for an official event. It combined combat and hunting into the same build, playable on both Android and PC.

‍

The YGG milestone is impactful as it marks the completion of a powerful game loop. Players can visit the Social Hub, enter the colosseum for PvE combat, or explore the wilderness to track down and bond with their first Pixelmon.

‍

The team is working to find the perfect blend of gameplay ingredients, blending familiarity for nostalgic mechanics  with enough risk, strategy, and challenges for a broader audience. Brainstorming, designing, implementing, and testing various gameplay features are ongoing.

‍
Hunting Grounds Progress Report

Over the past few months, the Pixelmon team achieved significant milestones for the Hunting Grounds. The team focused on the game’s main game loop and reflected on 2 milestone deliveries for Giulio to present at conferences, Token 2049 in September and YGG Manila in November that are playable on both Android and PC.

Hunting Grounds developments include: 

Game Design

• Full game loop implementation: Integrating the social hub, exploration, tracking, stealth, hunting, PvE combat, bonding mechanics, resource collection, ambushes, and closing the loop by returning to the social hub.
• Integrated Throwing Mechanics: Allowing Trainers to use utility items for aid during hunts.
• Integrated Noise System: Tying into the Stealth Gameplay, enabling Pixelmon to hear and detect the player.
• Major polishing and bug fixing.
• Research and Definition on Pixelmon Progression, Players Progression, Pixelmon Behaviour Profiles, and more.
• Defining 8 new Pixelmon Abilities, along with a workflow for defining future abilities.

Combat Improvements

• "Drag and Drop" setup for quick integration of combat into any level.
• Power Ups: Now usable during combat instead of before combat.
• Direct Control: Players can now take direct control of a chosen Pixelmon, commanding it to reposition, target a new enemy, or use a specific ability.
• Implementing transition phases between hunting/ambush engagements to combat.
• Players can choose from the Pixelmon they have bonded with to use in combat.

Level Design

• Level map cleanup and improving gameplay for each region: Buggy Forest, Ancient Castle, Start Zone.
• Integrated gameplay elements in level design such as tracking, stealth, combat, ambushes, resource gathering, and Pixelmon pathing.
• Introduction of the Coliseum.
• Complete Social Hub makeover optimised for mobile, including NPCs and Points of Interest.

Concept Art

• Pixelmon improvement overpaints.
• Social Hub overpaints: Main square, Teleporter, expansion gate, Combat Zone, Player Lair Area, Teleporter, Tribal symbols, and patterns.

Character Art

• Worked on Dressing Assets and reworked In-Game Pixelmon EV1 and Ev2s.

Environment Art

• Worked on dressing assets for everything in the Social Hub.

Technical Art

• Finalised Character and Environment Shader.

Animation & Rigging

• Skeleton meshes for Pixelmon and Trainer.
• Female Trainer Animations set up.
• Humanoid Generic Animations.
• Rigging on Quadrupeds and different varieties of Humanoids.
• Animation clean up.

Sound and Music

• First versions of Social Hub and combat soundtracks.

The team's progress showcases commitment to delivering a game that combines nostalgia with innovative gameplay elements, creating a unique and engaging experience for Pixelmon. Stay tuned for further updates as we continue to refine and elevate the Hunting Grounds.

Ask The CEO Chat

Ask The CEO is a chat within our discord where both holders and non-holders can ask questions related to Pixelmon and the ecosystem directly to our CEO, Giulio. 

Head over to Giulio's twitter to ask a question or read the recent questions asked.


Our Ask The CEO chat has transitioned from Discord to Twitter for better visibility. Here's a summary of November’s chat:

‍

Q: How many full-time employees are dedicated to Pixelmon?

A: We currently have 64 FTEs on the project, spanning various teams including the 3D gaming studio, Hypercasual games team, Tokenomics, Web3 dev and product team, Finance & HR. Physical offices are located in Kuala Lumpur (MY), Sophia (BG), and Singapore.

‍

Q: Does our estimated funding runway still last until 2027?

A: Yes, the current run rate without raises without revenue would last into the end of ‘27 at least.

‍

Q: Could you explain the acceleration of prize distribution in Party Quest?

A: Weekly drops in Party Quest are being accelerated to ensure all prizes are distributed before the end of Q1.

‍

Q: Would odds go up to favor those who have yet to receive an E3?

A: Only level 5 teams get access to the E3 serum raffles, and the distribution plan ensures a likelihood of over 50% per team.

‍

Q: Is there a situation where similar people/wallets are getting E3 serums, diluting the odds for the rest?

A: There is no blacklist for finding an E3 serum twice, and finding one before doesn’t increase the probability of winning it again.

‍

Q: What can we expect for E3? Timeline? And will they give more [redacted]?

A: Other airdrops are likely to go live before the E3, which will participate in post-launch portions of it.

‍

Q: Do the rarity of Pixelmon NFTs have an impact on the token allocation?

A: The collection has ~26 rarities, and the breakdown exists for a reason.

‍

Q: Regarding the upcoming airdrop, should we focus our efforts on collecting relics, rarer assets, or both?

A: Higher-level parties have higher chances, and rarity within our collection will always be respected.

‍

Q: Will we be able to stake our mons/trainers for an APY?

A: Staking them alone may not work, but if done alongside the first portions of the other airdrop, it might.

‍

For more questions and updates, follow Giulio on Twitter and join our Discord.

This concludes our November development update. We appreciate the continued support and encourage everyone to follow us on X and join our Discord for the latest news and developments.