It's been pretty much a year now since I've found out about the wonderful world of blockchain gaming. The game that started it all for me, [Gods Unchained](godsunchained.com), has long been uninstalled and replaced by other games. I've constantly picked up new games I follow and dropped others I had lost interest in. Few games managed to stay with me during all this time, and only exactly two of them I'm really deeply invested with. These two titles are [Splinterlands](https://steemmonsters.com/?ref=khazrakh) and [eXode](https://exodegame.com/?ref=5ea4142). While the former is already up and running, the latter is still hot in development and has been so ever since I've picked it up back in March of 2020.

I'm basically playing [Splinterlands](https://steemmonsters.com/?ref=khazrakh) every single day and I'm extremely hopeful that [eXode](https://exodegame.com/?ref=5ea4142) will end up right alongside it. With the new information revealed in the game's [Discord](https://discord.gg/YCFnJXaY), I'm even more certain about that. In this article, I'm going to provide a short introduction to the game and then go over the the information released one by one, giving my opinion and providing some thoughts about what to expect from all this. If you already know about [eXode](https://exodegame.com/?ref=5ea4142), feel free to skip the next paragraph and continue reading afterwards.

<center>![exode.jpg](https://images.hive.blog/DQmP1J2W9gtqo9K1C5Fpw1imuTg7JcCbtrbhwreePGrE42h/exode.jpg)</center>

So what exactly is [eXode](https://exodegame.com/?ref=5ea4142)? In short, it's a Space Colonization and Exploration game running on the [Hive](hive.io) blockchain. It's powered by NFTs representing all your assets in the game, ranging from space ships, officers, crew, weapons, implants, software, and so much more. The game features a somewhat unique semi-cooperative play style. Each player is fighting for himself or together with his alliance, but all players together try to survive the onslaught of some exterminator alien species coming for all of mankind. There's no direct PvP in the game, albeit there will be competitive challenges, leaderboards, and the like.

What really makes [eXode](https://exodegame.com/?ref=5ea4142) unique in my opinion is it's scope, though. There are quite some cool and entertaining blockchain games in existence already, but so far, all of them are comparably simple. We have a lot of trading card games like the aforementioned [Splinterlands](https://steemmonsters.com/?ref=khazrakh) or [Gods Unchained](godsunchained.com). We have idle games like [Rising Star](https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=khazrakh), or mining games like [Alien Worlds](play.alienworlds.io). I play and enjoy them all, but at the same time, they are pretty simplistic and easy to play, with every interaction with the game only taking a short amount of time.

In comparison, [eXode](https://exodegame.com/?ref=5ea4142) is a completely different beast. The game will be made up of two different game phases, with a fast paced Evacuation phase that can be completed within 30 minutes and a more laid back but also way more complex Colonization phase. This second phase might take players weeks or even months to complete and the complexity of it is unparalleled in blockchain gaming so far. Each player will discover his own unique planet, complete with ore and minerals only appearing on that planet, unique alien wildlife, and a lot of other randomly generated parameters. This will allow each player to follow his own special journey, making each playthrough and each new colony a fresh and unique experience.

<center>![5bEGgqZEHBMdyxZfu38mt219gMjSbSWDLVrRq4GTvCunAD7kcZffiv6Qu4FXyVwkPeVYgA1xM1CmpZ2qQaX6nUn4oFvKRqrE.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmY6SpbQgVMKuUqHfUeXJUYKBAPvFM3NfkXzwdtRAEj9e4/5bEGgqZEHBMdyxZfu38mt219gMjSbSWDLVrRq4GTvCunAD7kcZffiv6Qu4FXyVwkPeVYgA1xM1CmpZ2qQaX6nUn4oFvKRqrE.png)</center>

So far, we've been playing only the Evacuation part and just recently, the scanning demo was released which is a part of the game tying Evacuation and Colonization together. Colonization itself is expected to be released pretty soon. I don't want to put any pressure on @elindos, the game's developer, but from what I've gathered, we should see something no later than March. Without giving away an exact date, just yesterday, he released a lot of new information on what to expect in the coming weeks and months.

Apparently, there will be so called test seasons which will prelude the regular seasons we'll see later on. During these test seasons, players will be able to access more and more parts of the colonization game and access more and more of their cards. Each (test) season is going to last about two months and players will be given personal objectives to fulfill during each season. Starting out, these objectives will be closely tied to the content that needs to be tested during each season, but later on I expect them to open up more, allowing players to more freely choose which route to follow. There were also 3 core concepts introduced in the post. I'll present you with each of them taken directly from Discord, only slightly edited for readability, and then give my personal impression.

> The **Colonization Pass**; this is our first implementation of anything close to a "Battle Pass". This will be a summary of your objectives during the next colonization tests. 

A Battle Pass is a super important feature to add to the game. It's a proven concept many non-blockchain titles use heavily. Yet it's something completely absent in blockchain gaming. Having a Colonization Pass is both going to help give directions about what to do but also give clear instructions on what needs to be achieved in order to make the most out of each season in terms of reward.

<center>![corridor.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmbHREb59LzHmL5ZfRgDFjiKnLNmRrXueDCYWqFTNFMgoe/corridor.png)</center>

> **Settler Points (SPs)**, an account-bound currency to earn with your achievements. Settler Points will be used to unlock rewards such as bound boosters or consumable cards.

I love this concept! Instead of giving out fixed rewards only, you'll earn additional reward points which can be spent on different items we can choose ourselves. This is especially going to make checking off the objectives from the Colonoization Pass more rewarding. With the Settler Points in place, you can choose which objectives you find the most interesting to pursuit instead of being "forced" to go for the ones with the most important rewards. Reward points are another proven concept from the mainstream gaming world and I'm happy to see them make their entry to blockchain gaming as well.

> Experience Points (XPs) another currency you earned during the previous evacuation challenge. Experience points will be used to level up cards in your collection. We would like to propose leveling sooner, but leveling will happen after colonization is released.

This is one of the concepts I really love about [eXode](https://exodegame.com/?ref=5ea4142). Instead of having to burn additional copies to level cards (which still is possible just as well) you also can level them just by playing them. Decoupling the experience you gain from individual cards and instead putting it in a central pool might seem counter-intuitive at first but I fully agree with the decision. There's nothing more frustrating than to being forced to use a unleveled card with an otherwise maxed out deck in order to get it to a higher level. With this implementation, you are free to use the cards you enjoy but at the same time you get to choose which cards should profit from your play time next.

It's also cool that experience can be awarded retroactively, so we'll gain some bonuses for helping test the game. With hundreds of different cards already available in the game, this has to be balanced extremely well. Leveling has to be meaningful but at the same time you need to at least have a shot at leveling your core cards in a reasonable time. I'm pretty confident @elindos will get it just right, though.

<center>![bandeau_moyen_600.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmNYWAzTstnxnXA1XTXuyUfgZ41SXWWPeruCg91JkfEDGp/bandeau_moyen_600.png)</center>

Needless to say, I'm pretty hyped by the information provided. [eXode](https://exodegame.com/?ref=5ea4142) is going to be so much more than your average blockchain game and with every new concept introduced, it feels like things are coming together even more. To me, all decisions made really seem to click. The Colonization pass is a great way to both focus testing in the right direction but also give players some ideas about what to do. With the sandbox style of game Colonization is going to be, it's important to give new players some directions. Over time, this is going to open up more and who's saying you shouldn't be able to level your Colonization pass just as well over time? There are a lot of ideas to explore here.

At the same time both the Settler's and the Experience Points will provide meaningful rewards in all stages of the game, making sure players have something to show for no matter how long their colony survives. Keep in mind that other kinds of rewards like legacy and achievement rewards will be added to the game as well later on, giving players even more options and ideas about what goals to pursue next.

With all the scams and cash grabs going on in blockchain gaming, it's great to see a project that's trying to be a game first, a title that dares to be different. I'm looking really forward to everything [eXode](https://exodegame.com/?ref=5ea4142) has in story for us these next months!

And that's all from me for today, thank you all for reading and see you next time!

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