Under the Hood ft Keeegs | #6 Yabapmatt & DaveMcCoy

Under the Hood ft Keeegs | #6 Yabapmatt & DaveMcCoy

The People's Guild: A Splinterlands Podcast

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Welcome back to the People’s Guild.

This episode delivers another installment of Under the Hood, the newest show under the TPG banner — hosted by @keeegs. Under the Hood is where we zoom out from battles and cards to explore how ideas are formed and developed behind the scenes of Splinterlands.

In this conversation, Keeegs is joined by @yabapmatt and @davemccoy to discuss upcoming changes to Production Power for Modern cards, the challenges of card inflation, and the philosophy behind introducing new systems rather than adjusting older assets.

The discussion also offers an early look at buildings and expanded land production, along with updates to the land white paper and a proposed new financial structure between the company and the DAO.

A concise look at the economic thinking and design decisions shaping the next phase of Splinterlands.

Enjoy!

Modern Cards PP Changes Discussion

The meeting focused on discussing changes to Modern Cards PP as they rotate out of Modern. Dave and Matt explained that the original plan was for cards to return to Chaos Legion floor levels with a 50% penalty while in Modern. Dave emphasized the importance of having constructive discussions about potential alternative approaches, while noting that the current plan should continue unless the community explicitly wants changes through proper discussion and process.

Modern Set Card Penalty System

The team discussed implementing a penalty system for cards in Modern sets, where cards would have reduced production power when in Modern but return to full power when rotated out. Matt proposed keeping the original plan of halving production power for regular and gold foils while leaving black foils at full power, though Dave noted an exception for black foils which were designed with their final power level in mind. The group agreed that maintaining card value after rotation is important for player satisfaction and that the proposed changes would be coded to be reusable for future set rotations.

Card Game Economic Challenges Discussion

Matt and Keeegs discussed the challenges of card inflation in their card game, particularly regarding the potential impact of increasing PP for existing sets. Matt expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of increasing PP for older sets, arguing it would not significantly benefit players and could create unintended economic consequences. They also touched on the upcoming release of buildings, with Matt emphasizing the focus should be on producing new content and adjusting production costs rather than altering existing card values.

Game Economy Update Plans

Matt and Keeegs discussed plans to update modern cards to 1X and implement buildings that can support up to 50 workers, which would make it easier for players with older or less valuable cards to participate in the economy. Matt explained that buildings would focus on refined resources and allow for more production using common plots, providing a pathway for players who don't have high-value cards to have a place in the economy. Dave emphasized the importance of measured adjustments to avoid massive reworks, suggesting that incremental changes over time would be more manageable.

White Paper and Land Cards

The team discussed updates to the white paper and a proposed land card system. Matt agreed to update the white paper, which had not been maintained recently. Keeegs presented a concept for land cards that would include production boosts and a funding split between the team and DAO, with initial feedback suggesting limiting the cards to natural resources rather than new buildings. Matt expressed a preference for integrating new land features with existing buildings and emphasized the importance of requiring additional investments for new ecosystem developments.

Game Building Implementation and Funding

Matt and Keeegs discussed the implementation of buildings in the game, explaining that they decided to add new buildings rather than modify existing structures to avoid complications with multiple developers. They highlighted that buildings will be a significant resource sink and will enable more market activity and trading. The conversation then shifted to funding for the next core set, with Matt explaining that the DAO would cover fixed costs, and once refunded, there would be a profit split. Both participants expressed excitement about this approach, noting it aligns with Matt's original vision for the project.

DAO Financial Structure Proposal

The team discussed a proposal for a new financial structure with the DAO, where the company would operate at cost ($2 million annually) with the DAO receiving 100% of their investment back plus 20%, and then splitting profits 50–50 above that threshold. They also discussed transferring co-ownership of IP rights to the DAO as part of this arrangement. The proposal is currently with attorneys for review and is expected to be finalized within the next few weeks.

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Whether you're a seasoned vet or just getting started, if you've got insights, feedback, epic battles, or just want to say hey, don’t hesitate to reach out.

You can find us at 📬 [email protected] or Twitter.

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