Today, we are delighted to announce that we are in the process of bringing the GALA token itself to the Flare network! In the future, users will be able to mint their GALA directly to the Flare network, allowing for essentially feeless and instant transactions without the bloat of the Ethereum network. This will not replace the GALA ERC-20 token, but would provide users the ability to burn their ERC-20 GALA to receive Flare-based GALA and NFTs.

To add to this, in the future, Flare-backed NFTs may have some special buffs in the Citadel of the Moon, which has been purchased by Flare! Let the proclamation resound through every crevasse and every gateway in this magical land. Let each village sing with the joy of a great victory and let every heart open wide in welcome. The Citadel of the Moon has been claimed, and the great line of ancient Moon kings have once again risen like a Flare into the sky!

The land of Mirandus is full of breathtaking beauty, boundless adventure and wondrous creations. But more magnificent than the mightiest jungle, more pristine than the plains of the east and more powerful than the raging storms of the western seas are the five great Citadels. For countless leagues in every direction, the Citadels bless the horizon with their ancient and towering forms.

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Way back in January of this year, it was first announced that Gala Games would be integrating with the Flare Network, eventually granting the NFTs of Gala Games the ability to be minted and owned on Flare. This is just one of Gala Games’ exciting blockchain solutions in the works to deliver the smoothest and most empowering experience in play-to-earn gaming. Today we are announcing that Flare has decided to immortalize their role in the future of Mirandus as well by purchasing the third Citadel: The Citadel of the Moon!

Then in February, the possibilities that Flare could bring to Gala Games were likened to the story of Prometheus, who is said to have stolen fire from the gods in ancient Greece.

In early April, it was announced in that Gala Games would become a decentralized data provider for the Flare Time Series Oracle (FTSO). This is an example of how the Gala Games node ecosystem can be put to use on multiple levels for even greater rewards to the operators.

Flare will play a powerful role in the gaming experiences of our players by providing more options for NFT ownership and lower minting fees. The integration of Flare will allow all benefits and functions of blockchain-backed ownership to become second nature to our players, so they can focus on what’s really important: Playing.

It is with deafening cheer and unbridled delight that we welcome Flare into their Citadel. We are certain that they will lead their people with hearts of heroes, minds of wizards and skills of master crafters.

Welcome to the Citadel of the Moon!

There is a lot of news coming, and it is very important to remember that what we at Gala Games, with the help of the community, are working on building is going to fundamentally change gaming forever. Each of the games and projects we are working on are small trees in what will one day become a massive forest of content and creativity, driven by player actions and with a vibrant player-driven economy. We have been careful to plant these trees far enough apart to allow them to grow so that they don’t shade one another out, devoting resources and nutrients to them all to help them grow. While you can only see a few saplings right now, the ground all around us is seeded with acorns that will one day grow into mighty oaks.

This is why today, we want to talk to you about forests. An earlier version of this simulation was shown briefly shown in an AMA as a background several weeks ago, but now you can download it and play it for yourself. This simulation is the forest growth model playing out inside of a game environment. (Feel free to move around and look at it from new angles. WASD is your friend!) It shows, in a sped up fashion, how forests in Mirandus grow. We have been working hard at defining a language to have data-driven AI structures. At a very fundamental level, every living thing is functionally the same. Creatures and plants all grow, age, and if in ideal conditions, breed. A tree grows, and if it is healthy, it produces new trees. If too many trees do this at once, they will crowd one another out and some trees will have to compete with others for sunlight and nutrients.

This simulation is obviously a gross simplification of what the forests in Mirandus will look like (they will obviously look MUCH cooler than this), but it was specifically designed to show the logic behind the lifecycle of trees. In this simulation, green trees represent healthy and growing trees, yellow represents those that are sick, and those that are grey have died and will collapse to provide nutrients for the other trees. This aspect of simulation can be expanded to intersect with every other creature in the world. A rat, goblin, or deer will have their own requirements that will be layered into the ecosystem, which will be responsive to player interactions. This is important, because the world of Mirandus is waiting for YOU to come and make it your own.

We see the future of Mirandus looking like this:

The first player characters to enter the world of Mirandus will be the first explorers to step foot in it open meadows, dark forests, and plains. It is not a new world, but it is one which has passed so far from human memory and experience as to seem nearly completely untouched. From time to time, remnants of the past may be seen in the bones of the earth, but you will need to look carefully. When the first five explorers entered the world of Mirandus and founded their great cities, putting down their roots as the Citadel of the Sun, Stars, Moon, Wind, and Earth, they opened a path for so many more to follow. The first to come after them were the progenitors of the world of Mirandus. The Arch Dukes, Princes, Marquesses, and Dukes were the next to stride into the land, planting the stakes defining the bounds of their land — their towns with stout walls, bustling workshops, a noisy markets. Following them came those rough pioneers who placed the frontier villages, which served as centers of localized trade and commerce. After them, the farmers, ranchers, and outposts spread throughout the land, followed by the hearty homesteaders moving the boundaries of civilization even further out into the forests and glades of Mirandus. Then, stepping into the world came the People of Node, some of which had received tools for their labors which would give them the ability to craft and make things for the Legion of Gold which followed them.

As time marches on, the world of Mirandus will become deeper, shaped by the avatars which inhabit it…shaped by YOU, the character. Striding boldly into the world to adventure, hunt, craft, collect, and fight.

As most of the gamers in the Gala Games ecosystem know, gaming in the 21st century has been elevated to an art form. Countless millions of people all over the world see gaming as a way of life. It lifts their spirits and allows them to be part of something epic and beautiful, to push the boundaries of their own skills and imaginations, to feel powerful and important in a world that often ignores each person’s unique value.

Gala Games is proud to be a part of this revolution of empowerment by giving true ownership and control back to the players, and of course, making games. It’s moments like today’s announcement that make us truly love what we do, and we couldn’t do any of it without you, our loyal supporters.

We are ecstatic to announce that we have made an investment into Concept Art House, the most celebrated art production company in the gaming industry today. If you have ever played any of the games from the companies in the image below, then you have already experienced the stunning work of this stellar production company.

With this investment, Concept Art House will partner with Gala Games to bring in some amazing brands, artists, games, and creators into the Gala Games Ecosystem. CAH will also dedicate a fantastic team that will work exclusively with Gala Games in the creation and addition of new games for the Gala Games Ecosystem.

About Concept Art House

Since it was founded in 2007, Concept Art House has provided art for some of the most popular and successful game companies in the world. In its storied history, CAH has helped ship over 1000 games, many of which became smash hits and achieved top ratings in iTunes, Google Play, Steam and console marketplaces alike. In 2021, they continue working with cutting edge visionary gaming companies like Gala Games to create art for the greatest games of tomorrow.

Concept Art House is headquartered in San Francisco Bay Area with full production teams in Shanghai and Chengdu, China. The company works with teams in both the east and west to “deliver the best of both worlds — California creativity, with Chinese scalability.”

Concept Art House (CAH) has created art for such notable gaming franchises such as: Call of Duty Mobile, Fortnite, Game of Thrones: Conquest, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Magic: The Gathering, Marvel: Contest of Champions, NBA 2K series, ROBLOX, PUBG and many, many more.

James Zhang, the founder and CEO has led Concept Art House to become one of the most celebrated art services companies in the gaming industry. Zhang is also a partner at Fifth Era, an early stage tech investment firm and manager of Blockchain Coinvestors, the leading Blockchain VC Fund of Funds. Zhang’s advisory positions span US and China gaming and blockchain space including Bowei– a filecoin ecosystem company, Gamesbeat, Near Protocol — a leader in D-app platform applications, Redemption Games, An Applov’n company, and Tilting Point, a leader in mobile game publishing.

What is Concept Art?

“Concept art is a visual presentation of an idea. A concept artist visualizes characters, props, and environments based on specifications from the client. Before a creative project begins full production, concept art is used to set the tone and style of future assets. We set the toll from the start of every project up to development and eventual deployment.”

-from https://www.conceptarthouse.com/

Gala Games and CAH

With this announcement, Gala Games has made an investment into Concept Art House, gaining their expertise and a massive cache of professional experience. With the partnership, CAH and Gala seek to provide End to End NFT Solutions for the very best brands, artists, and creators in digital entertainment. In addition, CAH will dedicate a purpose built team to support Gala Games on multiple future projects that will be brought into the Gala Games ecosystem for years to come. The two companies’ joining of forces represents a huge and exciting success not only for Gala Games and Concept Art House, but for gamers worldwide who are always hungry for new levels of breathtaking video game experiences.

Stay tuned for more updates about this incredible move, including exclusive releases and NFTs! Thanks for all your support, Gala Games community!

This is the first in a series of pieces which explore some of the potential functionality of specific NFTs in-game in the world of Mirandus. The above image shows a scene from inside a tavern filled with adventurers, all enjoying some hard-earned beverages after a long day on the road. As Michael McCarthy says of tavern-fare, “A prepared meal from a tavern is a long-lasting tummy-filling bonus — an honest opportunity to prepare for the challenges ahead.”

In previous posts, we have discussed music in Mirandus and what the in-game player economy might look like for music and performances. However, what has not been as thoroughly discussed is the item-based economy centered around consumables in-game.

In today’s modern world, people are often very far removed from the complex means of production which feed them. But when you really think about it, these means of production are relatively recent developments in human history. In previous generations, the connection between farm and table was much stronger. Supermarkets and factory foods have successfully divided countless people from the reality that their food comes from the sweat and labor of the farmers.

Next time you bite into a fresh piece of bread, the most simple of staples, consider the journey that its ancestral wheat has already taken in order to become the bread you purchased in the store and are now enjoying with your breakfast.

First it is grown in a field from seed, watered by the environment or by farmers, harvested, threshed, milled into flour, and mixed with water and yeast before being allowed to rise, then baked to perfection in an oven. Then it is let to rest before being packed off to the point of sale. Today, that means wrapping it in plastic and shipping it off to a market with thousands of other loaves, but in the past it might have been added to a basket with several other loaves and taken down the street from the baker to the tavern.

At the tavern, the bread would be served in rough chunks to be dipped in stews or eaten with meats or cheeses. Each of these would come from their own part of the economy, probably located in the same village or settlement. Everything came together in a sort of beautiful dance to the table, where it would be shared by friends and used to literally fuel their physical activities. Then after a good night’s sleep, the satisfied diner would arise full of energy, ready to work hard in order to produce the next day’s bread.

Even in simpler days of yore, the creation of each different type of food orchestrated its own unique dance. Dairy is produced by a cooperative effort between cows and the delicate hands of a milker, but even then its dance has only begun. The cream (which rises to the top) must be separated from the milk. Then the milk can be bottled and distributed to the townsfolk, but the cream proceeds to do its own dance, resulting in butter and delicious baked goods. Milk can even be carefully curdled over time and combined with certain bacteria to form products like cheese and yogurt.

While felling a deer in the woods with a bow is the end of a life, it is only the beginning of the amazing journey that will allow its prime meat to be enjoyed by townsfolk of every age and walk of life. The hunter can sell his prize to the butcher in exchange for gold that allows him to buy more arrows, a stronger bow or new boots with a softer footfall. The deer is first cleaned and butchered by one who specializes in those arts. Parts of it can be cured and made into jerky that will help survive a long mountain winter. Other parts can be used as stew meat to feed weary travelers. Exquisite steak cuts can fetch high prices at market, purchased by those wishing to celebrate with a top quality feast.

In the world of Mirandus as a simulation, as many as possible of the same rules will apply. Many NFTs have already been dropped and sold that fill some of these gaps (barns, mills, etc.) but there are still more to come. Together they will paint a much more vivid picture of the farm to table (cow to cake, arrow to stew) inspiring and cooperative processes that are forever intertwined with the fascinating creatures known as humans.