This game is an action-packed and visually stunning PvPvE extraction FPS adventure, set on a hostile alien planet called Aura. After picking a Hunter (one of four with unique abilities and specialties), players team up and prepare to take on Aura.
Your mission is to collect a priceless alien artifact with untold technological power: The Notari Core. While fighting off countless vicious predator aliens and other extraction teams, your team must locate and extract core fragments, leading ultimately to the Core, the main focus of the mission. Once you have extracted the Core, it’s a no-limits dash to the dropship, where only one team can escape with the Core (and their lives).
From the moment you drop onto Aura’s surface, you’re in for a high-powered adrenaline rush that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Stay close to your team and you just might be able to protect yourselves long enough to mine and extract the Notari Core.
The Premium Event
Starting very soon and running for two weeks, Last Expedition will hold a Mission Ready Premium Event. Watch closely for updates and announcements.
To participate, players must purchase an event pass in-game for 3 Core Chunks LECC. The ability purchase this item will become available when the Premium Event begins.
LECC can either be acquired by swapping for $GALA on GalaSwap, or by successfully extracting with a Core in-game.
Purchasing an event a pass will unlock the ability to play on Premium Servers and experience Aura like never before. Seven new creature variations will challenge players from the moment they land. We’ve even included a secret feature designed to push player skills to the limit!
Premium Servers give 3 types of premium rewards! There will be XP rewards, Character Coin Rewards and Fire Skins, all exclusive to this event. But wait there’s more! Players who place on the Premium Leaderboards in the top 10 will receive Alice Fire skins, LEMIN, and LEFC. The top 3 Finishers will also receive a bonus “Darkness Sniper Rifle Skin.”
The Last Expedition Leaderboard is the ultimate measure of your skills as a hunter. Wins, PVP Kills and Creature Kills all contribute to your score so don’t delay. Get your pass and start hunting!
Upgrade your Node
Last Expedition Node Operators (OPs) will play an integral part in this premium event. Upgrade your node with a special Operator’s Premium Pass for only 3 LECC to unlock the ability to host premium matches on your server. This pass will last for the duration of the 2 week event, setting up your Node with a preselected bundle of creatures. This will give all participating nodes a consistent threat level, providing the competition with a level playing field. When the event is over, your node will return to its original configuration and threat level.
For every match hosted during the event, Node owners will be rewarded an extra 25 percent of LEMIN, LECC and LEFC. In addition, Operators will receive the following participation rewards:
10 LEFC
Legendary Alice Fire Skin
Splat Grenade Launcher Fire Skin
In-Game Loot Drops
Here’s an in depth look at all the loot items players can find by killing creatures on Premium Event Servers during this event:
XP drops
Common – 250 XP
Uncommon – 500 XP
Rare – 750 XP
Epic – 1000 XP
Legendary – 2000 XP
Character Coin Drops
Common – 110 CC
Uncommon – 220 CC
Rare – 440 CC
Epic – 880 CC
Legendary – 1000 CC
Fire Skin Weapon Drops
Stalker Assault Rifle
Cease and Desist Shotgun
Hornet SMG
Hagelsturm LMG
Jackal Pistol
Lynx DMR
Splat Grenade Launcher
Tempest Rocket Launcher
Character Coin and Fire Skins are shared so the person on the team that is carrying them has to extract for it to be rewarded to the team. The CC rewards are not split. Each member receives the amount specified above. Finally XP rewards are granted to the individual that picks them up, awarded at the time of pickup.
Hunters Prepare
The bottom line is that it’s time to get some skin in the game and extract some Cores. Download and play Last Expedition now on PC, completely free through the link below.
We’re pleased to announce that TARELA, the multifaceted singer, songwriter, producer and entrepreneur, is joining the Gala Music family. Known for his distinctive blend of Afrobeats, Dancehall and Hip-Hop, TARELA brings a unique sound that resonates with his fans across the globe.
Tomorrow, July 23rd, TARELA drops his latest single “Oh Mama” as an NFT on Gala Music. This soulful Afrobeats tune is set to captivate your hearts and playlists. Featuring melodic guitar by SUCKARIE and co-produced by TARELA and MARPHY JAY, “Oh Mama” is crafted to be a top contender on your summer playlist.
TARELA, formerly known as Squeeze Tarela, has made a significant impact in the music industry with hits like “Hottest Thing,” “Better,” “Cocoa Butter,” “Bend,” and “Showers of Blessings.” His music is a testament to his audacious sound and emotive storytelling, often exploring themes of love, resilience, and the celebration of life. TARELA’s ability to fuse genres seamlessly creates a distinctive sound that sets him apart as an artist.
Reward-Enabled NFT
“Oh Mama” will be available as a reward-enabled NFT with only 100 digital copies. By owning this exclusive NFT track, fans can stack $MUSIC daily, providing an excellent alternative to purchasing on exchanges. This not only supports TARELA but also allows listeners to share in his success with regular $MUSIC rewards based on the track’s popularity on the platform.
$MUSIC has lots of uses in the Gala Music ecosystem, from unlocking ALl Access Experiences and special edition merch to buying Mystery Boxes with huge chances to win, from locking $MUSIC in support or your favorite artists to direct $MUSIC tipping… $MUSIC is bringing artists and fans closer together than ever before.
Join the Revolution
Owning NFT tracks is one of the best ways to support our incredibly talented and professionally curated artist lineup. By purchasing and hosting these tracks on a Jukebox Node, fans can directly contribute to the artist’s growth while enjoying daily $MUSIC rewards.
Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to own a piece of TARELA’s musical journey and support his rise within the Gala Music ecosystem. Be sure to grab your copy of “Oh Mama” on July 23rd and experience the future of music with Gala Music.
Join us in welcoming TARELA to the Gala Music ecosystem. Together, let’s put the power back into the artists’ hands!
Gather round, Common Ground World players and get ready for another exciting weekly competition, starting tomorrow (Tuesday July 23rd) at 10am PT!
Watch Friday’s Town Hall Replay
Thanks to the magic of live streaming, our bi-weekly Common Ground World Town Hall events live on as replays, giving players who couldn’t be there a chance to catch up on the latest and greatest updates and news from the game. Don’t miss your chance – Link below 👇
Our next Town Hall event is happening on Friday, August 2nd at 8am PT! Be there 👩🌾
This Week’s Box Bash
Running from 10am PT on Tuesday, July 23rd to 10am PT on Friday, July 26th, this contest features aged Oak Barrels, glittering Gold and Sweet Jam, celebrating some of the community’s top picks! Raise a toast, spread the sparkle and enjoy crafting your way to victory!
Goal: Sell Startlight Market Boxes Trade Time: 40s & 1 Gasoline Biome: Desert N Edges: Desert N, Mountain E, River S and River W
In addition to the standard $GALA rewards, top finishers will also pick up a special Crafty Candy Shop Blueprint, reducing the craft time of all Candy Shops, both in-game and NFT! Craft time reductions are determined by the rarity of the Blueprint from Uncommon (10%) all the way to Diamond 💎 (20% boost!). Good luck!
Starlight Market Boxes
Check out the new standard recipe for this craft, voted in by the community!
Ingredients: 8 Oak Barrels, 15 Gold, 2 Jam, 1 Wooden Box Made in: Boxing Facility Stored in: Warehouse Craft time: 60s Affected by: Nothing Standard Cash: $100K Standard Stars: 5010
💰Cash Boosts
Gold: $4880 👉 $9760
Oak Barrel: $5500 👉 $11K
Jam: $25K 👉 $50K
⭐Star Boosts
Starlight Market Boxes: ⭐5010 👉 ⭐50K!!
New NFT Items Available
Iron Mine (Rare)
This eco-friendly marvel crafts without being slowed down by nearby Water, producing just a third of the pollution compared to a regular Iron Mine! Keep your production swift and your air clean with this rare gem of a mine!
When using offline mode you do need to log back in before the event ends to make fast forward happen.It is run by your computer currently, and if you do not load the game back up, fast forward will not take place.
If you use Fast Forward check in often, the longer you stay offline, the longer it takes to bring your town up to date.
Always make sure the game is the ONLY TAB in the browser it’s running on.
Don’t fully cover the browser window with another window or program if you are actively playing. If you do, make sure to relaunch the game before trying to play again.
Thanks for Playing!
If you’re enjoying Common Ground World, thank you so much for being part of our amazing community. If not, we hope you’ll consider joining in the relaxing and strategically challenging action today! It’s fun and easy to learn, created by some of the same developers who brought the world the beloved Farmville franchise!
You can start playing Common Ground World right away in your browser through Gala Games– No need to download anything or spend any money at all! You’ll love watching your town grow!
You sit down at the breakfast table with your coffee. As the yawns squeeze out of you and you wipe the sleep from your eyes, you pull out your phone to catch up on your emails.
Just routine stuff… spam, spam, free offer, Amazon invoice – wait, what’s this? Your cuteandreallycuddlyfluffypuppies.com account has been compromised and needs your immediate attention! 😱 You click the link to reset your password, glad you caught this email before it was too late.
You follow the prompts on the next screen and fill out your new password… little do you know, your cuteandreallycuddlyfluffypuppies.com account has been compromised. By you. Right now. That was a fake link from a fake address, and they got exactly what they wanted out of you!
Sound familiar? This is one of the most common tales of how scammers find their way into someone’s defenses. As digital security continues to improve, there is still one glaring vulnerability to even the best system – the human behind it!
Welcome back to The Guardian Papers, where digital heroes can get the base training they need to thwart villains’ underhanded attacks against them across the web3 world.
Email is often where scammers have a chance at getting directly to you. One miscalculation or momentary lapse of attention to detail could cause you a lot of hassle, so you’ve got to know how to keep yourself safe.
Miss a previous edition of The Guardian Papers? Catch up below!
First off, we definitely don’t want to imply that email is inherently insecure – many email providers have excellent security protocols put in place, and there are tons of tools out there for anyone who wants to beef up the actual protections in their email. The problem with email security is the person behind the keyboard… and it’s a vulnerability that isn’t going away.
Your email is a direct line to you. No matter your security infrastructure, if you’re getting a scammer’s email in front of you, you’re probably going to read the words they wrote. This direct access is the dream of all those fake Discord admins and help desks. They want that direct line so they can exploit your trust… because your security systems work for you. If they convince you, your security isn’t an issue.
For most people, email is the height of routine. When you are checking emails, you’re performing the same ritual you’ve done thousands of times. You may have many email accounts, only adding to the volume and frequency of your email checking ritual. When you do something day in and day out, over and over, you eventually become less attentive to the process overall.
As something becomes part of your routine, you eventually sort of automate it in your mind. How many things do you automatically do throughout the day without any real conscious thought? It’s the same for email. While the part of your brain that reads and parses the information in the emails may be present, other parts of your mind have moved on to other tasks.
This leads to some easy wins for scammers that would never work on your while at full attention.
How Did They Find Me!?
Honestly, how wouldn’t they find you? It’s important to remember that our data is everywhere, and we don’t typically consider email addresses private data. If it’s ever been out there, it’s still out there probably.
Let’s say Billy has a private, personal email address that he typically only shares with family and close friends, then he has another that he uses for work. Billy’s dad is fond of forwarding emails on occasion, and so drops a long chain email forward into Billy’s inbox once in a while. Billy’s friend Sally CCs him into a monthly newsletter that she sends out for their Karaoke Club. One day, Billy starts seeing large amounts of spam coming into his personal email account! 😨
What happened? Well you see, Tyrone from Karaoke Club was trying to get his friend Trevor to come to last month’s championship, so he forwarded him the newsletter. Trevor’s email account was compromised and the inbox contained Tyrone’s address, along with the CCd address of every other member of Karaoke club. Welcome to a list, Billy.
Let’s be honest though, it’s probably not the first time Billy has gotten scam emails at that address. He used to have it visible in his Facebook about section for years, and it’s still listed on an ancient and forgotten DeviantArt portfolio along with his real name. Also, he’s had this account for a long time and emailed lots of people. Each of those is a chain that connects to his email address. If any one link is discovered by the bad guys, the whole chain is in the open.
After that they can do a surprising amount to learn your behaviors. With a full-feature email service, they can theoretically tell exactly when you open the email, your operating system, your geolocation… all sorts of stuff that isn’t exactly secret, but gives you the shivers that they could know. Once they have this, it’s not hard to generalize demographics and predict who would be receptive to what scams.
Wolves Dressed as Sheep
Many of the ways people will attack you through your email fall right in line with our previous discussion about The Impersonator. In your email they know they have you in a format that you’re likely to overlook small details. If they know they can get past your spam filter, then they know there’s a good chance that you’ll at least click on their email.
They’ll try to mimic emails that you are likely to be receiving. There are lots of ways they could get an idea about what email lists you may be on, and not all of them are data breaches. A tracker in your browser could be feeding info about your behavior without necessarily doing anything nefarious to be flagged as malware by your safeguards.
Remember, legitimate businesses and individuals assign cookies and trackers all the time without any ill intent. We all click “Accept All Cookies” once in a while. Even if there’s just a .01% chance that any of those you click on has something harmful coming across, it’s just a matter of time.
Also consider that people are quite predictable with a large enough sample size. For every well-timed scam email you’ve ever received that seemed like they must be actually watching you, you’ve probably received two dozen weird ones that seemed to come out of left field. It’s just a numbers game. They’ll get it right sometimes.
If they’ve identified your email and the most likely services and addresses that can trick you, it’s only a matter of seeing what they can slide by.
In the case of this above example, the fake may seem obvious. After all, we’re here stretching our brains and thinking about scammers, but when someone comes across this email they may be distracted or in a hurry. Then, they could feel panicked that their MetaMask wallet has been compromised.
Notice that they color the email to draw the eyes directly to what they want you to see. The large notice at the top, and the button to “update now”. While we didn’t click that link, a quick mouseover revealed the target to be a proxy site, with a slug pointing to a long string of characters for a dAPP command. This link almost surely goes to a fake service site where you will be immediately asked to connect your wallet.
Oh, and also –“MҽtaMask”? That’s not an E. That’s an Abkhazian Che, a Cyrillic character that is entirely different from the latin “e”. If you’re not paying close attention though… it may be enough to not get them flagged for impersonation, while your eyes simply autocorrect that to “MetaMask”.
Also, check out that XM over there. That’s called a BIMI or Brand Indicator for Message Identification. These are verified trademark spaces, so a brand can submit a BIMI that won’t be copied anywhere else. This is a relatively new system that only works with some email providers, so you may notice a difference between impersonators and the emails they’re impersonating based on their mark. This isn’t always the case though, as some brands have not yet adopted BIMI… our emails here at Gala, for instance, do not ever use a BIMI.
That verification check mark doesn’t mean anything, it’s just part of the display name – like we saw with fake help admins in our imposter profile.
The dead giveaway is the return email though. Even half redacted, it should be pretty easy to tell that’s not from MetaMask. Why would MetaMask not send emails from their domain that users know and trust?
Straight to the Source
The important part here is that your email usually has your attention. If they can slide into your inbox, half their work is done. If they send out 10000 emails, what do you suppose the chances are that no one is careless enough to click without thinking?
That’s the end goal for these scammers. They know that most people in the digital world are protected in some way from bad actors, but they also know that you hold the keys to your security mechanisms. The best defenses in the world don’t mean much if you willingly click to their site and give them your information.
This is why The Guardian Papers are here. These scammers know that there is always someone to prey on because people aren’t informed. If we all know what to look for, the fruit they’re looking for gets waaaaay higher in the tree. Maybe they’ll just go find another tree to climb.
Digital Guardians
No one is going to ensure your security on the web. You have to take matters into your own hands and change behaviors if you want to be safe. While it may seem overwhelming to think of all the ways the bad guys can get to you, it’s really not that hard. If you learn the ways that they come at you, before long it’ll be easy to spot the attackers long before they breach your walls.
We learn. We teach. If everyone is equipped to deal with them, digital villains don’t stand a chance.
That’ll do it for this week’s Guardian Papers! We’ll be back though as we dive into common ways people use Discord and other messaging apps to prey on the unaware!
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the advent of the internet revolutionized the world of poker, breathing fresh new life into an already beloved game played all over the world.
Online poker platforms emerged, offering players the opportunity to play from the comfort of their homes. Texas Hold ‘Em in particular, which was known casually in poker circles as “the Cadillac of poker,’ quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, attracting a whole new type of player to the game.
The early 2000s saw a significant boom in online poker, particularly after Chris Moneymaker, an amateur player who qualified through an online satellite tournament, won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in 2003. This victory inspired millions to try their hand at online poker, believing they too could win big.
By combining the streamlined appeal of video games with the thrill of gambling on well-known and trustworthy games of skill, online poker companies made billions of dollars, one $50 deposit at a time.
Despite the convenience and accessibility of online poker, there are elements of live poker that are typically missed by an online remote experience. There’s something special about sitting down at a green felt table for a game as exciting and historically rich as poker.
Physically Reading Players
In live poker, the ability to read physical tells and body language is a crucial skill and an intrinsic part of the game. Players can observe their opponents’ reactions, postures and facial expressions to gain insights into their typical behaviors with certain hands. On top of that, a player will typically spend a lot more time in a live game seat than an online one, giving opposing players more of an opportunity to draw conclusions about their patterns and behaviors.
Communication at the Table
Live poker provides a social atmosphere where players can engage in conversations, banter and psychological games. This social interaction adds a layer of depth to the experience. Sometimes live players will bond of a big pot hand in a way that can lead to a lifelong friendship, while you’ll seldom find a similar bonding experience in an online game. Even the most serious live poker players will tell you they enjoy conversations they have had at poker tables, or that they have kept in touch with people they met at memorable card games.
Even with its inherent connection to money and wagering, poker is a distinctly social game, and one of its most enjoyable aspects is the camaraderie of sitting around a table for hours, having refreshments and engaging in light conversation with other players. Some players even like to use this conversational aspect as an important dimension of strategy, allowing their friendliness or intimidation tactics to influence the ways their opponents act and react within hands.
The “Dealer” Experience
The presence of a human dealer who shuffles and deals the cards, manages the pot, and controls the pace of the game adds a tangible authenticity to the game. The dealer also acts as an impartial mediator, ensuring the rules are followed and calling out the action in a convenient way that makes the game easy for players to follow.
Even the physical game components themselves are a very enjoyable piece of what makes live poker such a popular game throughout the world. The shuffling, passing and holding of cards is extremely satisfying to the players. Playing cards are a timeless form of gaming and perhaps the most popular type of game in the world. There are hundreds and hundreds of card games that can be played with the standard deck alone, and over a hundred different games within the card game family we call Poker. Additionally, almost all board games have some kind of card element. People love playing with cards.
Even with all the magic of live poker, online poker offers several benefits that enhance the gaming experience in ways live poker cannot:
Easier to Find Players
Online platforms host millions of players from around the world, making it easy to find a game at any time. This vast pool of players ensures a diverse range of skill levels and game types. Whether you’re looking for a heads up showdown, a ring game or a large multi-table tournament, you can be almost certain that the type of game you’re looking for is somewhere on the internet, just waiting for you to take a seat.
Instant Access
Players can log in and start playing instantly without the need to travel to a physical location. This convenience is a major draw for many players. Even when you factor in things like creating an account, KYC procedures and jumping through deposit hoops, chances are that these obstacles will be far easier than traveling to the nearest casino game.
This aspect also makes it easier than with live games for players to get up and switch seats as often as they like. When you know there is another seat waiting for you at another table only 30 seconds away with a fresh set of players, you’ve got more options and you can play more freely.
Without the need for things like shuffling and physical dealing, online poker typically has faster gameplay, allowing players to play far more hands per hour compared to live poker. This can drastically influence play style for many players, usually resulting in tighter and more mathematical gameplay online. The more hands you play, the truer the statistics and the odds become and the less likely that there will be probability outliers.
I’ve known online players who will keep a game going for hours while barely paying attention to it, simply folding every hand until they see pocket Kings, pocket Aces or AK. This is an extremely tight mode of gameplay made possible by online poker, but even that method has its pitfalls– If you have to wait 60 hands to see that high pocket pair, then chances are you’ll expect to win once you get it, which could make you less likely to fold against someone else’s drawn straight or flush. You can still lose with good hole cards.
Less Patience Required
The pace of online poker means there is less waiting time between hands, catering to those who prefer a faster-paced game. The addition of buttons like “Fold to Any Bet” or “Check/Fold” have also given online players the ability to auto-select their coming action based on the action of those before them in the round. Thus, a great deal of strategic play in online poker has morphed into what I call “reaction time” strategy. If you have auto-selected your action and therefore act instantly, you’re indicating that you barely had to think about it. On the other hand, if you almost let your action timer run out before calling, checking or folding, you’re showing opponents that you were really thinking about this one.
Multiple Games at Once
This is one of those things that’s entirely impossible in the world of live poker and only became a reality because of online gameplay. Online platforms allow players to participate in multiple games simultaneously, significantly increasing the potential for winnings and providing a more engaging experience. In the heyday of online poker, I was often playing on 4 cash game tables at a time, and I remember speaking with skilled online players who would play more than that simultaneously.
One friend used to say that he’d always have a tilt table in play to ensure that he could play responsibly on the other ones. He’d use that table to make wild bets, play with rags and basically blow off steam whenever he was mad about the results of a hand from one of the more legit tables.
Evolution of Poker into the 21st Century
Both live and online poker have evolved to meet the demands of modern players, each bringing unique advancements to the game:
Live Play as a Spectator Sport
Professional poker has transformed into an exciting spectator sport, with live broadcasts showing players’ hands and featuring expert commentary. This transparency and analysis bring a new level of engagement and education for viewers. While professional players probably have mixed feelings about their gameplay becoming so transparent, aspiring players have been able to learn all sorts of new tactics from watching the pros. Overall, the adoption of poker as a spectator sport has elevated the game throughout the world.
In the same way that casinos have continued to enhance security and grow with the latest technologies, online poker platforms have continuously improved their security measures to combat cheating and bot usage. This has led to stronger, more secure platforms that provide a fair playing environment for all users.
The integrity of the game of poker is paramount to its enjoyability. If someone is rigging the system somehow, it’s good for the whole poker community when that person is discovered and removed from the game. In the Wild West, we may have had outlaws with aces up their sleeves, but the new outlaw can sometimes take the form of a hacker with a bot network up their sleeve.
Despite the differences, both online and live poker remain immortal games of chance, skill and strategy. Whether played on a phone, PC or at a live casino table, the core essence of poker endures, captivating players worldwide.
Join the Fun with Sweep It Poker
Experience the best of casual and free online poker with Gala’s first poker title, Sweep It Poker. Enjoy completely free gameplay, and earn more chips each day to accumulate entries in the Weekly Sweepstakes. Sweep It Poker is not gambling. It’s just a chance to play some cards with Gala players from around the world, sweetened with a weekly chance to win some $GALA.
Join the vibrant community of poker enthusiasts. See you at the tables, and we look forward to sharing some more poker content with you again soon!
