Guilds are live in Common Ground World, and Node Workload NFT owners are already rallying their guilds to build bigger and better together!
There is one more step in our distribution of Node Workload NFTs, however. Coming up next week, we’ll move to V2 of these NFTs!
Node Workload NFT V2
During the initial distribution of Common Ground World Node Workload NFTs, we made a miscalculation in our numbers, and 97 users were left without the NFTs to account for their existing Town Star Nodes. To rectify this issue and pave the way for the development of upgradable Node Workload NFTs, we will be issuing new V2 Node Workload NFTs for Common Ground World.
These NFTs will be identical to existing versions from a functional standpoint. In fact, you’ll still pile up daily $DIRT whether you have a v1 or a v2. To use your Workload NFT in-game as a guild, however, you’ll need to convert to the new v2 NFTs.
Updating your Node Workload NFTs
When the exchange opens, you’ll be able to find Common Ground World Node Workload NFT v2 in the Common Ground World Store. Unlike a regular purchase, however, the cost of acquiring this item will be one Common Ground World Node Workload NFT v1. This will initiate an even exchange for these two items, giving you the updated NFT.
This distribution will begin on July 29th at 10am PT.
At the time the exchange opens, all guilds in Common Ground World will be disbanded, as the v2 NFT becomes the official guild NFT. Guild owners should exchange their v1 for a v2 as soon as possible so they can get their guild together again using the new item.
Again, this is only necessary if you intend to use your Node Workload NFT as a guild in Common Ground World. If you do not, either the v1 or v2 versions will be identical in your wallet for the time being.
There is currently no duration for this exchange. If you purchase a Node Workload NFT v1 from a secondary market, you can easily exchange it for a v2 version. When/if the exchange is closing, we will let you know significantly in advance along with explaining the next steps.
NOTE: While you will need to have a v2 Node Workload NFT in your GalaChain wallet to use it in game, all Common Ground World Node Workload NFTs will still receive $DIRT distribution. All Common Ground World Node Workload NFTs will still get their $DIRT distribution, regardless of whether they are v1 or v2 – in your GalaChain allowance or your wallet on GalaChain.
Building for the Future
We realize this may be an inconvenience for some, but seeing this process through will create an easier path forward for all players. We’re proud to be the first operating Node Workload NFT in the Gala Ecosystem, and we thank you all for taking this journey with us!
This transition is coming. We’ll be in touch with more details as it approaches, but we wanted to alert everyone to the change as soon as possible.
Get your guilds ready and get the word out there so you can keep building the future of Common Ground World!
Alex: You know, this mysterious voice is always asking if we’re ready. I’m pretty sure you can tell from my bombs that I was born ready! BWAHAHAHAHAHA
Emma: Yes, that bomb is indeed already lit. How irresponsible.
Alex: Oh they’re always lit. I just make sure and pass them along before the party starts.
Emma: Hmm… it would seem that you are wise, even if insane.
Alex: It took you that long to realize my genius, Emma?
Emma: We are prepared, voice!
The Road to Conquest
The second Conquest event wrapped up the early gameplay of the season over the weekend. We’re headed into the finale now.
During the second conquest, several guilds distinguished themselves on the field of battle. We saw some familiar names top the leaderboard, but there were also a few surprises.
Congratulations to all top finishers!
SquareXII ran away with this one. With over a 50% lead compared to second place, they were the undisputed champions of this Conquest event! Congratulations to them for all their hard work and strategic thinking.
The real fireworks during this battle, however, happened between places 2-4. With BTB, EPx and GFX neck and neck headed into the final bonus tally, there was a critical moment to make one last push.
EPx wasn’t going to let that opportunity go. They launched a furious assault in the last moments against GFX, destabilizing their control over ruins and directly attacking the GFX hive to throw off rallies they could use to recover.
Hard to maintain pressure on the Ruins when your base is in absolute chaos.
While EPx was not successful in their bid to shift upwards into the number 2 or 3 rank, their attacks did successfully prevent GFX from being able to challenge BTB in the last moments of the battle.
A big battle with big consequences.
XII goes into this coming Conquest with a huge point advantage, but there’s still room for other guilds to close the gap!
The Coming Battle
The final Conquest is when things will really reach their glorious climax. With players no longer able to convert prisoners beyond their own barracks level, T10 soldiers are very rare to see in the first two conquests.
Some of the biggest and baddest Captains out there may have been sporting some T10s, but the ultimate power of T10 Dark and Light soldiers will be in quite a few players’ hands in the upcoming battle.
Bigger forces means bigger battles. Some tips to remember:
The bonus points for holding a Ruin at :30, 1:00 or 1:30 into Conquest are HUGE. Plan your strategy around these and know that others are doing the same.
Hunting synergy means nothing vs other players. War synergy can get you up to +40% power against your opponents. Dark and Light Mercenaries and Soldiers are the best here.
Pay attention to Mercenary Command Skills when you’re making your teams.
Sometimes T1s in your troop are nice to minimize losses. This hurts your war synergy and troop power though. If you want to minimize losses in conquest, make some T6s of the appropriate Dark or Light soldiers ahead of time.
If the rally leader’s fortress warps, the entire rally is disbanded… even if in a Ruin.
Battle Looms
Alex: So Emma, who are you looking to cross off your list this next Conquest? Are we both racing for a chance to KO Torsten again?
Emma: I will be seeking to battle Bianca. I do not trust that pirate. She knows more than she lets on.
Alex: Oooo, coming after us pirates, huh? That may not end well for you!
Emma: All is fair in Conquest boomy one. I shall relish a chance to meet you fairly on the field of battle.
Alex: It’s a date, Emma! MWUAHAHAHAHA! Now, if you don’t mind mysterious announcer… I seem to have some preparation to do.
Thanks Alex and Emma. Good luck to you in the upcoming final battle, and good luck to all the Captains out there. Make your guilds proud!
Want to hop in and prepare for Season 6? The upcoming fresh start at the season transition is a great time to start playing Eternal Paradox!
We don’t often talk about the exclusive VIP community of Gala Games because we don’t want to overgrow it. If every audience member found their way backstage at the big show, would it still be a special and exclusive experience?
Exclusivity comes from curation and limitation. That’s why we’ve always gated Gala Gold membership behind a cost. At first when we were small, it was only $10 for lifetime membership in Gala Gold. Then for a time it was $50. Now the same lifetime membership will cost you $100. This is a carefully calculated cost to ensure that our VIP community of testers and early adopters remains small in comparison to the constantly growing Gala community at large.
Benefits to Gala Gold
Gala Gold was originally formed as a way to distinguish the most dedicated community members from the more casual ones. We understand that the majority of users in the GalaChain ecosystem might have no interest in spending much time in the Discord server, making online friends from around the world or even in testing games through various stages of development.
By gating the Gala Gold community behind a one-time fee, we were easily able to assemble a group of fully committed people, interested in providing feedback (good, bad or ugly), testing games and getting their hands on early collectibles.
Gala Gold is a Lifetime Membership
We won’t ask for a repeating subscription fee for a Gala Gold membership, but we can predict that the cost of joining Gala Gold will go up from time to time. This mechanism ensures that the earliest arrivals are appropriately rewarded for their loyalty and participation.
Gala Gold membership was first sold for $10, then updated to $50. Today, membership in this club will cost you $100. We cannot predict if or when the Gala Gold price will increase again.
Free NFTs from Time to Time
Oftentimes you’ll find Gala Gold the best place to receive special NFT items that relate to games in development or various stages of release. It could be that a certain game would like to start by distributing a certain in-game item to a select group, including thousands of people. Because of the limited-supply nature of NFTs, it rarely makes sense to distribute an item to all accounts. We prefer the approach where NFT item ownership has a degree of exclusivity attached to it.
All Gala Gold members receive the Common Ground World Express Depot, allowing them to make deliveries faster in-game, placing and replacing their Depot as they see fit. In the past, special characters, skins, weapons, avatars and more have been given to members of Gala Gold.
When Gala Gold NFT drops take place, they are based on a snapshot of everyone who is currently a member of Gala Gold, meaning that if you haven’t signed up and paid your fee by the time of the snapshot, you miss out on that drop.
Please note that there is no set schedule for regular NFT drops to members of Gala Gold. Instead, items are given at the discretion of individual game teams. Several months will often go by with no Gala Gold NFT drops, so joining with the expectation of regular free NFTs can lead to disappointment.
Discord Access
For the past couple years, most members would agree that the greatest benefit to Gala Gold is access to a special Gala Gold area of Discord.
Complete with an announcement channel, a special sneak peek channel, a place for suggestions, a bustling ongoing discussion hub and an exclusive stage for hosting events, Gala Gold is essentially a gated community within the greater Gala community.
Here you’ll find opportunities to bend the ears of team members in a more intimate setting, a place where we feel free to talk more openly about the ecosystem than in general channels. Company leaders are often directly involved in the conversations in Gala Gold, whether exchanging comments about the latest games and feature releases or accepting valued feedback from a trusted community.
Basically, Gala Gold Discord channels are a fantastic place to be heard, especially if you have constructive ideas (or criticisms) of the ecosystem. We have often been known to suddenly shift strategies based on important discussions that have taken place here.
In terms of leaks and alpha info, there is nothing better than Gala Gold. A company like Gala operates like a complex gear mechanism– When a company leader wants answers or responses quickly, they’re likely to take it straight to Gala Gold first. In many cases, you’ll have a chance to see something discussed here 1-2 days before it is mentioned on social media or in an official Gala blog. You may be surprised at the difference a couple days can make when it comes to the flow of information in the web3 era.
From the Gala Gold Suggestions channel
Testing Games
Testing is an incredibly important part of shipping games, whether it’s a first, second or third party title. For the community, testing is often seen as a special perk to paying attention. We take the testing of our games very seriously, and different stages of development require different sizes of test groups.
When testing a game with a community audience, we want to make sure that:
The size of the audience fits the game in its current state – Gala Gold is often called upon to test games in early stages, when the game is too far along for an “internal only” playtest” but not quite ready for a whole public platest.
Our testers are diligent and experienced – Being an early Tester of a game is super fun, but we also want to ensure that as many participants as possible take the responsibility seriously. We have found that in Gala Gold, our members are very committed to the overall success of individual games, so they will honestly seek out bugs and provide excellent feedback.
Improvement is priority one – Finally, we want to ensure that our testers understand that anything can happen in a testing cycle for a game, no matter the genre or platform. Our Gala Gold members have repeatedly shown that they are mature and adaptable in these situations, never getting mad at us for doing what is necessary to improve a gaming experience.
Future Benefits Unknown
Gala Gold can be expected to evolve along with the Gala ecosystem. Existing perks can change as needed and new benefits will sometimes appear as new GalaChain functionalities allow.
Gala Gold is not for everyone, but we encourage anyone to join who considers themselves part of our most dedicated fanbase. If you’re spending a lot of time in the Discord community channels and are not yet a member, we think you would meet a lot of great people and find tremendous benefit in the Gala Gold channels.
As always, thanks for being part of the Gala community!
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!
We are thrilled to announce that David Bianchi’s RZR, the premiere series of Gala Film, has made a significant mark in the entertainment industry with a Primetime Emmy® Award nomination!
Mena Suvari has been nominated for Outstanding Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her stellar role as Detective Thompson in this groundbreaking series.
RZR IS OFFICIALLY NOMINATED FOR A PRIME TIME EMMY® 🏆🏆
Visionary creator David Bianchi, known for his deep appreciation for future dystopian science fiction, saw Gala Film as the perfect platform to launch RZR. As a web3 enthusiast, Bianchi was drawn to Gala Film’s innovative approach that aligns seamlessly with the technological themes explored in his series.
Gala Film’s decentralized platform, empowered by web3 technology, allowed Bianchi to deliver the gritty and compelling story of RZR in an authentic and engaging manner.
With Gala Film’s creatively empowering tools, such as unlockable Expansion content and a gamified Mystery Box reward system, Bianchi was able to craft a unique viewing experience. Additionally, fans of the show can support in a truly unique way, buying NFT “Moments” to unlock daily rewards. These web3 add-ons provided an interactive layer that takes fans deeper into the story, making the series not just a passive viewing experience but an immersive journey.
Mena Suvari’s Nomination
From the moment the Gala Film team witnessed Mena Suvari’s incredible performance as Detective Thompson, it was clear that an Emmy campaign was in order. The team’s unanimous decision to back Suvari’s performance has paid off with this prestigious nomination. We are elated to see her recognized for her exceptional talent and dedication to her role.
A Milestone for Web3
Congratulations to Mena Suvari, our Detective Thompson! We’re so thankful of the talented, hardworking RZR family, and our fans who helped us get here! 💪 We’re making history!
This nomination marks a monumental achievement for the web3 film industry that we are pioneering, being the first of its kind for a web3 film company. It signifies a new era where decentralized platforms like Gala Film are gaining recognition alongside traditional media giants.
This nomination is a testament to the high-quality production and performance that Gala Film is committed to delivering, and we’re just getting started.
Celebrating the Team
The success of RZR is a collaborative victory, perfectly exemplifying the extraordinary work of David Bianchi, Mena Suvari and the entire RZR team. Their dedication, creativity and hard work have set an incredibly high standard for future projects on the Gala Film platform.
Looking Ahead
We are honored to have RZR kick off our platform, setting a benchmark for production and performance quality. This nomination goes beyond highlighting extraordinary talent to showcase the potential of what’s to come as Gala Film continues to expand its catalog of films and series.
Congratulations to the RZR team on this groundbreaking achievement. We eagerly await the September 15th Primetime Emmy results and look forward to celebrating many more milestones with our growing community. Stay tuned for more exciting updates from Gala Film and continue to enjoy the captivating journey of RZR.
Join us in rooting for Mena Suvari and the entire RZR team as we celebrate this incredible achievement in the world of web3 cinema!For more information and to watch RZR, visit Gala Film.
