LKP's Axie Log #29: Thoughts on the 800 MMR Update + Steam's NFT Gaming Ban

Hello there everyone!

Axie Infinity Version 1.1.0a Update

So it's been three days since the newest and arguably one of the most controversial updates in the game. We've already seen varied opinions from some of the biggest axie bulls in twitter. But before we talked about the still very hot 800 MMR topic, let's look out for the milder changes included in the Axie Infinity Version 1.1.0a Update. The first one is that, 'Axies will now reset to level one anytime they change owners'. This is more on the managers and how they would deal with breeding and transferring axies between scholarship and main accounts. Before, unless one sync an axie the level wouldn't reset but now every time it change hands the level reset becomes automatic.

Second one is that, 'Challenges are back! You can now challenge a trainer on your friends list to a friendly duel'. Well, playing for more 2 months I can still say than I'm fairly new to the game. I do not know when they stopped doing this challenges thing but bringing it back would be great to have more options to practice. Playing with a friend is actually more enjoyable than practicing with zero energy in the arena. Also, it might be a nice stress relief for those who are bored in their daily adventure quest. It's an awesome way to get rid of that 'grindy' feeling.

It's not actually the last one as there are still others following number 3. But the 800 MMR topic is what makes this update very hot right now. If I may quote, 'Accounts under 800 MMR will no longer receive SLP from adventure, arena, or the daily quest.' I'm not someone affected by this one but I feel for those non-bot owners who would be implicated. Jihoz pointed it out that the 800 MMR part of the update is to get rid of bots or at least almost all of them. There are many of those who are not really impressed by this decision like scholars who just play to complete the 75 SLP minimum requirement. But I think of those who are innocent (not really botting), chopseuy breeders or managers which have large numbers of adventure dedicated teams will be the most affected.

Like the sides of a coin this update for me has both it's pros and cons. Jihoz pointed out that this update would *encourage players to learn to become an awesome battler in the arena. This actually will likely work given the condition the a player's team is still capable of improving it's ranking. For example, a player which have a pure AAP line up have stayed between 700-900 MMR because he/she is just playing the game as past time or he/she is a scholar who is just satisfied to fulfill his/her minimum quota of 75 SLP. With the update the player will be forced to strive better and to learn more about the game he/she is playing. In a sense, this could potentially raise the level of competitiveness, especially for those in the lower brackets.

It is only my humble opinion but this change just came to fast. Hammering those under 800 MMR with these brutal restrictions is obviously not without basis. But they should at least release some data about it. A chart or a graph wouldn't hurt. If 9 out of 10 under this MMR bracket is botting then what would happen to the 10%? Although, Like I said earlier our team is not really affected by this change, it still pains me when I remember the interview I've watched about this elderly couple who are relying on their SLP earnings to buy their maintenance meds. According to the devs, there will be an MMR reset so all axies will be back at 1200 MMR. So there will still a potential 50 SLP if they just do adventure and just avoid doing the arena. But isn't it just same for bots? Although the update cut this pesky bots SLP earnings from the arena, what about the adventure which is a larger source of SLP for those who are in the lower MMR? The update surely will help to somehow stabilize the mint/burn of SLP and of course to improve the skill of each player in the lower brackets while cutting down bot participation. But I think a better decision would be to address the root cause of this problem which are the bot farms. I'm not a technical person but I do have a idea that it will cost them alot to find a super accurate method to pinpoint these bot users and banning them for life.

Another thing I'm bothered is the economy in the marketplace. With changes like this, floor axies will just drop further and obviously the more competitive ones will continue to climb in value. One positive effect of this would be, the cheaper costs to upgrade the daily energy cap to 40 or 60. If a player already have a competitive team then this would be favorable for him or her. But remember that both premium and chops axies are selling in the same marketplace. In the long run the extreme devaluation of the chops axie might affect even the values of the premium ones. For example, a fruit stand is selling premium mangoes which are sought after but beside these mangoes are very ugly oranges. They are still edible but they don't look too appetizing. Will a picky consumer still buy the mangoes? It is still a possibility but it'd good if there would be prepared countermeasures if any unforeseen event happens in the future.

Steam Bans NFT's

Steam is the largest gaming platform developed by Valve. I must say that just based in history it's a very reputable platform and definitely has great credibility when it comes to gaming. As they say, the main reason for Steam banning NFT games is that 'NFTs have been used to scam people out of millions of dollars in exchange for what amounts to a receipt for a JPG, it's led to theft of art designed for other games, and the environmental cost of blockchain ledgers remains a controversial issue. '

Again this is not without basis as we have seen quite alot of rug pulls this past few months. One of the more popular ones is the recent Evolved Apes scandal where the creator vanished with 2.7 million dollars worth of Eth. They had this promise to the investors that there would be a game centered on this Evolved Apes NFT's but sadly they just disappeared with the money and the hopes of the people who trusted them. And as we are writing this there's a high possibility that there are rug pulls being made, mostly in small scales. The concept of NFT's, NFT games in particular, is something revolutionary and can definitely change lives of many. But the problem is there are individuals who abuse this idea.

It is hard to discern if an NFT game is a scam or not. But it wouldn't hurt to study the elements that revolve around the game first before entering or investing time and money on it. My suggestion would be take a look at it's history and community first, especially if it's live for quite a while. It would be harder if you're pioneering cause your basis would just be the devs background and the whitepaper.

Anyway, although I agree that Steam has basis for the ban. I think it is unfair for those games that are literally changing lives of people like Axie Infinity. Steam also has it's own marketplace and they are obviously making money out of steam wallet transactions. My point is, if they ban NFT's because their items have real world values. Isn't there a similarity with what's going on with their marketplace? And for the scams, with almost 2 decades of history aren't they knowledgeable and experienced enough to discern which apples are bad and which are not?

Well, it's already a lost battle with Steam. But I think this setback would just push NFT gaming to greater heights. Developing a platform like Steam which have a collection of curated high quality NFT games would be a game changer in the future. What the NFT devs should do is to create great games on par or even better than those we played on platforms like Steam. I noticed that although the play-to-earn concept is well integrated, the quality in terms of graphics and gameplay for most NFT games pales in comparison to the traditional ones we play. Aside from enhancing the player experience, NFT developers should develop a future proof and sustainable game economy that will last for years or even decades.

Well, if I can pass my axie team to my grandchild then that would make me a cool grandfather in the future, right? Haha!

That's all for today. Thank you all for stopping by. See you soon.

Ciao~