Episode 120 -A Night at the Museum

In episode 120 of COPI Café, Rob and Josh introduce the innovative open-world MMORPG "Cornucopias," set in a fantastical sky realm of floating islands.

They discuss the positive macroeconomic outlook for cryptocurrency, express optimism for upcoming game developments, and delve into the game's integration of weapons.

The conversation transitions to the game's lore with a museum under construction and character development updates, including enhanced character aesthetics and AI-driven NPCs.

Also mentioned are advancements in regional system pools for improved efficiency and stress tests for a new decentralized downloading system. The hosts conclude with insights on future updates, including interactive elements and animal capture mechanics while encouraging viewer engagement for upcoming episodes.

• 00:00:00 In this section, the hosts introduce Cornucopias and then Rob and Josh discuss the current state of the cryptocurrency market, emphasizing a generally positive macroeconomic outlook despite recent bearish trends. They express optimism about upcoming developments within the game, hinting at new sales and continued growth of the Cornucopias universe, while also maintaining a light-hearted tone throughout the conversation.

• 00:05:00 In this section, the discussion centers around the upcoming updates of the game primarily focusing on the integration of weapons. The team emphasizes their strategy to transition towards a mainstream gaming experience, which involves introducing various weapons that provide both free and premium functionalities while increasing the utility of the COPI token through new player engagement. The presentation includes updates on Calido Valley, hinting at enhancements such as new NPCs and an immersive shooting experience at a new gun store, where players can interact with weapons like pistols and rifles. Additionally, the game’s starting experience is being revamped to improve navigation for new players, ensuring a smoother transition through the game's environments.

• 00:10:00 In this section, the discussion focuses on the museum being developed for the game, which will enrich the game's lore and showcase various historical elements, including the technology and origins of the world. It will be featured in a trailer aimed at the Epic Games Store, and players will experience a journey through passport control before entering the museum. The conversation also shifts to updates on the character builder, including a new world breaker suit that addresses player feedback and enhancements in character aesthetics and capabilities such as facial capture. The team is conducting research on incorporating AI and NPCs that can engage with players through voice interactions. Finally, there's an update on the file nodes used in the game's system, highlighting that the current count has increased from 66 to 88 nodes, with additional details forthcoming.

• 00:15:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the current infrastructure and future plans for their gaming platform's regional system pools managed by AWS. Currently, there are pools in Chicago and Amsterdam distributing game chunks to node pools that download from the closest regional location. They plan to expand this network by potentially adding pools in Singapore, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Australia, which will help triangulate user locations and create a demand heat map. This data will allow adjustments to rewards based on geographic demand, encouraging users to move their node pools to higher-demand areas. The speaker emphasizes the goal of regionalizing downloads for improved efficiency, with 88 existing regional pools and an upcoming public testing phase for the node network. Additional documentation and a dedicated Discord channel will provide further information to users.

• 00:20:00 In this section, the discussion revolves around updates to the game's development, particularly the implementation of a new file node system that allows for decentralized downloading of production game files, aiming for a smoother experience. A test is planned for players to delete their existing game version and participate in stress testing this new system. Following this, the hosts showcase a gameplay segment featuring early AI-driven NPCs, highlighting one that awkwardly learns to walk, illustrating the ongoing progress in character development. The hosts express excitement about how these characters will evolve to give quests and engage with players over time. The segment also transitions to a leak portion, revealing images from the game, such as a shooting range, a significant lore element within the museum, and an early 3D map of a location called Esperanza, hinting at rich storytelling elements in the game.

• 00:25:00 In this section, the developers discuss the ongoing progress of their game, noting that the next building is still under construction and will eventually feature various interactive elements like posters and NPCs. They address a question about animal capture mechanics, mentioning they are cautious about any resemblance to Nintendo’s Pokémon to avoid legal issues, but confirm there will be some form of animal capture. Another query regarding their new material card feature is also brought up, indicating that these cards will likely be integrated with in-game items and possibly connected to NFTs, while hair and clothing animations are confirmed for future updates. The segment concludes with an invitation to viewers for the next episode, accompanied by a musical outro.

• 00:30:00 In this section, the speaker reflects on a carefree and uplifting journey filled with imagery of sunny days and butterflies. They express a sense of belonging and contentment while walking down familiar paths, yearning for companionship that enhances their joy. The desire to experience freedom and excitement is palpable, with a recurring theme of wanting to escape negativity. The speaker invites another person to join them in exploring these moments, creating a vibrant atmosphere filled with hope and connection.