On March 17th 2022 we premiered our pre-alpha gameplay footage followed by speaking with our Founders covering all of our community questions and updates. Watch the Founders AMA with our CEO Ari and CMO Michael below. Learn more about Big Time gameplay, early access launch, SPACE, Big Time Token and more.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Gameplay

Early Access Passes

SPACE

Big Time Token

Introduction:

Question: It’s been awhile since a community AMA! What’s the latest from Big Time?

Ari: The entire team has been heads down, working on Big Time, our first title, which will be launched in Early Access next month. After more than a year and a half in development, we’re very excited to be receiving our initial live users.

We have also been on a hiring spree, growing our team. For example, this Monday we have a new Head of Product joining from Epic Games, and a new Head of Partnerships with over 20 years in the AAA space.

We have a fairly aggressive roadmap, and have been trying to ensure that we can polish all loose ends as much as possible, while acknowledging that this is a community-driven project and what matters most is to get the game in the hands of players to start getting more feedback and data.

So I think everyone was very excited to see the first gameplay release today. Can you tell everyone a little bit about what they saw?

Yes, so this was the first video release showing some more gameplay. It’s pre-alpha footage coming from some of the private playtests we’ve been conducting with members of our community. People have been having a blast seeing behind the scenes, and learning more about what each of the four initial character classes fight in the dungeons.

Gameplay:

We noticed in the trailer there’s only 4 people playing at a time, is four the limit?

The max team size for combat is currently capped at six, actually. But if you don’t have 6 players, you can also have AI players to expand your team.Outside of dungeons, social spaces and open world levels can host hundreds of players at a time.

From the footage & the screenshots all we have seen is our heros smash bugs in an ice level, will there be more content?

Yes, one of the coolest parts about Procedural Generation is that we can essentially create infinite different unique environments for players to battle through. Meaning, every single time you enter the ice dungeon, it’s different than the last time.

In terms of more play areas, we have a ton of different locations, which we’ve dubbed “Time Shares”. So far we’ve teased Time’s End, Samurai City, and Dinosaur Canyons, and we’ve got a ton more. Within early access, you’ll be able to play Time’s End locations.

Within Time’s end, there is the paradox forge, the infinity vault, and the syphon, which are all different landmarks of the time.

When you say the dungeons are random, what does that mean? Do you fight the same bosses?

Procedurally generated levels provide randomness to the shape of each level and the combat encounters that occur in each of them. So each level will spawn a unique set of enemies for you to battle, based both on chance and your group’s skill level.

The trailer was amazing, is there a place where I can get a clear overview of classes?

We have just published an overview of each character class on our Instagram. You can check it out at instagram.com/playbigtime.

What are the required specs to play the game?

Our min specs for gameplay are:

GeForce GTX 1060 or better / Radeon Rx 580 or better

8GB RAM

DirectX 11 or above

Intel core i5 4430/ AMD FX 6300

10GB available drive space

These specs may be adjusted based on game development.

Early Access Passes:

Question: So I think we all agree the game looks amazing, so when do we get to play?

Michael: EAL will start some time in Q2

So I know we need a game pass to play but they look very expensive, is it worth it?

We have not been very clear about the benefits of passes, so we recently published a graphic on our twitter that gives a nice overview. VIP Pass holders are able to pick up various types of rare NFTs including space during the EAL. The more expensive passes have significant increases in the drop rates in EAL. 1000 Gold Pass Holders enter the game 4 weeks before anyone else during EAL.

How about silver & jade?

3000 Silver pass holders join the gold members at the start of week EAL week 5 & the drop rate decreases. 8000 jade pass holders join the gold & silver members at the start of EAL week 8 & the drop rate decreases.

What if I really want a pass but I can’t afford it?

If you are a creator, artist or a loyal community member we are giving away Ruby Passes. 16,000 Ruby Pass holders join the Gold, Silver, and Jade members at the start of Early Access Launch week 10 & the drop rate will return to the regular drop rate. The Ruby passes are NOT being sold by Bigtime.

They are being given away to creators, by creators to their social media followers, and to loyal community members on Discord.

If you are a member of our discord community…… We are currently rewarding active members of our community with higher roles, unlocking channels where we have hosted early game demo giveaways, ruby passes, and other NFT giveaways. Join our Evermore Academy community program to earn XP and rewards.

Well if I can just get a Ruby Pass for Free why would I buy a Gold, Silver, or Jade VIP Pass?

While Ruby Passes are free, the in-game NFT drop rate returns to the normal drop rate after Ruby Passes are released.

According to the graphic Early Access Launch (EAL) ends at week 10 and Ruby members only get 1 week, is this true?

The current plan is for EAL to run up until the launch of the game. EAL will last “at least 10 weeks”. It is quite likely there will be more time for EAL. The drop rates change as each new type of pass holder gets access to the game.

We noticed on the twitter graphic only Rare, Epic, and Legendary Space drops in EAL, will Mythic & Exalted drop in EAL?

Mythic and Exalted will not drop in EAL. However, it WILL drop in the full release of the game.

What if I have a guild and I need a lot of passes for all of my guild members to get into the game?

We have only planned the first 10 weeks of EAL. We have something in store for the guilds, we think the guilds will be very pleased.

What do you get to keep from Early Access (EA)?

During EA, any NFTs you collect are yours to keep. After EA, we will reset player progress, but your NFTs will still be yours.

If I dont have alot of money and I am not an influencer how do I get a chance to play early access?

We just announced the ruby pass, a pass made with the community in mind. It allows community members who’ve been a part of Big Time as fans to enjoy EA. Check out our Evermore Academy to learn more about how you can support the Big Time community and earn rewards such as Ruby Passes, and additional Discord roles.

SPACE:

Question: So besides Passes, there’s SPACE, we had a public sale in December, a lot of us bought space but we don’t understand exactly how it works, could you explain?

Ari: SPACE is a cornerstone of the Big Time in game economy. It allows players to produce in-game items that can be collected, traded or sold on the Marketplace to other players.

A significant proportion of the NFTs that will be available are going to be produced by SPACE owners if they have utility features installed. For example, installing a Time Keeper on your SPACE will let you produce the Hourglass NFTs, which unlock token drops in-game.

How is SPACE different from land?

Space is like land but it has no locality. We learned from experience that having to choose a place in the world can be confusing for players, and also that having a shared map that could be partially empty was not good for our user’s experience.

SPACE has similar functionality to LAND in Decentraland and Sandbox. SPACE is not in a fixed grid or location, it is not shared, and is tied to a player’s account in game. You are in total control of your SPACE.

Also, every player will be able to unlock a Time Machine inside the game, free of cost. This is a personal pocket universe that players can decorate, and use them to host events.

You can also upgrade your Time Machine by getting some SPACE, either on the Marketplace, or by picking it in-game. Once you have SPACE, you can access some unique features, such as the ability to produce, upgrade, and repair NFTs.

How much space is there?

There will only ever be 600,000 SPACE available.

How much of the space has bigtime sold so far?

We sold a total of 22%, 12% through the initial sale to guilds, another 10% through the first sale on our Marketplace in December. The remaining supply will be slowly introduced into the game economy through the Marketplace as well as in-game drops. We want to make sure that those who have the time to grind but aren’t looking to spend money also have a fair chance at getting these items.

What are the different types of space?

There are 5 rarities of SPACE

- Rare

- Epic

- Legendary

- Mythic

- Exalted

Space comes in 3 sizes

- Small

- Medium

- Large

The more rare space has more sockets, and the rarest spaces will enable you to craft the most rare weapon & armor skins.

How is the bigtime economy player owned, currently it just looks like bigtime sells everything.

Mike: This is a great question! Currently, bigtime is selling SPACE and soon Timekeepers, Armories & Forges. These are Utility NFTs that the players need, to create the weapon & armor skin NFTs in the game.

What can the Space holders create?

Space holders have access to the equipment that allows for the collection of the in game token. We will release all of the exact details on this in the near future. Additionally, space holders can create armor & weapon NFT skins using the Armory & Forge

How do armor & weapon NFT skins work?

They are cosmetic.They won’t give you any advantages but they will make you look cool. The forges and armories can craft skins that are exclusive to the forges & armories. These skins will be highly sought after & collectible.

How do I craft the rarest skins?

To create the rarest armor & weapon NFT skins you will need to:

i. Own a lower tier of that armor or weapon NFT

ii. Own exalted space

iii. Own a upgraded forge or armory.

The most rare NFT skins will have a limited issuance and once the players create that amount they are no longer created.

So the space holders sound pretty important!

Yes exactly, The majority of weapon & armor NFT skins can only be created by the space holders.

So the majority of skin purchases will be made by players from players who own space, and that’s why Big Time’s economy is player owned?

Yes that’s exactly right!

That’s really cool! So it sounds like I need to get some Exalted Space. Should I also try to buy other space?

While you need exalted space to craft the rarest NFT skins… You will want a collection of all the different tiers of space. Because to craft the rarest NFT skins you need lower tiers of that weapon & armor skin.

Having many lower tier spaces will let you more easily create the required lower tiered NFT skins than just having exalted

Is there anything else I should know?

Ari: If you really want to get your hands on some Exalted & Mythic SPACE, we will be having a public sale on March 24th, at 9 am Eastern Time. We’re going to publish all the details on Monday. Stay tuned!

Will there be any exalted and mythic left in game for the players who cant afford mythic & exalted?

We expect a very high proportion of space NFTs to be dropped in-game, in a way that’s accessible to all players.

Big Time Token:

By the way I think you mentioned something about a token, where can we buy the token?

We have plans for an in-game token that will be launched as the Early Access phase comes to an end. Hopefully towards the end of June. Currently you can not purchase the token. The token is only available in-game.

You have to play the game to collect the token. No investor, or employee will be given the token or any early access.

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Stay tuned to our socials for up to date information and all you need to know. Also be sure to get signed up with our Evermore Academy, support the community and get rewarded.

Big Time Founders AMA was originally published in PlayBigTime on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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