Monster Respect!
When people do something that is outstanding, I've found its nice to let them know. I think many people take it for granted that everyone else has already complimented the good deed, but often times that's not the case.
In this case, I want to make sure I make a point that both @yabapmatt and @aggroed have done something truly amazing.
As you all know that read my blog, I'm usually positive on Steem Monsters, yet I've also been critical of a few decisions when I felt some issues needed mentioning. I point this out so that everyone knows that my respect is earned and not blindly given.
Dark Energy Crystals (ie DEC)
A week ago Steem Monsters came out with a major implementation of a new program called Dark Energy Crystals or DEC for short. I had high hopes for it, but a lot of tricky issues had to be dealt with in order for it to be fair. After all, DEC is basically a NEW currency and SM had to walk a fine line with establishing its value, balancing the needs of many different stakeholders. I honestly didn't know how it was going to be rolled out or how they were going to walk that fine line, but I must say now in retrospect, they hit the ball out of the park.
Its a home run in my eyes.
Honestly, I'm blown away with not only the technology behind DEC (which is first class btw), but more so with the way they thought through the various uses for DEC such as the way they put together a "card burning program" that rewards existing cardholders with a way to get fair value. This might seem like a not so significant deal, but I would argue that it is something that will manifest in many positive ways in the future.
And while the card liquidity has been altered positively forever, even more impressive is the way they created that liquidity. This point is super important because it is something unusual in life, and goes to the character of the 2 men behind the decision.
Card Buyback In Place
The liquidity was created by creating an entirely new deck of cards and forgoing their normal revenue from those "pack sales" (note: they named them orbs, but essentially they are a desirable new edition of cards). I won't get too wonky on it, but essentially they are producing 200,000 packs ($2.50 each) or $500,000; and instead of that money going to the SM corporation, its instead being used to buy back cards that have been sold to date. Think of this as equivalent to a massive corporate share buyback in the stock market world, as it will diminish the supply of cards available and thus reward the loyal card holders.
So while they didn't put $500,000 of their money directly into this buyback, they did indirectly fund it by not taking any proceeds from the new card distribution. Its a very selfless act and a decision that shows exactly how they think about their existing and future card holders. Many people, including me, have opined on both the positive and negative motivations over the last year; and now we know from one set of actions on their part. This is clearly a sign that they care. Its a point in time where the message of one's actions far outweigh the words. Its clear, and I for one definitely appreciate it.
Monster Respect
I don't have a crystal ball and know how the game will go over time, but I do know when someone has earned my respect. I have always been impressed with the game and the infrastructure built around it. They've done a ton of wonderful things and spent an immense amount of time trying to make this the best online game in the crypto world. While no one can guarantee the future success of anything, I would argue that this one program tops all others. By giving respect to the people that own the cards SM has produced, they have earned/will earn a lasting respect that will be remembered.
In my eyes they've earned Monster Respect, and I hope that others take the time to consider the implications as well.
Thank you Matt and Aggy, Monster Respect to you both for a job extremely well done!
We've been here from the very start and have seen this game take on many directions. It really is awesome you feel this way about the new updates because I do too. :)
I see the updates supporting both loyal and new players. With the release of DEC, we are now given a choice on how we want to spend our SM earnings. Want STEEM? Sell your cards and DEC for STEEM. Want a bot upvote? DEC! Or if you simply want to build your deck and play competitively, then spend the DEC to buy orbs and mystery potions..so many options!
Since I don't have the time to write a respect post myself, I will share yours since we have the same sentiments! Matt and Aggy did a wonderful job, and I heard DEC is Matt's idea. :)
Yes you have been there with me from the beginning and I think of all the things we've seen. Its truly amazing all the infrastructure they've put in, and sometimes I think people don't step back and see the bigger picture.
I figured we'd be in agreement since great minds think alike ;)... and hahaha on the comment about @yabapmatt being the architect... I don't know who is responsible for the idea, but it was certainly an elegant and well thought through plan. I give them both credit since I don't know, and of course they both probably had a thousand convos about it between them!
Always nice to see you @beeyou, and lets hope we can have this same type of convo on the 10th anniversary of SM too :D
You are always have my respect for your clear statement about steemmonsters Coach @davemccoy 😉 that makes me still playing no matter what people think about the rewards and system 😊
Did you see... a golden shin-lo price now higher thsn golden selenia😨😨😨 .. coach, thanks for letting me play with them😊 btw.. you can undelegate gold imp bow from @cicisaja.. I got mine at level 4 now
Thank you Cici, that is a very nice thing for you to say to me too :)
And yes it is a tough card to get and I think many like the things they don't have :P
I'm glad to hear you have got your imp up to level 4 too, while its not quite as high as rusty, I'm sure you will get it even higher as time goes on too ;)
Wow, @davemccoy himself likes the update! I think I can retire now :-)
In all seriousness, this post means a lot. You have no idea how much time and effort was put into this release, and despite that many people have put a lot of money into the game, @aggroed and I have the most to lose if it fails.
I'm pretty much in a constant state of stress and anxiety over this project because it's both my livelihood and my dream since I was pretty young. I'll be the first to admit that we've definitely gotten things wrong in the past, and i'm sure we'll screw up at some point in the future, but we learn from those mistakes and apply those lessons.
I truly have a tremendous amount of admiration for what you both managed to accomplish on this. I know we could never know how hard it was, but I have an idea on some issues. The way all the pieces fit together is brilliant, and your solution of bringing out a new card deck and using it to provide liquidity is both noble and genius. It was an incredibly smart move and something that everyone involved in the game should remember for a very long time.
I also know that it has to be tough to have so many people that seem to never be pleased (me included). If it makes you feel any better, I think this particular program will wipe away anything that has happened in the past. When people realize how you guys prioritized and valued the cardholders (both past and future), then it makes a statement that is extremely powerful.
I also want to say that I'm sorry that you are going through the stress and anxiety. While I know it is a normal process for a startup, it is something that many of us on the other side forget from time to time. We are sometimes very insensitive and don't bother to let you know our positive thoughts too.
For the record on my part, I'm very impressed with what you all have accomplished from the beginning. The team has truly amazed me with its talents and abilities on the game development, and I do recognize how you started from scratch and put together not only a very cool game, but also built an amazing and vibrant community.
Finally, I know you and @aggroed have the most to lose. And while I certainly don't have the stake of many here, I do want you to know that I'm here for the duration. (NOTE: I have never thought about selling my cards, and in fact I have a hard time even leveling any of them up :P)
Once again awesome job Matt... you, @aggroed, and the whole team do definitely deserve Monster Respect and I for one am tipping my hat to you!
Perhaps the constant state of stress and anxiety is caused by knowingly misleading your investors, building a platform that doesn't resemble what you sold people, manipulating a market you created by investing with proprietary information, etc. I can't imagine how much stress a businessman feels when he knows he is acting unethically even he becomes successful.
Super well written and I loved the way you translated some of the new features into a more business terminology.
Thank you Jarvie... that is a nice thing to say. :)
Uhmm.. no wonder she's (you know who) getting busy counting and playing again😃😂😂 though not as busy as last year.. but she's smiling more now. I like the positivity you've shared through this post @davemccoy.. thanks for taking care of my wife's addiction to the game.
haha @dipoabasch! I'm glad to see I could help but I think Steemmonsters has captivated her attention from their amazing new plan. And having her smile is a goal of anyone that has met her as she is a beautiful soul. I'm glad to be a part of it though, and happy to see you support her in her addiction too :D
Superbly written and articulated as always @davemccoy I couldn't agree more. It's not a game changing move to only the SM enterprise, but a revolution in blockchain game theory the likes of which I have yet to see on any blockchain by the creators @yabapmatt and @aggroed and the SM team, and the fanboy/fangirl SM nation (of which I am of course a card carrying member). This, once again has been the founders of the game letting those in who wish to be a part of a trip that has the chances of ending up in a place God only knows right now. Anyone who dunked a bit of a toe to the biggest fan/holders of these cards and believers in this game will have their respect and belief in this thing jumped exponentially once they figure out what they did and how incredible the impact will become (of it). Thanks again @davemccoy for setting us straight in focus and in forward-thinking.
Thank you for the compliment @cryptkeeper17... I'm glad to see you chime in and validate my points. You are much more up on the crypto world than me, so I like when you say things about revolutions taking place :D ... I'm happy to have you as my teammate and co-creator of @teampossible as well, and I'm sure one day we will look back at some of these moments as things that made SM what it could be!
I am sure you remember a few weeks back I said "In a year or so we will not recognize @steemmonsters from where it is now due to how fast the many innovations are happening." I lied, it was actually in a few weeks we may as well forget a lot of things we knew about the steemmonster economy as it was before this.
I'm not 100% sold on everything just yet. There is still a critical piece of the puzzle that is being overlooked, and that is non-dragon splinter summoners with a way to obtain them and level them up that doesn't require pack or aftermarket purchase.
This is the single biggest barrier that I can see to expansion of the game. New players need to be able to slowly improve their position (or do it faster with investment if they so choose) of they won't stick around (if they sign up at all).
My point is on the value of placing the card holders ahead of their pack sales... That is an act that is very substantive, but yes there are things that need to be sorted out for sure. I think one thing they have made the mistake on in the first year is unclearness as to how they valued the cardholders. There were conflicting signs and some broken promises that I think drove many "investors" away over time. But with this clarity and holding not only to their word, but sacrificing deeply, I think this will go a long way at convincing people they do value the card holders a lot.
I have to agree, the way that this round of changes has been handled has been significantly improved on some of the previous changes, which shows that lessons are being learned, though I do wonder if we card holders are being slightly over valued to the long term detriment of the game.
oh I don't think so... the value of the game is by having a significant base of value that gets built so that people want to continue to grow their own decks... if people don't perceive there is something to be gained by holding cards, then they will not put as much energy (and money) into building their decks and playing their cards. I think this is a HUGE improvement and will help bring more players/investors into the game.
Certainly can't dispute that there needs to be perceived value/benefit to encourage players to want to invest in improving their deck. What it has felt like, however, is that there have been a squeaky wheels at the top of the food chain that have demanded instant gratification from their investment rather than taking a longer term view. In my view, growth of the player base will bring the biggest investment by far, which will benefit everyone from the top down instead.
Having said that, if this holds back that tide to allow improvements aimed at player growth then that's a win.
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Yep!
I know you've put a fair amount of time and cash into SM Dave - I am hopeful that this will turn out to be an excellent investment.
Thanks Asher... I will be ok either way, but I hope as much for all of us that it succeeds... They really have done some amazing things and I hope they can catch a break!
I completely agree with you, they have outdone themselves this time..... in a brilliant way!! Kudos @yabapamatt and @aggroed, looking forward to seeing where this journey will lead us.
I'm right there with yuo @ange.nkuru! :)
Tournament participation appears to be dropping, alpha/beta values are stagnant/down from a few months ago, they replaced a spam bid bot with a pay bot, and created a currency with a trillion coin cap into a market of a couple thousand players. New edition cards are significantly more powerful than existing editions devaluing early investors holdings. Aggroed and matt both buy massive amounts of cards with insider knowledge of there future value. Instead of building a platform that resembles what they sold investors they seem to focus on more ways to draw money from current players. I guess I don't see why these actions are worthy of praise.
Hey @gunsmithing, while I realize some of the tings you say are true, I also think some are getting fixed. For instance, the prices of the alphas are higher on average, particularly the golds. But that's not the point I am making. I'm trying to point out that they are TRYING and they have forgone the revenue from the new edition of pack sales (the orbs) in order to help to solidify the card values for all current and future card holders. Will it work in the long run?? I don't know, but I do know they are trying and did a very very good thing here. All the other points you bring up are things that are well known and factored into the whole atmosphere. I personally love to see them put the card holders first and think that they took a giant leap towards earning back credibility from anything done in the past. Of course it is just one action, but in my opinion it is huge. I'm pointing all this out to help you see what I see. But its certainly ok if we disagree on it :) ... Thanks for stopping by the post and making your points!!!
Thanks for the reply, I see the recent orb/new edition as an act of desperation due to the lack of new players and dwindling participation rates. I also see the continued deceptions from the founders as a troubling sign that they have learned nothing and are more concerned with immediate personal monetary gain than growing what could have been an amazing platform. If they are acting in the best interest of investors why continually lie/mislead them?