The Atma Gauge (or Atma Crystal/Gem/Jewel) is an NFT providing an in-game power bonus that grows over time as long as it is fed more Alchemica.
The Atma Gauge starts with a very small “maximum bonus” that is activated by staking a paltry amount of Alchemica. To increase the bonus, a player must stake a surplus of Alchemica. As long as the Gauge has been given surplus Alchemica to “grow into”, the maximum bonus will gradually increase over time. The amount of Alchemica required to activate that maximum bonus will also increase (at an accelerating rate). It will become harder and harder to increase the maximum bonus over time because it will require more Alchemica to progress.
The Gauge can never lose progress through inaction; if the bonus increases to the point that there is no longer a surplus of staked Alchemica, the maximum bonus will simply stop increasing until more Alchemica is staked.
Staked Alchemica is not burned or locked. At any time, the Atma Gauge can be “tapped” for some or all of the underlying Alchemica it contains. If Alchemica is removed in excess of the amount required to activate the Gauge’s current maximum bonus, the bonus will reset to the appropriate point on the progress curve. It doesn’t matter if all of the removed Alchemica is immediately put back in, time must pass again to reach the pre-tapped bonus.
As far as the bonus growth rate is concerned, I would recommend a progress curve that features brief periods of rapid growth punctuating long periods of slower growth. The Alchemica-required-curve would be independent and would accelerate over time.
What does the Atma Gauge actually do?
This is a matter of game balance, so it would be up to Pixelcraft to determine how best to fit Atma Gauges into the game. They could increase the power of wearables, or Aavegotchis, or installations. This could be done through a simple multiplier, or a system of buffs, or a more complex skill tree or point distribution system. They could be placed into “sockets” crafted by players. They could unlock certain special abilities. Or they could have some other in-game effect.
Atma Gauges would be sellable on the Bazaar, presumably priced according to the underlying value of the staked Alchemica plus the time premium. Being NFTs, they could also be composed into staking protocols built by Pixelcraft or a 3rd party.
In simple terms:
- The Atma Gauge makes players/guilds more powerful
- The Atma Gauge becomes more powerful over time, but it needs to be continuously fed Alchemica to keep growing
- This Alchemica is not lost and can be removed at will, but doing so will reduce the maximum bonus, making the Gauge weaker until it has been built back up. As with Kinship, there is no way to speed up this process
Pros:
- Incentivizes holding Alchemica with a gameplay mechanic
- Allows Guilds to get some power out of their Alchemica treasuries
- Adds another layer of customization and strategy to the game
Cons:
- Because the Alchemica is only soft-locked, there could be market shocks if large Gauges are tapped and dumped
- While solo and new players will be able to develop serviceable Gauges on their own, only Guilds will realistically be able to grow top tier Gauges
- Adds another layer of power creep to balance. If the mechanic is not useful enough, it will not reduce sell pressure; if the mechanic is too powerful, it will disincentivize other aspects of gameplay