Ether Kingdoms (launched May 2018) is a cryptocurrency game with proof of stake mining. It is a blockchain game that implements the vision of an exciting and engrossing game that can make real money for players. A game for the wide audience, Ether Kingdoms is built around its own token IMP. 
Ether Kingdom features full gameplay with clever visuals based on its native PoS token, Imps (IMP). Imps are in-game currency tokens that allow players to generate actual money. ^[1][2][5]

Overview

Ether Kingdoms is the world’s first free-to-play crypto mining game emerging out of a successful phase of beta testing to introduce a new, unique Proof-of-Stake (PoS) style gaming. Different from other blockchain games, Ether Kingdom features full gameplay with clever visuals based on its native PoS token, Imps (IMP). ^[2][3]

Imps are in-game tokens that allow players to generate actual money. Players can earn up to 1% every day as mining rewards, by sending the maximum number of 10,000 imps to their mines. To help them achieve this target, all players receive a game master node guaranteeing them consistent profit.^[4]

Imps can also be sent to do battle with imps owned by other players via the ‘Fight’ option. Players specify the number of imps to fight and wait for their challenge to be accepted by others. All battles are automatically decided but winning chances are enhanced by equipping imps with artifacts. These are ERC-721 tokens, giving Ether Kingdoms its collectability factor. They can already be found selling on special platforms like OpenSea or exchanged with other players. Artifacts are used to participate in weekly online leaderboards or traded and bought.

Ether Kingdoms launched without any token sale or initial coin offering (ICO), with basic marketing and development from the team’s own funds. Instead,13 million IMPs were released over a distribution period so that 15% will be reserved for the team and future development fund, 10% will be allocated for leaderboards and airdrops, and 75% will be generated via mining.

Tech

Ether Kingdoms is based on blockchain technology, but not all of its operations uses smart contract. This is due to the fact that the current Ethereum infrastructure has a number of limitations, such as low productivity and certain costs associated with each operation.

This is logical, as the main concern of blockchain is the safety of information, and not speedy transactions for free. The team came up with a solution to ensure that the game is fast and secure at the same time.

Hybrid Solution worked for the team as they believed it was the best approach for the type of project they created. With a hybrid solution, tokens are added to the balance within the game’s wallet, much like on any exchange. MetaMask is used to log into the game and to deposit/withdraw the tokens from the game.

MetaMask is also used to verify all key actions in the game, such as sending imps to battle. All other ingame operations are stored on the server, which makes everything quick and free. As such, a balance is reached between productivity, reliability, and transparency. This is why the team chose this option for Ether Kingdoms.

Game Mechanics

The Ether Kingdom Game Mechanics consists of the following components:

1. Mining
2. PvP battles
3. Artifact equipment
4. Leaderboard participation
5. Far Realm battles
6. Fights with bosses and monsters

PvP Battles

The game field of the main screen is a hexagonal grid that contains key game elements – the Castle and mines. The IMP token, or imps, can be mined in the mine. The imps are the Kingdom’s main workers and warriors. One IMP token equals one imp under command. The imps are very useful, once sent to the mine and they’ll get more IMP tokens for users . As long as imps are hard at work, users have constant token profit.

The Castle is the heart of the Kingdom, there, imps can be exchanged for loot boxes, which are chests that hide cool and very useful artifacts. In addition to mining, imps can also battle the imps of other players. To do this, players can click on the icon with two crossed swords, specify the number of imps to send, and sit tight, waiting for an opponent to accept the challenge. If users don't want to wait, they can call upon the highly trained bots, and watch the automated battle.

The battle can either be a draw, or victory of one of the players, or the bot. In the latter case, the loser gives up a part of his imps and the winner takes them home. If the player is fighting the bot, it becomes the mirror copy of their own imp, so the chances of victory, defeat, or draw lean towards the 40/40/20 proportion. The game also keeps a commission of 10% for each battle.

The imps have a list of characteristics, which can be seen in the equipment window, this window can also be used to equip the imps with artifacts, making them stronger before each battle

Mines and Mining

There are 25 mines on the game field. At the beginning of the game, only one mine is available to the player, but with each successfully passed level, new mines open for business. When a player reaches level 25, all of the Kingdom’s mines become available. Each mine has its own level – from 1 to 4 – which should not be confused with the player’s level.

All mines have level 1 when they open, which means that players can only send 100 imps to work in it. The greater the mine level, the more imps available to send . The more imps working in the mine, the greater the number of IMP tokens they can mine daily. It is in the player’s best interest to upgrade the mine to its greatest level, so they can send as many imps as possible to work in it. For example, if you send 400 imps to a level 4 mine, they will render 2 IMP per day. The table below has detailed information on how this system works.

Before a player reaches level 25 (player level, not the mining level), they will gradually open one mine after another on the map of their Kingdom. After the player reaches level 25, they will be able to start upgrading the mines themselves. The upgrade happens with each mine separately and costs a small number of IMP. Between player levels 25 and 50, the mines can be upgraded to level 2. Between player level 50 and 100, the mines are upgraded to level 3. After the player reaches level 100, the mines are upgraded to level 4.

Artifacts and Equipment

The equipment window (imp icon) is there for players to see what battle characteristics their imps have and to equip them with artifacts. The main characteristics are ;

• Health
• Amount of damage that can be caused
• Protection
• Chances of a critical hit
• Dodging
• Additional attack.

Health and damage caused grow alongside the level, while the rest of the characteristics can only be changed with the artifacts (health and damage can, as well). The rarest and coolest artifacts can drastically change the battle’s outcome. For example, they can lower or completely diminish the opponent’s chances of a critical hit.

Artifacts can be obtained in different ways – purchased in the castle, won in weekly leaderboards, received during special offers (regular, but limited in time), received as a reward for killing bosses or monsters or bought on the special exchange OpenSea. If the artifact is received in the game (for example, opened a loot box with one), a Claim button will appear under its image in the equipment window. When the button is pressed, the player will be offered to turn the artifact into an ERC-721 token.

Doing so will cost some gas fee and the final price of the artifact will be reflected in the MetaMask wallet. It will take some time after the transaction to see the token in MetaMask. It will still be available in the game, but the Claim button will disappear, with the MetaMask button (head of a fox) replacing it. After this, anything can be done with the artifact token – sell it on OpenSea, give it to a friend, transfer it to another wallet, etc.

Players can only use a limited number of artifacts on their imp, and each of them is related to a specific slot:

• 1 slot for the helmet
• 2 slots for the weapon
• 2 slots for the defense (shield)
• 1 slot for the armor
• 5 slots for additional objects
• 1 slot for the pet (can be taken to battle)

Tutorial Mode and Far Realm

The game has a Tutorial Mode where players receive 200 virtual tokens. The mode starts automatically when users start playing and allow them to reach level 15.

Note that: after level 15 the virtual IMPs will disappear and users will be able to start playing using actual tokens.

In early 2019, a big update was released, called Far Realm. In this game mode, players will fight for buildings that provide valuable bonuses, including mining pool bonus. To start playing in this mode users have to use the portal. This way they can transfer some portion of their free IMPs to a separate pool displayed on the new game mode screen.

Users can return IMPs from the Far Realm at any time by pressing the corresponding button. All actions in the Far Realm are performed by a squad of imps. To create the squad , click on any deployment tile or use the “Create Squad” button. After the squad is created, its current stamina and squad size can be seen in the status bar in the lower portion of the screen. Using the “Reinforce” button imps can be added from the Far Realm pool, but only when the squad stands on a deployment tile.

Imp squad can attack any building of any player as soon as it reaches it – stamina goes down during the move. The fight shares the same principle as the common fight, but the fighter will get a stats bonus provided by the buildings owned. The damage and health of both imps are directly modified by the difference in the amount of imps from each fighting side. Item bonuses are applied as usual.

After a building is successfully captured, a garrison can be placed to secure the building. Other players will have to defeat it to capture the building. All that's needed to do is select a squad that stands on the nearest tile, click on the building and choose the number of imps to take to the garrison.

Players also need to note that it can be very dangerous to travel in the Far Realm as they can come across terrible monsters at any moment. If this happens players have to choose either to run and lose all their stamina or fight and get experience points and a valuable reward if they manage to win.

Ether Kingdoms & Token (IMP)

Token Distribution

A total of 13 million IMP tokens was released and from that,

• 2 million IMP to finance the project development
• 1.3 million IMP for airdrops and online leaderboards.
• 9.7 million IMP available for mining.

As soon as the token circulation reached 3.5 million IMP, the speed of token mining was cut in half . All of the players’ wallets, exchanges, and the game pool were considered when determining the total circulation, not including the IMP that was dedicated to project development.

Roadmap

May 2018 – Release of the MVP Version (Complete)

1. Make the MVP version openly available.
2. List IMP on exchanges.
3. First airdrop – 400 000 tokens.

June-August 2018 – Main Release (Complete)

1. Introduction of the ERC721 tokens as battle trophies that give game bonuses. Such bonuses can be modifiers of the chance to win, or neutralizers of such chances of your opponent.
2. Start of the mining campaigns.
3. Second round of the Airdrop – another 300 000 tokens.
4. Surprise update with pets for your imps.
5. Update of the White Paper according to the changes made in the game.
6. Release of approximately 75 types of artifacts.

Third-Fourth Quarter of 2018 – Set of Functional and Contextual Updates (Complete)

1. Packaged PvP mode – you can start several battles at a time against other players. The main victory determining factor will be your imps’ artifact equipment.
2. Expansion of PvP interactions.
3. Over 150 new artifacts, a part of which will have new abilities.
4. Local and global bosses-opponents.
5. Cutting the mining speed in half. Only 50 best players will receive a unique artifact that guarantees the maximum mining speed of 1%.

First Quarter of 2019 – Game Content Expansion (Complete)

1. New game mode – Far Realm.
2. Unique skins and artifact sets.
3. Random encounter mechanics and monster fights in Far Realm.
4. Option to buy IMPs by credit card.
5. Next exchange listing.

Second Quarter of 2019 – High-Level Content

1. Artifact disenchantment mechanics.
2. Rune mechanics – new artifact type, allowing usage of special skills during battles.
3. Improving the Far Realm, adding new buildings.
4. Full-fledged in-game shop.
5. PvP-mechanics improvement.

Third-Fourth Quarter of 2019 – Further Development Plans Announcement

1. End of mining, the introduction of token burn mechanics.
2. Huge announcement of further development plans, project roadmap update.
3. Community Driven Development: your ideas – our implementation! Addition of several features based on the community’s request.
4. Weekly in-game events.

Company & Team

Ether Kingdoms, the blockchain game was developed by GameDelta Ltd. GameDelta is a legal entity, incorporated and operating under the laws of the United Kingdom and located in London, Fitzrovia, United Kingdom.

The company developed and launched two blockchain games (Ether Kingdoms and Nyan Cat: The Crypto Racing Game) within two years, the company's mission is to monetize user playtime.