SOMNIUMWAVE founder Sergio Avila recently joined the Neo Live AMA series to talk about the upcoming 3D metaverse world, game, and marketplace. Participants in the AMA shared rewards from a prize pool comprising 10 SOMNIUMWAVE NFTs.

SOMNIUMWAVE is an open world multiplayer blockchain game designed to reward players for owning SOMNIUMWAVE NFTs and interacting with others in the metaverse. These NFTs represent in-game assets such as virtual plots of land which are home to buildings/art galleries, which can then be used to showcase the user’s favorite SOMNIUMWAVE NFTs in real time to other players.

In the AMA, Avila discussed his background in animation and music, the details that go into building a 3D environment, the progress of the SOMNIUMWAVE platform, the mapping system for the game, collaborating with other Neo ecosystem projects, how interested individuals can join the development team, and more.

The full transcript can be found below:

John Ricci (Neo Telegram admin):

Sergio Avila (aka SOMNIUMWAVE) is a 32-year-old Los Angeles native, a continuous learner of Cinema 4D, and a lover of all things 3D. Having a background in branding, marketing, music, and design, he understands the importance and impact of bringing an idea to life. SOMNIUMWAVE believes the power of Cinema 4D is endless and completely captivating for all audiences. Avila states, “3D modeling and game development is in another realm of its own. It’s where the magic is made.”

Q1: What is a key factor in designing a realistic 3D environment?

Sergio Avila (SOMNIUMWAVE founder): I think starting with 3D meshes such as terrain, rocks, boulders, etc. Of course, atmospheric effects like fog and particles (dust, insects, leaves blowing, etc.) follow. A lot of the time, the small details make the biggest difference and ultimately create the most immersive experience.

Visually you can go really far, but that’s only 50% of it. Sound design is going to make everything come together, and that’s something that you can’t overlook, especially in a game. But really, the key factor here is to have as much fun as possible.

Q2: What is your interpretation of the metaverse?

Sergio: Simply put, it’s a new dimension of freedom with unlimited possibilities. If you want a 20-story mansion, you can have it. If you want to invite 20 of your Neo homies for a virtual beer, it’s a click away. Do you want to take your car through an enclosed underwater racetrack? No problem. It’s there.

The way we communicate and create experiences with others is shifting, and these metaverse worlds are the ultimate gateway to something special. Not only is it fun, but potentially a real opportunity for people looking to create some side income by renting or offering advertising space on their plots. It’s all possible, and we fully intend to push it to the limit to maximize opportunities for everyone.

Q3: What is the current state of the game?

Sergio: Right now, we’re at an early alpha build stage. We’re still exploring and implementing features such as a map and radar module, a revamped UI, and a solid (and simple) grid system that overlays the entire game map. So that means we now have coordinates for every plot, so as you walk from one plot to another, the coordinates will update. You can also teleport from one plot to another just by bringing up the map and clicking on another plot. We worked hard on this, and we’re really proud of it, even in its most basic current form.

Within the next few weeks, a major update will go live, and everyone will spawn at coordinates (50,50) which is directly in the center of the game map, which will be the “Hub” of the entire game. Players will be limited to this area for the time being until we begin offering land for sale (there may be a whitelist for this). The idea is to sell land starting from the center and go outwards over time. The map itself is 100×100 plots which equal 10,000 plots total. A lot of them will be reserved for game environments such as swamps, deserts, valleys, etc.

Q4: Where do you see SOMNIUMWAVE ten years from now?

Sergio: I believe it will be one of the largest 3D open-world networks on Neo. This goes far beyond anything I could’ve imagined when I started making art for the Neo community. I would like to see users using their land to host their own events, competing against each other in live player-versus-player fighting matches where others can join in and watch.

I’m a hardcore 90s kid at my roots, so a lot of what you’ll see develop will be heavily influenced by early video games I loved. I believe there is a big opportunity for brands that want to advertise in SOMNIUMWAVE. At its core, I want to keep it an open world where land owners can do whatever they want with their land. It’s hard to say where I see the project in 10 years, but I know I will still be working hard on it and making the experience better and better for everyone.

Q5: Why did you choose Neo as the blockchain for the game?

Sergio: I didn’t choose Neo. Neo chose me. No, but really, it was a pretty clear choice for me. In a market with a lot of tribalism and bad vibes, I felt welcomed by the Neo community from the first post I ever made on Reddit. Once I got more technically inclined with the blockchain, I just fell in love with the simplicity and reliability of the network. I don’t want our users paying US $100’s in GAS fees to buy an item for their metaverse home/gallery. So naturally, I just knew Neo was the platform for me, and it just really wouldn’t make any sense trying to build on Ethereum when the people who genuinely like my art and what it represents are on Neo—just keeping it real.

Q6: Sandbox type games require a ton of game assets, from 3D design to textures, sounds, and music. How are you tackling this challenge to launch within your planned window? Will you start with limited play areas and item inventory, then expand gradually?

Sergio: By taking a lot of small but crucial steps over time. I have over ten years of sound design/music production experience, so the game music and ambient sounds will be a real treat for me to create. I’ll be using Ableton as my DAW and some cool and weird plugins. As far as game assets go, they’ll mostly be made in Cinema 4D, including rigging, animations, and more.

Exactly. There will be a central hub in the very center of the map where everyone will spawn initially. The land will begin to be sold starting from the center outwards. Once you own a plot of land (AREA), you’ll have the option to spawn there whenever you join SOMNIUMWAVE.

As long as you have some kind of system for what you’re doing and it’s somewhat organized, you can increase your efficiency and have a smoother workflow. It will take some time, but it’ll be worth it.

Q7: Will you allow other Neo-based projects to import NFT characters and items into your metaverse?

Sergio: Ahhh, the million-dollar question I’ve been asked several times. There may be some requirements first, but ultimately…YES! I don’t see why not. I’d be happy to have that conversation with project owners interested in that sort of thing. I think it would definitely be more of a technical collaboration, but yeah, I’m open to it.

Q8: The whitepaper states that users can buy and sell land, vehicles, and weapons using the SOM token. Will SOMNIUMWAVE have a marketplace? Can users sells their assets on secondary marketplaces? Can users rent or stake land and generate passive income?

Sergio: We will have our own marketplace for sure. However, of course, you’re free to purchase on secondary markets like GhostMarket.

But yes, the idea is if you own a plot of land, you can do whatever you want with it. That includes renting it to others that want to host live events on it, like host their own art gallery showcases, etc. I don’t think staking plots is something in our plans at this time, but we’re not entirely opposed to it (we’re just still exploring what makes sense for our users at this time). This will obviously be quite a technical challenge. Still, nothing is impossible, and we fully intend on making the plots of land in SOMNIUMWAVE the ability to be fully monetized through the use of smart contracts. Power to the people.

Q9: Will there be a multiplayer system within the game?

Sergio: There already is. Check out the current alpha version at somniumwave.com – anyone can join. Again we will have a large update soon, so the current version of the game will not be up for much longer. This update will include live coordinates for plots and the ability to teleport to plots. Once we push this next update and do a closed beta test, our focus will shift to how to do matchmaking (deathmatches/fighting, racing). However, this will not be anytime soon. There is lots of research and development to do on our end.

Q10: How can individuals interested in joining the team be useful in the development?

Sergio: Join our Discord channels. Hangout. Contribute in whatever way you want. If you have a skillset for 3D, create some 3D assets you think would vibe with the game. If you do music production, write some tracks you think would fit well, etc. If we like your stuff, we will reach out and have that conversation.

Note: Some edits have been made for formatting and readability.

The full AMA can be found at the link below:
https://t.me/NEO_EN/247118

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