Project Nebula, the popular ICON blockchain-based 4X science fiction NFT game, is rolling out some exciting new features this month.
Launched in July 2021, Project Nebula has so far primarily been focused on space exploration, with players piloting NFT spaceships around the galaxy in search of star systems containing claimable NFT planets they can auction off for $ICX on the in-game marketplace. There’s more to it than that, of course — a basic primer for prospective new players can be found in this article — but the game’s loyal fans have been waiting expectantly for development team ICON Forge to add new elements to gameplay.
That day has finally come — ICON Forge has promised four new features to be launched within the game by the end of the year, including new ships, new missions, craftable star maps and an accelerated marketplace.
Hop into a GEN1 ship
The first new introduction came on November 30 with the presale launch of the GEN1 Terran spaceship fleet. New ships include the Chrysalis, the Illex and the Zethus, the latter of which is currently the cheapest spaceship in Project Nebula’s marketplace priced at around 140 ICX (approximately USD 180 when this article was written). The new GEN1 spaceships have been hotly anticipated as an answer to the inflated prices of GEN0 ships.
Become a part of the story
New missions are also forthcoming. A mission log screen is being added to the game, wherein players can find available missions based on their spaceship’s position in New Galaxy, the game’s setting. New missions can be found in various locations such as spacedocks and asteroids.
There will be storylines players can progress through, requiring players to travel great expanses of space to earn NFT consumables and possibly even new spaceships. Stories include rescue missions, information gathering, black market trading and more. There are even Terran Faction missions for players that want to get involved in the political intrigue of the region.
Map out the stars
In addition to the new activities that missions create, Project Nebula explorers will soon be able to create star map NFTs. Requiring only that the players explore the entirety of a single sector and then load the data onto a blank map drive (which is also acquired in-game), the maps will then be sellable on the in-game marketplace.
Anyone who possesses a star map will be able to see all objects within the sector and can travel around it with a reduced hex cost. As the star maps are sure to create a strategic advantage for anyone who plays the game, it will be interesting to see how much ICX they will fetch in Project Nebula’s open market.
Become a space merchant
Which leads us to the fourth new feature being rolled out this year: a greatly expanded marketplace with more goods to buy and sell. Consumables and blueprints will be made available as tradable NFTs (in addition to the aforementioned star maps, ships and planets). Tradable material and component NFTs will also be added slightly later on.
The marketplace itself will also be improved with buy and sell orders. With all the new NFT types players can discover, the game’s Play-to-Earn model is expected to become much more fluid as players can adapt their play strategies to meet demand on the market.
And there’s more to come
All of the above has been promised to launch before the new year. In 2022 and beyond, ICON Forge has even grander plans in store.
Crafting is still promised to come soon to the game, which will see players crafting all sorts of consumable and non-consumable NFT items. This is sure to become a huge part of the game, allowing players new freedom to set their own goals.
Other future additions include PvE (player versus environment) and PvP (player versus player) combat, which will finally make the game a true 4X strategy game — the fourth “X” in the strategy game genre traditionally stands for “Exterminate”. It will be exciting to see how this addition to the game plays out across the far reaches of New Galaxy.
