The news came yesterday during the GLG Office Hours, where Aggy dropped this juicy scoop that would have gone unnoticed by most people, but it deserves its own article. Computer opponents (bots) are finally coming to Moonkarts, which would allow for full races of six karts to be played even if a single human is present. There is no timetable for this release, but the bots exist and are in testing phase, according to Aggy.
This is something the game desperately needs, and it has me excited about Moonkarts again after months of apathy. Back in May I gave a list of suggestions to make Moonkarts better and help attract new players, one of these was the introduction of computers in the game. The introduction of a campaign mode and earnable cosmetics would also be a great way to create player engagement, even at a free-to-play level. Moonkarts is a racing game, and racers want their cars to look good so cosmetic items make a lot of sense in this setting.
Until then, the bots are a great addition and will help eliminate scenarios like this, where no opponents show up while waiting in the queue. It's hard to play and earn when there are no players, and also the fact that most races would only involve a handful of players has led to some toxicity in the game. If every race is comprised of six karts, no matter how many actual humans are in the game, then it becomes less of a duel between two humans that might not like each other, and more of a genuine racing environment where you have to pay attention to bots as well as that other driver you don't like.
There is also the touchy subject of how good these computer karts have to be, to keep the game fair. After all, the current system of fuel to card level ratio makes playing any kind of leveled up card extremely expensive in terms of fuel. The NFTs themselves are also expensive, and many players might feel cheated if they see opponents appear that race karts that they couldn't afford themselves, even after spending significant money on the game. This is a question that must be resolved in a serious and delicate matter, but maybe not before fuel costs are revised across the board.
A few more changes like this, and we will start to look more like the game in the image below, and less like the pre-alpha product that I was reviewing back in December. This can only be good for the Arcade Colony ecosystem and will go a long way to prove the haters wrong, when they say no work is being done on the game. It is slow and steady work, and an overstretched team, but things are indeed happening and there are reasons to get excited.
I will have to review the game again at some point and see how much it has changed (for the better) and what work is still to be done. But I'll give you one pointer right now, the sound effects are simply horrific. The kart at max speed needs to make a smooth and enjoyable sound, which is definitely not the case now. Also, the acceleration to max speed feels way too fast even with a bad kart, especially after bumping into walls.
Good luck to the developers, it's time to "Buidl, buidl, buidl". Buidl and they will come.
Thanks for reading!