Sunflower Land Ecosystem Update (2024)

Howdy all, it’s the Bumpkin Builder here to bring you an update with Sunflower Land. Over the past six months, our Discord and Github have been buzzing with ideas and discussions from our incredible community. We’ve carefully considered all the suggestions and made some tough decisions as a team to ensure the long-term sustainability and prosperity of Sunflower Land.

In this post, we’ll delve into three key areas that we believe will shape the future of our game: an analysis of the ecosystem, upcoming economy updates, and our vision for Sunflower Land. Transparency is vital to us, so we want to share these details with you in a simplified and honest manner.

So let’s dive right in and explore the exciting changes that await us!

This post is purely for educational purposes. Opinions reflected are not representative of Financial advice nor do we recommend Cryptocurrency or NFTs should be invested in. Always do your own research.

As a decentralized game, we recognize the importance of analyzing external market conditions and the status of our tokens within the Sunflower Land ecosystem. We want to be open about key metrics and trends that have influenced our decision-making process:

Overall this year has been a challenge for Crypto Market. The $MATIC token, which powers the Polygon Blockchain has fallen from a high of $1.52 (February) to $0.67 (July). As a whole the sentiment in Blockchain tech was affected by significant Global and industry events including SBF, 3AC & more recently the SEC allegations on tokens as securities. Stable coins such as Ethereum and Bitcoin have been resilient, but we’ve witnessed a slowdown in alt-coins and alternate NFT projects. Taking a look at Open Sea Trading Volume highlights this shift in Crypto narrative with a drop in overall volume.

From the SFL side, there has been a similar hit in trading volume amongst our players on DEXes and marketplaces. Most noticeably is the community token SFL falling from $0.12 (February) to $0.04 (July). Trading volume appears to also have decreased by 50% since that period.

The in-game collectibles & wearables have retained substantial value compared to the wider NFT market. However, we have noticed the liquidity and pricing of in-game resources to have taken a considerable hit. This includes crops, fruit, minerals & gold.

We have seen more players engaging with NiftySwap, increasing the TVL of resources to $21,640 USD. However, as trading volume has increased we have also seen this as a new avenue for players to liquidate their crops to attain SFL. We have noticed staple resources such as Gold fall from 6.5 SFL (February) to 4.85 SFL (July). Given that input costs to mine gold have retained the same, this reflects an increased sell pressure & sentiment amongst players.

While we do not engage in activities like token shilling or pumping, we recognize that a thriving economy contributes to the quality of the game. It ensures there are enough resources available for trading and enhances the overall experience for players. With this understanding, we have planned some changes to improve the sustainability of our game’s economy.

At Sunflower Land, we have chosen a unique approach to tokenomics that sets us apart from other crypto projects. We do not have team allocations, VC funding, governance tokens, staking models, or other artificial financial controls. Instead, our focus is on building a diverse and engaging game that addresses economic concerns organically similar to traditional Web2 games.

To address inflation and economic constraints, we have planned the following improvements for the upcoming season:

One of the key changes we are implementing is with our upcoming halvening. This period involves halving the SFL value of in-game resources, making it twice as hard to earn SFL tokens. The purpose of this shift is to combat token inflation and maintain a balanced economy.

The upcoming halvening is scheduled to take place on the 10th of July 2023 12am UTC.

A key change with this upcoming halvening is that tool requirements will not be halved as they previously were.

But wait, the team said tools would be halved?

The initial plan was that tools would be halved as well, but after carefully considering and reviewing the balance of resources we have decided they no longer will be. We need to reduce the resource inflation — this will achieve that without taking away resources from players.

The team made some key changes to the requirements of tools during this period (4–5 months ago where we reduced costs) & have so far have found these successful for player progression and engagement. Wood and minerals have now become foundational resources for crafting and expansion in Sunflower Land, serving as reference points for the price of rare SFTs and in-game challenges. To avoid a drastic drop in the value of these core resources, we have decided to keep the price of tools the same.

We understand players may of used or sold these resources in anticipation for a price drop. We rarely make such decisions but in this case felt it was necessary to protect the resource economy.

Here’s how the halvening will affect various in-game resources:

✅ Crops & Fruit: 50% cheaper

✅ Chickens: 50% cheaper

✅ Treasure Island Bounty: 50% cheaper

❌ Tools: Price remains the same

❌ Expansions: Price remains the same

❌ Decorations: Price remains the same

❌ Deliveries: Profit remains the same (overall price is adjusted to resources)

❌ Equipment (e.g., Scarecrows): 50% cheaper

For more details on the halvening, please refer to our official docs.

Why is Treasure Island Bounty Halving?

Since the cost to acquire wood and minerals remain the same, why are bounty prices halving?

With the introduction of the MMO, we will be utilising Treasure Island more for quest content and relying less on RNG drops. Resources found at Treasure Island will become staple resources used in crafting and a range of Sunflower Land quests. Since we now have a new utility for Treasure Island and the items found, we no longer need to rely on the SFL price of these items as much.

Treasure Island Items will continue to be used in different gameplay features, quests, auctions and rare mints.

Why are deliveries not halving?

Deliveries are a great way for players to diversify their resource management, focussing on crops, fruit, chickens, resource gathering and much more. To encourage this behaviour, we will retain the current SFL profit that each delivery yields (The SFL profit is the bonus SFL that is calculated on top of the input costs for a delivery).

Maintaining an enticing delivery price also encourages new players to complete these orders and have sufficient SFL to craft tools and expand their land.

We have observed that many players have accumulated excess resources and SFL without sufficient use cases for them. This situation often leads to hoarding or selling resources, which can negatively impact the economy. To address this, we are introducing several measures to give more utility to these resources.

NPC Delivery + Ticket System

In the upcoming season, players will have the opportunity to complete a range of NPC quests alongside their regular chores. These quests will require players to burn their resources in exchange for tickets. This new system aims to burn a significant amount of resources and SFL while doing so.

By completing these quests, players can earn tickets that rival the rewards from the chore system. Approximately 40–60% of the tickets can be obtained through resource burning, with the remaining tickets earned through regular chores and special events. This places emphasis on players who excel at effectively managing their farms and collecting a variety of resources.

The NPC quests will be available on a daily basis, limiting the impact that whales could have on earning endless tickets in a short period of time. The tasks will vary in difficulty and requirements, catering to both newcomers and experienced players with abundant resources.

Consistent Auctions

Our previous Auctions were highly successful and enjoyed by many players. For instance, the “Sir GoldenSnout” Auction alone saw resources worth 400,000 SFL burned. To continue burning significant amounts of SFL and resources, we plan to consistently release Auction items.

Each month, we aim to release two rare SFTs with similar burn rates as Sir GoldenSnout. Additionally, we will introduce two SFTs that are more accessible to the wider player base, with supplies ranging from 1,000 to 5,000. We will also experiment with different Auction styles & time periods to keep these fresh and exciting!

By regularly launching desirable collectibles through Auctions, we ensure a continuous burn of SFL and resources.

Potion House

Finally, we are excited to launch the Potion House (August), which many of you have seen exciting teasers and updates about recently. The Potion House will require players to collect crops and resources, which they can then burn to craft potions. These potions will yield rare decorations and prized Mutant Crops.

Please note that the Potion House is not designed for newcomers. It will require players who have gathered a significant amount of resources to craft the required potions and complete the challenges. Crafting these potions will involve a combination of crops, fruits, eggs, wood, and minerals. The overall aim is to introduce additional deflationary measures for the major resources driving our ecosystem.

We want to emphasize that this list of updates is not exhaustive. We have more plans in store, including special events, burns, and mini-games that we intend to launch.

Our primary goal in these economic updates is to ensure overwhelming utility for all types of resources within Sunflower Land. We believe that the majority of players should aim to spend their resources, avoiding hoarding or selling as their only options. Once we achieve this state of gameplay, we will focus on further diversifying resources within the game.

Sunflower Land is about effectively managing a complex ecosystem of resources on your farm. In the past six months, we have shifted our focus from a specialized farming approach to encouraging players to engage in all aspects of farming. This can be seen in the Chore system, where players are required to farm crops, fruit, chickens, and gather resources instead of focusing on a single resource. The delivery system also introduces additional requirements such as minerals, wood and treasure items, further diversifying player activities.

We believe that this approach makes the game more robust, less repetitive, and mitigates the risk of players becoming too specialized in a single approach, which can lead to unsustainable SFL.

Over the past three months, we have received incredible ideas from the community on how to diversify player outputs and improve the economy. We would like to acknowledge members such as Dcol, Polysemouse, Aeon, Inubakabo, ChickenX, Keen, Tourist and many others who have raised proposals. These players put a lot of effort behind the scene formulating and sharing these ideas and we are extremely grateful! As a thanks these players will all be receiving an SFL Care Package.

These solutions propose mechanisms to challenge extractor mindsets and single crop focus. These include:

• Infertile Soil + Crop Rotations
• Natural Disasters + Weather events
• Diminishing Market Returns
• Weeds, Rats & Crop Infestations
• NPC Fame Score (additional buffs + tickets for those who hold resources)

Throughout the season, we will test some of these approaches to find suitable solutions. We understand that these changes may require players to adjust their gameplay strategies, and we expect new strategies to emerge as a result.

We are constantly evolving and looking for ways to enhance the gameplay experience for our players. We have some exciting vision updates to share with you

MMO Style pushes forward

We are embracing the MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) style for more upcoming features in Sunflower Land. This means adding a variety of quests and a longer, more engaging storyline for players to enjoy. We want to immerse you in a rich and dynamic world where you can embark on epic adventures and make meaningful progress.

Our core gameplay will always remain around farm & resource management. The goal is to expand your island and build an epic farming empire. We see your main island as the core gameplay and the MMO aspect as a world to explore, meet others and burn your gathered resources.

In line with this vision, we are excited to introduce upcoming features such as fishing, which will take place within the MMO-style world. We will also migrate existing features such as Treasure Island & Goblin Retreat into the MMO. This will add a new dimension to the gameplay and provide opportunities for exploration and discovery.

Social Layer and Interoperability

Our vision extends beyond individual gameplay experiences. We want to leverage the social layer within Sunflower Land to create a more vibrant and interactive community. This includes features like trading, guilds, and cooperative gameplay, where players can come together, collaborate, and achieve common goals. We believe that fostering a strong sense of community is key to building a thriving ecosystem.

To facilitate this vision, we are introducing Community Islands. Soon, players will have the opportunity to start building their own islands within Sunflower Land. This opens up a whole new realm of creativity and possibilities. We will provide support and grants to beloved developers and artists in our community, empowering them to shape their own unique islands and contribute to the overall richness of the game.

Partnerships and Interoperable Gameplay

We are committed to fostering partnerships and enabling interoperable gameplay experiences. We want to break down barriers and create opportunities for external gamers to come and play Sunflower Land. Our community islands will serve as a hub for these collaborations, allowing players from other games and platforms to interact with our world.

By embracing interoperability, we aim to create a dynamic and diverse player ecosystem. We believe that by opening our doors to external gamers, we can bring fresh perspectives and experiences to Sunflower Land, enriching the gameplay for everyone involved.

We understand there is a lot to digest in this announcement. We hope you are as excited about these vision updates as our team is. We are committed to continuously improving and expanding the game based on our community’s feedback and ideas. Together, let’s create a vibrant and engaging world where farming, exploration, and social interactions flourish.

Thank you for your continued support and trust in our vision.