Star Atlas has pushed out a major new update titled “Dawn of the Freighter” over to their browser-based strategy game SAGE Labs to make it simpler for players to play and earn $ATLAS tokens, according to the announcement, by introducing 2 significant features.

The Dawn of the Freighter update enhances gameplay in this web3 game by adding 2 “transformative” mechanics: Local Marketplaces and Faction Infrastructure Contracts.

What Are Local Marketplaces in SAGE Labs?

Local Marketplaces improve the game’s blockchain-powered economy by introducing an independent market in each starbase in the Galia Expanse, adding an “entirely new layer of commerce” to this sci-fi world.

Thanks to this new feature, you no longer need to take your items outside the game if you want to trade them. Instead, you can now directly trade items with other players at a local market of any starbase. As a result, every starbase now has its own player-driven local economy, meaning that prices could actually vary from one area to the next based on supply and demand at that starbase. This could give players the opportunity to profit from price differences, as specific goods could be more valuable to a certain starbase than others. The 6% Galactic Marketplace's seller fee still applies to these mini economies though, but you can lower the fee by locking $ATLAS in the $ATLAS locker.

Local markets effectively transform strategic gameplay, as they give players the opportunity to take on new roles for an even more engaging blockchain gaming experience. This change simultaneously adds both gameplay depth and simplicity, as players could now have an easier way to earn $ATLAS tokens. It will be interesting to see how this feature affects item prices over the long-term, and how successful will players be in navigating these local economies to become the best traders of the galaxy.

There is however now a more predictable way to earn a fixed amount of $ATLAS tokens, and that is by crafting and redeeming Faction Infrastructure Contracts.

How Do Faction Infrastructure Contracts Work in SAGE Labs?

Faction Infrastructure Contracts (FICs) are designed to provide a predictable way for players to earn in the Star Atlas economy. They can be crafted at starbases and redeemed to earn 2 $ATLAS tokens per contract. You can’t redeem them wherever you want and whenever you want though. Only in specific timeframes are you allowed to redeem FICs at certain starbases.

There are a total of 3 different contracts you can craft, one per faction: MUD Faction, ONI Faction, and USTUR Faction. Each faction has 6 rotating starbases from which you can redeem FICs, with only 3 per faction active at the same time. They rotate every 7 days. Here is the selection of starbases chosen for each faction:

  • MUD Faction: MUD-2, MUD-5, MRZ-7, MRZ-8, MRZ-9, MRZ-12
  • ONI Faction: ONI-2, ONI-3, MRZ-36, MRZ-26, MRZ-31, MRZ-30
  • USTUR Faction: UST-2, UST-5, MRZ-17, MRZ-28, MRZ-32, MRZ-33

Each Faction Infrastructure Contract has its own crafting recipe. Here is how many resources you need for each faction’s contract:

  • MUD Infrastructure Contract Recipe:
    • Frameworks: 234 units
    • Energy Substrate: 78 units
    • Survey Data Units (SDU): 5 units
  • ONI Infrastructure Contract Recipe:
    • Frameworks: 234 units
    • Strange Emitter: 64 units
    • Survey Data Units (SDU): 5 units
  • Ustur Infrastructure Contract Recipe:
    • Frameworks: 234 units
    • Electronics: 157 units
    • Survey Data Units (SDU): 5 units

As this new feature adds a new way to play and earn $ATLAS tokens, the developers have decided to lower emissions for the LP system to 4.5 million daily $ATLAS tokens to make room for this new earning mechanic. This means LP emissions are down from 2 million per faction, to 1.5 million tokens per faction.

For more Star Atlas news, check out the ongoing Golden Carnival event, which is now in week 7, and learn more about the journey to building this space metaverse so far in our interview with Star Atlas CEO Michael Wagner.