Dalarnian Almanac: Game Economics, Part 1 — Miners

4 min readFeb 7, 2022

Greetings Miners!

We hope you enjoyed our first Almanac series on the Mining Plot System. If you missed it, you can find the three part series following the links below.

Mining Plots, Part 1

Mining Plots, Part 2

Mining Plots, Part 3

In the Game Economics series, we will discuss the game’s economy from the perspective of the Miners (players) and Mining Plot owners. We will also explore the economic relationships and opportunities created by the design of the Dalarnian world. Along the way, you will learn about the various forms of NFTs and other tokenized items that will be acquired and traded both inside and outside of the game.

Part 1 will primarily focus on the function of Mining within the economy. Let’s dig in!

TLDR Summary

For those who like a quick synopsis, here is the key points from this Almanac entry:

Mines of Dalarnia offers two roles: Miners and Mining Plot Owners. Players don’t have to stick with just one role and can participate in both aspects of the game at any time.
Players begin their gameplay journey on a small Free-to-Play planet that contains the most basic resources. The function of this planet is to allow players to try the game before deciding whether or not to invest in a mining passport and moving on to Terra Prime (and all future planets once they are created). For a full description of Mines of Dalarnia’s freemium model, read this article
Miner gameplay consists of doing mining runs in order to earn resources that can be used to craft more powerful equipment and consumable items
Miners can buy and sell resources, consumable items, and equipment with other players on the Mines of Dalarnia marketplace

For those who want all the details, read on!

Mines of Dalarnia is designed to allow for flexible play styles

It is important to understand that players can occupy any role in the course of their mining career, as they see fit. Some players will start out mining and later become plot owners. Some people may start by owning plots and then find themselves becoming a player as well.

In addition, some players will play primarily ‘for fun’ and power up their character, while others will dedicate themselves to finding interesting play-to-earn possibilities within the game. Many people will do both things simultaneously. The roles and activities you take on are entirely up to you!

Mines of Dalarnia January 2022 Alpha Gameplay Preview

Gameplay

Miners are focused on collecting resources by going on mining runs. With these resources they are able to improve their existing equipment and create new, more powerful equipment in order to raise their power level.

As mining options are limited by the miners power level, improving equipment creates more opportunities to mine for rare and valuable resources.

Players explore and excavate mining plots, fighting monsters and navigating environmental hazards along the way (to see an example, check out this play demo!). On each run, the player accumulates points which contribute to their score. This score determines the quality and quantity of resources they receive after their mining session. Exceptional runs may even result in a player receiving fully formed items (consumable items, collectibles, new equipment, etc).

Economy Flow Chart

Using the chart, we can easily visualize the various interactions a Miner will have with the game’s economy. The loop to the left covers the aspects we have discussed so far, where the Miners continuously explore plots in order to receive rewards and craft items.

On the right side of the chart, we can also see that Miners can interact with the game marketplace, where they can buy and sell resources, consumables and equipment with other players and owners.

We will explore these marketplace interactions more in depth in Part 3, where we discuss examples of complex economic relationships that can form between all of the game world’s participants.

Up Next

In Part 2, we will provide a brief overview of the Mining Plot Owners interactions within the game economy. See you again soon!

About Mines of Dalarnia

Mines of Dalarnia is a play-to-earn action adventure game with procedurally generated levels. Players mine and collect minerals, relics, and artifacts in order to upgrade their gear and unlock the secrets of the Dalarnia universe. A balanced in-game economy is created through a combination of exploration and land ownership, offering opportunities to players of all levels.

Visit our Website: https://www.minesofdalarnia.com/