The Cronos blockchain launched Mane.city soon after launching the Cronos EVM blockchain. I didn't get into the game as it was obviously a way to sell NFTs. You can buy avatars, land, and other NFTs to help you level up. It's a game similar to Splinterlands where you buy land and develop it to generate resources. Whereas Splinterlands can be funded with your HIVE or cash, Mane City can be funded with cash or CRO tokens. I discovered that you don't need to pay into the game to play. My interest is to find out if there is a way to earn CRO without having to put in cash.
I have learned that there are all kinds of ways to earn CRO when you invest yourself into the ecosystem. This is very similar to how participating on Hive helps you build your stake. This realization was the tipping point that convinced me to give it a try.
Guided Learning
So far, Mane City has been guiding me through how to play the game. It sets up goals and then points out what features to use. There is also a lion that pops up to explain things. There is a written guide linked from the home page, if you want to learn before jumping in.
No Investment So Far
I haven't had to buy anything yet, other than with gold and diamonds I'm earning in the game. My main investment is time. The gold and diamonds you earn can be used to buy resources and level up. The more you level up, the greater your income. Plus, as you go through the tutorial, you get bonuses that are helpful towards reaching your next goal. I'm wondering how far I'll get before I hit a wall that requires spending cash to buy NFTs.
The avatars are available for purchase. But the prices are a bit steep for me. The Loaded Lions NFTs start at about $1,000. Dark Lions start at about $110. And Cyber Cubs start at $90. There are other things such as backpacks, tools, weapons, and armor NFTs you can purchase. But as I don't have any vouchers, I haven't bought anything.
Cashing Out
I have yet to earn any vouchers, which is the currency you need to buy things from the market. And you can also cash in the vouchers for CRO tokens. I'm not certain where those tokens go, whether the Crypto.com Onchain wallet or within the Crypto.com app. The same goes for any NFTs acquired in game.
The Value of Patience
The game encourages daily participation. In that sense, it's like having a pet. They incentivize you with free daily spins to acquire prizes. And there are daily giveaways to claim. And, if you have patience, you can simply allow your gold and diamonds accumulate to level up your businesses and buy other resources.
Not having patience obviously leads players to spend money or CRO to buy resources. In one YouTube video I watched about Mane City, the guy had put about $2000 into the game. That's not how I plan on playing the game. The asset I'm putting in is time.
For now, I'm still learning and leveling up with guidance. I don't know at what point the training stops. But there are still things that aren't available to me at my level. And the goals typically include leveling up your businesses and your Avatar to unlock features.
Discipline
One thing that is obvious is that besides having the discipline to not put cash into the game, I must also have the discipline to not get stuck on playing for too long. I'm going to need a timer to limit my playtime. Just sitting there for a minute means your gold and diamonds build up, allowing you to do another level up or take some other action. The "just one more" lure gets you hooked.
I look forward to sharing updates about my progress with Mane City.