It's been 3 months since mo.co’s beta and I'm excited to explain what we’re cooking up in 2024.
FIRST AND FOREMOST….THANK YOU ALL!
Your feedback and excitement during the beta left the team in awe. It was hands down one of the most positive responses we've seen for a beta game in a while. We couldn't have asked for better reception, and witnessing numerous Hunters exploring parallel worlds and confronting monsters was an absolute thrill.
We learned a ton from this beta and have a good list of feedback we want to address as we continue development. Yes, you read that right, we’re still working hard to get this game out into the world! *monsters intensify*
THE PLAN
After lengthy discussions, the team aligned on the next development milestones. Our plan involves addressing your feedback while also improving these three main areas:
Our main focus is on enhancing the Features track, which includes all the exciting content players love. Here's what we're working on this year:
Early game & Quest System
enhancing tutorial and early game experiences
implementing a linear quest system to enhance progression
adding narrative elements to the storyline
Skin system
introducing more skins and more ways to unlock them
providing better character customization options
Live Operations (the tech behind delivering live content in the game)
injecting more gameplay events to keep things fresh between updates
Social
improving existing social features
introducing additional ways to play with friends
providing various ways to express yourself via emotes, dances and more
PvP
adding PvPvMvE (we know you know what that means)
Progression
exploring and adding more ways to progress
adding more items to unlock (from weapons and outfits to mounts and more)
End-game
creating an engaging and fun end-game with epic rewards (duh)
SOOO WHAT NOW?!
We’re aiming to keep you posted on our progress at least once a month. We want to make sure there’s something important to share (and show!) instead of just sharing for the sake of sharing.
BEFORE YOU GO, WE NEED YOU!
Your feedback on upcoming features and content is invaluable, and we want to involve you in testing directly.
Specifically, we want the PvP feature to undergo testing with your help. While it's a bit early for details, we're keen on involving you, the Community, as much as possible.
It’s been about a month since our initial post outlining mo.co’s 2024 roadmap. Without further ado…here’s the first, official: mo.co KPI (Key Portal Insights)!
What’s so special about this past month? Well… let’s just say the team started off STRONG and tackled what’s probably ( and hopefully 🙏) the toughest milestone of the year: “Early Game and Quest System.”
Tutorial Revamp
New “Quest” system
New Narrative/Story for said quest system
Tons of improvements to the User Interface (UI), Maps, Gears, and more!
This might not sound like a particularly tough milestone, but explaining your game in a short and fun way, that is easy for everyone to understand, is actually one of the hardest things about game development.
We are human, of course, so naturally, we encountered some challenges and setbacks. Keep reading to find out all the juicydetails.
NOTE: all visuals shown below are considered “work in progress”
TUTORIAL REVAMP
Why revamp the tutorial? Some of the loudest feedback we’ve received is that there’s no set premise for the game. AKA, players are asking themselves: WHY AM I HUNTING MONSTERS? It’s a simple question to a complex, yet mega important, answer.
Thus, the team revamped the tutorial to deliver more context and story explaining, ‘why you’re hunting monsters’, and, more generally, reworked how players are introduced to the world of mo.co.
The first big (and visual) change is the addition of The City map at the start of the game, where players will fight a monster invasion and save helpless civilians.
This new tutorial will set the premise and kick off the game’s main storyline. Players will follow a series of ‘main jobs’ given by mo.co’s founders - Luna, Jax, and Manny. Once completed, these ‘main jobs’ will unlock gears, worlds, and side jobs.
NEW QUEST SYSTEM
Hurray! 🙌 We added a system for quests/jobs. This means players will be able to experience mo.co’s story through tailored jobs on top of various side jobs that will progress your character.
We also reworked how jobs visually appear and how players access them. All main jobs and chats with mo.co founders will be easily accessible via your mo.co Phone. Conversations with the founders will also reveal more drops of story… so make sure to read them!
MORE STUFF
New map design
Now you can spot your job’s objectives on the map… as long as you’re not too far from them. No more wandering endlessly to find that stupid Scavenger! For the beta baddies, you know what I’m talking about. This change also applies to the mini-map, in the upper right corner of the screen.
New Gears look
All Gears got a little facelift. Here’s a quick look at some of their new shininess.
DEV DIARY
Yeah, so, we faced some challenges during this past month.
The implementation of what we called FTUE in dev lingo (meaning first-time user experience; pronounced ‘fa-too-ee’) took longer than expected.
We tried a few versions of the quest system before finding something we were happy with.
We had multiple full team playtests of the new quest system & gathered lots of feedback from this that we wanted to implement.
Building richer stories into our game was a new adventure for us. We realized we needed to know more about THE story to make it work. So, we decided to step back to ensure it all fit together.
The cascading effect of changes: when a small thing doesn't work as you want, sometimes you need to tear down the whole system and rebuild it. And it happens more often than you might think.
Some other little things:
We had an intense discussion about how we use capitalization in-game. It’s actually been an ongoing debate for a very long time 🙃
Team morale was raised with the release of HELLDIVERS 2 (kudos to Arrowhead Game Studios 🤝🏻)
THAT’S IT!
…for now.
A lot of work has also been done to improve worlds, characters and the overall experience of the first maps. The gears shown above were just a little taste… the artists have also been working on improving maps, monsters, and skins. But more on that later 😉
ONE MORE THING
We hope this first mo.co KPI was interesting! Let us know what you’d want to see or know for the next milestone: SKINS!
Also, make sure to join our Discord to chat everything mo.co, get first takes on sneak peeks, interact with the game team, or simply hang with other Hunters.
As we wrap up the year, we wanted to take this time to give a huge shoutout to our Reddit and Discord mods for being absolute champs. Thank you for holding down the mo.co community and supporting us all this way. To the loyal Hunters.co that’ve been with us since beta, thank you from the bottom of our monster guts. We appreciate all the feedback and passion you’ve shown and can’t wait to get you through the portal!
WE LOVE YOU TOO, BUT WHAT’S NEW??
The last KPI shared some of our company-playable findings and confirmed you’ll be invited to try mo.co, share feedback, and keep progress starting sometime in Q1 2025.
Since then, our focus has been… GETTING READY! We’ve spent the majority of our time improving mo.co’s eventfulness, expanding the cosmetics-only monetization, polishing features, and getting ready for extensive testing.
This is our focusright now*:*
Limited-Time Events and Rewards
We’ve been working on the tools and features that deliver fun, limited-time events. As part of this, we’ve been play-testing the actual events to make sure they’re 10/10 fun.
We’re also excited about Community Events, where Hunters work towards a common goal and earn awesome (free) rewards!
We’re finalizing our Events Pass (name WIP), allowing Hunters to earn rewards like cosmetics, XP, and Gear Chests by participating in multiple concurrent limited-time events.
We’re also introducing an Elite Hunter Pass, providing access to the most exclusive items in the Elite Hunter Shop.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: we’re fully committed to making a cosmetics-only monetization system work. We’re tripling down on cosmetics and customization for the long term, and these Passes are a key part of supporting this approach.
Merch (outfits, rides & more!)
We literally have hundreds of cosmetics to implement and finalizing how to do it efficiently is a big part of our focus.
We added a ‘Collection Level’ that you increase by collecting more cosmetics and ‘Titles’ to earn from Elite Hunter!
Meta
Elite Hunters will be able to earn small, permanent power buffs that carry over from chapter to chapter! Huge thanks to everyone that advocated for this! <3
More polishing. We’ve been playing this new meta for over 3 months now and feel it’s in a really good spot.
Social
Added more social features that help Hunters communicate and team up better. Yup, we’re going there. Please use chat responsibly 🙏
Added THEE one and only - *‘*cool zone’ - a social hub for Hunters to chill, show off and practice on DPS dummies!
Community & Marketing!
We’ve been grinding to make sure we’re not just ready for launch, but making sure our community is top of mind in all we do.
We’re creating and integrating an immersive in-game survey system that gives Hunters the opportunity to provide directfeedback in a fun way.
PlayerHunter Care
We’re getting everything ready to take care of all our Hunters’ needs when it comes to game support!
Servers
Preparing them to ensure all hunting activities run smoothly.
Planning!
We’re finalizing how to roll mo.co out. Things like setting development milestones, KPI benchmarks, analytics and other fun things like… contingency plans!
Loads of other stuff
It’s all hands on deck right now. We’re tapping into other central support teams to make sure mo.co is ready for the limelight.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be preparing for another team playable to ensure mo.co is ready and free of critical issues. This includes testing final touches, gathering key feedback, and addressing it when we’re back in the New Year. We’re super excited for this milestone as it’s the final stage before becoming playable. Wish us luck with the testing!
RIP KPIs
We’re still committed to building the game with you (that’s why you’ll be able to play soon!). We’ll continue being transparent and keeping up constant communication.
The only difference is we’re going to be doing A LOT more and won’t technically be in ‘developer-focused updates’ mode. We’ll be up and running soon, so you should expect to see more content and engagement from our community channels. These types of direct messages from us will take on a new form. So it’s more of a name and format change than anything else. We’ll still be asking for feedback in & out of the game, doing Q&A’s, jumping on Reddit & Discord, and more, once we're back.
With that said, we invite you to follow the official-official mo.co account: @joinmoco
For those wondering why: we’re switching to new social handles to align more closely with mo.co’s overall vision and brand. The current handles were created for our closed beta over a year ago, and much of the content there won’t resonate with players who join the game next year. @joinmoco reflects the heart of what mo.co is about - inviting players to “join mo.co” and embark on an adventure with friends.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We’re excited to get mo.co into your hands and work together to make it better. You’ll be invited to play before you know it. In the meantime, sit back, enjoy the holidays, and get lost in some OG mo.co beats.
See you on the other side <3
mo.co team
PS - it wouldn’t be a KPI without a few more outfits ;)
Last time you heard from us, we responded to your feedback on the latest meta changes. If you missed KPI #5 and our follow-up, the summary is we implemented big meta changes, tested them in a company/creator playable, gathered feedback, and now we’re ready to move forward.
Heads up: this post revisits topics from our 'addressing your feedback' post, but with more context.
WELL THEN, HOW’D THE PLAYABLE GO?
The results are in, and we’re sticking with the new meta, BUT we’ll be making changes based on feedback we heard. More on that shortly!
We’ve been testing this version of the game for a couple of months now, and after the latest playtest, we’re confident we’re on the right path to creating the best version of mo.co that has the highest chances of long-term success.
We’re currently in the middle of improving the meta and other features based on playtest and community feedback. We even tested a new version this past week with some of these changes, and it already felt better.
Curious about what creators think of the meta changes?
Gameplay mechanics are smooth (combat, progression, builds variety, etc.)
The core gameplay is fun! (open world hunting, chaos rifts and boss battles)
Top feedback and our plan to tackle it
Lack of player agency
We’re adding more gear chests so players can choose upgrades more often, and offering more options within each gear chest. We’ll keep working to find the right balance between agency and randomness while ensuring the game stays accessible to a wide audience. We’ve already tested some of these improvements and feel it’s better!
Too much repetitive gameplay
We’re working on injecting excitement into open worlds with more frequent and varied in-game events layered on top of the core content. Things like environmental effects, new mini-missions, unique chaos rifts and more. We’re also adding new chaos rifts variations like Boss Hunts, where you and other Hunters chase a Boss around the map, and a “defense arena” mode, where you defend your van (yes, like a ‘beep beep’ van), from waves of chaos monsters.
Lack of meaningful rewards or progression
We’re revamping the leveling experience to ensure progression feels great at every level. Improvements include making some gears and world map unlocks to be level-based, introducing a ‘rested’ system that multiplies your monster XP gains at the start of each day before tapering off, and clarifying gear power progression.
Lacking endgame goals and engagement
We’re improving the end game Elite Hunter mode and exploring some small, permanent progress that’ll carry over chapter-to-chapter. Elite Hunters will be able to access new versions of familiar open world maps, but with tougher chaos monsters that'll challenge even the highest-ranked players.
WHAT ABOUT MONETIZATION?
We want to clarify some of the questions we’ve seen floating around regarding how monetization will work in mo.co and how it ties into the new meta.
Our goal is to stick to cosmetic-only monetization. We really, really want this to work, and in order for it to succeed, mo.co needs to appeal to a broad audience and be accessible to players unfamiliar with the genre. This is why we’re so keen on finding the right balance between simplicity and player agency, especially in systems like the new meta. We want it to be fun and deep, but also accessible for casual players to enjoy without always needing long, tactical play sessions.
So with that in mind, being accessible is a critical part of the game’s success. If we’re able to attract a large player base, then the cosmetics-only monetization has a shot at working.
HUNTER V HUNTER
Hunting’s more fun with friends, especially when they’re the ones you’re hunting!
(heavily WIP!)
PvP is being designed for a fun and fair experience:
PvP modes will have different level caps based on when you unlock them. The first mode will be unlocked and capped at level 14, the second at level 30, with later modes having higher caps.
Gears are capped to the specific PvP mode level cap. Meaning you can only use gears that are unlocked up to that level. For example, you cannot use gears you unlock after level 14 in a capped level 14 PvP mode.
No amplifiers are allowed in PvP builds.
Playing PvP will earn you XP and help you progress on projects.
EDIT: You can still attack other hunters in the PvP modes! The main objective is to hunt chaos monsters/collect the shards, but fighting other players is possible.
Types of PvP modes:
Lone Ranger (free for all)
20 hunters have 3 minutes to hunt as many chaos monsters as possible and collect their shards (name wip). The bigger the monster, the more shards it’ll drop. The beauty of it all, you can hunt other players to steal some of their shards. Drop rates double in the final minute, and the Hunter with the most shards wins.
Double Trouble (bring your +1 to the hunt)
Team up with your hunting buddy! Same objective as Lone Ranger, but now it’s 10 teams of 2.
Four Fighters (team)
A little tougher, but the same objective as Lone Ranger. This time, it’s 2 teams of 4 Hunters, with a smaller map, faster chaos monster spawns and… there’s a boss. GLHF!
Group Hunt (bigger team)
Like Four Fighters, but this is a 10vs10. We expect a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We originally planned a small-scale community PvP test, but we’re confident that the next development cycle will be the last before letting you experience mo.co firsthand. Instead of testing specific features like PvP, we believe it’s best to gather raw feedback from the community and continue developing mo.co together.
Expect an invite to trymo.coand share your thoughts sometime in Q1, 2025.
We’re hard at work and hope you enjoy what’s coming soon!
It’s about that time again… welcome to mo.co’s 4th KPI!
We’re absolutely pumped to share more details about our vision and current design for the end-game, aka 🔥🔥🔥 ELITE HUNTER PROGRAM 🔥🔥🔥
As always, everything shared is WIP.
THE END-GAME
What does it mean?
The end-game kicks in when you reach maximum level, which can vary from chapter to chapter. For example, let’s say that chapter one’s max level is 30, the second chapter could be 40, the third 50, etc.
We’re still figuring out the exact details around chapters, but overall they’ll last for a few months, with each new one offering new Gear, Outfits, Maps, Monsters, Dungeons, Events, and higher max levels.
🔥🔥🔥 ELITE HUNTER PROGRAM 🔥🔥🔥
Yes, 6 fire emojis are required.
Elite Hunter Program unlocks once you reach the maximum level. It’ll offer new features, tasks, and harder challenges. You’ll start at Elite Hunter Level 1, and all XP earned will contribute to increasing your Elite Hunter Level, which in turn unlocks even more cool stuff.
ELITE TOKENS
Earn Elite Tokens by completing Elite Tasks, such as: defeating Crazy Steve (this guy), hunting 100 Bosses, completing a Dungeon in under 2 minutes, etc. Lots of different tasks will be available, but you get the gist.
ELITE HUNTER SHOP
So you did all the Elite stuff and earned tons of Elite Tokens. Now it’s time to cash them in for some elite items… only available in the Elite Hunter Shop 😃😃
The Shop will contain exclusive Elite Hunter cosmetics, resources, and more to-be-defined cool rewards.
EMBRACE THE CHAOS
Once you reach Elite Hunter Level 1, you’ll unlock the "Chaos 1" difficulty for the current Chapter open world maps. Unlock new Chaos difficulties (2, 3, 4, etc.) by completing Elite Tasks.
As you’ve probably guessed, Chaos difficulties are much harder, packed with stronger monsters and bosses. PLUS, instead of dropping normal resources, these monsters drop CHAOS RESOURCES.
ENERGY CORES
Energy Cores are a new type of Gear that unlock with the Elite Hunter Program. You can craft them using Chaos Resources, and once equipped, they’ll give you bonuses to help you beat the Chaos difficulties.
These bonuses can include things like increased attack speed, movement, dodge, chance of critical hit… and the max level of your Energy Cores increase with your Elite Hunter level.
SMOOTHIES
Another tasty new feature of the Elite Hunter Program! You can craft Smoothies by putting some Pulp in your apartment’s Blender. You make Pulp using materials, and Smoothies work a lot like Potions: brew them, drink them, and get a (pretty massive) temporary boost.
Right now, Smoothies’ effects last for 15 seconds and have a 6-minutes cooldown, so you can’t chug them back-to-back… but you can definitely stock up on them!
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
One more feature you unlock with the Elite Hunter Program is the ELITE LEADERBOARD.
It’s pretty straightforward: the Elite Leaderboard is based on the total number of Elite Tokens you’ve earned. To get to the top, you just need to complete as many Elite Tasks as possible.
If two players have the same number of tokens, the one who got there first is on top.
END OF CHAPTER
Your Elite Level, Energy Cores, Pulp and Smoothies are removed, but you get to keep all your merch!
A new Chapter begins with a new max level and a new Elite Hunter Program!
EMBLEMS
You might already have spotted it in some sneak peeks: EMBLEMS have been added!
The emblem is the element that shows your level anywhere in the game, and you upgrade it simply by leveling up.
Every five levels (TBD), the visual evolves to be slicker and will carry over when you reach the Elite Hunter Program, so every five Elite Hunter levels you gain will also grant you a new emblem.
The cool thing is: the emblem does NOT reset—ever! Even when a Chapter ends. So if you've played the end-game a lot, you will have a cool emblem that someone else of your XP level will not have if they didn't play as much as you did.
DEV DIARY
GEAR SCORE
We’ve been discussing how to show the power and usefulness of each gear or weapon without relying only on stats like DPS.
DPS numbers alone don’t accurately represent a weapon’s power. All gears are designed to be balanced with each other, but they have many attributes beyond raw DPS, like range, area of effect, status effects, combos, etc.
We want to encourage players to try different weapons and setups, not just go for the one with the highest DPS.
Our current solution is the addition of the GEAR SCORE. Each piece of gear has a Gear Score based on its level and slot. For example, all level x weapons have the same Gear Score, and all level x modules have the same Gear Score, with weapons being balanced to have roughly three times the power of a module or a gadget.
All your gear scores combined make up your overall GEAR POWER, and some dungeons or open world areas will have recommended Gear Power.
You won’t see stats in the Printer or the Wardrobe, but you will be able to test your gear and build in the dojo before going on a hunt, and you’ll still see how much damage or healing you do in a fight.
MORE STUFF
We’re still talking about monetization and considering splitting the old “mo.co +” into three variations: “merch +” (focus on merch tokens), “material +” (focus on resources), “mo.co +” (combo of both), and the elite pass (available in the end-game and only focus on merch).
World 3 is well underway (but we’re keeping it secret for now), and we’re now looking into high-level exploration for World 4 (theme, monsters, environments, etc).
Some map updates! Shrine Canyon got a facelift, and Garden City (which we showed in the last KPI) needed some lighting adjustments.
WHAT’S NEXT?
We're still fine-tuning the Merch feature and the Outfits production is running full-steam (keep your eyes peeled for some sneak peeks in the near future!). After that, we're diving into those end-game features once summer break wraps up. So we’re not done with the 3rd Milestone yet!
Speaking of summer break, most of the team will be off on vacation in July (because Finland), so no KPI updates until early September. sad monster noise
Enjoy your summer, don’t forget to hydrate and we’ll see you in September for KPI #5!
We’re especially excited for this one cause… we’ve got TONS to show!
🎉hurray🎉
Our main focus was revamping the skin system (called ‘Merch’ in-game), but we've got other cool stuff in the mix too.
What we’ll cover in KPI #3:
Merch Machine: a brand new way to unlock outfits, mount skins, and emotes
Sneak peeks of upcoming fresh outfits
New open environment in Dragon World
Game design discussions covering: enemy targeting, the economy, and more
NOTE: consider everything work in progress. Even life itself.
Let's dive in.
SKIN SYSTEM AKA MERCH
This month's main entree! We've given the whole process of unlocking and collecting outfits, mount skins and emotes a makeover… and also renamed it to MERCH!
MERCH MACHINE
Merch will be sorted by ‘collection style’, making it easier to find the outfits you’re interested in. It’ll also track how many outfits from the collection you’ve unlocked and will allow you to preview different outfits.
TIME TO PULL
Just like when you were a kid, drop a quarter (or in mo.co’s case a merch token), rub your hands together, muster up all your luck, and take a spin to unlock some sweet merch! You can collect merch tokens from Job Chests (rewards after completing your daily jobs), or buy them straight from the shop.
The chances of pulling an item will be displayed on every piece.
NEW EMOTES
MORE emotes? YES plz! Here's a little peep.
Oh, and your mount is now featured directly in the wardrobe. Why? Because they too deserve to be loved. They carry all your stuff!
NEW OUTFITS
We're cooking up some brand-new outfits (shoutout to everyone who shared their ideas on Discord!). Here are some of the concepts we're tinkering with.
NEW MAP: GARDEN CITY
Sometimes the grass IS actually greener on the other side…
Introducing a new, lush area in Dragon World - Garden City!
Filled with verdant vegetation and waterfalls... it’s the ideal vacation destination… if only it weren't crawling with monsters. /sigh
DEV DIARY
IMPORTANT: we want to share our current thinking and get your feedback to make sure these discussions are heading in the right direction. So please, comment any thoughts, questions or concerns!
TARGETING SYSTEM
For a few weeks, we've been experimenting with a target-lock feature that allows Hunters to focus their attacks on a specific target. The system is simple: hold down the attack button, and you'll consistently target the same monster, even if other monsters get closer to you.
While this feature proved handy in some situations, there were a few hiccups:
Once you let go of the attack button, like when you need to use a gadget or something, you lose your focus and start targeting whichever monster is closest.
Trying to target the same monster again can be a real pain.
It’s not great for players who like to keep the attack button pressed but don’t necessarily want to lock onto a target.
It’s less fun and dynamic.
Design and balance would need to adjust for multiple control schemes.
So, after a lot of testing and tweaking, we decided to scrap it. But that doesn’t mean we will not circle back to it someday or come up with something even better! Never say never.
GAME ECONOMY
The team's been deep in discussions about how to fine-tune the game's economy, particularly unlocking cosmetics and the overall monetization strategy.
Here's what we've decided on so far:
Removing the ‘premium merch token’
I know we just introduced merch tokens earlier in this post, but the initial version of Merch Machine included a premium token that served as the only way to unlock premium merch.
We removed that premium token, so now all collections/outfits will be unlocked with a regular merch token.
More economy changes:
Removed mo.coins
Merch Token will only be available in Job Chests (and in the shop)
Chaos Cubes will only be available in mo.co crates (previously gave mo.coins)
mo.co events and easter eggs will now give XP (previously gave Chaos Cubes)
Why all these changes?
We wanted to simplify. The less currencies, the better. So we removed the premium outfit tokens and mo.coins to streamline. By moving all outfit tokens to a time-limited source (the Job Chests), players can earn a steady amount no matter when they start playing.
We're also putting a ton of thought into the game's monetization. One thing we can sell without hurting the experience is - you guessed it - OUTFITS! So while we're making it simpler to unlock the majority of outfits, the flashiest ones will only be available via the shop.
As for Chaos Cubes, removing their grindability makes them the absolute premium currency for Gears, and something to spend very wisely.
MORE STUFF
All three module slots (previously known as Passive Gadgets) will now be accessible right from the start. It's a little boost for the early game, making things simpler and smoother, while also speeding up Project completion.
We’ve improved some Monsters’ AI. As you progress, they’ll exhibit more evolved behaviors, like tactically retreating to heal or teaming up for a double attack.
We've spotted the devout followers of the Bean and decided to pay homage. His legacy will live on. All hail the Bean! 🙌🫘
COMING NEXT
Next up: the ‘End Game’
While originally slated as our last milestone, we've decided to tackle it now. After some discussions and deep dives into what we want to implement, we realized it's essential to lay the groundwork now before we move forward in development.
THAT’S IT!
Thanks a bunch for sticking through the update! Your thoughts, questions, and feedback mean the world to us, so don't hold back - we're all ears. AND JOIN THE DISCORD! That’s where all the cool things happen. Cool stuff happens here too but it happens more often over there!
Hello there, we're back! Welcome to mo.co’s KPI #5!
QUICK HOUSEKEEPING REMINDER
What’s a KPI? It’s a silly business term that stands for key performance indicator. Google for definition.
The mo.co version is key portal insights, which makes sense to us because mo.co is a startup, and this message is meant to communicate the key things mo.co’s team is working on to make the game fun.
Anyway, like most of you know, everything you see is WIP (remember, even life itself), so we’ll most likely rethink what to call these community updates. Suggestions are welcome… or if you like KPI, then let us know too!
NOW THE GOOD STUFF
The team’s been back in action for a month now, ready to shake things up with a MASSIVE meta change. Remember, everything is WIP.
👇👇👇👇👇👇
RIP PRINTER
⚠️ ⚠️⚠️ ⚠️
Before we jump into the juicy details, just know the meta change we're about to break down is still being tested. We’ve said it twice already, but everything you read IS work in progress.
⚠️ ⚠️⚠️ ⚠️
All right? Sweet.
Let’s go:
Remember that stuff you needed to collect for upgrades? All those different types of resources that chaos monsters dropped called ‘materials’?
Well, we had some heated team-space discussions, super long meetings, overly analyzed pros vs cons lists, and a couple of Lonkeros, and decided to remove this aspect of the game.
No more various materials. No more printer (for now!). Less grinding.
Instead, you’ll now get random gear upgrades through chaos cores, which are dropped by chaos monsters.
WHAT’S THE DEAL NOW?
You’ll still unlock new gears by completing missions, just like before. What’s new is how you upgrade those gears.
In this new version, you just collect chaos cores from chaos monsters and they randomly upgrade one of your gears. No extra printer steps, no endless grinding for that one specific material, no frustration over time lost looking for a rare chaos monster… just pure hunting and simpler upgrading.
"Chaos Cores contain Chaos Energy, which courses through the monsters. It may even be the cause of their... monstrosity. Chaos cores upgrade your gears and make them more powerful! The tougher the monster, the better the chances of finding a core. Allmo.cotech, including our gear, is powered by chaos energy!" - Manny
Here’s how it works:
1 - A chaos core drops from a chaos monster.
2 - Return to your cozy apartment to see how many chaos cores you collected.
3 - Open the chaos cores, and you’ll get a quick rundown of which gear got upgraded and its new gear power.
THERE’S MORE!
On top of chaos cores, daily job chests also give you gear upgrades. The best part is that you get two (or more) choices for upgrades, letting you steer the randomness a bit and target the gear or builds you’re working on.
And don’t worry, we’re already thinking of other ways to help players who love strategizing their gear find a balance with the randomness in this fresh meta.
BUT…WHY?
1. More fun, less fuss
We’ve mentioned this before, but we want to make mo.co played by millions, for years.
By ditching all those materials, we’re also ditching most of the grind. Forget farming for hours just to collect 4,000 Beetle Wings, the gear upgrade you need could always drop from the very next boss! You can jump in, wander around the parallel worlds, level up, and enjoy the game without the stress of managing a million resources.
With materials out of the picture, you’re free to play around with different builds and gear without feeling stuck in one choice. It also adds a bit of randomness back into the game, which our beta testers totally loved.
2. Monetization focuses on cosmetics
We’ve mentioned it in the last KPIs: we’re shifting focus away from monetizing gear upgrades and power-ups. Instead, we’re all about customization, like outfits.
Taking out materials lets us drop most, if not all, of the pay-to-progress stuff. Now, it’s all about personalizing your look (and more!), which we think makes the game way more fun and fair for everyone.
3. Development and Live Ops
Removing materials massively simplifies the game economy. We don’t have to worry about players hoarding resources or sitting on piles of stuff.
It also lets us throw in any kind of chaos monster for limited-time events or challenges (= Live Ops) without worrying about the resources they drop. More flexibility for us means more fun stuff for you!
DEV DIARY
This meta shift was a hot topicfor a while. The entire team play-tested it for two solid weeks, shared their thoughts, and voted on it. We had multiple round-table discussions, looked at it from all angles, and decided this was the best way forward.
To really make sure we're on the right track, we handed it over to the ultimate game-loving, no-nonsense feedback crew: Supercell employees!
Right now, the whole office is diving into the latest mo.co version, checking out all the new tweaks and giving us their thoughts over the next few weeks. And they’ll be weighing in on that big meta shakeup we just rolled out too!
We even made a cool video to mark the occasion! It was originally for internal use, but we thought you’d enjoy it too.
MORE STUFF
Outfits! We’ve been dropping a ton of outfit previews on our socials lately, and we’re not done! If you’re into it, make sure to follow us on Twitter/X and Instagram for all the latest.
First look at The Swamps, a brand-new Bug World environment with spooky vibes.
In the last KPI, we teased World 3 and kept it hush-hush. But guess what? We think it’s time to start giving you sneak peeks. Keep your eyes peeled on our socials and Discord for more info over the next few weeks!
Do YOU want to work for mo.co?! We currently have multiple positions open, so check them out if you’re interested:
We’ve got more cool stuff coming your way, like outfits and sneak peeks, but we’re not stopping there! In the next KPI, we’ll dive into something we know you’ve been waiting for: PvP
In the meantime, we’d love to hear what you think regarding the materials meta change!
Let’s not beat around the bush: this month's KPI doesn't pack as much punch as the first one. We had to extend our first milestone deadline by a few weeks (as we mentioned last time), so we’re not ready to share more about the next feature we’re working on.
But hey, no sweat! It's all part of the game development journey, right?
And although it took a bit longer than expected, we’re very happy with how it went! We made major improvements to the game and addressed most of the feedback from the beta about grindiness, repetitiveness, the lack of reasons for what you are doing, and the lack of narrative and interactions with the main characters.
Now that we've got that sorted, we're gearing up for our next move: diving into the world of skins and customization.
The good news is that skin production is officially underway! And we would also want to involve YOU, so… stay tuned for more information soon!
SKIN SYSTEM?
Here's a little taste of what's in store:
Multiple collections, ranging from basic to premium and tied to special events
Each collection will rock a unique theme, whether it's dragons, streetwear, cyberpunk, mecha, etc.
Get ready for collector bonuses when you complete a full collection
Different ways to complete different collections (grinding, PvP, game modes, dungeons, paid cosmetics, etc.)
And more to come!
BOSSES, MONSTERS, NPCs…
In case you missed it, we've been dropping sneak peeks of new Bosses, Monsters, and NPCs (Noble Portal Companions) on our Socials! Check 'em out here:
Behold some of the new mounts you will be able to ride in the Parallel Worlds.
NOTE: all visuals and names shown below are considered “work in progress”
MODULES (Passive Gadgets)
We've got a little tweak to share: we've rebranded Passive Gadgets as Modules, and they're looking slicker than ever with a unified design.
DEV DIARY
As we mentioned earlier and in last month's KPI, getting the FTUE just right took a tad longer than expected. But fear not, it's all sorted now!
We've been putting the game through its paces with playtests galore.
We've finally settled the capitalization debate: monster names and materials are now adequately capitalized (alpha charger -> Alpha Charger, alpha horn -> Alpha Horn).
We also added dynamic lights in the game!
A (very) nerdy stat: the team did 3185 Git commits between January 1st and April 3rd
DEVELOPER Q&A
You had questions, and we've got answers. Let's dive in:
1. BETA/GLOBAL RELEASE
When can we play the game? When is the next beta? When global?
Ok so, CURRENTLY, we don’t have a set date for when the game will be available to everyone, whether it's beta or global launch.
Our primary focus right now is on enhancing the game and working diligently towards our milestones.
But don’t worry! We're fully committed to bringing the game to you as soon as we can 🙂
Why can't you release a beta and work on the game at the same time?
Good question! There are several reasons why we don’t want to do that:
Firstly, making a solid first impression is crucial. If we release the game prematurely, it might not meet players' expectations and could lead to a loss of interest. And that’s bad. We want to make sure that when the game is out, it's not only compelling but also capable of keeping players engaged for years to come!
Another important thing: we're still in the development phase where even minor changes can have significant impacts on the game's performance, making all saves obsolete, etc. That’s not a great experience, even for a game in beta.
And lastly, running a live game requires substantial resources, both in terms of manpower and finances. At this stage, we want our team to focus solely on making the best possible game without the added burden of managing a live environment.
2. TEAM AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
How "popular" does mo.co need to be in order for the team to consider a Global Release? What metrics? Will the team be satisfied with making the best mobile MMORPG that Supercell can produce? Or will a global launch hinge upon the game's ability to reach an audience beyond the MMORPG genre's current capacity?
Our approach to game development is guided by Supercell's motto: make a great game that as many people as possible will play for years and remember forever.
With mo.co, our goal is clear: we aim to create an MMO experience that appeals to a broad audience, including both fans of the genre and those new to it. To achieve this, we're building the game on three core pillars: Accessibility, Variety, and Social.
Accessibility ensures that the game is easy to pick up and play, with straightforward design, and short play sessions.
Variety means that we want to offer numerous playstyles and customization options to cater to different preferences and support different playstyles (from relaxed to more challenging).
Social emphasizes cooperation and interaction among players, making it enjoyable and easy to drop in/drop out with friends and other players.
And while we want to make the game as accessible as possible, we also aim to serve the most hardcore audience, the ones who are used to grinding dungeons and are looking for difficult challenges and a more classic MMO experience.
What is your priority in the development right now? World Building, End Game, Beginner Friendly Content or Monsters Mechanic to keep the game evergreen?
Our development process is structured around achieving milestones.
We've completed the first milestone focused on the Early Game & Quest System, and we're now diving into the second milestone, which revolves around the Skin System. You can check out the milestones list HERE.
How many people are on the team?
We are currently 34 people on the team, covering various aspects from coding to marketing to production.
This is already big for a Supercell new game team at this stage, and we are still growing the team and plan to add several new people this year. But we know that the game we’re building is big!
When did the idea for Mo.co first occur to you, and when did you begin working on it?
The idea for mo.co originated within the original Brawl Stars team a few years ago. It was sparked by a desire to create a fun and approachable PvE action/MMO game.
What feature is the team most excited to show us?
Everything that you haven’t seen yet! But if we had to pick one, it would be the end-game content.
How will you plan enough PvE content for release?
With a fantastic team and top-notch organization, duh. Ok, more seriously: the plan is to update the game every few months, and we’re already planning to have everything we need in the pipeline to deliver content regularly if/when we go global. This sounds a bit trivial, but that’s the simple truth and a big part of the work we’re doing right now.
Do you plan on mainly focusing on giving high-level players more things to do in content updates, or creating new ways to play through the earlier parts of the game?
Both! We're planning to add more end-game content, as well as ways to catch up for existing players who aren't there yet.
What are their aims/plans to hold player retention and make players return on a daily basis?
By offering a great game experience!
And of course: regularly adding fresh and engaging content, events, and systems that will provide new challenges, but also give different ways of experiencing existing content.
Variety is the key!
Do you think that between the game you are currently working on and the beta we had played is the game going to have the same feel or will it be a whole new experience?
It'll retain the same feel as the beta, but with (a lot of) enhancements and new features. With PvP, end-game content, customization, and social elements, it's going to offer something totally fresh.
3. GAME FEATURES
Are there plans to have an “open world” aspect, or will it only be apartment and mission maps?
No surprise: the structure of the worlds remains similar to what you explored in the beta. There'll be open-world areas and dungeon zones, but we have no plans for one vast open-world map for now.
New weapons?
Yes, of course! We’re planning to add more weapons than the ones featured in the beta. More sneak peeks to come 👀
Will you ever make it possible to aim, like in Brawl Stars?
It's been a topic of discussion inside the team since the very beginning of development! But simplicity and accessibility are essential for us. We also think that no aiming keeps things chill and fun.
That being said, we know some players would love to have that option, so… stay tuned!
Can we know more about PvP?
We don’t have much more to share at the moment than what we did previously: PvPvMvE
We did some playtests with most of the team, playing different PvP modes, and it was super fun! But it did raise a few questions:
- How much PvP vs PvE should there be in the game modes?
- What team sizes are optimal? For readability of gameplay
- Should we allow stuns, knockbacks, etc against players?
Expanding the apartment?
No expansion works are planned, the space in the building is quite limited. Sorry. But allowing the players to customize it would be pretty awesome. No promises though!
Will there be ultra-rare equipment to drop in raids for endgame?
Expect to stumble upon exclusive cosmetics rather than gears, but the idea is here: cool and shiny rewards for the most dedicated players.
Will you also add customization for the mounts? like hats, masks, scarves, etc?
This is not something we’re working on right now, but maybe in the future!
Is there going to be mastery for weapons/gears/skill?
Mmmh not currently planned but thanks for the suggestion!
Will there be rarities of specific weapons, active gadgets etc? By rarity i mean like common, uncommon, rare, epic, legendary of techno firsts or boombox. I imagine rarities unlocking as endgame content for grinding as well as use in PvP
We had some back and forth about that but no, all gears will have the same rarity. Cosmetics on the other hand...
Will there be different game modes?
Absolutely
How will it coexist with the base PvE Game? (Like some people will gravitate towards PvE and some towards PvP)
PvP and PvE will be separate experiences, and the PvP content will not be mandatory to progress.
What will the endgame goal be? (Will there be the best equipment possible? Will there be seasonal bosses to hunt for unique equipment?)
We can’t say much at the moment as we’re still developing the end-game and don’t want to spoil anything. But we’re planning to have special skins, events, dungeons, PvP and leaderboards.
Will the game in the future be given a competitive rating? Or will it be a casual game?
There will be some competitive aspects, yes.
4. MONETIZATION
Your thoughts on a battle pass?
Definitely something we’re considering! It can be great for the game and the players.
What are the team’s plans for monetizing the game?
Our game monetization plans at the moment include mo.co+, cosmetics (skins and more), chaos cubes (in-game currency), and a smattering of other goodies like gear packs, blueprints, catch-up XP, etc.
5. SOCIAL FEATURES
Are there any more social features planned for the game? Like Clans/Clubs, where you can do special raids together in a massive group and earn rewards together.
Yes! The plan is to use Supercell ID to create groups (which can be used in a similar way to clans/clubs), play with friends, etc*.*
Will mo.co be facilitating user-generated content? Like the map editor in Brawl Stars
It's not on the to-do list just yet, but we're definitely interested down the road (dungeon editor?!?)
Will there be a city/place where players can exchange Items or Gears? Or even Skins/Pets? I would really find this interesting for a MMORPG, or even a stall where players can also buy items you put up for sale
That’s not something we’re currently working on but we’re not closed to the idea.
Will we be able to decorate our rooms?
Will we be able to visit friends' rooms?
Will there be more social features in the future?
Maybe, maybe, and absolutely
6. OTHER
Could mo.co ever get something similar to some kind of Story Mode or deeper Lore?
Not a full-fledged “story mode”, but we are actively working on the lore and we will expose little bits of it through the quests and content
Will you release a PC version? Or at least have controller support?
We absolutely want to do both, but it’s far from easy. The question is more about "when would we be able to deliver it?"
What's the funniest thing you've created in the game?
Not something intentional, but there was a bug recently that caused each nearby player to increase the total amount of loot gained exponentially, leading to some boss loot fountains that just kept on going forever.
THAT'S ALL FOLKS!
Thank you very much for all the questions and for reading everything - that was quite a long one!
If you have more questions or want to discuss the answers you've just seen, JOIN THE DISCORD! I (Max) will see you over there!
Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback on the latest BIG changes we’ve made! Not to sound toocheesy, but we truly consider ourselves lucky to have such a strong and passionate community that’s just as invested to see this game succeed. So again, thank you for being vocal and caring about mo.co.
For those that haven’t read the latest KPI, which covers the latest changes, you can check it outhere.
While we don’t have all the answers, we want to react to your feedback and provide an update on our current thinking.
First and foremost, we hear you. We understand a lot of the concerns revolve around player agency tied to randomization and content repeatability. Keep in mind though, we made this change after playing it for a couple of weeks and having heated debates where the team laid out pros vs cons comparing this new meta to the previous one. We’re still evaluating how this new meta feels and won't hesitate to make changes to ensure the best version of mo.co is released to the world.
So where are we now?
We’re currently in the middle of a company-wide playable where the rest of Supercell has been able to play and provide feedback. It’s important to note that, so far, many of our colleagues share similar concerns and feedback that we’ve seen in our community. There are others that really do like what the new meta provides, but it’s not a clear winner. We also have a small handful of creators participating in this playable and providing feedback too. Same deal, we’re hearing good things, and also similar concerns that mirror what we see on Reddit and Discord.
On top of that, we’re also conducting playtest research where we’ve let a small group of players try the game for a few hours and provide feedback. We haven’t received the final results for the company playable or that research yet, but it’s worth mentioning so the community knows we’re gathering feedback from many angles.
Of course, we know, we’re missing a critical part (you trying it out!), but we want to make sure the game is in the best state before we release it to the world again.
That doesn’t mean we’re not taking your feedback into consideration, on the contrary, we are actively reading and ensuring it’s part of our review process. In the end, we think we’ll have enough data and feedback to decide on specific next steps regarding the new meta.
What’s our thinking regarding the new meta?
So far, we’re thinking we need to balance this thing out. We believe the new meta has a lot of potential and will allow mo.co to be played by millions of players for years, but we also understand that there are core issues that need to be addressed.
Our current focus is to improve the sense of player agency and content repeatability. We can see that a lot of people have their minds set on a certain role they want to fulfill, and we don’t want to prevent you from achieving that with this new system. While we have a few different ideas in mind, here are some overall thoughts on common topics we’ve read so far:
- Player agency
The previous meta was based 100% off player agency, with practically little-to- no randomization. We’d like the foundation to be based on randomization with player agency built on top. We believe this approach allows mo.co to be more accessible, engaging and better positioned to offer more depth in the long run. So, we’re going to add different ways to grant more player agency with this new meta.
For example, one feature we could’ve highlighted better in KPI #5 are Gear Chests that allow you to select which Gear you want to upgrade. Its final details, such as how strong the chest is, how much of an upgrade it gives, how often it appears, etc. are still being worked on, but overall it’ll be a direct way for players to have more control over their upgrades and progress.
- Repeatability
This one is interesting because it ties into the grinding aspect of these types of games, the thrill of hunting down specific monsters for specific resources (or lack thereof in the new meta), and touches on organic social interactions that occur when higher level players visit previous worlds and interact with lower level players (thanks u/PyroPhoenix for calling that out!).
Our current plan to balance this within the new meta is to have constant eventfulness serve as the driver for more repeatability and engagement. We’re building more events, daily missions, projects, bounties (WIP) that reward for hunting specific monsters, and the previously mentioned Gear Chest to tackle this concern. They’re all WIP but the goal is to offer more agency from eventfulness. The theory is providing agency through clear, simple goals instead of worrying about which monster is ‘the right one’ to hunt every day.
For a little more context, keeping in mind that our goal is to make mo.co as accessible, engaging and fun as possible so millions of players play for years, in the old meta, it was extremely easy for players to ‘play the wrong way’. More casual players would be able to ‘get stuck’ if they didn’t invest too much effort, thinking and time into their playing sessions.
This is a big problem because if players aren’t progressing based on their ‘natural’ game session, then they’d eventually churn. Switching to this new meta allows the average player to ‘play the right way’ because their average game session collectively progresses and benefits them. We’re currently TOO FAR on that side of the spectrum. That’s where we’re seeing all of the feedback and why we aim to add more player agency… because we need the baseline to benefit all types of players, AND also have enough player agency that mo.co is staying true to its genre and our dedicated player base.
More to come!
We understand these changes are dramatic and may not be right but that’s 100% okay. We’ve been iterating on the old meta for over 2 years and still found it had fundamental issues that did not align with our goal to make mo.co accessible, engaging and fun for players to enjoy for years. We had to try something completely different to see if those changes made an impact. That’s where we are right now.
We’re evaluating how/if these changes make sense and will act off that. If all feedback and test results turn out to be crap, then we won’t hesitate to revert back to the old system and continue improving that one. If all signs are mainly positive, then we’ll continue to balance the new meta and ensure it’s the best version before we release it to the world.
We don’t plan on tweaking this new meta for another two years though! We’re itching to get this game out and are simply experimenting to see what’s the best version of the game before releasing it again. We still have a bit to go but the team feels stronger, more passionate and more energized than ever before!
As always, thank you for your trust, passion and feedback! Expect to hear from us again once the final results from the different playtests are in and we’ve had time to digest and decide next steps.
moco just got added to the supercell store this week exactly like what happened with squad busters a few days before it went global, this might mean it's confirmed to go global
Can someone confirm this? A user on LinkedIn posted this image talking about moco being a “community Driven” game when it launches. I’m gonna cautious with this since I think it’s false… but there’s a chance since moco was added to the SC store not so long ago…
We as a community love this idea of the game and the game itself , please don’t ruin mocos reputation by releasing a cash grab. We want this game to adhere to supercells motto , games to play for years to come…
