Hello, beautiful people of the ZED RUN universe! Welcome to the newest edition of the ZED RUNdown, where we have some important updates to share, a recap of an exciting community event, and another member of the ZED RUN team to introduce.
What do you say we fast-forward this gate introduction and get right to the race, shall we?
REWIND
The qualifying round of the Class 1 Premier tournament is well underway, with the competition deep where the best racehorses live. Time is running out to qualify for your piece of the massive $150,000 prize pool.
Due to network issues that impacted racing events, we have now extended the qualifying period by seven days to 12 am UTC on March 28th. If you haven’t already, check out the ZED RUN Guide for all the details on how to advance.
As a reminder, please read the Terms and Conditions for the Class 1 Premier. This will ensure all racehorses entered remain eligible to run in the ZED RUN fun.
Breeding Update
Our new breeding update is rolling out! This major revision to breeding at ZED RUN is a game-changer, so before you next hit the stud barn make sure to soak in all the new details available in the ZED RUN Guide.
Below you'll find some highlights from the announcement:
- Traits and abilities will now be passed down through generations more predictably.
- Offspring created prior to the update will not count toward breeding decay.
- All racehorses have a set of traits and characteristics assigned to them, and this update will not change them. This update will simply interpret those genetics differently than before.
- Skill, strategy, and knowledge of not only your stable, but others, will be rewarded with better offspring.
Roadmap and Product Updates
As the first lap of 2022 rounds the final turn, we're planning to release both our usual fortnightly Product and UX Roundup next week, as well as a special Roadmap update prior to the end of the month. In this update, we'll outline what's been delivered to date for Q1, what extra surprises came to fruition, and what excitement is yet to come.
Below, you'll find a brief recap of some items that were front and center this past week:
- Conditional races have arrived at ZED RUN! Currently, 0% Win Rate and < 5% Win Rate races are live.
- Discovery race multipliers have been reduced to x2 to help alleviate pain points related to some racehorses finding themselves stuck in Class 1 after discovery.
- Full transition to Biconomy's Hyphen bridge in-game is coming for quick, easy transfers. Since December, the team has beta tested it under the title ‘Fast Transfer Method’ in the ZED RUN Wallet. Changes are targeted to go live in the next couple of weeks. To help you prepare, get the details on our latest announcement here. A further update with more details will be shared at the time of the transition.
- The ZED Token has been deployed on testnet and is currently under audit by Quantstamp, with an updated target of early Q2, to ensure a successful integration. Together with our collaborators Republic Crypto, the team is committed to integrating a token that is sustainable for the ZED RUN ecosystem and delivers on the long-term utility for our community. Details to come on the progress, distribution, and utility.
Content Creators
When a legendary Triple Crown horse racing announcer calls a ZED RUN race, it makes the ZED RUNdown. Those are just the rules. This past week, Larry Collmus stopped by to call some high-end ZED RUN races all in the name of a great cause called Extra Life, a fundraising program by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Shoutout to PonyZook and the PonyPlug crew for organising such a special community activation, bridging our worlds with legends of horse racing and supporting others! Solid work by everyone involved, and just another example of ZED RUN being an extraordinary community.
Meet the ZED RUN Team: Harry Raworth
Hey, Harry! Tell us what your role is at VHS and what you're across on a daily basis.
Hey guys! My title at VHS is Digital Producer. A past ZED RUN project that I was heavily involved in was the VRC Melbourne Cup Metaverse event, specifically, the Decentraland experience. Most recently, you'll catch me helping expand the suite of racing experiences we have on the platform to ensure all racehorses have an opportunity to shine.
What excites you most about working on ZED RUN?
Definitely the people and the project. I have always been someone who isn't afraid to be different and who constantly wants to push boundaries in my professional life. ZED RUN is the perfect place for this. They not only allow but encourage personal and creative flair. With ZED RUN, you know you are working on the future here.
What are three things (other than food and water) you couldn't live without if shipwrecked on a deserted island?
Music is the big one. A world without music isn’t one I want to live in, and my singing really isn’t good enough to carry me for a lifetime. I’d also definitely love another human there. Not picky on who, but just someone to annoy. If I annoy them enough they’ll put more effort into helping us get off the island. This last one may be odd, but I’d want this island’s ocean to have waves. I live by the beach in Sydney and waves just have something about them.
Outside of the office, what is your favourite hobby to take your mind off things?
Until recently I have always played semi-professional soccer, so that was my primary outlet. Unfortunately, I am made of glass, so these days I stay active in the gym or outside doing any variety of activities. I also love reading non-fiction and am always aiming at teaching myself new things.
For those who haven't taken the dive into NFTs, what would you say? Give us your elevator pitch.
Web3 and NFTs are purely underlying technology. The best use-cases of these will be when you don’t even know you are using them. When the dot com bubble crashed, the internet itself did not go anywhere -- instead, it kept growing as a force.
Just like the internet in the 90s', there’s no doubt in my mind that no matter how many crashes, downturns, or otherwise occur, this technology is here to stay. And it is going to transform lives for the better.
Human Park
While we know you're here to read about ZED RUN, we would be remiss if we didn’t highlight a milestone for the creators behind ZED RUN, Virtually Human Studio (VHS). Big news dropped this past weekend as VHS together with Spectre Studios unveiled their latest project: Human Park.
Future park explorers were given a chance to customise their own nude NFT avatars in an immersive metaverse experience. Minting an avatar for your Human Park entertainment experience is completely free, so if you haven’t already, head on over and get in on the fun! To learn more about Human Park, follow their blog here and to connect with the community, join the Human Park Discord.
