Welcome to another community-driven edition of the ZED RUNdown!
This week, we're excited to introduce another ZED RUN team member, provide more roadmap and product updates, recap a major announcement, and last but not least, speak to a member of the community who bought a racehorse. Yes - a physical, tangible racehorse as in the kind you have to feed and clean up after.
Strap into your saddles and prepare to take a ZED RUNdown ride, because you know what they say -- you can't spell Web3 without "We."
OK, we just made that up. But it sounds like a thing.
REWIND
This past week marked another milestone, as ZED RUN skins came alive in 3D racing! What a thrill to witness all those slick, brightly wrapped racehorses charging down the tracks in a new fashion. Do you own a ZED RUN Skin? Now you can suit up your favourite racehorse and flex your style against the competition.
Coming: Class 1 Premier Tournament
Speaking of added utility, get ready for the run to Class 1, as the team prepares to release the Class 1 Premier tournament. A handsome prize pool is available to only racehorses in ZED's most celebrated class.
Roadmap and Product Update
- Key info pertaining to the ZED Token is imminent, with a finalised rollout plan in collaboration with the token issuer firmly in place, and an allocated airdrop to our community just around the corner.
- Autorace generator is entering the final phase of testing, with a rollout targeted for the end of this month.
- Our team has identified a few minor bugs within the planned breeding updates, resulting in a minor delay of the rollout of these changes.
- Racehorse skins are now active and available to apply and remove from racehorses.
- Contract updates are underway, with much of the community successfully completing this task. If you haven't already, please make sure to head to your stable and follow the directions provided to update your contract.
NOTE: The function of any token integrated into ZED RUN is subject to change. If you intend to acquire the token(s) on a secondary market, we hold no responsibility for the increase or decrease in the token(s) value. By nature, cryptocurrencies represent inherent risk and you should seek independent advice.
Meet the ZED RUN Team: Harold Pador
This week on Meet the ZED RUN Team, we're spotlighting a man many of our community leaders have already met -- Harold Pador. Harold is a recent addition to the ZED RUN squad, with a focus on community creators. Let's get to know Harold a little bit more, and receive some insight into what he's gathered about our passionate community since connecting with so many of you
Tell us about your role at ZED RUN! What has excited you most about joining the team?
My name is Harold Pador, and I’m the Community Creators Coordinator at ZED RUN. I’m a big fan of community, and advocating for passion - so joining the team meant I could help foster the passionate community around ZED RUN.
What’s your favourite hobby or passion outside of the office?
Live music! I manage a band, produce events, and have worked on music festivals since I was legally able to enter them. I love live music because it’s one of the few phenomenons where crowds of strangers can connect instantaneously. Live music is where everyone’s differences and individual worries can disappear momentarily, and all that matters is having a good time.
What has been your favourite part about working with the ZED RUN community thus far?
I’m blown away by the calibre of knowledge and passion within the community. When I listen to community members talk about ZED RUN, it’s the same fire that I feel when I hear a musician talk about their art.
In your opinion, what do the best Web3 communities bring to the table?
Passion, persistence, and patience. Persistence is the willingness to remain involved after the trend goes, and allow things to grow. Patience is the most important one - Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither were revolutionary applications to groundbreaking, era-defining technology.
Where do you see Web3 communities and how they interact with each other in five years?
Communities will define entertainment in every aspect. We’ll move into a world with hyper-curated, decentralized silos for entertainment, and creators within the most niche genres can create a living by simply connecting and cultivating communities. This evolution has already occurred with the creator economy, Web3 will just make it more prominent and more viable for the creators. Coming from a career in the disrupted industries of Television and Music - I can ramble about this topic for as long as you’ll allow me.
Cheers, Harold!
Tournament Tracker
With tournaments coming in hot and heavy at ZED RUN, it's been a minute since we've shouted them out in the RUNdown. The fact is tournaments now outrun the RUNdown, with a five-figure prize pool tournament running each and every day.
In addition to our daily affairs, special tournaments, like the #SuperFoal, NASCAR Racing Challenge, and our upcoming Class 1 Premier tournament, will be added along the way to ensure every racehorse at ZED RUN has the best chance to succeed.
Community Tools: Hawku Marketplace
Our friends at Hawku have launched their Beta Marketplace, providing an additional option for ZED RUN users looking to buy and sell racehorses. A longtime community tool, Hawku is now offering a marketplace dedicated only to ZED RUN racehorses, and a one-stop shop for all your research and purchasing needs.
According to Hawku, everything being in one place for ZED RUN users is the main goal of the project, and something they feel was much-needed.
"Through our new Hawku Marketplace, the ZED community can finally research, list, buy, and sell horses all in one place based on their actual real-time race performance," the Hawku Team says.
Community Feedback
UX Researcher Rebecca Harvey is back at it again, reaching out to the community for feedback on the upcoming the ZED Token. Rebecca is asking users of all types to sign up for a chance to participate in a Token Launch Prototype study the team has put together. This feedback will provide the team with further insight on rolling out this game-changing feature as smoothly as possible.
Get on the list, and be a part of ZED RUN history!
Community Stories: Doofy Bought a Real Horse?!
If you've been a part of the ZED RUN community for a certain amount of time, chances are you've at least heard of Doofy Racing. Doofy is one of ZED RUN's longest-tenured stable owners and a household name, having joined the community prior to 2022. Between streaming, buying and selling racehorses, and interacting with the community, it's clear he knows what he's talking about when it comes to digital racehorses.
Now Doofy is growing his stable beyond the digital. This past week, he's recently purchased several racehorses and according to him, real-world horse racing is something that's been in his family for years.
"I have been a lover of horse racing as a sport for my whole adult life, and my in-laws are trainers," Doofy says. "That's why I was so keen to get into ZED when I saw an ad for it on Facebook all those years ago. Having said that, because of the success and enjoyment I have had in ZED, this year is by far my biggest investment into real horses that I have ever had."
Doofy says he picked up seven racehorses this past week -- four fillies and three colts -- with the main goal of finding high-quality racers his team can breed for profits later, a strategy he says comes straight from his ZED RUN playbook.
For those looking to follow along in his journey, catch him on Twitter @doofy_eth or join his Discord server, where he'll post progress updates on his racehorses' performances.
Content Creators
Mark your calendars for March 14th EST, ZED RUN, because there is a massive community-led tournament taking place that night featuring the race caller for the Triple Crown and Breeder's Cup, Larry Collmus. The event is set to feature a who's-who of ZED RUN community members, so be on the lookout and follow @PonyZook on Twitter for more information prior to the event.
Twitter Spaces with the Team
Looking to get some alpha straight from the horses' mouth? ZED Gazette has you covered with his upcoming Twitter Spaces, featuring a guest appearance by Virtually Human Studio Creative Director Chris Ebeling. The chat is scheduled for Saturday, March 5th at 4 PM EST. For more information, follow @ZEDGazette on Twitter.