How to play Metalab

**MetaLab** is a crafting game where players get to combine various elements to discover new materials, phenomena, objects (aka resources) and win valuable prizes!

To start playing, the user will need basic elements that can be purchased in the store for Hexonium ($HEXO). Information of how to receive $HEXO can be found here.

There are 4 basic elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth.

To create a new element or material, the user needs to find a correct combination of the four basic elements that will yield a new resource. Players can combine any elements or discovered resources in any quantity. The order of the elements does not affect the result. The platform allows the combination in any order.

*For example: Fire + Water + Air + Earth is the same as Water + Earth + Air + Fire.*

## Definitions

**Basic Elements** are the base material, in the form of an CNFT token, which users can purchase in Metalab Store using Hexonium (HEXO) tokens.

**Resources** are created by combining common elements which users previously acquired using Hexonium tokens. High-level resources will require not only the combination of elements, but also lower-level resources.

**Recipes** describe different combinations of the elements and resources that derive from them, which can be found in the Metalab Craft Book on the Cardanolands website. Recipes are unravelled by users as the game progresses and there are more than 250 combination to discover. The first person who successfully discovers a new recipe (created by Cardanolands Team) receives a guaranteed prize and ability to participate in the Metalab Prize Pool.

Crafting process in the Metalab requires 2 energies.

**Crafting Energy** points are applied to each craft in the Metalab. The daily energy balance is limited by 100 points. Users may also craft without energy, but the process will cost **2 ADA**. Energy is restored every 24 hours.

**Focus Energy** points can be applied during resource crafting, in order to get back a percentage of the elements used. The number of focus points is replenished every day, but cannot exceed 50 points.

## Crafting process

To create a new item, the user needs to use 4 ingredients. Crafting ingredients can be both basic elements and resources that were produced from elements.

The combination process occurs by combining elements and resources in various proportions. Initially, the recipes of all resources are unknown, in order **to reveal the recipe - you need to choose the right combination** with the right materials. If the combination is chosen correctly, the result will be guaranteed. Otherwise, all resources that participated in the combination are burned irretrievably.

More specifically, users need to **combine 4 elements and/or resources** to get a result. The result can be:

* ✅ **Successful** -  upon successful crafting, users who engage in the process always receive a new resource. If a new recipe is discovered, the user receives the newly minted resource + additional rewards (as described above).
* ❌ **Failed** - If the experiment of a new combination fails to produce a resource, all elements and resources that participated in the crafting process are burned permanently. If focus energy was involved in crafting process, one of the resources will be randomly returned to the user.

## Analysation

Before creating a new component, Metalab offers the possibility to analyse combinations before using it. During the analysis, resources remain in place, and the result of the analysis can be 3 options:

* **UNAVAILABLE** - this means that someone has already tried this combination before. In this case, system will not allow you to craft resource to save user materials and user need to try another combination.
* **NAME OF THE RESOURCE** - this means that this combination can produce a resource that was discovered by someone earlier.
* **UNKNOWN** - it means that no one has tried this combination.

## Crafting results

All created resources are full-fledged CNFTs. Users may exchange them, sell them, or keep them in their wallet. The main goal is to continue using them in Cardano Lands to receive new rewards, reveal new recipes and proceed to higher levels.

## See also

* MetaLab
* MetaLab Rewards