Hi! For those who haven't yet stumbled across my past posts on the topic, I've been playing Upland for a little while now. Having used my usual method of discovering games, looking for a lot of hype, and then digging in a little to reviews before dipping my toes in (free time isn't free after all), I gave it a chance. First off, I found the game was much harder when you start in an established area, so right now Brooklyn would be the most new-user friendly and soon that will change with the release of Oakland, CA. Second, funds are so low that you will find yourself broke and unable to work on collections if you don't use a referral link to join, such as mine:https://r.upland.me/xfcK and the reason for it is the new user bonus goes up roughly that of an additional property (and thus goes from maybe filling out another collection to probably managing it).
The third tip for newer users, dig into https://upx.world/. Get used to using it to find properties within your price range, and desired areas, since the game is still in beta and so lacks the tools at this time to really help you find what you are looking for (such as in order to complete collections or buy in areas that are spread out).
Fourth, before you get too used to just buying properties to fill out collections you really, really will benefit from digging into how Treasure Hunts work. It will be a long while for FtP (free-to-play) gamers such as myself can afford to buy new properties without selling (something that's limited to those with at least 10k in assets and for newbie properties, FSA, to two a week) and so learning the active aspect of the game is imperative to earning and thus buying.
The fifth, and final tip, dig into their community on Discord: https://discord.gg/XXSFZJEeKf. It's a great resource when things get dull or confusing, and in general the people there are really quite helpful.
In summary, having lost myself while discussing the game, what sort of game is Upland? It is a web browser first, mobile second, blockchain game that's about buying and selling properties. There is more in the pipeline, NFT's make up the properties now and soon will make up the custom avatar's as well, but mainly it is just a timer game, with an economic engine at its core, and a lot of bells and whistles (as well as a single active play component in treasure hunts). It isn't an active game like Halo by any means, but one I enjoy dipping into a little here and there to collect my "rent" and a little bit every day hunting treasures.
And for the coffee lovers out there, a tidbit taken from my personal life. At one point in my life, I was actively looking for good, quality whole beans as I felt strongly that the increased price (when within a reasonable range) was worthwhile as with the right choice you got a great cup for your costs. I mention it because my favorite blend is from a small company called Tony's Coffee, and its new name is Upland! https://www.tonyscoffee.com/product/upland/ entirely coincidental that as I'm shifting towards playing a game with such a name, my favorite coffee takes up the name too. But it rather tickles me all the same. Oh, and I believe you can find it via Whole Foods as well, should one be local to you.
