[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.
Crypto needs timeless blockchain games that appeal to more than just crypto
insiders. The handful of blockchain games that have achieved some cultural relevance have only
had brief bursts of popularity, and still only remained known to those in tune with the crypto space.
They are ultimately shallow games with limited gameplay, usually just showing one
particular use case of NFTs and smart contracts. We need a game that is so engaging that users are
willing to adopt crypto just so they are able to be a part of the cultural event happening around it. The
fear of missing out must transcend the crypto space to everyday gamers and artists. But for this to
happen the game must be adaptable, customizable, and collaborative.
NFTs have had success as three things: collectibles, video game assets, and unique pieces of fine art.
Digital artists are now able to sell their works for prices that allow them to do it full-time, instead of
being forced to work for clients or advertisers to make a livable wage.
Treasure Chain is a different kind of game that combines these three things. It is an NFT Art network
where users keep NFT artworks called Tiles in a Deck, and can arrange them on a Map however they
like. When minting an NFT using the platform, users can assign rules (called Linkages) about where
it can sit on the map, what art can be contained within other art, and what art it can combine with to
form new art. These Linkages are modular and can be combined in different ways. They can form a
sort of neural network of art where artists can create games and collaborative worlds together. All
transactions are done in crypto so users can profit from their creations and contributions. It is part
game engine, part social media platform. Instead of relying on one specific art style for a game to
receive mass adoption, since all artwork is user-created, players can collect and interact with only
artwork they enjoy.
[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?
I believe a game like this will draw much more attention and adoption to Cardano. If it is the only blockchain with a platform like this, many artists and NFT enthusiasts will migrate to Cardano.
The innovation of Treasure Chain is its adaptability and range of use cases. It is unlike any current NFT platforms or social media sites. We believe it can be an epicenter of the Cardano NFT ecosystem, it is like a lobby that can link many different projects together. It provides a space for exploration, where disparate projects and games can start to collaborate in interesting ways. It will bring lots of fun and excitement to Cardano.
[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?
The success of the project's development will be determined by meeting milestones posted publicly on our Notion page. The community can see for themselves if we have completed our stated goals in a timely manner.
Once the project is launched there are many metrics that can be used to measure success. Firstly, the number of users and the growth rate of new users will be the main ones to look at. If we can see that a substantial portion of Cardano's unique active wallets has engaged with Treasure Chain, we can tell how much of an impact it has on the Cardano ecosystem. These metrics will be compared to similar NFT marketplaces on Cardano and similar platforms on other blockchains.
Metrics from both the testnet and mainnet ledger will be publicly available for auditing. The key metrics we will look at are:
-
The number of unique active wallets that connect to the platform.
-
Number of daily transactions.
-
Transaction volume.
-
Total platform revenue.
-
Total revenue gained by users, as well as a ranking of users profiting on the platform.
-
The number of existing NFT projects that post their content on TC.
-
Weekly social media posts related to TC on Twitter, Instagram, etc.
[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?
The updates of the results of our work will be posted on the Treasure Chain social media channels such as Twitter and Instagram. We will reach out to community platforms to help broadcast our latest progress. We will prepare data collected from the ledger in a clear format to present to the community.
We will constantly communicate with the Catalyst committee and IOG about the progress of the project.
The project's Notion and Github page can also be viewed to see progress.
[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?
Treasure Chain already has a working prototype, more than many projects can demonstrate. We have shown in our work up until now that we can take the project from an idea to a working product. Since creating the prototype we have also connected with several skilled Cardano blockchain developers that want to help bring this idea to its full potential. These developers have also created products that are already proving useful to the Cardano community.
We are partnering with GameChanger wallet team who has already accomplished a lot in the Cardano ecosystem. GameChanger Wallet has been online in Cardano since 2021 Q2 using personal funds and receiving support from the community and from Dandelion API infrastructure, who are today their closest partners. They have also been very active in helping with the Gimbal Labs courses to help teach Cardano development to newcomers.
The project is quite ambitious and we anticipate challenges and roadblocks. We will have many lines of communication open for the community to give feedback and inquire about our progress. If any issues are raised about improper use of funds, we encourage communication on how we ensure they are used properly.
[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?
The first goal upon funding is smart contract integration with the prototype. Once this is working we will release a beta to begin user testing.
During this stage, there are a few main goals. We hope to get a small number of consistent users starting out to give feedback on their user experience. We want this experience to be both intuitive and fun. There will be unforeseen elements of the user experience we can only gain from having some beta testers. Once we are confident the product is working how it was intended, it will be opened up to more users.
Upon official launch, we hope to gain enough daily active users on par with the most popular Cardano NFT marketplaces within 6 months. We believe that because this platform is far more dynamic than any NFT game or NFT marketplace, it should exceed daily active users of all existing projects within a year of launch. This is quite ambitious, but considering Treasure Chain intends to provide the utility of both a game, an NFT marketplace, and a social media site, it should warrant more users than any of these platforms with one function.
Metrics for daily active users, registered unique wallets, transaction volume, and total revenue will be made public.
[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.
We are asking for 3 Months of funding which will take us to the end of the year.
2023 Q4 - Begin smart contract integration with the Godot game engine prototype, as well as Multi-user game server integration.
Milestone 1 - Entity set up. Team roles and specific tasks will be delegated and a regularly scheduled workflow will be established. Administrative work to make sure that all the team's contract and payment is set up.
Milestone 2 - The first goal for blockchain integration into the Godot prototype is to allow the simple minting of an NFT on the platform. The NFT should contain the uploaded image and its basic stats in the metadata. This will be done by connecting to GameChanger Wallet.
Milestone 3 - Research and implement how to translate the game mechanics to blockchain interactions. The 'Linkages' info of a tile in TC should be contained in its metadata.
Milestone 4 (Final Acceptance Milestone) - Multi-user set up. Currently, TC is a single-player game running on the browser. After blockchain integration, multi-user gameplay will need to be set up to test how well it works. We already know how to set up multi-user on Godot, but it may need to work differently to work with a blockchain. Lots of research will need to go into this milestone. At this point, we intend to open-source some of our Godot to Cardano tools.
At this point we will need to seek more funding, if so the goals will be as follows:
2024 Q1 - Beta test launch
2024 Q2 - Full product launch
2024 Q3 - Monitoring and improvements
2025 Q3 -> Product support, app improvements, marketing.
[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.
2023 - Q4:
Milestone 1 - Treasure Chain is already an incorporated business entity. Some of this documentation will be public and sent to IOG. All employee contracts, payment plans, and agreements will be sent to IOG before work begins. These contracts will state that IOG has the right to view these payment proofs since Catalyst is a crowdfunded platform intended to have transparency with the Cardano community. Each employee is contracted on an hourly basis. Documentation of tracked hours by each employee will be provided to the community and Catalyst.
Milestone 2 - Testnet ledger transactions will show if NFTs can be successfully minted on the platform by connecting to the GameChanger Wallet. Cardanoscan links will be provided.
Milestone 3 - Testnet ledger transactions with NFT metadata will be provided. We will also provide documentation on how this metadata corresponds to in-game mechanics.
Milestone 4 (Final Acceptance Milestone) - Multi-user functionality will be self-evident in the use of the prototype. We will provide the link to the web browser prototype where anyone can test it to see if it is working. At this point, we intend to open-source some of our Godot to Cardano tools. A public Github page will be provided for the community. In the case that these tools are not fully functioning, we will provide an updated timeline of when we will release them.
2024 - Q1 - We hope by the beginning of next year it will be ready for beta launch to get test users. A 3 month testing period will give us time to assess what is and is not working, as well as get feedback on the enjoyment of the gameplay. Depending on how well things are working will determine how long this test period is.
2024 - Q2 - The goal by this time is to be able to launch the full product with confidence it is 90% working. There will need to be continued monitoring and user feedback to see how well it is working with many more users.
2024 - Q3 - By this time we will continue to monitor performance and make improvements. We will also begin marketing to increase the user base and begin generating revenue.
2024 - Q4 - Increase marketing and gain users, outreach to other projects in the community to see how we can help each other succeed and collaborate.
[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.
We are asking for roughly $65,200 in Ada. (227000 Ada- 7/12/23 - $0.29)
This will be used the pay the 4 team members $5,000 each for 3 months plus $5000 for outside consultation.
Team members can choose whether to be paid in ADA or USD.
The team will consist of:
1 Founder, Team Lead, Product Designer, and Project Manager - Samuel Walton
1 Cardano Developer - Adriano (GameChanger Wallet)
1 Godot Developer - Facundo Fernandez
1 Administrative Assistant and Marketer - Quasar
Outside consultation - Dagwell and Alpine (Disco Solaris)
Month 1:
Milestone 1 - 20,000 Ada: $3,410 has already been spent on registering Treasure Chain as a C corp in Delaware and Virginia. Roughly $2,390 remain to pay employees for their time.
Month 2:
Milestone 2 - 69,000 Ada - Split between the 4 employees for their time.
Milestone 3 - 69,000 Ada - Split between the 4 employees for their time.
Month 3:
Milestone 4 - 69,000 Ada - Split between the 4 employees for their time.
The team members are all already equipped with the necessary hardware and software. Most programs being used are free. The payment will be used primarily for the time spent on tasks.
Each team member will have the same 5k budget per month but will need to submit time cards and show task completion to receive payment.
[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?
Samuel Walton - Founder, UI Designer, Lead product designer, animator.
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-r-walton-429645110/>
<https://www.slamtron.com/>
Facundo Fernandez - Godot and Web developer.
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/facundo-fernandez-3857661b0/>
<https://thediavolo.itch.io/>
Deryck Lance- Founder of Quasar Risk Advisors, Insurtech Engineering. Involved with many Cardano projects such as The Hard Forq Cafe, Disco Solaris, Cardano Ministry, and others.
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/deryck-lance-9405898/>
Adriano Fiorenza - Cardano Developer, creator of GameChanger Wallet, and collaborator with Gimbal Labs.
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriano-fiorenza/>
<https://gamechanger.finance/>
[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?
We believe we are asking for a modest amount to pay each team member $5,000 a month for 3 months. If this product works as intended, it should quickly bring many more users to Cardano and generate tenfold in revenue within the first year of the official launch.
