Open standard for cross-game achievement system to gamify onchain participation

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

Additional applicants

Nicolas Arqueros

Robert Kornacki

dcSpark

Paima Studios

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.” .

No dependencies

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

Project will be fully open source

[METADATA] Category of Proposal

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

The goal of an open standard for cross-game achievements should be that any website or app can choose to support the achievement system without having to rely on any central server, as opposed to existing achievement systems that are depend on a central party like XBox Live or PlayStation

To create an open cross-chain achievement standard we have a few requirements:

1. Achievements for a game can have in-game effects (ex: a game can unlock an in-game area if you have 5+ achievements unlocked). However, achievements in one game need not be accessible from another
2. Services need to be able to efficiently read all achievements for a user’s account across games without having to rely on a centralized server
3. Companies can self-specify achievements for their game without having to register with a central server

The main implementer of this system will be Paima Engine - a framework for creating onchain games and autonomous worlds. Notably, it will work by

1. Defining a standard interface for client indexers written for Paima that games need to implement
2. The achievement website will scan all games written with Paima using the RPC standard to find the static data about which achievements are available in the game and which stateful NFTs are used for the game
3. The achievement website will scan the user’s wallet for all addresses they own, and check if they own any NFT related to any Paima games. If so, it will query the games through the RPC standard to find which achievements they’ve unlocked and display them

To bring this to life, we will implement this standard, create an example achievement website that leverages it, and implement it into 3 games (Jungle Wars, Wrath of the Jungle, Tarochi)

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

This will help grow engagement not just in existing games in the Cardano ecosystem, but will also naturally encourage people to play new games as they come out and revisit old titles. This increased player activity will make Cardano a more attractive market for building onchain games

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

• Number of games integrating the achievement system
• Number of achievements unlocked through the system
• Number of players who accessed the achievement website
• Number of apps integrating the achievement standard

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

1. Proposed standard for how games can expose achievements
2. Integrating the standard in 3+ games
3. Open source website that implements the standard

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

dcSpark and Paima Studios are well renowned companies in the Cardano ecosystem that have a long history of delivering on Catalyst proposals. You can find progress on grants we have previously received at https://dcspark.io/grants

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The goal is to increase user engagement and increase the likelihood they try new experiences when they are released in the Cardano ecosystem. We know the technology is feasible as our team consists of the team who wrote the Paima Engine, and will measure metrics to assess effectiveness

[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.

1. Define the standard for achievements and propose it as a specification
2. Implement the achievement system in existing Paima games
3. Build an open source website that integrates the standard

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

1. A specification any company can read and implement for the achievement standard
2. Multiple games that use the achievement standard that people can use as a reference
3. Have a reference implementation for other companies to use, as well as an official version of the system for the Paima website

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

1. 20k
2. 20k
3. 35k

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The project adds value as it encourages people to interact with applications (boosting usage metrics) and encourages innovation by providing new experiences a way to entice users to come try new games

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.