Last updated 3 weeks ago
The UTxO model is a powerful paradigm but also a very complex one. It is one of the main barriers for adoption of developers coming from account-based ecosystems.
This is the total amount allocated to Asteria by TxPipe: A bot challenge to showcase the capabilities of the UTxO model. 3 out of 5 milestones are completed.
1/5
On-chain development
Cost: ₳ 40,700
Delivery: Month 1 - Apr 2024
2/5
Map generator development
Cost: ₳ 40,622
Delivery: Month 2 - May 2024
3/5
Frontend development
Cost: ₳ 40,624
Delivery: Month 3 - Jun 2024
4/5
Mainnet release
Cost: ₳ 40,624
Delivery: Month 4 - Jul 2024
5/5
Final Report
Cost: ₳ 29,002
Delivery: Month 5 - Aug 2024
NB: Monthly reporting was deprecated from January 2024 and replaced fully by the Milestones Program framework. Learn more here
A bot challenge, incentivized by ADA rewards, that showcases the capabilities of the UTxO model by participating in a compelling on-chain strategy challenge.
No dependencies
We'll use Apache 2.0 License.
All artifacts will be open source, including:
Executive Summary
Mechanics
In this bot challenge you compete by moving a ship (your bot) through a 2D grid. The ship that reaches the center is allowed to collect the rewards.
Ships are implemented as UTxOs with a datum holding a pair of (x, y) coordinates that represent their position in the 2D grid. To move a ship, a transaction must consume the UTxO and create a new one with holding the new position.
Movement of the ships is constrained by a Space-Time on-chain script that limits their velocity. Strictly speaking, the max distance that a ship can move in any given transaction has a constant upper bound. Distances are defined using [Manhattan distance] to simplify the math.
Movement of the ships is also constrained by a fuel token that is required for any change in position. An specific amount of fuel is required per distance unit. The lack of the required fuel amount will block the movement of the ship.
To accumulate fuel, ships must gather these tokens which are distributed randomly across the same grid. To gather a fuel token, your ship needs to be in the same coordinates as the fuel.
To create a ship, a participant must mint the corresponding NFT from the valid policy id. A minimum amount of ADA will be requried for the mint. This ADA used to mint the ships will be increment the rewards locked for the winner. The initial position of the ship is decided by the player but is contrainted to the external boundary of the grid.
A unique UTxO will be place at the center of the grid to hold the rewards for the winner of the challenge. To claim rewards, a ship must be located at the center of the grid. Each claim is allowed to collect 1/2 of the total rewards.
More information
If you're interested in learning more about the project, even outside the scope of the Catalyst proposal, please bookmark our git repository. We'll make sure to maintain the README updated with relevant information and news.
Educate developers about the UTxO model
This bot challenge is a compelling and fun way to introduce developers to benefits and complexity of the UTxO model. This knowledge will lower the entry barrier for these developers to start building Cardano dApps.
Attract developers from other ecosystems
By incentivizing participation through rewards, this challenge will attract developers from inside and outside the ecosystem, increasing the number of developers with technical knowledge about Cardano.
Fund developers directly
The beneficiaries of the rewards of this challenge will be developers. By funding developers directly, we foster a community of specialized builders with the potential to continue building in Cardano.
TxPipe is an active member of the Cardano ecosystem
TxPipe has been developing open-source tools for the Cardano ecosystem for over 2 years and we're not going anywhere. Evidence of our commitment can be found by evaluating the continuous activity of our public code repositories.
Experience developing in the Cardano ecosystem
TxPipe has helped developed several dApps for the Cardano ecosystem. This experience allows us to evaluate the feasibility of the project and its potential benefit from a developer's perspective.
Succesful Catalyst proposals
We have successfully completed 2 prior Catalyst proposals. This may serve as evidence that our team has the required capabilities to fulfill these type of projects.
Development process will be public and open-source
Both the output and the development process will be public and open-source. This approach provides an easy way for the Catalyst team and the Cardano community to evaluate the progress at each step of the process.
On-chain development
This milestone is about building the smart validators that will govern the transactions of the challenge that are executed on-chain.
Outputs:
Acceptance Criteria:
Map generator development
This milestone is about developing an algorithm to create fairly distributed maps of resources to be used by the challenge.
Outputs:
Acceptance Criteria:
Frontend development
This milestone is about developing a web frontend that allows participants to enter the challenge and visualize the overall progress.
Outputs:
Acceptance Criteria:
Mainnet release
This milestone is about auditing the on-chain contracts and releasing the official challenge on the Cardano mainnet network.
Outputs:
Acceptance Criteria:
Completion Report
This milestone is about wrapping up the project and providing relevant insights for the Catalyst team and larger Cardano community to evaluate the result of the proposal.
Outputs
Acceptance Criteria
Active Development (Blue Team)
Code Audit (Red Team)
Additional Members
FTE = Full-time equivalent
Total budget = ₳ 191,572
Software Development
Marketing & Communication
Infrastructure
The bulk of the budget falls under the software development category. TxPipe has extensive experience in the field, allowing it to provide good value for money. The hourly rates are defined using fair market prices. The estimation for the level of effort takes into account all of the optimizations that our team is capable of providing after years of experience developing software solutions in the Cardano ecosystem.