Pigz.io (Stage 1) — Cardano Multiplatform MOBA Game

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Nick Tabolich

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Not Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

225000

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

12

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

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Develop an exciting MOBA game with access to the Cardano blockchain technology that will attract teenagers (and others) to the ecosystem

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

No

[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?

No

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

The game and backend responsible for minting the NFT will be proprietary. All accompanying client libraries will be under MIT License and distributed as open source (as well as other open source XRAY/Network products, see GitHub repositories)

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

The development of the game will be divided into several stages: Stage1, Stage2, Stage3 and so on. At this stage, the basic MVP version is already ready (see video above).

Stage 1 (current proposal):

• Continued MVP development on Construct 3 (Web, desktop and mobile versions)
• Modeling and texturing
• Lore development
• Procedural generation of worlds
• NFT minting
• PVE, MOBA modes

Stage 2:

• Transition to Unreal Engine
• Marketing campaigns
• Trying to get on PSN, XBOX Game Pass
• PVP mode

Subsequent Stages:

• Depending on circumstances

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Video games, like any audiovisual works, involve users in the ecosystem and allow us to look at blockchain in a new way: as platforms for solving everyday tasks, not just interacting with decentralized finance.

Blockchain Game Report: https://bigblockchaingamelist.com/2024/04/15/big-blockchain-game-report-q1-2024/

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

We've done quite a bit of product development and understand how and what goes on in Cardano.

• CardanoWeb3js (Cardano JS SDK)
• RayWallet (lightweight wallet)
• RayStake (+ first Cardano ISPO)
• XRAY/Graph Nftcdn (metadata explorer, image CDN, IPFS proxy)
• XRAY/Graph Output (Cloudflare Workers load balancer)
• XRAY/Graph Turbo TX Send (Cloudflare Workers multiple node tx submission)
• Koios Tiny (dockered Koios)
• cardano-koios-client
• cardano-nftcdn-client
• And so on, many projects are in the pipeline 

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Time required: 6 months

Key results: Frontend (Web version, accessing accounts via wallet connector, MOBA mode), backend (accounts, game sessions, NFT minting), game lore development (modeling and texturing, game story writing)

Time required: 3 months

Key results: Continued development, homepage, character & items explorer

Time required: 3 months

Key results: Stable version, marketing campaigns, proposal closing

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Nick Tabolich - Core Developer

Participated in the development of XRAY/Network for over two years, has experience with Cardano blockchain for all tasks. Possesses the necessary management skills to organize work and hire developers

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Milestone 1:

Game developer: $50/hr x 6 months x 100 hr/month = $30,000

Visual artist (2D/3D): $35/hr x 6 months x 100 hr/month = $21,000

Budget for purchasing stock assets: $5,000

Milestone 2:

Game developer: $50/hr x 3 months x 100 hr/month = $15,000

Visual artist (2D/3D): $35/hr x 3 months x 100 hr/month = $10,500

Budget for purchasing stock assets: $5,000

Final Milestone:

Game developer: $50/hr x 3 month x 100 hr/month = $15,000

TOTAL ($) = $101,500

TOTAL ($0.45/ADA) = ~225,000 ADA

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

Blockchain developer hourly rates are charged at an international industry standard of ~$50 an hour.

Developer, game or graphics artist hourly rates are charged at an international industry standard of ~$35 an hour.

Reference: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2023/#work-salary