OctoWars - an upcoming TCG about deep-sea warfare between powerful octopus deities, warring over secret magics and forgotten technologies

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Aljosa Mohorovic

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

Entity (Incorporated)

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

9

[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)

TCG games create a loyal and engaging communities. We are building a great gaming experience which will bring new people continuously regardless of ADA market value.

[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

While we plan to open-source useful parts as packaged/reusable code packages and also code as-is for informal exploration, the OctoWars world is a commercial project with a focus to be self-sustainable and to grow as much as possible.

[METADATA] Horizons

Gaming

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

The problem:

Despite the natural benefits blockchain integration provides for video games, especially card games which place maximum importance on the user’s ownership of cards, blockchain-based games currently have difficulty competing in the broader gaming market.

Our approach:

We will develop a true online trading card game experience that will rival the largest games in the genre, with a deep interactive world filled with massive multiplayer social elements similar to those found in roleplaying games. 

With social elements in the forefront, and a complex alien world with its own lore, history and mythology in the background, OctoWars aims to inspire a sense of awe and adventure few games can match. 

In addition, careful balancing and ground-up redesign of how trading card games play will offer a highly competitive experience expanded upon with player guilds and tournaments, complemented by a cooperative boss raid system tied to an explorable world map, creating an experience which transcends the relatively compact genre of card games. 

This is all possible thanks to blockchain-based technology, allowing us to provide players with true ownership over their own cards and certain other assets in the game world. An open market will make it possible for players to freely trade or sell their in-game belongings.

Engagement and impact:

The target audience is primarily PC gamers, especially those with an interest in card games. The expected audience is expanded by board gamers and members of the Cardano ecosystem who may find interest in branching

This Proposal:

If this proposal is granted the requested funding we will bring the TCG (combat mode) part of the game online in a prototype form with a goal of being playable.

More about the project:

The complete ruleset for the game is available in the form of a manual:

OctoWars Manual - Public Version.docx

A primarily visual showcase of the game’s identity is available in the form of a presentation:

OctoWars Presentation.pptx

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

Our project aims to compete with other popular entries in the genre of online card games, all while using blockchain technology to provide true ownership over in-game assets (primarily cards) to players.

This way, we will attract gamers who were previously uninterested in Cardano.

By requiring all players to own a crypto wallet, we will directly introduce our playerbase to the Cardano ecosystem. Our focus on social gameplay elements will create another sub-community within the Cardano ecosystem, not only increasing the number of people in the ecosystem, but also opening it up further to gamers who might not already have blockchain related interests.

[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?

Aljosa (main applicant) is a senior developer with team lead and product owner experience, capable of building an end-to-end solution by himself.

He has extensive experience in both backend and frontend development and a strong focus on Python/Django and JavaScript/React.

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

Deck building

Based on cards available (Core & Free set) the players need to be able to build the deck(s) to enter combat.

Milestone outputs: Functionality on the demo website

Acceptance criteria: End user can create a deck

Evidence of milestone completion: Video walk-through

Combat - Creatures

Implement gameplay which is based only on creatures and their attach/health.

Milestone outputs: Updated functionality on the demo website

Acceptance criteria: End users can start and finish a combat with their creature-only decks

Evidence of milestone completion: Video walk-through

Combat - Spells

Implement in-game spells to enable more advanced strategies.

Milestone outputs: Updated functionality on the demo website

Acceptance criteria: End users can start and finish a combat with decks which include most of the cards

Evidence of milestone completion: Video walk-through

Combat - full functionality

Implement full combat functionality, prototype should be fully playable at this point.

Milestone outputs: Updated functionality on the demo website

Acceptance criteria: End users can start and finish a combat with their decks

Evidence of milestone completion: Video walk-through

Bug fixes and UI/UX improvements

We plan a bare bones UI for the prototype but we do want to enable a good UX in line with this UI.

Any bugs preventing normal gameplay should be fixed at this point.

Milestone outputs: Updated functionality on the demo website

Acceptance criteria: List of bug fixes and changes

Evidence of milestone completion: Video walk-through

Our goal is to have the final milestone dedicated to "Project Close-out Report and Project Close-out Video (PCR and PCV)".

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

Aljosa Mohorovic will do the development.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aljosamohorovic/

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

All the resources will be used by developer to do the coding and related tasks (documentation, releases, etc.)

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

Our project represents an advertisement of the Cardano ecosystem to the gaming market, via its use of blockchain technology and requirement of a wallet in order to play.

If the project gains any momentum it will create an active community which will keep end users in Cardano ecosystem even during bear market.