GameChanger: smart contract support

Extended problem statement:

With the current lack of browser PAB implementation, smart-contract ecosystem has to find ways to provide early support. Its not ideal, but is necesary as first steps towards RealFi/DeFi evolution in Cardano.

GameChanger Wallet also has special needs regarding this implementation as our DAPP connector works very differently compared to the current connector trend specified by the CIP-0030. Generally speaking It aims to be a fully featured, JSON based transaction builder API, with webpage to webpage URL redirections as comunication channel because wallet is a webapp and has very different context that the one a browser extension would have. (Another communication channel is planned in the future) This opens up to incredible use cases such as super low entry complexity barreer for DAPP students and builders, hardware integrating the wallet (real use cases already available), and many more.

This require from us a proper research into find ways to adapt current wallet features and workflows with Plutus scripts and eUTXO support, with proper exposure into this JSON API called GCScripts. We will not only be signing externally builded raw transactions, in most cases we need to think differently. 

Describe your solution to the problem:

We will begin with a research phase ending up into small proof of concepts to explore the ways into how we can tackle this challenge with our codebase. If we find PAB availability during this phase we can pivot our strategy and start pioneering into it, if not, we expect to be solving this solution by leveraging as most as we can on user customizable parameters and Emurgo's cardano-serialization-lib, the library behind Yoroi wallet and currently the one we are using to unleash our wallet with all the features we currently provide. 

Use cases and customers:

1. Students and builders: To be able to use Playground, our integrated IDE for testing and DAPP connector creation with smart contracts in Cardano, interacting with JSON and ready to use demos can be a game changer for the ecosystem
2. DeFi: from swaps to advanced Plutus-minted CNFT drops, the entire DeFi ecosystem will benefit from having our SC support available, specially for fast prototyping and launching
3. RealFi: due to our commitment with developing countries, on lowering knowledge and infrastructure barreers, we want to pay special attention to RealFi use cases. Right now, our wallet is allowing fast and easy creation of URL requests for payments, decentra-minting native assets and IDNFTs, and many other features that can add value to real life businesses.

Extended relevant experience:

Cardano users can already benefit from having a highly humanized and gamified wallet, which is 100% committed to removing the entry barriers for students, entrepreneurs, junior developers and newcomers around the world. It's called GameChanger and our vision is to allow our users to focus on what matters rather than investing time and energy in infrastructure, language complexities and having higher level coding skills.

GameChanger current core features:

• Light-client, non-custodial, fully responsive progresive web app (PWA) wallet, ready to be used in any device without installing. We know how hard it can be for users in emerging countries to store applications on their phones and even computers when there's not enough space or resources to use the executables.
• Mainnet and Testnet version available as well, making super easy to play and make tests with, specially for developers and students to test without spending real value. Integrated one-click multi-asset airdrop for getting started.
• We're the first deeply gamified wallet in the Cardano ecosystem, where your balance becomes like a game inventory and move your assets (as coloured cards) as if they were tangible objects, allowing you to make from the simplest transaction to even a multi-asset, or multi-output transaction with the same intuitive interface. We're truly unleashing Cardano's potential by allowing anybody, even newcomers to interact with the most advanced features of the ecosystem, breaking with more than a decade of inherited UI trends that we think are obsolete.
• No more manually settings for fees and minimum ADA values, the wallet calculates all this for you. Sending a single token has never been easier, just pick the asset you want to send and the wallet adjusts the rest.
• Native NFT and tokens support visual representation from day one. Token avatars help you identify same minting policies to quickly discover fake tokens and visually respect NFTs collection similarities. Token registry verification check.
• Strict audit stage for any transaction sending request, letting the user review their actions prior to sending.
• Builtin NFT Creator, drag and drop any file type, (not just images) to mint a single NFT or even a professional collection in an automated way. Make NFT drops with the same gamified UI with final review stage.
• URL-based dApp connector, allowing social networks, blogging sites, landing pages and even emails and e-messaging to carry payment links, donation buttons, metadata, tokens and NFT minting links on Cardano Blockchain. We plan to cover smart contracts and other features soon so please stay tuned. Here is a simple "minter tweet" to try this out:https://twitter.com/GameChangerOk/status/1433861451618426880?s=20
• Builtin Playground (IDE): dApp connector editor and HTML and URL generator. GameChanger Script editor, a JSON-based dApp connector scheme that already has been successfully coded by non-developers proving that to help developers focus on building, we must simplify our coding languages and tools. Users can start coding these scripts by editing all the demos already integrated in the editor. Implement payments, NFT drops and complex transactions in a couple of minutes ending up with a ready to use auto generated HTML dynamic dApp integration or a static copy-and-paste URL.
• (e)UTXO model visually exposed, ideally for devs and students to audit and learn how Cardano works. This plus Playground materializes our commitment to students and junior developers.
• Code based on Emurgo's cardano-serialization-lib, the core of Yoroi Wallet.
• Private key isolation inside Web Workers, read-only mode, and more.
• Open source, community driven API backend, using IOHK's cardano-graphql and relying on Dandelion APIs. Because we lack fair infrastructure capabilities and we are a very small team we are working closed source for now looking to reach sustainability first Is relevant to express that our deeply gamified wallet UI will fit perfectly for token based DeFi and DAPPs. 

Use cases and customers:

• Our end users, potencial DeFi/RealFi consumers, and migrating ones coming from other (EVM?) blockchains
• Builders and students: gamified UI + no-code JSON wallet integration would mean a game changer for onboarding new SC builders. Thanks to Playground, our integrated IDE, GC Wallet is being considered as an easier web cardano-cli alternative. 
• DeFi/RealFi: swaps, dex, escrows, trading, payment dapps, etc.. 
• CNFT dapps and SC assisted drops
• Project Catapult, first full featured Shelley dapp using GameChanger connector and IDNFT support would benefit from SC support. https://catapult.gamechanger.finance
• Power Users trying to reduce fees combining Cardano features into single transactions, also now, consuming SCs

Meet the team:

Adriano Fiorenza is Entrepreneur & Senior Full Stack Developer with 10+ years of experience software and IOT development. Founder and the main Lead Developer behind GameChanger Wallet, and Project Catapult, participated in 1st gen Plutus Pioneer Program and is currently contributing as Core Team member at Gimbalabs

His Linkedin profile can be found at https://ar.linkedin.com/in/adriano-fiorenza

Javier Ribó, Technical manager working in the flight industry and for the past years has successfully built and scaled different projects.Also worked for more than 7 years in the Hosting & Cloud industry. Currently going through the "Emurgo Developer course" Batch 52 & contributing to GameChanger Wallet as Senior Developer.

His Linkedin profile can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/index

Roberto C. Morano is a systems integrator and DevOps advocate with over 15 years of experience. Ex-Emurgo DevOps Lead.  Gimbalabs Co-Founder.  Dandelion Founder and Operator. GameChanger Wallet advisor.

His Linkedin profile can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rcmorano/

Current Status / Technical Information:

Our DAPP supports Shelley era features like multi-asset  multi-outputs, minting and metadata. We are working with a codebase relying on an upgradable version of cardano-serialization-lib. Other proposals of ours are trying to switch from a storeless to a spending password model and also aiming to add HW Ledger and Trezor support. During this upcoming refactors, it would be an adecuate moment to research and add SC support as well. 

Key features/goals:

This are tentative as research phase and PAB availability could change our plans:

support for user defined serialized Plutus scripts into GCScripts

support for user defined serialized datum field

support for user defined serialized redeemer field

aid on fee calculation or rely user defined parameters to calculate it per DAPP basis

collateral UTXO handling combined with our key derivation plans

special UI support, from eUTXO model details on TransactionViewer to DAPP connector review stage details and user-acceptance flow. 

Roadmap:

• 1st month: Research phase and basic PoC development
• 2nd month: refactor our current internal API to handle eUTXO and Plutus SCs
• 3rd month: UI upgrades, first on TransactionViewer and then on Playground and DAPP connector assistant. Testing phase.

Key Performance Indicators for the first 3/6 months (KPIs):

3rd month:

increased number of pioneer users and DAPPs wanting to start integrating with GC

6th month:

increased number of SC DAPP GC wallet users 

increased number of SC transactions executed on GC wallet

increased number of identificable SC DAPPs integrating GC

Budget:

- 1 Full-Stack Senior Engineer ($3000 x 3 months = 9000$)

Total: $9000 for a 3 months period.

Related proposals & other projects:

More information in general about all our participation and co-proposals in Catalyst can be found on our website.

https://gamechanger.finance/catalyst

We also want to contribute to the overall Catalyst experience and we have created Project Catapult for all the not-funded proposals and helping on Catalyst Community Tools On-Chain!