Proposal -- Console / Caartridge model for the Gotchiverse

Game Mechanics
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Overview

The Problem – Sybil Attacks in a Permissionless System

A Potential Solution – A Console/Caartridge model

Note – This proposal is not a full technical solution to the general problem of botting. Every game with financial incentives will be botted in some way, and it’s an unrelenting technical arms race with no final win condition. The only way to prevent botters is to make it unprofitable or too time-intensive to set up a successful operation.

What Caartridges are: a social and economic system to align the incentives between Gotchi Owners and the players they lend Gotchis to, to contribute to the positive growth of the Gotchiverse ecosystem.

Goals

  1. Help protect the Gotchiverse against Sybil attacks without relying on external infrastructure like BrightID, Idena, KYC, etc.
  2. Incentivize players to keep value within the ecosystem (but still allow the option to exit, if they’d prefer).
  3. Offer a compelling user journey for new players in the ecosystem to go from zero to asset owner.

Definitions

CONSOLE - A soulbound NFT with unlimited duration that grants the owner unlimited access to the Gotchiverse. Comes with various benefits, the most important being CAARTRIDGE PRINTING.

CAARTRIDGE - A single-transfer NFT with limited duration that grants the owner unlimited access to the Gotchiverse while active. Gets RECHARGED by spending Alchemica.

Implementation

Consoles

Consoles are soulbound NFTs that will initially be airdropped to all owners of Aavegotchis and REALM Parcels. To prevent exploitation of the airdrop, the snapshot will be taken at the time this piece is published.

Benefits of a Console:

  • Unlimited Gotchiverse Access: All activities in the Gotchiverse are available to Console owners, with no restrictions. However, a Console is not an invitation to engage in botting activity. Botters will still be banned on sight.

  • Caartridge Printing: Every month, the Console will print one Caartridge per Console level for its owner. This Caartridge can be transferred to any blockchain address, linking the Console and the recipient address in a Patron → Player relationship.

  • Alchemica Sharing: The Console owner will receive REFUND_PERC of the Alchemica spent by his linked Players on crafting and upgrading (this % will be deducted from what Pixelcraft receives).

  • Crafting Discount: The Console owner will also receive a discount on all crafting, depending on the Console level. This discount begins at REFUND_PERC and increases by 1% per level, maxing out at 15%.*

  • (OPTIONAL) Upgrading Discount: The Console owner will also receive a discount on all upgrading, depending on the Console level. This discount begins at REFUND_PERC and increases by 1% per level, maxing out at 15%.*

** If implemented, it would be wise to completely remove the Refund Policy for burning Installations from parcels, to prevent a “bank run” scenario in the future.

How to Get a Console

  • Initial Airdrop – Gotchi Owners and REALM Parcel owners will each receive one Console airdropped to their address, based on a snapshot taken from the time this post was published.*
  • Craft One – Consoles can also be crafted via the Crafting Table, with the following recipe: 50k FUD, 50k FOMO 37.5k ALPHA, 20k KEK.
  • Evolve One – Caartridges (discussed below) can also be leveled up, and upon reaching their final Level 10, automatically evolve into Consoles.
  • Win One – A limited number of Consoles will also be used as prizes for activities hosted by Pixelcraft or the community.

*Players who became owners after the Snapshot was taken may be given Consoles on a case-by-case basis, as determined by the Pixelcraft team.

How to Level Up Your Console

  • A Console gains experience whenever the Console Owner or linked Player spends Alchemica on crafting or upgrading in the Gotchiverse.
  • Each level-up requires the accumulation of 7,500,000 points, the equivalent of roughly 500,000 FUD spent in-game.

Caartridges

Caartridges are soulbound NFTs that link a blockchain address to a specific Patron wallet, creating a linked economic and social relationship. Caartridges can only be acquired by receiving from a Console owner. They cannot be purchased.

Benefits of Caartridges

  • Unlimited Gotchiverse Access - Players without an active Caartridge or Console may still join the Gotchiverse, but the following functionalities will be disabled:
    • Picking up Ground Alchemica (aka Spillover)
    • Channeling from Aaltars you do not personally own
    • Emptying Reservoirs you do not personally own
  • Progression to Console – A Caartridge automatically becomes a Console when it reaches 7,500,000 points, the equivalent of 500,000 FUD spent in-game (1 minute = 1 point)…
  • Extending gameplay time – By default, a Caartridge comes with 360 hours of unlimited gameplay for free. This time can be extended by crafting or upgrading within the Gotchiverse, with the following formula applied:
    • 1 FUD: 15 minutes + 0.5 / Level
    • 1 FOMO: 30 minutes + 1 / Level
    • 1 ALPHA: 60 minutes + 1.5 / Level
    • 1 KEK: 150 minutes + 2 / Level

Using a Caartridge

  • Only Players - A Caartridge cannot be transferred to or opened by a Console owner.
  • Activating - When a Player receives a Caartridge, it is considered “Inactive” and must be activated with an onchain transaction, which begins the time countdown.
  • Deactivating - Caartridges can also be temporarily deactivated (preventing further countdown) with an onchain transaction.
  • Recharging - The Caartridge can be recharged by crafting or upgrading, earning time points for each Alchemica spent.
  • Leveling Up - Like Consoles, Caartridges level up when enough Alchemica is spent. Higher level Caartridges earn time points faster during Crafting and Upgrading.
  • Evolution – When the Caartridge reaches the threshold of 7,500,000 time points, it automatically becomes a Console!

Distribution

Consoles

A snapshot based on today’s date will be taken, and all Gotchi Owners and REALM Parcel owners will receive one Console per address. A Console can only be transferred once before it becomes completely soulbound, so treat it gently!

For new owners entering the ecosystem after the Snapshot date, a limited number of Consoles will be available, based on the discretion of Pixelcraft.

Caartridges

Each Aavegotchi owner will receive three Caartridges, each of which can be transferred once before becoming soulbound.

Each REALM owner will receive one Caartridge, which can be transferred once before becoming soulbound.

We recognize that the balance between owners and Caartridges may be off initially, but we believe it is fairest to give each Gotchi or REALM owner an equal number of Caartridges, rather than giving Caartridges based on the exact # of Aavegotchis or REALM parcels owned (which would result in more Caartridges than we currently have in active human players).

Of course, this is a DAO discussion, so we’re opening to more distribution ideas. Just keep in mind, our goal here is to not overinflate the system with Caartridges. Ideally we have just enough for our current active player base, but a little extra. Then we let it grow organically from there!

Decisions to be made

  1. Should be implement the Caartridge system?
  2. How much should a Console cost?
  3. How many Caartridges should be given out initially?
  4. Should Consoles give a discount for upgrading? If so, should we remove the “Burn Refund” from current Installations?

Timeline

Ideally, this system would be implemented before the Harvester release, so that spillover could safely be turned on again, without worrying about a massive influx of bots.

On the Solidity side, work has already begun to implement it, and can be finished and tested within a few weeks.

On the frontend, some design and development work will be needed, but should not significantly slow down the implementation of the Harvester release.

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:clap: Sounds good to me but man I am glad I removed my Gotchi from the Vault in preparation of today’s activities :sweat_smile: or would I still have gotten credit? I really like the idea of the caartridges being able to ultimately evolve into a console. Imo its a cool mechanic that their owners could strive for. I am not really understanding the need for non-asset owners to be able to craft a console when they could just purchase an asset to qualify for one. I am against the idea of removing the current “burn refund” that we now have in place, so hopefully we can brainstorm a different mechanic to fund the discounts.

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Should the DAO ever be worried about taxation? Will the discount function trigger weird taxation or SEC rules?

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Yes Gotchis in the Vault will still count as being owned by their original owner!

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:+1: thanks you put my mind at ease because i thought i might have missed out :wink:

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Will this also apply to Realm parcels deposited in the vault?

Also, this all sounds great!

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I really like this proposal overall and think it is an excellent first step in gatekeeping and promoting safe expansion of gameplay. My major concern and point of feedback is regarding distribution of the consoles. I propose that each gotchi be given a single console. The gotchi is the flagship NFT of our game, the point of entry to the gotchiverse, and it simply “makes sense” to use the gotchi and trust gotchi holders with caartidge minting and distribution. The current proposal does not make sense from a practical perspective for large asset holders. For my assets, I will require far more than 2 caartridges per month. Why would I receive the same number of caartridges as someone with 169 fewer gotchis and 129 fewer lands? This makes no sense. With the current proposal, my friends and family would not be able to play the game with full access rights despite me having over $300k in native assets. This is frankly embarrassing and inexplicable. It also reflects an odd and persistent pattern of decisions to not support large asset holders in the community.

Proposal:
-Each gotchi be given a single console but only 3 initial caartidges per address maximum. This would not flood the initial market with too many caartridges. But, long term, it enables gotchi holders to decide and be responsible for responsible player growth.
-Each unique land owner be given a single console only if they are not already receiving a console from being a gotchi owner. I do not know if this is possible from a technical perspective, but it provides a safety net for non-gotchi owners who owned land. It also avoid dilution of consoles to gotchi owners
-The upgrading discount maximum continues to be 15% but is cumulative of console levels

I’m excited for ongoing discussion and really proud of the work and effort coderdan and team have put into this proposal so far!

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100% agreed here, especially since a user with 2 gotchis stored in two different wallets would end up with more consoles than one with 100 gotchis in one wallet, an absurd scenario.

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As long as access to gotchiverse remains open for new investors as stated here then I think this is a very viable option.

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I think a good mental exercise when figuring out how to allocate these is, to have three archetypes in mind, and see if it works for each of them…

  1. Corporate Class - Does this work for Dr Wagmis situation? 100+ gotchis, even more land, uses vault. These are owners with many assets that need efficient onboarding and more flexibility. Either single players with large bags or investment DAOs, that are needing a less hands on experience, due to scaling issues.
  2. Family Business - does this work for the 1-20 gotchi person who has 0-20 lands and it working closely with scholars(people like me, or that have guild scholars)? These are owners that work their scholars and invest in people. The guilds that do heavy recruitment of scholars also fit into this area.
  3. The Consultant - does this work for the mid range hustlers like whiteranger and no futuristic, who are pushing the limits of the rental system? These are owners that act like scholars, but on industrial scale. The push up and down, on the market, and will be the ones that find the exploits.

Basically, its gotta balance corporate vs family, while leaving the consultants open to do their thing in the middle.

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Your proposal does bring up some interesting points, but i may be misunderstanding this

Does this mean that if I own both gotchi and parcels I would ONLY get a console per gotchi? If so, imo, that would be very punitive to owners of both also not everyone has 1 to 1 ratio of parcels to gotchi.

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NGL, but I’m confused as to why this is even a priority. We have so many core mechanics that haven’t been finalized or implemented, yet here we are worrying about Bots and Renters. It’s getting to be a little off-putting with so much focus on appeasing the lowest rung on the ladder (Renters) while the highest rung (Investors, esp. early ones) is getting ignored.

I’m all for getting something like this implemented quickly if it means we can focus 100% on the core mechanics going forward with absolutely zero regard for Renters after this is finalized. The delays are already going on 6+ months. It’s time to start rewarding early investors and get Traits & Wearables’ perks implemented in-game.

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How can we balance the incentives such that there would be nothing to gain by a console owner minting cartridges and sending them to a separate wallet that they themselves control? Players could use this as a way of double-dipping on the benefit of getting a % discount back on their crafting while also leveling up their console by simply crafting in a second wallet with a caartridge and sending their crafted items back to their primary wallet.

One way to solve that might be to make sure that the discounts for crafting in the console wallet are always greater than the alchemica share received when the caartridge wallet crafts. So the player would always be better off crafting in their console wallet. This means also if any alchemica spending does not come with a discount (ie: if upgrades are not discounted) - this same alchemica, if spent by the caartridge holder, should not be shared with the console owner.

The console level-up still mechanic does present a challenge in this regard, as if there’s a large enough incentive to level up the console to obtain more cartridges, we might still find that console owners are minting cartridges for themselves just to get to the higher level - so at all points the opportunity cost of not crafting in the console wallet should exceed the benefits of the cartridge wallet crafting that flow back to the console owner.

Lastly, it might make sense to consider different levels of crafting discounts based on the type of crafting being done. Decorations and tiles, for example, might make sense for a higher discount level while installations that already earn yield could have less of a discount, or none at all.

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How would having multiple consoles benefit any user? The consoles are soul bound (I’m assuming this means non-transferable) and the features don’t really appear to stack.

Perhaps it would be worth providing upgrade points in lieu of additional consoles to help reward people investing in multiple assets.

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Initial thoughts:

You get too much additional cartridge time from crafting per alchemica spent, especially since the time can be paused. Crafting 1 piece of grass (which is less than $2 at the current price and I suspect will be even lower going forward) gives you 62 hours of additional gameplay. And it’s not like the alchemica is burnt, you can still sell it or trade it later. I think a slight reduction would be good. Also, the amount of extra time per level should be in line with everything else (5 minutes per KEK and 2 minutes per alpha, not 2 and 1.5).

I think gotchi owners should get 1 cartridge per gotchi initially. It will allow everyone to be able to find an adequate amount of players for their gotchis. I don’t think bot hunting will be that bad since it’s still a limited number, and it’s a 1 time large drop. I think players with only land should be given a cartridge for themselves initially and no console. It should only be the gotchi owners with consoles imo.

I think we should keep the burn refund and not implement the upgrading discount.

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I understand what you’re saying here, but we can’t have 20k consoles, that would make no sense. It wouldn’t really limit player intake at all. I think initially airdropping 1 cartridge per gotchi initially would be plenty. That would give you a large initial amount and you shouldn’t really need many more than that for a while, which your console would be building up overtime too.

And don’t forget, your console can give you up to 15 per month (based on level) and your level should go up quicker than others’ since you will have more cartridges at the start to hand out. Maybe tweaking the experience on the consoles/max amount of cartridges that can be created per month per console?

Maybe people with more gotchis have a higher max level console? Or maybe they start off with an already leveled console? I’m not sure what the answer is, but 20k consoles definitely isn’t it.

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How does this effect the parcel only asset holders? They will still need to have their assets managed and as you mentioned what do have gotchi borrowing. Imo parcel owners should not be excluded just because they do not have any gotchi.

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Did some quick math on what an average pocketful of alchemica would look like for a spillover collector (if they fill their pockets with 250 alchemica and pick up the four tokens relative to their supply) - that would be 135 FUD, 68 FOMO, 34 ALPHA, 14 KEK (or 541 FUD equivalent).

The purple grass tiles cost 250 FUD equivalent (200 FUD, 5 KEK) - so for a frame of reference it would take half a bag of alchemica to craft a purple grass tile.

I’m not sure how long it takes with spillover to collect a full bag- but if we say it’s 8 hours of play time (anybody have a better idea on this?) - so you play for 4 hours and use all of those earnings to craft - then you’re getting another 58 hours (based on your 62 hours number) to play and do whatever you please with your earnings.

If the 8 hours = 1 full bag thing checks out, that means you’re expected to give 8% of your spillover earnings back to crafting (which as you’ve pointed out, still has value for you) - if that’s the case, I tend to agree with your point that the crafting requirement could be steeper - something more in the 25%-ish range feels still fair.

PS - as @Xeko points out - also need to keep in mind spillover will be more plentiful once harvesters and reservoirs are online - so need to take that into account as well

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We need to limit the amount of consoles that are being distributed. I think limiting them to gotchi owners is the best idea. You can still find people to harvest your parcel without being the one to give them a cartridge.

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I would still like to be able to work on my own parcel without being delegated to the role of employee. Afterall I did make an investment as an asset owner, so maybe I was not as fortunate as some to get a gotchi for the price of 2 humbles but I am still an owner.

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