realChainLife
commented
2 years ago Hi @DarylLim thank you for this proposal. We would like to fund the work outlined here, please email devgrants@fil.org to discuss next steps.
Closed DarylLim closed 2 years ago
realChainLife
commented
2 years ago Hi @DarylLim thank you for this proposal. We would like to fund the work outlined here, please email devgrants@fil.org to discuss next steps.
Open Grant Proposal:
MetaPalsName of Project:
MetaPalsProposal Category:
app-devProposer:
DarylLim(Optional) Technical Sponsor:
Pan ChasingaDo you agree to open source all work you do on behalf of this RFP and dual-license under MIT and APACHE2 licenses?: Yes
Project Description
MetaPals is a Metaverse fully community driven with a Care-to-Earn system.
The gateway to the metaverse is through a browser extension that allows users to interact and grow NFT pets directly from their browser computer screen. With distinct personalities, a Metapal can speak via emoji's, interact with elements of a webpage, and play page-specific minigames with the user. All of which add to the 'care index', an on-chain measure of the wellbeing of the pet, directly influencing the value of the NFT. Other unique pets and accessories can be purchased through an NFT marketplace through an in-game and cryptocurrency-based token economy.
A demo of the behavior of a MetaPal on-screen can be seen here: https://youtu.be/xlguPlZspPM
Each MetaPal has a unique set of NFT metadata that reflects its personality and behavior on-screen. These traits dictate how energetic, playful, aggressive, polite, or shy the MetaPal is, and influences how the pet responds to certain user interactions (calling, petting, playing minigames, etc.). All actions, from feeding to attaching new accessories, are recorded on the MetaPal Care Index (MCI) - an NFT metric to determine how well a user looks after their MetaPal. If the MCI drops below a certain level, the user runs the risk of having their MetaPal ‘run away’, finding a new owner or returning to the Animal Shelter Marketplace. A MetaPal with a higher MCI is more playful, obedient, and generates more Dark Matter token, hence forming the Care-to-Earn model.
Behind the simple interface and cute appearance of the pets, MetaPals introduces several innovations within the NFT, GameFi, and Blockchain space. All transactions, from petting your dog, to feeding it, are on-chain events that write to the underlying NFT smart contract. This allows a number of novel concepts to take place: DeFi token collateral stakes, dynamic rarity, rarity farming, DAO-governed game mechanics, and an open metaverse with smart contract interoperability and in-world town hall-style voting.
The business model consists of several underlying revenue streams. In addition to the minting of new MetaPal pets, an active secondary marketplace facilitates the transactions of pets, accessories, and other in-game items that all take a small transaction fee.
Pets from new NFT collections are minted at a fixed price, and receives a random set of personality traits that are reflected through its behavior on-screen. MetaPals can be adopted through the Animal Shelter, a low-barrier starting point for users to enter the MP universe at a very low minting cost, or the Pet Shop, where more exotic and rare animals can be purchased.
MetaPal Collections are released based on the ‘realm’, or metaverse, that the pets came from, differing vastly through unique art styles and behaviors. This allows strategic partnerships with an array of different artists and businesses, providing a novel outlet for brand’s to enter the metaverse.
When a Metapal is fed a 'treat' - the MetaPals cryptocurrency token - it is effectively staked with the pet through an escrow contract address. This treat token generates yield via a MetaPal lending pool, providing us with staked collateral, and users with interest in the form of in-game currency - dubbed Dark Matter.
Ultimately, a MetaPal should be seen as your pet in the metaverse. Whilst it can be fun to play with, and generate tokens, it is also a sense of responsibility to look after and care for it, just like a real pet. It’s personality is unique, and requires time and interaction to understand and grow with it. It is up to the user to decide how they will raise their MetaPal, impacting its behavior on-screen, and its overall Care Index.
Value
The benefits of getting this right is to achieve one of the first projects to develop interactive NFTs to be stored on the decentralized blockchain. Our implementation of IPFS on our DAPP first starts with storing our character and wearable assets into IPFS via NFT storage. These characters and wearables asset would be tradable within our marketplace where users can buy and sell freely whereby our marketplace script invokes to save the IPFS meta data in CID hash.
In the backend, when asset files are stored into IPFS, we would also cache the files into the CDN (Content Delivery Network). The reason why we will be doing this is to ensure the loading of file is instant so that the marketplace, website and chrome extension will be a seamless experience from the user perspective in addition to having the asset itself permanently store into IPFS.
The key benefit to getting this right is that even though CDN is centralized, it would also be disposable. So in the event that the CDN is compromised or we move into a new infrastructure, we would simply need to resynchronize all files from the IPFS into the new CDN.
There is no specific risk to our knowledge for IPFS/File if the project fails and we are working hard to ensure that the systems developed are secure and non-exploitable.
The challenge is to manage user experience when caring for their pet on-screen, as every small interaction is captured on chain thus possibly increasing fetching time for reactions, which we will be resolving through a backend queue system.
Deliverables
As much as we can talk about functionality and features, the whole concept of MetaPals in one word: Companionship. With the pandemic accelerating the trend to work and study from home, we’re spending more and more time on our computers. We thought we could bring that sense of companionship back, through the utility of NFT’s, the developing GameFi business model, and the simplicity of a browser extension. All packaged in a small digital pet that lives on your screen, that you will grow to love. Once we have mastered how to create this sense of emotional connection with digital life (the Tamagotchi effect) we can then explore moving this to the true metaverse.
Beyond being able to interact with your own MetaPals, the future is to collaborate with other platforms, bringing your interactive pet to different metaverse’s to create a truly immersive experience, one where your pet is not limited by the constraints of space or time.
Only through MetaPals do we begin to uncover and learn how to create digital life that behaves, and ‘feels’ like a real pet, one that you can grow to unconditionally love. Only then can we embark on our true journey of bringing life to the metaverse.
Development Roadmap
The first phase is to build an alpha version of MetaPals:
The second phase is to accelerate our marketing efforts for a genesis drop:
The third phase is to greatly improve the underlying mechanics and build out the marketplace:
The fourth phase enables staking and the voting system, and improves on wearables in the smart contract:
The fifth phase will look at early MetaPalverse development which we intend to launch by end of Q4 2022:
There will be more to come, as we believe the MetaPals browser extension is a first, but necessary, first step to the metaverse. Introducing multiplayer elements, 3D modelling, and augmented reality components, we will begin to realize our full vision. We intend to launch this next major stage in 2023, which would require more funding in future and may seek external funds to develop.
Total Budget Requested
*Based on quoted prices provided by the respective party
Maintenance and Upgrade Plans
The team intends to fully realize our long term vision, and will be committing full-time to maintain and continue to develop MetaPals. As a remote team with people based in Singapore, Indonesia and Australia we have been managing the project in a lean and agile method using online communication tool such as slack and project manage CODA to manage deadline and ensure milestones are met. We intend to hire more people into the project as well such as unity developers for future game developments and animators who would be able to assist us in building smooth character animation movements. Team is everything, and so we will ensure that the right people are hired to execute our mission and contribute positively to the MetaPals ecosystem.
For upgrade plans, the first five phases is primarily geared to building traction and gaining momentum, as we are developing an interactive NFT into an interoperable metaverse. Once we are satisfied with our progress in these phases, we will begin to move into more ambitious plans we have in bringing companionship into the metaverse.
Team
Team Members
Max Giammario/MaxMilione Max is an entrepreneurial business consultant and branding specialist working across the Asia-Pacific in blockchain-based initiatives. He has 5+ years of experience building start-ups and commercializing new technologies. As part of the founding team of MetaPals, he focuses on product development to pioneer new ways we can foster virtual companionship within the metaverse.
Daryl Lim/Daxian Daryl is a growth and strategy consultant with over 8+ years of experience who specializes in digital transformation. As part of the founding team, he is involved in business and operations to forge partnerships and develop sustainable business models.
Tony Soekirman/Tony Song Tony is a pioneer in applying novel software engineering techniques into next-generation applications and infrastructures, paving the way for more effectual blockchain ecosystems. 7+ years experienced in developing desktop applications and later for mobile, and web apps for Astra International.
Rachmanto Saputra/Ramon Rachmanto is an iOS engineer and NFT enthusiast, driven to apply his software development skillset into innovative technologies.
Dimas Dewantara/Qleee Dimas is a senior full-stack developer, applying his 6+ years of international working experience across Telco, Fin-tech, and e-commerce based industries. Expert in Angular, React.JS, NodeJS and Python.
Karina Tjenderasa/Indi Karina is a talented illustrator and 2D animator with a versatile background in creative works ranging from children’s books to game design assets. She specializes in lighting and facial expressions to convey mood and illuminate subjects.
Team Member LinkedIn Profiles
Max Daryl Tony Rachmanto Dimas Karina
Team Website
MetaPals Website
Relevant Experience
Metapals won two awards (previously named ExMachina) with the grand award and 1st place track winner for browser integration category at the Mercury Hackathon 2021, which we believe is the best proof that our project has emerge as the best combined use for Filecoin/IPFS x Flow that our project would be able to gain traction.
The team is all composed of well-rounded professionals in these fields as you can see in the "Team Members" category above.
Team code repositories
MetaPals Repositories
Additional Information
MetaPals is much more than a browser extension. It is the first step to bringing life to the Metaverse. The Meta could easily be a very stale, boring, and dull place that is used by corporations to advertise, and work. But it can be so much more, if we add compassion.
We can't think of a better place to bring about that sense of color, and meaning, than with man’s best friend, or any pet for that matter. MetaPals gives a peak into how we can begin to live a life that is half in reality, and half in the meta. We then will slowly merge these two, to allow a truly immersive experience where MetaPals become ‘you're companion to the metaverse’. We hope the IPFS team will join us in this endeavor.