IOTA EVM Buildsphere AMA #1 – IOTA Heroes

Published 08 August, 2024

In this AMA of IOTA Foundation which took place on May 02, 2024, Jonathan hosted Christian from IOTA Heros to discuss the development of IOTA Heroes, including its gameplay mechanics, player-driven economy, community involvement, the migration to IOTA EVM, and more! Read our notes below to learn more.

Background

Jonathan Hellweg (Host) – Community Manager at IOTA

Christian (Guest) – Developer and Project Owner of IOTA Heros

IOTA Heros – an on-chain RPG in Fortuvia where players engage in adventures, combat, crafting, and trading, showcasing blockchain gaming

IOTA Heros: A New Frontier in Web3 Gaming and Community Collaboration

Jonathan introduces BuildSphere, explaining that it’s a new format designed to connect builders with the community and the wider web3 space. He highlights that while many attendees are likely from the IOTA community, the aim is to attract attention from the current EVM ecosystem.
Jonathan introduces Christian of IOTA Heros, describing it as the first on-chain game on Shimmer EVM, which is the staging network for IOTA.
Christian introduces himself, sharing his background in software engineering and long-standing interest in the crypto space, particularly IOTA since 2017. He mentions Freshcakes, their lead artist, highlighting the diverse skills within the team.
Christian provides an in-depth explanation of IOTA Heros, describing it as a game set in the magical land of Fortuvia. He details the core gameplay mechanics:
- Adventures: Players equip their Heroes with gear, abilities, and consumables for 12-hour adventures.
- Combat simulations: Heroes face monsters, with rewards of gold and items for successful encounters.
- Training facilities: Players can strengthen their Heroes to face tougher opponents.
- Crafting and reforging: Players can discover new abilities and create items by combining unwanted ones.
Christian highlights the game’s economic aspects, mentioning the trading post and Hero marketplace. This indicates a player-driven economy within the game ecosystem.
Christian highlights their community-focused approach, discussing collaborations with other projects like Epoch Zero and IOTAbee. He expresses enthusiasm for future cross-project collaborations, envisioning IOTA Heros assets in other games and vice versa.

The Journey of IOTA Heroes: From Concept to Community Involvement and Future Developments

Jonathan asks Christian to elaborate on the motivation behind creating IOTA Heros and why they chose to build it on IOTA.
Christian explains that the announcement of an EVM chain in the IOTA ecosystem sparked his interest in building something for the community. He mentions his personal interest in gaming, particularly RPGs, and how this project combines his passion for gaming with his interest in distributed ledger technologies and token economies.
Christian discusses meeting Freshcakes, their lead artist, in the Axie Infinity community. He highlights how Freshcakes’ art style aligned perfectly with the lighthearted vision for IOTA Heros.
Jonathan notes the significant user traction IOTA Heros has gained, evidenced by on-chain activity. He directs listeners to the IOTA Heros website for more information.
Christian explains the current process for new users to start playing, as the founder sale is closed. He highlights that users can still buy Heroes from the marketplace or rent them from other players. Christian recommends starting with an easy adventure and browsing the trading post while waiting for the adventure to complete.
Christian highlights the community’s involvement, mentioning the creation of a wiki with helpful information for beginners and the community’s willingness to provide tips and strategies.
Regarding the future of IOTA Heros, Christian discusses two main focuses: game development and chain migration. He mentions upcoming features like the hatchery and the potential use of the mysterious X items obtained during minting.
Christian acknowledges the current lower interest in the Shimmer EVM and the game, suggesting that major reveals might be better timed with the migration to IOTA EVM.
Christian discusses plans for expanding the PVP (Player vs Player) element of the game. He mentions past PVP tournaments and explores ideas for future PVP features, such as seasonal ranked matchmaking or a duel system with wagering.
Christian highlights the importance of community feedback in shaping the future of the game, particularly regarding PVP elements. He mentions plans to create a dedicated channel in their Discord for discussing PVP ideas.

Grant Application Process and IOTA Heros Migration to IOTA EVM

Jonathan asks Christian about the experience of applying for a grant to develop on IOTA EVM. He mentions that there’s currently a grant program available for those with project ideas seeking funding and expertise.
Christian describes the grant application process as fairly simple, involving filling out a form. He highlights the value of applying even if one is unsure about eligibility. Christian mentions positive conversations with the grant team, including Mark, and expresses enthusiasm about the outcomes.
The grant for IOTA Heros focuses on migrating the game to IOTA EVM. This includes rewriting smart contracts, token migration, and subgraph development. Christian highlights the benefit of improved infrastructure on IOTA EVM, particularly for hosting subgraphs, which has been a pain point on the current platform.
Regarding migration plans, Christian explains the complexity due to the various token types in the game, including Heroes (ERC721 tokens), multi-tokens (game items), and gold. He sees the migration as an opportunity to improve the game’s smart contracts and overall functionality.
Christian mentions considering moving the training aspect off-chain to reduce gas costs for players, noting that while Shimmer EVM is cheaper than Ethereum, frequent transactions can still be costly for players over time.
He reflects on the experience with Shimmer EVM, describing it as valuable for validating their technology and learning. However, Christian expresses excitement about moving to IOTA EVM, seeing it as the right long-term home for the project.
Christian indicates that unlike their rapid deployment on Shimmer EVM, they plan to be more patient with the IOTA EVM launch, waiting for infrastructure projects to set up properly for a smoother start.
When asked for an elevator pitch, Christian describes IOTA Heros as an RPG built around a diverse token economy, providing utility for in-game assets and the possibility to discover more tokens through gameplay.

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Show Information

Medium: Twitter AMA & YouTube (Audio)

Show: IOTA Foundation

Show Title: Buildsphere AMA Ep #1 IOTAHeroes

Show Date: May 02, 2024