PROPOSAL NAME
ApeCoin Community Engagement Platform
TEAM DESCRIPTION
@SmartAPE // Derek Smart, DAO member and writer-of-many-words
I am an indie software developer who has been in the games industry as a gamer and game dev for over 40 years. I have designed, developed, and published over a dozen games during my career.
My first game, Battlecruiser 3000AD (aka BC3K), was a ground-breaking game that was ahead of its time. Published by Take Two interactive in 1996, it was one of their portfolio titles when they went public in 1997. So, you could say that I helped the company succeed to where it is today.
Over the decades, I have worked with some of best software developers and publishers around the world, and my works have been featured in various online and print magazines around the world.
I am also a member of the International Game Developers Association and was Florida chapter board member for several years.
You can learn more about me on my professional LinkedIn page.
TEAM SUMMARY
The ACE project is completely separate from the Ape Foundation and Working Groups. The team is a completely separate entity.
The ACE project is going to be run lean and mean - like an indie dev project.
In addition to using third-party teams where as-needed, the core ACE team will comprise of up to up to 30 people, ramping up as-needed. The team will be split into 4 specialty groups.
Except where absolutely necessary, every member of the team will be engaged on a full-time work-for-hire contract - with a 12-month minimum term (renewable as-needed).
After the job postings go online, the application process will be managed through an online form where details and resume info will be collected. Preference will be given to qualified and experienced ApeCoin DAO community members. If you hold 1 $APE, that means you’re in the DAO - and that makes you eligible.
All individual contractors and teams will be subject to a third-party KYC/KYB background check.
In the interest of time, the Project Director will first hire the Project Manager and Project Asst. Manager, as well as engage third-party studios to commence the ground work for both ApeID and ApeCoin Online Worlds online platform. As per standard practice, the hiring of teams and individuals will be performed by the 3-member leadership team in conjunction with third-party agencies on an as-needed basis.
All four aspects of this ACE project will be tasked in parallel.
TEAM POSITIONS
| LEADS | MEMBER |
|---|---|
| Project Director | Derek Smart |
| Project Manager | TBD |
| Project Assistant Manager + BizDev | TBD |
| DEV CORE | MEMBER |
|---|---|
| Team Lead | TBD |
| Team Co-Lead | TBD |
| Team Member x 4 | TBD |
| CONTENT CORE | MEMBER |
|---|---|
| Team Lead | TBD |
| Team Co-Lead | TBD |
| Team Member x 4 | TBD |
| COMMUNITY / SOCIAL | MEMBER |
|---|---|
| Team Lead | TBD |
| Team Co-Lead | TBD |
| Team Member x 4 | TBD |
PLATFORM TESTING
- During development and up to Beta launch, only ApeCoin DAO members will be invited to test various aspects of the ACE platform. Each such person, as per AIP-300, will be given a forum badge.
THIRD-PARTY EXTERNAL
| TASK | |
|---|---|
| World building | TBD |
| Quest and events scripting | TBD |
| Payments processing | TBD |
| Marketing & PR | TBD |
| Community Management | TBD |
| Corporate, Legal, Accounting | TBD |
PROPOSAL DESCRIPTION
This proposal is to create a platform consisting of a suite of 4 interconnected projects.
With initial assistance by experienced third-party teams, the ACE project will be led by a community team of up to 30 people who will assist in the creation and management of the projects - all of which will be deployed on ApeChain and use the $APE token.
The project will be managed and led by a Project Director. The Project Director will not be receiving any funding for this project.
NOTE:
This is a bold and very extensive proposal and which has been scaled down for ease of understanding. You can read the original (now deprecated) full draft of this proposal online.
Due to the project scope and details, supplemental info will be added in FAQ format to follow-up comments on Discourse. See below.
Below is a list of the 4 interconnected projects.
1] ACE PLATFORM PORTAL
ACE is a unified community engagement web platform which will be the frontend facing for this project.
The platform page will have the ApeCoin branding, as well as all details about the project, images, videos, login access with support for participating partner identity credentials such as MocaID, OtherPage etc.
We already use third-parties to protect user data for our own projects which are currently sold worldwide and on various platforms. As every facet of this project is powered by vetted third-party middleware, they too assure the protection of user data based on domestic and international laws.
And so, the platform will have its own user data disclosures related to user data as required by territories where it is deployed and hosted.
The use of the ACE platform itself will be FREE. There is no fee to create an ApeID account or to engage in activities within the ApeCoin Online Worlds (AOW) itself.
The [optional] purchase of NFT based MT (micro-transactions) takes the form of cosmetic items as well as whatever premium world assets (npc pets, npc helpers, housing prefabs, land etc) are made available in the cash shop (accessible via the platform as well as the external web interface).
The platform has its own monetary system which is used for engagement and other rewards later tied to the platform’s token rewards.
NOTE: Though subject to change, and for reasons which should be obvious and as stated in the proposal, though the platform will in fact accept $APE as payment, there are currently no plans to use $APE as the native token on the platform. This is something that can later be discussed with the APE Foundation if/when necessary.
2] APEID IDENTITY
This is a unified identity system used to login to the ACE portal, AOW platform, as well as across participating dApps deployed via ACE as well as on ApeChain.
External communities will be invited to implement support for ApeID with rewards for participation.
External partner programs such as MocaID, OtherPage etc. will be invited to participate in the ACE platform integration.
NOTE:
This isn’t a separate proposal because it is tied directly into ACE and AOW. We envision having an ApeID to a be coveted asset whereby, in addition to requiring one in order to participate in rewards, enter AOW etc. there are other benefits for having one. Also, the older the ApeID the better because rewards - tied to AOW tokens - will also be tiered based on age, number of referrals etc. In addition, as ApeCoin is tied to the Yuga Labs IP, there will be larger rewards for hodlers of the associated NFTs at the creation of the ApeID. More to follow.
3] APECOIN ONLINE WORLDS
AOW is a massively multiplayer online world in which users, in control of 3D avatars in the world, are able to participate in various event and engagement driven activities while being rewarded for doing so.
In addition to the initial levels (aka worlds) in AOW, due to the engine’s design, the future scope includes the ability to add new lands - either for sale or free - and upon which pre-built (prefabs) art assets can be sold and placed. This will also include sponsored assets seen in similar online worlds.
This is precisely how MMO game worlds are constructed. And in this regard, the ability to have themed worlds based on IP (e.g. BAYC, MAYC, MOCA etc.) isn’t an afterthought - it is something that can be built using a tried and proven engine suite.
It will be created using a pre-existing all-in-one game engine (see FAQ below) while using a node based pre-existing DePIN tech platform for connectivity, integrity and security - as well as, where possible, interoperability among dApps created via the ACE platform.
NOTE:
We are NOT MAKING A GAME!!. Though AOW will have all the elements of a gaming environment, it is a “gamified” engagement platform similar to the scripting system used for quests, events and similar activities found in MMO games. It is designed to be our own version of Sandbox, Second Life, Entropia Universe etc. but without all the bloat and fluff - and way more advanced by virtue of using an engine designed and created to do all these things.
4] AOW TOKEN
This is a fair launch Engage-To-Earn (E2E) utility token for use on the platform. This will be tied to the the AOW platform and awarded to rewards earned through AOW and the ApeID identity.
TGE will be planned for 6-12 months after the ACE platform goes live.
NOTE:
This is a rewards based token which will be designed by an experienced tokenomics team. It is specifically created for the ApeID & AOW rewards system that it is tied to. That means, no staking. It can later be tied to the $APE token where it fits in without running into regulatory issues.
Once the project is funded, we will engage with a pre-existing third-party partner which will be responsible for everything related to the token. This info will be shared with the ACE Foundation as well as with public via the ACE platform in the form of a white/lite paper.
Below is a list of the third-party middleware which will be used to create these projects.
MIDDLEWARE TECH STACK
The project will utilize pre-existing off-the-shelf UA, marketing, middleware and infra for the creation, maintenance, management and growth of the associated systems and processes. For reference, these include but not limited to the following tried and proven technologies, platforms and teams:
A revolutionary interoperable DePIN technology platform which allows connectivity between Web3 dApps and server platforms. This tech was developed for 3000AD games and has been in use. The Web3 version adds blockchain support and related security improvements.
A robust MMO game engine used in the creation of the Alganon MMORPG game which was previously a commercial release. See AIP-316 for a detailed view of the tech and the game that it was originally developed for.
An all-in-one development platform for web3 games. See AIP-418 for their ApeChain suite of tools.
A full-stack, open-source Web3 development platform.
A development platform for online games. In the coming months, they too are planning to deploy a DePIN for Beamable.
A suite of powerful APIs, SDKs, and tools to build and scale web3 apps.
An all-in-one UA, marketing, social media outreach and analytics platform targeted at gaming.
An automated game servers orchestration & distributed infrastructure
A server orchestration platform for multiplayer games
An open-source game server infrastructure
A growth marketing automation and expertise team for web3 games
A platform to build and grow web3 communities organically
A community building, growth and operations team
NOTE:
Other project and team management tools include but are not limited to Slack, GitHub, Trello, Notion, GitBook, Tally, Google Workspace suite, Discord, Telegram.
Projects which are geared towards UA, UX, infra, tools etc. interested in joining the ACE platform will be able to express their interest via an online form which will be created and shared by the ACE team. The goal here is to utilize those projects and teams so that we can all grow together as a community. Where needed, ACE will assist in the funding of the migration to ApeChain for dApps selected to join the ACE platform.
BENEFIT TO APECOIN ECOSYSTEM
COMMUNITY FOCUSED ENGAGEMENT
-
This is an initiative for the community and by the community; and one in which all are welcome to participate and be rewarded for doing so. A large swath of the community have been unable to reap the benefits of being part of a community DAO created for them. This is a bold attempt to change that.
-
Gives the community a unified platform and rewards system designed to grow and engage the ApeCoin community. This is similar to other such initiatives. For example, see Moca’s Realm Network for which Animoca has thus far invested over $31M to create.
UNIFIED APECOIN / APECHAIN ECOSYSTEM IDENTITY
- Built on ApeChain, the ApeID identity is designed to be used across dApps within the ApeChain ecosystem providing rewards and opportunities for all who join ACE to play on or build for ApeChain, and also for node operators.
COMMUNITY DESTINATION ECOSYSTEM
-
Building the ApeCoin Online Worlds (AOW) platform makes it the destination for engagement in the community and a destination for ApeChain.
-
An interoperable set of games ensures that ACE, and in turn, ApeChain, provide a one-stop platform for engagement. Across the social sphere (Discourse, Discord, X etc.) engagement in the ApeCoin community is at an all-time low, and ApeChain isn’t likely to fix that in the short-term due to the amount of time it takes to deploy and on-board apps. ACE, using pre-existing tools and technologies, is well prepared to deploy within a matter of months - not years.
BY THE COMMUNITY / FOR THE COMMUNITY
- ACE will hire up to 30 members directly from the ApeCoin community and across various roles split into specific teams. As a community effort, the goal is for the ApeCoin community, via designated team leaders, to continue to build and grow the platform.
MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS
According to the AIP-454 $100M Banana Bill :
“it is anticipated that ApeCoin DAO will receive ongoing revenue from capturing around 77.5% of the fees generated from user activity on ApeChain”.
The creation of the ACE platform is designed to be a contributing factor to this revenue stream for the DAO. In this regard, revenue is derived from the following:
- ApeCoin Online Worlds access packages
- ApeCoin Online Worlds microtransactions
- ApeCoin Online Worlds land sales
- ApeCoin Online Node sales
- Revenue split with ACE participating dApps
- Revenue generated from partnerships (e.g. billboards, banners etc. in AOW)
REVENUE TO THE DAO
Through a generous revenue share scheme, the DAO is able to recoup its $5M investment sooner rather than later, while also generating profit via a persistent platform and ecosystem.
In cases where there is a choice of receiving net or gross revenue, the APE Foundation shall have the option to make a choice during agreement construction.
Revenue will be paid back to the treasury on a standard quarterly (every 3 months) basis along with the necessary transparency income reports similar to publishing/distribution deals that I have engaged in over the years. Due to various unknowns pertaining to revenue generation for Web3 projects, and given the scope of this project, I am hesitant to commit to a monthly payout schedule. I am open to having further discussions with the APE Foundation as-needed.
Also, such payments, quarterly or monthly, are irrespective of the state of the project. This is because revenue for projects like this can be generated through various dev cycles (alpha, beta etc.). If the project is deployed in any cycle and generates revenue of any kind, then the net or gross revenue as chosen by the APE Foundation, would be paid to the treasury.
REVENUE UP TO $5M
- 50% of net or 30% of gross revenue generated from third-party dApps deployed on ACE
- 50% of net or 30% of gross revenue generated from AOW transactions and partnerships
- 50% of net or 30% of gross revenue generated from proceeds (if applicable) of the token
- 50% of net or 30% of gross revenue generated from proceeds of AON node sales
REVENUE ABOVE $5M
- 30% of gross revenue generated from third-party dApps deployed on ACE
- 30% of gross revenue generated from AOW transactions and partnerships
- 30% of gross revenue generated from proceeds (if applicable) of the token
- 30% of gross revenue generated from proceeds of AON node sales
DEFINITIONS
APEID IDENTITY
A points/rewards based identity that provides access to all projects on the ACE platform and across all dApps on ApeChain.
It will also be linked to supported web3 assets such as those within the Yuga owned and associated collections and IP - including Otherdeeds. This will be on a tier based system which will be announced later. Holders of multiple assets will receive referral ApeID codes based on the number of owned assets.
Points are awarded to ApeID holders of the aforementioned assets, as well as through participation (past or present) in ThankApe, Boring Security and other identifiable ApeCoin partners funded through the ApeCoin DAO or the Banana Bill initiative.
ApeID will be used to claim rewards across ApeChain dApps as well as from participating non-digital partnerships e.g. Buying items from participating MBA businesses with your ApeID earns points for both you and the business.
Each claimed and minted ApeID will have a set of referral invite codes which can be distributed to others. Also, claimed referral codes will also yield points for the referring ApeID.
All ApeID holders are automatically eligible for not only the points rewards system, but also the token associated with the ACE platform as well as for operating nodes.
DEPIN TECH
A Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks involves using blockchain technologies and decentralization to physical infrastructure. For examples see nodes deployed by XAI Games, GALA etc.
INTEROPERABLE TECH
The ability and capacity for different blockchains to exchange data seamlessly. The on-going issue with this is that blockchain lacks a standardized framework for doing this - especially across different blockchains.
While at the top layer interoperability is about moving data seamlessly across blockchains, there is currently no unified format or method for game related data to be interoperable across games on the same or different networks.
See also Derek Smart’s 2021 article on interoperable tech
NET / GROSS REVENUE
This is the total revenue minus the associated costs (marketing, development, licenses etc)
Traditionally in gaming, publishers and some distributors pay developers and studios based on the net revenue of sales. Those tend to be higher than the split for gross revenue. For example, selling games on Steam yields a 70/30 gross revenue split (30 to Steam) based on a sales revenue tier. Similarly, Epic Games has an 88/12 gross revenue split (12 to Epic) based on a sales revenue tier.
The reason that publishers and distributors usually do a net revenue split which they tend to recoup in large chunks from sales is because having front-loaded the costs of the project, they want to recoup their investment sooner rather than later. And in most cases, devs and studios don’t make any money beyond that investment for the project. And that is specifically why, with the advent of self-publishing, indie games hit a high note and are currently the most successful yield in gaming.
MIDDLEWARE
This commonly refers to software technologies that act as an intermediaries between applications or services. Usually middleware tech is used to create various underlying processes and other technologies without having to create them yourself. e.g. Unreal Engine is a game engine middleware which can be used to great games and applications without having to develop your own engine to do the same thing.
SOFTWARE RELEASE LIFE CYCLE
MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT
This is a version of a product with just enough features to be usable by early customers who can then provide feedback for future product development.
A minimum viable product has just enough core features to effectively deploy the product, and no more. Developers typically deploy the product to a subset of possible customers, such as early adopters who are thought to be more forgiving, more likely to give feedback, and able to grasp a product vision from an early prototype or marketing information. This strategy aims to avoid building products that customers do not want and seeks to maximize information about the customer with the least money spent.
SOFTWARE RELEASE CYCLE
The software release life cycle is the process of developing, testing, and distributing a software product. It typically consists of several stages, such as pre-alpha, alpha, beta, and release candidate, before the final version, or “gold”, is released to the public.
STEPS TO IMPLEMENT
APE FOUNDATION
-
Within 48 hours of this proposal passing, 25% of the approved funds are to be sent to a designated wallet provided by the Program Director.
-
Within 30 days of this proposal passing or within 7 days of all related paperwork being completed - whichever comes first - the remaining 75% of the approved funds are to be transferred to a designated wallet provided by the Program Director.
-
I am open to receiving the funding (it’s not a grant - we need to be clear here) in agreed upon tranches. I look forward to working with the APE Foundation and an established third-party escrow agent/service in coming up with performance based milestone tranches during the course of the agreement discussions. For the amount of this funding, this is expected, and I already have vast experience in precisely how the process works.
-
Create and provide access to the ace.apecoin.com sub-domain for use by the ACE initiative.
-
Create a specific section on Discourse entitled “ACE Platform” which will host public facing assets related to the ACE platform.
-
Grant a license to the ACE management corporate entity for the use of the ApeCoin logo and associated marks.
ACE MANAGEMENT ENTITY
Among other related activities pursuant to this ACE project, upon the passing of this proposal, the ACE management team will commence the following activities:
-
Create a new or designate a pre-existing management entity to house the funding, revenue proceeds, team initiatives & payments etc for the ACE project.
.
In the interest of decentralization, the aforementioned entity will have no corporate association with the Ape Foundation nor any of the Working Groups within the DAO. -
Create an operational activities plan which will be shared with the community. This will be an on-going activity.
-
Create a listing of team member positions and application forms for the initial ACE Team. This will be an on-going activity.
-
Create a portal for ApeCoin community members wishing to join the ACE team as per the aforementioned positions.
-
Commence application review and subsequent hiring of initial ACE team members. This will be an on-going activity.
DISCLOSURES - TASKING
This is a massive project in which, not only are we putting together an internal community team while working with external teams, but also this is a project that has all the risks associated with any type of software project development. Building this project from pre-existing solutions is part of risk mitigation that helps build a road to success.
Due to the nature of game development, unless the project is funded, started and certain processes are in place, there is no easy way to determine the project flow. This, along with associated design papers will be provided at a later date as part of the reporting (see below).
All aspects of this project rely on the deployment of ApeChain.
DISCLOSURES - OWNERSHIP
All content created during the course of this project will be owned by the corporate entity creating the project. This will and should not include any third-party licensed content such as the ApeCoin logo and associated trademarks.
Aside from the fact that a plethora of licensed middleware is required to build this project, the APE Foundation does not - and will not - own any aspect of this project.
If at a later date the APE Foundation desires to “own” and subsequently take over the project, that is a conversation that I am willing to engage in when the time comes. And for starters, while I am not in the business of licensing technologies which I build for my projects, a license to use both of my AGE + WSG technologies required by the platform - comes at a cost; as does other middleware used by this project.
PROJECT TASKS & GOALS
Listed in no particular order, below is a list of tasks associated with this entire 4-pronged project. Several of those tasks will be done in parallel, while others will have dependencies.
- Create the ACE platform which includes the web frontend and backend
- Create the ApeID identity system
- Create a rewards based system that utilizes ApeID
- Integrate a live service platform into ACE
- Integrate a Web3 backend into ACE
- Integrate an interoperable platform into ACE
- Create and deploy a utility token tied to the ACE platform
- Create and deploy AON nodes configured to operate on the ACE platform
- Create and deploy the AOW multiplayer environment
In addition and in co-operation with external parties:
- Create and/or license simple competitive online Web3 games to be re-targeted and deployed on ApeChain, while being integrated into and utilizing ApeID, the token and AON
- Create a robust marketing and rewards plan
- Create a robust tokenomics paper for the AOW and the token
- Engage with third-party providers for various activities such as world building, scripting, content creation, smart contract creation/review/auditing, server and backend infra deployment, and various legal, accounting and community management activities.
PROJECT TIMELINES
| PROJECT | TIMELINE |
|---|---|
| ACE Platform Portal | Q4/24 |
| APEID + Rewards System | Q4/24 |
| APECOIN Online Worlds MVP | Q4/24 - Q1/25 |
| APECOIN Online Worlds Alpha | Q2/25 |
| APECOIN Online Worlds Beta | Q3/25 |
| APECOIN Online Worlds Release | TBD |
| AOW Utility Token | TBD |
THIS PROJECT’S DEV LIFE CYCLES
| PHASE | PURPOSE | TESTING |
|---|---|---|
| MVP | Prototyping + Proof Of Concept | Team + Select Testers (small) |
| ALPHA | Most features implemented | Team + Select Testers (large) |
| BETA | Mostly Feature Complete | Team + Select Testers (wide) |
| RELEASE CANDIDATE | Almost Complete | Team + Select Testers (wider) |
| RELEASE | Fully Complete + Deployment Ready | Public |
NOTES:
- As previously mentioned, this is a 4-prong project in which all tasks are done in parallel.
- Dates above are delta from receiving AIP funding.
- No work can be started unless and until the funds are received.
- A final release date is TBD because there are lot of factors that can affect the final launch of project. In fact, it could remain in beta or release candidate for an indefinite period of time.
REPORTING EXPECTATIONS
The ACE team is committed to transparency and accountability. And to that end, the team will provide quarterly activity reports posted in the designated Discourse sections and on the ACE platform site.
These reports will include activities such as financials, team hiring, processes related to the procuring of relevant third-party assets, licenses, development progress etc. while retaining confidentiality where needed and absolutely necessary.
As the core of ACE is the development of work products, other reports related to it will be posted as regularly as possible. For example, during game development, it is normal for developers to release regular updates detailing their progress. The ACE team will adhere to similar activities and protocols. Basically, you get to see how the sausage is made - even if you’re on the outside looking in.
OVERALL COST
Total amount requested from the ApeCoin Ecosystem Fund = $5,000,000 USD, denominated in ApeCoin.
Through the revenue share model, the DAO will be able to recoup these funds during the lifetime of the ACE project.
DISCLOSURES - BUDGET / FINANCIALS
The $5M budget will be used specifically for the 4 aspects of this ACE project over an initial two year period. This two year period is the same term for the two tech stack licenses used as the core for the creation of the ApeCoin Online Worlds platform.
Designed as a self-sustaining “for profit” program for the growth and engagement of the ApeCoin community via online activities deployed via the ACE platform, the entire fund will be spent on activities related to ACE operations. These costs, normal for a dev studio, include team (internal and external) payments, middleware licensing fees, content creation and dev costs, costs associated with various Web3 backend tools suite including smart contracts, auditing of same, hardware and cloud infra costs etc.
No - we cannot do this for cheaper. A project of this scope and magnitude would normally cost $50M+ were it not for pre-existing tools and technologies as well as a generous licensing model from 3000AD for both of its technology platforms.
If the entire project cannot be completed within the $5M budget, the project will ultimately fail. And so, the goal is to complete it within this budget and get to revenue generation and PMF sooner rather than later. And to get there, we need at least ApeID + AOW up and running in some form or another. The ultimate goal here, win, lose or draw, is to create an ApeCoin community platform on ApeChain.
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
Numbers below are all approximations.
We are literally building a team (third-party + community) from the ground up. Hiring all third-party teams to do this very same work will cost over 3x more.
| DEPT | BUDGET |
|---|---|
| Dev + Platforms + Operations | $2.5M |
| Team Core + External - All | $1.5M |
| Hardware + Infra | $350K |
| Marketing + Promotions | $250K |
| Admin + Legal + Insurance | $250K |
| Hidden Costs Buffer | $150K |
| - | - |
| TOTAL | $5M |
BREAKDOWN PER PROJECT SEGMENT
| PROJECT | BUDGET |
|---|---|
| ACE Platform Portal | $500K |
| APEID + Rewards System | $1.5M |
| APECOIN Online Worlds | $3M |
| AOW Utility Token | * |
| - | - |
| TOTAL | $5M |
*The token TGE is +12 months post-launch of the AOW project and thus does not have/require a budget allocation here because by that point, the project is expected to have generated enough revenue to fund it.
I love VR, maybe too early for that on early iteration tho
