GM!
EKCO here, co-Founder of Miinded & lead dev on ChainZoku, which I’m going to talk about again today. This article follows on from the previous one: Episode 5 — Not Your Usual Render Farm. Make sure you read it first!
Today we’re going to be going over how amazingly useful gas fees are within an NFT project… or not.
But first, if you’re new here, make sure to read the previous chapters and the very thorough Guide to ChainZoku, which will tell you a lot about the project.
To make this article a bit more interesting, I’ve decided to interview myself using the questions we asked ourselves throughout the development process, and the answers we found.
Today’s article is shorter and easier to grasp.
A simple wish, a complex application
In the ChainZoku universe, there’s a lot of interactions between different components within the project. Each Zoku is registered on the Ethereum blockchain. But they don’t come empty-handed; they have a lot of different assets that follow them everywhere. They also carry a wallet full of Goens, the ecosystem currency, which are used everyday in a Zoku’s life.
This makes for a thorough and immersive ecosystem, but it does have consequences.
The initial wish of the entire ChainZoku team was that Assets (Zoku Gear, Zoku Goods, etc.) should be tradable on OpenSea, and with the lowest possible gas fees for the end user.
To achieve this, our first idea was to build a hybrid system between several blockchains.
- Zokus would be minted on Ethereum
- Assets would be minted on Polygon
- Goens would be Off-chain
Gas fees on Polygon being very low, the ChainZoku team wanted to assume the cost for everyone?
So we were going to develop a massive ETH / POLYGON / Off-chain bridge.
A simple idea on paper, but one that quickly reached its limits…
The Impossible Bridge
Here we were, developing a super complex bridge, sprawling several blockchains, and off-chain. This wasn’t our first time, but it was still more difficult than the others.
The fact that a Zoku’s assets are transferred with the Zoku requires a lot of transfer and verification. The slightest error on the blockchain being irreversible, our code had to be perfect.
For those in the know, ERC6511 didn’t exist at the time, which is a shame, because it would have made our lives a lot easier. We were ahead of our time.
After several weeks of meetings, development and testing, we were beginning to doubt our good idea… The code was very complex, difficult to maintain, and the slightest error had serious consequences… But we carried on.
Until one day….
Following a meeting with the whole dev team, we took a closer look at the bridge. We looked at it from every angle and came across a major problem: a critical security flaw.
The bane of every web3 developer’s existence.
Without going into too much detail, it was possible, under certain conditions, to spend more Goens than you owned. The conditions for achieving this were very difficult, but not impossible for anyone who really wanted to.
To correct the flaw, we would have had to change a lot of code, making the bridge even more complex.
So we decided to scrap it and find a simpler solution, albeit one that might look a bit less fancy.
Looking back, it’s actually a good thing we didn’t make a bridge on Polygon. The project wouldn’t have evolved as quickly, and each new feature would have taken 2 to 3 times as long.
Back to basics
The initial idea was that assets should be tradable and that there should be as little gas fees as possible.
There weren’t many options left:
- Everything Off-chain: we developed an Off-chain Marketplace so that people could “trade”. Not very sexy for a Web3 project, and then we’d lose the visibility that OpenSea can offer.
- All On-chain on ETH: A single blockchain to manage would simplify the bridge, but gas costs would soar, as each time a Zoku is transferred, each Asset would also have to be transferred individually.
Counting $500 in gas fees at 10 gwei to transfer a Zoku…. impossible for users to accept, understandably.
How about a bit of both?
Sure! A solution where the asset is both on-chain and off-chain! Schrodinger’s NFT! Ok, I’m getting a bit carried away…
That’s why ChainZoku isn’t on an L2, and why Goens are Off-chain.
In the next article, I’ll get to the heart of the matter! Prepare the aspirin, it’s gonna get complicated…
See you in the next chapter!
EKCO
-Every simple solution has its limits-
About Miinded
Miinded is a French-based multi-disciplinary web3 studio founded in 2021. We focus on creating unique experiences for creators and guide brands in their transition to web3. We offer a range of services to assist you develop, launch and scale your innovative projects, with our team providing expertise and guidance needed to make it a sucess.
We believe that blockchain lies at the core of this new era of data interaction and digital experience creation. Web3 represents the future of web development, going beyond apps to create a comprehensive ecosystem that supports our digital world.
Our services include custom smart contracts developed using the latest blockchain technologies, UX/UI design focused on intuitive user experiences, webdesign and development tailored to individual project needs, strategic consulting to ensure effective planning, and hosting services that meet specific requirements.
Our last collaborations include Pudgy Penguins, The Sandbox, Snoop Dogg, MekaVerse, and ChainZoku, which highlight the fusion of blockchain technology, digital tokens, and creative concepts to offer immersive digital experiences.
Get in touch to build with us: bonjour@miinded.com
X and Instagram accounts: @MiindedStudio
