Cradles and Next-Generation NFTs That Can Perish

The upcoming game world of Cradles will introduce next-generation NFTs that can perish over time. The world of blockchain and NFTs is known for its unending innovation. However, some new developments and additions are more exciting than others. That is the case with the new blockchain-based game Cradles: Origin of Species and its time-sensitive NFTs.

The relatively unknown game company DRepublic is working on Cradles: Origin of Species, a game tapping into blockchain technology to create unique gameplay mechanics. They also harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and game engine advancement to provide fresh gameplay.

The game takes the story of the origin of all life and divides it into several unique worlds. The immersive gameplay allows the player to encounter the creatures that once roamed the Earth and experience first-hand the nature that once surrounded them.

Under the decentralized governance model, the game brings together supporters from all over the world to participate in its construction. More precisely, gamers from all over the world are “experiencing, governing, and maintaining the ecology of the entire world”.

Next-generation NFTs: ERC-3664

As they explore the game, players can obtain the platform’s native token DRPC and use those to create their own NFTs. They can trade the NFTs, sell them to other players, or stake them for extra profit. These tokens are based on the new ERC-3664 standard introduced by the developers to address some of the problems encountered with previous standards.

They discovered that the ERC-1155 standard couldn’t support all operations for game props, like adding attributes, upgrading, and so forth. The properties and functions of the props were too rich, making it nearly impossible for the player to query all the NFT attributes on the smart contract.

Hence, a next-generation NFT standard came into existence. ERC-3664 is entirely compatible with and expanding the ERC-1155 standard. ERC-3664 utilizes variants of ERC-20 as part of the game attributes, and any contract created through it can have multiple attribute tokens.

The next-generation NFT standard uses four different attribute categories:

1. General changeable attributes: like NFT attack power and life value.
2. Transferable attributes: can be transferred to other NFTs in the event of destruction or other situations.
3. Upgradeable attributes: a player pays the fee to improve the NFT level, along with its other values.
4. Evolvable attributes: simulation of time attributes in the real world, giving the NFTs time-varying characteristics.

While these changeable attributes are undoubtedly a revolution in the NFT space, there is one more exciting detail about Cradles NFTs – time.

Time management

Cradles uses the blockchain generation speed to simulate the stable passage of time. Here’s how that looks like in practice.

Time passes at different speeds for each world. Players need to use platform coins, DRepublic Coins (DRPC) to buy time crystals, and other props in the form of NFTs. The energy of the purchased time crystals slowly dissipates with time. The rate at which this happens also differs from one world to another, as do the benefits.

The worlds in Cradles are also entropy-increasing – a precedent in the gaming world where everything is static and unaffected by the passage of time. In Cradles, characters age and die, items decay – all in line with real-world physics. 

It’s up to the players to ensure the whole world’s ecosystem operates naturally, or it will descend into chaos. Once the chaos level reaches a tipping point, the game forces a closure for a certain period of time, reopening it after chaos cools down. During this time, all players lose access to world benefits and staked coins. Therefore, it is in the interest of all participants to keep the ecosystem running naturally.

Innovation never stops

Pioneered by Cradles, creating a metaverse game that complies with the principles of real-world physics is an entirely novel and groundbreaking concept. As such, it carries a lot of opportunities for players and developers alike and the entire blockchain gaming space. 

The architects of Cradles are currently working hard on making this exceptionally innovative idea a reality. We can’t wait to experience the final product. To learn the latest news from the gaming and NFT spaces, follow DappRadar on Twitter. Alternatively, join our vibrant Discord community.