## Inspiration

As frequent web3 gamers we noticed that most of the GameFI projects are highly overcomplicated. With countless heavy web3 features, unfriendly UX and high entry threshold, it was not a surprise that many classic gamers don't think of web3 gaming as something they can enjoy.

By making the Hop Chain, we wanted to introduce more people to the GameFI and make their experience not painful, but pleasant.

That is why we decided the rules of our game should be simple and UX is straightforward as close to the web2 world as possible.

## What it does

Hop Chain is a simple turn-based web3 game combining mechanics of [chinese checkers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_checkers) and tactical strategy games.

Players can place bets in wNear on their winning and compete against each other, the winner takes all.

Each player has a set of units which he places on the board, there are three types of units with unique attack patterns and stats: orc, skeleton and mage.

Player can move his units to the nearest unoccupied cells or jump over enemy units, increasing the base damage by 50% for each jump. Once the unit finished his move, it deals splash damage to enemy units adjacent to the tile it's landed on.

Objective of the game is to destroy all enemy units.

## How we built it

First we got an idea of the game and find it really interesting: a simple game of checkers with new mechanics, adding a new gameplay layer and depth to the game. Thus we keeping the simplicity of checkers, but providing an additional challenge for the hardcore players and great replayability.

All of the team really enjoyed the idea, so we decided to make a prototype using unity test it out. Once it was ready and we played, all agreed that the game has a potential and we want to further develop it.

Step by step, we improved our initial concept, polished game balance and integrated it with Near.

Initially, we wanted to implement NFT squads consisting of 6 units each which can be upgraded with our native token. However, we decided to cut it down at the last moment as we decided to spend more time polishing it in order to make it a more sustainable and fun feature.

However, we are still happy with the result and are looking forward to bringing our ideas to life after the hackathon.

## Challenges we ran into

* Great challenge for us was to implement a fair balance into the game, so each player could have a chance of winning without his own build. It was important for us, because we wanted our game to be available for the casual gamers who don't want to spend time figuring out the complex mechanics.

* As we used unity to make the game, we had to rebuild the game each time we changed web3 part of the project. It was a huge struggle for us, until we figured out how to use Near Proxy on the fly and saved a lot of nerve cells for our team.

* Initially we had huge plans for the game and many ideas we wanted to implement, however we had a limited time for the hackathon. Thus we had to cut down some of the features due the development, yet preserving mechanics which make the game fun.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

* We are really proud that we developed the initial idea into a real project which might be enjoyed by the players around the world. We believe our game can be a great gateway for casual gamers into Web3 Gaming.
* It might not be a big thing, however we really like the art style of the game and assets we produced, as it's a big step for our team.

## What we learned
* It was a great opportunity to improve the knowledge on Rust, as we solved a few complicated issues due the development.
* We learned how to make more safe contracts with data validation which was received from the frontend.
* Hackathon also gave us the opportunity to explore how to successfully build a web3 app with unity.

## What's next for Hop Chain

We want to further develop an ecosystem around the game, both deepening the game mechanics and neatly implementing more classic web3 features.

* NFT Squads and opportunity to upgrade your units, as well as the additional types of units.
* PVE Dungeons in which players can compete for rewards in gold or lootboxes
* Hop Token - game's own utility token which will be used to upgrade and resurrect your units.
* Tournaments and Events for the community, as we plan to give back all the money we will get from the commissions.
* More polished and friendly UX and guidance through UI to achieve a more smooth experience for the players unfamiliar with dApps.
* Further work on our business model in order to make it more sustainable and profitable for the players
* Increase unit-test coverage

## Built With
Unity, c#, javascript, near protocol, rust, nearjs

## Try it out