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A Blockchain Platform For Digital Games And Game Economies.August 20th 2019

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  • COCOS-BlockChain Expedition (BCX) is a platform dedicated to build “the next generation of the digital game economy”.
  • Cocos-BCX intends to cater to:
    • Developers: it aims to provide a highly convenient and complete multi-platform runtime environment for game development.
    • Users: Cocos intends to deliver a “whole new gaming experience”. Specifically, its game experience is provided in a four-phased approach. While it starts by merely using fungible tokens for the in-game economy, its final goal is to fully move onto a blockchain.
  • Cocos-BCX has a live programmable mainnet that relies on a Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism.
  • COCOS is the native asset of the Cocos-BCX blockchain and is used to pay for transaction and gas fees, but can also be staked for participating in DPoS consensus and its underlying blockchain governance.

1. What is Cocos-BCX (COCOS)?

A Blockchain Platform For Digital Games And Game Economies.

Cocos-BCX is a public blockchain platform aiming to create a complete run-time environment for games with multi-game system compatibility, providing game developers a user-friendly platform for blockchain game development. In addition, Cocos-BCX aspires to bring users complete control and transparency over in-game virtual assets.

It is building a development environment with gaming experience and game economics in mind. Game developers can easily migrate conventional games to the blockchain without the need to learn blockchain programming languages.

The developers may also use the functions and components provided by Cocos-BCX or third-party teams to build game economy infrastructures such as non-fungible token (NFT) exchanges, pawn shops, and banks. As a result, Cocos-BCX aims to “make more games available to players” while allowing players to better manage their virtual assets.

Furthermore, Cocos-BCX enables inter-chain and inter-domain asset exchange by providing multi-chain compatible asset standards and cross-domain gateways. Developers will have the flexibility to deploy games on blockchains which best facilitate their in-game economy, and make their assets universally transferable. Users can also benefit from the freedom of moving assets across different chains that best serve their purposes such as trading and storage.

Some of its key elements include:

  • Cocos Blockchain Expedition (“Cocos-BCX”) aims to build a full-stack solution for the development of games and game economies on the blockchain.
  • CocosChain is a public blockchain using a version of Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism, where all active witnesses share the same scheduled block generation probability in order to ensure consistancy and fairness.
  • The project has created NHAS-1808, a proprietary token standard for fungible and non-fungible digital assets.

At its core, it features:

  • CocosChain with features including game-centric data structure, multi-chain interoperability, asset-contract compartmentalization, use of light nodes, and many more.
  • An integrated runtime environment for games with multi-system compatibility and blockchain interoperability.
  • A complete exchange gateway supporting cross-chain transactions for homogeneous and non-homogeneous assets.
  • A cheat-proof verification mechanism with dynamic encryption, concealed process variables, and environment authentication.

The use cases intended for COCOS tokens include but are not limited to:

  • Payment for gas fees.
  • Staking for participating in DPoS consensus.
  • Staking for blockchain governance.

2. Cocos-BCX’s features and products

2.1 Products

Cocos-BCX game templates

The Cocos-BCX team has launched games developed both by third-party developers and the team itself as templates to help developers better understand the development of games on Cocos-BCX.

As of now, SnakeJoy and CocosShooter are two of such sample games.

SnakeJoy

SnakeJoy is a slither game developed by a third-party developer team TeamJoy on Cocos-BCX. Users control the snake to eat pellets (fungible or non-fungible tokens) and compete with other players. The game serves as an example for in-game economics and the use of pegged, derivative tokens in competitive leisure games.

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CocosShooter

CocosShooter is a shooting game developed by the Cocos-BCX team. Users pilot the fighter to destroy enemy aircraft and collect points (fungible tokens) and items (non-fungible tokens). Items acquired can be stored and traded among users, across applications or blockchains under NHAS-1808. The game serves as a demonstration of generation, storage and transfer of NHAS-1808 tokens.

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An integrated development environment: Cocos Creator

Cocos Creator offers a complete package of game development tools and workflow, including a game engine, resource management, scene editing, game preview, debugging, and game publishing.

Some of the key features of Cocos Creator include:

  • A UI system that supports smart canvas adaptation.
  • An animation system that supports animation trajectory preview and editing of complicated curves.
  • Multiple data properties that can be easily adjusted in the editor and declared in the script.

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2.2 Key features

CocosChain

Cocos-BCX components are designed specifically to improve the incorporation of game content and decentralized economics. The following chart is a high-level demonstration of the Cocos-BCX system architecture.

blockchain

To simplify the development process, Cocos-BCX has designed an integrated run-time environment for various applications and interoperable interfaces. The runtime environment is compatible with Android, iOS, PC Web, mobile H5 and other systems and environments.

Combined with Cocos Creator, it simplifies the connection between game programs and the blockchain, making interactions transparent to developers, allowing traditional game developers to develop or migrate blockchain games with minimum effort.

Core features of CocosChain include:

  • Full blockchain interoperable interfaces.
  • Transparent and downward inheritance.
  • Packaged atomic operations.
  • Compatible with multiple operating systems.

Light nodes

In Cocos-BCX, light nodes provide an environment capable of interoperation with the chain.

Different from full nodes, light nodes do not synchronize the entire blockchain state, nor participate in voting and block production.

Light nodes only synchronize necessary contract information and environmental data. This design aims to significantly reduce the amount of data and time for synchronization and enable the operation of on-chain game software. Game contracts can be executed via the light nodes continually over time, independent of the block period and block size.

Worldview and cross-world asset transfer

The worldview of a game is a series of identifications associated to its story narratives.

Assets under the same worldview share common properties, application scenarios, circulation rules and registration of assets. Assets can be migrated and circulated in different games under the same worldview by paying a migration fee.

The Smithy system

The Smithy is a group of accounts with the right to generate game props, equipments, and contracts.

As one of the core functions of all games, the Smithy can be managed by game makers or by game guilds and designer studios.

With the Smithy, players can convert in-game coins and materials into props, or purchase items directly. All transaction information between the player and the Smithy will be recorded on-chain.

Asset permission system

Under NHAS-1808, the ownership and the rights of use of an asset is separated, by which developers can plot complex economic activities (such as borrowing and pledging tokens) that can significantly enhance the gaming experience.

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DPoS consensus mechanism

The consensus layer of Cocos-BCX Testnet adopts the Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) consensus algorithm, where stakeholders elect all scheduled witnesses by voting. The scheduled witnesses are collectively referred to as active witnesses. In order for the network to function properly, the Cocos-BCX testnet requires a minimum of 11 and a maximum of 101 active witnesses. They share the same scheduled block probability in the witness-scheduling algorithm, which ensures that their block probabilities and rewards will be consistent.

The block interval is set to 3 seconds, and is considered valid when more than 70% of the nodes complete production. If the scheduled witness fails to produce blocks, no block is generated in that time slot. The network waits for the next time slot and picks the next scheduled witness to produce blocks. The witness voting is set to take place every 12 hours. The team stated that the system parameters are to be further tested, validated and modified after the launch of mainnet.

consensusconsensus

Smart contract system

Game developers can use Lua and JavaScript to program Cocos-BCX contracts, and save the cost of adoption on blockchain programming languages. The contract system allows contract upgrades, helping developers renew their game contents.

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Proprietary Non-Homogenous Asset Standard: NHAS-1808 token standard

NHAS-1808, the token standard of Cocos-BCX, uses a unique data structure that enables the creation, exchange and modification of tokens with richer properties across different applications and chain domains.

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Cheat-proof mechanism

Cocos-BCX applies 5 modules to prevent cheating activities from block producers or third parties:

  1. Broadcast data that is dynamically encrypted with block height, time stamps, and other noise.
  2. Prevent unidentified or self-identified nodes to join the network.
  3. Hide the process variables in one contract operation to be executed in the node RAM, and only output the results.
  4. Verify the ID and permission of the contract callers.
  5. Execute contracts in a Trusted Execution Environment where block producers and developers are unauthorized to operate.

3. Economics and supply

3.1 Key metrics

Token NameCOCOSToken TypeERC-20 at TGEPrivate Sale 1 Allocation6.3% of tokensPrivate Sale Token Price$0.0013Private Sale Completion DateApril 2018Amount Raised Private Sale 1$8.2MMPrivate Sale 2 Allocation16.1% of tokensPrivate Sale 2 Token Price$0.0023Private Sale 2 Completion DateAugust 2018Amount Raised Private Sale 2$36.7MMInitial Circ. Supply15,529,787,795 COCOS (15.5%)Total Supply100,000,000,000 COCOS

3.2 Token supply distribution

  • Private Sale 1 tokens comprise 6.3% of the total token supply. It was conducted from March to April 2018 for $0.0013 USD / COCOS at an average rate of 7,379 USD = 1 BTC and 450 USD = 1 ETH, and raised a total of $8.2MM, for 6.3% of the total token supply. Private Sale 1 consisted a total of 465 BTC, 4,414 ETH, and 2,761,200 USD.
  • Private Sale 2 tokens comprise 16.1% of the total token supply. It was conducted from June to August 2018 for $0.0023 USD / COCOS at an average rate of 10.19 USD = 1 BNB, 7,612 USD = 1 BTC, 554 USD = 1 ETH and 4.69 USD = 1 ONT and raised a total of $36.7MM, for 16.1% of the total token supply. Private Sale 2 consisted a total of 255,152 BNB, 430 BTC, 47,958 ETH, 106,589 ONT, and 3,754,895 USD.
  • Team tokens comprise 17.0% of the total token supply.
  • Advisors tokens comprise 4.0% of the total token supply.
  • User Incentive tokens comprise 7.6% of the total token supply.
  • Eco Partner Incentive tokens comprise 10.0% of the total token supply.
  • Treasury tokens comprise 9.0% of the total token supply.
  • DPoS Reward tokens comprise 30.0% of the total token supply.
COCOS token distribution (%)

3.3 Token governance and use of funds

As of August 2019, Cocos-BCX has used approximately 44.0% of private sale proceeds according to the allocations below:

  • 5.0% Community Engagement.
  • 38.0% Marketing.
  • 7.5% Compliance, Legal and Finance.
  • 2.5% Infrastructure & Equipment.
  • 44.0% Development.
  • 3.0% Administrative & Office.

Cocos holds its fiat funds in multiple USD bank accounts that require the approval of the two co-founders for outgoing payments.

Cocos holds its cryptocurrency funds in various currencies, such as BTC, ETH and BNB. Part of the funds are stored in multi-sig wallets which requires the approval of multiple high level managers, and are stored in both nóng and cold wallets.

3.4 COCOS token release schedule

The following chart represents the number and breakdown of all COCOS tokens that are intended to be released into circulation on a monthly basis. User Incentive as well as DPoS Reward tokens will be release gradually over a 10-year period.

COCOS token release schedule

4.1 Initial roadmap

Planned DateMilestoneActual DateTimingComments2018 – Q1Full ProtoNet release2018: Q1On timeWhitepaper2018 – Q4Token standard NHAS-1808 release2018: Q4On timeMedium2019 – Q1AlphaNet internal test release2019: Q1On timeArticle2019 – Q2Open source2019: Q2On timeGithub2019 – Q2Testnet 1.0 release2019: Q2On timeMedium2019 – Q2Testnet Update2019: Q2On timeGithub

Q3 2019

  • Integration of analytical tools to Terminal.
  • Develop gateway for non-homogenous assets.
  • Enable cross chain development.
  • Release blockchain development tutorial.

Q4 2019

  • Mainnet launch.
  • Enable lockup mechanism of smart contracts.
  • Virtual Machine improvement.

4.3 Commercial partnership and business development progress

  • SDKBox: SDKBox is the interface for easy SDK integration and data analysis for game developers. Cocos-BCX will integrate its virtual machine, wallet, and light node system onto the SDKBox interface.
  • TRON: TRON is public blockchain whose mission is to build the infrastructure for a decentralized internet. Cocos-BCX and TRON will together localize and promote NHAS-1808 standard on TRON while sponsoring blockchain game developments.
  • NEO: NEO is a public blockchain platform which aims to digitize assets and automate the management of digital assets using smart contracts. Cocos-BCX and NEO has been co-developing the localized version of NHAS-1808 on the NEO blockchain for improved user experience in games and future cross-domain asset transactions.
  • Ontology: Ontology is a public blockchain platform built to provide corporations a way to protect their systems and data. Cocos-BCX and Ontology has been co-developing the localized version of NHAS-1808 on the Ontology blockchain for improved user experience in games and future cross-domain asset transactions.
  • MixMarvel: MixMarvel is a blockchain game publishing platform. Cocos-BCX will be a preferred blockchain system and publishing partner to MixMarvel.
  • 5173: 5173 is the an in-game virtual item exchange platform in China. Cocos-BCX has been collaborating with 5173 in discovering the possibility of integrating blockchain technology onto 5173’s platform.
  • BitPie: BitPie is a cryptocurrency wallet. Cocos-BCX and BitPie will collaborate in the development of Bitpie’s in-wallet game virtual machine, game asset exchange, and staking pool.

5. Project team

Haozhi Chen

Co-Founder, Gaming

Former CEO of Chukong Technologies, a mobile game publisher, as well as co-founder of Joyo.com.

Richard Yang

Co-Founder, Economics

Co-founder and former Managing Director of 6.cn, VP of NHC, and Investment Manager of MC Capital.

Caterina Zhang

Partner, Community

Former Director of Marketing & Community Operations at NEO Blockchain.

Reed Hong

Head of Research & Development

Slack Moehrle

Developer & Community Coordinator

Yan Peng

Developer

CS Quan

Developer

Hanson K

Developer

Hugo Huang

Developer

Jimmy Yin

Developer

Chandler Yu

Developer

Hai Hua

Developer

Zhen Liu

Developer

Yan Zhao

Developer

Bofeng Song

Developer

6. Cocos-BCX’s activity and community overview

6.1 Development activity

6.2 On-chain activity

6.3 Social and community data

Strategy overview

Cocos-BCX will initially focus on community building in China, Korea, and Europe. The focus of community growth will gradually expand to other markets as the project gains popularity.

Current community growth strategies of Cocos-BCX include:

  • Eco Partner Builder & Angel program to promote the contribution of Cocos-BCX related content.
  • Host blockchain gaming conferences, workshops, and meetups to engage with potential users.
  • Provide online and face-to-face tutorial with sample games to engage with game developers.
  • Co-publish the Blockchain Industry Annual Report with DappReview.
  • Bi-weekly technical updates.

Future community growth strategies of Cocos-BCX after mainnet launch include:

  • Launch Node program to encourage users to run nodes on the Cocos-BCX blockchain.
  • Cooperate with Cocos2d-x, an open source game development framework based on C++, to bring traditional game developers to the blockchain gaming space.
  • Build local community with Ambassador Programs.
  • Active community engagement via social channels.

Community and social channels

Telegram (English)
Telegram (Chinese)
Telegram (Vietnamese)
Discord (English)
Twitter (English)
Twitter (Japanese)
Weibo (Chinese)
Kakao (Korean)

7. Appendix

Advisors

  • Zhe Wang (Chief Developer of Cocos2d-x)
  • Edith Yeung (Partner at Proof of Capital)
  • Chris Mccann (Former founder of Greylock Partners’s Startup Eco Program)
  • Kevin Yin (Senior Blockchain Developer and Code Library Contributor to Cocos2d-x)