Ethereum Towers Ecosystem Review
Both the Ethereum Towers project and the broader Ethereum Worlds Metaverse project have evolved since their inception back in September 2021. The overall idea has expanded from that of a conceptual apartment access key, to that of a socially-enriched Metaverse project and it’s accompanying ecosystem.
It is that wider Metaverse ecosystem that we are going to expand upon in this article, so not only can you get excited for your forthcoming Ethereum Towers apartment but also for the virtual world that it will exist in. In addition, we will highlight the intellectual talent that we have brought onboard so that we may competently arrive at our virtual destination.
DISCLAIMER: Elements contained within this section are subject to change.
Metaverse Prototype
Our prototype production is well underway, the primary focus is to deliver a barebones application that validates the tech stack choice we‘ve selected during our planning stage. This will include stress testing our proposed server solution e.g. how many concurrent users can occupy one area, and understanding the technical requirements for all 3D meshes and models.
The prototype phase will also test our database implementation, as well as the token verification system. It will cover basic customization mechanics, including a grid-based system for structural placement that will enable users to freely place walls, walkthroughs, doorways, etc.
The prototype environment will be set on one residential floor and will be composed of mainly a grayscale environment, with basic guidance textures.
On top of this, the re-tuning of the Towers has been finalized, with our art studio having retextured the Towers. This retexturing has led to a reduction of around 93% in overall poly count, ensuring an optimized user experience within the actual Metaverse.
Avatar Solution
I’m sure you’re all looking forward to knowing how you will appear within the Ethereum Worlds Metaverse, we are too. We can reveal that we are currently testing an avatar solution that has seen incredible growth and is geared towards cross-platform Metaverse adoption. The reason for taking this approach is to ensure market adoption, add value to our ecosystem by leveraging a cross-platform technology, and it also helps to speed up the development timeline.
The other motivating factors were that this solution has already been developed across Web2 and Web3 for over 7 years, meaning that it has already been battle tested and ET will benefit from future upgrades and expansions in their pipeline. If our testing proves successful, we will be sharing this solution over the coming weeks, but rest assured that we have our resident in mind when choosing the best avatar solution.
Additional areas we have been working on:
- Controls & navigation
- Cross platform voice & text chat
- UI/UX for structural asset placements (walls, doors, etc.)
- Built and adapted the full Ethereum Towers’ model to scale with Unity
We will share more information and imagery as we move forward, as we have always said that we want our community to be a part of the journey, so what we see, you see.
Token, Economy, Utility & System Planning
A large part of the governance for our ecosystem is based around our forthcoming native $TWR token. We have been working with various advisors and partners and the ecosystem and tokenomics are coming together. We are excited to announce that we have built a solid proof-of-concept (POC) of the governance and tokenomics model.
As we are a community-driven project, we are extremely conscious of the user experience so we have started there and worked backwards. We have considered the impact of the blockchains that we utilize, and also the elements of our Metaverse that we tokenize in order to ensure that our visitors and residents have a frictionless experience when making in-world purchases.
Upon launch, the $TWR token will be on the Ethereum blockchain with additional utility focused around the trading of apartments as well as other defi utility. Later in the year, we plan to introduce a bridge, enabling users to transact within the Ethereum Worlds’ ecosystem at a much lower transactional cost. Those well-versed in all things related to the Metaverse will notice that a similar model has been implemented by Sandbox and NFT Worlds. But more importantly, it allows for our ecosystem to be flexible and accessible.
Our driver is to empower our apartment holders, and continually bring value to them while also increasing the overall value of our ecosystem. We believe our SocialFi approach along with the Engage-To-Earn (E2E) model will be a great way to achieve this.
Furthermore, we are going through the early development process of introducing apartment staking, which will be exclusively for apartment holders. We are also going through the ‘Blockchain & System Requirements UI Planning’ phase to ensure a holistic systems approach to our ecosystem.
Currently this includes:
- Holder snapshot claiming portal
- NFT staking portal
- Marketplace/trading UI
- Asset upgrade UI
We are mindful that when a protocol introduces a consistent flow of tokens to its holders as we plan to, it needs to provide enough utility and reason for those holders to keep using the token. In our ecosystem, $TWR tokens will be the fundamental driver of enhancing a user’s experience and maintaining a sustainable economy.
Architecture & Design Work
Our architects have been working on the base levels of the towers (social communal areas), dividing and designing these areas, creating our internal ‘style’. The real-world commercial design experience of our award winning architects has been invaluable to this process and they have spent a good amount of time planning and designing these areas.
The output from this exercise:
- Visualization of a high quality render, similar to the external towers render
- Models to be scaled for in-world environment design
- Internal design aesthetics which will be adhered to moving forward
- Provide consistency within our environment
Finally, they are exploring materials and textures that fit into the Ethereum Towers experience, that holiday-esque, calming environment we endeavor to create for residents and visitors. The quality of experience is paramount to all of our decision making processes.
Ethereum Towers Got Talent
Followers of Ethereum Towers will know that we have brought on a number of highly qualified experts in their fields to help create our virtual world. We have taken the decision to move away from the traditional ‘full cycle development’ approach with one party delivering every element. This is so that we can flex our project scope and avoid being overexposed to one service provider. This has also meant that we can cherry pick the most talented individuals and companies to undertake the elements for which they excel.
As mentioned in our last post, we have recently signed the ‘Oculus-approved’ team from Unity Developers to help design our VR prototype. This was a coup of sorts for Ethereum Towers as we believe that their Oculus ISV status puts them in prime position to create an outstanding digital environment for our users.
Their MD & Co-founder Greg Lukosek is heading up the production as Lead Developer. Greg is considered a superstar in the Unity Development community and has published two Unity development books, worked on some huge productions, managed teams worldwide, and is also a mentor for aspiring Unity developers. Greg is truly the full package when it comes to VR development. Alongside Greg, there are 4 other specialist developers and a veteran QA specialist joining the Ethereum Towers team. They have a tremendous amount of experience in immersive application development, working in various verticals such as gaming, corporate, retail, and education.
We have also recently announced our game developer/producer; Paul. His expansive 16 year career is most impressive, the most notable being a long-term residency with the famous game developer and publisher; Gameloft.
To work alongside of Paul, we have signed a European-based art studio to design and develop the environment and supporting asset creation (furniture, accessories, etc.).
In addition, we have been expanding our blockchain development resources, having hired 2 Business Analysts, 1 System Architect, 2 Solidity Developers (one being head of development), 1 Project Manager, and 1 Java API Developer. These new additions to the team are in place for a six month program of work on the lead up to MVP deployment.
Finally on the talent side, we have onboarded a third party developer to act as another set of eyes and voice to bolster the team and ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
Conclusion
As you can see a lot has been happening behind the scenes, and we will continue to keep you informed as we work to achieve our goals. To keep up to date with the latest news, please subscribe to our Medium channel and follow us on Twitter.
