Overview of StarkNet Ecological Innovation Projects: New Opportunities for Developers, Artists, and Players
Currently, there are over 221 projects built on StarkNet, which is a sign of the widespread adoption and growth of StarkNet and STARK.Original Title: Enter the Starknet Ecosystem: A First Look at Innovative Projects
Author: Starknet-Ecosystem.com
Original Compilation: Bai Ze Research Institute
StarkNet is an L2 developed by StarkWare, leveraging STARK validity proofs to enhance performance and scalability. In the year and a half since its mainnet launch (November 2021), over 221 projects have been built on StarkNet, including OnlyDust, Briq, Pxls, Realms, Influence, and Cartridge. The developer community is committed to deep improvements in architecture, which will have a groundbreaking impact on decentralization, scalability, and user experience, and will unleash a plethora of exciting new projects within the ecosystem.
Introduction
While Ethereum's scalability and cumbersome user experience often draw criticism, the StarkNet community has been working diligently to address these issues. Over the past two years, StarkNet has leveraged the power of STARK validity Rollups to break through the boundaries of L2 performance, confidentiality, and scalability.
However, there is still much work to be done. StarkNet is still in its alpha phase and has not yet been optimized for TPS. Nevertheless, the fact that over 221 projects are built on StarkNet is a sign of the widespread adoption and growth of StarkNet and STARK.
In this article, we will introduce some innovative projects built on StarkNet, focusing on three roles:
Developers
Artists
Players
Developers
Given that StarkNet is in its early stages, the community is constantly looking for new contributors to help shape the future of the network. Since launching Cairo as a primitive programming language in 2020, it has evolved into an optimized language for L2 smart contracts, styled after Python and Rust. With the open-sourcing of Cairo 1.0 and the launch of Warp (a Solidity to Cairo code converter), we have seen exponential growth in developer activity, and this trend is expected to continue.
OnlyDust
OnlyDust is a platform that connects developers with open-source projects within the StarkNet ecosystem. OnlyDust enables developers to contribute to meaningful projects like Kakarot, DevNet, and starkNet.js, and earn weekly rewards based on the value of their contributions. Thanks to Warp, Solidity developers can also get involved.
While the platform has already attracted hundreds of contributors, it plans to soon launch a "leader" role where developers can quickly kickstart their own projects and receive direct assistance from the community.
In addition to the online community, OnlyDust also hosts live events where developers can collaborate and immerse themselves in the rapidly evolving StarkNet community.
Artists
Despite the cyclical hype around NFTs, the digital art market continues to thrive. The StarkNet ecosystem is filled with projects aimed at helping artists grow and profit by sharing their artwork with the world.
Briq
Like digital Lego blocks, Briq has built a composable system for artists using ERC-1155 tokens known as briqs to create their works. From here, artists can directly sell, lend, or transfer their works, or allow buyers to disassemble their works to create something entirely new.
Briqs are designed for interoperability, aiming to connect the real world with the virtual world and serve as a cornerstone of the metaverse.
Pxls
Pxls is an experiment in creating on-chain collaborative artwork, built around a collection of 400 "pxl" NFTs. Each pxl is key to participating in the creation of pixel art pieces ("rtwrks"), where only up to 20 colors can be used from a total of 2,000 pixels on a blank grid.
Every two days, a new rtwrk is auctioned. When users win the auction, they can list a theme for the next rtwrk. After the auction ends, each pxl NFT holder receives the theme to contribute to the creation.
Players
The blockchain gaming industry has been hindered by Ethereum's scalability limitations, but the introduction of StarkNet has proven transformative. As more on-chain game development teams recognize the limitations of EVM/Solidity, they are encouraged to explore other ecosystems. Fortunately, with the advent of Cairo 1.0 and Rust, developers can easily build seamless on-chain games.
StarkNet's gas fees are negligible, allowing for the creation of immersive games or metaverses while establishing sustainable in-game economies.
Realms
As a product of BibliothecaDAO, Realms is a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) where players can build empires, raid resources, and seize relics. The game is open-source and, unlike many crypto games, runs entirely on the StarkNet chain.
The game features 22 different rarities of resources that can be generated by purchasing labor. Each resource generation cycle takes 2 hours and produces 25 times the resources. Resources can be used to build structures, summon soldiers, or trade on AMM. Each empire's treasury can be raided.
An empire can have a defensive army and multiple offensive armies, but it is crucial to balance their resource consumption and consider the risks and rewards of each raid.
Realms features various game modes and functions, such as staking and crafting, governed by a set of predefined rules that can be updated based on on-chain player voting.
The game released Alpha and Beta versions in Q1 2023, and if DAO voting passes, a formal version will follow. Q2 will bring an NFT marketplace, new modules, and the first expansion—Adventurers (a mini-game where players can mint an adventurer for a small cost, and if the adventurer dies in the game, that character will be forfeited. Officially referred to as "Play to Die").
Influence
Influence is a highly anticipated 3D space strategy sandbox MMO set in the asteroid belt of the Adalia galaxy. The game features a third-person perspective, allowing players to control ships and facilities, colonize asteroids, engage in battles, develop structures, create communities, and expand their influence in the universe. All in-game assets are owned by the players, including 250,000 asteroids in Adalia, each with a unique combination of resources that can be mined and refined into various products, which can be traded on the open market.
The game employs realistic orbital mechanics and player-owned game assets, allowing players to truly own their assets, including asteroids, crew, and ships. Influence is set to launch in 2023.
Influence is a free-to-play game with no recurring fees. However, certain actions incur network transaction fees. While the game is not a "pay-to-win" model, early items like crew must be purchased using the in-game token $SWAY.
The game is filled with combat, strategy, and collaboration, making it ideal for gamers and sci-fi enthusiasts alike.
Cartridge
To create successful Web3 games, identity tools that provide a seamless user experience similar to Web2 are essential. WebAuthn is a widely accepted industry standard that enables players to securely generate and manage key pairs for authentication across various devices.
The adoption of WebAuthn by major software and hardware providers is driving a significant shift in the underlying logic of authentication. By supporting WebAuthn, blockchains like StarkNet can greatly enhance usability and pave the way for mainstream adoption.
This is where Cartridge comes in—it acts like a crypto version of Steam, helping players discover and explore games while managing their on-chain assets, tokens, and reputation. With Cartridge, developers can easily create crypto games that offer a seamless user experience.
