[New LST Proposal] windSOL

[SouthCloud0703]

Hello fellow Sanctum guys and to all members of the Solana and crypto community , I’m Yutaro, co-founder of Windfall, 1st gaming-based Liquid Staking Token (LST) project that offers a unique ‘luck-based, lossless gaming’ experience. It allows users to earn rewards without risking their initial investment. We’re all about gamifying DeFi to make it accessible and fun for everyone, not just crypto enthusiasts. On behalf of the Windfall team , I would like to share more about us and our proposal for Sanctum LST.

TLDR

About Windfall
-Windfall ‘diversify & democratize’ the complicated Staking ecosystem (LST/LRT, etc.) through fun dApps.
-As an attractive application, we will first launch ‘luck-based lossless gaming’.
-By depositing $SOL and playing casual games daily, users are provided with opportunities to gain large sums of money without incurring losses.

Proposal

-The yield of $windSOL accumulates in the prize pool, and rewards are distributed each season according to a ranking that varies based on the amount/duration of deposits and game results.
- In the future, $windSOL will also be subject to Jito Restaking, and the rewards generated from Restaking will also accumulate in the prize pool.
- Promotion of IP utilization, starting with the development of mini-games utilizing Sanctum Pets.

Problem

-Solana’s Liquid Staking Token (LST) market is experiencing significant growth, yet it currently represents only 6.6% of the total market capitalization, indicating substantial room for expansion. This untapped potential presents a compelling opportunity for retail users, as failing to participate in staking activities results in considerable opportunity loss.

Mission & Solution

-Therefore, we aim to ‘Democratize Staking by Attractive Applications’. We want to provide an experience where retail users find themselves staking without even realizing it, simply because they were engaged with an application they found ‘fun’ and ‘profitable’. So, what constitutes an attractive application? In the current crypto space, there’s one clear answer: apps that allow users to ‘earn’. Moreover, it would be ideal if there were apps that not only allow users to ‘earn’, but to ‘earn without the risk of loss’. Yes, we will provide ‘No-Risk(Loss) High-Return’ Degen Gaming. You have a chance to earn big bucks without losing money.

Competition

-There are various Crypto services aimed at ‘making money’, but as shown in the table, there are no services that achieve Low-Risk High Return. We will launch a service targeting the potential audience who want to earn money while limiting their risk.

Flow

-We envision the flow as follows:
1. (User) swap $SOL to $windSOL - regarding the UX, users simply deposit $SOL into Windfall. It’s automatically swapped to $windSOL, but users don’t need to be aware of this process.
2. (Windfall) operate $SOL as LST/LRT
3. (Windfall) collect yield as prize pool
4. (User) play games and compete for rankings
5. (User) earn rewards from prize pool
6. (User) withdraw $SOL

Sample Game

-This is a sample game. It’s a rhythm game that utilizes the Sanctum IP. In this way, we will develop casual games that blend elements of luck and skill, in collaboration with Solana IP.

Future

-In the future, we plan to establish a ‘hub’ position with DeFi for applications that want to utilize a Staking-based reward system like the one described above.

Roadmap

-2024 3Q : Rader Hackathon
-2024 4Q : LST Launch
-2025 1Q : α Launch (Airdrop Program Season 1)
-2025 3Q : β Launch (Airdrop Program Season 2)
-2026 1Q : Token Launch

Our proposal

$windSOL

-We propose $windSOL, which has the characteristic where LST earnings are temporarily accumulated in a Prize Pool (meaning the APY of the LST itself is 0%), and then redistributed to LST holders with varying amounts according to criteria such as rankings. We believe this will introduce elements of gambling and gaming to LST holding, thereby expanding the base of LST holders.

Restaking

-In the future, $windSOL will be made available as collateral asset for Jito Restaking. This will allow $windSOL to gain additional revenue from Restaking. As the gradual decrease in Solana’s Native Staking yield will also affect LST earnings, we will pursue additional revenue opportunities such as Restaking. Our team is already in discussions with the Jito team to explore this collaboration.

Effective utilization of Sanctum Pets

-Despite having such cute characters, they’re currently barely being utilized. It’s such a waste, so since we love these soothing characters, we’re considering using them in casual games. Originally, there were only static image assets, but our talented designer has given Bonksie movement. We expect the Pets to be even more lively in Season 2 than they were in Season 1.

Summary

-Windfall is a newly launched project, but thanks to the team’s efforts, it’s growing at an accelerating pace. In the near term, we’re advancing the project with the goal of becoming Grand Champion at the Radar Hackathon hosted by Colosseum from September to October. Of course, we don’t intend to stop at the hackathon. Supported by our community, we aim to launch the project spectacularly and nurture it into a service that will be loved for a long time

Official Channels

Twitter / X

[Bengshark]

I totally supprt this! Goodjob and love the blob games!
Instead of staking reward to top gamer, how about making it perks on the game?

[SouthCloud0703]

Thank you for your support!

I understand. You’re suggesting that it might be better to offer rewards as individual game bonuses (jackpots?) rather than through a ranking system.

I think that’s a reasonable idea, so I’ll consider it!

Just to clarify, our games are basically designed to be casino-like with a strong element of luck, so we plan to design them so that players can aim for high rankings without necessarily being highly skilled or investing a lot of time in the game.

[pot]

The flow you created is very helpful, really helps to understand the concept. I like the word you used “opportunity”

[GreythornAM]

Hey guys!

We at Greythorn love gaming. This adds an interesting take on the yield based gamification of new projects.

would love to connect further to discuss any other potential partnerships you’d love to see.

And welcome to the INF familia! Sanctum Aligned!

[DanikaHollandaise]

What a fun read this was! Super into the idea, and getting behind some gaming that is LST/Sanctum based, and not all the telegram tap bot stuff.

Do you plan on the user ever realizing that they interacted with $windSOL? It could be doled out at the end when they earn their rewards. Maybe that would be a good time to explain to them what $windSOL/ lst’s are in general? Or maybe that is just not intended to be included with their experience.

I found one small spelling error. It’s on the “Competition” graphic. In the middle its spelled “High Reteun”. Maybe it should be “High Return”? Hope it’s not annoying.

Great proposal! Thanks!

[nothing]

The competitive system is really diversified, so we can try everything without losing money. (((whereas personally, I’ve lost a lot trying)))
Interacting with the Sanctum Pets is even more fun.

@SouthCloud0703

No-Risk High-Return Degen Gaming

$windSOL opens the door to infinite possibilities!

[SouthCloud0703]

Thank you for pointing out the spelling mistake and comments!

I don’t think users need to be aware of their interaction with $windSOL. This is because we want to ensure a good user experience by keeping the interaction as simple as possible. We plan to distribute rewards in regular $SOL, so users won’t need to be aware of $windSOL even at that point.
However, I believe many people will want to understand the mechanism to confirm its safety, so we’re planning to explain $windSOL carefully in our documentation and other resources.

[SouthCloud0703]

$windSOL opens the door to infinite possibilities!
I love this sentense!

[DanikaHollandaise]

Happy to help out and keep your project at its highest excellence!

Ok, I understand the decision about interacting with $windSOL. Your docs will be the full reveal on the greatness of your concept.

[Bengshark]

Yup! Will be heaven for degens
Also I think if lucky people can get points to buy some “item” to boost the bonus instead of straight staking rewards ser

[pot]

Agree lol, degens always be degens

[SouthCloud0703]

Great. There should be room left for Degen Play, I agree.

[SouthCloud0703]

@fplee
Thanks for featuring us in your updates during the busy and exciting month of August!

This Month in Sanctum: August 2024

Roadmap Update August 2024 See Roadmap Update July 2024 for last month’s update. What’s new this month? CEX LSTs As I’m sure you have heard, a few CEXes have started announcing that they are launching their LSTs on Solana! This is a super big deal as millions of new users will be able to easily own a piece of – and play their part in securing – one of the greatest and most performant decentralised networks. This is a big win for all of us. Additionally, CEXes are adopting open-source, decent…

[fplee]

Thanks for the well-thought through proposal and the lovely cute Bonksie!

I love gaming very much; although I don’t have time to game much nowadays, I still follow new game releases very closely, and to be an indie game developer was a dream of mine for a very long time. Maybe after Sanctum… haha. So I love to see proposals about gaming.

With that said, here are some of my doubts and questions. Please don’t take this the wrong way: the objective is not to tear the proposal down, but to strengthen it.

We have seen many play-to-earn games before, and many of them don’t succeed, for several reasons. The first is that it’s really hard to build a fun game, and I feel like the game has got to stand on its own merits. That means being a game that’s fun to play, financials aside. In this case, I would ask: how can we differentiate this game from other casual rhythm games, of which there are many?

More fundamentally, there’s a great GDC talk called “Cursed Problems in Game Design”. I recommend everyone watch it. “Cursed problems” are “unsolvable” game design problems rooted in a fundamental conflict between core design philosophies or promises to players.

There are two “cursed problems” I can see in this proposal, and in Play-to-Earn games more generally.

• Cursed problem #1: playing game for fun vs. playing game for money. When people play a game, they play it because it is fun. They don’t expect anything – it is a consumption good. But introducing a financial reward almost makes it feel like a job. It can even be very demotivating seeing that your earnings are equivalent to few cents per hour.
• Cursed problem #2: casual gaming but prizes for leaderboards. This proposal mentioned that rewards will be distributed based on your ranking. This might work for a competitive game. However, this seems to fit poorly with the casual and accessible nature of the game. The vast majority of players will earn less than they would have if they’d just bought another LST.

In general, my big question would be: how will we convince people to deposit their SOL to play this game when other (free or low-cost) rhythm game alternatives exist? I would worry less about the exact mechanics of getting the yield (liquid staking, jito restaking etc), leave the “platform play” aside for now, and double down on figuring out the highest-order bit: how to 1) build a damn good game 2) get people to park their SOL with Windfall.

One final question to the team: what do you, in your heart of hearts, want to do? Do you want to demystify staking? Or do you want to build a cool game? If the latter, focus on that (building a good game first and foremost), and figure out how Sanctum and the rest of Solana can support you in that endeavour. This may be of interest to you:

[Proposal] LSTs: A New Funding Model for Game Development

[Sanctum LST Gaming] The gaming industry is at a crossroads. With rising development costs and an increasingly saturated market, both indie and AAA developers are struggling to stay afloat. Traditional revenue models are under pressure and are shifting towards pay-to-win mechanics that alienate players. But what if there was a new way forward? A model that not only provides financial support for developers but also enhances the gaming experience for players? This is where I believe Sanctum’s L…

[SouthCloud0703]

• Introduction

  • I’m delighted that we can now have a specific discussion about this idea with @fplee. In this response, I will provide supplementary explanations about the game system that we couldn’t fully describe in the proposal and answer your questions. This is the result of considering various possibilities after receiving your feedback from the APAC Summit.

• Characteristics of Windfall’s Game Design

  • Unlike typical Play-to-Earn games, Windfall adopts an approach closer to luck-based gaming. (We think the rhythm game in the demo video, being skill-based, might have caused some misunderstanding, but this game will also be updated to be luck-based.) The main objective is to provide players with a “sense of exhilaration”. In usual gambling or casino games, players risk losing their stakes to get this exhilaration, but with Windfall, players only need to deposit $SOL, which can be withdrawn later, resulting in essentially “No Risk (No Loss)”. Our main target user is those who desire opportunities to gain substantial amounts of money while limiting their risk. In essence, it’s “PoolTogether + luck-based gamification”. While PoolTogether is a boring process of just depositing money and waiting for results, we believe that by adding gamification, we can increase retention and attract a wider audience.

• Addressing Cursed Problems

  • We believe that the two Cursed problems you pointed out do not apply to Windfall’s design. This is mainly because the game is Luck-based. Players play not just for pure fun or financial rewards, but for the “sense of exhilaration”. There’s no perception of labor-like rewards such as hourly wage calculations. Also, the ranking system differs from that of skill-based games. Based on Luck-based game results (players compete by betting points gained through deposits during gameplay), lotteries are distributed according to rankings each season. Rewards are allocated based on the results of these lotteries, preventing top players from monopolizing rewards. Many players will play for the possibility (exhilaration) of winning big rewards, even if the average reward is less compared to other LSTs. (However, while there may be disparities among players, the overall expected revenue is the same as other LSTs.)

• Game Development Conditions

  • We plan to release multiple casual games on Windfall, prioritizing the following conditions:
    1. Set the luck:skill ratio to 9:1 (or 10:0) to allow play regardless of skill level
    2. Provide rich play experiences through IP collaborations, etc.
    3. Maintain simplicity with rules that are immediately understandable
    4. Keep each play short to quickly deliver the sense of exhilaration
       【Example】an original gaming design with bonk :
       
       

• Team’s Core Motivation

  • Regarding the question “What do you, in your heart of hearts, want to do? Do you want to demystify staking? Or do you want to build a cool game?”, our answer is the latter. We believe that pursuing the design of an attractive ecosystem and individual game experiences is primarily important for the success of this project. On top of that, we are considering enhancing DeFi integration as a strategy to distribute more rewards to users in a more sustainable manner.

• Regarding the [Proposal] LSTs: A New Funding Model for Game Development

  • The proposal is very interesting. In fact, our team had previously launched a full on-chain indie game on another chain, but it’s currently pending due to lack of development funds. We believe infrastructure that allows individual developers to express their creativity without worrying about funding is essential. While we will initially develop games in-house, we have future plans to involve individual developers and conduct bottom-up game development, so we would definitely like to utilize this mechanism.

• Conclusion

  • Windfall adopts a new approach that provides “No Risk” exhilaration, unlike traditional Play-to-Earn models. By incorporating elements of GambleFi while minimizing players’ risk of loss, we aim to encourage participation from a wide range of users through our unique and sustainable system.
  • We believe this differentiates us from other LST proposals, as there are currently almost no proposals targeting the Degen demographic in this way.

[n8tr0n]

This sounds very cool. I am a total fan of the “no-risk” model. I think most of us would like to have no risk when we invest our time and capital.

I look forward to seeing how this is executed.

[SouthCloud0703]

Thanks for your comments! I think it’s important to design projects and user experiences with a long-term perspective in mind, so I’ll keep experimenting and refining my approach.

[SouthCloud0703]

I’m struggling to find a concise way to express our project. I’d appreciate your opinion!

Here are the candidates:

・No Loss Degen Gaming
・No Loss High Return Degen Gaming
・No Loss High Return Gaming
・No Risk High Return Gaming

As I’ve been introducing this to many people, I feel that the “High Return” part doesn’t leave as strong an impression, while the “No Loss” part tends to be more memorable. So I’m considering whether it might be better to omit “High Return” explicitly and instead incorporate its meaning into the phrase “Degen Gaming”.

“Degen Gaming” is a coined term. Since words like “Gamble” or “Casino” give an impression of a suspicious project, we’re hoping that people will intuitively understand from “Degen Gaming” that it refers to luck-based games.

Between “No Loss” and “No Risk”, I think “No Loss” is easier to understand, so I prefer “No Loss”.

[SouthCloud0703]

This is my favorite new TAGLINE candidate right now!

“Luck-based lossless gaming, protected by LST”