Q: What’s the story behind 0xmons?
A: So I come from a machine learning background, and I’ve previously done some things with generative art, but it was all static images. Recently, my friend Daniel helped me discover an insight that made generative animations possible. Around the same time, I’d just finished the Gems project on yfLambda, and I was thinking of what to do next. NFTs seem like the next hottest thing, and no one else is really in the AI generation + NFT space. So I thought, “Hey this seems cool to make”, and then I made it. The model is trained off pixel art sprites, and it takes in noise and outputs things similar to the training data. Then, another ML model I have set up gives the monster a random name. I then pick the best looking ones, upload them to the server, and add them to be mintable by the 0xmons smart contract.
Q: What’s next for the project?
A: I’ll be working on a simple battling contract, ideally utilizing ChainLink for the RNG. Don’t expect much for the first version. It’ll be more proof-of-concept than anything. I’ve also been in talks with some Layer 2 solutions, so the end goal might be migrating the battling contract somewhere to have the entire thing on-chain, which would be pretty cool. Then we could get actual turn-based battles happening on-chain at low cost.
Q: What’s happening for the series 3 monsters?
A: I’ve recently figured out some improvements to my monster generation algorithm, and I think I can output better-looking pixel art. So, starting from series 3, I’ll plan to switch over to the new algorithm. One side effect is that this will lead to very interesting results when merging a series 0/1/2 monster with a series 3 monster because they came from different models.
Q: What will the staking requirements be for series 3? How many monsters will there be?
A: My short-term plan is to roughly double the price and staking requirements each time I release new monsters. So it will be either holding 4 yfbeta for 40,000 blocks or paying 400 DAI. I don’t have a number yet for how many series 3 monsters there will be (part of it depends on how good the model’s output is), but I think perhaps around 50. I know some people haven’t had the chance to get them, so I’d like to release more.
Q: What about rarities, special editions, or collabs?
A: I’ve been thinking about ways to make certain monsters stand out a little more than others. All I can say for now is to stay tuned. If you have any specific feature requests, feel free to add an Issue here on GitHub: https://github.com/owenshen24/0xmons.
Q: How can I help out with the project?
A: If you know people who are excited by experimental NFT projects, spread the word! Otherwise, just taking part in the project is the best way. I’d love to see what monsters everyone is getting and what the wacky names are. If you’re interested in helping with development, the easiest way is to drop into the Discord server and ping me on the #beta-mons channel.
Relevant links:
- Stake your yfBeta for an NFT Gem: https://yflambda.finance/
- Burn your gem for a monster: https://0xmons.xyz/
- Buy and sell monsters: https://opensea.io/assets/0xmon
