[DAO:36ee761] Expanding Decentraland Explorers: Mobile & VR in Godot and Desktop in Bevy

Governance
1

by 0x83f9192d59b393c8789b55d446e5d4a77075c820 (Lean)

Should the following $218,200 grant in the Platform category be approved?

Abstract

After the goals achieved in the Protocol Squad we want to present this proposal which aims to advance the Decentraland metaverse by developing mobile clients with the Godot engine, targeting Android and iOS platforms, with the potential to publish on App Store and Play Store and by continuing the development of the Bevy engine’s desktop client, thereby indirectly contributing to the Godot project, while also preparing for desktop client deployment.

On the other hand, we want to keep making contributions to Decentraland’s documentation, and collaboration work with the Foundation. Crucially, we want to develop test scenes in-house to ensure the compatibility, completeness, and uniformity of SDK7 implementation across all client platforms.

Grant size

218,200 USD in DAI

Project duration

6 months

Beneficiary address

0x04812c531083054863ef354EF600A61857921466

Email address

leangodotdev@gmail.com

Description

In our continuous efforts to propel Decentraland into the forefront of the decentralized metaverse, we propose a comprehensive plan with primary and secondary objectives to enhance the user experience, expand the reach of Decentraland’s client base, and contribute to the ecosystem’s growth.

Primary Objectives:

  • Godot Mobile Clients (Android and iOS): Our foremost goal is to develop mobile clients for the Decentraland metaverse using the Godot engine. These clients will be tailored for Android and iOS platforms, with the potential for publication on the App Store and Play Store. This expansion aims to make Decentraland more accessible to a wider audience, providing a seamless and immersive experience on mobile devices.
  • Bevy Desktop Client Development: In the short term, we will continue the development of the Decentraland Bevy engine’s desktop client. By doing so, we indirectly contribute to the Godot project, as both engines share the Rust language, common goals, and development principles. This effort ensures that Decentraland has a robust desktop client, positioning it for future deployment on various desktop platforms.

Secondary Objectives:

  • User Experience Enhancement: Central to our approach is prioritizing the user experience. We aim to create a user-friendly environment in which casual users can interact seamlessly with Web3, all without the need to manage a self-custodial wallet. Additionally, we will focus on enhancing user engagement within the virtual world, refining elements such as player locomotion, emotes, and other interactive features.
  • Test scenes: Test scenes will be developed by our team to ensure the compatibility, completeness, and uniformity of SDK7 implementation across all the clients.
  • Documentation and Collaboration: We are committed to maintaining and enhancing Decentraland’s documentation. This includes contributions to documentation repositories and working closely with the Decentraland Foundation to address any unfinished tasks. Our goal is to ensure that users and developers have access to comprehensive and up-to-date resources for utilizing Decentraland’s features and protocols.
  • SDK7 Enrichment : We will actively participate in the growth and improvement of SDK7. Our contributions will involve refining the SDK, adding new features, and ensuring its compatibility with our client developments, thereby fostering a thriving Decentraland ecosystem.

In conclusion, our proposal outlines a multifaceted approach to elevate Decentraland’s metaverse experience. By expanding to mobile platforms with Godot, continuing Bevy’s desktop client development, and focusing on user-centric enhancements, we aim to make Decentraland more accessible, engaging, and immersive for users and developers alike. Our commitment to documentation, collaboration, and SDK7 growth further solidifies Decentraland’s position as a leading decentralized virtual world.

Note: A new Staff Engineer was added to the proposal (in comparison with the previous one: Expanding DCL Platforms: Mobile Godot Client and Desktop Bevy Client Development) that will help with the Performance of the Mobile Version, and he’s adding the possibility of doing a PoC of VR and an Experimental version for Web. This enables a more reliable and faster result in the Godot implementation

Roadmap and milestones

Milestone 1 - Jan 31st 2024

  • Web3

    • Allow players to maintain an identity without an external wallet
    • Allow users to link an external wallet in the new explorers to establish a permanent identity
    • Provide a mechanism for signing transactions

  • SDK completeness
    minimal functional support for all non-deprecated SDK7 components and SDK API modules

  • Compliance test scenes (*)

Milestone 2 - Apr 30th 2024

  • Beta release

    • Mobile Explorer signed and available for iOS and Android
    • Desktop explorer signed available from decentraland.org

  • Basic SDK6 support

  • Alpha release

    • PoC native VR build (mainly Meta Quest 2)
    • Experimental web build

  • Locomotion proposal

    • Specification for player locomotion
    • Implementation in the new explorers

  • Compliance test scenes (*)

(*) Detail of compliance test scene, component list:

Milestone 1

  • Transform
  • MeshRenderer
  • Material
  • Visibility
  • Billboard
  • Raycast
  • GltfContainer
  • Animator
  • TextShape
  • EngineInfo
  • CameraMode
  • PointerEvents
  • PointerLock

Milestone 2

  • AvatarAttach
  • AudioSource
  • AudioStream
  • VideoPlayer
  • UiTransform
  • UiCanvasInformation
  • UiBackground
  • UiLabel
  • UiText
  • UiInput
  • UiInputResult
  • UiDropdown
  • UiDropdownResult

Vote on this proposal on the Decentraland DAO

View this proposal on Snapshot

2

I will like to support this grant. However, you are asking for too much. I will support it if you reduce the budget.

1 Like
3

Hey LandLordDao! Thanks for commenting :slight_smile:
I want to bring some transparency here regarding the budget we stipulate to spend (all monthly hours):

  • Godot ~360hs
  • Bevy ~200hs (up to 220)
  • Test scene Jr. ~160hs

We’ve added a new member to the team, Mateo. He’s going to bring an invaluable dynamic to the team, especially for the Godot target:

  • The mobile product for sure has now more chance of quality and reliable
  • With a bit more effort, we can set bases for a VR product, the interesting part here is the codebase would be shared with the Mobile product, so every optimization/feature (in most cases) would be used by the two products.

The best news in the short term with this addition, results will be shared faster and today every minute cares

I forgot to share the videos of current state (1 month ago videos):
Godot: https://youtu.be/1w1Z9E-idBQ
Bevy: https://youtu.be/WeltwOOeIFo

And also I wanted to share this video that Mateo did trying the VR build: https://youtu.be/WlpDF1z4s9I

4

Hello,

Please excuse my ignorance… What experience do you have working in and building with Decentraland?

1 Like
5

Hey CheddarQueso! Thanks for commenting :slight_smile:

Two of the team are former Foundation engineers, who helped bring the current SDK and Explorer to the market.

All three of the explorer developers are experienced with, and contributors to, the game engines we are using to develop the alternative explorers.

None of us have large-scale experience building scenes in Decentraland (we mean, to publish production scenes), and we are not proposing to build scenes as part of this grant (except for the SDK7 test suite). This is a platform grant for developing the clients used to access the world, not a content grant for building scenes in the world.

Some relevant links:

1 Like
6

Hope this proposal can take place in consultation with the Decentraland Foundation, as this proposal could greatly support their roadmap, I know that they already have a VR client on their roadmap, and they’ve also released and worked on the desktop client BETA, which we currently use. Plus, many DCL VR client grants have been passed with more than half million dollars.

Such a proposal could potentially align with their plans if one of their team members works in parallel with this proposal team, and at the end, it would be good to hear from the foundation if this proposal will be helpful for them so the community can vote for that based on their feedback.

2 Likes
7

Hello Riz! Thanks for the comment :slight_smile:

I really like your request, surely this proposal will be taken to the Foundation so they can bring some feedback here.
From our side, I can tell you that our main goals are the BETA versions, which will be in the Bevy desktop explorer and the Android and iOS mobile explorer.

We submitted the proposal (Expanding DCL Platforms: Mobile Godot Client and Desktop Bevy Client Development) a few weeks ago without including the VR client and the experimental web because we are a small team. On this occasion, we were able to join a new member who I believe allows us not only to feel much more confident and secure in the objectives we already proposed but also to lay the bases for ALPHA releases in this alternatives client (VR and Web ).

On the other hand, we’ve already been working in consultation with the Foundation while we’re documenting the protocol, a work proposed from
Build a new DAO Squad to work on Decentraland's Protocol. We want to keep this collaboration even with the VR client.

1 Like
8

Hi all,

I fully support this project. Their contributions have proven invaluable to Decentraland on multiple fronts.

In the short term, the Godot client is focusing on mobile, a platform which the Foundation currently has no direct plans for. Additionally, the Bevy/Rust implementation not only aids the Godot client but can also be seamlessly integrated into other client or server-side components of the platform.

In the mid-term, the development of alternative clients highlights potential weaknesses in our protocol design and encourages constructive discussions on how to refine and further test it.

Looking further ahead, the project’s goal aligns perfectly with our vision of Decentraland running exclusively on open-source engines.

In summary, I have great trust in this team and truly appreciate the value they bring to the Decentraland ecosystem.

Yemel Jardi
Executive Director at Decentraland Foundation

8 Likes
9

Thank you for the valuable insights and info. Best of luck…

1 Like
10

Voting yes, already voted, had to revote cause grant limits.

1 Like
11

Okay, thanks for explaining. I now understand the cost of it. I hope that you can bring DCL to mobile and iPad as soon as possible.

1 Like
12

Expanding Decentraland Explorers: Mobile & VR in Godot and Desktop in Bevy

This proposal is now in status: PASSED.

Voting Results:

  • Yes 76% 13,625,516 VP (84 votes)
  • No 22% 4,004,389 VP (15 votes)
  • Abstain 2% 501,851 VP (4 votes)
13

Expanding Decentraland Explorers: Mobile & VR in Godot and Desktop in Bevy

This proposal has been ENACTED by a DAO Committee Member (0xbef99f5f55cf7cdb3a70998c57061b7e1386a9b0)

Vesting Contract Addresses: 0x5f2183D7adaFA2549DE5e6F0ac2A9d29F41617EB

14

First project update published :slight_smile:
https://governance.decentraland.org/update/?id=cf552492-bba5-4984-8743-95a80cbd8655

15

any working videos ?

16

Hey @LandlordDao, we were sharing some videos in our Discord server (channel #demos), please join us if you want DCL Alternative Explorers
Anyway, we’re going to be sharing new videos here and on Discord :slight_smile: