thirdweb's Blockchain Game Architecture

Introduction to thirdweb Tools

In the dynamic world of blockchain game development, thirdweb has emerged as a beacon of innovation and practicality, offering a suite of tools tailored to the unique needs of game studios. These tools not only address the technical challenges but also cater to the diverse requirements of various gaming communities.

1. Unity SDK: thirdweb's Unity SDK stands out as a best-in-class, client-side, cross-platform native SDK specifically designed for game developers. It bridges the gap between blockchain technology and the gaming world, allowing seamless integration and a superior gaming experience. From onboarding, to authenticating, to interacting - your game will feel like a seamless web2 game, and you can focus on being the great game developers you aspire to be.
2. Embedded Wallets: A groundbreaking solution for wallet generation, thirdweb's Embedded Wallets revolutionize the way private keys are managed. With sharded keys stored securely and gated by customizable authentication layers, these wallets serve as a reliable and persistent signer across different platforms, maintaining a non-custodial nature.
3. Smart Wallets (ERC4337): Addressing wallet management challenges, thirdweb's Smart Wallets enhance the functionality of Embedded Wallets or other EOAs. These wallets enable gasless interactions on behalf of the user and offer features like temporary access for other signers, ensuring a persistent, cross-platform, non-custodial, and deterministic wallet experience.
4. thirdweb Engine: thirdweb Engine simplifies blockchain interactions by providing a production-ready REST API for reading and writing data. It comes equipped with backend wallets, nonce management, and queuing features, making it ideal for more managed types of games.
5. Connect: thirdweb's Connect offers UI components that enable seamless onboarding and integration with all the above tools, ensuring a smooth user experience.

Firekeeper's Recommendations

As the lead game engineer at thirdweb, I've had the privilege of assisting various game studios in architecting their games to best suit their audiences. One key recommendation is the combination of Embedded and Smart Wallets. This approach offers a signless and gasless experience, akin to web2 games, while providing full control over assets.

Key Consideration:

• Opt for cost-effective chains like Xai to reduce gas sponsorship bills significantly. An order of magnitude makes or breaks your profitability.
• Utilize blockchain technology as your backend to cut down on heavy server and database scaling costs, not to offload them to your users.
• Replace complex wallet management systems with Embedded and Smart Wallets. Think of your Smart Wallet as your persistent Blizzard Account.

Example Implementation:

• Web3 Warriors tech demo serves as a prime example of this implementation.

Dealing with Existing User Bases and External Wallets

For games with an existing user base and assets in external wallets like MetaMask, the architecture shifts. Direct interaction with these assets requires user approvals, either through asset transfer to game wallets or granting access to smart contracts. The key is to minimize onboarding friction and avoid interrupting game flow once it begins.

Solutions for Interacting with User Assets:

• Transfer assets to game wallets (Embedded or Embedded + Smart Wallet).
• Grant access to smart contracts for asset management, whether branding it "stake to play" or simply approving a smart account for asset use.

If Direct Interaction Isn't Required:

• Use Smart Wallets as game accounts receiving and using all rewards.
• Display external wallet assets in-game without the need for transfers or approvals.

Cross-Platform Support: A Unique thirdweb Feature

thirdweb's unparalleled cross-platform support, encompassing web, mobile, desktop, and all Unity platforms, allows users to maintain the same account across multiple platforms and games. This interoperability and asset reusability align with the core principles of web3 gaming.

Publisher Insights Using thirdweb:

• Consistent cross-platform user experience with Embedded Wallets.
• Scoped access and offline automation with Smart Wallets.
• Flexibility across client-side and server-side game types.
• Customizable authentication systems.
• Ability to interact with any contract and sponsor transactions on any chain.
• Profitability achieved by balancing user revenue and interaction costs.

Conclusion

thirdweb offers a flexible, open-source solution that transcends traditional gaming architecture. By exploring the comprehensive documentation and integrating these tools, developers can unlock new potentials in blockchain gaming, ensuring a seamless and engaging user experience.

Explore More:

• Dive deeper into the capabilities and documentation of thirdweb's tools. They offer more than what meets the eye, combining to form an unparalleled toolkit for blockchain game development.

We have what you need, we are open source, we are thirdweb.