Preface

The Zytron engine plays an important role in the Zypher Network system. It provides developers with a sovereign, customizable Layer3 Rollup infrastructure and matches the ZK engine with a universal zero-knowledge protocol template. With the cooperation of the Zytron engine and the off-chain distributed computing network, it can provide perfect support for the operation of games in a decentralized manner, without relying on centralized servers, that is, serverless or server abstraction processing.

Blockchain games represent a new trend, but the existing industry facilities are not designed to support games running entirely on the chain. A compromise is Web2.5, which means that in order to ensure that the game can bring a better experience to players, the game logic is placed in a centralized server, while the economic model, smart contracts, etc. are placed on the chain. The operation of the game requires the two parts to communicate at all times, which also leads to certain limitations in the trust, security and operating efficiency of the game itself.

In this context, Zypher Network took the lead in launching a server abstraction solution based on a series of technical means such as ZKP, modularity and Layer3.

In this solution, the Zytron engine plays an important role in the Zypher Network system, providing developers with a sovereign, customizable Layer3 Rollup infrastructure, and matching the ZK engine with a universal zero-knowledge protocol template. With the cooperation of the Zytron engine and the off-chain distributed computing network, the game can be perfectly supported in a decentralized manner, without relying on centralized servers, that is, serverless or server abstraction processing.

Overall, Zypher Network can not only significantly lower the threshold for developers to develop and migrate games on the chain, but also provide safe, reliable and efficient support for the operation of games in a decentralized manner.

Currently, Zypher Network has launched the Layer3 pre-mainnet of the Zytron engine based on the Layer2 network Linea, indicating that the Zypher Network game engine system will be fully operational.

 

Zytron Engine: A modular, customizable sovereign Layer 3 stack

Before introducing the Zytron engine, let us first briefly introduce the concepts of Layer3 and modular blockchain.

Layer3 and Modular Narratives

In fact, Layer2 is usually a non-sovereign chain built around Layer1. Its purpose is usually to expand the capacity of Layer1. For example, in the Ethereum ecosystem, hundreds of Layer2 networks such as OP Mainnet, Arbitrum One, Base, Linea, etc. hope to further share the pressure of Ethereum Layer1. Layer2 usually hopes to become the application layer of the Ethereum ecosystem, that is, applications are deployed on Layer2, transactions occur on Layer2, but the final transaction verification returns to the Ethereum Layer1 main network. At the same time, these Layer2s rely on the security and finality of Ethereum Layer1.

So why do we need Layer 3?

In fact, Layer2 is essentially a public chain, that is, all developers can develop applications on the Layer2 layer. Although different Layer2s use different technical solutions to improve performance, all transactions occur on Layer2, which still means that it has a certain amount of bearing pressure. Layer3 is positioned as a dedicated application layer. For example, if I want to make a game, I can launch a dedicated Rollup layer in a customized way, which only serves a single application, or a targeted App Chain, to avoid interference from other applications. The relationship between Layer3 and Layer2 is similar to that between Layer2 and Layer1, and it obtains support for security and finality from the upper chain.

A previous Coinbase research article on Layer3 stated that compared to independently operating a Layer1 or Layer2, Layer3 can reduce operating costs by about 1,000 times. It said that the annual cost of operating a Layer2 is about 7 to 8 figures in US dollars, while operating a Layer3 chain usually only costs US$25,000 to US$50,000. Therefore, it is no longer a wise choice for some previous on-chain derivatives protocols such as dYdX and Perpetual Protocol to establish App Chain in a Layer2 manner, and Layer3 may be a new trend.

The low cost of Layer3 is partly due to its modular solution. Layer3 has better flexibility than Layer2. For example, it can plug and unplug different layers in a modular way without having to bear the cost independently. For example, in most Layer2s, data availability accounts for more than 95% of the total cost, while Layer3 can select DA services from the outside in a plug-in way, without having to run the DA layer independently to avoid this part of the cost. At the same time, most Layer3s are sovereign without having to rely on the upper layer in many aspects.

This then involves another concept, namely the modular narrative mentioned above.

The modular narrative is actually easier to understand. We compare the traditional chain to a computer with all its parts welded together. It is usually difficult to replace all the parts of this computer. Every time you want to implement new functions, you need to upgrade significantly and constantly seek external support, such as the Ethereum ecosystem. Modularity represents a new chain idea, that is, all parts are pluggable and combinable. Many components of the chain can be selectively replaced, such as Celestia for the DA layer, integration of verification into EnginLayer, and different Layer2s for the settlement layer. When the network wants to upgrade or expand its functions, the above layers can be replaced by pluggable replacement, such as replacing Celestia with Polygon Avail, etc., without major upgrades.

So if we understand the concepts of Layer3 and modular blockchain, and then understand the Zytron engine, you will gain a completely new understanding.

Zytron Engine

1. Development and deployment

First of all, the Zytron engine supports developers to customize the Layer3 layer through its underlying stack, which can also be said to be an APP Layer3 Chain dedicated to a certain game. This chain or Rollup is dedicated to a single game. Then the way to build Layer3 is modular, that is, you can choose different modules in a plug-and-play manner according to the characteristics of your game. At present, the Zytron engine uses Celestia as the DA by default, and the settlement layer and security are mainly obtained from Linea Layer2 (the current mainnet is on Linea, and new mainnets will be launched on more Layer2s in the future).

On the other hand, you can not only start your Layer3 Chain in a modular way through the Zytron engine, but the Zytron engine also provides a series of plug-and-play tool components, including: basic hashing, elliptic curve encryption, masking, Shuffle and other gadgets; SDK for application-specific circuits; a series of on-chain validators, etc. Based on these components, developers can obtain pluggable ZK functions, gadget and circuit composability, and third-party DSL/ZKVM integration, etc.

Based on this, developers can build autonomous worlds, small strategy games, or migrate AAA games to their own Layer3 chains at minimal cost and without a steep learning curve, while retaining production-level UEs. Even if developers do not know ZKP very well, they can also complete rapid development based on a series of tool components, or migrate existing games with a low threshold.

 

Currently, with the help of the Zytron engine, developers can also further deploy games on TON (especially for some small games), and use Telegram as the entry point to capture users from the Telegram market with low barriers and on a large scale.

2. How to ensure efficient game operation?

On the other hand, the game itself is deployed on the chain, or more precisely, in the ZK circuit of the Zytron engine, so the game logic runs completely on the chain. So how do we ensure the smooth running of the game?

 

l On-chain and off-chain combination

First of all, the games running in Zypher Network are not like before, where every game action generates transactions at any time and is verified separately. Instead, the action logs generated by some continuous game behaviors are aggregated into ZK proofs. Within a certain period, these game actions (each of which is a transaction) are aggregated in a ZKP proof. The process of generating ZK proofs occurs in the distributed computing network off-chain and is implemented by off-chain nodes. Finally, multiple proofs are submitted to the chain as a single transaction. This method not only greatly reduces the gas fee (even 0 gas), but also ensures that players have a delay-free gaming experience for some PvE game deployments.

In other words, Zypher Network has separated the generation of the most computationally intensive and complex ZK proofs from the Zytron engine, greatly reducing the on-chain pressure. This method can parallelize the generation of ZK proofs, which is scalable and efficient and is driven by an economic model with a reward and punishment mechanism.

l Optimized precompiled contracts and P2P node network

At the same time, Zytron not only provides some precompiled contracts, but also executes contracts by sharding the data services of the chain nodes. The sharding technology allows the execution of the contract to be executed on multiple nodes at the same time, that is, in parallel. Significantly improve processing efficiency and reduce delays.

More specifically, the nodes on the chain are connected through a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. This network is specifically used to perform contract verification and ensure that each node can communicate directly and efficiently. The benefit of using a P2P network is that it reduces the intermediate transmission links, making data transmission faster. In addition, the communication and address positioning between nodes use the Kademlia algorithm (an efficient distributed hash table DHT algorithm). The structured design of Kademlia makes it faster and more accurate for nodes to find and contact other nodes.

In terms of execution, Zytron also shards the execution process of the contract according to the node distance rules defined in the Kademlia algorithm. This means that different parts of the contract will be assigned to different network nodes for execution based on the distance between the nodes. This distance-based allocation method helps to evenly distribute the computing load in the Zytron network, thereby improving the speed and efficiency of the entire system.

l Database

In order to further improve data processing efficiency, the Zytron engine further optimized the database by integrating a more friendly relational database and cache database, which greatly improved the data processing efficiency of the game.

l Integration with EnginLayer

In addition to the above design, the Zytron engine has also been modularly integrated with EigenLayer and deployed the AVS computing layer. Developers can integrate this service on their own Layer3 APP Chain, greatly reducing the threshold of PoS in the game and improving security and game operation efficiency.

Currently, Zytron’s zk-SNARK stack processes more than 10 times faster than any Layer2, and has a Gas cost more than 200 times lower. At the same time, all players can earn Zero Gas SBT through games and activities, allowing for a smooth gaming experience (0 Gas). Zytron also supports the Telegram Mini App (TMA) interface, enabling gaming applications to increase user acquisition through hyper-casual games and Web3 native financial tools.

And with the help of precompiled contracts, developers can efficiently handle resource-intensive tasks such as cryptographic operations.

Summarize

Based on the Zytron engine, Zypher Network is paving the way for the next stage of development of the blockchain game track. On the one hand, it is based on a full set of ZK solutions and toolkits to support developers to deploy and migrate games with low barriers, and to build a dedicated game bottom layer in a modular, Layer 3 manner. On the other hand, through the server abstraction solution, the operation of the game can no longer rely on centralized servers, and take into account decentralization, efficiency and security, bringing players an excellent gaming experience.

The game logic, token economic model, smart contracts and other elements are no longer separated and parallel. Through the new dynamic combination, it is expected to make the game more vital and creative. Even AAA games with complex game logic can be deployed and run perfectly in the form of blockchain games.

Blockchain games in the form of Web2.5 are an unsustainable state, and the inevitable trend of blockchain game development is from Web2.5 to Web3. Zypher Network is becoming an indispensable catalyst in this process and a leader of this trend.