SPS Governance Proposal - Hire JPTR Corp to Develop SPS Chain
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Before getting into the proposal, we would like to provide some important context about the current state of the SPS token and what the Splinterlands company is and is not able to provide going forward.
When the SPS token first launched in 2021, $3.6M was raised in a private sale. This is where the SPS DAO got its funds. A portion of those funds have been spent on various things over the past few years, including legal services, marketing, exchange listings, liquidity pools, hiring, etc. The primary purpose for which those funds were meant to be used, however, was to build out the infrastructure necessary to operate the SPS token in an open and decentralized manner.
At launch, the Splinterlands company went ahead and built out the infrastructure to run the token in a closed and centralized manner (without asking for any funds from the DAO to do so), which was meant to only be a temporary measure until the open-source SPS validator software was completed which would allow the SPS token to be run as its own layer 2 chain on top of Hive, which we are now calling "SPS Chain".
Unfortunately, since the temporary solution was implemented and works well, there was never much urgency to build out the open, decentralized solution that was originally intended. As a result, the Splinterlands company has been operating the SPS token in a centralized manner for the past three years and paying all of the costs to build and maintain the temporary implementation as well as to build out the SPS validator software, despite that being the main purpose of the DAO's funds.
For many reasons, the company is no longer in a position to keep doing this, and responsibility for building and operating the SPS token infrastructure must be turned over to the SPS DAO. This means that the Splinterlands company will no longer be spending any time or resources working on the SPS validator software going forward and as of July 1, 2025 we will no longer continue to operate the SPS token through the temporary implementation that is currently in place.
This gives the SPS DAO one year to build and launch a separate solution to operate the SPS token. We believe that the best path forward is for the DAO to hire the developers that have recently been brought on by Splinterlands to finish the validator software, which is what this proposal intends to do.
It is important to note that the DAO does not have to go with the solution proposed here. Someone else can be hired to complete the SPS validator software, or a completely different solution can be built to operate the SPS token. Whatever the DAO members decide, however, it is important to understand that if no solution is implemented then many of the functions of the SPS token will cease to operate when Splinterlands is forced to shut down the temporary implementation it is currently operating in roughly one year from now.
Hire JPTR Corp To Develop and Maintain SPS Chain
JPTR Corp is a software development company owned and operated by Patrick Gorrell, who most of you know as @PJ on Discord. Patrick has been leading the development efforts for the Splinterlands team for the past year and a half and we have hired the developers who are currently working the SPS validator software through his company.
It is important, for many reasons, to maintain as much separation as possible between the Splinterlands company and the SPS DAO, and as such we believe that the best course of action is for the DAO to hire Patrick's company to continue the development of the SPS validator software that will be used to operate the SPS Chain.
The details of the proposal are as follows, and - if approved - a contract will be executed between the SPS DAO entity and JPTR corporation with these terms.
- The SPS DAO will pay JPTR $40,000 USD per month for each of the next 12 months in USDC, USDT, or ETH on the Ethereum or BNB Smart Chain networks. Please note that, if approved, this proposal will give authority to the DAO treasurers to decide which tokens from the DAO treasury to use to pay this invoice each month.
- JPTR will complete and release an open-source software package (known as the SPS Validator software) on or before March 1, 2025, that will allow anyone to independently run and verify all SPS-related transactions in a completely decentralized manner.
- The above-mentioned release will, at a minimum, support all of the currently existing functionality for the SPS, VOUCHER, and LICENSE tokens.
- JPTR will assist Splinterlands in transitioning the operation of the SPS token from the Splinterlands software to the SPS Validator software and ensure that the SPS token can still be used and managed from within the Splinterlands game and website as normal.
- JPTR will work with the SPS DAO manager, the elected treasurers, and the general SPS token-holder community to ensure that they are able to successfully operate the SPS validator software once released.
- JPTR will work with the SPS DAO community to maintain the software after the initial release, fix any bugs and issues that arise in a timely manner, and work on implementing new features or changes requested by the community through the end of the term of this agreement.
- JPTR will publish monthly status and progress updates for the community to review.
Regarding the cost, building out a layer 2 blockchain platform and integrating it with a large, existing project is a very significant undertaking, to say the least. From that perspective we believe the cost is actually quite reasonable and that it would be quite difficult, if not impossible, to find a trustworthy development team that can complete a project like this, at the level of quality we would like, for less. Additionally, please note that since this contract is monthly, rather than a large, up-front payment, the DAO can cancel at any time, and for any reason, through a proposal vote.
Finally, we would also like to address the fact that in the past, the Splinterlands company has stated on a number of occasions that we expected the SPS validator software to be completed by certain dates, which did not happen. This is due to the fact that this project was never able to be a priority for the company. We were not being paid to build it and it did not generate revenue for us. As such, the developers working on it always ended up being pulled off to work on other projects. This is why we believe it is important for the DAO to directly hire the development company that has been working on this most recently. That way those developers will work directly for the DAO on this project and will not be available to be pulled onto any other work.
Update - Additional Information
Based on some of the feedback and questions regarding this proposal we thought it would be helpful to add some additional information.
First, regarding JPTR corp - all of the developers currently working there were previously Splinterlands employees. They recently moved over to JPTR which is a just a small entity set up by Patrick Gorrell, Splinterlands CTO, in order to help Splinterlands reduce its operating costs and administrative overhead.
These developers have been working on the SPS validator software exclusively for the past few months now (paid for by Splinterlands) and expect to have the initial version finished and released well before the March 1st date in the contract terms above. The March 1st date is purposely further out than the expected release in order to make sure that what is committed to is something that can definitely be hit, no matter what unexpected issues may come up.
Additionally, these developers previously worked on the Splinterlands game before transitioning onto validators, so they are uniquely qualified to do the work necessary in the Splinterlands game so that it works with the new validator software. This is a significant part of the project and that work is included in the total cost of the proposal. This is not something that other third-party developers would be able to do.
They have also been working closely with other members of the Splinterlands team throughout the entire process and will continue to do so to make sure that multiple different people are reviewing and checking the work along the way. The costs of this were also considered when estimating the total cost for this project.
Finally, it is important to note that the developers will plan to publish the open source code for the validators as soon as possible, certainly well before the initial release, so that anyone can independently review or audit it.
I've had several conversations with PJ while working on the SPS Distribution Audit and on several issues in the past both as an employee of the company and as an employee of the DAO. This option makes drastically more sense to me than trying to hire some randos to build a new chain. I'll be supporting this option.
I will be supporting this proposal as well. It's time for the DAO to take responsibilities.
Did you guys forget that nodes were supposed to launch in Q4 of 2022? lol hahahaha. Now this shitty team needs half a million USD to launch this. I don't understand why we need to invest this much amount to this dead game.
LOL that's not blackmailing users right?
what if splinterlands moves out of Hive Chain? is not best to await to see if they can get the funds to continue operating on hive? If they cant, and the VC forces them to move out of Hive, SPS validators nodes will be a very diferent thing, no need to decide this now
I think any proposal should pay a % of the funds in SPS to incentivize the company.
That's actually a good idea!
Question: how does this ultimately provide value to the SPS token when it has been in a downward spiral for quite a while? How much of that half million would be raised by selling SPS?
I'm not saying never do this, but it needs to be pushed out and resources need to go towards adding value.
You know, having a centralized token in web3 is not a good idea... Making SPS decentralized intrinsically provides value to him in this space.
I disagree that decentralizing something adds intrinsic value. I can scroll down coinmarketcap and find plenty of decentralized shit with no intrinsic value and the token price to match.
SPL is not shit. SPL is awesome. Centralized SPS is awesome, decentralized SPS is more awesome ;)
I never said that, but nice strawman. That being said, if nobody new plays and the company folds it will be.
You mean it could be considered a security?
One of the major hurdles for SPS to get onto an exchange is that it's a centralized token currently. Centralized tokens are easily exploitable to things such a rugpulls and hacks. Making it decentralized will open up windows to getting an exchange listing as it is more secure.
Who cares if it's on an exchange if there's no demand? Liquidity is a double-edged sword.
Voted yes it makes sense for me to have the same developers working on the SPS chain. Will we need a audit of the security after its developed also to help with listing on a a centralized exchange?
🤣 😆 😂
“This is due to the fact that this project was never able to be a priority for the company“
Don’t forget to include the customers. “The customers were never a priority for the company” and that’s why we sold you on false promises and will continue to do so to get your money lol get out peeps
This is comedy.
SPS validator nodes are pointless Splinterlands-specific baggage. No one really cares. Not the players, not the whales.
Instead of asking DHF for 500k, use the 480k that's being wasted here, on whatever the 500k for the DHF is going towards instead.
And the DHF proposal is going to waste like 10k in liquidity pool costs and more on DEC price depreciation, so it's not like 20k really matters.
What does DHF has to do with any of this? Don't de-rail the proposal discussion.
Splinterlands and SPS DAO are intertwined in their financial interests. To think one can function without the other, is comedy. And Splinterlands is in the process of asking the DHF for 500k.
I find it irresponsible that one is setting their own money on fire, while begging others for more.
@wildebunny you do make some interesting points of discussion around;
1.) Do we need to decentralize?
2.) If so, how much of a priority is it at the moment
--
MY OPINION
1.) Yes, I believe Splinterlands should decentralize at some point.
2.) FYI: I do own a validator license BUT I don't think it is a priority at this time. I put a higher priority on cleaning up the games user experience to make it more aligned with easily onboarding new non-crypto users, AND then marketing to support that cause.
Personally, I think they should be asking for funds from the DAO to migrate the game to a better blockchain that will align with all their future development plans BEFORE they start building out the SPS Chain... but now that I think about it, if your going to migrate, that is probably the best time to build out your new foundation on your own chain.
What's the point of web3 if tokens are centralized? What's the point of having a DAO if not for running it's decentralized token?
This is absolutely a priority and I'm totally for this proposal.
Furthermore, you never gonna get a big listing on top exchanges, which is crucial (not for price speculations, but for bringing people in less painful ways).
Web3 people like to forget that web2 exists, and on the verge of bankruptcy, they worry more about web3.
It's like a game company hiring another just to manage the drop rate of gold and the storage of gold data in the database.
And in times of luxury, this project was never a priority.
It is still not a priority for the SPL Company. Is a priority, instead, for the SPS DAO.
Then SPS DAO's priorities are misplaced.
A. The DAO can not hire anybody, it does not have the legal standing to do so, so we would need to do the foundation first.
B. It is terrible business practice to only get one quote for a task, so this sucks on that level.
C. The best part of half a million dollars to finish a project hat has been going on for years already? What has it cost so far and what guarantees would we have?
Also, what proportion of the DAO's funds would this use up?
What plans are there to get the dao to a place where it's monthly income is greater than its monthly outgoings?
This proposal should not be up for voting because it lacks all the basic information to be evaluated.
Who is (or what is) JPTR Corp? All we get is PJ. There's not even a website where we can check this company out, and Googling turns no results.
What are their past works or customers, outside a collaboration with Splinterlands which raises a lot of conflict of interest issues?
Where is the actual proposal, even a draft, through which we can verify if the cost makes any sense?
If you want to get rid of the SPS chain from your costs the only thing that makes sense is giving the DAO a mandate to find, INDEPENDENTLY,some proposal to take over.
I have enjoyed the game for a long time and I've felt the pain of watching great ideas and game dynamics being thrown away for the sole purpose of profit, of which there was no lack of, but greed is a bad beast.
If the DAO is blackmailed into having to take things in their own hands let it be so, but keep absurd proposals like this one out of these boards.
Looks like PJ has worked for Splinterlands and might've already been doing work on the validator nodes.
Looks like he'll be featured in the DAOn Hall run by clayboyn in the near future so that you can get these questions answered.
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Based on the recent developments and proposals posted by @splinterlands and @yabapmatt I do agree with most if not all of their INTENTIONS but I think is sparks a bigger question around the future development of Splinterlands which I did comment on in their DHF Proposal in detail.
The Real Meaning of this Proposal
It should first be made clear to the Splinterlands community what this proposal really means. It does not mean to JUST to create validator nodes. It means to build out the new HOME of Splinterlands the game, and the entire ecosystem. The entire game and all its assets will operate on this new SPS Chain and it will be run entirely by the community with validators. So that means theoretically faster performance, more reliable, cheaper transaction costs, reduced server operating costs, improved Web3 accessibility, and user experience. That is what they are proposing, so this proposal should not be taken lightly.
I Agree With the Proposal BUT Not the Destination
As I mentioned above, the importance of this proposal is absolutely monumental to the future of Splinterlands. If you read my detailed comment on why I hope Hive DOES NOT approve Splinterland's proposal, I think it's for the best (for Splinterlands sake).
If we are going to commit to building out our own SPS Chain to support the FUTURE of Splinterlands, greater thought and discussion should be around WHERE to do it. The Hive Blockchain has served its purpose. Splinterlands has played a pivotal role in building and supporting the ecosystem but enough time as past to see the direction of the blockchain as a whole. It may be technically superior to other alternatives, but unfortunately it is not gaining any traction, nor has it been making any substantial efforts to market and grow its user base and developer community. As I mentioned in my other post, the writing is on the wall. It's time to ask the hard questions:
Technically, the Hive blockchain may have all the best features and capabilities for Web3 Games but unfortunately that is not enough to make it succeed. Marketing, awareness, ease of adoption by non-crypto users, account abstraction, Web3 Accessibility... these are the things that drive mass adoption and usability.
So What Now?
Overall, I agree 100% with the intent of this proposal BUT before the community votes on it, I think we need to address the elephant in the room. Is Hive Blockchain the right network to do it on?
After years of watching the Web3 space grow and evolve, there are several blockchains which appear to be clearly rising to the top in terms of user experience, adoption, accessibility, functionality, and interoperability between other networks. This may be a perfect time to stop and reassess.
Which chains do you have in mind?
For the cost of this and where we are now I'm voting no on this. SPS validators IMO are not important and never have been. If the company goes bankrupt it's not going to matter that there's yet another blockchain for SPS. Until the company becomes profitable again and starts showing increased progression in new users and it seems viable that this game is going to get a little life back into it the SPS validators are on the back burner for me. Asking for over a million bucks when the markets and game are healthy is a simple ask but now with prices in the dirt and the player base in the dirt money could be utilized elsewhere for now.
bro out here now giving downvotes simply because they are butt hurt lol you gotta love the hive downvote system 😂
So the DAO will have to find a way to operate the SPS within a year.
For legal issues or monetary?
So it appears that this company has been working on this project from some time now which now makes me think it should be flushed out and finished. However why is the price tag so dang high if it's almost already done?
Instead of pre-paying, payment can be made upon delivery of product and testing by the community. Since the product seems too big, the work can be divided into milestones. When each milestone is completed, a portion of the payment is released. This way there's much better assurance for both sides.
Whos P "Patrick" J? Where can I find JPTR company?
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How many licenses for operating the nodes were sold? Can we sell more licenses to recoup the costs?
For more resilient profitability overtime we should also build out this new decentralized sps infrastructure on ICP
Regarding the cost
seamless fully on chain automated dao intergration
fully on chain decentralized swap mechanics
Well, SPL is currently threatening the Hive community to leave the Hive chain to get half a million from DHF and now they are threatening the players to remove SPS (and therefore rewards !) to get another half a million from the DAO, that tells a lot about the situation...
They often talk about the "new players program" but there was not a single mention of an Android/IOS app yet which is the bare minimum nowadays ! (my bet is that it will cost the DAO another 500k :D )
imho a simple phone app with a rewarded ad system that generates in-game currency to buy cards and other items would fare much better than a half way attempt at decentralization.
The game will never be truly decentralized since battles - the core mechanism of the game - are resolved on a 100% private server anyways.
So, no. I would 100% vote for a proposal that actually develops and enhance the gameplay but not one that drain DAO resources to friend's pockets to provide a service that is not needed.
Looks like the DAO never wanting to be aggressive and build our treasury at the cost of competing against players is coming back to bite us in the ass like I expected. I knew it was going to become the bank of this game and now we are paying out hand over fist.
Doesn't this pay scheme incentivize JPTR corp to take as long as possible, so they can collect as many monthly payments? Also, why is it 12 months of payment when March 2025 is 7 months away? Is this to account for ongoing support after the launch? Why not limit the monthly payments to 7 months rather than requiring a DAO vote to stop the payments when the project is complete? Is the DAO making payments to JPTR corp for work previously completed? I'm not 100% against that, but I think that should be disclosed.
Am I fundamentally misunderstanding the work being proposed?
Also, as others have pointed out, what happens if Splinterlands leaves Hive? Is this money gone? Would we need another DAO vote to instruct JPTR to convert their work to another chain? Would March 1 2025 still be honored?
I think Matt's point on an alternative proposal (https://peakd.com/@peakmonsters/sps-governance-proposal-hire-peakmonsters-to-finish-development-of-sps-chain) about not changing development teams when we are "this close" to the finish line makes a lot of sense, and so I do think that JPTR is a logical choice. On the other hand we've been told we are "this close" before...
I support the DAO paying it's dues to support the development of SPS validator nodes, but I think (as others have commented) the DAO has not been given enough information about the situation to really make an educated choice.
I'm hoping that some of this can be addressed at the upcoming DAOn Hall. I want to be able to support this proposal.
Thank you for participating in SPS DAO Governance @splinterlands!
You can place or monitor SPS Stake Weighted votes for and against this proposal at the link below:
Link to this Pre-Proposal
Updated At: 2024-07-21 11:51 UTC
I'm a little confused, and maybe someone can clarify. What is the difference between this proposal and this one that was passed 4 months ago:
$350K USD Dec for SPS Validator
Was the $350k USD worth of DEC never sent?
If it was, where did it go? Was it sent back?
Is this an additional $480k on top of the $350k?
The mismanagement of time and resources isn't a SPS DAO problem, it's a Splinterlands problem that is trying to be made into a DAO problem. Splinterlands didn't do the DAO any favors by centralizing and hosting the token. If you aren't going to build out the infrastructure as planned, you have no rights to the funds, resources, or reimbursement. We would have just been paying Splinterlands to sit on their hands as they have done.
We've gotten little to no ROI on the funds that have already been spent.
Seems to me the best thing for Splinterlands to do is to sell off it's subsidiary and all other projects, including Genesis League, and use that money to further development and fix the core product.
For clarification, the proposal that you're referring to did not pass, it failed. I hope that helps!
Thank You!
For whatever reason, I was having trouble finding whether it had passed or not and if funds were released.
Still begs the question, if we were 350k away 4 months ago ... We should be 200k or less away today. Instead, we are 480k away from completion. We can argue all day that past leadership was the problem and why Splinterlands is where it is. However, doesn't seem like current leadership is helping at all either.
The DAO is running out of funds and Splinterlands is trying to milk the Golden Tit to the grave.
Hey all. Whether or not this version of the proposal passes, I think we really need to take this seriously. This is a major financial drain for the company. 40k monthly is unsustainable. If this is something the DAO can start handling it should, especially if the funds that were raised were meant to be used for that exact purpose. Otherwise I wouldn't blame the company one bit for ultimately deciding to stop paying for this regardless of what the DAO does.
What SPS functions are you referring to?