The problem Kira solves

Kira tackles the challenge of the limited availability of fully on-chain card games using zero-knowledge proofs (ZK) on the Gnosis chain. While many Web3 games tokenize assets on the blockchain, most still rely on centralized servers for gameplay. This lack of fully on-chain games has hindered the widespread adoption of decentralized gaming experiences. Kira aims to fill this gap by providing an abstract software development kit (SDK) specifically designed for card games, enabling developers to create immersive on-chain gameplay experiences.

One notable exception to this trend is Dark Forest, an experimental ZK-based game on the Gnosis chain that operates entirely on the blockchain without relying on centralized servers. Dark Forest showcased the potential of fully on-chain games, leveraging the security and transparency of the blockchain. However, since Dark Forest's release, there has been a lack of fully on-chain games that fully embrace this decentralized approach.

To address the challenge of translating traditional game logic into a ZK-compatible format, Kira leverages the power of circom and snarkjs. These tools facilitate the creation of circuits for card actions, such as shuffling decks and drawing cards. The use of these tools streamlines the translation of game logic into a format that can be verified on-chain, ensuring the integrity and fairness of the gameplay experience.

Furthermore, Kira leverages the features of the Gnosis chain to revolutionize the gaming industry. It benefits from low-cost on-chain verification, minimizing transaction fees and improving the overall affordability of gameplay.

Challenges we ran into

During the development of Kira, we encountered several challenges that required innovative solutions. One of the primary hurdles we faced was making zero-knowledge proofs more accessible to developers and users who may be unfamiliar with this technology. We tackled this challenge by focusing on creating a user-friendly SDK that simplifies the implementation of ZK-based card games. Through careful design and documentation, we aimed to lower the barrier to entry for developers interested in creating fully on-chain games.

Another challenge we faced was translating traditional game logic into a format compatible with zero-knowledge proofs. We found that the complexity of traditional game logic often posed difficulties when trying to incorporate it into ZK-based systems. However, through meticulous analysis and iterative development, we successfully devised methods to adapt game logic into a ZK-compatible format suitable for card games.

Additionally, we encountered computational challenges when scaling the shuffling circuit using circom and snarkjs. As the number of cards increased, the library size and computational complexity grew linearly, impacting the performance of the game. Although we were unable to resolve this issue during the hackathon, we explored potential solutions such as utilizing shuffle-specific zero-knowledge proof methods optimized for shuffling or parallelizing the shuffling process to enhance efficiency.

By addressing these challenges, Kira aims to provide developers with the necessary tools and infrastructure to create fully on-chain card games using zero-knowledge proofs.