Content Distribution Layer

Digiverse will use a decentralized storage system to distribute the content needed to render each plot of land within it.

For each plot that needs to be rendered, a reference to a file with the description of the plot’s content is retrieved from the smart contract.

Our proposed solution will use the battle-tested BitTorrent and Kademlia DHT networks by storing a magnetic link for each plot.

However, the Interplanetary File System (IPFS) provides a compelling alternative as its technology matures. This decentralized distribution system allows digiverse to work without the need of any centralized server infrastructure. This allows the digital world created by digiverse to exist as long as it has users distributing content, shifting the cost of running the system to the same actors that benefit from it. It also provides digiverse with strong censorship-resistance; eliminating the power of a central authority to change the rules or prevent users from participating in the digiverse.

However, hosting these files and the bandwidth required to serve this content has significant costs. Initially, users of the digiverse will seed the content without compensation and out of goodwill. However, in the future, this infrastructure cost can be covered by the use of protocols like Filecoin.

The description of a plot will contain a list of different files required to render it, a list of services hosted by the landowner, and an entry point to orchestrate the placement of objects and their behavior. This document must declare:

1. Content files: References to 3D meshes, as well as textures, audio files and other relevant content required to render the land. These are specified so that the digiverse client knows what contents the renderization will need, without any instructions on how to place them.

2. Scripting entry point: The scripting system controls how the content is placed in the plot, as well as its behavior. This enables applications and animations to take place within the plot. It also coordinates behaviors such as the positioning and movement of objects, the timing and frequency of sounds played and possible interactions with users, among other features.

3. P2P interactions: This allows the client to connect to a server that bootstraps user-to-user connections, coordinates positions and postures, and enables voice chat and messaging.