Dark Forest on Aztec - Raven House

Aztec
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Dark Forest on Aztec - Raven House Proposal

Contact Details

Summary

Raven House will port Dark Forest v0.6 to Aztec, bringing the iconic hidden-information game to Aztec network.

Our team brings proven expertise: Raven House NFT Marketplace(live on latest devnet), Raven House bridge, Fog of Noir (Noir-based game for Aztec Alpha Build), Raven House NFT marketplace,Tileville (on-chain multiplayer game), and key ecosystem contributions (Noirlings, aztec-nextjs-starter, fullstack tutorials). We deliver a performant web client with sub-60s transactions, comprehensive documentation, and extensible architecture that enables Dark Forest’s signature plugin ecosystem.

We’ll convert Circom circuits and Solidity contracts to Noir circuits and Aztec smart contracts, preserving all core mechanics: planet discovery via Perlin noise, resource management, ship movement, artifact creation, and NFT minting. Aztec’s private functions eliminate complex pre-hashing while maintaining information asymmetry—a simpler, more maintainable architecture.

Start and End Date

  • Start Date: January 20, 2026
  • End Date: March 22, 2026 (hard deadline)

About You

Raven House is a privacy-first NFT infrastructure built on Aztec. Our team has been building with Noir since its early days and has proven expertise in zero-knowledge apps development

Previous Work:

  • Fog of Noir: Noir-based multiplayer game for Aztec Alpha Build (live | GitHub)
  • Raven House NFT Marketplace: Live on Aztec devnet (app.ravenhouse.xyz) with 1,500+ waitlist signups
  • Raven House Bridge: ZK passport compliant bridge to bridge funds from Ethereum to Aztec Demo

Team Members:

  • Satyam Bansal: Founder, Lead Developer. 9 years software development, 5 years web3, previously at Nethermind, deep Noir expertise
  • Yash Mittal: Web3 developer with 4 years experience, core builder at RavenHouse
  • Ankita Dixit: UX designer specializing in web3 interfaces

Technical Approach

Smart Contracts & Noir Circuits

Convert Circom circuits (Biomebase, Perlin, etc.) to Noir that validate game claims directly. Core mechanics: planet discovery with Perlin noise PoW verification, energy/silver resource management, ship movement with distance calculations, artifact creation at foundries, and Aztec-native NFT minting via spacetime rips. State architecture uses private notes for player data and public storage for minimal on-chain state, with nullifier-based validation preventing resource double-spending.

Frontend

Next.js 14 with TypeScript (leveraging our aztec-nextjs-starter), Aztec.js SDK, and WebGL galaxy rendering adapted from the original. Key features: real-time visualization, transaction batching, background PoW mining for exploration, and artifact/NFT management. Performance optimizations include proof parallelization, client-side caching, and optimistic UI updates.

Plugin Architecture

Following Dark Forest’s “digital physics” philosophy, we’ll design extensible contracts that enable community plugins without breaking core rules. The original game’s plugin ecosystem spawned player-created marketplaces, automated strategies, and UI enhancements. we’ll ensure Aztec version maintains this composability.

Testing & Documentation

Unit tests for contracts, integration tests for game flows, E2E frontend tests, and load testing for multiplayer scenarios. Deliverables include comprehensive setup docs, Circom→Noir conversion guides, video tutorials, and developer guides for extending the game.

Milestones & Roadmap

  1. Weeks 1-2: Contract foundation: convert Circom circuits to Noir Circuits, Aztec contracts, implement planet discovery/ownership, establish testing framework
  2. Weeks 3-4: Core mechanics: resource management, ship movement, planet capture, artifact/foundry systems
  3. Weeks 5-6: NFT integration: spacetime rips, Aztec NFT minting, frontend galaxy renderer, wallet integration(in integration with raven house marketplace)
  4. Weeks 7-8: Testing & optimization: integration tests, transaction performance, UI polish
  5. Week 9: Deployment: documentation, mainnet deployment, final QA

Stretch Goals: Plugin system for community extensions, enhanced UI/UX, comprehensive video tutorials

Grant Amount Requested

$75,000

Budget Rationale

Team: Lead developer (Satyam) and frontend developer (Yash) full-time for 9 weeks, UX designer (Ankita) part-time for 4 weeks.

Budget: Development $55k, Design/UX $10k, Testing/QA $5k, Documentation $5k = $75,000 total

Deliverables: Fully functional Dark Forest v0.6 on Aztec with sub-60s transactions, comprehensive documentation, open-source codebase, and video tutorials.

Ecosystem Commitment

This grant enables Raven House to focus exclusively on Aztec development. Currently, we balance Aztec work with client projects to sustain operations. Full-time dedication means we can deliver Dark Forest while creating essential tooling, developer templates, educational content, and infrastructure that onboards the next wave of Aztec builders. Our vision extends beyond this project: we’re building long-term as core contributors to the privacy-first gaming ecosystem on Aztec.

Request for Grant Proposals: Dark Forest on Aztec | Up to $75,000