Trellis is the team behind MUD, a framework for building on-chain applications. Due to the growing popularity of MUD among gaming projects and autonomous worldsthe frame is sometimes called a chain game engine.
Last year, Lattice realized that to unlock the full potential of MUD, it would need to create a custom Layer 2 (L2) scaling solution, which led to the introduction of the Redstone test network in November 2023.
Redstone is a highly efficient next-generation L2, specifically designed for fully on-chain applications and games within its Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) implementation.
Inspired by the ancient Plasma scaling approach and built on the OP batteryRedstone is a non-traditional optimistic rollup because instead of publishing its full state to Ethereum, it only publishes a data commitment hash.
This approach significantly reduces the data published on Ethereum: from 120 kilobytes per batch to just 32 bytes, reducing security costs by more than 90%. As such, its efficiency and integration with MUD make Redstone an attractive new hub for building and scaling on-chain applications.
That said, this L2 novel is in the spotlight this week as it releases its mainnet tomorrow, May 1st, when a series of games will officially launch on the channel. Some of the titles to look forward to include:
- 🧱 Biomes — Think Minecraft, but entirely on-chain; exploit, build, fight, explore, etc.
- 🛸 DF Ares — An optimized, community-driven version of the real-time strategy (RTS) series Dark Forest.
- 🌱 Downstream — A “post-singularity” civilization simulator focused on modding.
- ⚔️ Heavenly conflict — The Lattice team's flagship RTS game, centered around multiplayer tactical matches.
- 😨 This cursed machine — A sci-fi horror game from independent studio Moving Castles.
My personal plan of attack once Redstone is online?
- Deposit into some ETH via Redstone Bridge (Mainnet support begins May 1, and external “fast” bridges are also expected to add support imminently.)
- Create a celestial conflict Season 1 Pass (These NFTs cost 0.03 ETH each and cannot be issued after May 3; they offer a range of benefits, like exclusive in-game content and match customization capabilities)
- Win Sky Strife matches for earn orbs (ERC-20 tokens used to create in-game matches; they can only be earned by winning, and while I don't consider them an investment, value accumulation isn't out of the question if Sky Strife gains popularity.)
- Discover the others available Redstone games (I'm starting with Sky Strife because it's Lattice's flagship product, but Biomes, DF Ares, and Downstream are all games I enjoy, so I'm looking forward to trying them; This cursed machine also looks wacky, so I'm going to try that out too.)
If you also want to delve into Redstone, consider refreshing your Knowledge of Sky Strife and set aside some ETH to prepare for tomorrow's launch.
Zooming out, Redstone is compelling because its unique design and integration with MUD allows it to support complex applications better than traditional L2s, and this approach paves the way for creating new types of fully on-chain games . It is worth closely monitoring the future accordingly.
In the meantime, follow them Trellis And red stone Twitter accounts to stay up to date with the project and consult the L2 doc If you ever want to dig deeper into how the channel works, it's certainly one of a kind right now.