Doom, the first-person shooter, is set to make its debut on the RIVES (RISC-V Verifiable Entertainment System), a new on-chain gaming console developed on Cartesi's modular blockchain protocol. RIVES is designed to execute games and applications entirely on the blockchain, ensuring every aspect—from gameplay mechanics to player interactions—is transparent and verifiable.

The Doom Olympics

What is RIVES?

RIVES stands as an on-chain fantasy console tailored for creating, distributing, and playing arcade-style games and programs. What distinguishes RIVES from conventional gaming systems is its full operation on-chain, ensuring that every game and program running on its emulator is verifiable and immutable. Powered by Cartesi's Rollups and a deterministic RISC-V VM, RIVES empowers developers to utilize traditional programming languages while leveraging blockchain's unique properties.

RIVES Website and Offerings

Introducing The Doom Olympics

To showcase its capabilities, RIVES is launching the Doom Olympics, a week-long competition starting this September 12th, 2024. This event aims to explore the potential of on-chain gaming, offering a substantial $15,000 prize pool across seven distinct challenges. Participants will engage with Doom using its engine and Freedoom build, fully operated on RIVES, which harnesses Cartesi's Rollup infrastructure and a deterministic RISC-V virtual machine.

The tournament will feature unique contests such as Lightning Run, Knuckle Crusher, and Infallible Aim, each with specific scoring systems and objectives. Crucially, all gameplay actions will be recorded and verified on-chain through RIVES, ensuring transparency, fairness, and adherence to strict rules.

How It Works

Players will initiate their gameplay sessions locally via a browser within the Cartesi Virtual Machine. Once completed, gameplay data can be submitted to RIVES for verification. Nodes on the RIVES rollup will then rerun the same deterministic virtual machine to confirm results, thereby ensuring the authenticity of every move, score, and interaction.

Max Hatesuer, one of RIVES' co-founders, emphasized the platform's unique approach in an interview with GamesBeat: "RIVES runs the entire game on-chain, unlike many web3 games that only utilize blockchain for assets. This allows for verified gameplay without intermediaries, establishing canonical leaderboards and decentralized contests."

Do More In Web3 With Linux-Powered Rollups

Final Thoughts

RIVES represents a new frontier in on-chain gaming with its focus on verifiability and community engagement. By integrating game logic and state on-chain, RIVES enables new forms of modding and community-driven gameplay experiences. This approach not only enhances transparency but also attracts diverse audiences, including speedrunners and crypto enthusiasts, to explore the intersection of gaming and blockchain technology.

Regarding the usage of Doom, Hatesuer clarified, "RIVES utilizes the Freedoom build atop the Doom engine, both of which are open source." This ensures compliance with licensing while leveraging the game's iconic mechanics within a blockchain context.

The Doom Olympics hosted by RIVES exemplify the platform's commitment to pioneering verifiable gaming experiences. By merging blockchain technology with gaming, RIVES not only establishes new standards for fairness and transparency but also opens avenues for innovative gameplay and community participation. For more information, visit the GamesBeat article.