Development of an app with unique shake-to-earn game mechanics

Innowise has created GSHAKE, a game designed as a Telegram Mini App that engages players and prevents fraud through unique game mechanics.

Customer

Industry

Game development

Region

Client since

2024

Our customer is GSHAKE, a Telegram Mini App on the TON blockchain.

Challenge

Addressing high cost of in-house development and the critical issue of fraud with tap-to-earn games

After Hamster Combat became top-rated, many Web3 companies wanted to use tap-to-earn games to work with motivated traffic. Tap-to-earn games reward players with cryptocurrencies or other kinds of tokens for simple actions like tapping the screen, completing tasks, or inviting friends, following a straightforward gameplay pattern.

When creating tap-to-earn games, Web3 companies face a dilemma: diverting the team from the core product and hiring a game designer, concept artist, and other specialists or outsourcing the project instead.

The challenges don’t stop at development. Tap-to-earn games like Hamster Combat also face the critical issue of fraud. Simple game mechanics like tapping are easily exploited by cheaters using automation. While it’s possible to detect and disqualify them after the fact, the example of Hamster Combat shows the negative media effect of such actions.

GSHAKE needed a new, innovative game development approach to address these challenges. The GSHAKE’s founders had a great experience working with Innowise before. Since we’ve already successfully created blockchain gaming solutions like tap-to-earn games, they contacted us for Telegram Mini App development.

Solution

Developing a Telegram Mini App app with unique shake-to-earn game mechanics

Innowise has developed a game named GSHAKE with unique game mechanics, an in-app shop, a referral system, and integration with TON Wallet.

Game mechanics and design

Users shake their phones to simulate gold panning. After a few shakes, gold nuggets appear scattered across the screen, ready to be collected with a tap. The game’s design complements these mechanics, drawing inspiration from classic ’80s-style games’.

Fraud prevention

To combat fraud, game mechanics might need to be more complex, but it’s essential to strike a balance — simplicity still matters, as tap-to-earn games shouldn’t be overloaded. In GSHAKE, we’ve successfully combined simplicity and fraud prevention using shaking game mechanics instead of tapping. Implementing other measures like timestamp logging, dynamic task modification, and advanced behavior analysis improved security while keeping gameplay intuitive and enjoyable.

Tasks, referral system & other features

Users can earn gold by completing tasks from GSHAKE and its partners, like subscribing to a YouTube channel. They can also earn rewards by inviting friends through a referral link. With their TON Wallet, users have the option to purchase boosters. And there’s a leaderboard for competitive effect among players.

Scalability

Since tap-to-earn games can attract millions of active players, server load management is critical to providing smooth gameplay without lags or crashes. To address this concern, we developed and deployed cloud infrastructure with automated scaling, cost optimization, and database security. We also performed detailed logging and monitoring, considering metrics and loads, and set up the cache to speed up the app in different regions.

Technologies

Programming languages

React, Python

Databases

AWS RDS (PostgreSQL), AWS ElasticCache (Redis), AWS S3

API testing

FastAPI

VCS

Atlassian Bitbucket

DevOps

AWS (Cloud), Bitbucket Pipelines (CI/CD), Terraform (IaC)

Process

Innowise was responsible for developing the entire app, infrastructure, UI kit, and concept art.

On day one, we tested the feasibility of using shaking mechanics as an alternative to tapping. In the first month, we fulfilled the Proof of Concept by releasing the game with basic functionality, and in the second month, we finalized the MVP.

Our team was flexible in responding to changes in requirements and adjusted the development plan accordingly. The project manager provided the client with reports on completed work, achieved results, and plans for the upcoming sprint.

Team

Project Manager

Back-End Developers

Front-End Developer

DevOps Engineer

Game Designer

UX/UI Engineer

Concept Artist

Results

Hitting up to 400K daily active users (DAU) in the first month, saving on the costs of hiring an outsourced development team

Innowise provided end-to-end services, from design to development, and launched the game with its basic features in just one month. GSHAKE also saved on the costs of hiring a game development team and didn’t have to worry about severance pay if the project ended.

Thanks to its one-of-a-kind anti-fraud mechanics and captivating elements, GSHAKE hit up to 400K daily active users (DAU) in the first month.

Project duration

August 2024 - Ongoing

MVP

in just 2 months

400K

DAU in the first month

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