Potatoes are the intrinsic base currency of the game. All economic transactions are handled in potatoes. These same potatoes are also an agricultural food product obtainable through labor which is explained in more detail later.
Corporations are the players of the game. Corporations owns resources and assets. Players interact with the game by sending signed transactions to command the master's actions. Potatoes are automatically deducted from the master's holdings in order to pay taxes on their assets. Corporation attain VOICE credits per animal per unit time elapsed which can be used to vote on public policy proposals.
Assets are special public/private resources in Potato Land. They are public goods that are privately owned by masters through the potato harberger tax system. Corporations choose a price for their assets. Any other master can purchase the asset for the set price. A master pays a tax to the DAO government that is proportional to the price they set. There are two types of assets in the game:
Potato Land is split into a 25x25 grid. Each cell in the grid is a unit of land. Each unit of land is distinct. Land can host jobs and create economic output when animals work the jobs. The output is dependent on the land traits and infrastructure. Land can be developed to host infrastructure or improve its traits. Land traits can also be altered due to environmental factors.
Each unit of land has the following quantified traits:
- fertility
- natural resources
- pollution
- topology
- rain
- sun
- temperature
- flora
- diversity
Animals are the residents of Potato Land. They live, work and grow together in Potato Land. Animals can work jobs in exchange for potatoes. Their economic output is dependent on its traits. Animals must eat in order to sustain their energy which is required to work. Animals can grow (alter its traits) based on dietary choices or through service providers.
Animals have the following quantified traits:
- strength
- intelligence
- cuteness
- dexterity
- dietary preference
When an animal is owned by a master, it automatically eats from the master's resources based on the diet set by its master. Masters are expected to provide housing for their animals or face repossession or fines. The quality of housing may effect the health and growth of the animal. All other actions taken by the animal are decided by its master. Animals can obtain knowledge through research jobs which allows them to build better infrastructure and perform new services.
Resources are similar to assets but are fungible and untaxed. They can held as savings or spent by masters and their animals. All resources can be bought and sold in the marketplace which is explained later. Resources are produced through labor.
- Food: an agricultural product that is primarily used as sustenance for animals.
- Potatoes: an exceptional type of food renowned for its utility and liquidity. While potatoes are the most caloric efficient foodstuff available, it is bland and does not contribute to an animal's growth. It is widely accepted as the currency of Potato Land.
- Junk: useless junk that you can collect
- Parts: used to build infrastructure on land
All economic output in Potato Land is produced through jobs. Corporations become employers if they create jobs on the land they own. Animals can work jobs in exchange for wages paid for by the employer. The economic output goes to the employer and the wages goes to the employed animal's master. N.B. The animal gets nothing but must be fed by its owner so that it can have energy to work. The output of a job is dependent on the job, the land's traits, and the animals traits. Some jobs require special skills from the animal. Some jobs require infrastructure that must be developed on the land. Other infrastructure can improve the efficiency of labor. Most jobs have environmental impact.
In order to a create a job, the employer creates an opening and animals must apply. The employer can at any point hire any animal that has applied. The employer can set productivity requirements to automatically hire the first applicant that meets the requirements.
Resource producing jobs generate resources. They all have environmental impact. Some resource producing jobs may require input. Resource producing jobs can be greatly affected by infrastructure. These jobs include:
- Agriculture: generates food products
- Mining: extracts natural resources from the land to generate raw materials
- Manufacturing: consumes materials to produce various goods
Service jobs create services that other animals may employ. Service jobs only generate revenue if other animals use the services.
Single task jobs expire as soon as the task is done. There are two types of single task jobs:
- Research Jobs: animals come together to research new fields of knowledge. All participating animals obtain knowledge at the end of the job.
- Construction Jobs: construction jobs take parts and raw material and builds infrastructure on the land hosting the job. The speed of construction depends on the stats of the animal.
Some jobs require specialized skills that animals can obtain from research
Each unit of land has several lots that can support infrastructure that is built with a single task job.
All resources (produced through labor) can be bought and sold in marketplaces using potatoes. The marketplace is automated with an constant product (X*Y=K) market maker (like uniswap). Any corporation may build a marketplace on land they own. Anyone can add liquidity in exchange for transaction fees. The corporation who owns the land may set this transaction fee as well as a transaction fee for itself. The government may also levy its own tax. All fees and taxes are paid in potatoes.
Transporting goods to and from the market place burns potatoes per distance/amount transported (dependent on transportation infrastructure)
<TODO not sure if changing liquidity rate will break math in uniswap, probably fine and if not, it's a feature not a bug>
Housing can be built for animals to reside in. A corporation sponsors its animals to live in housing and pay its owner rent. Housing comes in different sizes and styles. The quality of the housing combined with the animal's lifestyle preference and how long they've stayed there will determine the quality of rest the animal receives. The animal's housing location determines how far it must on expend on commuting to work.
traditional supply/demand rent or harberger tax house ownership rent?
Infrastructure is built by corporations from and processed material produced through labor. Some jobs are made possible and others more efficient with the right infrastructure.
Transportation is a collaborative project that connects two adjacent plots of land. It will reduce transportation cost of both goods and animals.
Potato Land is governed by a decentralized autonomous organization. This organization set policies that are followed through immediately and automatically in code. All taxes go to the government's treasury and these funds are spend in accordance to its policies. Animals of Potato Land earn VOICE credits for their corporations equally over time. Corporations may spend as many or as few of these credits as they please to vote on policies. The weight of their vote is equal to the square root of votes they cast.
Public policy can be changed through proposals. After a voting period, proposals are passed if their weighted total of YES votes are greater than NO votes and the total number of votes exceed a minimum voting threshold. Once a proposal passes, the policy is updated automatically and immediately. A certain number of potatoes must be deposited for a proposal to be created. The deposit is returned if the proposal passes.
The Potato Land government has the following public policy variables:
- animal tax
- land tax
- ?? marketplace tax
- ?? marketplace owner maximum transaction fee
- ?? marketplace liquidity minimum transaction fee
- ?? animal/land sales profit tax
- mandatory severance pay
- universal basic income
- employee insurance (for employers who do not have funds to pay wages)
- maximum public debt (debt can accrue if a corporation does not have enough to pay for taxes, corporations are forced into bankruptcy if they exceed this amount of debt)
- environmental
- carbon tax
- standard of living requirements
- fines for failing to meet requirements
- reproduction policy
- age difference
- number of children allowed/animal (sum of # children allowed between parents must add to 1)
- allow directly transferring (not using in-game marketplaces) Resources and Assets (ERC20/ERC721) (thus avoiding taxes, e.g. inheritance)
As a blockchain game that relies on lazy evaluation, there are also policies related to the implementation details:
- finders fee per block updated
- finders fee per block after bankruptcy
To incentivize public projects benefiting all masters of Potato Land, the government can issue grants. Anyone can create a new grant and apply for it. Corporations vote simultaneously to authorize the grant and choose the winning applicant.
With such diverse fauna, it's unsurprising that Potato Land at genesis is a vibrant healthy environment with plenty of natural resources to fuel growth and development. Natural resources are affected by extractive labor as described in the Jobs and Labor section. Environmental variables change naturally over time or directly based on animal activity. Some natural resources are finite. Labor productivity and animal health may be directly effected by environmental variables.
This section outlines additions or alternative designs
Another variation is to have animals accumulate VOICE credits with their decision being made by whoever is the current owner thus making VOICE credits effectively purchasable and accumulating credits expensive and taxable.
Animals, like humans, have their own lifecycle. They can live for a long time and grow to be wise and strong if they are happy and fed a healthy diet. The population is replenished through corporation sponsored procreation. Due to centuries of social progress, interbreeding between species is possible and unexceptional. The child will inherit the genes of its parents randomly. Breeding is labor and resource intensive and has takes a considerable toll on the mother's health.