Improving DApp Security and Reliability; MLE-Ethorse Integration Update; New Game Mode: Ethorse Futures

We’d like to begin this update by reminding the community about our current strategy for Ethorse, which involves:

• Ensuring the DApp is secure and reliable, which is essential to building player confidence

• Improving and increasing player retention and volume, which involves developing systems that encourage and reward active players, incentivizes betting and powers new race modes

• Developing an improved UI and educational content to ensure new players can understand and play the DApp quickly and easily

When new players are attracted by our marketing efforts in the future, this work on Ethorse’s fundamentals will ensure they are more likely to remain dedicated players over the long-term.

Recently, we have been heavily focused on improving the reliability and stability of the Ethorse DApp in preparation for two upcoming events:

• Launch of Phase II of the My Little Ethorse (MLE)-Ethorse Integration (player rewards)

• Release of a significant Ethorse DApp user interface (UI) update

Improving Ethorse’s Reliability and Security

In recent weeks the DApp has experienced downtime due to stability issues associated with our Web3 socket connection to Infura. This was causing a range of problems, including failed bet matching. (This was a feature introduced last month where players’ bets are matched up to 10 minutes before race start time. Since the launch of bet matching we have seen an increase in player betting volume.)

To address these problems we took Ethorse offline and conducted additional work that has resulted in a 30% overall performance improvement (price and betting data displayed on the DApp is refreshing faster, for example). In the future, such scheduled maintenance will be communicated better in our official Telegram and Discord channels. It is still possible that the DApp might be still be down once in a while in the near future as there are several external dependancies that break temporarily such as network connectivity. We might not be able to communicate such events immediately but we will do our best. At any case, the ether that is bet will be safe in the decentralized smart contract.

Other security and reliability changes implemented recently include:

• Laying the foundation for the release of an improved and more dynamic Ethorse UI by preparing for the upcoming redux and drizzle implementation

• Support for Metamask’s privacy mode, where users’ wallet addresses won’t be exposed without their approval; Ethorse will support both the new version of Metamask and legacy mode

• Concurrency and bandwith increased on the server side with better security

• From version v0.2.5 (currently under test) the system will automatically analyze if the bettor is a wallet or a contract and prevent contracts from betting, which will improve the DApp’s security

MLE-Ethorse Integration: Launch of the Player Rewards System

Last month we announced the roadmap for the MLE-Ethorse integration. Phase I (integrating the MLE race viewer into the Ethorse Dapp via a “View Race” button) is complete.

Phase II is focused on launching Ethorse player rewards. As a reminder:

• This is a system designed to encourage and reward active Ethorse players

• With every win, players can claim a special ERC-721token called a Basic HRSY

• Basic HRSYs can be “burned” to generate an in-game currency called HRSY Experience Points (HXP)

• Players can spend HXP to create Rewards HRSYs (owners of Rewards HRSYs can earn additional HORSE tokens with every win)

• Rewards HRSYs can be kept by players or sold to others via the MLE market (buyers will receive 80% of HORSE rewards earned by sellers, which will be a form of copy betting)

To date the MLE team has:

• Developed draft contracts focusing on the Basic HRSY claiming and Rewards HRSY generation process

• Completed a model that determines the upgrade process and how much HORSE will be earned by players owning Rewards HRSYs

• Started front end work (developing upgrade interface, market, etc.)

We will communicate more information about the MLE-Ethorse integration in future updates.

Reminder: The more you play Ethorse now, the faster you’ll be able to earn HORSE Rewards at launch.

New Game Mode: Ethorse Futures

We are pleased to announce that we have begun planning a new Ethorse game mode: Ethorse Futures.

In Ethorse Futures, players will be able to:

• Go “short”: Bet that a coin’s value (versus USD) will decrease

• Go “long”: Bet that a coin’s value (versus USD) will increase

Players will be able to bet on BTC, LTC, ETH and other high volume cryptos via Ethorse Futures. Ethorse Futures race durations will vary (1 hour, 3 hours, 24 hours, 72 hours, etc.). This new game mode will take elements from a community members’ suggestions (click here to view) which was published (and discussed) on Reddit.

Work on Ethorse Futures will begin after the front-end updates (including the UI) and Phase II of the MLE-Ethorse integration have been completed.

We will have more information about this new game mode in the weeks to come. Thank you for your continued support.