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UGC & Autonomous World Plan

Why This Plan Exists​

WEFA does not need a full onchain simulation to become an autonomous world in v1.

It does need a strong public UGC model:

  • anyone can create and publish content
  • users can author playable systems, cosmetic expression, and care methodologies
  • provenance and remix lineage are publicly inspectable
  • canon decisions are transparent and reproducible
  • monetization can happen onchain without making the whole game onchain

This document outlines that balance so implementation can happen later without re-opening the core architecture question.

Repo Grounding​

Today the repo already points toward this shape:

  • UGC publish, remix, flag, and canonize flows exist in the app
  • published items already receive stable content hashes, creator references, moderation state, and proof references
  • canon reproducibility is already modeled as "attestations + registry state"
  • the current autonomous-world seam is read-only onchain verification of canon entries
  • gameplay truth is still local-first in Dexie, bitECS, and Yjs

The current repo does not yet provide:

  • a real onchain write path for canon acceptance
  • real public EAS schema registration and strong signer policy
  • a permissionless onchain commerce layer for UGC

The archived MUD design is useful as inspiration for "public world state exists", but it is much broader than the current working app and should not be treated as the v1 implementation target.

Core Thesis​

WEFA should separate three concerns that are easy to conflate:

  1. Open UGC creation
  2. Canon world acceptance
  3. Commerce and monetization

Those should be connected, but not collapsed into one system.

What Counts as UGC in WEFA​

For WEFA, "UGC" should not be treated as one flat bucket. The important categories are:

1. Playable Systems UGC​

Users create:

  • their own board games and game variants
  • rulesets, challenge formats, and tournament kits
  • shrine activities and encounter logic

This is the most important UGC category for autonomous-world design because it changes how people actually play together.

2. Cosmetic and Identity UGC​

Users create:

  • creature skins
  • visual styling and themed looks
  • board, shrine, or deck presentation layers

This is expressive and monetizable, but it usually does not need to become canonical world logic.

3. Plant-Care Methodology UGC​

Users create:

  • plant-care methodologies
  • care-to-reward mappings
  • interaction models between care, creatures, and game outcomes
  • ecology or learning modules tied to local play

This is especially interesting because it sits between education, wellness, and game design. It can become valuable UGC, but it also needs stronger moderation than cosmetics because it affects behavior and implied real-world guidance.

Why This Distinction Matters​

These categories should not share one identical path to monetization or canon:

  • playable systems are good candidates for licensing, events, and canon acceptance
  • cosmetics are good candidates for open publishing, listings, and creator drops
  • care methodologies are good candidates for proof-backed publishing and selective canon review

If WEFA does not distinguish these categories, it will either over-centralize harmless content or under-moderate the content that most affects gameplay and real-world behavior.

1. Open UGC Creation​

This should be permissionless.

Anyone should be able to:

  • create a game, ruleset, challenge format, skin set, or care methodology
  • produce a stable content hash
  • publish provenance and remix lineage
  • optionally make the content discoverable and purchasable

This layer should not require canon approval.

2. Canon World Acceptance​

This should be selective and explicit.

Only some content should become canonical world state:

  • seasonal shrine content
  • accepted challenge packs and board-game rulesets
  • accepted tournament rulesets
  • accepted care methodologies and ecology modules
  • accepted educational or regional ecology modules

Canon is where the autonomous-world layer matters most. The chain should answer:

  • which content is accepted for this season?
  • which shrine or world segment accepts it?
  • which proof authorized that decision?

3. Commerce and Monetization​

This should be modular.

Creators should be able to monetize UGC without requiring canonization first. Canon should increase visibility and trust, not act as the only path to payment.

That means:

  • open-market content can be sold before it is canon
  • canon content can remain free, paid, or membership-gated
  • monetization contracts should point at content hashes and rights, not store the content itself

WEFA should treat UGC as moving through clear states:

  1. Draft
  2. Published
  3. Listed
  4. Canon candidate
  5. Canon accepted

Draft​

  • local-only
  • raw files, edit history, prompts, notes, moderation prep

Published​

  • content hash exists
  • provenance and remix lineage exist
  • offchain attestations exist
  • content can be shared and discovered

Listed​

  • content is optionally tied to an onchain payment primitive
  • creator can charge for access, mint, license, or use

Canon Candidate​

  • content has enough moderation and quality signal to be considered
  • still not world state

Canon Accepted​

  • content is written into the public canon registry
  • third parties can reproduce canon state from proofs plus registry entries

This separation is important because it keeps permissionless creation wide open while keeping canonical world state intentionally narrow.

Not every UGC category should spend equal time in every state:

  • games and rulesets are the strongest candidates for listing and canon acceptance
  • skins and styling may stop at published or listed most of the time
  • care methodologies may require a longer moderation and evidence phase before canon candidacy

What Should Be Onchain, Offchain, and Local​

Onchain​

Only public, world-facing, low-frequency UGC state:

  • accepted canon entries per season and shrineId
  • accepted proof UIDs
  • accepted playable modules and accepted care modules
  • creator payout rules for paid content
  • listing terms or access terms for monetized UGC
  • optional treasury splits for shrine/community/protocol

Offchain​

Portable proof and discovery data:

  • EAS publish, remix, flag, canonize, and identity-link receipts
  • AT Protocol proof references and discovery metadata
  • moderation outcomes and policy signals
  • methodology evidence, testing notes, and reviewer context
  • content-addressed pointers to artifacts

Local-Only​

Everything that is high-frequency, sensitive, or still in progress:

  • drafts and raw source files
  • image/model generation history
  • private moderation notes
  • player-local previews and experiments
  • gameplay state and rewards that do not need public reproducibility

Minimal Autonomous-World Core for UGC​

The smallest useful onchain core is:

A Proof Gateway​

Responsibilities:

  • accept submitted proof bundles for allowed UGC schemas
  • verify signer policy and replay protection
  • verify that a canon decision is backed by valid proof inputs
  • emit an acceptance event

This contract is not the content store and not the marketplace. It is the bridge from portable proof to accepted world state.

A Canon Registry​

Responsibilities:

  • store accepted canon entries keyed by season and shrine
  • point to ugcId, contentHash, and canonAttestationUid
  • provide a stable read API for clients and indexers

This is the public answer to "what is canon right now?"

A Commerce Layer​

This should be optional and separate from canon.

It can come later, but it should be designed now as a distinct layer that points at published content rather than embedding itself into canon logic.

Monetization Paths Worth Considering​

The strongest onchain monetization paths for WEFA UGC are probably not "generic NFT sales" alone.

More useful models are:

1. Pack or Ruleset Sales​

Creators publish a creature pack, skin collection, challenge pack, board game, or game variant and sell access to it.

Good fit for:

  • premium creature packs
  • premium skin sets and cosmetic drops
  • premium shrine challenge packs
  • tournament rulesets or themed event kits

2. Access Licenses​

Instead of selling the content as a collectible, sell the right to use it in certain contexts.

Examples:

  • use this challenge pack in your shrine
  • run this tournament ruleset for one season
  • unlock this creator pack in your deck
  • unlock a premium skin family or board theme

This is often more aligned with gameplay than pure collectible ownership.

3. Membership-Gated UGC​

WEFA already has an Unlock membership seam.

That can evolve into:

  • premium shrine access
  • paid seasonal creator clubs
  • paid access to canonical event packs
  • subscriber access to ongoing content drops

4. Remix Revenue Splits​

Because lineage already matters in the product, remix economics are a better fit than isolated one-off sales.

A monetized item can split revenue across:

  • current creator
  • parent creator
  • shrine/community treasury
  • protocol treasury

This gives WEFA a real creator-economy shape instead of a flat store.

5. Tournament and Event Economics​

UGC can monetize through usage, not only ownership.

Examples:

  • paid tournament entry using a creator's ruleset
  • shrine-hosted events using licensed challenge content
  • sponsor-funded seasonal prize pools tied to accepted packs

6. Methodology Publishing and Certification​

Plant-care methodologies are a distinct monetization surface.

Examples:

  • paid access to a care protocol and gameplay module
  • licensed use of a methodology in a shrine program or classroom
  • curator-reviewed methodology bundles with revenue splits

This category should be handled carefully. WEFA should monetize authorship, packaging, and gameplay design, not make unverifiable health or horticultural claims immutable onchain.

7. Tips, Patronage, and Bounties​

Not every creator economy needs to start with purchases.

WEFA can support:

  • direct tips to creators
  • bounties for specific pack types
  • seasonal commissions for canonical content

These are simpler and often healthier than forcing marketplace behavior too early.

Important Monetization Perspective​

WEFA should not base the entire UGC economy on secondary royalties.

That model is weak because:

  • royalty enforcement is inconsistent across markets
  • it biases the design toward collectibles over playable content
  • it does not naturally fit challenge packs and rulesets

Primary-sale splits, access licenses, memberships, tournament fees, and patronage are more controllable and more aligned with the actual product.

Permissionless Creation Without Permissionless Canon​

The key balance is:

  • publishing should be permissionless
  • selling should be permissionless or near-permissionless
  • canonization should be transparent but selective

That gives WEFA:

  • open creativity
  • open monetization
  • protected canonical world coherence

If canonization is also fully permissionless from day one, the public world will become spammy and harder to moderate. If publishing is not permissionless, the creator economy never really starts.

So the right v1 split is:

  • permissionless publish
  • optional permissionless listing
  • explicit proof-backed canon acceptance

Proposed Phase Plan​

Phase 0: Current Foundation​

Already present in the repo:

  • local publish/remix/flag/canonize flows
  • content hashes
  • proof references
  • local canon registry mirror
  • read-only onchain canon verification seam

Phase 1: Harden Proof Authenticity​

Before world-state writes:

  • register real EAS schemas
  • require real user or approver signers
  • tighten identity-link and proof verification rules

Phase 2: Ship Canon Acceptance​

Add the minimum autonomous-world write path:

  • proof gateway
  • canon registry

At this point WEFA has a real public canonical world layer for UGC.

Phase 3: Add Commerce​

Once publish and canon are stable:

  • add listing or license contracts
  • add split rules
  • add optional membership-gated access

Phase 4: Add Richer World Usage​

Only after the above is proven:

  • canonical tournament rulesets
  • shrine-level paid content
  • community treasuries
  • season-level creator rewards

Decision Gates Before Implementation​

These should be answered before building:

  1. Is canonization human-role based, token-vote based, or hybrid?
  2. Is the first commerce primitive a purchase, a license, a membership, or a tip?
  3. Which UGC class is first-class in v1: games, skins, or care methodologies?
  4. Are canonical packs always free-to-play, or can some be paid/gated?
  5. What moderation standard is required before a care methodology can affect public gameplay?
  6. Does remix revenue splitting matter in v1, or is it a v1.5 concern?
  7. Should open-market content live in a WEFA-native store contract, or point to a third-party market first?

If the goal is to make WEFA's UGC both permissionless and economically real, the best balance is:

  • keep gameplay local-first
  • make publishing permissionless across games, skins, and care methods
  • make canon small, explicit, and onchain
  • make commerce modular and content-hash based
  • do not tie monetization to canonization

For v1 focus, the strongest order is:

  1. games and rulesets first
  2. skins and styling second
  3. care methodologies third, with stricter review

That sequencing matches value, safety, and implementation difficulty much better than treating every UGC type as equally ready on day one.

In short:

Open publish. Narrow canon. Modular commerce.

That is the smallest autonomous-world model that gives WEFA a credible creator ecosystem without forcing the whole game onto the chain.