Now is the time for Player Staking! A Win-Win Reward Structure to Boost Player Engagement and Onboarding

New players are the lifeblood of any game's economy, and that's especially true for Splinterlands, where a thriving player base fuels the value of in-game assets and keeps the game ecosystem healthy. While the thrill of competition is important, traditional zero-sum ranked battles, where one player's victory directly means another's loss, can create a less welcoming environment for newcomers. Here, I propose a revised reward structure that transforms ranked battles in Splinterlands into a more win-win scenario, promoting a sense of community and making the game more appealing to a broader audience. This not only benefits new players by offering them multiple avenues for rewards, but also strengthens Splinterlands' economy by fostering a larger and more engaged player base. The long-awaited feature of player staking would be a perfect fit for this system, allowing players to not only participate in the excitement of ranked battles but also earn additional rewards for their investment in the game.

The New Reward Structure

Core Principle: 75% of the total ranked battle reward goes directly to the winner. The remaining 25% is dedicated to a staking pool system.

Staking Pools: Four staking pools exist:

Player A Win Pool
Player A Lose Pool
Player B Win Pool
Player B Lose Pool

Player Staking Method: Players can directly stake tokens on other players. Staked tokens can be allocated to either the win or lose pool for that player's next ranked battle.

Reward Distribution:

Winner: Receives 75% of the total reward
Winning Pools: Pools that correctly predict the outcome of the battle receive shares of the remaining 25%. These shares are split proportionally between the winning pools based on their total staked value.
Within Winning Pools: 50% of each winning pool's allocation goes to the correct player (Player A or Player B), and the remaining 50% is distributed proportionally among stakers.
Example

Total Reward: 100 tokens

Staking Pools:

Player A Win Pool: 300 tokens
Player A Lose Pool: 50 tokens
Player B Win Pool: 150 tokens
Player B Lose Pool: 500 tokens

Player A Wins:

Ranked Reward: 75 tokens
Win Pool Reward: (0.50 * 0.375 * 25) = 4.69 tokens
Player B:

Lose Pool Reward: (0.50 * 0.625 * 25) = 7.81 tokens
Stakers: Rewards distributed proportionally based on stake size within each winning pool.

Potential Exploits and Mitigations

• Self-Betting: Implement minimum stake thresholds and minimum participation
  requirements to discourage this.
• Alt Accounts: Employ anti-collusion algorithms to detect suspicious staking
  patterns.
• Collusion: Investigate unusual activity and implement a "sportsmanship" factor
  in matchmaking to discourage intentional losses.

Considerations

• Balance: Maintain a balance between preventing abuse and fostering an engaging
  player experience.
• Transparency: Clearly communicate the system's mechanics and the anti-exploit
  measures.

Benefits of This Structure

• Rewards Skill: The winner still receives the lion's share of the reward.
• Community Engagement: Encourages participation beyond just playing the game.
• Underdog Support: Offers the potential for returns even when the favored
  player wins.