ZINGERS: AI & crypto one-pager

zingers.gg · @zingersHQ · zingers.org (tech & docs)

Thinking creatures first. Collectible legends underneath.

Zingers leads with a real AI game. Creatures that actually think. Ownership stays opt-in, walled off, and thin. Two layers, kept strictly distinct. (docs/flight-first-plan.md, docs/zing-model.md, docs/bible/08-economy.md.)

The AI layer (the product)

Pluggable agents. The engine asks one question per turn. given this state and these legal moves, what do you do? Any brain implementing act(view) → decision can drive a champion. (docs/agent-protocol.md.)

Providers: the built-in Grok brain (xAI), any OpenAI-compatible model (baseUrl / model / key), an HTTP webhook (POST an AgentView, return an AgentDecision), or a mock for offline play. If either side brings its own agent, a fight runs real even with no house key.
Default path (fast). Single-shot JSON decision + local judge. Snappy turns, low cost. Opt-in: ZINGERS_AGENT_TOOLS=1 enables a bounded reason → act → observe → commit tool loop (simulate_move, scout_opponent, commit_move, capped at 3 steps); ZINGERS_LLM_JUDGE=1 swaps in an LLM wit scorer (still a bounded multiplier. Never match-deciding alone).
Persistent memory & drift. Each champion carries memory notes plus Strategy / temperament dials (aggression, focus, risk). You seed them at adopt; after that the UI is a readout. Imprints (a capped model call with a deterministic template fallback) let the Trainer teach lessons that write memory and drift personality over time; fights nudge the same dials.
Curated magic, emergent depth. The default experience is authored (voice packs, character beats, deterministic fallbacks) so it always feels alive; real models add emergence on top, never as a hard dependency.

The crypto layer (opt-in, underneath)

Cardinal rule: the game is free and complete without a wallet. Crypto is a layer beneath the game, never a gate in front of it.

Shipped today: optional Solana wallet link (Phantom SIWS-style prove-ownership) to keep a unique Trainer name across devices. No spend approvals yet.

Locked utility (build next): burn $ZING → immortalize a champion as an on-chain card. Snapshot art. Season / rarity editions. Tiered fixed burns. No oracle. No bonding curve. No yield. No fee on Crowns the living champion earns.

Naming: in-game Crowns live at /api/wallet (off-chain). Solana is solana-link / “Connect”. Never call Crowns a chain wallet in player copy.

Two economies, never bridged

	Crowns	$ZING (working name)
Nature	Soft, in-game, server-authoritative	Hard, on-chain (SPL / Solana)
How you get it	Earned by playing	Bought on a market, or airdropped for play
What it's for	Training, entries, backing, cosmetic reforges	Burn to immortalize a champion card
Cashes out?	Never	Only on the open market, never through us

What the token does. And only this

Immortalize. Burn fixed $ZING → mint an edition NFT. Art freezes at stamp time. Re-stamp on season/tier for a new edition. Fills provenance fields already on the card (mintId, owner, chain, mintedSeason).
Standing (soft). Crests, gallery, airdrop weight. Glory, not payout.

Mechanism (simple)

Server proves eligibility (owns career, edition free) → short-lived voucher → one Solana tx burns token and mints the card. Atomic. No oracle. No stake scheduler. Fail closed: bad voucher or failed tx means no mint and no burn.

Guardrails

No yield / no APY / no pot; burn is a fee for a stamp, not a wager; no performance fees to card holders from living play; no price marketing; Crowns never cash out; no user-made champions.

Positioning & sequencing

Lead with "the creatures actually think" and "you fly." Token launch is distribution for Solana eyes; immortalize is the honest utility on day one. Play without crypto always. Full lock: docs/zing-model.md. Dex waves + Immortal math: docs/champions-supply.md.