Bridging ERC-1155 With Caldera

What is 1155?

The main token standard in NFTs is known as ERC-721. Each token created under ERC-721 is a unique asset — it’s indivisible and cannot be exchanged for other tokens on a one-to-one basis.

ERC-1155 builds on the foundation of ERC-721. Tokens using the ERC-1155 standard can represent multiple assets within a single contract. It’s this quality which allows ERC-1155 to be used for both fungible and non-fungible assets.

ERC-1155 powers Skyweaver, a blockchain trading card game. Players craft intricate decks based on semi-fungible token (SFT) cards, which are 1:1 exchangeable with identical SFTs. Thousands of players can own matching cards with the same mechanic and explore different deck combinations.

Giant Leap and Underverse

Like Skyweaver, Underverse is a fully on-chain game utilizing ERC-1155. In Underverse, players pilot spaceships to mine, build, and battle against enemies. These actions consume gas, and deploying on Ethereum would mean significant latency and cost for Underverse players.

To solve this problem, Giant Leap (the studio behind Underverse) partnered with Caldera to build a custom L2 chain that settles on Polygon. In doing so, they’ve been able to create custom gas tokens and even seed player account wallets to simplify onboarding.

In the Underverse, players have full ownership over their characters and game assets. This is where ERC-1155 shines — representing complex assets. While game assets and transactions are minted and processed on the custom L2, they’re not walled off from the L1.

With Caldera, it’s easy to bridge the L2 ERC-1155 tokens to the L1 chain. It’s as simple as:

const depositTx = await messenger.depositERC1155(
      L1_ERC1155_CONTRACT_ADDRESS,
      L2_ERC1155_CONTRACT_ADDRESS,
      tokenId, 
      amount,
)

With just a short snippet of code, devs give players the power to purchase assets on Polygon, bridge them to the Underverse L2 chain, and use them in the game world. The same motion also works in reverse, when players win or unlock an item within Underverse — they can bridge back to Polygon and list it on OpenSea.

Players can seamlessly transition their assets between the game’s L2 chain and L1 chains.

ERC-1155 and Gaming

Looking ahead, gaming is a fantastic use-case for the blockchain space. The possibilities are endless: player-owned assets and economy, multiplayer by default, and secure transactions out-of-the-box.

At Caldera, we’re focused on helping gaming projects take advantage of ERC-1155, tailor-made for gaming. The mix of fungible and non-fungible characteristics has given rise to card games like Gods Unchained, Skyweaver, and Sorare. Each one of these games hosts entire economies and explores new mechanics made possible with ERC-1155.

If you’re a game studio, we’re here to support you. Custom L2 chains you need to scale, full compatibility with existing L1’s — let us know how we can help!