An NFT (non-fungible token) is a type of crypto asset that uses blockchain technology to represent ownership of a

unique

digital item, such as a work of art, music, or a collectible. Unlike other blockchain-based assets, NFTs are not interchangeable, meaning each one is unique and cannot be replicated.

An on-chain NFT is an NFT that is secured and stored on the blockchain, making it immutable, indestructible and impossible to counterfeit. On-chain NFTs are much more secure than off-chain alternatives and provide an immutable record of ownership. Scryptals are digital representations entirely stored

on-chain

on the Ethereum blockchain.

You can mint scryptals on Scryptals.io website and is very

easy

just use the mint tool to search among all the possible scryptals. When you search for scryptals is like you are mining them, exploring the blockchain for that unique moment from which a scryptal arises. When you find one that is beautifull and meaningfull you can decide to mint it.

When you mint a scryptal it will become part of the full and your scryptal collection, and you will be able to evolve, trade, transfer and even name it.

Because the scryptals' DNA is derived from the Ethereum block hash, there are some constraints in place to protect against arbitrary generation. You have 60 seconds to decide whether or not to mint a found scryptal; if you don't act within this time frame, the scryptal will be lost forever.

An attacker's best bet is to run a daemon program that, for every block, attempts the 31 possible random numbers and automatically mints scryptals of a certain rarity level. However, this attack has several weaknesses. For starters, 31 scryptals per 12 - 14 seconds is a very low rate for finding high rarity traits. Additionally, computers are limited in their ability to evaluate sryptals based on more than just rarity stats; as a result, they may be able to generate scryptals of a slightly higher average rarity, but their quality will suffer. Ultimately, computers cannot match the human eye for judging scryptals' beauty; rare scryptals that are also aesthetically pleasing are difficult to find with a daemon program, whereas humans can easily recognize a scryptal with a unique design, beautiful color scheme, or some nice particularity.
Furthermore, not all traits are listed and calculated by the metadata calculator, I just wanted to leave some secret trait to be revealed in the future, so that those who chose scryptals through their human eyes and intuition will be rewarded..

You can evolve your scryptals on Scryptals.io website and is very

easy

just go to

your collection

and use the scryptal's details panel, you will find a button near to the rarity level indicator that enables the evolution tool.

The whole evolution process happens entirely on-chain.

Scryptals are officially tradable on:
OpenSea.io
and
Rarible.com
Scryptals are also findable in every other Ethereum ERC721 compatible market.

You can name your scryptals on Scryptals.io website and is very easy, just go to

your collection

and open the scryptal's details panel, then click on the "info" tab and if the scryptal has not been named yet you can name it.

The whole naming process happens entirely on-chain.

To name a scryptal you must be the owner and it must have no name yet.

Once a scryptal is named, the name cannot be changed anymore.

The Ethereum blockchain is the most popular dapp blockchain out there, and it is continuing to move towards scalability and energy efficiency. Ethereum's smart contract functionality allows for the creation of decentralized applications (dapps) and the execution of transactions with minimal trust and no middleman. Additionally, Ethereum is working on solutions such as sharding and proof of stake (PoS) to improve scalability and reduce energy consumption. These improvements will benefit Scryptals.io lowering minting, evolving and naming fees

The reason why minting and evolving cost increases over time is to simulate the increasing scarcity of a limited rare material being searched over time.
This is achieved by setting a starting minting price of 0.003141 and increasing it by 0.003141 for every 3141 scryptals mined.
This mechanism ensures that, as the total number of mintable scryptals decreases, the cost of minting and evolving new scryptals increases too. This ensures also that the look of the collection gains stability as the time passes.

The maximum number of minted scryptals is 31,415 to pay homage to the pi number, an important mathematical constant that appears in virtually every branch of mathematics and has been foundamental in the creation Scryptals.io.
Without pi, many things could not exist. Pi plays a crucial role in fields such as astronomy, architecture, engineering, and even music. Its importance can be seen in the way it is celebrated in its own holiday, Pi Day, on March 14th.
Other important mathematical constants, such as Euler's number and the golden ratio, also help to shape our world. They are found in nature, from the patterns of a sunflower's seeds to the arrangement of the stars in the night sky.

I truly enjoyed building Scryptals.io, and I would be so happy to dedicate myself to other similar, yet more complex web3 projects in the future – even something with real-world utility.
Scryptals and the generated

SCRETH tokens

will be usable in my future projects.

NFT markets typically evaluate traits based on an existing collection, meaning that if all 10 NFTs possess the trait "shiny," it will result in a 100% probability for that trait. However, if we add 10 more NFTs without the trait "shiny," the probability for that trait will be halved.
Scryptals.io takes a different approach to calculating trait probability, by considering all possible scryptals, not just those that have been minted. As the total number of minted scryptals grows, Scryptals.io's listed probabilities will become more in line with those of the markets.

When I first heard about Bitcoin I was in my twenties, it was only worth a few dollars but I was so fascinated by it that I started mining with what I had. I was spending much more energy than the little that I was gaining...but today I still have some of those Bitcoins, a foolish but right decision.

When I first heard about NFT artworks I was in my thirties, to many these looked useless and nonsensical, too many I would say...to me they were like crypto gems, we were starting to have the digital version of gems, just as a decade before we had started to have the digital version of money.

The vast majority of NFTs are rarely on-chain and often represent some funny subjects like monkeys, punks, or crabs...I then started to think that everything looked good but also a bit shallow, how should a real digital gem look like? Like a monkey image not even stored on the blockchain? Well, not in my mind.

An NFT is basically a cryptographic unique event happening on a blockchain. This event is composed of alphanumeric characters that follow specific rules and is stored on the blockchain. I wanted to see how this event would appear through a mathematical representation, and this is how the first Scryptal came to life - a colorful, geometric, and abstract drawing generated from the unique cryptographic event and stored completely on the blockchain. It is much closer to what a digital-world gem would look like.

I was born in Italy in 1984, into a family with a great passion for design. Today, I am a full-stack developer with an irrational love for front-end technologies and an ever-growing passion for web3 possibilities. During the day, I work for a European web software company, and during the night, I follow my dreams. I started Scryptals.io to experiment with web3 technologies through a simple project, but it got out of hand and became something more.
I truly enjoyed building this, and I would be so happy to dedicate myself to other similar, yet more complex web3 projects in the future – even something with real-world utility.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy Scryptals.io.
Any contact, questions, suggestions, or criticism would be much appreciated.

Sincerely, M.M.