ZFT World

Introduction

ZFT World is a Minecraft server transformed into a play-to-earn game. Players explore a post-apocalyptic world featuring a full-fledged RPG system (classes, levels, skills) and a blockchain-based economy. In-game assets—items, currency, and rewards—are tokenized and managed on Ethereum and Polygon.

User experience

Classic Minecraft servers lack true economic persistence. So, to make the project work, it was integrated with the NFT World project. I wanted to create a gameplay loop where RPG progression generates real blockchain assets, with an economy that operates directly between players without any intermediaries.

Modules developed

Multi-server network architecture — BungeeCord infrastructure with dedicated servers (Spawn, Main World, etc.) enabling scalability and the separation of game environments. Full-featured RPG system — Playable classes with skill trees and a leveling system, based on MMOCore with custom configuration. Tokenized economy — Integration of the wrld-payments API to connect in-game transactions to the blockchain. The in-game currency is an ERC-20 token deployed on Polygon; rare items are minted as ERC-721 tokens. Custom server plugin (ZFTCore) — Custom-developed Java plugin to manage project-specific mechanics: wallet/player linking, mint triggers, and P2E-specific business logic. Solidity smart contracts — Contracts deployed on Ethereum (ERC-721 NFT collection) and Polygon (ERC-20 utility token, marketplace). Management of minting, transfers, and the on-chain economy. Post-apocalyptic world design — Custom map “The Dead Earth”: a ruined city overgrown with vegetation, explorable buildings, loot zones, and PvP arenas.

Tech stack

Game Server — Paper 1.17.1, BungeeCord, Spigot API Plugin Development — Java, Spigot/Bukkit API, ZFTCore custom plugin RPG Framework — MMOCore, MythicMobs, MythicLib, MMOItems, Citizens (NPCs) Blockchain — Solidity (Eth) Integration — wrld-payments API, NFT Worlds SDK

Project cancellation

In July 2022, Microsoft announced a ban on all blockchain, NFT, and crypto integrations in Minecraft, reversing its initial tolerance toward such projects. This decision rendered the entire NFT Worlds ecosystem obsolete overnight. Without the ability to link on-chain assets to the game, the P2E loop no longer had a reason to exist. I shelved the project at that point.