The incubation phase begins when the first Can NFT is minted. At some point after the last Can NFT is minted, the Cans may be opened to progress ED3N’s game play phase.

Similar to Nintendo’s Pokémon or Bandai Namco’s Tamagotchi, ED3N players care for and influence the evolution of their creatures. The game combines machine learning AI with an integrated genetics engine, Pixar-level aesthetics, and larger than life simulations of physics.

Following launch of the full game, ED3N creatures will reflect their owners’ individual obsessions and personalities. One could engineer a gothic flower, team up with others to build large bioluminescent forests that hum cryptic tunes, or just groom creatures of all shapes and colors.

ED3N will launch with 10,000 1st Generation NFTs which means a starting maximum of 10,000 organisms. These players can breed 2nd Generation creatures and sell them which then gradually increase the player count. After all original NFTs are minted, the only way for a new player to join the game is to purchase a newly bred creature.

ED3N is developed by Interplay Entertainment Corp. and the creative team behind the recently-announced Earthworm Jim animated series.

1st Gen is any of the first 10,000 ED3N NFTs minted on Ethereum blockchain. 1st Gen creatures can never die and have the power to spread 2nd Generation creatures.

2nd Gen is any hybridized creatures crossbred from the original 10,000 creatures. These creatures are more fragile than the 1st Gen.

Each 1st Gen creature originates from one of  8 different planet types: Water, Ice, Rock, Green, Fire, Gas, Electric and Shadow. Planet Types are sub-categorized by the types of ions and minerals they encompass. These variants have an impact on the genetic makeup of their residents and influence their survivability in different environments. For example, a creature from a water planet cannot live without water.

This will provide a safe, empty and infinite room where the player has god-like powers and controls all of the atmospheric gizmos. There are two layers of controls: Environment Wheel and Booster Wheel. Each wheel comes with a set of options that affect creature's design, growth, and well-being.

• Light & Temperature: From light to darkness and from absolute zero to desert high heat.
• Gravity: Amplify gravitational force. The more gravity is used, the stronger and flatter life becomes.
• Atmosphere: From the sky to the ground and everything in between.
• Music: Set your creature's playlist from your own and give it a mood.
• Radiation: Apply radiation to force mutate and create your own freak.
• Hydrogen: Without water there can be (almost) no life. Use violent storms to quench your creature’s thirst or mist them with a gentle morning fog.

• Fire Torch: Use with caution, irreversible burns and damage may occur.
• Rainstorm, Thunderstorm and Blizzard: Whatever you need to train your creature.  
• Radiation Boost: These boosts can trigger radical mutations. Keep in mind, radiation overuse is a life destroyer.  

All living things need some level of genetic compatibility for crossbreeding. Most genes will be alterable using in-game lab functions such as genetic boosts, environmental adaptations and forced mutations.

This in-game Lab function will let a layer choose a type of climate (or planet environment) and let nature take its course without constant player input. Useful to train, adapt or challenge life.

Gardens are planned to be of types: Artificial or Wild. Players can turn their lab spaces into an Artificial Garden by crossbreeding in the greenhouse-like environment of the Lab. Wild gardens are launched off-world and can grow in unexpected ways.

When Hives are implemented, a gang of players may team up to form a garden (group staking). Hives that include more than ten players are managed by vote (DAO). Hive will allow for a wider and greater number of genes to be mixed. Staking incentivizes the creation of 2nd Gen creatures so that new players can be brought into the community.

We plan to create an in-game marketplace, where players can trade core or environmentally acquired genes to mutate or customize their collections. Sometimes it may be simpler to buy a gene, instead of spending time and effort to develop it.

Life has limits. Our plans similarly do not allow for unlimited combinations, genetic mutations, or growth. Genes purchased on the genetic market can be either DNA-assimilated (on) or DNA-stored (off) for possible use later on. Genes that are DNA-stored have no effects on the creature that carries them.

Breakage occurs when too many genes are stored, causing a genetic overload. Surviving a DNA breakage might lead to fantastic mutations. This is evolution making a huge leap.

At a future stage of development, our goal is to launch an in-game currency: the DIRT Coin, which may be earned by staking ED3N NFTs. DIRT coin could be used to purchase new genes from the Genetic Market and/or perform monetary transactions within the ED3N ecosystem.

For the adventurous players wanting to terraform wild gardens, creatures can be migrated off-worlds. Placement on remote planets is turn-based and done through a topographic map window (topoview). The map displays other players' creatures as well, water and radiation areas, orbital forces (lunar or otherwise), temperature data, predatorial risks, and toxic vegetation. Off-world gardening may be hugely rewarding, but it can also be unpredictable and deadly.

At launch, Cans of Dirt will be compatible with Ethereum-based Metaverses and NFT Marketplaces. Social media platforms that connect to Ethereum network will be compatible as well.

An in-game Camera mode allows players to pick and update their NFT preview image as it would be visible on other platforms. These snapshots can be sequenced into a time-lapse record of creatures’ growth and evolution.