Dark Forest v0.5 (2025 Revised Edition)

The revised edition of Dark Forest v0.5, updated in 2025.

Dark Forest is a fully onchain RTS where players explore and conquer a procedurally generated universe. It uses zk-SNARKs for privacy and decentralization, creating a unique gaming experience.

🚀 Quick Start

Setting Up the Project

Prerequisites

Before getting started, please ensure you have the following tools installed:

• nvm (Node Version Manager)
• Node.js
  • v18.19.1 (required for smart contracts development)
  • v16.20.2 (required for client development)
• Package Managers
  • pnpm v9.9.0 (used for smart contracts in eth/ directory)
  • yarn v1.22.21 (used for client application in client/ directory)

Installing NVM

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.35.3/install.sh | bash

1. Smart Contracts Setup

cd eth/
nvm use 18.19.1
pnpm install
cp .env.example .env
npx hardhat node
# In a new terminal:
pnpm deploy:dev

2. Client Setup

cd client/
nvm use 16.20.2
yarn install
yarn run start:dev

The game should now be running at http://localhost:8081!

🏗️ Project Structure

• /client - Game UI and frontend logic
• /eth - Smart contract code
• /circuits - zkSNARKS circuits (using Circom)

🤝 Contributing

We're actively seeking both funding and developers to help bring our future development plans to life.

📞 Connect With Us

• DFArchon Discord: Join our server
• DFArchon Telegram: Join our channel

Appendix

Repository Information

The following repositories are used in this project:

• Client: https://github.com/darkforest-eth/client/commit/e13caedd3497fbd3822056694d445ddcb25dca88
• Contracts: https://github.com/darkforest-eth/eth/commit/f9633bc2f83dd523e9baad5d05b30071b49317e9

Quick Clone Commands

Use these commands to clone specific versions of each repository:

# Clone client repository
git clone https://github.com/darkforest-eth/client
cd client
git reset --hard e13caedd3497fbd3822056694d445ddcb25dca88

# Clone smart contracts repository
git clone https://github.com/darkforest-eth/eth
cd eth
git reset --hard f9633bc2f83dd523e9baad5d05b30071b49317e9