# Enter the Overmind Overmind is a platform where developers engage in coding quests to improve their skills and earn prizes and on-chain credentials. Quests are educational as much as they are competitive, and challenge the solver to think creatively. By conquering challenges, users master smart contracts that enable them to build world-class dApps, while building a verifiable track record of their skillset. We believe that coding quests that reward users and build their on-chain reputation will create a paradigm shift in the way web3 ecosystems onboard developers. The transition from web2 to web3 involves high friction and uncertainty for most developers, making the leap appear highly risky. Overmind introduces the ability to systematically earn while practicing web3 development (solve-to-earn), de-risking the time investment required, and thus offering a real opportunity to enter the space to significantly more people. **Our mission is to enable more developers to enter web3, unleash their creativity, and access unparalleled opportunities.** The Overmind is formed by the collective intelligence of those bold enough to join it. Enter at [overmind.xyz](http://overmind.xyz/). # How it works Your guide through the Overmind 1. Sign up with your Github account on [overmind.xyz](https://www.overmind.xyz/) 2. Complete a quest 3. Progress in your Overmind voyage {% hint style="success" %} Solvers earn a **Neuron, a soulbound NFT,** specific to certain quests. {% endhint %} {% hint style="success" %} Top solvers qualify for a **share of the quest's prize pool**, for quests offering rewards. {% endhint %} Read more about [Quests](/quests/getting-started), [Neurons](/quests/neurons), and [Prize Money](/quests/prize-money). Overmind is currently **live** on **Aptos mainnet**. # Useful Links :globe\_with\_meridians: [overmind.xyz](https://www.overmind.xyz/) :handshake: [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/RptWEB3xXn) :bird: [Twitter](https://twitter.com/overmind_xyz) :paperclip: [Medium](https://overmind-xyz.medium.com/) :book: [Docs](https://docs.overmind.xyz/) # Motivation Why are we building Overmind? A platform that challenges, educates, and rewards developers, while providing the infrastructure and gold standard for building an on-chain reputation, is the first step towards bridging the web3 developer gap. This is Overmind. #### Bridging the web3 developer gap While there are over 30 million developers globally, by the end of 2022 there were [less than 25K monthly active web3 developers contributing to open-source repositories](https://www.developerreport.com/). To put this into context: Amazon alone is estimated to employ over 35K developers. If the vision of web3 is to materialize, our industry needs to rapidly expand the pool of robust developer talent to build the applications that will finally cross the adoption chasm. We need to fill in web3's developer gap. What accounts for this gap? Despite the significant capital accumulation in the space, the transition from web2 to web3 remains challenging and high risk for most web2 developers. The skills required to be a strong web3 developer are poorly understood, let alone documented. Jobs and income appear too volatile for most people to leave a stable web2 job. Overmind introduces the ability to systematically earn in web3 without leaving one’s web2 job, which we view as the core missing link between educational content and the web3 leap. The ability to earn de-risks the time investment required to learn and practice web3 development, and may thus offer a real opportunity to enter web3 to significantly more people. #### Building on-chain reputation for developers Not only are expert web3 developers an exceptionally rare breed; screening to identify them is highly challenging. Past experience tends to be limited. Work history and open-source contributions are unreliable outside of the top projects. Those challenges equally apply to developers who are growing their skills, most of whom lack the channels to reliably signal them. We believe that on-chain reputation will be *the* foundational layer of web3 economies, whether towards facilitating employment, financial transactions, or social status. Far richer context than what is available today is required to enable most real-world economic transactions on-chain. For developers, on-chain data related to their skills and contributions remains sparse and low signal. Overmind creates a transparent, verifiable track record of their skills and creativity that anyone can refer to, forming the basis for their professional reputation on-chain. For instance [Neurons](/quests/neurons), rewarded for solving certain Overmind quests, directly serve as an on-chain proof-of-skill. # Lore Our origins In a far-flung corner of a distant galaxy, there lies a civilization so far advanced the human mind could never conceive of, or have the words to describe. Many ages beyond mankind in its evolution, the race possesses a collective intelligence whose power far exceeds that of any race that has come before it. Each being of this race is conscious of the thoughts of every other, can think with the mind of every other, such that the entire race shares a single, vast mind; a mind capable of solving the most daunting problems, of deciphering the mysteries of nature and of life itself. They call it the Overmind, and it is responsible for the greatest civilization the universe has ever seen. The Overmind is now growing across the galaxies by merging with minds that are prepared to join it. A few on the vanguard of earthen acumen are being called… # Getting started Go to [overmind.xyz](https://www.overmind.xyz/) and choose a quest. Read the instructions carefully, paying attention to the following: #### **Live status** Quests can remain active for long or, especially if they are competitive, be live only for a short period after being published. Rewards, in the form of Neurons and prizes, are only available in certain cases and while a quest is active. Users may still refer to the closed quest prompts and solutions for training purposes. #### **Prerequisites** Certain quests have prerequisites, such as setting up a specific development environment or having completed another quest. #### **Scoring** All submissions are first marked as Pass/Fail. Correct solutions are then scored, either by time since quest launch (default) or by a custom scoring system that rewards gas efficiency, exploit magnitude, etc. Each quest page will display its scoring system and ranking criteria. #### **How to submit** The submission process varies by quest. You may have to submit an output, a transaction hash, or code. If you're submitting code, we’ll create a private Github repository dedicated to your solution and invite you. Once you accept the invitation, you will be able to push your code. If the quest code contains test cases, make sure your solution passes them before submitting. #### **Results and Ranking** Results are published on the quest page after the review process has been completed, and include a Pass/Fail and your rank based on the scoring system. Solvers will receive an email, at the address linked to their Github profile, when a result for their submission is published. #### **Rewards** Solving a quest correctly often earns you a [Neuron](/quests/neurons). Depending on your ranking, you may also qualify for [Prize Money](/quests/prize-money). The prize pool for the quests that offer rewards is viewable at the top of the relevant page. #### **How to claim your rewards** Prize money and Neurons are sent to the relevant prize distribution contract from which you have to claim them. Once claimed, these rewards should appear in the Aptos address you have set as the reward address in your profile. We will email solvers and provide details for claiming these rewards on each quest page. When the new Aptos token standard goes live, you will be able to mint all Neurons already earned but not yet distributed. # Neurons The on-chain building block of the Overmind Neurons are the foundational unit of the Overmind. The Overmind grows in power and reach as new Neurons join it. Solvers grow their presence in the Overmind with every Neuron they mint. The more quests they solve, the more Neurons they generate, the greater their share of the collective consciousness. Neurons are implemented via [soulbound NFTs](https://vitalik.ca/general/2022/01/26/soulbound.html), minted by the solver after successfully solving certain quests. They are crafted uniquely for each solution, melding a quest-specific image and a stamp that certifies the solver's rank in the quest's leaderboard. They function as a proof-of-solution for the associated quest, by virtue of being non-transferrable. Each quest's Neurons come in limited supply, given they can only be earned in a limited time window after the quest is launched. And so the Overmind grows, Neuron by Neuron... ### Neuron rarities We have categorized our quest rarities, which reflect puzzle difficulty levels, into five tiers: common, uncommon, rare, epic, and legendary. Our Neurons map directly to these five rarities. Holding a legendary Neuron will be an unprecedented badge of honor. ### **Sample Neuron** The first generation of Overmind Neurons are generated using OpenAI's [DALL·E 2](https://openai.com/dall-e-2/) engine.

Example Neuron design

### **Applications** #### **Proof-of-skill primitive** As individual Neurons function as proof-of-solution for specific quests, building a collection of Neurons functions as a proof-of-skill primitive, enabling Overmind solvers to build an on-chain resume of applicable credentials. #### **Exclusive opportunities** We expect Neurons to be used as access tickets for a variety of opportunities on the Overmind platform and beyond. A few examples: * Quests of higher rarity to require lower rarity Neurons in order to be accessed * Developer events (e.g. hackathons, hacker houses) to require event participants to showcase their relevant skillset via Neurons before being admitted * Web3 job opportunities to enable Overmind-credentialed devs to enter the interview process at a more advanced stage * Skill-gated cooperatives that produce top-tier work and admit only the rarest of Neuron holders (guilds) # Prize Money ### Rewards For certain live quest on our platform, there is a corresponding prize pool. The money in the prize pool is exclusively reserved for distribution to the quest's solvers. The requirements for being eligible to receive such rewards are: * signing up to the Overmind platform and setting up a reward address, * receiving a passing grade for a submission, * achieving a ranking score, and * playing by the Overmind [Fairness ](/principles/fairness)rules Prize pool rewards are distributed in the form of APT to our solver's reward address once the submission has gone through our review processes. ### Rankings Maintaining clear, fair, and appropriate ranking criteria is critical for Overmind's success. These criteria will always be listed at the quest's prompt. Following the expiry of the quest and after the team has reviewed all results, we will publish the rankings and distribute the prize pool. # Philosophy Overmind strives to be the following: * both accessible and challenging for developers of all levels * rewarding for users, intellectually and financially * a high-signal reference point for a developer's skill and creativity With those objectives in mind, Overmind quests are crafted according to the following principles: 1. **Self-contained**: require minimal context beyond the essential tools 2. **Creative**: require original thinking 3. **Unique**: have no close analogue available online 4. **Educational**: teach the user a new concept, method, or technique 5. **Applied**: relevant to real-world problems or applications Overmind quests are unlike most coding challenges, in that they take inspiration from problems developers encounter in the wild. Sorting a k-sorted array in O(n log k) is not a good challenge. Overmind quests are unlike most open source bounties, in that they have a low contextual barrier to entry. Users need not be familiar with a specific codebase or product in order to tackle them, therefore ramp-up time and effort are significantly lower. # Fairness Fairness is of paramount importance to Overmind. Our two guiding fairness principles: 1. **No plagiarism**: Solvers should be rewarded on the merits of their own work, not someone else's. 2. **No reward exploitation**: No solver should be rewarded more than once for the same quest. We take the following measures to enforce our fairness principles. Our process is ever-evolving and we seek the community's feedback to constantly improve on it. ### **Collaboration** Collaborating to understand a problem is different from sharing solutions: * **Collaboration:** We encourage solvers to discuss general strategies, share experiences, and engage in discussions that enrich the learning environment. * **Sharing solutions:** Your code or answers must not be developed in conjunction with or derived from anyone else’s. You must never be intimate with another’s code/answers nor allow others to be intimate with yours. ### **The Dos and Dont's** **Permitted Activities** * Discussing general quest topics, programming languages, libraries, and tools. * Clarifying quest guidelines and expectations. * Sharing general advice and coding strategies. * Discussing the design and logic of a specific quest. **Prohibited Activities** * Copying code or solutions. * Reviewing the code/design of another * Sharing your code and solutions, both publicly and privately. ### **Plagiarism Detection** We go to great lengths to detect duplicate solutions, using both automated and manual methods. Plagiarism detection software has come a long way and is surprisingly powerful. ### **Multiple Account Restrictions** Submitting solutions using more than one Overmind account is a clear violation of our reward exploitation policy. We make it hard for solvers to create multiple Overmind accounts. Our current system restricts signups to Github accounts created before Overmind's beta launch on 01.26.2023, making it impossible for a solver to create new Github accounts in order to game the system. This system is highly imperfect, not least because it excludes solvers who are brand new to programming. Sybil resistance protocols are rapidly evolving, and we anticipate that there will be battle-tested systems to choose from in the near future. {% hint style="danger" %} We reserve the right to suspend accounts, withhold rewards, and leave a permanent on-chain record if we discover clear evidence of violating these fairness policies. {% endhint %} # How to contribute Enter the Overmind movement ### Community We are a collective of developers, builders, and challenge seekers. We love pursuing rewarding intellectual and technical challenges with real-world applications and we believe that developers should be at the centerpiece of web3 ecosystems. #### The conversation Join the conversation on [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/RptWEB3xXn) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/overmind_xyz) to stay up to date on all things Overmind. Subscribe to our [Medium page](https://overmind-xyz.medium.com/) and never miss a critical update or thought piece. #### Join the team Want to join a great team building a world-changing product? Explore [our active roles](https://jobs.lever.co/overmind) to shape the future of the Overmind with us. ### Contributing **Collecting Neurons** Neurons function as a proof-of-solution for the associated puzzle, by virtue of being non-transferrable. By showcasing their owner's skillset, Neurons provide benefits within the Overmind ecosystem, in terms of providing access to higher-rarity quests and being one of the most significant proofs of user contribution, while at the same time carrying significant proof-of-skill signal. #### Knowledge Sharing Correct solutions are easy to come by, experience and knowledge is not. We encourage our solvers to help each other become more skilled developers by linking underlying concepts to problems, sharing common pitfalls, alerting the community of bugs and discussing new concepts. However, we strongly prohibit the public or private sharing of lines of code that form part of quest solutions as part of our fairness policy. **Improvement proposals** The Overmind grows Neuron by Neuron, which means that we necessarily count on our community's feedback in order to improve our existing systems and innovate. We envision setting up a more structured process around raising and voting on such improvement proposals (depending on the timing of our intended token launch), but for the time being, email with any suggestions or jump in our [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/RptWEB3xXn) and post in the #suggestions channel. **Creating quests** Our plan is to create a more formal avenue for users interested in creating quests for the community. Until then, would be great if you could email us at with any ideas and we will make sure to get back to you. If we decide to utilize any of the suggested quests, we will make sure to compensate you fairly for your efforts. **Upholding our fairness principles** We take fairness very seriously. If you become aware of any instance on our platform which violates our [fairness policies](/principles/fairness) or that you consider unfair, or if you would like to contribute towards keeping Overmind fair for all solvers, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out to . # General #### How do I get started? You can sign up on Overmind's platform simply by connecting your GitHub account, provided the account was created before the date of our beta launch on 01.26.2023. To start completing quests, just connect your Aptos wallet and set it as your reward address. If you submit a solution and are eligible for rewards, you will be notified. #### What information does Overmind get access to when I connect my Github account? Overmind gets read-only access to your public profile information, such as your username and profile picture, as well as your email address and the date your account was created. #### I do not have a Github account, how can I enter the Overmind? Currently, it is not possible to compete in Overmind quests without a Github account created prior to the date of our beta launch. We understand that this is far from ideal, but we are prioritizing our fairness principles to ensure that solvers cannot submit multiple times, until we can build robust Sybil-resistance. #### What is Aptos? [Aptos](https://aptoslabs.com/) is a new Layer 1 blockchain that aims to deliver key scalability, security, and usability improvements needed for mass real-world adoption. One of Aptos' key innovations is Move, a programming language designed from the ground up for writing safe and verifiable smart contracts. Move was first developed at Meta and has accumulated years of development by world class teams. We strongly believe in Aptos' potential to onboard the next big wave of web3 developers and users. #### What is Overmind's relationship to Aptos? We have partnered with the [Aptos Foundation](https://aptosfoundation.org/), tasked with becoming the workhorse for developer onboarding. Our quests aim to introduce, educate, and onboard developers onto the Move programming language, as well as the Aptos blockchain. As part of this partnership, the Aptos Foundation has provided us with a grant reserved for funding the prize pools. #### I'm new to Aptos, which wallet should I use? That's up to you! You can connect and set as your reward address any of the following five Aptos wallets: [Fewcha](https://fewcha.app/), [Martian](https://martianwallet.xyz/), [Petra](https://petra.app/), [Pontem](https://pontem.network/), and [Rise](https://risewallet.io/). We suggest you do your due-diligence and stick with one wallet for your entire Overmind journey. We highly encourage gathering your non-transferable Neurons in a single wallet. #### How are rewards funded? Rewards are funded via a grant we received from the [Aptos Foundation](https://aptosfoundation.org/), specifically reserved for rewarding our solvers. # Quests #### Can I solve quests that are not currently live? You can always swing by and solve quests that have closed. For these quests, we might not accept submissions or provide credentials, but we consider it a productive way to educate oneself and sharpen one’s technical skills. #### How is my submission marked and ranked? What is the review process like? We will be running automatic and manual tests to check whether the solutions work as intended and to rank them in terms of submission time. We intend to develop and enrich our submission process over time. #### How does Overmind prevent, monitor, and address plagiarism? We go to great lengths to detect duplicate solutions, using both automated and manual methods. You can learn more about our policies under [Fairness](/principles/fairness). If you come across any such instances, please email . #### How does Overmind guard against a Sybil attack? We make it hard for solvers to create multiple Overmind accounts. Our current system restricts signups to Github accounts created before Overmind's beta launch on 01.26.2023, making it impossible for a solver to create new Github accounts in order to exploit rewards. You can learn more about our policies under [Fairness](/principles/fairness). If you come across any instances of a user with multiple accounts, or who is otherwise gaming the system, please email . # Rewards #### How are prize pools determined? We determine prize pool rewards based on a number of factors such as quest difficulty level and theme. We want our prize pools to adequately reward the most skilled devs, while at the same time making it fun and worthwhile for everyone who attempts to solve them. #### How is prize money distributed? Rewards are distributed to our solver's reward address once the submission has gone through our review processes. #### What happens if I get a pass grade but do not make it into the reward rankings? It is possible that some solvers who receive a passing grade will not make it into the prize pool rankings. For example, rewards might be reserved only for the top 10 solvers while there might be over 30 submissions that receive a passing grade. #### I see you are not currently distributing Neurons, why is that? When will I be able to earn my Overmind NFTs? We have been working closely with the Aptos engineering team in order to include soulbound NFTs in the new Aptos token standard. We expect a new standard to come live over the next couple of weeks. We will then ensure that the soulbound NFTs are provided retroactively to all successful solvers and from that point on seamlessly, as described in the [Neurons ](/quests/neurons)page. #### How can I showcase my NFTs? Neurons can be minted and will appear in your Aptos wallet. These are solvers' on-chain credentials and we will work on developing ways to make the best use of them, by turning them into a gold standard for proving dev skills. Look out for quests that will be reserved only for holders of specific Neurons! # Troubleshooting #### Overmind is not working for me. What should I do? Please raise the issue you are facing in our [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/RptWEB3xXn) channel #bug-reports and someone from the team will be in touch. #### I cannot see my reward. Why is that? Please raise this in our [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/RptWEB3xXn) channel #report-problems and the team will look into it. #### How do I give feedback to the team? Please send any feedback to . We deeply value an engaged community and would love to hear your feedback. #### Where can I go if I have more questions? Drop in our [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/RptWEB3xXn) channel #general and let us know your questions. We will be glad to discuss.