🏁 BOOSTDRIVE — Web3's Cyberpunk Racing on Vehicle Rooftops

The Sandbox DAO Grant Program OPEN: Season Rewards & Game Creation
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1. Who is your team?

  • Team Name: Nazarov Production

  • Main Contact (Name & Role): Aziz Nazarov – Solo Creator (Creative Direction, Visual Design, Game Development, Storytelling, Production)

  • Team Members & Roles: Aziz Nazarov – Full-cycle creator: concept, visuals, game logic, editing, community strategy

  • Zarina – Russian voiceover for the official teaser

  • Are you a known builder in The Sandbox community?
    Yes No

    If yes, please list past projects and provide links:

    • BOOSTDRIVE — Original teaser :clapper_board:
    • Visualized assets, teaser, vehicles, and city layouts posted regularly in X and DAO discussions.

  • Are you an existing studio?
    Yes No
    If yes, please provide links to previous projects: BOOSTDRIVE worldbuilding :cityscape_at_dusk:

  • DAO discussions showcasing in-progress art, gamification logic, and behind-the-scenes footage.

2. Project Overview

  • Game Title: BOOSTDRIVE

  • Game Genre:
    :check_box_with_check: Racing :check_box_with_check: Arcade :check_box_with_check: Narrative Adventure
    ___________

  • Short Description of the Game (2–4 sentences): BOOSTDRIVE is an arcade racing game where players race on top of vehicles — not inside them — across a stylized voxel city. Iconic cars and cyberpunk characters go head-to-head in high-speed rooftop duels. Players begin in :graduation_cap: BOOST ACADEMY, learning Web3 and DAO mechanics through NPCs and quests. They then move on to :chequered_flag: Rooftop Racing — high-speed runs where knowledge turns into action. BOOSTDRIVE blends education and thrilling gameplay, making Web3 both accessible and exciting.

  • Do you have previous experience building this type of game?
    Yes No
    Please share relevant links or examples:
    We have an early playable draft built in Game Maker to test gameplay:
    :video_game: Gameplay Test (Draft)
    Additionally, voxel-based vehicle assets created under the profile “ANAZAROV” have been part of The Sandbox asset database since 2019.

3. Motivation

  • Why are you applying for support from The Sandbox?

BOOSTDRIVE is a fast-paced arcade racing experience that fuses cyberpunk aesthetics, cultural storytelling, and unforgettable voxel vehicles in a stylized voxel city. We’re building a world that feels alive — where the thrill of racing meets the energy of community and digital ownership.

:globe_showing_europe_africa: BOOSTDRIVE is a global game, accessible to everyone. It also serves as a gateway for new players, new time zones, and new regions into The Sandbox.

We aim to reach underrepresented but rapidly growing Web3 markets — especially in Central Asia and the CIS (:kazakhstan: :ukraine: :tajikistan: :uzbekistan: :kyrgyzstan: :turkmenistan: :armenia: :georgia: :belarus: :moldova: :azerbaijan:) — bringing in a fresh wave of players, creators, collectors, and landowners. Our teaser alone has sparked buzz across multiple languages, proving the real demand for localized, high-energy experiences.

We are aiming for a grant of $49,000 to bring BOOSTDRIVE to completion and scale its global onboarding potential. Full budget breakdown will be included in the GDD milestone.

  • Why did you choose to build this project in The Sandbox?

Because The Sandbox is a playground for creators who think big.
Its toolset allows us to launch unique gamified projects, onboard new users into Web3, and build with complete creative freedom. BOOSTDRIVE belongs here — not just as a game, but as a movement.

4. Timeline

  • Planned Milestones (include estimated dates):
    • GDD Submission: July 24, 2025
    • Vertical Slice: August 25, 2025
    • Blockout Check: September 15, 2025
    • Alpha Check: October 10, 2025
    • Beta Check: October 31, 2025
    • Post Production / Launch: November 20, 2025

5. Team Location

(Note: This does not influence acceptance. It helps us assess budget alignment and fair compensation.)

  • Country/Countries of Team Members:
    Tajikistan :tajikistan: (with collaborators across Uzbekistan :uzbekistan:, Kazakhstan :kazakhstan:)

6. Future Plans & Sustainability

  • What are your plans for maintaining or expanding the project after launch?

We plan to grow BOOSTDRIVE into a recognizable experience with seasonal content, themed challenges, new vehicles, and evolving lore. Additional districts and tracks may be introduced in future updates, as well as expanded cultural representation and language support.

  • Do you have a monetization strategy?
    Yes No
    If yes, describe it briefly:

We will implement monetization through vehicle collectibles (NFTs), limited-edition skins, and lore-based cosmetics that reward both aesthetic value and community status.

  • How do you plan to attract and retain players over time?

BOOSTDRIVE mixes story-driven atmosphere with replayable arcade mechanics. We’ll host community events, leaderboard competitions, and leverage local influencers from underrepresented regions to grow our player base. The vibrant style and cultural relevance will keep players engaged.

7. Milestone Deliverables

For each milestone, please confirm your understanding and ability to deliver:

:round_pushpin: GDD Submission

  • Synopsis of game :white_check_mark: (completed)
  • Concept art, mood board :white_check_mark: (in production)
  • Game mechanics :white_check_mark: (in production)
  • Marketing & monetization plan :white_check_mark: (drafted)
  • Budget breakdown :white_check_mark: (outlined)

:round_pushpin: Vertical Slice

  • Focused demo level including Gameplay, FTUE, Narrative, Fun, Art Direction, and Technical review :white_check_mark: (planned, assets already in use)

:round_pushpin: Blockout Check

  • Level-wide check of terraforming, pathing, interactions (fights, NPCs, quests) :white_check_mark: (terrain and layouts already in draft, including quest logic and basic NPC behaviors in progress)

:round_pushpin: Alpha Check

  • First pass review of user experience, narrative, level design (scheduled with early testers from community)

:round_pushpin: Beta Check

  • Final gameplay feedback with detailed grading add bug fixing (to be refined via feedback loops and test runs)

:round_pushpin: Post Production

  • QA (internal + external testing planned)
  • Trailer and screenshots :white_check_mark: (teaser released; full trailer in progress)
  • Community channels active :white_check_mark: (X account active, early support secured)
  • Monetization ready (NFT strategy aligned with future rollout of NFT 2.0)
  • (Optional) Closed beta playtest with selected regional players (in discussion)
  • Where did you hear about the grant program?
    This forum
    Discord
    Twitter/X

All news & our work — vehicles, characters, city builds, teasers, and development progress — is documented in my X profile:

:backhand_index_pointing_right: https://x.com/aziznazarov

:folded_hands: Thank you for your attention!

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Hi Aziz,

I’d recommend making this a full SIP to request a budget from the DAO as the requested $49,000 is well over the recommended grant allocation of $10,000, more than what is left in the grant budget for this domain, and the timeline goes past the program closing date of August 31st.

I’d recommend if you submit a SIP to make a detailed tech demo totally in-game. The current video has a lot of edited effects that aren’t possible in the Game Maker. The DAO does not have the power to make these features happen, only to request that they be worked on. So you would not be able to add in the camera sweeps, victory screen, and boost gauge as you have them presented, though victory screens and HUD tools are currently available in the Game Maker.

As you may know, there are no built-in physics systems which can convincingly emulate car racing either, so in general I don’t recommend driving based projects, because even if a “hacked” solution can be made, any small patches to the alpha game engine can totally break it. I hope we’ll have good vehicle mechanics someday soon, but it is not currently on the roadmap for this year.

Best of luck!

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Hi @KamiSawZe,

Thank you for your thoughtful feedback!

To move forward efficiently, we propose splitting the BOOSTDRIVE development into two clear phases:

:small_blue_diamond: Phase 1 – Budget: $19,000
:white_check_mark: Deliverable before August 31st, fully aligned with current Game Maker capabilities.

:small_blue_diamond: Phase 2 – Additional $30,000
:light_bulb: To be discussed at a later stage — if/when physics and advanced features become officially supported, ideally in collaboration with the DAO or under your guidance.

:wrench: What Phase 1 will include (using Game Maker as-is):

  • Teleporters to the racetrack will be unlocked only after completing a short quest in the Academy hub.
  • Two tracks: one where the player wins, and one where they lose — based on their in-game decisions.
  • NPC-based racing (no multiplayer).
  • 22-second race duration (matching how long it takes the car to reach the finish line).
  • Automatic return to the Academy hub after the race.
  • No boost system, no public lobby — just a focused Academy and track experience.

This phased approach allows us to deliver a clean and playable prototype within current limitations — while preparing the ground for a more advanced experience in the future.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and aligning on the best next steps together! :raising_hands:

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Hi @anazarov, as noted, the recommended max budget for a project is $10,000. Anything higher is recommended to go towards a new SIP for regular voting. The only exceptions I’ve made to this are projects that have two out of three: create multiple games or multiple events; have large player reward pools planned; and plan on releasing portions of the project to the public so other game developers can benefit from what is built.

I do not have enough left in the budget to allocate to your request, but also the requested budget is unrealistically high regarding what you’ve proposed to build.

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Hi @KamiSawZe

We understand the budget limitations and appreciate your honest assessment.

To keep the project aligned with the framework, we’re happy to adjust Phase 1 to $10,000 — and cover the rest with external or personal support if needed.

This first phase will not only deliver the gameplay loop but also focus on establishing the visual identity of BOOSTDRIVE — a bold cyberpunk city with detailed voxel assets and immersive atmosphere, built to inspire and expand the creative limits of The Sandbox.

Looking forward to your greenlight to move forward swiftly. :rocket:

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Hey team,

:hourglass_not_done: Time is ticking — have you reviewed the project in detail?

BOOSTDRIVE was submitted 7 days ago.

We’re not slowing down — we’re ready to move forward.

If the DAO is genuinely interested in the project, let’s act — not wait.

Let’s keep the pace.

No noise, no theatre. Just results.

No hard feelings — just facts.

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As should have been clear from our DM chat, your proposal has been rejected for being:

  1. Over the budget that I can possibly give.
  2. Too expensive for the quality of the proposal.
  3. Showing a lack of technical knowledge to execute the project successfully.
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Everything is possible and doable :raising_hands:

But before moving forward, everyone should take a moment to reflect:

on their choice of words, their approach, and who they decided to ‘evaluate’.

Have a great weekend!

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Hello DAO team,

I’d like to address a few points directly regarding BOOSTDRIVE.

:one: “Living wage”
BOOSTDRIVE is not an application for survival — it’s a proposal capable of scaling the ecosystem. We are not here for social aid, but to develop an IP with growth potential and long-term integration. Any reference to a “living wage” is unprofessional and misaligned with the level of this project.

:two: “Quality”
You have not yet seen the final build. We have deliberately avoided publishing it in Game Maker before approval to protect the concept and resources. Instead, we’ve shown original visuals, teasers, a unique style, and strong community reach. This is the approach of a true creator — not someone piecing together generic assets.

:three: “Budget”
BOOSTDRIVE is a full-scale city with infrastructure, unique characters, teleport systems, narrative, and custom vehicle models. It’s not a mini-game — it’s a platform IP where every element is interconnected. All content is fully original and author-created from scratch.

Attached — the second raw draft without editing or HUD, showing Game Maker’s potential in action. :clapper_board: BOOSTDRIVE - Draft three. No editing or HUD.

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  1. This was to point out that your initial request was ridiculously high at 5x the recommended limit for a concept that did not merit 0.5x the limit.
  2. I understand the difference between a sketch and final product. It is the quality of your IDEA that is lacking. Though your presentation did not do you any favors.
  3. There is less than $2000 remaining in the budget. You can make whatever misguided arguments you want but the money is not there to give you.

This decision is final. You can make a regular SIP request if you think you can convince the DAO voters your project is worthy, though your public inability to see your own shortcomings and improve your ideas instead of arguing why you think you deserve more will probably not play well with the voters.

@geraldine or @paul can you please mark this rejected when you have a moment.

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OMG)) This is so sad :joy: My soul is torn apart right now)