What is Minestr?

A bitcoin mining sim where players compete against each other for sats while learning about bitcoin and nostr. At least 5% of game proceeds are donated to OpenSats each epoch, with a new epoch starting every week!

What is the player reward?

At the end of each epoch, the payout pool is split between all players according to the number of blocks they won. Payouts can be redeemed via the game menu.

How do I win blocks?

Just like real bitcoin mining, to increase your chance of winning blocks you need to increase your hash rate (Flux). Use your gSats to purchase more mining equipment/upgrades. Additional power (Hals) is required for miners and cooling upgrades; but power alone won't add to your hash rate!

How is the winner of each block decided?

Minestr game blocks are syncronised with the actual bitcoin blockchain. Each block, players are assigned a number of tickets proportional to their share of the total in-game hash rate. The actual bitcoin block hash for that block is then converted into a number within the range of the player ticket numbers. The player with the ticket number matching the converted block hash is the block winner.

What happens when an epoch ends?

Players who won blocks during the epoch are awarded their payout, and a donation is made to OpenSats (during the epoch, players choose how much of their payout to donate to OpenSats, with a minimum of 5%). A new epoch then begins immediately, and all user attributes/equipment (including users' gSats balance) are reset to re-level the playing field. Users are required to pay the epoch join fee again if they wish to join the new epoch.

How is the payout pool calculated?

The payout pool comprises 95% of all lightning payments (joins, top-ups and sponsorship payments) for each epoch. The remaining 5% is used by Minestr to cover operating expenses and make further improvements.

How long does each epoch last?

Each epoch is 1,008 blocks in duration: half an actual bitcoin epoch (approximately one week).

Is there a block reward?

No. Unlike the actual bitcoin network, Minestr players do not need to expend work in order to win individual blocks. Thus it was decided not to implement a block reward, since it would result in an unfair advantage (like proof-of-stake systems). Rather, the game reward is given as a single epoch payout determined by the total number of blocks won, better representing the work done by players throughout the epoch.

What are gSats?

gSats are the Minestr in-game currency, and can be used to buy mining equipment and upgrades. When you deposit real sats, you'll receive the same amount of gSats.

How can I get more gSats?

There are currently three ways to acquire gSats: by topping-up your wallet, referring other players using your boost link, and answering quiz questions each day.

Can I withdraw my gSats?

No. This includes sats paid for the epoch join fee and those deposited to top-up your in-game wallet. Please only deposit sats that you are happy to go to the players and OpenSats at the end of the epoch.