Randomization

Randomization is a crucial aspect of many games, particularly those involving hidden knowledge or chance elements. In Race Protocol, a variant of the mental poker algorithm is employed to generate randomness in a secure and verifiable manner. This ensures fairness and prevents manipulation, even in games with asymmetric information.

Mental Poker Algorithm

The mental poker algorithm allows multiple parties to shuffle and draw from a virtual deck of cards without revealing the order of the cards to each other. Race Protocol adapts this concept to generate randomness for various game elements, not just cards.

Here's a simplified overview of how the randomization process works in Race Protocol:

1. Initialization: The Transactor initiates the process by creating a "deck" of possible outcomes (e.g., a list of cards or numbers). Each outcome is represented by a unique identifier.

2. Masking: The Transactor and validator servers each generate a secret key and use it to encrypt the identifiers of the outcomes. This "masking" process ensures that the actual values remain hidden.

3. Shuffling: The Transactor and validators engage in a series of coordinated steps to shuffle the encrypted identifiers. This shuffling process is designed to be verifiable, meaning that each participant can confirm that the shuffling was done correctly without revealing the secrets or the order of the outcomes.

4. Assignment and Revealing: Once the shuffling is complete, the Transactor can assign specific outcomes to players or reveal them publicly. This is done by sharing the corresponding secret keys with the designated recipients or with everyone in the game.

5. Decryption: Players and validators use the shared secrets to decrypt the assigned or revealed outcomes, allowing them to see the actual values.

Ensuring Fairness

The mental poker algorithm in Race Protocol ensures fairness in games with hidden knowledge by:

• Preventing Manipulation: The use of secret keys and verifiable shuffling makes it difficult for any single entity, including the Transactor, to manipulate the outcome of the randomization process.

• Verifiability: Each participant can independently verify that the shuffling was done correctly, ensuring the integrity of the randomness generation.

• Hidden Knowledge: The encryption of outcome identifiers ensures that the actual values remain hidden until they are assigned or revealed, preventing players from gaining an unfair advantage by prematurely knowing the outcome.

By employing this secure and verifiable randomization process, Race Protocol guarantees fair play and builds trust among players, even in games where some information is hidden from certain participants.

This section has described the mental poker algorithm and its role in ensuring fair randomization within Race Protocol. The next section will discuss the specific roles and responsibilities of Transactor and validator servers in more detail.