Depth Protocol V2: Uncapped Depth Governance (Core Mechanics)

The Integrity Defense: Math-Backed Commitment

The Depth Protocol is engineered to reward time and continuous effort over pure capital injection, making it fundamentally unattractive to short-term speculators. We define commitment with a non-linear, uncapped metric called Depth, which determines a user's governance influence and staking rewards.

The Depth formula is balanced to align with principles of sustainability and integrity by prioritizing Long-Term Lock Time (Tm​) and introducing steep Diminishing Returns (Qb​) for token quantity.

1. The Final Depth Formula

The Depth score is the product of three variables: the Staked Amount, the Time Multiplier (Tm​), and the Quantity Bonus (Qb​).

Depth=Staked Amount×Tm​×Qb​

A. The Time Multiplier (Tm​): Rewarding Duration

This component aggressively rewards the Lock Time commitment, directly matching the "Bloom of Depth" NFT, which represents 65+ days of verifiable commitment.

Tm​=1+M×(5Lock Time in Years​)

Variable	Value	Rationale (Sustainability)
M (Max Time Multiplier)	4.0	A 5-year lock yields 5x the Depth of a 0-year lock. This creates a massive incentive for long-term commitment, securing the protocol's governance against mercenary capital.
Lock Time in Years	Ranging from 0.5 to 5 years (6 months to 60 months).	Users are encouraged to maximize their time commitment for maximum influence.

B. The Quantity Bonus (Qb​): Sustaining the Community

This non-linear component ensures the effort required to gain more Depth gets exponentially "heavier" as a user's stake grows.

Qb​=1+(Total Protocol StakedStaked Amount​)k

Variable	Value	Rationale (Anti-Speculation)
k (Decay Coefficient)	0.7	This aggressive setting creates steep diminishing returns. Whales cannot simply buy their way to dominance; they are forced to compete on Time Commitment (Tm​).
Staked Amount / Total Protocol Staked	User's percentage ownership of the total locked value.	Ensures the bonus is always relative to the overall community's commitment.

2. Governance & Security

The system uses an Adaptive Quorum Threshold (A), dynamically increasing the number of votes required to pass a proposal as the protocol's Total Value Locked (TVL) grows. This is the security mechanism against high-value governance attacks.

Adaptive Quorum (A)=20%+F×ln(Total Value Locked)

• Minimum Quorum: 20%

• Tuning Factor (F): 2.5

3. The Verifiable Sprout: NFT Integration

The Depth Protocol rewards user commitment by automatically minting non-transferable NFTs, which visibly represent the user's Depth journey, reinforcing the Proof of Growth (PoG) thesis.

NFT Stage	Lock Time/Milestone	Visual Representation (NFT)	Strategic Value
Seed of Intention	Initial Lock (0 - 7 Days)	Dark, anchored core with a glowing data stream.	Represents the verifiable commitment starting point.
Sprout of Habit	30-60 Day Continuous PoG Check-ins	Geometric tree structure with green/gold growth.	Represents the formation of the habit—the first stage of true growth.
Bloom of Depth	66+ Days Continuous PoG Check-ins	Fully bloomed, intricate, glowing purple flower.	Represents the ultimate achievement: long-term, verifiable commitment and maximum Depth influence.