Race Track: Exploring a Lunar Metaverse Built on Cardano

I’m writing about Carda Station as a metaverse project built on Cardano that focuses on user ownership, social interaction, and exploration inside a lunar-based virtual world. Carda Station is designed as a lived-in environment where players are not just visitors, but residents who own assets, move freely through shared spaces, and interact with others using on-chain identities and items.

Carda Station takes place on a moon base where a group of pioneers, led by a mysterious figure named Rocco, are building an open and welcoming colony. Construction is still ongoing, and the current build represents an early stage of that vision. Even in its current form, the project already establishes the foundations of a persistent world where players can explore, socialize, and participate in activities that feel grounded and purposeful. The design philosophy is centered on realism. Carda Station is not meant to be a fantasy universe, but rather a believable representation of what life in a future lunar settlement could look like, without sacrificing fun or engagement.

The metaverse allows me to explore the environment using an in-game character and interact with other players through shared locations, hangouts, games, and events. Everything is structured around the idea of a shared space where users coexist rather than isolated instances. This makes Carda Station feel like a living place instead of a series of disconnected activities.

A core pillar of Carda Station is land ownership. Anyone can own land within the metaverse, and these plots are stored directly in the user’s wallet. This ensures full control and ownership. Landowners can build unique scenes on their plots, and visitors can see and interact with these creations while exploring the world. These interactions can include experiences built by the landowner, purchasing items displayed in the metaverse, or paying an entrance fee to access a mini-game. This gives land real utility and turns ownership into an active role within the ecosystem.

Avatars play a central role in how players experience Carda Station. I move through the world using a 3D avatar and interact with others face to face inside the environment. The system requires different avatars for indoor and outdoor settings, reinforcing the project’s focus on realism and environmental context. Inventory items can be equipped and provide unique effects, and these items are also stored on the blockchain and accessed through the user’s wallet, keeping ownership transparent and user-controlled.

Exploration is one of the defining gameplay elements. Any activity outside the safety of the Carda Station colonies is considered exploration. When I leave the colony, the mechanics shift toward survival gameplay. I must manage oxygen levels, suit power, rover power, and other factors while navigating the lunar surface. Exploration is not just about movement. It unlocks additional gameplay possibilities and supports the broader idea of discovery beyond settled areas.

One of the standout experiences inside Carda Station is the Race Track. Racing on the moon introduces a unique challenge due to low gravity, making vehicle control and timing especially important. The Race Track allows me to compete for the best times, with top performances becoming permanently recorded and associated with my avatar. There are two race modes available. Time Trials let me race solo and compete against the best times set by other users. Multiplayer mode allows direct competition with friends in a first-to-the-finish format, adding a social and competitive layer to the experience.

Cardano is deeply integrated into Carda Station at a structural level. The entire metaverse is built on Cardano, and all core assets are native to the blockchain. Land parcels are NFTs stored in user wallets, ensuring true ownership and control. Within the racing experience, both the bikes and the pilots are native Cardano NFTs. This means that when I race, I’m using on-chain assets inside a shared metaverse that itself exists as part of the Carda Station ecosystem.

Because the Race Track exists inside the Carda Station metaverse, racing is not a separate or external feature. It is a fully integrated activity that takes place in a world where land, vehicles, avatars, and items are all connected through Cardano. This creates continuity between ownership, identity, and gameplay. The same metaverse that I explore, socialize in, and build within is where I race and compete.

Carda Station represents a Cardano-native metaverse where ownership is not theoretical. Land, items, avatars, and racing assets exist on-chain and are actively used inside the world. By combining exploration, social interaction, land ownership, and competitive activities like racing, Carda Station establishes itself as a persistent virtual environment where Cardano is not an add-on, but the foundation that ties everything together.