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Product Pillars ​

4.1 Play Modes ​

Tournaments (core) ​

  • Knockout
    • Bracketed cups created on demand.
    • Strict separation of infra: cupMatch tables + controller for life of the tournament.
    • Rounds auto-generate when all fixtures in a round complete.
    • Draws resolve via penalties, winners advance.
    • Simultaneous rounds: every match in a round shares one kickoff time.
  • Mixed (Groups → Knockout)
    • Group Stage uses dedicated groupMatch / groupStage tables.
    • Round-robin, with H2H > GD > GF tiebreak order.
    • Top teams auto-seed into a separate KO path (still in groupMatch with stage='KNOCKOUT' to preserve type isolation).
    • Simultaneous rounds per group, all Round-2 games start together, etc.
[MIXED FLOW]
  Join → Group draw & schedule
     ├─ Group Round 1 (all groups, same T0)
     ├─ Group Round 2 (all groups, T0 + Freq)
     └─ Group Round 3 (all groups, T0 + 2×Freq)
  Qualify → Seeded KO Round 1 (all matches same time)
          → KO Round 2
          → Final

Friendlies (casual) ​

  • Instant fixtures with optional stake-free rewards (XP, chemistry bump).
  • Great for testing formations/tactics and trying academy call-ups.

Leagues (seasonal/recurring) — Roadmap active ​

  • Rolling seasons, promotion/relegation pools, persistent standings.
  • Prize pools + sponsorship slots, end-of-season awards flow into on-chain records.
  • Season history contributes to club legacy and fan-valued brand.

4.2 Simulation DNA (Why matches feel real) ​

Formations & multipliers ​

FormationAttackDefenseNotes
4-4-21.001.05Balanced coverage
4-3-31.150.90High press, wings
3-5-21.051.10Strong mid control
4-2-3-11.101.00Creative 10s
4-1-4-10.951.15Screened back line
5-3-20.851.25Compact deep block
4-3-2-11.051.05Narrow “Xmas tree”
3-4-31.200.85Overloads wide

Tactical levers ​

  • Pressing, width, tempo → continuous nudges to attack/defense.
  • Game plan (Counter / Wing / Direct), defensive style (Compact / Wide), line instructions (Push up / Defend deep), marking (Man / Mixed), offside trap.
  • Each input caps within ±25% envelopes to keep outcomes believable.

Lineups & substitutions ​

  • Default or custom XI, minute-accurate subs that adjust stamina drain (minutes-weighted).
  • Safety checks: null/empty slots are gracefully skipped (no crashes if a slot is unfilled).

Events & injuries ​

  • Goals, assists, substitutions, injuries (probability scaled by injury proneness × low stamina), and KO penalties when tied.
  • Every event persisted with timestamps → auditable payouts & leaderboards.

Ratings & form ​

  • Per-player 1–10 ratings influenced by minutes, goals, assists, role, rolling form arrays for clubs and players drive future sim expectations.

Fairness & noise ​

  • Home advantage with low luck range (±5%).
  • Outcomes feel organic, not RNG-chaotic.

4.3 Schedules & Rounds (Fan-experience perfect) ​

  • Synchronized rounds:
    • All fixtures in Round r share the same kickoff.
    • Next round = previous kickoff + matchFrequency.
    • Applies to Knockout and Mixed (group & KO stages).
  • Live UI:
    • Socket rooms (per tournament) broadcast newResultsAndFixtures.
    • SPA-fast, virtualized lists for smooth fixture feeds at any scale.
[TIME AXIS]
T0: Round 1 (all fixtures)
T0 + F: Round 2 (all fixtures)
T0 + 2F: Round 3 (all fixtures)
...

4.4 Payouts & Leaderboards (One rule, end-to-end) ​

  • Golden Rule: “First to reach N” breaks ties for Top Scorer and Top Assist.
  • Backend payouts scan event timestamps in order, the earlier achiever wins the tie.
  • Frontend boards follow identical sorting: count desc → earliest reach time asc.
  • Result: zero confusion between what users see and what the contract pays.

4.5 Ownership & Liquidity ​

  • Player NFTs: everything you build (training, minutes, form, history) accrues into a saleable asset.
  • Economy primitives:
    • On-chain buys for final settlement, provenance, and trust.
    • Gasless lists/cancellations for smooth UX, signature orders posted off-chain until execution.
    • Loans with duration, fees, and buy clauses, enforced by contract.
  • Tournament leaves (pre-start) are on-chain with fair penalties/refunds handled by escrow.

4.6 Scouting & Signing (Finding the edge) ​

  • Discovery rails
    • Trending prospects: high recent ratings, spike in minutes, or sudden form upticks.
    • Under-priced filters: stamina returns, post-injury discounts, position scarcity.
    • Comps: similarity search across attributes + event outcomes (e.g., “find me a budget CAM with ST-adjacent goals/90”).
  • Signals (examples)
    • Per-90: Goals/90, Assists/90, Key actions/90.
    • Contextual: Last 5 form avg, role fit vs formation, fatigue risk (stamina trend).
  • Signing flows
    • Buy now (on-chain), negotiated transfer (counteroffers), loan (fee + clause).
    • All with escrow and auto-release on completion.

4.7 Training (Turning time into value) ​

  • Session types: Finishing (ST/LW/RW), Creativity (CAM/CM), Positioning (CB/FB), Distribution (GK), Conditioning (all).
  • Constraints: stamina gates, match congestion penalties, diminishing returns.
  • Outputs: gradual attribute shifts, temporary boosts (time-boxed), and long-term arcs recorded on-chain as metadata.
  • Risk/Reward: aggressive plans increase short-term performance and injury risk.

4.8 Academy (Pipelines, not gacha) ​

  • Intake classes seeded by club focus (e.g., “wings and 10s”), RNG within realistic bounds.
  • Progression: academy matches (friendlies), internal ratings, form snapshots.
  • Graduation: mint as NFT only when promoted to senior squad, no clutter, you only pay to mint when there’s conviction.
  • Marketability: graduates inherit provenance (club, coach, drills used), improving price discovery.

4.9 Shop (Utility, not sink) ​

  • Boosts (transparent, capped): recovery water, short-term morale, focus sessions.
  • No pay-to-win walls: boosts help, but can’t brute-force sim fairness caps.
  • Recipe-style bundles: seasonal combos encourage planning, not spam.
  • On/off-chain: day-to-day gasless usage, on-chain stock-keeping for rare items.

4.10 Marketplace UX (Gasless where it should be) ​

Lists & Offers

  • Gasless create/cancel (signatures)
  • On-chain fill → finality, royalties, and escrow payouts executed atomically.

Loan Desk

  • Pre-templated terms: duration, fee, wage split, buy clause %
  • Auto-revert at expiry, player returns and metadata (minutes, form) persists.

Portfolio

  • Mark-to-market valuations, realized P&L, fee breakdowns.
  • Tax-friendly CSV exports (periodic).

4.11 Referrals & Creator Rails ​

  • Two-sided referrals: referrer earns on tournament fees, marketplace fees, and shop purchases within a time window.
  • Creator leagues: white-label formats with a revenue share on entries/sponsorships.
  • Open data means creators can ship dashboards, scouting newsletters, or highlights bots, and plug directly into referral ids.

4.12 Anti-Cheat, Anti-Sybil, Fair Play ​

  • Identity tiers: higher stakes require stronger proofs (KYC-light or web-of-trust), casual play remains open.
  • Multi-account heuristics: on-chain graph + device/browser signals to flag funneling.
  • Ref abuse: diminishing returns per cluster, manual escalations on anomalies.
  • Public audit trails: fixtures, events, payouts all traceable.

4.13 Builder Surface (APIs, data, sockets) ​

  • Realtime sockets: match events, fixture updates, payout settlements.
  • Read APIs: player stats, marketplace tickers, tournament states.
  • Webhooks: trade fills, injury updates, training completions.
  • Licensing: clear “do-anything” policy for non-custodial tools, curated spotlight for best community apps.

4.14 UX Philosophy (No velvet rope) ​

  • Web2-level polish, Web3-level rights.
  • Gasless where it matters (lists, routine ops), on-chain when it counts (ownership, payouts).
  • Mobile-first screens for fixtures, bids, and quick training.

4.15 Example: Leaderboard Consistency (Front vs Payout) ​

pseudo
// Backend payout (Top Scorer / Top Assist)
group events by playerId
compute {count, firstTimestamp}
sort by (count desc, firstTimestamp asc)
winner = first entry
js
// Frontend board mirrors backend:
players.sort((a, b) => b.count - a.count || a.first - b.first);

Result: the same name sits atop both lists—always.

4.16 Example: Round Scheduling ​

pseudo
base = now()
for r in 1..maxRounds:
  kickoff[r] = base + (r-1) * matchFrequency
  for each match in round r:
    match.scheduledAt = kickoff[r]

Guarantee: every fixture in round r shares the same kickoff.

4.17 What this unlocks ​

  • Players turn time and taste into assets with resale and yield.
  • Clubs compound into brands with history, fans, and cashflows.
  • Ecosystem grows from a single game into the on-chain soccer economy.

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