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

Formation
Attack
Defense
Notes

4-4-2

1.00

1.05

Balanced coverage

4-3-3

1.15

0.90

High press, wings

3-5-2

1.05

1.10

Strong mid control

4-2-3-1

1.10

1.00

Creative 10s

4-1-4-1

0.95

1.15

Screened back line

5-3-2

0.85

1.25

Compact deep block

4-3-2-1

1.05

1.05

Narrow “Xmas tree”

3-4-3

1.20

0.85

Overloads 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.

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)

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

4.16 Example: Round Scheduling

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.

PreviousGaff's SolutionNextMarketplace & Club Ops

Last updated