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Round Mechanics

Every PlayOrbs round follows a predictable lifecycle with three distinct states.

Round State Machine​

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      ROUND STATES                                 │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                   │
│   [OPEN]  ───────►  [COUNTDOWN]  ───────►  [SETTLED]             │
│     │                    │                      │                │
│  Players              Timer                  Winners              │
│   Join              Counting               Determined             │
│                        Down                                       │
│                                                                   │
│  Trigger: First      Trigger:             Trigger:               │
│  player joins      Min players          Countdown ends           │
│                      reached              OR max players          │
│                                                                   │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

State Details​

Open State​

The round begins when the first player joins:

PropertyDescription
TriggerFirst player joins tier
ActionsAccept new players, accumulate prize pool
DurationUntil minimum players reached
Fee Split80% to vault, 20% to protocol

During this phase:

  • Players can join freely
  • Prize pool grows with each entry
  • No time pressure

Countdown State​

Triggered when minimum player threshold is met:

PropertyDescription
Triggerjoined_count >= min_players
DurationTier-specific (30-120 seconds typical)
ActionsContinue accepting joins, timer runs

During this phase:

  • Countdown timer visible to all
  • New players can still join
  • Prize pool continues growing
  • Ends when timer expires OR max players reached

Settled State​

The terminal state after competition:

PropertyDescription
TriggerCountdown expires OR max players
ActionsSet seed, distribute prizes, award points
TerminalNo further state changes

During settlement:

  1. Cryptographic seed is set
  2. Game outcome is determined
  3. SOL prizes distributed to winners
  4. Points awarded to all participants
  5. PORB emissions processed (if triggered)

Round Data Structure​

Each round tracks:

RoundMeta {
    id: u64,                    // Unique identifier
    season_id: u16,             // Season this round belongs to
    tier_id: u8,                // Associated tier
    status: u8,                 // 0=Open, 1=Countdown, 2=Settled
    countdown_start_ts: i64,    // Unix timestamp
    entry_lamports: u64,        // Entry fee
    min_players: u16,           // Minimum to start
    max_players: u16,           // Maximum capacity
    countdown_secs: u32,        // Duration
    seed_hex: [u8; 32],         // Cryptographic seed
    joined_count: u16,          // Current players
    created_ts: i64,            // Creation time
}

Settlement Eligibility​

A round can be settled when:

settlement_allowed = (status == COUNTDOWN) AND (
    (now >= countdown_start_ts + countdown_secs)  // Timeout
    OR (joined_count == max_players)              // Full
)

Next Steps​