Contest Mechanics

This document provides a comprehensive overview of the contest mechanics implemented in the game, detailing how contests are created, managed, and presented to players.

Overview

The contest system is designed to facilitate competitive gameplay, where players can participate in themed events, submit entries, and vote on others. It supports:

• Contest creation and management with flexible templates.
• Player outfit submissions and reward distribution.
• Voting systems for player engagement.
• Ranking and leaderboard features.

Core Concepts

1. Contest Templates

Contest templates define the structure and rules of contests. They include parameters such as duration, ticket cost, and rewards.

Attributes

• ID (_id): Unique identifier for the contest.
• Possible Styles (_possibleStyles): A list of styles associated with the contest.
• Display Data (_displayData): Visual information used in the UI.
• Duration (_duration): Length of the contest in seconds.
• Ticket Cost (_ticketCost): Cost to enter the contest.
• Top Player Count (_topPlayerCount): Number of top players eligible for special rewards.
• Participation Reward (_participationReward): Rewards for all participants.
• Top Rewards List (_topRewardsList): Rewards for top players.

Key Functions

• GetId: Retrieves the contest ID.
• GetRandomStyle: Returns a random style from the possible styles.
• GetReward: Determines the reward based on a player’s rank.

2. Contest Manager

The ContestManager.lua handles contest lifecycle management, including creation, voting, and result computation.

Responsibilities

• Initializing new contests.
• Managing player submissions.
• Handling voting and score calculations.
• Distributing rewards to participants.

Key Functions

• StartContest: Creates a new contest based on a specified template.
• SubmitOutfitForContest: Handles player submissions for contests.
• RequestPlacementForContest: Retrieves placement data for a contest.
• CastVote: Records votes for submitted outfits.
• GetOutfitScore: Calculates the score of an outfit based on votes.

3. UI Components

Contest UI

The main interface for players to view ongoing contests, submit outfits, and access voting and results.

Voting UI

Allows players to vote on submitted outfits. Features include:

• Star ratings for visualizing scores.
• Special effects to enhance engagement during voting.

Results UI

Displays final rankings and rewards after a contest concludes.

Workflow

1. Contest Initialization

   • StartContest initializes a new contest based on a selected template.
   • Contests are assigned a unique ID and end time.

2. Player Submission

   • Players submit outfits using SubmitOutfitForContest.
   • Outfits are validated and stored, and the submission fee is deducted.

3. Voting

   • Players vote on outfits via the Voting UI.
   • Votes are recorded, and scores are updated using CastVote.

4. Results and Rewards

   • At the contest’s conclusion, RequestPlacementForContest computes rankings.
   • Rewards are distributed based on rankings.

Example Implementation

Example Contest Template

local contestTemplate = {
  _id = "contest_001",
  _possibleStyles = {"Elegant", "Casual", "Fantasy"},
  _duration = 300,
  _ticketCost = 5,
  _topPlayerCount = 10,
  _participationReward = participationLoot,
  _topRewardsList = {topReward1, topReward2},
}

Starting a Contest

ContestManager.StartContest(contestTemplate)

Submitting an Outfit

ContestManager.SubmitOutfitForContest(contestId, outfitData, nil, function(code)
  if code == 0 then
    print("Submission successful!")
  else
    print("Submission failed with error code:", code)
  end
end)

Casting a Vote

ContestManager.CastVote(contestData, votedPlayerId, opposingPlayerId)

Key Events

ContestStartedEvent

Triggered when a new contest begins, notifying players and updating the UI.

ContestEndedEvent

Triggered at the end of a contest, finalizing rankings and rewards.

ContestOutfitAddResponseEvent

Provides feedback on player outfit submissions.

ContestVotingBlockResponseEvent

Delivers voting blocks for players to engage in the voting process.