Shootout
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Shootout?
What is Shootout?
Shootout is a series of sport-themed shooting game activations. Players use their phones to aim and shoot at targets or goals, competing for the highest score within a timed session. The series includes six sub-engagements, each with its own sport theme, visual design, and gameplay mechanics: Football (QB Toss), Hockey (Slapshot), Basketball (Swish), Carnival, Baseball (Grand Slam), and Soccer (Goal).
How do I access Shootout?
Log in to the CUE Platform. From the top product navigation bar, click Shootout. The sub-engagements your organization has purchased will be available for you to create instances for.
What is a sub-engagement?
Each sport-themed game (Slapshot, Swish, etc.) in the Shootout series is a sub-engagement. Each instance you create is specific to one sub-engagement — when you create a new instance, you select which sub-engagement it is for. You can have multiple instances of the same sub-engagement for different events or configurations.
Do I need to purchase all six sub-engagements?
No. You purchase the sub-engagements your organization wants to use. Only the sub-engagements you have purchased will be available when you create a new instance.
Operation Modes
What are the two operation modes?
Sync mode and Async mode are the two ways to run a Shootout activation. Sync mode is a shared, simultaneous experience — all players play at the same time during a single session with a gameplay timer that limits the total play duration. Async mode is a self-paced experience — players can join and play on their own schedule within the activation window.
What is Sync mode and when should I use it?
In Sync mode, all players play simultaneously during one shared session. The operator starts the event, the gameplay timer runs, and everyone plays at the same time. During gameplay the mainboard displays a real-time 3D animation showing the actual shots being made. When the session ends the leaderboard is shown. Sync mode is ideal for live events where you want all participants playing together — halftime shows, watch parties, or any activation where simultaneous participation creates energy.
Tip: Sync mode is recommended for live events with a defined moment — everyone starts together, competes at the same time, and the result is revealed at once.
What is Async mode and when should I use it?
In Async mode, players participate on their own schedule within the activation window you set. The operator starts and stops the event, but players can join and play at any point while it is running. The mainboard in Async mode displays an active leaderboard with a 3D scene in the background rather than showing active gameplay. Each player still gets one attempt per session unless Free Play is enabled. Async mode is ideal for activations that run over an extended period — lobby experiences, sponsor activations, or multi-day campaigns.
What does Free Play mode do?
Free Play is an option within Async mode that allows players to play the game repeatedly rather than being limited to one attempt. This is useful for activations where you want guests to keep engaging over a longer period.
Event Planning
What are the event planning options?
Event planning gives you three ways to control when and how long an activation runs. Off means you manage the start and stop manually. Duration means the event runs for a set amount of time and then stops automatically. Schedule means you set a specific start date and time and end date and time — the platform handles starting and stopping automatically.
What does automatic reset do?
Automatic reset resets the instance within the scheduled window, allowing multiple play cycles, separate analytics reports, and multiple prize distribution opportunities within a single scheduled event. This is useful for activations that run continuously over a long period where you want fresh starts at regular intervals.
What does "stop event when prizes reach zero" do?
When this option is enabled, the event automatically stops as soon as the prize inventory is fully claimed. This is useful for activations with a limited number of prizes — such as participation prizes — where you want the event to close as soon as all prizes have been distributed.
Gameplay
How does scoring work?
Players earn points by successfully making shots or hitting targets during the gameplay timer. Most sub-engagements use targets with point values labeled on them — different targets are worth different amounts, so aiming for higher-value targets rewards skill and precision. Basketball (Swish) is different — scoring is based on making baskets rather than hitting labeled targets.
What is the on fire effect?
Making three consecutive successful shots triggers the on fire effect. This is a visual effect that appears during gameplay. It applies across the Shootout sub-engagements.
What is the HORSE mechanic in Basketball (Swish)?
HORSE is an optional gameplay mechanic available in Basketball (Swish). It works like the classic basketball game of the same name — players receive a letter each time they miss a shot. When a player spells the complete word, they lose. The word is customizable up to six characters, so it does not have to be "HORSE." As players accumulate letters, crowd cards display the letters in the game. The on fire mechanic is separate from HORSE and the two do not affect each other.
Tip: You can customize the HORSE word to match your team, sponsor, or event theme — up to six characters.
What are the gameplay timer and countdown timer?
The countdown timer is the 5-4-3-2-1 timer that runs before gameplay begins, giving players a moment to prepare. The gameplay duration timer controls how long players have to actually shoot during the game. Both are configurable in the Control tab.
Sub-Engagement Specific Features
Are there differences between the Control tab settings for each sub-engagement?
Most Control tab settings are shared across all six sub-engagements. A few sub-engagements have additional mechanics unique to them. Hockey (Slapshot) has a hockey stick visibility toggle and a target transition timer that controls how quickly targets cycle in and out of the goal. Basketball (Swish) has a distance mechanic, a static positioning toggle, and the HORSE mechanic. Football (QB Toss), Carnival, Baseball (Grand Slam), and Soccer (Goal) do not have unique control mechanics beyond the shared settings.
What is the distance mechanic in Basketball (Swish)?
The distance mechanic gradually moves the shooting position further from the basket as the game progresses, making it more challenging toward the end of the gameplay timer.
What is static positioning in Basketball (Swish)?
Static positioning controls whether the ball moves left and right during gameplay. When enabled, the ball stays centered. When disabled, the ball moves left and right toward the end of the game, adding an additional challenge.
What is the target transition timer in Hockey (Slapshot)?
Hockey (Slapshot) has targets within the goal that cycle in and out during gameplay. The target transition timer controls how quickly they switch. A lower number means targets transition faster. A setting around five seconds works well for most activations — around three seconds is suitable for more experienced players or repeat activations.
What is unique about the Baseball (Grand Slam) design?
Baseball (Grand Slam) includes a built-in text editor that lets you customize the name and number on the player's jersey. You can change the font size, spacing, X and Y position, and color of both the name and number. Once you are happy with the result you can replace the current jersey texture or download it. Baseball also has a full stadium background image that sits behind all other game elements, along with paint texture and jersey texture upload options for teams with specific patterns.
What is unique about the Carnival design?
Carnival has a unique design interface that uses a layered virtual view. Instead of a standard upload list, you see a visual representation of the game with the different uploadable layers highlighted. Hovering over each area highlights exactly which part of the scene you are uploading. This makes it easy to see how each asset fits into the overall layout.
What is unique about Soccer (Goal)?
Soccer (Goal) is the newest sub-engagement and features the most refined UI design in the series. It includes a meter display that shows players how much time remains and how far along they are in their on fire streak, making it more intuitive to follow what is happening at a glance. It also supports team flags on the left and right sides and a media area behind the goal.
Prizing
What prizing condition types are available in Shootout?
Shootout supports four prizing condition types. Points: the player reaches or exceeds a set point threshold. Rank: the player finishes within a specified rank range (for example, 1st through 10th). Participation: the player plays the game. Consolation: the player plays but does not receive any other prize.
Should I use Automatic or Manual prize distribution?
In Sync mode, all prize types can be set to either Automatic or Manual. In Async mode, it is strongly recommended to set Points, Rank, and Consolation prizes to Manual distribution, and Participation prizes can be either. Because Async players can play over an extended period and potentially multiple times if Free Play is enabled, Manual distribution gives you control over when prizes are awarded rather than distributing them immediately as conditions are met.
Important: In Async mode, setting Points, Rank, and Consolation prizes to Automatic can lead to prizes being distributed at the wrong time since players are not all playing simultaneously.
What happens if I have manual prizes when I end the event?
When you stop an event that has manual prizes, the platform will warn you before ending so you can distribute them first. You should distribute all manual prizes before stopping the event to ensure all qualifying players receive their prizes.
Analytics
What analytics data is available for Shootout?
The Analytics tab provides session-level data for each time the event was run. Available metrics include the date and time of the event, QR code scans, total players, unique players, returning players, total time played, and total prizes delivered. You can export a detailed report for any session after it has ended (when you stop the “LIVE” instance). If you have multiple instances, use the instance dropdown to select the one you want to view.
Design
What design elements are shared across all sub-engagements?
All six sub-engagements share a common set of design uploads and color options: game title image, team logo, sponsor logo, loading image, mobile background, and mainboard background. They also have select sub-engagement specific elements that can be customized as well. All also share color pickers for leaderboard elements including leaderboard fill, leaderboard text, leaderboard frame accent, and top ten rank color. Fonts can be uploaded and applied to buttons across all sub-engagements.
What does the mainboard look like during a Sync activation?
During a Sync mode activation, the mainboard displays a real-time 3D animation showing the actual shots being made by players — footballs, hockey pucks, basketballs, baseballs, or soccer balls flying toward the goal, basket, or targets. When the event ends, the leaderboard is displayed. The sync leaderboard has a distinct format with first, second, and third place shown prominently at the top, followed by fourth through tenth place below.
What does the mainboard look like during an Async activation?
During an Async mode activation, the mainboard displays an active leaderboard with a 3D scene in the background. Unlike Sync mode, no active shot animations appear — the focus is on the live leaderboard as players complete their sessions.
Can I use custom fonts in Shootout?
Yes. Upload your fonts in the Design tab and enable the custom fonts toggle in the Control tab to apply them to buttons throughout the activation.