Shootout
Platform Behavior & Troubleshooting Guide
How Shootout works — exact platform rules, behaviors, and fixes for common issues.
Product Structure: How It Works
The Shootout product family
Shootout is a family of six sport-themed shooting game sub-engagements
Clients purchase individual sub-engagements — only purchased sub-engagements are accessible
All sub-engagements are accessed from Shootout in the top product navigation bar
Each instance is tied to one specific sub-engagement — the sub-engagement type cannot be changed after an instance is created
A client can have multiple instances of the same sub-engagement for different events or configurations
The six sub-engagements
Sub-engagement | Also known as | Sport theme | Unique control mechanics |
Football | QB Toss | American football — throw at moving players | None beyond shared settings |
Hockey | Slapshot | Ice hockey — shoot at targets in goal | Stick visibility toggle; target transition timer |
Basketball | Swish | Basketball — shoot baskets | Distance mechanic; static positioning; HORSE mechanic |
Carnival | Carnival | Carnival-style aiming at targets | None beyond shared settings |
Baseball | Grand Slam | Baseball — hit pitches | None; unique jersey editor in Design tab |
Soccer | Goal | Soccer/football — kick at targets in goal | None beyond shared settings |
Operation Modes: Exact Behavior
Sync mode
All players play simultaneously during one shared session
Each player gets one attempt per session
The gameplay timer controls the total play duration for everyone — when it expires, the session ends
The mainboard displays a real-time 3D animation showing the actual shots being made during gameplay
When the session ends, the leaderboard is displayed in sync format: 1st, 2nd, 3rd place shown prominently at top; 4th through 10th place listed below
All prize types can be set to Automatic or Manual in Sync mode
Async mode
Players participate on their own schedule within the activation window
Each player gets one attempt unless Free Play is enabled
The operator starts and stops the event manually (unless Schedule mode handles it)
The mainboard shows an active leaderboard with a 3D scene in the background — no active gameplay animation
Players can join at any time while the activation is running
Recommended prize distribution: Points = Manual, Rank = Manual, Consolation = Manual, Participation = either
Free Play
Available in Async mode only
Allows players to play the game repeatedly rather than one attempt per session
Changes prizing dynamics — Manual distribution is especially important when Free Play is enabled
Event Planning: Exact Behavior
Event planning modes
Off: The operator starts and stops the event manually. No automatic timing.
Duration: The event runs for the configured duration and then stops automatically.
Schedule: The event starts and stops automatically at the configured dates and times.
Automatic reset
Available within Schedule mode
Resets the instance within the scheduled window at configured intervals
Each reset creates a new analytics session — separate data for each cycle
Each reset also creates a new prize cycle — useful for repeated prize distributions within one event window
Stop event when prizes reach zero
When enabled, the event stops automatically the moment all prize inventory is exhausted
Applies to participation prizes and any other prizes with a limited supply configured in the prizing settings
Scoring: How It Works
Target-based scoring (Football, Hockey, Carnival, Baseball, Soccer)
Targets have point values displayed on them — different targets are worth different amounts
Players earn points by successfully hitting a target
Higher-value targets reward more skilled or precise shots
Football (QB Toss) target values: 20, 40, 60, and 250 points — plus a field goal opportunity
Basket-based scoring (Basketball / Swish)
Scoring is based on making baskets, not hitting labeled targets
Specific point values for baskets are determined by the activation configuration
On fire effect
Three consecutive successful shots triggers the on fire visual effect
The effect is a visual reward — specific scoring impact should be confirmed per sub-engagement
The on fire color is configurable in the Design tab
Basketball (Swish) specific — HORSE mechanic
Optional gameplay mode
Players receive a letter for each missed shot
Spelling the complete word ends that player's game
The word is customizable up to six characters
Crowd cards appear in the game displaying accumulated letters
The HORSE mechanic and on fire mechanic are completely separate — one does not affect the other
Prizing: Rules and Behavior
Four condition types
Points: Awarded when the player's total score reaches or exceeds the configured threshold
Rank: Awarded when the player's final rank falls within the configured range (e.g., 1 through 10)
Participation: Awarded to any player who plays the game
Consolation: Awarded to players who play but do not receive any other prize
Distribution mode rules by operation mode
Prize type | Sync mode | Async mode | Reason |
Points | Auto or Manual | Manual recommended | Players play over time — award when all have competed |
Rank | Auto or Manual | Manual recommended | Rankings change as more players complete — award at end |
Participation | Auto or Manual | Either works | Awarded on completion — less sensitive to timing |
Consolation | Auto or Manual | Manual recommended | Depends on other prizes — award when all decisions are made |
Manual prize distribution
When you stop an event that has manual prizes pending, the platform warns you
Distribute all manual prizes before clicking the final stop confirmation
Manual prizes that are not distributed before the event closes may require additional steps to award
Important: Always distribute manual prizes before stopping an event. The platform warning is a reminder — do not dismiss it without checking.
Design: How It Works
Shared vs sub-engagement-specific
Six uploads are shared across all sub-engagements: game title, team logo, sponsor logo, loading image, mobile background, mainboard background
Leaderboard color settings and on fire color are shared
All other design uploads and color settings are specific to each sub-engagement
Mainboard behavior by operation mode
Sync mode: real-time 3D animation of actual player shots plays during the gameplay window; sync-format leaderboard shown at end
Async mode: active leaderboard with 3D background scene displayed throughout the activation; no active shot animations
Carnival layered design interface
Carnival has a unique virtual view showing all design layers visually rather than a standard upload list
Hovering over any area highlights the specific layer that upload affects
Clicking the highlighted area or the upload icon both work for uploading
Baseball (Grand Slam) jersey text editor
Built-in editor for player jersey name and number
Configurable: name text, number text, font size, spacing, X position, Y position, color
Replace Current Texture applies the edit immediately
Download saves the texture file to your device
Click outside the editor window to close it
Troubleshooting: Common Issues and Fixes
"Players received prizes too early in Async mode before everyone had a chance to compete"
Cause: Points, Rank, or Consolation prizes were set to Automatic in Async mode — prizes distributed as soon as a player met the condition.
Fix for future activations: set Points, Rank, and Consolation to Manual distribution in Async mode.
"The event stopped before I could distribute manual prizes"
The platform warns you about pending manual prizes before you stop an event.
If you dismissed the warning: check the prizing section to see if distribution is still possible, or contact your account team.
Prevention: always check for pending manual prizes before stopping any event.
"Players say they cannot hear the game sound"
Cause: Likely an iPhone user who — iOS requires a user to touch the screen to enable sound.
Fix: Make sure the Touch to Start screen is enabled in the Control tab. This prompts players to tap before gameplay begins, which enables iOS sound.
Secondary cause: the Sound toggle in the Control tab may be turned off.
"The HORSE letters are not appearing for players in Basketball (Swish)"
Cause: The HORSE mechanic may not be enabled in the Control tab.
Fix: Go to Control → Basketball (Swish) settings → confirm the HORSE mechanic is toggled on and the word is configured.
"The mainboard is showing a leaderboard instead of gameplay during a Sync event"
This is expected behavior. In Async mode the mainboard always shows a leaderboard. Confirm the operation mode is set to Sync, not Async.
Fix: Check the Event Mode setting in the Control tab and confirm it is set to Sync.
"The distance mechanic is not working in Basketball (Swish)"
Cause: The distance mechanic toggle may not be enabled in the Control tab.
Fix: Go to Control → Basketball (Swish) settings → confirm the distance mechanic is toggled on.
"Targets in Hockey (Slapshot) are switching too fast or too slow"
Fix: Adjust the target transition timer in Control → Hockey (Slapshot) settings.
Lower number = faster transitions. Higher number = longer targets stay.
Around 5 seconds works well for general audiences; around 3 seconds for experienced players.
"I cannot find a sub-engagement to create an instance for"
Cause: Your organization may not have purchased that sub-engagement.
Fix: Contact your account team to confirm which sub-engagements are included in your plan.
"The jersey text editor in Baseball (Grand Slam) closed without saving"
Cause: Clicking outside the editor window closes it — and if Replace Current Texture was not clicked first, changes may not have been applied.
Fix: Reopen the jersey text editor, re-enter your changes, and click Replace Current Texture before clicking outside the window.
Note: A close button may be added to the jersey text editor in a future update. For now, click Replace Current Texture before clicking anywhere outside the editor.