Hoop Dynasty - Design Notes

1. Resolved Tensions

Tension	Resolution
Single protagonist (RPG) vs. ensemble franchise	Coach is protagonist + anchor; players and league are ensemble
Timing pressure vs. card economy skill	Timing creates urgency and engagement; economic card decisions are the actual skill
Casual sessions vs. deep engagement	Fixed 5-step post/pre-game sequence with one context-gated decision slot; constrained menu makes each decision meaningful
Roguelite resets vs. narrative attachment	Roster resets naturally (contracts, aging); coach identity, rivalries, and league history persist
Blowouts as dead time vs. meaningful play	Blowouts are a distinct mode: development sessions + elevated story event probability
Opponent scheme visibility vs. scouting value	Formation always visible; hidden bonuses revealed only through scouting or experience
Identity card accumulation vs. run freshness	Collect ~20; slot only 3 per season; full library available but always constrained

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2. Open Questions

Question	Notes
Player–Player synergy depth	Synergy history persists across roster changes and re-activates on reunion. Full synergy accumulation speed, decay, and conflict repair undefined. Data model interface is fixed; behavioral depth deferred. See 10-relationships.md.
Reunion narrative events	Story events triggered on player reunion (returning star, mentor/pupil reunited, rival becomes teammate). Story pool for this axis not yet designed.
Coach–Coach relationships	Rival coaches as persistent entities with relationship history. Not in scope for current phase; data model does not include this axis yet.
League simulation — information delivery	How standings, events, and rivalry info reach the player. Deferred to visual design session. See 8-league-simulation.md.
Multiplayer or single-player only	Single-player implied but not decided. Should be explicitly deferred rather than assumed.
Platforms	Not addressed. Casual session length and card visual language suggest mobile viability alongside desktop.
Play type action budgets	Base shot clock budget per play type (e.g. transition vs. half-court set). Interface supports variable budgets from day one; calibration deferred.
Draft event UI	Draft Board (simple) vs. Crisis-style UI (card-based, pressure). Deferred to dedicated design session. See 7-draft-and-scouting.md.
Influence tier thresholds	At what reputation scores does the coach cross from New Coach → Established Coach → Franchise Coach? Needs calibration once reputation scoring is designed.
Card visual language	All four card types share a unified visual language. Details (art style, layout, tier indicators, domain summary display) deferred to a dedicated visual design session.

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3. Resolved Questions

Question	Resolution
Role assignment mechanics	Offensive role tags (10-tag vocabulary: ball-handler, pick-and-roll-handler, pick-and-roll-screener, pick-and-pop-screener, handoff-screener, isolation-scorer, post-anchor, floor-spacer, cutter, transition-initiator). Auto-assigned in V1; manually overridable later. Morale mismatch detected by a function returning games_left_until_crisis. Defensive roles deferred. See 11-role-assignment.md.
Contract resolution detail	Accept/decline driven by morale, rival interest (Heat-history-based), and role match. Negotiation via cards that shift function inputs (one negotiation pass per player per chapter). Counter offers are one-round narrative events. See 12-contract-resolution.md.
Rivalry cap	Max 2 active rivalries per team. New rivalries displace the weakest existing rivalry when the cap is reached. See 8-league-simulation.md.
Team archetype evolution	Archetype re-evaluated at the start of every season by re-running the archetype assignment function on the current roster. No special trigger — evolves naturally with roster changes. Mid-season archetype changes do not occur. See 8-league-simulation.md.
Situation card carry-over at season end	Relationship-tagged situation cards survive the season reset if the linked player is retained (cap: 3). Cards expire when the player leaves. Coach–Player and Player–Player relationship records persist indefinitely; synergies re-activate on reunion. Data model interface fixed; depth deferred. See 10-relationships.md.
Attribute and tag interaction model	15 attributes across 5 domains (Scoring, Defense, Rebounding, Athleticism, Playmaking). Tags handle IQ, behavioral, specialisation, and durability traits. See 6-player-attributes-and-tags.md.
Draft and rookie scouting loop	Annual draft class + persistent free agent pool. Progressive reveal scouting via between-game decision slot. Draft event UI deferred. See 7-draft-and-scouting.md.
Defensive simulation	Mirror model with weighted scoring function, defensive response vocabulary, and proximity function. See §1.2 in 3-game-loop.md.
Defensive role tags and schemes	7-tag defensive role vocabulary (perimeter-stopper, ball-hawk, rim-protector, post-defender, help-defender, switchable-defender, transition-stopper). Defensive IQ tags (defensive-gambler / defensive-conservative). 6 named defensive schemes (protect-the-paint, protect-the-arc, pressure, drop-and-contain, switch-everything, zone). See 13-defensive-schemes.md.
Fatigue model	Accumulation function, recovery schedule, display thresholds. See §1.2 in 3-game-loop.md.
League simulation depth	Output-driven sim: standings, player movements (contracts/waivers/signings only — no trades), team trajectories, notable events. Archetype-driven rival teams with dynamic event layer. Rivalries: pre-generated at save start + emergent in-season. See 8-league-simulation.md.
Off-season	7-chapter guided sequence (Coaching Contract → Season Debrief → Contract Resolution → Draft → Free Agent Signing → Roster Construction → Pre-Season Setup). Reputation-based influence tiers (New Coach / Established Coach / Franchise Coach) govern card economy across chapters and in-season. Prestige vs. control tension in contract offers. See 9-off-season.md.