Hoop Dynasty - Contract Resolution

Contract resolution is the process by which expiring player contracts are decided in Chapter 2 of the off-season (see 9-off-season.md). For each expiring contract, the coach chooses to retain, release, or let expire — but the player also has a decision: they may accept, counter, or decline a retain offer.

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1. The Accept/Decline Function

When the coach offers a retain, the player’s response is computed by:

contract_response(
  player,                    // morale, role tags, behavioral tags, relationship tags
  morale_end_of_season,      // final morale value at season end
  rival_interest,            // rival team interest level (see §2)
  role_offered,              // role tags in the retain offer
  role_current,              // role tags the player held this season
  coach_player_relationship, // trust level and relationship tags (see 10-relationships.md)
  negotiation_modifier       // net effect of any negotiation actions taken (see §3)
) → response                 // accept | counter | decline

Response logic (V1):

Each input contributes a signed score to the player’s inclination. The sum determines the response bracket:

Inclination score	Response
High positive	accept
Near zero	counter — player accepts with a condition (higher role, specific Development Card, etc.)
Negative	decline

Input contributions:

Input	Direction	Notes
morale_end_of_season high (17–20)	Positive	Player feels valued; more likely to stay
morale_end_of_season low (0–6)	Negative	Player feels sidelined or disrespected
No rival interest	Positive	No competing offers; staying is the logical choice
Strong rival interest	Negative	Player has options; retention is competitive
role_offered ≥ role_current	Positive	Same or better role; matches expectation
role_offered < role_current	Negative	Downgrade in role; triggers morale expectation pressure even at offer stage
coach_player_relationship trust level high	Positive	Deep trust makes a player more likely to accept below-market-value offers
Behavioral tag team-first	Positive modifier	Team loyalty amplifies positive contributions
Behavioral tag high-maintenance	Negative modifier	Raises the bar for acceptance

A counter response is a narrative event, not a blocking state. The coach can respond to it with a negotiation action (see §3), accept the counter’s terms, or let the player walk.

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2. Rival Interest Model

Rival team interest in a player is computed at the start of Chapter 2 and is not re-calculated mid-chapter. It is based on:

rival_interest(
  player,                  // attributes, age, role tags
  season_heat_history,     // rolling Heat record across the season
  overall_rating,          // derived from attribute domain scores
  rival_team_needs         // each rival team's roster gaps
) → interest_level         // none | low | medium | high

Interest level derivation:

• A player who ran consistently Hot across the season and has a high overall rating attracts medium to high interest from multiple rival teams.
• A player who ran Cold or has a declining overall rating attracts none or low interest — few or no outside offers.
• Interest is also shaped by roster fit: a rival team with a specific hole (no floor-spacer, for example) weights that player’s relevant role tags heavily.

Visibility:

• The coach can see that interest exists but not the specific teams or offer terms unless they have Franchise Coach influence tier (see 9-off-season.md §1.2).
• A Franchise Coach can see which rivals are circling, giving them signal about which players are most at risk of leaving before a retain offer is made.

Rival interest as implicit pressure: Even when the coach cannot see the specific offers, the player’s negotiating posture is visibly different. A player with high rival interest negotiates from strength; one with no interest is more accommodating. This is communicated through narrative text on the contract resolution screen, not numeric readouts.

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3. Negotiation

The coach can spend negotiation actions during Chapter 2 to shift the inputs to the contract_response function before it resolves. Each negotiation action corresponds to a card played from the Chapter 2 card pool — the pool is governed by influence tier (see 9-off-season.md §2).

Negotiation actions shift one input per card played. Examples:

Action type	Effect on function
Role upgrade offer	Improves role_offered input — may move response from counter to accept
Relationship appeal	Amplifies coach_player_relationship trust contribution
Development promise	Adds a conditional positive modifier (Development Card committed to this player next season)
Market intel suppress	Reduces rival_interest contribution — the coach downplays outside options

One negotiation pass per player per chapter. The coach can play one card to shift the inputs, then the function re-evaluates. If the player still declines after negotiation, the decision is final for this off-season.

The specific cards available, their costs, and their strength are part of the card pool design — details deferred. The function signature accepts a negotiation_modifier from day one so the card system can plug in without a structural change.

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4. Counter Offers

A counter response presents the player’s condition as a narrative event. The coach sees the condition stated in plain terms (e.g. “He wants to be the primary ball-handler” or “He wants assurance he’ll stay in the starting lineup”). The coach’s options:

• Accept the counter’s terms — adjusts the role assignment accordingly; player signs
• Play a negotiation card — attempts to shift the player’s position without fully accepting
• Let them walk — declines the counter; player enters free agency

Counters are not multi-round by default. V1 has one counter exchange per player. A later phase could allow a multi-round back-and-forth at higher card cost.

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5. Open Questions

Question	Notes
Negotiation card vocabulary	What specific cards exist in the Chapter 2 pool? Names, costs, and effect magnitudes. Belongs to a card design pass.
Counter condition vocabulary	What conditions can a player counter with beyond role and morale? (e.g. “wants guaranteed minutes,” “wants a specific teammate retained”). Story event pool not yet designed for this.
Influence tier card pool detail	Chapter 2 card pool sizes per influence tier are set in 9-off-season.md but individual card contents are not. Deferred to card design pass.
Age factor	Should player age affect willingness to sign (younger players more willing to move for a bigger role; aging veterans more likely to chase a championship)? Not yet modelled.