client/overview/multiplayer.md

Multiplayer — Maps & Game Modes

Maps

• 10 maps total at launch
• Design philosophy: CSGO-tight — intentional lanes, clear sightlines, no wasted space
• Subspace Continuum's Trench Wars maps were too large and too open — avoid this
• All maps are 2D top-down space environments (asteroid fields, space stations, nebulae, etc.)

Map Size	Used For
Small	Ranked 5v5
Medium	Ranked 5v5 / Casual 25v25
Large	Casual 25v25 only

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Ranked Mode — 5v5

Status: design ideas only — not implemented. The matchmaking API's ranked queue path was built and then deleted (CLAUDE.md item 15) once it became clear no client would hit it before casual was solid; it's absent from the main menu entirely (not just disabled) until it's built for real.

Competitive, skill-based, MMR/ELO ladder. Penalty for leaving mid-match. Small–medium maps only.

Ranked Mode Ideas

Mode	Description
Flagship Assault	Each team has a Flagship (large ship). Destroy the enemy Flagship while defending yours. (Recommended starting mode)
Control Point	One central point on the map. Hold it longer than the enemy to win. First to X seconds wins.
Deathmatch	First team to X kills wins. Clean, simple, easy to understand.
Relay Capture	A neutral carrier drifts across the map. Escort it to the enemy base to score.

Suggestion: Start with Flagship Assault only. It's unique, has natural tension (offense and defense), and maps can be designed around it. Add modes later as seasons.

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Casual Mode — 25v25

No penalty for leaving. Larger maps. Chaotic and fun — you can drop in mid-match.

Status: Team Deathmatch is implemented for real — a 7-minute timed "most kills when the clock runs out wins" mode, plus a 30s pre-match countdown, live kill/death tracking, a Tab scoreboard, and a winner banner (see overview/map1.md, CLAUDE.md item 26). It's built through a GameMode abstraction (spacewar/world/game_modes/) specifically so the other 3 rows below — Domination, Conquest, King of the Hill — can each become a fully-realized GameMode subclass later without changing the match-phase/timer/scoreboard/banner machinery around them. As of CLAUDE.md item 27, all 4 modes below exist as real GameMode subclasses and are wired up end-to-end via a "category" tag on each map (world.gd's MAPS, World._pick_map()) — but Domination/Conquest/King of the Hill are still scoring stubs (kills, same as Team Deathmatch) until each grows its own zone/point/capture mechanic.

Casual Mode Ideas

Mode	Description
Team Deathmatch (implemented)	Most kills when the match timer runs out wins.
Domination (category stub)	Map divided into multiple capture points. Hold more of them than the enemy at the time limit. Ties to galactic war meta.
Conquest (category stub)	Contested capture points bleed the losing team's respawn "tickets"; first team to zero tickets (or fewer tickets at the time limit) loses.
King of the Hill (category stub)	One contested zone in the center. Hold it to rack up points.

Suggestion: Build out Domination next — it ties into the galaxy meta (Helldivers-style), encourages teamwork without hard requirements, and naturally scales to 25v25.

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Galaxy Meta (Helldivers-Style)

• The galaxy is divided into sectors
• Casual 25v25 matches determine which race controls which sector
• Ranked 5v5 results also contribute to sector control
• A live galaxy map on the main screen shows the current war state
• This gives low-stakes players (casual) real impact on the ongoing war