Tournament organizer

From the hub console, two tabs do everything: Organize a tournament (prepare the challenge) and Live tournament (open it, start it, follow it). One golden rule: test everything before the event.

A challenge, start to finish, in 60 seconds

1. Organize: reference cabinet → system → game (RetroAchievements-compatible versions are flagged 🏆 and prioritized; your 5 most recent games relaunch in one click). The game's signals are checked automatically on selection.
2. Write the objective in plain words ("Most goals in 5 minutes!") — that's what players will see in big letters on the cabinets — and pick the challenge type.
3. Open the challenge (Live tournament tab): every free cabinet shows the full-screen announce — game fanart, objective, entry conditions, countdown, giant QR. Players scan to claim their cabinet. At zero, the game launches by itself.
4. Each player presses START: their run freezes on the starting line and their nickname turns 👍 Ready in your console.
5. Start the challenge: a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown inside the game on every cabinet, simultaneous start to the second.
6. At the end: every cabinet shows the result and the player's rank, the game closes cleanly, the podium is archived — one click away in the history.

The four challenge types

Type	Objective	Ranking
⏱ Timer	Highest score within the time limit	Score
🏁 Race	First to N × a signal ("15 rings")	Shortest time
⚡ Time attack	First to ONE signal (level cleared, boss beaten)	Shortest time
💀 Survival	The chosen signal = game over	Longest time

Everything is measured inside the game's memory (.MEM signals) — no manual scorekeeping, no cheating possible.

Entry conditions and fairness

• Reserve a challenge for the regulars: "5+ scores in the venue", "2+ round entries" — checked at QR scan, refusal explained to the player, conditions announced under the objective on the cabinets.
• Automatic fairness: a challenge played with fewer than 2 real participants (START pressed) is never counted — no records, no trophies. Your cups keep their value.

✅ Test before the event (essential)

1. Signals check themselves when you select the game (live score / records / usable signal count). No signals: no "live score" — only "records" remains possible.
2. Test round: tick "Test" at creation — full workflow (announce, START, countdown, timer, podium) but nothing is recorded or published.
3. Replay the players' gestures: QR scan, START, start — the exact day-of journey.

Open session (relay play)

For a 1-to-4-hour slot on N reserved cabinets: pick a duration of 1 h or more — players take turns (the current badge rules: every mark counts for its player), the per-player ranking feeds live, and the podium stays on screen until you route the display elsewhere.

Brackets (knockout)

In Organize: tick the players (walk-in guests without a badge welcome), the bracket builds itself (automatic byes). Play each match — one challenge per match if you like — then click the winner: they advance to the final and the champion is crowned.

Screens, phones and one-off events

• Every venue screen is driven from the console (venue manager guide); the full-screen leaderboard shows the game's logo and live scores.
• Players follow the challenge on their phone: objective, countdown, time remaining, final top 10 — and notifications bring them back ("your record was just beaten").
• For a tournament weekend in a venue without a yearly license, the Event pass (30 days, all cabinets) is made for that — nelfetech.com/salles.
• On stream, Retro Creator's Studio edition adds Live Contest, scoreboard and podium overlays (streamer guide).