Plan For The Software

• Clients connect to the server and start a competition session.
• Server is controlled by another client that is connecting to another page of the server (with authentication).
  • From now on, this controlling client is referred to as the competition facilitator
• Competition facilitator sets up tournament (sending info to the server)
  • Determining how many matches and what type and brackets and stuff
• Clients join the session with the server at the start of every match
• For each match, competition facilitator loads the test
• Before match begins, competition facilitator checks everything is good
• Send the questions to the clients depending on how the test is configured by competition facilitator
• Clients take the test, competition facilitator monitors
• Once both have finished/time limit, score is computed automagically and a winner is determined
• Rinse and repeat until all matches in the tournament are done

Workflow

Pre-competition setup

• Server is started up and confirmed to work over LAN.
• Competition Facilitator connects to server and opens the tournament setup page.
• In this page, they configure their tournament event.
  • Determines the type of tournament here.
    • Bracket based (requiring competitor number equal to 2^n).
    • Placement based (any number of competitors, given placements).
      • One test that rules them all.
      • Multiple tests conducted.
      • Either way, tests MUST be done at the same time to ensure integrity of the competition (no async testing).
  • Create all competitors and assign their names and ids. Generate a sign on key for each competitor.
• From this point, tournament is ready and the competition facilitator can edit the competition or start matches.

Conducting the competition

• Competition Facilitator starts one of the matches, opening the pre-match menu for that match
• Competition facilitator loads a test for that match, determining any other settings such as scoring
  • System for synchronous hosting of matches if another competition facilitator connects to the server and starts or opens another match
• In pre-match, competitors connect to the server and verify their name using the sign on key provided to the competition facilitator
• Competition facilitator sees what competitors have been associated with a client (team has signed in) and when ready can start the contest

Match Start:

• Each competitor client is sent the test and shown a list of questions.
• For each question, the user can submit a response to the server
• Server verifies that the answer is correct (answer is never stored client side except in the case of showing one answer in a multiple choice question)
• Server returns the result to the client and stores it for later scoring.
  • Other clients are informed that the opposing team has answered the question (or otherwise that they tried and failed)
• Once the end condition has been met, clients are notified by server and the match is ended

Post Match:

• Each competitor's results are processed by the server to determine score.
• Competition facilitator is first shown results to verify, they have to confirm the results for them to be sent to the clients.
• Server records the winner and updates brackets if necessary.

Feature Requirements

Brackets

• Single elimination bracket
• Free for all
  • One match to win them all
  • Multiple matches with scores totaled at the end