Feature: Scouting (Wonder Pick-style social pack opening) #44

New Issue

cal · 2026-03-04T13:45:40Z

cal commented

2026-03-04 13:45:40 +00:00

Summary

When a player opens a pack, their pull is broadcast to the server. Other players get a chance to "scout" one card from that pack — they see face-down cards and pick one blind. This turns every pack opening into content for the whole community and creates a social loop where players want others to open packs.

Inspiration

Pokemon TCG Pocket's "Wonder Pick" feature (150M downloads in first year).

Core Mechanics

When a player opens a pack, the cards are temporarily available for scouting by other players
Scouting costs a daily-refreshing resource (e.g., "Scout Tokens" — 1-3 per day)
The scouting player sees N face-down cards and picks one blind
The original pack opener keeps all their cards — the scouted card is a copy/bonus
Cards available for scouting could be a subset of the pack (e.g., 5 face-down, only some contain real cards)
Higher rarity cards could have lower appearance rates in the scout pool

Discord UX Considerations

/scout command to see available scout opportunities
Pack opening announcements in a dedicated channel with scout buttons
Time-limited availability (e.g., 30 min to scout before the opportunity expires)
Embed showing face-down cards with button interactions for selection
Reveal animation/embed after selection

Why This Works

Converts passive pack opening into a multiplayer event
Creates FOMO and engagement — players check in to see if anyone opened packs
Social proof ("look what they pulled!") drives pack purchasing
Daily scout token refresh creates a return-visit loop
Low-risk for game economy since it generates bonus cards, not transfers

Technical Notes

Needs new database tables: scout_opportunities, scout_tokens
Integrates with existing roll_for_cards and display_cards in helpers/main.py
Consider rate limiting and token refresh schedule
May need a dedicated Discord channel for scout announcements

## Summary When a player opens a pack, their pull is broadcast to the server. Other players get a chance to "scout" one card from that pack — they see face-down cards and pick one blind. This turns every pack opening into content for the whole community and creates a social loop where players want others to open packs. ## Inspiration Pokemon TCG Pocket's "Wonder Pick" feature (150M downloads in first year). ## Core Mechanics - When a player opens a pack, the cards are temporarily available for scouting by other players - Scouting costs a daily-refreshing resource (e.g., "Scout Tokens" — 1-3 per day) - The scouting player sees N face-down cards and picks one blind - The original pack opener keeps all their cards — the scouted card is a copy/bonus - Cards available for scouting could be a subset of the pack (e.g., 5 face-down, only some contain real cards) - Higher rarity cards could have lower appearance rates in the scout pool ## Discord UX Considerations - `/scout` command to see available scout opportunities - Pack opening announcements in a dedicated channel with scout buttons - Time-limited availability (e.g., 30 min to scout before the opportunity expires) - Embed showing face-down cards with button interactions for selection - Reveal animation/embed after selection ## Why This Works - Converts passive pack opening into a multiplayer event - Creates FOMO and engagement — players check in to see if anyone opened packs - Social proof ("look what they pulled!") drives pack purchasing - Daily scout token refresh creates a return-visit loop - Low-risk for game economy since it generates bonus cards, not transfers ## Technical Notes - Needs new database tables: scout_opportunities, scout_tokens - Integrates with existing `roll_for_cards` and `display_cards` in helpers/main.py - Consider rate limiting and token refresh schedule - May need a dedicated Discord channel for scout announcements

cal added the

feature

in-queue

labels 2026-03-04 13:46:41 +00:00

cal referenced this issue from a commit

2026-03-05 01:29:56 +00:00

feat: Add Scouting feature (Wonder Pick-style social pack opening)

cal referenced this issue

2026-03-05 01:30:33 +00:00

feat: Scouting feature (Wonder Pick-style social pack opening) #50

cal referenced this issue from a commit

2026-03-05 03:04:57 +00:00