core-minigames/docs/FullTutorialExamples/KingOfHill/03-join-and-start.md

King of the Hill — Join Pad & Auto-Start

This step sets up the volumes that let players join the queue and auto-start the game once enough players are ready.

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1. Arena Boundary Volume

This volume is not interactive — it exists purely so the runtime knows which map it is running on. Place it as a large box that encompasses the entire arena.

Volume type: Any (Enter trigger is fine, no effects needed)

Tags:

Tag	Value
MinigameId	King_Of_The_Hill
MapId	Hillside (replace with your map name)
MapRole	MainArena

No conditions. No effects.

The MapId value is arbitrary — pick a name that describes your arena (e.g. Hillside, Volcano, Castle). Use the same value on every other volume in this world that belongs to this map.

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2. Queue Pad

Place this volume at a lobby pad where players gather before the game. When stepped on, it adds the player to the queue and attempts to start the game. The start attempt is a no-op until MinPlayers (2) have joined, at which point the runtime is created automatically.

Volume type: Enter trigger

Tags:

Tag	Value
MinigameId	King_Of_The_Hill

Effects:

Effect	Fields
JoinMinigameQueue	MinigameId = King_Of_The_Hill
StartQueuedMinigame	MinigameId = King_Of_The_Hill

How the auto-start works: StartQueuedMinigame checks that no runtime is already running and that the queue has at least MinPlayers players before doing anything. With MinPlayers = 2: Player 1 steps on the pad — StartQueuedMinigame sees only 1 queued player and skips. Player 2 steps on the pad — queue now has 2 players, StartQueuedMinigame creates the runtime (phase = WAITING_FOR_PLAYERS). The signal volume below immediately advances it to ACTIVE.

Players who step on this pad after the game has already started are queued for the next game — StartQueuedMinigame detects the active runtime and skips.

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3. STARTING Phase Volume

The system runs the CountdownSeconds countdown automatically during WAITING_FOR_PLAYERS. Once the countdown finishes, the runtime advances to STARTING and fires SignalPhaseStart=STARTING. Your volume responds by setting the phase to ACTIVE to begin the game.

Volume type: Any (Tag Added trigger — fired by the runtime, not physically entered)

Tags:

Tag	Value
MinigameId	King_Of_The_Hill
MapId	Hillside
SignalPhaseStart	STARTING

Effects:

Effect	Fields
SetMinigamePhase	MinigameId = King_Of_The_Hill, Phase = ACTIVE
SetRound	Operation = Set, Amount = 1
(anything else you want to happen? Effects, sounds, Starting cinematic? Do before setting to active and starting the round)

Countdown: with CountdownSeconds = 10 in the definition, a "Starting in N..." message is sent to all players each second. If a player steps off the queue pad (LeaveMinigameQueue) or disconnects during the countdown and the player count drops below MinPlayers, the countdown cancels and players are returned to the queue automatically.

Skip the countdown: set CountdownSeconds = 0 in the definition to go from STARTING to ACTIVE immediately.

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Leave Queue (Optional)

If players want to leave before the game starts, add a separate pad with:

Effect	Fields
LeaveMinigameQueue	MinigameId = King_Of_The_Hill