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Ocean Simulation System

The heart of Slam Ass Bass is its real-time ocean simulation - a living, breathing ecosystem where fish spawn, players compete, and fortunes are made. Understanding how the simulation works is key to fishing success.

🌊 What is the Ocean Simulation?

The Ocean Simulation is a real-time system that manages:

  • Fish spawning across different biomes and time periods
  • Player lottery system for distributing fish "bites"
  • Dynamic ecosystem that responds to player activity
  • Biome-specific mechanics for different fishing areas

Think of it as: A massive multiplayer fishing tournament that never stops, where your equipment determines your chances of success.

Core Concept

The ocean doesn't wait for you! Fish are spawning and being caught by other players in real-time. Better equipment = better odds in the competition.

🐟 How Fish Spawning Works

Epoch-Based System

The ocean operates on epochs (time intervals):

  1. Fish Spawn Calculation: System determines how many fish to spawn
  2. Biome Distribution: Fish are distributed across different fishing areas
  3. Species Selection: Specific fish types are chosen based on biome characteristics
  4. Player Competition: Active fishers compete for available fish

Fish Spawning Logic

Daily spawning: Fish are spawned once per day during the daily epoch.

Dynamic fish count: Fish spawning scales with active player participation from the previous epoch, ensuring the ocean ecosystem responds to community engagement.

Biome distribution:

  • Reef: 40% of total fish
  • Open Water: 35% of total fish
  • Wreckage: 25% of total fish

Species selection: Within each biome, fish species are chosen randomly based on their spawn_rate weights from the database.

Catch intervals: Every 5 minutes, approximately 2% of spawned fish become "active" for the lottery system - the rest remain in the ocean for future intervals.

🐟 Dynamic Fish Spawning System

The ocean simulation uses an intelligent spawning system that automatically adjusts the daily fish supply based on active player participation. This ensures healthy catch rates at all player counts while preventing economic inflation.

How It Works

Every day at epoch reset, the game calculates how many fish to spawn based on the number of active players from the previous day. The system uses a logarithmic scaling curve that provides high fish-per-player ratios in early game and gradually reduces as the economy matures.

Player Growth Scaling Graph

Daily Fish Spawn

30K ┤ ████████ (Hard Cap)
│ ████████
25K ┤ █████████
│ ██████████
20K ┤ ███████████
│ ██████████
15K ┤ ███████████
│ ██████████
10K ┤ ████████████
│ ███████████
5K ┤ ██████████
│████████
0 └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────→
0 1K 2K 3K 5K 7K 10K 15K 20K 25K 30K 35K Player Count

Fish Per Player Ratio:
Early Game (1-50): 53→8 fish per player
Growing (51-500): 7.5→5 fish per player
Established (501-2.5K): 4.4→3 fish per player
Mature (2.5K-10K): 2.5→1.75 fish per player
Large (10K-25K): 1.6→1.2 fish per player
Maximum (25K+): 1.2 fish per player (capped)

Spawning Tiers

🌱 Early Game (1-50 players)

  • 1 player: 53 fish (53 fish per player)
  • 10 players: 80 fish (8 fish per player)
  • 50 players: 400 fish (8 fish per player)
  • Result: New players have excellent catch rates to quickly learn the game and build their first equipment set

📈 Growing Community (51-500 players)

  • 100 players: 750 fish (7.5 fish per player)
  • 250 players: 1,850 fish (7.4 fish per player)
  • 500 players: 2,500 fish (5 fish per player)
  • Result: Healthy supply as the community grows, with gradually increasing competition

💎 Established Economy (501-2,500 players)

  • 1,000 players: 4,400 fish (4.4 fish per player)
  • 2,500 players: 7,500 fish (3 fish per player)
  • Result: Competitive but fair - not every player catches fish daily, encouraging strategic equipment choices

🌟 Mature Economy (2,501-10,000 players)

  • 5,000 players: 12,700 fish (2.5 fish per player)
  • 10,000 players: 17,500 fish (1.75 fish per player)
  • Result: Players with optimized equipment and biome strategy have the best odds

🏆 Large Economy (10,001-25,000 players)

  • 15,000 players: 23,800 fish (1.6 fish per player)
  • 25,000 players: 30,000 fish (1.2 fish per player)
  • Result: Premium equipment and low-competition biomes (Wreckage) become increasingly valuable

🎯 Maximum Economy (25,000+ players)

  • Any player count above 25,000: 30,000 fish (hard cap)
  • Result: Absolute maximum to prevent server performance issues and maintain economic balance

Key Features

Smooth Scaling: Uses mathematical curves (not hard boundaries) for gradual transitions
Anti-Inflation: Diminishing returns prevent fish supply from growing infinitely
New Player Friendly: Early game has generous catch rates for fast progression
Competitive Endgame: Mature economy rewards strategy and equipment optimization
Performance Safe: Hard cap at 30,000 fish protects server resources

Biome Distribution

Fish are distributed across biomes each day:

  • Reef: 40% of daily spawn
  • Open Water: 35% of daily spawn
  • Wreckage: 25% of daily spawn

TL;DR: More players = more fish, but with smart scaling that keeps the game fun and balanced at any size! 🎣

🎰 The Lottery System

How Fish "Bites" Work

When fish spawn in the ocean, the system runs a lottery to distribute "bites":

  1. Eligible Players: All fishers with complete loadouts in that biome
  2. Lottery Weight Calculation: Based on equipment quality and bonuses
  3. Winner Selection: Fish bite awarded to lottery winner
  4. Catch Window: Limited time to submit catch transaction

Lottery Weight Calculation

Player Lottery Power = Rod Multiplier × Reel Multiplier × Lure Bonus × Weight Penalty

Power Multipliers:

  • Rod catch multiplier: Primary factor (varies by rod quality)
  • Reel retrieve speed: Secondary multiplier (varies by reel quality)
  • Lure bonus: Applied only if fish prefers your lure type
  • Weight penalty: Reduced power if fish is near your hook's weight limit

Eligibility Requirements (must pass to enter lottery):

  • Boat access: Must allow the biome you're fishing in
  • Line depth: Must reach the biome's minimum depth
  • Hook capacity: Must handle the fish's weight
  • Bait power: Must have enough bait for the fish's bait cost
  • Equipment durability: All equipment must have durability remaining (>0)

Lottery Example

Scenario: Rare Bass spawns in River Delta

  • Player A: Common Rod (1.0x) + Common Reel (1.0x) = 1.0x total lottery power
  • Player B: Rare Rod (2.5x) + Common Reel (1.0x) = 2.5x total lottery power
  • Player C: Rare Rod (2.5x) + Uncommon Reel (1.6x) = 4.0x total lottery power

Result: Player C has 4x better odds of winning the fish bite

Note: Only rod and reel affect lottery power directly. Other equipment affects eligibility (boat for biome access, hook for fish weight, etc.)

🏖️ Biome System Overview

Available Biomes

Each biome has unique characteristics:

BiomeDepth RangeExample FishAccess Requirements
River Delta5-50mFreshwater speciesBasic boat + line
Reef50-200mClownfish, Butterflyfish, GrouperReef-capable boat
Open Water200-1000mAsp, Black Drum, CodOcean-capable boat
Wreckage1000-3000mDeep sea predatorsDeep sea vessel

Biome Selection Strategy

Consider these factors:

  • Equipment compatibility: Can your boat access the biome?
  • Competition level: More players = lower individual odds
  • Fish value: Premium biomes = more valuable fish
  • Spawn frequency: Some biomes are more active than others

⚡ Real-Time Fishing Process

Step-by-Step Fishing Flow

1. Equipment Check

  • ✅ Complete 6-piece loadout staked
  • ✅ Sufficient bait power for target fish
  • ✅ Boat compatible with chosen biome
Bait Requirements

Currently, the largest bait cost is 5 for rare fish. Most common fish require 1-2 bait per catch.

Critical Eligibility Requirements

You are EXCLUDED from fish lotteries if you:

  • Run out of bait power - Cannot afford the fish's bait cost
  • Have broken equipment - Any equipment piece with 0 durability disqualifies you
  • Equipment breaks during fishing - You're immediately removed from future lotteries until equipment is replaced

Always monitor your bait and equipment durability!

2. Biome Selection

  • Choose fishing area based on boat capabilities
  • Consider current competition and fish spawning

3. Active Fishing

  • Enter ocean simulation
  • Wait for fish spawns in your biome
  • Compete in lottery system for fish bites

4. Fish Bite Received

  • Notification that you've won a fish
  • Limited time window to submit catch transaction
  • Must have SOL for transaction fees

5. Catch Transaction

  • Submit on-chain transaction to mint fish NFT
  • Bait power consumed
  • Equipment durability may decrease
  • Fish NFT added to your collection

Timing and Frequency

Active fishing sessions:

  • Duration: Can fish continuously or in sessions
  • Frequency: Fish spawns happen throughout the day
  • Competition cycles: Lottery runs every few minutes
  • Catch windows: Limited time to claim fish bites

📊 Competition Dynamics

Player Distribution

Biome popularity affects your odds:

River Delta (Most Popular):

  • 200+ active fishers typical
  • High fish spawn rate but intense competition
  • Lower individual odds but consistent activity

Wreckage (Exclusive):

  • 10-20 active fishers typical
  • Low fish spawn rate but little competition
  • Higher individual odds for rare/valuable fish

Equipment Arms Race

Better equipment provides compound advantages:

  • Higher lottery weight = more fish bites
  • Access to premium biomes = less competition + better fish
  • Efficiency bonuses = more fishing opportunities per time

Strategic implications:

  • Early investment in equipment pays exponential returns
  • Biome progression unlocks increasingly favorable odds
  • Specialization can dominate specific niches

🎯 Optimization Strategies

Maximizing Fish Bites

Equipment optimization:

  1. Prioritize Rod upgrades (biggest lottery weight impact)
  2. Unlock premium biomes with boat upgrades
  3. Efficiency improvements with reel upgrades
  4. Species targeting with lure specialization

Timing strategies:

  • Fish during low-competition hours (early morning, late night)
  • Target less popular biomes with appropriate equipment
  • Monitor spawn patterns and fish during active periods

⚠️ Common Fishing Mistakes

Simulation Misunderstandings

Don't assume:

  • Fish are always available - spawning is limited and competitive
  • All equipment is equal - rarity differences are massive
  • Biomes are the same - each has unique dynamics
  • Fishing is passive - active participation and timing matter

Do understand:

  • Competition is real - other players reduce your odds
  • Equipment is competitive advantage - invest in upgrades
  • Timing matters - spawn patterns and player activity affect success
  • Biome choice is strategic - match equipment to optimal areas

Equipment Mistakes

Inefficient loadouts:

  • Mismatched equipment (Deep boat with Basic rod)
  • Ignoring biome requirements (Wrong boat for target area)
  • Insufficient bait power (Can't catch available fish)
  • Unbalanced upgrades (One Epic piece, rest Common)

🎯 Next Steps

Ready to master the ocean simulation?

  1. Explore Biomes → - Choose your fishing grounds
  2. Equipment Staking → - Set up your fishing loadout

The ocean is alive, competitive, and rewarding. Master its mechanics and the fish will flow! 🌊

Remember: Every other player is competing for the same fish. Your equipment and strategy determine whether you sink or swim in the simulation.