OCElock — Language & Terminology
A single source of truth for terms and wording used across OCElock operations, UI copy, and documentation. Use Australian English and these definitions for consistency.
Core concepts
| Term | Definition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| OCElock | The premier competitive Deadlock league platform for the OCE (Oceania) region. | Product name. |
| League | The organised competition run by OCElock (teams, seasons, matches, standings). | Used interchangeably with "the league" in context. Prefer "league" for the overall competition; use "season" for a specific run. |
| Season | A single run of the competition (e.g. Beta Season, Season 1). Has a fixed duration, phases, and end date. | "Season 1", "Beta Season". |
| OCE | Oceania region (Australia, New Zealand, and surrounding). | Server region and audience. |
| Self-enforcement model | Community-first operating model where captains and teams are expected to resolve routine match operations directly, with moderation as a dispute backstop. | "Self-governed", "moderation backstop". |
Format & structure
| Term | Definition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss Hybrid | OCElock's two-phase format: Phase 1 (universal Swiss pool) then Phase 2 (division play). No pre-season grading; teams earn their division via Phase 1 results. | Current format for Beta and Season 1+. See Swiss Hybrid format. |
| Phase 1 | Universal Swiss Pool. All registered teams in one Swiss-format pool. Full season: Weeks 1–5; Beta: Weeks 1–3. Standings at end determine division assignment. | "Phase 1 standings", "end of Phase 1". |
| Phase 2 | Division play. Teams split into divisions (A/B/C) by Phase 1 position. Full season: Weeks 6–10; Beta: Weeks 4–6. Stakes: championship, promotion, relegation. | "Phase 2 matchups", "Phase 2 standings". |
| Pre-Placed Divisions | Alternative format: teams graded before the season and placed into divisions; no universal Swiss pool. Not used for Beta/Season 1. | See Format comparison. |
| Division | A tier within Phase 2. Teams are assigned to a division by position after Phase 1 (e.g. positions 1–16 → A, 17–32 → B, 33+ → C). | "Division A", "Division B", "Division C". |
| Division A | Championship tier. Top teams from Phase 1; compete for league title and playoffs. | "Division A playoffs", "Division A standings". |
| Division B | Promotion tier. Mid-tier; fight for promotion to A, avoid relegation to C. | |
| Division C | Survival tier. Lower-tier; fight for promotion to B, avoid relegation to OPEN. | |
| OPEN | Tier for relegated teams or new teams. In Swiss Hybrid, everyone (including OPEN) enters Phase 1 next season; no separate OPEN division during the season. | Used in promotion/relegation context: "relegated to OPEN". |
| Earn / earned (division) | Division placement is determined by Phase 1 results, not pre-season grading. | Preferred wording: "teams earn their division", "earned through Phase 1". |
| Scaling | Adjusting division sizes and promotion/relegation counts by total team count (e.g. 16 vs 40 vs 64+ teams). | See Swiss Hybrid format — Scaling. |
Matches & scheduling
| Term | Definition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Match | A single scheduled game between two teams (Best-of-1 in regular season). | "Weekly match", "match result", "match ID". |
| Matchup | The pairing of two teams for a given round/week. | "View matchups", "matchups announced Monday". |
| Round | One week of Swiss pairings; each team plays one match per round. | "Round 1", "Round 3 of Phase 1". |
| Week | Calendar week used for scheduling. One match per team per week. | "Week 5", "Sunday 11:59 PM AEDT deadline". |
| Swiss pairing | Algorithm that pairs teams by record (W–L), avoids rematches where possible, and assigns byes when there is an odd number of teams. | "Swiss pairing", "pair by record". |
| Bye | When a team has no opponent (odd number of teams). Awards 3 points (same as a win). | "Get a bye", "bye = 3 points". |
| Best-of-1 | Single game per matchup (regular season). | |
| Best-of-3 (Bo3) | Playoff format: first to 2 wins. Used for all division playoffs (semis and final). Fits Deadlock game length (~20–50 min). | "Bo3 semis", "Bo3 final". |
| Steam match ID | Identifier for the game in Steam/Deadlock; submitted by captain to confirm result. | "Submit match ID", "validate via Deadlock API". |
| Party code | Short code Deadlock shows for a custom lobby; both teams enter it in the client to join the same party. On OCElock it appears on the draft flow once the lobby exists (pasted by the home captain in manual mode, or returned by the platform in automatic mode). | Also called lobby code in casual speech. |
| Custom lobby | In-game 6v6 lobby with league-agreed settings (region, map pool, etc.). Created either by the home captain in Deadlock (manual) or by OCElock calling the Deadlock API after the draft (automatic), depending on custom lobby mode for the season. | See Custom match creation. |
| Custom lobby mode | Season setting: manual (captain creates the party and pastes the party code) or auto (OCElock creates the party after the hero draft when server configuration allows). | Set by league operators in Admin → Seasons when a hero draft template is enabled. |
| Hero draft | In-platform pick/ban flow used before match start. Captains/VCs execute picks and bans using the configured draft template for the season. | See Hero draft. |
| Draft window (T-30) | Practical check-in window that opens around 30 minutes before scheduled match time, where teams join and complete hero draft. | "Draft live", "T-30". |
| No-show check (T-5) | Automated attendance check at 5 minutes before scheduled time based on captain/VC draft presence; may trigger no-show forfeit or open dispute. | "T-5 no-show". |
| Forfeit | Match conceded (e.g. cannot field 6 players). Forfeiting team: 0 points; opponent: 3 points (forfeit win). | "Forfeit win", "forfeit loss", "repeated forfeits". |
| Captain-declared forfeit | A forfeit declared by the attending captain/VC; their team is recorded as winner and the opposing team as forfeiting (subject to dispute/moderation). | "Declare forfeit". |
| Reschedule | Reassigning a match time after initial scheduling. Currently handled through moderator/admin manual scheduling in OCElock. | |
| Veto (scheduling) | Captains submit the slots they can play; non-selected slots are treated as vetoed. System resolves overlap (with round 2 / preference / admin assignment paths if needed). | "Veto system", "submit availability". |
| Time slot | A possible match time for the week (e.g. Fri 7pm AEDT). Defined by the platform; captains veto slots that don't work. | |
| Agreed scheduled time | The match time set via the veto system (or by a moderator). Stored in the app; used for forfeit cut-off (if match not played by end of this time, opposing captain may mark forfeit). |
Standings, points & tiebreakers
| Term | Definition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standings | Table of rank, team, matches played, wins, losses, points, tiebreakers. Phase 1: one table; Phase 2: per division. | "Public standings", "standings table". |
| Points | Win = 3, Loss = 0, Bye = 3, Forfeit win = 3, Forfeit loss = 0. | "Points", "Pts". |
| Record | Win–loss (e.g. 3–2). Used for Swiss pairing and display. | "Same record", "pair by record". |
| Tiebreaker | Rules to order teams with equal points: opponent win % first, then a break-week tiebreak match if a Phase 1 division cutoff is still tied. | See Standings & points. |
| Opponent win percentage | Strength of schedule; used in tiebreakers and pairing priority. | |
| Soul differential | Margin of victory/loss (souls for minus souls against). Tracked as a season stat, not a ladder tiebreaker. | "Soul diff" in standings. |
| Division assignment | Splitting standings into divisions at end of Phase 1 (e.g. top 16 → A, next 16 → B, rest → C). | "Division assignment after Week 5". |
Playoffs & promotion / relegation
| Term | Definition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Playoffs | All divisions (A, B, C): top 4, Bo3 semis and final. Run in one playoff weekend. Stream/shoutcast = Division A only (manageable for staff); B and C playoffs run but aren't the main production. Division A winner = Season Champion. | "Division A playoffs", "playoff bracket". |
| Champion / Season Champion | Winner of Division A playoff grand final. | "Season Champion", "league title". |
| Promotion | Title/label only. Finishing in the top positions of a division (e.g. Division B top 2) → "promoted" to the division above. In Swiss Hybrid it does not move your team or change your chances next season: everyone re-enters Phase 1 and earns their division again. Used for prestige, season badges, and (optionally) Phase 1 seeding. | "Promoted to Division A", "promotion tier". |
| Relegation | Title/label only. Finishing in the bottom positions of a division → "relegated" to the division below. In Swiss Hybrid it does not move your team or reduce your chances next season: everyone re-enters Phase 1 and earns their division again. Used for prestige and season badges. Decided by final Phase 2 standings only; no Phase 3. | "Relegated to Division B", "relegation zone", "avoid relegation". |
| Safe | Finishing in positions that are neither promoted nor relegated (e.g. Division B middle positions). | "Remain in Division B", "safe". |
| Relegation zone | Bottom positions in a division that receive the "relegated" label at end of season. |
Teams & rosters
| Term | Definition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Team | A registered squad with a name, logo, captain, and roster. | "Create team", "team profile". |
| Roster | The list of players on a team (6–10 players). Any 6 can play in a match. | "Roster size", "roster locked". |
| Captain | Team owner/leader. Creates team, invites players, submits match ID, represents team in disputes. | "Team captain", "captain submits". |
| Core | A player's main team. They are a core roster member here. Only one team can be Core per season. | Status on roster. |
| Reserve | A player's fill-in/substitute team. They are a reserve (backup) here. Can be Reserve on multiple teams. | Status on roster. |
| League registration | Signing up a team for a specific season (meets roster min, rules, code of conduct). | "Register for league/season". |
| Roster lock | Season policy that limits roster edits after the configured lock point. Emergency/manual admin intervention may be used for exceptional cases. | "Roster locked", "manual override". |
Admin, moderation & conduct
| Term | Definition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Moderation queue | Workflow where match results are reviewed, approved, rejected, or disputed. | "Moderation queue", "moderator approves". |
| Moderator | Staff who review match submissions, disputes, and reports; issue warnings/suspensions. | |
| Dispute (match flow) | Match-specific challenge raised from the match page (result, forfeit, eligibility, draft/hero-rule, technical match incident). | "Raise a dispute", "dispute process". |
| Admin | Platform administrators; manage seasons, registrations, manual overrides, dispute resolution. | "Admin dashboard", "admin approval". |
| Code of conduct | Expected and prohibited behaviour; reporting and penalties. | See Code of conduct. |
| General Support | Support/reporting page for general behavioural or community incidents that are not tied to a specific match dispute flow. | See /support. |
Beta & seasons (wording)
| Term | Definition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beta Season | 6-week pilot: Phase 1 Weeks 1–3, Phase 2 Weeks 4–6. Simplified Swiss Hybrid to test platform and format. | "Beta season", "pilot". |
| Season 1 | First full 10-week Swiss Hybrid season (Phase 1 Weeks 1–5, Phase 2 Weeks 6–10). | "Season 1", "Season 2+". |
| Off-season | Period between seasons (e.g. Weeks 12–13). Registration for next season may open. | |
| Grading | Assessing team skill for placement. Not used in Swiss Hybrid for placement; Phase 1 results determine divisions. Optional: tiebreaker metrics, future Pre-Placed formats, or Week 1 seeding. | "No pre-season grading" in Swiss Hybrid. See Grading. |
| Grading period | In Pre-Placed Divisions (legacy/future): dedicated weeks for new teams to be assessed. Not used in current Swiss Hybrid. |
Game & platform
| Term | Definition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlock | The game (Valve). | |
| 6v6 | Standard competitive mode (6 players per team). | "6v6 standard competitive". |
| 4v4 Brawl | Future game mode; separate league/division if added. | Out of MVP scope. |
| OCE servers | Australia region (or australia server region) for custom lobby defaults; exact relay depends on region_mode / server_region in create options. | Operators tune defaults in admin when using automatic lobby. |
| AEDT / AEST | Australian Eastern (Daylight/Standard) Time; used for deadlines (e.g. Sunday 11:59 PM AEDT). | |
| Lockblaze / Statlocker | External data sources; optional for Week 1 seeding or future grading. Not required for Swiss Hybrid placement. |
Wording conventions
- Earn placement: Use "teams earn their division" (not "are assigned" when describing Swiss Hybrid).
- Phase 1 / Phase 2: Capitalise when referring to the format phases.
- Division A/B/C: Capitalise division letter.
- No Phase 3: Promotion and relegation are read from Phase 2 standings only; no extra phase or matches.
- Next season: In Swiss Hybrid, everyone (including promoted/relegated) re-enters Phase 1; "promoted" and "relegated" are titles only — they do not move teams or give a different chance next season.
- Australian English: Use project spelling (e.g. "organisation", "behaviour", "honour", "relegation") in all user-facing and doc text.
Document index
- Help — Player guides: how the league works, how to join, match rules, standings, code of conduct
- Staff docs — Full format, divisions, standings, promotion/relegation, match rules, platform checklist, format design
- In-depth format and numbers: Season format, Season numbers analysis, Swiss Hybrid format
- Developers (repository): Deadlock custom lobby automation —
docs/deadlock/CUSTOM_MATCH_AUTOMATION.md(callbacks, poller, env vars); upstream API notes indocs/deadlock/DEADLOCK_API.md
Document version: 1.2
Last updated: April 2026