Operator guide

Platform overview

Fans join by QR and play in a browser. Operators use In-Arena Control to run games on the LED wall or OBS. This guide covers the 15 formats in the EWC proposal.

Event checklist

Sharley provides the platform for EWC. Arena and EWC designs use the same games and console. Compare both mainboards and phones →

Review the proposed delivery scope →

Run your first game

1. Sign in. Open the console with your crew account. In Stages, choose a stage using Take control or its game action.
2. Check Stage settings. Confirm the venue label and audience language. Save any changes.
3. Choose a game. Open its tab. For Trivia, select content with Choose question set or Change question set. For direct games, check the saved stage setup.
4. Open lobby. Check the QR and live screen. Let fans join and check the connected count.
5. Start game. Automatic pacing follows the clock. In manual mode, press the enabled start action at READY.
6. Run the rounds. Follow the action labels to open answers, reveal and advance.
7. Close the result. Give the host time, then press Stop game or Close results. Held results still own the stage.
8. Handle content usage. If prompted, choose Used or Keep unused for the played set. Open the next game’s lobby; fans and session scores remain.

Stages, sessions and game ownership

The four stages, stage1 to stage4, have separate audiences, languages, scores and feeds. Controls apply to the selected stage.

Session

The joined audience and its accumulated scores. A session can span several games.

Game / activation

One launched segment, containing rounds or a Polls queue.

Lobby

The QR invitation before a game starts.

Results

A held finale or retained summary. Close active results before opening another game on that stage.

One game owns a stage at a time. Switching tabs changes your view, not the running game. The sidebar’s Lobby / Starting / Live / Results badge tells you which game to return to.

Stopping a game or closing a lobby keeps fans and scores. Create a fresh session only when you intend to reset the audience; the console warns before this change.

Working with another operator

1. Choose the stage and check its displayed operator.
2. If another account holds it, your controls are read-only. Coordinate with that operator before using Take over.
3. A takeover transfers control and notifies the previous operator. A free stage is claimed on the first control action.
4. When switching stage, recheck the stage label before launching, stopping or changing a setup.

Give each operator a crew account so stage ownership is clear. Content editors can work while a stage is live.

Reading the game workspace

Header

Game, selected stage, current state, connected fans, Stage settings and the main start/closing action.

Overview cards

Preparation counts or live metrics. Read the labels: connected fans, eligible players and answers are different populations.

Main desk

Content, settings and live controls, followed by results and recent rounds.

Monitoring sidebar

Mainboard preview, prepared rundown and game-specific tracking or standings.

Mainboard preview: Expand enlarges the same feed; Pause stops the console preview without stopping the audience wall. Hidden game tabs disconnect their previews. Embedded Sound/Clip previews are muted and paused, so test playback on the actual screen link.

After completion: summaries remain after tab changes and reconnects, but not a server restart. Check the stage status to tell whether results are still active.

Lobby, countdown and round pacing

Automatic

Configured deadlines advance the supported phases. The operator still closes or resolves outcomes that require a decision.

Manual

READY is a hold, not an error. Press the displayed enabled start action. Advance the subsequent phases deliberately.

Skip countdown

Uses the existing launch cue to move into the game. It does not change the stage or create another session.

Round tools

Game-specific time, pause or skip controls. A held answer clock does not necessarily pause media; see the game instructions.

Wall and phone countdowns share the server clock. Joining late or reconnecting restores the current phase. Follow the live status and action labels.

What is saved, and when

Direct games are Prize Wheel, Skillshot, Reflex Test, Tap War and Whodle in this proposal. Their setup belongs to the stage, not to a reusable question set.

Stage settings and audience language

1. Choose the correct stage first, then open Stage settings from its workspace.
2. Set the venue label and announcement controls. Enter only the stage copy you intend the audience to see.
3. Set any podium prize labels. These are display labels, not digital-code stock.
4. Save edited stage fields using the save bar. Choose English, Français or العربية; the audience language changes immediately without a separate save.
5. Check the actual feed and one phone before the segment.

Language changes update the interface immediately. A live question keeps its launch text; relaunch to use its French or Arabic translation. Arabic text uses right-to-left rendering.

Sharley sets the audience design for both mainboard and phones. EWC uses its supplied artwork; Arena supports a custom stage background. The console keeps its own design.

Game-by-game instructions

Open a format for setup, controls and game-specific notes.

Prepare content in Content Manager

1. Open Content Manager and choose the esports title and content type.
2. Create or edit a set. Enter the questions/rounds, answer options, correct answer and required media. For Polls, prepare standalone saved questions.
3. Use Preview to inspect the actual questions, pictures and answers. Check the complete set, including later rounds.
4. Save the content, then select it from the relevant game workspace. The picker supports search and usage/readiness filters.
5. After the game, choose Used or Keep unused for the played set.

Used tracks played content; it can still be reused. The prompt refers to the version played, even if you have since selected another set. Direct games do not show this prompt.

Prize Wheel has no Content Manager set. Edit its single stage setup in the wheel workspace. The same direct-setup distinction applies to the other mechanics-only games.

Question sets, translations and media

Question sets hold the content. Set answer timing and scoring separately in the stage’s Game settings.

1. Add the English question and its options; choose the correct answer explicitly. A question must have text or an image.
2. Add question or answer images where the format supports them. Check long text and cropped details in Preview.
3. Fill optional French/Arabic text overlays in their language tabs. Missing translated fields fall back to the base text.
4. Save, then select the latest set in the game workspace.

Trivia and Last Fan Standing use question sets. On-Stage Duel currently uses manual scoreboard setup; it does not consume a question-set quiz.

Optional Product Manager assessment

1. A Product Manager selects an esports title in Quick review.
2. Read each question/round and the displayed correct answer. Accept it, or reject with a specific reason if content needs changing.
3. The content team handles the Needs change flag and saves the corrected item.
4. Changed content has a new version. An editor can request fresh assessment or explicitly carry an earlier acceptance, as offered by the console.

PM review checks content wording. PM checked, launch readiness and Used/Unused are separate statuses. Reviewers assess content; their review role does not grant editing or stage controls.

Review applies to a specific version. Reassess edited wording, or explicitly carry an earlier acceptance. Undo returns your latest assessment to pending.

Media library and Image Studio

1. Use the media library in Settings, or the shared picker in a supported content image field.
2. Upload the locally stored, event-cleared image/audio/video and select it in the content editor.
3. Use Image Studio to crop, annotate, rotate or zoom an image when required. Saving creates a new PNG; the original remains unchanged.
4. Preview the complete round. Rehearse audio/video on the actual mainboard feed.

JSON presets contain media links, not files. Upload the referenced media separately. Local media is preferable for live use; external links depend on their host.

Champions and prize codes

Champions across games

Champions combines placement points across games. Higher places earn more, with podium bonuses and a participation minimum. Show the saved stage board between segments.

Digital prize pools

1. Open Prizes, create a pool and import organiser-provided codes by paste, CSV or JSON.
2. Choose the matching stage, game and top-N rule. Check available stock before the segment.
3. Eligible game completion consumes codes once and privately delivers them to winners’ phones.
4. Review the grant history and export remaining/assigned codes when needed.

Prize labels and images are display content. The organiser supplies redeemable codes or physical stock and handles fulfilment.

Read the engagement numbers

The headline activation tracker uses a configurable minimum audience, 8 by default. Small checks can remain in the raw log without entering the tracker. Polls with a question queue produce one activation; individual question results remain separate.

Use the console export for the recorded tracker. CSV/report views and the read-only Data API use the same server records. Numeric live histories are bounded session summaries, not an append-only archive of every operator action.

Set the stage title schedule

1. Open Settings → Stage calendar.
2. Choose Add game, or a day in the stage’s calendar row.
3. Choose the stage, game title and start/end dates, then save the date range.
4. Check the saved range against the event’s stage plan before doors.

The calendar assigns a title to a stage over a range of dates. It provides title context for selection and activation reporting; it does not schedule timed launches or replace the show caller. Confirm the selected stage, calendar title and actual game before starting.

Show-day checklist

Rehearse without the live audience

The authenticated phone preview/emulator opens the selected stage and follows its game. It is useful for checking copy and controls; it does not replace a real-device check on the venue network.

Debug mode creates 100 simulated players in open lobbies and lets them play. Disabling it removes those bots while preserving real fans. It is not retained across a server restart. Use it on the rehearsal deployment; do not inflate show metrics or prize expectations with a bot count.

The sample CS2 screenshots in this proposal use a private demonstration deployment, not a recording of public attendance.

If something does not behave as expected

Accounts and permissions

The master account manages crew access. Permissions limit console sections; Product Managers can review assigned titles. Changing a password or disabling an account ends its sessions.

Only the master account can open Users. Sharley’s separate owner account manages deployment access and audience design.

Gameplay safeguards

• The server validates actions and scores. For Reflex, phones measure reaction intervals for server validation.
• Phones receive correct answers and map targets at reveal. Prize Wheel sends its target to the authenticated wall for animation, then to phones after landing.
• Nickname filtering, length limits and operator kick controls.
• Stage isolation, rate limits and one-game-per-stage launch guards.
• Private prize codes: unassigned stock is not sent through the public reporting feed.

The event team is responsible for content approval and media rights.

What data exists

Fans do not need an account, email, phone number, real name or location. Nicknames and device identifiers still form audience data.

No photos of the audience are collected. The app has no camera or photo-upload feature: Crowd Cam was removed from the product on 10 November 2026.

Retention, access logs, backups and individual data requests need a deployment plan. The app has no complete automated export/erasure workflow, permanent operator action log, encryption at rest or automatic off-site backup.

Deployment, capacity and continuity

EWC crew receive console accounts and authenticated screen links. Agree hosting, rehearsal, capacity, monitoring, backups and support before the event.

Runtime

Node.js, Express and Socket.IO; vanilla browser pages with no client build step.

Storage

Atomic local JSON/media storage, with optional Postgres persistence where configured. This is persistence, not a backup.

Transport

HTTPS and allowed origins are configured at the reverse proxy/deployment.

Local venue operation

The app can run on the venue LAN if phones can reach it. Switching to a backup is manual.

Restart

Content, setups, Champions and saved reports remain. Live rounds are lost and must be restarted.

Capacity

The 5,000-phone cap per stage is a software limit. Establish operating capacity by testing event hardware, games and venue connectivity.

Rehearse recovery with the crew: hold fallback graphics, restore the service or switch to a prepared spare, update links if needed and restart the segment. Arrange backups and monitoring during deployment.

Support and changes for the EWC run

Agree setup, content preparation, rehearsal, training, show support and reporting for the EWC stage plan. Confirm on-site coverage, remote support hours and response times.

Use the console for show-day changes to pacing, content, language and moderation. Prepare and rehearse new mechanics or integrations before the event.

REST Data API

Read-only JSON access to activations, live stages, rankings and prize-grant records. Use it for EWC reporting and integrations. This is an optional data feed; it does not control games.

Authentication

curl https://<host>/data-api/activations/list \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key ewc_…"       # Bearer also accepted

The key is generated by an authorised operator under Settings → REST Data API (copy, regenerate, revoke). While no key is configured the whole API answers 403: it is off by default. Keys are compared in constant time; requests are limited to 120 per minute per IP, over that the API answers 429 with {"error": "Rate limit exceeded, try again in 60 seconds"}.

An environment-provided DATA_API_KEY overrides the key stored by the console. In that deployment, the supplier changes the environment key; regenerating the stored key does not replace the active environment credential.

Endpoints (all GET)

Activation shape

Rows use stable, spreadsheet-friendly names — the same columns the org's activation trackers already use:

{
  "id": "act_m5k2…", "date": "2026-07-17T19:42:11.000Z",
  "stage": "stage1", "activation": "trivia", "gameTitle": "CS2 — Fan Trivia",
  "peakConcurrent": 412, "durationMs": 214000,
  "totalPlayers": 388, "uniqueUsers": 361,
  "returningUsers": 174, "returningPct": 48
}

peakConcurrent is the most fans playing at one time — the number an operator says on the radio and a sponsor puts in a deck. Summing it across stages would claim a crowd that was never in one room, so /summary reports it as a maximum, alongside secondsOnAir. A game only becomes an activation once it reaches the configured minimum audience (8 by default), so checks below that threshold stay out of the headline tracker. A rehearsal with simulated players can exceed it: use a separate rehearsal deployment or exclude its records explicitly.

Architecture for technical teams

One server runs the console, mainboard and phones. Game modules contain the rules and renderers. Live stage state stays in memory; content, settings and reports use persistent storage.

Audience design is separate from the console. Media can be hosted locally; external links depend on their host.

Game, browser, security and load tests are available. Each load report applies to the tested build and hardware; test the event setup separately.

Quick answers

Do fans install an app?

No. They join in a browser through the stage QR.

Must fans scan again for each game?

No for normal game changes. They retain their session until it is ended or the invitation/identity is no longer valid.

Can I change content while results are held?

Prepare/select the next setup where the workspace permits it, then close the active results before launch. Edits do not change the existing run.

Can one operator oversee four stages?

The console can switch between stages; staffing must match the live show’s simultaneous control needs. Several individually scoped operators are supported.

Why is a PM rejection not the same as Used?

Assessment checks the wording/version. Used records production usage. They are independent.

Does the wall URL require a key?

Yes. Use the supplied full URL and update it after rotation.