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". |
| Custom lobby | In-game lobby with standardised settings (6v6, OCE server, active duty map). | |
| 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: head-to-head, opponent win %, match win %, soul differential, total souls, then playoff/promotion match if needed. | 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). Tiebreaker and optional pairing metric. | "RD" 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 for custom 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
Document version: 1.1
Last updated: March 2026