Nock-Nock
Nock-Nock has three ways to start a match: invite someone yourself, let Nock-Nock find an opponent, or pick an archer who is already waiting. This page starts with the big picture and ends with the exact rules the server uses to pair archers.
Three ways to play
| Who you play | Rated | Code | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create match | Someone you choose | You choose | Yes |
| Random opponent | The closest-rated archer searching for the same match | Always | No |
| Opponents waiting | An archer already searching, whom you pick | Always | No |
Whichever way you start, your opponent always shoots the same round (distance, face and match type) with the same bow type as you.
1. Create match — invite someone
For playing a friend, a club mate, or an archer on the other side of the world you've arranged a match with.
- You pick the round and bow type, then Casual (the default) or Rated.
- The lobby shows your match code and a Share button. The link opens the app straight on the join screen with the code filled in.
- The first archer to join with the code becomes your opponent; nobody else can join after that.
- Changed your mind? Cancel in the lobby removes the match.
- A rated invite between the same two archers counts once per 24 hours; the next one that day is played as casual. The badge on both screens shows which it is. (Why)
2. Random opponent — let Nock-Nock find someone
For a rated match right now, against someone of your level.
- Only works with Rated chosen — random matches are always rated.
- You're only paired with archers searching for the same round and bow type, and never with your own account (not even from another phone).
- The search screen shows your rating and the range being searched, and when it opens up to everyone.
- When a match is found, the app plays a chime and goes straight to the match.
- You can cancel at any time. After 25 minutes without a match the search stops; Search again starts a new search for the same round.
3. Opponents waiting — pick someone who's searching
A shortcut: see who is searching right now and start at once.
- The list on the setup screen shows archers searching at your distance with your bow type, one line per round, and only if their rating is close enough for you to be paired right now. It refreshes every few seconds.
- The name shown is the archer the pairing would actually pick for that round.
- Tapping a name works exactly like Random opponent for that round — so it's always rated, and the entries are greyed out while Casual is chosen.
- If someone else took that archer a moment before you, you simply end up searching for that round yourself.
For the curious
The pairing rules
Who can be paired
- Same round and same bow type.
- Two different accounts.
- Ratings within both archers' search ranges (below) — or one of the two has waited 10 minutes or more.
The search range grows while you wait
| Time waiting | Range around your rating |
|---|---|
| 0 – 1 min | ± 100 |
| 1 – 2 min | ± 150 |
| 2 – 3 min | ± 200 |
| 3 – 4 min | ± 250 |
| 4 – 5 min | ± 300 |
| 5 – 6 min | ± 350 |
| 6 – 10 min | ± 400 |
| 10 – 25 min | anyone |
Someone who just arrived has the starting range of ± 100. The rating used is the one for the bow type you're searching with; a new archer counts as 1500.
If several archers qualify
The one with the closest rating goes first; if two are equally close, the one who has waited longest.
When the server tries
- The moment you start a search, against everyone already waiting.
- Then on every check the app makes while you wait (every 3 seconds) — so two archers who were too far apart can be paired later as their ranges grow, even if nobody new arrives.
- Pairing attempts for the same round are handled strictly one at a time, so the same archer can never be given two opponents.
Worked example
Anna (1500) starts searching at 10:00. Ben (1750) starts searching for the same round at 10:03. The gap is 250.
| Time | Anna's range | Ben's range | Both fit 250? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:03 | ± 250 | ± 100 | No — Ben's is too narrow |
| 10:04 | ± 300 | ± 150 | No |
| 10:05 | ± 350 | ± 200 | No |
| 10:06 | ± 400 | ± 250 | Yes — paired |
If an archer rated 1520 had started searching at 10:05, Anna would have been paired with them instead: a gap of 20 fits both ranges straight away.
Questions
Why is nobody found?
Someone has to be searching for exactly the same round with the same bow type. Choose a popular round, or check Opponents waiting first. After 10 minutes your search accepts anyone, so if another archer turns up for that round in that time, you'll be paired.
Can I play a friend as a rated match?
Yes: Create match, choose Rated, and send them the code. Between the same two archers that counts once per 24 hours.
Can I play a casual match against a random opponent?
No. Random opponent and Opponents waiting are always rated. For a casual match, create one and share the code.
What if two people tap the same waiting archer at the same moment?
One of them gets the match. The server handles the requests one after the other; the second one finds that archer already taken and starts searching for that round instead.
Does my opponent need to be online at the same time?
Yes — Nock-Nock is live: you both shoot and score at the same time, end by end, and can chat during the match.