REAP Build Log v0.1
What we built, what's live, and what's coming next.
Build Log v0.1
March 2026 · Alpha Phase
We don't do changelogs dressed up in marketing speak. This is a build log — raw, what actually shipped and where we're headed.
68,000+ on the waitlist. 400+ alpha players in the arena. 4,800+ rounds completed. Here's everything under the hood.
The Arena
The core game is live and stable. 60-second rounds, 5 players per session, winner takes the entire pot.
Multi-session architecture — When a session fills up, the system spins up a new one automatically. No queues. No waiting. You click Play, you're in.
Global clock — Every player on the platform sees the same countdown. Rounds are synchronized to a global 60-second cycle — no drift between sessions, no desync between devices.
Optimistic join — When you hit Play, your entry appears instantly. The API confirms in the background. If something fails, it rolls back. You never stare at a loading spinner wondering if your click registered.
The Reel — The spin animation lands on the actual winner. It's not random cosmetics — the reel is seeded by the same provably fair outcome that determines the round result.
Provably Fair
Every round is cryptographically sealed before players enter. A server seed is hashed and displayed before the round starts. After the round completes, the raw seed is revealed so anyone can independently verify the outcome.
The math is public. The verification page walks through every step. We don't ask you to trust us — we give you the tools to verify it yourself.
0% house edge. Always.
Token Economy
$REAP tokens — The platform runs on its own token. No real money. You accumulate, you play, you win or lose.
The Drip — Tokens accumulate passively at 2 REAP per hour, capping at 20. A progress bar fills up in the header over 10 hours. When it's ready, hit Claim. We raised the cap twice during alpha — started at 8, moved to 10 to match the entry cost, then to 20 once we saw players burning through tokens faster than the drip could refill.
Login bonus — Open the game each day, get 20 REAP. One claim per day, drops automatically on your first visit.
Spectate bonus — Watch a round play out without entering and earn 1 REAP per round, up to 10 per day. Built so players who run dry can still earn by watching the arena. Only triggers for actual spectators — if you played in the round, it doesn't count.
The drip and bonuses make sure you always have a way back in.
The Black Market
The cosmetics layer is live. Accumulated tokens find utility beyond the arena.
- Vibes — Icons that represent you in the reel and chat
- Auras — Colors applied to your username
- Energies — Visual effects on your reel entry
- Frequencies — Reserved. More on this later.
Everything is purchased with REAP tokens. You earn it, you spend it.
New players get a selection of free Vibes and Auras during profile setup to start with.
Social
Live chat — A persistent lobby chat runs alongside the game. Emoji reactions on messages. Visible to everyone, including spectators.
Win share card — After a win, you can download a branded card with your stats — pot size, player count, your icon. Built for sharing.
Weekly leaderboard — Top 50 players ranked by weekly winnings. Resets every Monday at 00:00 UTC. Top 3 get a podium on desktop. If you're on the board, you see your rank and percentile.
Referral system — Every waitlist signup gets a referral code. Share it, earn points. Points converted to REAP tokens when you get alpha access.
Audio
Custom sound design built on the Web Audio API. Not stock UI sounds — purpose-built audio for the arena.
- Background ambient loop
- Reel spin and reveal sounds
- Win fanfare (only the winner hears it)
- Entry swoosh when another player joins your session
- Global mute toggle
Audio pauses when you tab away and resumes when you come back. No phantom sounds after your phone wakes from sleep.
Mobile
The entire platform was rebuilt for mobile from the ground up. Not a responsive afterthought — a dedicated mobile experience.
- Bottom navigation bar (Home, Market, Play, Ranks, Fair)
- Touch-optimized Black Market with scrollable category tabs
- Mobile reel with the same spin animation as desktop
- Sticky buy buttons and compact card layouts in the market
- Burger menu for secondary navigation
If you're playing on your phone, you're getting the full experience.
Alpha Gate
Access to the arena is gated. You need to be on the waitlist with alpha access granted to get in.
The flow: verify your Twitter handle, confirm you follow @thereapxyz, sign in with Google or magic link. If you're approved, you're in. If not, you're on the waitlist with your referral code earning points until your turn comes.
We started with the first 100. Now over 400 are in, with more added every few days.
Platform
Blog — You're reading it. Full SEO with Open Graph images, structured data, and sitemap integration.
Dashboard — Your stats, balance, and referral code in one place. Accessible from the header on desktop or the burger menu on mobile.
History — Full round history with filters and pagination. Every round you've played, the outcome, the pot, the players.
FAQ, Terms, Privacy — All live. The FAQ covers how rounds work, how the drip works, and what provably fair means. Terms and Privacy are straightforward — no legalese traps.
Infrastructure
Server clock sync — The client syncs its clock with the server on load. Prevents round desync from devices with drifted clocks.
Multi-domain routing — thereap.xyz runs the waitlist. play.thereap.xyz runs the arena. Shared pages (blog, privacy, terms) work on both and adapt their UI to the domain.
Error tracking — Sentry is integrated across client and server. Every unhandled error in production is captured with full context. No more relying solely on player reports.
Analytics — In-house Analytics tracks page views and performance. No third-party trackers, no cookies for analytics.
Email system — Transactional emails for alpha access grants and waitlist updates. One-click unsubscribe in every email.
What's running
68,000+ waitlist signups
400+ alpha players
4,800+ rounds completed
5,000+ entries played
0% house edge
60-second cycles
348 commits shipped
What's next
Cron-based resolution — Rounds currently resolve when the next request comes in after the timer expires. We're moving to a server-side scheduler that resolves rounds on a fixed tick, independent of player activity.
Comeback bonus — If your balance hits zero, you'll get a one-time bonus to get back in the arena. No one should be permanently locked out.
More Black Market drops — New Vibes, Auras, and Energies are coming. Frequencies are still locked — they're reserved for something specific.
More spots — Alpha access is expanding every few days. If you're on the waitlist, your turn is coming.
This is build log v0.1. Everything above was built, broken, rebuilt, and shipped in about six weeks.
More logs coming as we ship.
The void doesn't sleep.