Fan Distribution Guide

Why Fan Distribution Matters

Fan distribution is the act of assigning arriving supporter groups to specific city districts before and during the preparation window in Copa City. The distribution interface allows manual assignment of fan groups to districts based on infrastructure capacity, fan type alignment, rival separation requirements, and transport connectivity. Poor distribution concentrates overcrowding in underbuilt districts while leaving well-equipped districts underutilized. Excellent distribution matches supporter needs to district capabilities and prevents rival groups from sharing space, paths, or stadium proximity.

Distribution decisions affect satisfaction immediately at arrival simulation, infrastructure congestion modeling, inspection committee fan satisfaction scoring, and scenario failure conditions when rival separation fails. Distribution is editable throughout prep—reassign supporters when construction changes district capabilities—but reassignment after arrival carries temporary satisfaction penalties compared to correct initial assignment.

District Capacity Planning

Each district has implicit capacity limits based on fun, catering, and safety module counts within its boundaries, path network throughput, and transport connection quality. Overcrowding occurs when assigned supporter count exceeds capacity for any fan type's primary need category. Five hundred family fans in a district with one mini pitch and two foosball tables produces overcrowding penalties regardless of excellent catering in adjacent districts they cannot easily reach.

Fan Type	Capacity Baseline per District	Overcrowding Signal
Family	~200 per major fun cluster	Fun satisfaction drop, path red zones
Core	~300 per catering path network	Catering queues, transport bottlenecks
Ultra	~250 per safety zone with checkpoints	Safety escalation risk, march congestion

Matching Fan Types to District Specialization

District specialization tiles amplify specific module categories. Sports bar districts increase nearby fun output—assign family fans to sports bar specialized districts for satisfaction multiplier benefits. Restaurant districts amplify catering—assign core supporters to restaurant district zones for maximum catering efficiency per module built. Hotel districts multiply all surrounding module output—assign mixed family and core groups to hotel-adjacent districts when ultra safety requirements do not force alternative placement.

Ultra districts should prioritize safety specialization over fun or catering specialization regardless of available tile bonuses. An ultra group in a restaurant district without checkpoints scores safety poorly despite catering abundance. Build dedicated ultra zones in districts where buffer placement geometry allows separation even if specialization tiles favor other categories.

Rival Separation Through Distribution

The most critical distribution decision in high-risk scenarios is rival ultra separation. Assign home club ultra groups and away club ultra groups to districts on opposite city extremities. Verify path routes from each district to assigned stadium entrance do not intersect. Place buffer sectors at district boundaries facing rival territories. Confirm stadium stand assignments mirror city separation—home ultras in north stand, away ultras in south stand, core buffers in between.

Never assign rival ultra groups to adjacent districts without buffer sector construction completed between them. Never route rival groups through shared transport hub exits simultaneously—stagger arrival flights through campaign timing when distribution alone cannot prevent hub convergence. Family and core groups should never be assigned to districts between rival ultra territories without wide buffer paths—they become collateral satisfaction casualties when ultra tension escalates.

Rival Distribution Protocol

• Identify rival ultra groups from flight timeline affiliations
• Assign to maximally distant districts with separate transport nodes if available
• Build buffer sectors before either group arrives
• Assign separate stadium entrances and non-intersecting march routes
• Place family and core groups in neutral districts away from ultra boundaries
• Verify distribution in simulation preview before kickoff phase

Preventing Overcrowding

Split large arrival groups across multiple districts when single district capacity is insufficient. A campaign delivering six hundred family fans should distribute three hundred each to two districts with independent fun clusters rather than concentrating six hundred in one cluster rated for two hundred. Transport connections must support split assignment—both districts need viable paths to stadium without merging at chokepoints.

Monitor district population dashboards throughout prep as additional campaigns add arrivals. Incremental reassignment before overcrowding penalties trigger preserves satisfaction better than crisis reassignment after penalties appear. Add infrastructure to raise district capacity before adding marketing campaigns that exceed current capacity rather than relying on redistribution alone.

Transport-Aware Distribution

Assign fan groups to districts with shortest efficient path from their arrival transport node. Supporters arriving at airport should not be assigned to districts connected only through city-center bottlenecks when nearer districts have adequate infrastructure. Railway arrivals suit central district assignment. Regional bus arrivals suit district assignment matching terminal location.

Transport-aware distribution improves travel convenience satisfaction—the highest-weighted factor for core supporters and significant for families. Ultra groups may accept longer march routes for safety separation benefits—prioritize separation over travel convenience for ultras when conflicts arise.

Dynamic Reassignment

Construction progress may unlock previously unsuitable districts mid-prep. Reassign pending arrivals—not yet landed groups—to newly prepared districts without penalty. Reassign landed groups when infrastructure improvements justify movement—minor temporary satisfaction cost versus continued overcrowding penalty. Never mass-reassign on Day 13 unless facing scenario failure—stability matters in final inspection window.

Campaign launches should specify target district in distribution plan before specialist commits to launch. Post-launch reassignment indicates planning failure consuming satisfaction budget unnecessarily.

Distribution by Game Mode

Campaign scenarios sometimes mandate minimum district coverage or specific fan share percentages per district for board objectives. Plan distribution to satisfy board requirements while maintaining inspection satisfaction thresholds—board objective completion with acceptable satisfaction fails master objectives. Single match mode rewards fan share dominance in districts through district takeover mechanics—balance takeover pursuit with overcrowding avoidance. Challenge mode may start with pre-assigned fans requiring immediate infrastructure response rather than pre-planning distribution.

Integration With Other Systems

Fan distribution connects marketing campaigns (which create arrivals), building placement (which creates capacity), transport networks (which enable access), stadium assignment (which continues separation into the bowl), and inspection scoring (which evaluates outcomes). Treat distribution as the integration layer where these systems must align—excellent buildings with poor distribution underperform mediocre buildings with optimal distribution because supporters cannot access capacity you built in wrong locations.

Review distribution plan at each Match Readiness level milestone when new districts unlock and new campaigns become available. Level 3 district expansion typically requires full redistribution review. Level 5 inspection prep requires final verification that no district exceeds capacity and no rival groups share boundaries without buffers.