Starting a turn-based match against a friend should hold the energy, not spend it

In games where a match runs for days, spending energy at the start lets players pay for a game the friend never answers. Spending it at the end lets them start ten games on one bar. Here is the middle path with holds that expire.

Why this works

Until a match is really played, nothing has been used up. Holding the energy instead of spending it keeps the books honest if the match never happens, and an end time on the hold means no one has to remember to give it back.

When not to use it

Skip it if matches start and finish within one sitting, or if starting one costs nothing. A hold is then extra bookkeeping; charge when the match begins and refund it plainly if the match is cancelled.

In the full entry

• What to build, step by step
• Starting values and the reason for each
• 3 common mistakes and the fix
• A diagram of every state
• 33 lines of example code with 3 checks that pass
• How your AI shows you that it works

Say this to your AI

Use the Spielerando entry "Starting a turn-based match against a friend should hold the energy, not spend it" (read_entry puzzle-async-match-energy-reservation) in my game. Build it step by step, and show me how you checked that it works.

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