Methodology
Softcap is a reference desk for live games: official notes in, cited explainers out, organized by title. The edge is speed plus citation — not volume, not personality.
Confirmed notes
Softcap’s default beat is the published sheet: studio blogs, Steam news, console posts, status pages, and hotfix follow-ups. When a claim sits on that primary, Softcap labels it Confirmed. Softcap does not invent concurrent charts, clear rates, kit math, or “sources close to” color that the primary does not carry.
Gaps stay gaps. If the notes are silent, Softcap says so. If Softcap is watching a follow-up build, Softcap says that too.
Primaries
Every patch explainer should point at the official note players can open themselves — patch post, Steam news item, status board, or hotfix notice. Softcap surfaces those as a compact Primaries list on the article (with dates when known) and keeps longer source stacks when a piece draws on more than one document.
Preference order: the numbered patch post for the build Softcap is explaining, then same-day hotfix or known-issues follow-ups, then supporting store or console posts that do not replace the patch primary.
Post-publish studio edits
Studios rewrite notes after Softcap ships. When Softcap learns that a published primary changed — a line restored, a reward retimed, a known issue closed — Softcap amends the same Softcap page with a timestamped Updates note at the top. Softcap does not bury the change in a quiet body rewrite and pretend the first ship was clean.
See the corrections policy for how Softcap logs material fixes site-wide.
Same-day hotfixes
When a messy patch drops and a same-day or next-day hotfix lands, Softcap’s north star is one lasting page: the version, what changed in the player’s build, the official note, and an amendment if the hotfix arrives — not a new headline that orphans the first card.
Hotfix yes/no sits on the version card when Softcap has a numbered build. Child hotfix explainers may still ship when the follow-up is large enough to stand alone; the parent page still gets the update line.
What Softcap will not do
- Treat leaks or datamines as live / Confirmed coverage.
- Publish unverified Discord screenshots as fact.
- Run sponsored patch previews, paid /games/ ranking, or studio-written Softcap voice.
- Auto-generate a page for every Steam news post.
- Reviews, tier lists, codes, giveaways, or “10 best…” farms.
- Place ads inside the version card, or affiliate links inside balance sections.
Coverage cadence (public)
- Desk — same-day or next-day on every numbered patch Softcap has claimed.
- Watch — major patches and seasons only.
- Archive — hub kept; no cadence promise.
Softcap covers a title when the notes are long, fragmented, or mechanically dense; when a numbered version or season changes play; and when a stable official primary exists.