Double Alpha Manual

Last updated: October 4, 2026

Practical shooting is a sport of shooting targets against the clock. The winner is neither the most accurate nor the fastest shooter, but the one who best combines accuracy with speed. Double Alpha's rules are based on the rules of IPSC and the Ukrainian Practical Shooting Federation (UPSF), simplified for the game.

Controls

Default keys. They can be rebound in the game settings, except mouse look and Pause.

Scoring

Every hit earns points, every violation takes them away. At the end the points are divided by the time. This number is the hit factor, and the leaderboard is built on it.

Example. Four targets, two shots each, so 40 points at most. The first shooter puts all eight shots in the A zone and scores 40 points in 10 seconds: hit factor 40 / 10 = 4.0. The second shooter lands some hits in the C zone and scores 32 points, but in 6 seconds: hit factor 32 / 6 = 5.33. The second shooter wins.

Speed without hits loses too. A miss costs 15 points, not 5: the 5 points are not earned and a -10 penalty is added.

Time runs from the start signal to the last shot. The stage is finished by holding the confirm key. This no longer affects the time, so there is no need to rush after the last shot.

Points never go negative. If penalties outweigh hits, the result is zero.

Targets

Brown cardboard is the main target. Each one needs two hits; the two best count, extra hits add nothing. The A zone in the centre gives 5 points, C gives 3, the D zone at the edge gives 1. Zone lines are not drawn on the target, just as in real matches: aim at the centre of the silhouette. Some targets are smaller; the same rules apply.

Black on a target is hard cover. A hit on black gives neither points nor a penalty, as if the bullet hit a wall. A fully black target works the same way.

Red cardboard is a no-shoot. Every hit on it is -10. It often stands next to a brown target or partly covers it.

Steel - a popper and a square plate. One hit is enough: 5 points, the target falls.

Red steel is a no-shoot, both popper and plate. Every hit on it is -10.

Penalties

All penalties are the same: -10 points.

• Miss. Every missing hit counts: up to two on cardboard, up to one on steel.
• No-shoot. Every hit on red cardboard or red steel counts.
• Shot from beyond the fault line. Lines on the ground mark where shooting is allowed. While the shooter is beyond a line, the screen edges glow. Every shot from there is -10, but its hits still count. There are never more such penalties than scoring shots in the stage. Stepping over the line without shooting is allowed.
• Failure to engage - a target with no hits and no shot towards it. It costs another -10 on top of the misses: a skipped brown target costs -30.

Safety

On a real range there are people behind and beside the shooter. So the gun always points towards the targets.

• Looking around is free. The muzzle stops at the edge of the safe sector and does not follow the view further.
• Disqualification (DQ) - aiming or firing while looking beyond the sector. A DQ stops the stage immediately and the result does not count.
• A stage can only be started from the start area, with the gun pointing in a safe direction.

How a stage runs

1. Briefing. The stage conditions and layout: number of targets, number of scoring shots, start position.
2. Walkthrough. Walking the range without a gun and planning the route. Time is limited and shown on screen. It can be ended early from the start area by holding the confirm key.
3. Make ready. Gun in hand, no movement. Readiness is confirmed by holding the confirm key. After 10 seconds it ends automatically.
4. Standby. 1 to 4 seconds; the exact moment is not known in advance.
5. Signal. The clock starts. Shooting, moving and reloading are allowed.
6. Finish. Hold the confirm key for one second.
7. Result. Points, penalties, hit factor and the leaderboard.

Ammunition and magazines

• Supply - 4 magazines of 30 rounds: one in the gun and three spare. When the ammunition runs out, the stage is finished as it is.
• Reloading is allowed at any time, even with a partly full magazine. A dropped magazine does not come back, and its rounds are lost.
• There is no ammo counter on screen, just as in real life. When the ammunition runs out, the trigger clicks on empty.

Pause, time limit and quitting

• Pause always opens, but the stage clock can be stopped only once: real matches have no pause at all.
• Time limit - 10 minutes per stage. After that the stage ends without a result.
• Quitting to the menu after the start signal means the stage did not finish.

How a stage can end

Weapon

An AR-15 carbine in .223 in two versions: semi-automatic standard, with no optical sight, and semi-automatic open, with a red dot sight.

Zero distance - the distance at which the bullet hits exactly the point of aim. It is chosen before the stage; the default is 50 m. The sight sits above the barrel, so on close targets the bullet lands slightly below the point of aim.

Leaderboard glossary