docs/FUNCTIONAL.md

@@ -65,6 +65,10 @@ account is kept and the guest's games move into it. A merge is blocked only whil
 two accounts share a game still in progress.
 
 ### Lobby & matchmaking
+On a cold open the lobby greets the player with a brief **loading splash** — Scrabble tiles
+spelling **ЭРУДИТ / ЗАГРУЗКА / ОЖИДАНИЕ** as a small crossword — that clears the moment the
+games list is ready, so the list never flashes an "empty" state on a slow connection.
+
 The lobby lists **my games** and offers a bottom tab bar — new game, statistics, and a
 **⚙️ settings** tab opening the settings hub (settings, profile, friends, about). The
 **my games** list groups games into three

docs/FUNCTIONAL_ru.md

@@ -66,6 +66,10 @@ Mini App** авторизует по подписанным `initData` плат
 запрещено, только пока у аккаунтов есть общая незавершённая игра.
 
 ### Лобби и подбор
+При холодном запуске лобби встречает игрока короткой **заставкой загрузки** — фишки Scrabble
+складывают небольшой кроссворд из слов **ЭРУДИТ / ЗАГРУЗКА / ОЖИДАНИЕ** — и она исчезает, как
+только список игр готов, поэтому на медленном соединении список не мигает «пустым» состоянием.
+
 В лобби — список **мои игры** и нижний tab-bar (новая игра, статистика и вкладка
 **⚙️ настройки**, открывающая хаб настроек — настройки, профиль, друзья, о программе).
 Список **мои игры** разбит на три секции —

docs/UI_DESIGN.md

@@ -20,6 +20,28 @@ the game** (`growNav`) does the nav bar grow to absorb spare height, so the stri
 the title while the board and controls pin to the **bottom** for thumb reach. Every screen
 except Login uses `Screen`.
 
+## Loading splash (`components/Splash.svelte`)
+
+On a **cold app open** the lobby is the landing screen, but its game list arrives over the
+network — on a slow link the empty "no games yet" line would flash before the games load. A
+full-screen **tile splash** covers that gap: it lays a small Scrabble crossword out of the
+words **ЭРУДИТ** / **ЗАГРУЗКА** / **ОЖИДАНИЕ**, tile by tile, until the lobby's first load
+settles, then removes itself to reveal the populated list. The tiles carry their **Эрудит
+point values** (hardcoded in `lib/splash.ts`, since the alphabet table the board's
+`valueForLetter` reads is not cached yet at boot) and mirror a placed board tile's look
+(cream stock, bottom edge, drop shadow). The words form a 6×8 crossword: ЭРУДИТ horizontal,
+ЗАГРУЗКА and ОЖИДАНИЕ vertical, crossing it through the shared **Р** and **Д** (laid once).
+
+It is an **App-level overlay** shown while `routeIsLobby && !app.splashDone` (so it also
+covers the session bootstrap; a deep-link to another screen is not covered). The lobby sets
+`app.lobbyReady` when its first load settles (success **or** error), and the splash dismisses
+on the next **word boundary**. ЭРУДИТ lays over ~1 s, then the splash loops
+ЗАГРУЗКА → ОЖИДАНИЕ (clearing back to ЭРУДИТ between rounds) until ready, so even a fast load
+shows it for ~1 s. Each tile **drops in** with a brief scale + fade. Under **reduced motion**
+(or the mock build, to keep the Playwright smoke unblocked) it shows a static ЭРУДИТ and
+dismisses as soon as the lobby is ready. The pure layout and timing live in `lib/splash.ts`
+(unit-tested); `Splash.svelte` is the renderer.
+
 ## Navigation
 
 - **Back**: a thin, compact `<` drawn from two rotated CSS borders (`Header.svelte`

ui/src/App.svelte

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
   import { t } from './lib/i18n/index.svelte';
   import { insideTelegram, telegramBackButton } from './lib/telegram';
   import Toast from './components/Toast.svelte';
+  import Splash from './components/Splash.svelte';
   import StaleInviteModal from './components/StaleInviteModal.svelte';
   import WelcomeRedeemModal from './components/WelcomeRedeemModal.svelte';
   import Login from './screens/Login.svelte';
@@ -22,6 +23,11 @@
     void bootstrap();
   });
 
+  // The lobby is the cold-start landing (an empty hash and Telegram launch params both parse
+  // to it). The tile loading splash overlays it until its first load settles; a deep-link to
+  // another screen is not covered.
+  const routeIsLobby = $derived(router.route.name === 'lobby');
+
   // Inside Telegram, drive its native header back button: show it on any sub-screen
   // (everything returns to the lobby root), hide it on the lobby/login. The app's own
   // back chevron is hidden in Telegram (Header.svelte) so only the native one shows.
@@ -72,7 +78,11 @@
 </script>
 
 {#if !app.ready}
-  <div class="splash">{t('common.loading')}</div>
+  <!-- On a cold lobby open the tile splash (below) covers bootstrap too; a deep-link to
+       another screen keeps the plain text splash while bootstrap runs. -->
+  {#if !routeIsLobby}
+    <div class="splash">{t('common.loading')}</div>
+  {/if}
 {:else if app.blocked}
   <Blocked />
 {:else}
@@ -113,6 +123,10 @@
 <StaleInviteModal />
 <WelcomeRedeemModal />
 
+{#if routeIsLobby && !app.splashDone && !app.blocked}
+  <Splash />
+{/if}
+
 <style>
   .splash {
     height: 100%;

ui/src/components/Splash.svelte

@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+  import { onDestroy } from 'svelte';
+  import { SvelteSet } from 'svelte/reactivity';
+  import { app } from '../lib/app.svelte';
+  import { t } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
+  import { ERUDIT_KEYS, SPLASH_TILES, splashSchedule, type SplashStep } from '../lib/splash';
+
+  // Animate normally, but fall back to a static frame (no per-tile drop, no looping) under
+  // reduced motion or the mock build — the latter so the Playwright smoke is not held up by
+  // the overlay intercepting taps while it animates over the lobby.
+  const instant = $derived(app.reduceMotion || import.meta.env.MODE === 'mock');
+
+  // The keys of the tiles currently on screen; the schedule adds and (on a clear) removes them.
+  const revealed = new SvelteSet<string>();
+  let timers: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>[] = [];
+
+  function stop(): void {
+    for (const id of timers) clearTimeout(id);
+    timers = [];
+  }
+  function later(fn: () => void, ms: number): void {
+    timers.push(setTimeout(fn, ms));
+  }
+  function finish(): void {
+    stop();
+    app.splashDone = true;
+  }
+  function clearVerticals(): void {
+    for (const k of [...revealed]) if (!ERUDIT_KEYS.has(k)) revealed.delete(k);
+  }
+  function apply(step: SplashStep): void {
+    if (step.kind === 'reveal' && step.key) revealed.add(step.key);
+    else if (step.kind === 'check') {
+      // Dismiss at a word boundary once the lobby's first load has settled.
+      if (app.lobbyReady) finish();
+    } else if (step.kind === 'clear') clearVerticals();
+  }
+
+  function runAnimated(): void {
+    const sch = splashSchedule();
+    for (const step of sch.prefix) later(() => apply(step), step.atMs);
+    const loop = (): void => {
+      if (app.splashDone) return;
+      for (const step of sch.cycle) later(() => apply(step), step.atMs);
+      later(loop, sch.cycleMs);
+    };
+    later(loop, sch.prefixMs);
+  }
+
+  function showStatic(): void {
+    stop();
+    for (const k of ERUDIT_KEYS) revealed.add(k);
+    clearVerticals();
+  }
+
+  // Drive the splash. The effect re-runs if `instant` flips (the reduce-motion preference
+  // loads early in bootstrap, possibly just after this overlay mounts), swapping the
+  // animation for the static frame.
+  $effect(() => {
+    if (instant) {
+      showStatic();
+      return;
+    }
+    runAnimated();
+    return stop;
+  });
+
+  // The static path has no word boundary to wait for, so dismiss as soon as the lobby settles.
+  $effect(() => {
+    if (instant && app.lobbyReady) app.splashDone = true;
+  });
+
+  onDestroy(stop);
+</script>
+
+<div class="splash" role="status" aria-busy="true">
+  <span class="sr">{t('common.loading')}</span>
+  <div class="grid" aria-hidden="true">
+    {#each SPLASH_TILES as tile (tile.key)}
+      {#if revealed.has(tile.key)}
+        <div
+          class="tile"
+          class:drop={!instant}
+          style="grid-row: {tile.row + 1}; grid-column: {tile.col + 1};"
+        >
+          <span class="letter">{tile.letter}</span>
+          <span class="val">{tile.value}</span>
+        </div>
+      {/if}
+    {/each}
+  </div>
+</div>
+
+<style>
+  .splash {
+    position: fixed;
+    inset: 0;
+    /* Above the lobby and any modal (Modal.svelte z 40), below toasts (z 50) so an offline
+       error toast still shows over the splash. */
+    z-index: 45;
+    background: var(--bg);
+    display: grid;
+    place-items: center;
+  }
+  .grid {
+    /* Six columns wide, eight rows tall — capped so the whole crossword fits a phone portrait
+       (width) and is not oversized on desktop. */
+    --tile: min(14vw, 9vh, 56px);
+    display: grid;
+    grid-template-columns: repeat(6, var(--tile));
+    grid-template-rows: repeat(8, var(--tile));
+    gap: calc(var(--tile) * 0.12);
+  }
+  /* The tile mirrors a placed board tile (game/Board.svelte .cell.filled): the same cream
+     stock, bottom edge and drop shadow, with the letter top-left and value bottom-right. */
+  .tile {
+    position: relative;
+    background: var(--tile-bg);
+    color: var(--tile-text);
+    border-radius: 4px;
+    box-shadow:
+      inset 0 -2px 0 var(--tile-edge),
+      2px 0 3px -1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
+  }
+  /* "Falling" tile: it appears a touch larger and translucent and settles to size and full
+     opacity as it lands. */
+  .tile.drop {
+    animation: tile-drop 180ms ease-out;
+  }
+  @keyframes tile-drop {
+    from {
+      transform: scale(1.15);
+      opacity: 0.4;
+    }
+    to {
+      transform: scale(1);
+      opacity: 1;
+    }
+  }
+  @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+    .tile.drop {
+      animation: none;
+    }
+  }
+  .letter {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: 6%;
+    left: 10%;
+    font-size: calc(var(--tile) * 0.5);
+    font-weight: 700;
+    line-height: 1;
+  }
+  .val {
+    position: absolute;
+    right: 8%;
+    bottom: 5%;
+    font-size: calc(var(--tile) * 0.28);
+    font-weight: 600;
+  }
+  /* Visually-hidden live label for assistive tech; the tiles themselves are decorative. */
+  .sr {
+    position: absolute;
+    width: 1px;
+    height: 1px;
+    margin: -1px;
+    padding: 0;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);
+    white-space: nowrap;
+    border: 0;
+  }
+</style>

ui/src/lib/app.svelte.ts

@@ -41,6 +41,12 @@ export interface Toast {
 
 export const app = $state<{
   ready: boolean;
+  /** Whether the lobby's first cold load has settled (success or error). The loading splash
+   *  (components/Splash.svelte) watches it to know when to dismiss; set by screens/Lobby. */
+  lobbyReady: boolean;
+  /** Whether the loading splash has finished and removed itself. Gates the App-level overlay
+   *  so a warm intra-session return to the lobby shows no splash again. */
+  splashDone: boolean;
   /** Whether the live-event stream is connected. The event hub is best-effort and never replays a
    *  missed event, so an open game waiting for an opponent uses this to recover: it polls the game
    *  state while the stream is down and refetches once on reconnect (see game/Game.svelte). */
@@ -84,6 +90,8 @@ export const app = $state<{
   resync: number;
 }>({
   ready: false,
+  lobbyReady: false,
+  splashDone: false,
   streamAlive: false,
   session: null,
   profile: null,
@@ -658,6 +666,9 @@ export async function logout(): Promise<void> {
   resetConnection();
   clearGameCache();
   clearLobby();
+  // Replay the loading splash on the next cold lobby load after a re-login.
+  app.lobbyReady = false;
+  app.splashDone = false;
   gateway.setToken(null);
   await clearSession();
   app.session = null;

ui/src/lib/splash.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import {
+  ERUDIT_KEYS,
+  ERUDIT_VALUES,
+  PAUSE_MS,
+  SPLASH_TILES,
+  WORD_MS,
+  splashSchedule,
+  type SplashStep,
+} from './splash';
+
+const at = (word: 'erudit' | 'zagruzka' | 'ozhidanie') =>
+  SPLASH_TILES.filter((t) => t.word === word);
+const text = (word: 'erudit' | 'zagruzka' | 'ozhidanie') => at(word).map((t) => t.letter).join('');
+const reveals = (steps: SplashStep[]) => steps.filter((s) => s.kind === 'reveal');
+
+describe('splash layout', () => {
+  it('uses the Эрудит point values for every splash letter', () => {
+    // Spot-check the distinctive weights against scrabble-solver rules.Erudit.
+    expect(ERUDIT_VALUES['Э']).toBe(10);
+    expect(ERUDIT_VALUES['Ж']).toBe(5);
+    expect(ERUDIT_VALUES['З']).toBe(5);
+    expect(ERUDIT_VALUES['У']).toBe(3);
+    expect(ERUDIT_VALUES['Г']).toBe(3);
+    expect(ERUDIT_VALUES['Р']).toBe(2);
+    expect(ERUDIT_VALUES['И']).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it('places ЭРУДИТ horizontally on row 3, left to right, with its values', () => {
+    const e = at('erudit');
+    expect(text('erudit')).toBe('ЭРУДИТ');
+    expect(e.map((t) => t.col)).toEqual([0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);
+    expect(e.every((t) => t.row === 3)).toBe(true);
+    expect(e.map((t) => t.value)).toEqual([10, 2, 3, 2, 1, 2]);
+  });
+
+  it('drops the shared crossing tiles (Р, Д) from the vertical words', () => {
+    // ЗАГРУЗКА in column 1 minus the shared Р at row 3; ОЖИДАНИЕ in column 3 minus Д.
+    expect(at('zagruzka').map((t) => t.row)).toEqual([0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7]);
+    expect(text('zagruzka')).toBe('ЗАГУЗКА'); // ЗАГ(Р)УЗКА without the shared Р
+    expect(at('zagruzka').every((t) => t.col === 1)).toBe(true);
+    expect(at('ozhidanie').map((t) => t.row)).toEqual([0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7]);
+    expect(text('ozhidanie')).toBe('ОЖИАНИЕ'); // ОЖИ(_)АНИЕ without Д
+    expect(at('ozhidanie').every((t) => t.col === 3)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps only the ЭРУДИТ tiles as the persistent set', () => {
+    expect(ERUDIT_KEYS.size).toBe(6);
+    expect(ERUDIT_KEYS.has('3-1')).toBe(true); // Р crossing
+    expect(ERUDIT_KEYS.has('3-3')).toBe(true); // Д crossing
+    expect(SPLASH_TILES).toHaveLength(20); // 6 + 7 + 7 unique cells
+  });
+});
+
+describe('splash schedule', () => {
+  const s = splashSchedule();
+
+  it('lays ЭРУДИТ first, completing by WORD_MS, then checks', () => {
+    const r = reveals(s.prefix);
+    expect(r).toHaveLength(6);
+    expect(r.map((x) => x.atMs)).toEqual([...r.map((x) => x.atMs)].sort((a, b) => a - b));
+    expect(r[0].atMs).toBe(0);
+    expect(r[r.length - 1].atMs).toBeLessThan(WORD_MS);
+    expect(s.prefix.at(-1)).toEqual({ atMs: WORD_MS, kind: 'check' });
+    expect(s.prefixMs).toBe(WORD_MS);
+  });
+
+  it('reveals both vertical words per cycle and never re-lays a shared tile', () => {
+    const r = reveals(s.cycle);
+    expect(r).toHaveLength(14); // 7 + 7
+    expect(r.some((x) => x.key === '3-1' || x.key === '3-3')).toBe(false);
+    // The first vertical reveal waits out the leading pause.
+    expect(r[0].atMs).toBe(PAUSE_MS);
+  });
+
+  it('checks at each word boundary and clears at the end of the cycle', () => {
+    const checks = s.cycle.filter((x) => x.kind === 'check').map((x) => x.atMs);
+    expect(checks).toEqual([PAUSE_MS + WORD_MS, PAUSE_MS + 2 * WORD_MS + PAUSE_MS]);
+    const last = s.cycle.at(-1)!;
+    expect(last.kind).toBe('clear');
+    expect(last.atMs).toBe(s.cycleMs);
+    expect(s.cycleMs).toBe(2 * WORD_MS + 3 * PAUSE_MS);
+  });
+
+  it('honours overridden timings', () => {
+    const fast = splashSchedule({ wordMs: 700, pauseMs: 100 });
+    expect(fast.prefixMs).toBe(700);
+    expect(fast.cycleMs).toBe(2 * 700 + 3 * 100);
+  });
+});

ui/src/lib/splash.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+// Pure model for the cold-start loading splash: a small Scrabble crossword that lays the
+// words ЭРУДИТ / ЗАГРУЗКА / ОЖИДАНИЕ out of tiles, letter by letter, until the lobby is
+// ready. Kept free of any DOM or reactive state so it unit-tests in the node environment;
+// components/Splash.svelte wraps it with the reactive reveal set and the timer driver.
+//
+// The tile point values are hardcoded from the Эрудит ruleset (scrabble-solver
+// rules.Erudit). They cannot come from alphabet.valueForLetter() here: the splash renders on
+// a cold start, before the server has sent the variant's alphabet table that lookup reads.
+
+/**
+ * ERUDIT_VALUES is the per-letter point value (вес) for every letter the splash words use,
+ * taken from the Эрудит ruleset. Letters are upper-cased, matching the rest of the UI.
+ */
+export const ERUDIT_VALUES: Record<string, number> = {
+  А: 1,
+  Г: 3,
+  Д: 2,
+  Е: 1,
+  Ж: 5,
+  З: 5,
+  И: 1,
+  К: 2,
+  Н: 1,
+  О: 1,
+  Р: 2,
+  Т: 2,
+  У: 3,
+  Э: 10,
+};
+
+/** SplashWord names the three crossword words, used to group tiles for the reveal sequence. */
+export type SplashWord = 'erudit' | 'zagruzka' | 'ozhidanie';
+
+/** SplashTile is one placed tile on the 6×8 splash grid. */
+export interface SplashTile {
+  /** row is the grid row, 0..7 (ЭРУДИТ sits on row 3). */
+  row: number;
+  /** col is the grid column, 0..5. */
+  col: number;
+  /** letter is the upper-cased Cyrillic glyph shown on the tile. */
+  letter: string;
+  /** value is the tile's Эрудит point value. */
+  value: number;
+  /** word groups the tile by its crossword word. */
+  word: SplashWord;
+  /** key is the stable `"row-col"` identifier used by the renderer's reveal set. */
+  key: string;
+}
+
+/** COLS and ROWS are the splash grid dimensions (6 wide, 8 tall). */
+export const COLS = 6;
+export const ROWS = 8;
+
+function tile(row: number, col: number, letter: string, word: SplashWord): SplashTile {
+  return { row, col, letter, value: ERUDIT_VALUES[letter] ?? 0, word, key: `${row}-${col}` };
+}
+
+// ЭРУДИТ — horizontal on row 3, columns 0..5 (laid left → right).
+const ERUDIT_TILES: SplashTile[] = [...'ЭРУДИТ'].map((l, i) => tile(3, i, l, 'erudit'));
+
+// ЗАГРУЗКА — vertical in column 1, rows 0..7 (laid top → bottom). Its row-3 letter (Р) is the
+// tile already placed by ЭРУДИТ, so it is dropped here ("через имеющиеся буквы").
+const ZAGRUZKA_TILES: SplashTile[] = [...'ЗАГРУЗКА']
+  .map((l, r) => tile(r, 1, l, 'zagruzka'))
+  .filter((t) => t.row !== 3);
+
+// ОЖИДАНИЕ — vertical in column 3, rows 0..7. Its row-3 letter (Д) is shared with ЭРУДИТ and
+// likewise dropped.
+const OZHIDANIE_TILES: SplashTile[] = [...'ОЖИДАНИЕ']
+  .map((l, r) => tile(r, 3, l, 'ozhidanie'))
+  .filter((t) => t.row !== 3);
+
+/** SPLASH_TILES is every unique tile on the grid (ЭРУДИТ owns the two shared crossings). */
+export const SPLASH_TILES: SplashTile[] = [...ERUDIT_TILES, ...ZAGRUZKA_TILES, ...OZHIDANIE_TILES];
+
+/** ERUDIT_KEYS is the set of ЭРУДИТ tile keys — the tiles kept on screen across a clear. */
+export const ERUDIT_KEYS: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set(ERUDIT_TILES.map((t) => t.key));
+
+/** WORD_MS is the time to lay one whole word; PAUSE_MS the gap between words. */
+export const WORD_MS = 1000;
+export const PAUSE_MS = 250;
+
+/** SplashStep is one scheduled action: reveal a tile, check whether the lobby is ready (and
+ *  if so dismiss), or clear every non-ЭРУДИТ tile before the cycle repeats. atMs is relative
+ *  to the start of its segment (prefix or cycle). */
+export interface SplashStep {
+  atMs: number;
+  kind: 'reveal' | 'check' | 'clear';
+  /** key is the tile to reveal, set only on a 'reveal' step. */
+  key?: string;
+}
+
+/** SplashSchedule is the timed plan the renderer drives: the one-time prefix (ЭРУДИТ) and the
+ *  repeating cycle (ЗАГРУЗКА → ОЖИДАНИЕ → clear). The driver plays the prefix once, then loops
+ *  the cycle every cycleMs until the splash is dismissed. */
+export interface SplashSchedule {
+  prefix: SplashStep[];
+  cycle: SplashStep[];
+  prefixMs: number;
+  cycleMs: number;
+}
+
+function revealSteps(tiles: SplashTile[], base: number, perTile: number): SplashStep[] {
+  return tiles.map((t, i) => ({ atMs: Math.round(base + i * perTile), kind: 'reveal', key: t.key }));
+}
+
+/**
+ * splashSchedule builds the reveal plan. Each word is laid over wordMs (so its per-tile
+ * stagger is wordMs divided by the word's tile count), a readiness check lands at every word
+ * boundary, and pauseMs separates the words; after ОЖИДАНИЕ the cycle clears the two vertical
+ * words and restarts (ЭРУДИТ persists). wordMs and pauseMs are overridable for tuning/tests.
+ */
+export function splashSchedule(opts: { wordMs?: number; pauseMs?: number } = {}): SplashSchedule {
+  const wordMs = opts.wordMs ?? WORD_MS;
+  const pauseMs = opts.pauseMs ?? PAUSE_MS;
+
+  // Prefix: ЭРУДИТ left → right, the word completing at wordMs, then a readiness check.
+  const prefix: SplashStep[] = [
+    ...revealSteps(ERUDIT_TILES, 0, wordMs / ERUDIT_TILES.length),
+    { atMs: wordMs, kind: 'check' },
+  ];
+
+  // Cycle: pause, ЗАГРУЗКА, check, pause, ОЖИДАНИЕ, check, pause, clear. The leading pause is
+  // the gap after ЭРУДИТ (and, on repeat, after the previous cycle's clear).
+  const sV = wordMs / ZAGRUZKA_TILES.length;
+  const zBase = pauseMs;
+  const oBase = pauseMs + wordMs + pauseMs;
+  const clearAt = oBase + wordMs + pauseMs;
+  const cycle: SplashStep[] = [
+    ...revealSteps(ZAGRUZKA_TILES, zBase, sV),
+    { atMs: zBase + wordMs, kind: 'check' },
+    ...revealSteps(OZHIDANIE_TILES, oBase, sV),
+    { atMs: oBase + wordMs, kind: 'check' },
+    { atMs: clearAt, kind: 'clear' },
+  ];
+
+  return { prefix, cycle, prefixMs: wordMs, cycleMs: clearAt };
+}

ui/src/screens/Lobby.svelte

@@ -52,6 +52,10 @@
       if (connection.online) void preloadGames(games);
     } catch (e) {
       handleError(e);
+    } finally {
+      // The first cold load has settled (success or error): release the loading splash. Set
+      // unconditionally on every refresh — it is an idempotent latch, reset only on logout.
+      app.lobbyReady = true;
     }
   }