GoalSense - Real-Time Goal Detection Overlay

Problem

Football simulation games provide no simple way for players to create personalized goal celebrations or automate reactions to in-game events. Traditional approaches often rely on game memory access or third-party modifications, which can introduce compatibility issues and anti-cheat risks.

Solution

Developed GoalSense, a lightweight desktop application that uses screen capture and computer vision techniques to detect score changes directly from the game's user interface. When a goal is confirmed, the system instantly plays custom audio effects while maintaining full compatibility with anti-cheat systems by operating exclusively on captured screen pixels.

Architecture

Built with Python using a modular event-driven architecture. The application continuously captures a configurable scoreboard region using MSS, performs template-based digit recognition with OpenCV, and validates score transitions through a multi-frame confirmation pipeline. A state management layer handles debounce logic, cooldown protection, and goal attribution, while asynchronous audio playback ensures non-blocking real-time performance.

Technologies