diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index add8b34..61efc97 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -131,9 +131,9 @@ grep -r 'opentui' web/src/           # Should find nothing
 | Players | Lives | Alien Speed | Grid |
 |---------|-------|-------------|------|
 | 1 (solo) | 3 | 1.0× | 11×5 |
-| 2 | 5 shared | 1.25× | 11×5 |
-| 3 | 5 shared | 1.5× | 13×5 |
-| 4 | 5 shared | 1.75× | 15×6 |
+| 2 | 5 each | 1.25× | 11×5 |
+| 3 | 5 each | 1.5× | 13×5 |
+| 4 | 5 each | 1.75× | 13×6 |
 
 ### WebSocket Protocol
 
diff --git a/Lessons_learned.md b/Lessons_learned.md
index ceac01e..3633f34 100644
--- a/Lessons_learned.md
+++ b/Lessons_learned.md
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ const scaleTable = {
 }
 ```
 
-**Shared lives in co-op.** 5 lives shared across all players in co-op (vs 3 in solo). Any player death costs one shared life.
+**Per-player lives in co-op.** Each player gets 5 lives in co-op (vs 3 in solo). `Player.lives` is the canonical counter — the game ends when all players are individually dead and out of lives.
 
 **Spread spawn positions.** Players start evenly distributed across the screen width:
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index aaa9da5..14a5d82 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Multiplayer Space Invaders clone (1–4 players) built with OpenTUI and Cloudflare Durable Objects. **Play in your terminal or your browser** — one authoritative server, two frontends, same game.
 
-![Version: 1.1.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.1.0-blue)
+![Version: 1.1.1](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.1.1-blue)
 ![Terminal Size: 120x36](https://img.shields.io/badge/terminal-120x36-blue)
 ![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-green)
 
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ TUI and browser players can share the same room. The server is authoritative at
 ## Game modes
 
 - **Solo** — 3 lives, standard alien grid
-- **Co-op** (2–4 players) — 5 shared lives, larger grid, faster aliens, per-player slot colours
+- **Co-op** (2–4 players) — 5 lives each, larger grid, faster aliens, per-player slot colours
 
 ## Architecture
 
diff --git a/bin/vaders.ts b/bin/vaders.ts
index e5e9da9..15a1bc4 100755
--- a/bin/vaders.ts
+++ b/bin/vaders.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ Usage:
   vaders --local             Run local server (default: remote)
 
 Controls:
-  Arrow keys or A/D   Move left/right
+  Arrow keys         Move left/right
   SPACE              Shoot
   ENTER              Ready up / Select
   Q                  Quit
diff --git a/docs/server-architecture.md b/docs/server-architecture.md
index 951d884..cf58617 100644
--- a/docs/server-architecture.md
+++ b/docs/server-architecture.md
@@ -133,23 +133,23 @@ Created (POST /room)
 │ waiting │ ◄────────────────► │ countdown │
 └─────────┘    all ready       └───────────┘
     │                               │
-    │ start_solo                    │ 3...2...1...
+    │ start_solo                    │ 1s countdown
     │                               │
     ▼                               ▼
 ┌───────────┐                 ┌───────────┐
 │ wipe_hold │ ◄───────────────┤ wipe_hold │
 └─────┬─────┘                 └───────────┘
-      │ hold complete (60 ticks)
+      │ hold complete (45 ticks)
       ▼
 ┌──────────────┐
 │ wipe_reveal  │  aliens created with entering=true
 └──────┬───────┘
-       │ reveal complete (120 ticks)
+       │ reveal complete (45 ticks)
        ▼
 ┌─────────┐    wave complete    ┌───────────┐
 │ playing │ ──────────────────► │ wipe_exit │
 └─────────┘                     └─────┬─────┘
-    │                                 │ exit complete (60 ticks)
+    │                                 │ exit complete (45 ticks)
     │                                 ▼
     │                           ┌───────────┐
     │                           │ wipe_hold │ ─── (loops back to wipe_reveal)
@@ -506,9 +506,9 @@ TICK                │ playing      │ playing/game_over
 Wave transitions use a three-phase wipe animation controlled server-side:
 
 ```
-wipe_exit   (60 ticks / 2s)  → iris closing animation
-wipe_hold   (60 ticks / 2s)  → black screen with wave title
-wipe_reveal (120 ticks / 4s) → iris opening, aliens enter with entering=true
+wipe_exit   (45 ticks / 1.5s) → iris closing animation
+wipe_hold   (45 ticks / 1.5s) → black screen with wave title
+wipe_reveal (45 ticks / 1.5s) → iris opening, aliens enter with entering=true
 ```
 
 During wipe phases, the `wipeTickReducer` counts down `wipeTicksRemaining` and
@@ -566,9 +566,9 @@ Game difficulty scales with the number of players:
 | Players | Lives | Alien Speed | Grid Size | Alien Shots/s |
 |---------|-------|-------------|-----------|---------------|
 | 1 (solo) | 3 | 1.0x | 11x5 | 0.5 |
-| 2 | 5 shared | 1.25x | 11x5 | 0.75 |
-| 3 | 5 shared | 1.5x | 13x5 | 1.0 |
-| 4 | 5 shared | 1.75x | 15x6 | 1.25 |
+| 2 | 5 each | 1.25x | 11x5 | 0.75 |
+| 3 | 5 each | 1.5x | 13x5 | 1.0 |
+| 4 | 5 each | 1.75x | 13x6 | 1.25 |
 
 ### Player Spawn Positions