A General Achievement Medal will be awarded to the winner of each division during the league phase of the tournament.*
The Speed League is back, starting on Fridays, with 2 divisions, hundreds of games, more players and running over a 6-hour period with plenty of time-flexibility for players.
Players will have a choice of games to join and can play just one game per week or several. Plus, missing a week or two need not prevent players qualifying for the play-offs or finals.
The tournament will begin on Friday 25th November 2011. Players are still welcome to join after this date.
The League stage of the tournament will run over 5 consecutive weeks. Players can play several games on any week if they wish. The scoring system has been designed to favour players who attend regularly (up to 3 of the 4 weeks). Regular players are therefore more likely to finish in the top places in their chosen division and progress to the Play-Offs or Championship Final. However, the scoring system also means that players who miss one week are not disadvantaged and those who miss a couple of weeks still have a chance of qualifying with good results.
There are 2 divisions to cater for players' time zones. For the first 2 weeks, each division has a 3 hour game slot. Players playing in the earlier divisions can also continue playing games in the later division's time slot, and visa versa.
The North American Conference will start games each week at 8PM New York Time (EST). CC Time: 2011-11-25 20:00:00
As CC time is likely to differ from your own time zone, please click the relevant link above to check.
(Your Nationality and Location is not a restriction here - you may join the division most suitable to your Friday routine)
Weeks 3 to 5 From Saturday 10 Dec CC Time: 2011-12-10 15:00:00 to Fri 30 Dec CC Time: 2011-12-30 15:00:00 players can play additional games at any time. A selection of 1 v 1 and 3-players games will be constantly available. This period will be scored in exactly the same way as a normal friday-week, with attendance points and participation points available (see below). There will be short breaks between weeks:
The Play-Offs involve 3-player and 1 v 1 casual games (best-of-3) from 30 December.
The Championship Final (week 6 - 20th January 2012) will start at 7PM EST, Midnight GMT. CC Time: 2012-01-20 19:00:00
If you are interested, please read all of the details carefully before posting your interest. Please indicate which division you wish to play in as first choice. Please also indicate if there is a map you wish to appear each week.
The division you select will be for the duration of the league-stage of the tournament. More attendance points are awarded for playing during your division's time slot. However, you are free to play league games with players from other divisions (each week's password will be generic to all divisions).
Winners from each division (see below for scoring system) will progress to the Championship Final.
Runners-Up from each division qualify for the second stage of the play-offs (see below).
The third-placed players from each division, plus the next 4 best-placed players from all divisons (with the total points) qualify for the play-offs first stage.
Play Offs - First Stage The Play-Offs First Stage involve 3-player terminator games on Doodle Earth (randomly drawn but such that each game involves players from different divisions if possible). If players miss the invite for play-offs then the next best-placed player from the previous phase will be invited in his/her place. The two winners progress to the second stage.
Play Offs - Second Stage The Play Offs - Second Stage involve 1 v 1 series (best-of-3, Random map & randomly drawn but such that each game involves players from different divisions if possible). If players miss the invite for play-offs then the next best-placed player from the previous phase will be invited in his/her place. Winners qualify for the Campionship Final.
If the play-offs are not complete by the start of the Championship Final start time then they will be completed in 'rt' fashion (the Tournament Organiser will regulate this). In this circumstance, if a player fails to play in 'rt' fashion then his opponent will progress. If this situation does not bring about qualifiers for the final within 1 hour then any of the finalists may choose to play the Championship Final as a casual match.
The Championship Final The Championship Final will involve play-off winners and divisional winners in a final 4-player match, on a global map to be determined closer to the time (Classic / High Seas / Doodle / Duck and Cover). Spoils for the final will also be determined closer to the time.
Although players can join part-way through the league stage, they must have played in at least 6 games In order to qualify for the play-offs or final.
Maps and settings are designed to ensure games dont drag and to appeal to the general CC population. A round limit of 20 will be applied to all games.
Joining Games
Each week, for each division, the moderator will set up a range of standard (including 1 v 1), assassin and terminator games. Games will be 2-to-5-player games.
All games will have a generic password (which will change each week). The Division Moderator will send all players the password by PM just before the start time, and post it in the tournament thread.
Therefore a range of games will be available to join. It is individual players' responsibility to turn-up at the allotted time and join games. If games do not fill, it is individual players responsibility to find another game. It is Recommended that Players Regularly Refresh a Game Finder Window showing Speed Tournament Games Waiting for Players.
There should also be little turmoil waiting for players to join games - if a game does not fill, players can simply join an alternative game (games for varying numbers.of players will be set-up to ensure that there are no odd-players-out).
Division moderators will ensure that the same map (except Random) is not used more than once for each division's time-slot on any week.
Settings
All games will be automatic and sequential.
All play-off and championship finals games will also involve fog of war and adjacent settings. All play-off games will involve escalating spoils.
Spoils will generally either be escalating or nuclear (to avoid build-up games). Games on small maps may use other types of spoils.
During weeks 1 to 5, there will be a relatively even distribution of sunny and foggy games.
During weeks 1 to 5, there will be a relatively even distribution of adjacent and chained games (there may also be some unlimited reinforcements although a reduced number due to first-player advantage usually being increased with this setting).
Maps
Each week the following popular speed maps will all be used:
Classic Doodle Earth Luxembourg Duck and Cover Feudal War American Civil War World War II Poland Europe 1914 Canada Steamworks Random
Each player signing-up in advance can select one map which will be every each week (the Division Moderator will determine the settings and how the map fits in to the range of games available). The map must be conjusive to games finishing relatively quickly (e.g. no Hive) and players' original choice cannot be changed. The Division Moderator retains the right to ask players to reselect their map choice.
The Division Moderator can also select two geographically-relevant maps to be used each week (relevant to the geography of the division).
Complex maps (such as base-style starting positions etc.) will not be used more than once for each division time-slot, each week during the league phase.
The Play-Offs 1 v 1 games will use Random Map (see above).
The scoring system favours players who attend regularly without penalising players who miss just one week.
The system also provides players joining the tournament part-way through with a chance of progressing if they play very well.
Each week, players score 2 attendance points for joining a game which starts during their division's time slot. Players score 1 attendance point joining a game which starts outside their division's time slot. Attendance points are only granted where players have played in games.*
Players also score participation points. Each week (regardless of which division games are played in), players score 2 participation points for playing in 3 or more games and 1 point for playing in 2 games.
During Weeks 3 to 5, players score 2 attendance points for playing at any time, and core participation points as above.
Players can score a maximum of 6 attendance and 6 participation points (and thereby do not lose out if they miss just one week).
Players also score kill ratio points.
This is calculated as follows:
Each victory in 2-player standard games counts for 24 kill points.
Each victory in 3-player standard or assassin games counts for 36 kill points. Each victory in 4-player standard or assassin games counts for 48 kill points. Each victory in 5-player standard or assassin games counts for 60 kill points.
Each kill in 3-player terminator games counts for 18 kill points. Each kill in 4-player terminator games counts for 16 kill points. Each kill in 5-player terminator games counts for 15 kill points.
(This reflects the real probabilities per kill according to player numbers.)
Each player's kill points are added up and divided by (the number of games played * 12) to give the kill ratio points.
Player's kill ratio points, atttendance and participation points are added together to determine their league table position.
* Plenty of games will be set-up by moderators so players showing-up on time have no excuse for not playing. If they are too selectibe about joining games and thereby do not play then no attendance points will be awarded.
Dates for these games are fixed and not subject to change or negotiation once the tournament starts. If a player is unavailable on the day then games will progress with one fewer player. If a player announces unavailability in advance, then the player with the best record in the previous round* will progress as a replacement.
Players will be sent invites to the Play-Off games - if they fail to join they will forfeit.
Players will be sent a PM invite 10 minutes before the Final start times and will have until 5 minutes after the start time to join.
For the final, the player defeated by the missing player in the play-off stage two will be the replacement. For play-off stage two, the replacement will be the last player defeated by the missing player in the play-off stage one. For the play-off stage two, the replacement will be the player with the most points from the league stage (not already qualifying).
If the initial replacement is not available either, then the replacement will be the player with the next-best record from the previous round.
Players must not divulge details of opponents location in fog games. Players can however refer to information provided in the game log. If fog information is divulged then the player(s) concerned may be ejected from the tournament.
Players must inform the tournament organiser if they have a regular partner or opponent that is also featuring in the tournament. The organizer can then ensure these players do not play together to avoid any potential claims of foul play by other players.
If reports of suspected foul play are made and the players in question have not declared that they are regular partners / opponents then they will be both be ejected from the tournament without question or the need for irrefutable evidence.
As the tournament organiser, I retain the right to amend rules. If I feel that something needs changing then I have the right to do if it's fair to everybody and is in the benefit of the tournament.
The timings of the break between weeks 4 & 5 may vary slightly according to timings for another winter speed tournament (to be announced).
The overall tournamernt winner will not be eligible to also win a GA medal for divisional winner.
Any issues will be solved by the Tournament Organiser and his word is final.
The Tournament Organiser reserves the right to make minor structural modifications for the benefit of the tournament.
If a player deadbeats or misses turns then the result will stand unless a player repeatedly deadbeats, in which case the situation will be analysed with some, or all, games being potentially annulled.
If a player with less than 95% turn ration joins and plays games, these games will officially not be counted.
In the event of players finishing in perfectly equal positions to determine medal awards or important league positioning, a best-of 3 play-off will take place (classic, casual, escalating, adjacent, fog settings).
In please European time...Also wouldn't mind having these maps and settings: Feudal War with five players, but with Fog, Assassin, Nuke, unlimited (makes for a very interesting game) City Mogul 1v1 fog, nuke, chained WW2 Poland 1v1 fog, nuke, unlimited, Manual