Lord_Xan
26 Apr 2005, 15:31
As promised, here are the rules for the 2nd Onslaught Ladder. I'll continue to add bits and pieces as needed.
QUALIFYING
█ Why qualify again?
There has been a tremendous increase in skill since the 1st ladder's qualifying, so running another qualifier will allow us to again assemble well-balanced teams.
█ How does it work?
Pretty much the same way as it did last time (bar a few changes of course ;)).
To qualify you simply play qualifying matches (these are the "sanctioned matches" from before) over the qualifying period. Each match that you play from start to finish counts towards your ladder ranking.
Ladder rankings are calculated a little differently, but are still updated after every map you play:
Ranking for match = [(1) / (2)] * [(3) / (4)] * 100
Total Ranking = Sum of all match Rankings / (5)
where:
(1) = Your score for the match
(2) = Your team's total score for the match
(3) = Your total kills for the match
(4) = Your total deaths for the match
(5) = Total number of qualifying matches that you have played
Note that [(3) / (4)] is subject to a minimum of 0.9 and a maximum of 1.1.
If you have specific questions about the calculations involved, please let me know so that we can discuss them.
█ What counts as a qualifying match?
A qualifying match is any Onslaught match with at least 4 players on each side from start to finish. To have the match count towards your ranking you have to play from start to finish - if you arrive late or leave/disconnect before the end it will not count.
Bots do not count as players.
All qualifying matches must take place on public servers - that is, either SGS, Gamezone or MA's server.
Clanmatches do not count.
█ How many matches must I play to be eligible to play in the ladder?
To be able to play in the ladder you must play a minimum of 10 qualifying matches. This is quite a bit higher than before, but upping this is much more preferable than adjusting all the rankings at the end of the qualifying period (the adjustments were too much of a hit-and-miss affair).
█ Will the final rankings be adjusted again for the number of matches played?
No, no adjustments will be made this time around (see above).
█ Do I have to play in the ladder if I qualified?
No, playing in the ladder is entirely up you.
█ When does qualifying start and end?
At the moment the qualifying period stretches from 01/05/2005 to 31/05/2005. Note that the end date may be extended if such a need arises.
LADDER MECHANICS
█ The Tactical Map
The tactical map is where troop movements (and therefore battle set-ups) take place. This is the big new thing in the 2nd ONS Ladder - battles are no longer fixed and set up in advance. Everything (including ultimate victory) is dictated by how a team's command moves its players through the tactical map.
Each team has a base connected to various other maps. The base is the single most important map a team can control. If they lose their base map the game is over and the other team wins (regardless of points - see more on points below).
Both teams start off controlling their bases.
The various other maps can be occupied by a team and should be used to push forward towards the enemy base map. Note that the maps are connected in very specific ways. As in a normal Onslaught game you can only move via the routes indicated.
Whenever both teams occupy the same map at the end of a turn, a battle will ensue. The victor gets to stay in the map while the loser must retreat back to one of its other maps (again only via the routes indicated).
This is what the tactical map currently looks like (big thanks to Shrimp for creating it):
http://www.unreal.co.za/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=333&stc=1&thumb=1 (http://www.unreal.co.za/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=333&stc=1)
█ Turns
A turn represents one week in realtime. To keep everything manageable (and me sane) I've divided the week as follows (note that the ladder will start on a Monday):
Monday - Tactical map and score update is posted, reflecting most recent movements and battle results
Tuesday - Nothing
Wednesday - Due day for Red team's decisions
Thursday - Nothing
Friday - Due day for Blue team's decisions
Saturday - Battles
Sunday - Battles
The turns work pretty much like they do in Risk - during a turn a team may move each of its units (those are the players) by one map (via the routes indicated), except when sacrificing points (more about this below).
Battles may take place at any time over Saturdays and Sundays. It is up to the two teams to decide when they will play.
The ladder will run for 15 turns.
█ Points
Each map will generate a certain amount of points per turn for its owner. At the end of the ladder the team with the most points wins (unless a team has their base map taken over).
During the ladder, you may use 5 points from your total to transfer a player in your team from anywhere on the tactical map to another map that you currently control. Note that:
you cannot transfer someone directly into battle, unless you are defending
moving a player like this counts as their move for the turn
you may move more than one player (but not the same player) in a turn using this method
Note that owners of maps (for points purposes) will be determined after battles take place.
█ Map Army Sizes
Each map can only hold so many units. You will not be allowed to occupy a map with more units than the number indicated in the map's tactical summary. You may, however, occupy it with less.
Pay careful attention to this number - it makes some maps much more valuable than others.
█ Deployment
During the first turn, each team will be allowed to place their members on any map that's within 2 moves from its main base (it is assumed all players start in their respective base maps). To avoid confusion, these maps are:
For Red - Icarus, Severance, Crossfire, Frostbite
For Blue - Dawn, Urban, Adara, Primeval
█ Bonus players
Each team gets 2 Godlike bots to use as they see fit.
To server admins - please take care to set games with bots up properly.
LADDER RULES
█ When/Where do I sign up for the ladder?
Sign-ups will only open once the qualifying period is over. At that time a thread will be created where those interested in participating in the ladder can put down their names. As soon as the sign-ups close I will draw up the Red and Blue teams and the ladder will begin.
█ How do the battles work?
Just as they did in the first ladder. Players divide into their appropriate team colours and an Onslaught match is played on the map in question. The game settings should be as follows:
Timelimit - 15 minutes
Scorelimit - 3
Core Drain in overtime - 50
Once the battle is complete the admin (Cataphract) should be notified of the results so that he can update the game standings.
█ What happens if teams are not of equal size?
The battle continues as normal. Even though it will not be fair to the smaller team, we must allow team commanders to make tactical mistakes, otherwise the whole tactical aspect becomes redundant.
█ How are disconnects treated?
A disconnected player may not be replaced by another player, but he can rejoin the game at any time after his disconnect.
█ Can matches be paused?
No, no pauses will be allowed.
█ What happens if I don't have the map being played?
Make sure you have all of the maps listed in the tactical map beforehand. SGS Filevault has downloads for all the maps required.
If you have any suggestions or queries, please let me know. I hope we can have every bit as much fun (if not more!) with the 2nd ladder as we did with the 1st. :)
QUALIFYING
█ Why qualify again?
There has been a tremendous increase in skill since the 1st ladder's qualifying, so running another qualifier will allow us to again assemble well-balanced teams.
█ How does it work?
Pretty much the same way as it did last time (bar a few changes of course ;)).
To qualify you simply play qualifying matches (these are the "sanctioned matches" from before) over the qualifying period. Each match that you play from start to finish counts towards your ladder ranking.
Ladder rankings are calculated a little differently, but are still updated after every map you play:
Ranking for match = [(1) / (2)] * [(3) / (4)] * 100
Total Ranking = Sum of all match Rankings / (5)
where:
(1) = Your score for the match
(2) = Your team's total score for the match
(3) = Your total kills for the match
(4) = Your total deaths for the match
(5) = Total number of qualifying matches that you have played
Note that [(3) / (4)] is subject to a minimum of 0.9 and a maximum of 1.1.
If you have specific questions about the calculations involved, please let me know so that we can discuss them.
█ What counts as a qualifying match?
A qualifying match is any Onslaught match with at least 4 players on each side from start to finish. To have the match count towards your ranking you have to play from start to finish - if you arrive late or leave/disconnect before the end it will not count.
Bots do not count as players.
All qualifying matches must take place on public servers - that is, either SGS, Gamezone or MA's server.
Clanmatches do not count.
█ How many matches must I play to be eligible to play in the ladder?
To be able to play in the ladder you must play a minimum of 10 qualifying matches. This is quite a bit higher than before, but upping this is much more preferable than adjusting all the rankings at the end of the qualifying period (the adjustments were too much of a hit-and-miss affair).
█ Will the final rankings be adjusted again for the number of matches played?
No, no adjustments will be made this time around (see above).
█ Do I have to play in the ladder if I qualified?
No, playing in the ladder is entirely up you.
█ When does qualifying start and end?
At the moment the qualifying period stretches from 01/05/2005 to 31/05/2005. Note that the end date may be extended if such a need arises.
LADDER MECHANICS
█ The Tactical Map
The tactical map is where troop movements (and therefore battle set-ups) take place. This is the big new thing in the 2nd ONS Ladder - battles are no longer fixed and set up in advance. Everything (including ultimate victory) is dictated by how a team's command moves its players through the tactical map.
Each team has a base connected to various other maps. The base is the single most important map a team can control. If they lose their base map the game is over and the other team wins (regardless of points - see more on points below).
Both teams start off controlling their bases.
The various other maps can be occupied by a team and should be used to push forward towards the enemy base map. Note that the maps are connected in very specific ways. As in a normal Onslaught game you can only move via the routes indicated.
Whenever both teams occupy the same map at the end of a turn, a battle will ensue. The victor gets to stay in the map while the loser must retreat back to one of its other maps (again only via the routes indicated).
This is what the tactical map currently looks like (big thanks to Shrimp for creating it):
http://www.unreal.co.za/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=333&stc=1&thumb=1 (http://www.unreal.co.za/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=333&stc=1)
█ Turns
A turn represents one week in realtime. To keep everything manageable (and me sane) I've divided the week as follows (note that the ladder will start on a Monday):
Monday - Tactical map and score update is posted, reflecting most recent movements and battle results
Tuesday - Nothing
Wednesday - Due day for Red team's decisions
Thursday - Nothing
Friday - Due day for Blue team's decisions
Saturday - Battles
Sunday - Battles
The turns work pretty much like they do in Risk - during a turn a team may move each of its units (those are the players) by one map (via the routes indicated), except when sacrificing points (more about this below).
Battles may take place at any time over Saturdays and Sundays. It is up to the two teams to decide when they will play.
The ladder will run for 15 turns.
█ Points
Each map will generate a certain amount of points per turn for its owner. At the end of the ladder the team with the most points wins (unless a team has their base map taken over).
During the ladder, you may use 5 points from your total to transfer a player in your team from anywhere on the tactical map to another map that you currently control. Note that:
you cannot transfer someone directly into battle, unless you are defending
moving a player like this counts as their move for the turn
you may move more than one player (but not the same player) in a turn using this method
Note that owners of maps (for points purposes) will be determined after battles take place.
█ Map Army Sizes
Each map can only hold so many units. You will not be allowed to occupy a map with more units than the number indicated in the map's tactical summary. You may, however, occupy it with less.
Pay careful attention to this number - it makes some maps much more valuable than others.
█ Deployment
During the first turn, each team will be allowed to place their members on any map that's within 2 moves from its main base (it is assumed all players start in their respective base maps). To avoid confusion, these maps are:
For Red - Icarus, Severance, Crossfire, Frostbite
For Blue - Dawn, Urban, Adara, Primeval
█ Bonus players
Each team gets 2 Godlike bots to use as they see fit.
To server admins - please take care to set games with bots up properly.
LADDER RULES
█ When/Where do I sign up for the ladder?
Sign-ups will only open once the qualifying period is over. At that time a thread will be created where those interested in participating in the ladder can put down their names. As soon as the sign-ups close I will draw up the Red and Blue teams and the ladder will begin.
█ How do the battles work?
Just as they did in the first ladder. Players divide into their appropriate team colours and an Onslaught match is played on the map in question. The game settings should be as follows:
Timelimit - 15 minutes
Scorelimit - 3
Core Drain in overtime - 50
Once the battle is complete the admin (Cataphract) should be notified of the results so that he can update the game standings.
█ What happens if teams are not of equal size?
The battle continues as normal. Even though it will not be fair to the smaller team, we must allow team commanders to make tactical mistakes, otherwise the whole tactical aspect becomes redundant.
█ How are disconnects treated?
A disconnected player may not be replaced by another player, but he can rejoin the game at any time after his disconnect.
█ Can matches be paused?
No, no pauses will be allowed.
█ What happens if I don't have the map being played?
Make sure you have all of the maps listed in the tactical map beforehand. SGS Filevault has downloads for all the maps required.
If you have any suggestions or queries, please let me know. I hope we can have every bit as much fun (if not more!) with the 2nd ladder as we did with the 1st. :)