1v1 MB Multiplayer Tournament
Hey everybody - I'm here announcing the next multiplayer tournament! The last one was a bit of a disaster, but we here at Marble Blast.com don't give up (or maybe it's just stupidity). Don't worry though - there are some changes that will make this one work just fine. A few others and I have worked out some tricky details, which should prevent any trouble.
The tournament will be split into three parts: Signups, the Swiss Style Rounds, and the Playoffs. I'll go over each of them separately.
The second post on this thread has links to the Swiss Rounds and the Playoff Bracket (the latter once the Swiss Rounds are over) as well as a list of those signed up and, later, what place they came in.
SIGNUPS
Anybody can sign up for the tournament! Anybody at all (as long as they're not banned, of course…), new players and old. Inexperienced players are welcome to try their luck against some of the older & more experienced players. It doesn't matter how good you are! To sign up, simply post on this thread below stating clearly that you want to sign up.
Time frame of the tournament:
Signups will last until March 7th, 9am EST (2pm GMT). Then the first round will be drawn and the tournament will begin!
The Swiss Rounds will last exactly 2 weeks per round. As soon as one round is over, the matches for the next round will be generated.
The Playoffs will last exactly 2 weeks per round. As soon as one round is over, the matches for the next round will be generated.
Thus, this tournament will have exact time frames, which will be available as soon as the signups are finished.
SWISS STYLE ROUNDS
Directly from Wikipedia, so there is no confusion:
"A Swiss-system tournament is a tournament which uses a non-elimination format. There are several rounds of competition, but considerably fewer rounds than in a round-robin tournament, so each competitor (team or individual) does not play every other competitor. Competitors meet one-to-one in each round and are paired using a predetermined set of rules designed to ensure that as far as possible a competitor plays competitors with the same current score, subject to not playing the same opponent more than once. The winner is the competitor with the highest aggregate points earned in all rounds."
"There are a predetermined number of rounds and a predetermined scoring system. All competitors play in each round unless there is an odd number of competitors."
"Competitors are paired based on approximately how well (or poorly) they have performed so far. In the first round, competitors are paired either according to some pattern or randomly (according to common practice in that type of game or sport).In subsequent rounds, competitors are sorted according to their cumulative scores and are assigned opponents with the same or similar score up to that point."
So basically: First round is random. From there, depending on how well you do, you get pitted against somebody of the same overall score (WHO YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED YET). There's a set number of rounds (this will depend on how many players we get, like 5-10). A win is 1 point, and a loss is 0. The computer keeps track of the standings and assigns the matches. At the end of all rounds, the top players will make the playoffs.
- If there are less than 10 players total, the top 4 make the playoffs.
- If there are less than 25 players total, the top 8 make the playoffs.
- If there are 25 or more players total, the top 16 make the playoffs.
Please note that, as said above, each round will last exactly 2 weeks. As soon as one round is over, the next round's matches will be generated. Failure to respect this time frame is spoken of below.
HOW MATCHES ARE PLAYED IN THE SWISS ROUNDS
Basic:
- Matches are Best of Five
- All rounds have a time frame of two weeks, and thus every match has a time frame of two weeks. If both players in the match are not online enough to just 'meet up' for their match, then they NEED TO set up a time that they can both be on. If an issue pops up, a player can cancel the set time up to 24 hours before it is set to happen. If the issue happens after that, then they have failed to respect the set time. If one of them fails to respect this set time, he will lose the match. If both players fail to respect this set time, they will BOTH RECEIVE A LOSS. If both players fail to set up a time altogether, and don't meet for their match within the 2-week round, they will both receive a loss. IMPORTANT: If a player fails to respect a set time more than once, or purposefully avoids setting up one, he will be disqualified entirely from the tournament.
- For the playoffs, rounds will be drawn as soon as all matches beforehand have ended.
- Matches can be played either on Thistle MK 1 or a neutral player's server. If the chosen server is a neutral player's server, BOTH PLAYERS IN THE MATCH must FULLY AGREE on the server. It is the players` responsibility to set the cap on the server, or tell the neutral player to set the cap. It is 100% up to the players to allow spectators/the number of spectators to allow.
Matches:
- Matches in the Swiss Rounds are Best of Five, as stated above.
- The 'home' player chooses the first map. The player on the TOP of the matchup is the home player, the player on the BOTTOM is the away player.
- The away player chooses the next map, then the home player chooses the third map, and the away player the fourth.
- The same map may not be played twice in one match.
- If, at any point, three games are won by one of the players, the match is over.
- If, after four games, the score is 2-2, the fifth game is played. The map is chosen by the randomizer on this fifth game.
- Only Official maps are allowed. Among these, there is a short list of levels that are not allowed for various reasons. These maps are - Lupus, Nadir, Maximo Center, Marbleland, Nukesweeper Revisited, King of the Marble, and Ring.
- In the case of a drawn game (game - not match. As in 126-126 on Sprawl) matches continue to be played until one player achieves three wins. If more than five total games are required, all extra games` maps are chosen by the randomizer.
To view who you're playing against, and whether you're home or away, use the link in the second post to check the standings & match ups.
PLAYOFFS
As stated above:
- If there are less than 10 players total, the top 4 make the playoffs.
- If there are less than 25 players total, the top 8 make the playoffs.
- If there are 25 or more players total, the top 16 make the playoffs.
The playoffs are single elimination. Players are seeded according to where they end up in the Swiss Rounds, and matched up with one another. To make this clearer, here's an example of the final standings of a mock tournament:
Swiss Rounds
1. Frostfire (totally
)
2. Matan
3. Xelna
4. Imperial
5. Regislian
6. Dushine
7. Kalle
8. RC (cuz he's bad at MP obviously)
9-21 = other players who don't matter in this example
(1) Frostfire VS RC (8]
(4) Imperial VS Regislian (5)
(2) Matan VS Kalle (7)
(3) Xelna VS Dushine (6)
- Winner of 1 vs 8 match plays winner of 4 vs 5.
- Winner of 3 vs 6 match plays winner of 2 vs 7.
So we might have
(8] RC VS Imperial (4)
(2) Matan VS Dushine (6)
or
(1) Frostfire VS Regislian (5)
(3) Xelna VS Kalle (7)
Or any combination that follows the seeding rules. There will be a link to the bracket in the second post, so don't worry - you just have to check that to see who you're up against.
Once these matches have been played, the winners play off in a final match. This final is on a set date, and will be filmed and posted to YouTube so all can watch it.
WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THE PLAYOFF GAMES
Playoff games are essentially played in the same fashion as the Swiss Rounds, but there are a few differences that need to be noted:
- Matches are Best of 7, up to the final, which is Best of 9.
- Randomizer begins choosing on the 7th game (9th in the final) in the playoffs instead of the 5th.
- If both players fail to respect a set time, they must set up another one ASAP (rather than being auto-loss'd). If they go over the two-week time frame, then they are both eliminated.
- Everything else is the same
- LOWER seed is home
SIMPLE CONDUCT RULES
- The biggest conduct rule is USE COMMON SENSE.
- For taunts, the only taunt that is allowed to be spammed is /v2 (Gaashfdkjrwljrwq…etc). Other taunts may be used in context (i.e; MM'ing somebody and doing Mega Marble Kids!) 1-2 at a time.
- Spectators of a match are not allowed to talk in server chat or taunt during a game. If a spectator disrupts the game intentionally (needs to be kicked), he will be disqualified from the tournament & the Marble Blast staff will be notified. The game the disruption occurred in will be replayed UNLESS both the following apply: a) there was less than one minute left to play, and b) one player was leading by 25 or more points.
- Please be a respectful winner, and a respectful loser. Trash talk before games is allowed but try not to go over the top/get too serious.
BASIC Q & A (please check this before asking a question!)
Q: I crashed during a game! I don't want a loss…
A: That sucks - read the last section, under the Q/A.
Q: I had to go during a game, and I was winning by a lot! Not fair!
A: It's your responsibility if you have to go during a game. You automatically lose that game if you have to go. If you have to go at any time during the matches of a set time, you will lose the match if it remains unplayed at the end of the 2-week frame.
Q: OMG, it was tied, and I got to the last gem first, but because of ping he got it and won the game (and match!!!!)
A: That sucks a lot, but there's nothing anybody can do about it. It's not fair to your opponent to replay the game, he fought just as hard as you did to win. No replays for ping steals, period, no matter how big the situation.
Q: Can I spam taunts?
A: Read the section above the Q & A - Simple Conduct Rules.
Q: Is respawning with Backspace allowed?
A: Yes.
Q: What the heck? I don't see my name on this round's matchups...
A: If we end up with an odd number of players, you have a chance to receive a 'bye' round. This means you don't play a match on the round. You'll never receive more than one bye in the tournament. If you receive a bye, you will be granted a win in scoring, so no worries!
Q: Everybody's done with their matches, and the round's time frame isn't over yet! We want to get going, can you set the next round early?
A: No. All rounds will be drawn & announced at 9 AM EST on Saturday mornings, period - with the exception of playoff rounds, which will be drawn as soon as the previous round is finished.
Q: I know you said no exceptions for ping steals, but I am LITERALLY INSIDE THE LAST YELLOW and I lost by one!!
A: No exceptions. You could've been there a split second faster.
CRASH DURING GAME RULES
Since there a liable to be crashes during matches, we need a set of rules on them. Here you are:
If the host crashes...
Before the last minute of play > restart game
During the last minute of play with one player leading by less than 25 points > restart game
During the last minute of play with one player leading by 25 or more points > leader can choose to replay game or take the win
If the leader crashes
Before the last minute of play > restart game
During the last minute of play, but leading by less than 25 points > restart game
During the last minute of play, leading by 25 or more points > loser chooses whether to give the player the win or restart game
If the losing player crashes
During the first minute of play > restart game
After the first minute of play but before the last, while losing by less than 25 > restart game
After the first minute of play but before the last, while losing by more than 25 > leader chooses whether to win or restart game
During the last minute of play > leader chooses whether to win or restart game
SPECIAL NOTE: On most Saturday mornings I will be on webchat at the time of the next round's generation (always 9 AM EST on Saturdays) to announce live who plays who in the next round.
Good luck in the tournament, all! If you have an inquiry (not listed above) don't hesitate to ask! Happy marbling!
The tournament will be split into three parts: Signups, the Swiss Style Rounds, and the Playoffs. I'll go over each of them separately.
The second post on this thread has links to the Swiss Rounds and the Playoff Bracket (the latter once the Swiss Rounds are over) as well as a list of those signed up and, later, what place they came in.
SIGNUPS
Anybody can sign up for the tournament! Anybody at all (as long as they're not banned, of course…), new players and old. Inexperienced players are welcome to try their luck against some of the older & more experienced players. It doesn't matter how good you are! To sign up, simply post on this thread below stating clearly that you want to sign up.
Time frame of the tournament:
Signups will last until March 7th, 9am EST (2pm GMT). Then the first round will be drawn and the tournament will begin!
The Swiss Rounds will last exactly 2 weeks per round. As soon as one round is over, the matches for the next round will be generated.
The Playoffs will last exactly 2 weeks per round. As soon as one round is over, the matches for the next round will be generated.
Thus, this tournament will have exact time frames, which will be available as soon as the signups are finished.
SWISS STYLE ROUNDS
Directly from Wikipedia, so there is no confusion:
"A Swiss-system tournament is a tournament which uses a non-elimination format. There are several rounds of competition, but considerably fewer rounds than in a round-robin tournament, so each competitor (team or individual) does not play every other competitor. Competitors meet one-to-one in each round and are paired using a predetermined set of rules designed to ensure that as far as possible a competitor plays competitors with the same current score, subject to not playing the same opponent more than once. The winner is the competitor with the highest aggregate points earned in all rounds."
"There are a predetermined number of rounds and a predetermined scoring system. All competitors play in each round unless there is an odd number of competitors."
"Competitors are paired based on approximately how well (or poorly) they have performed so far. In the first round, competitors are paired either according to some pattern or randomly (according to common practice in that type of game or sport).In subsequent rounds, competitors are sorted according to their cumulative scores and are assigned opponents with the same or similar score up to that point."
So basically: First round is random. From there, depending on how well you do, you get pitted against somebody of the same overall score (WHO YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED YET). There's a set number of rounds (this will depend on how many players we get, like 5-10). A win is 1 point, and a loss is 0. The computer keeps track of the standings and assigns the matches. At the end of all rounds, the top players will make the playoffs.
- If there are less than 10 players total, the top 4 make the playoffs.
- If there are less than 25 players total, the top 8 make the playoffs.
- If there are 25 or more players total, the top 16 make the playoffs.
Please note that, as said above, each round will last exactly 2 weeks. As soon as one round is over, the next round's matches will be generated. Failure to respect this time frame is spoken of below.
HOW MATCHES ARE PLAYED IN THE SWISS ROUNDS
Basic:
- Matches are Best of Five
- All rounds have a time frame of two weeks, and thus every match has a time frame of two weeks. If both players in the match are not online enough to just 'meet up' for their match, then they NEED TO set up a time that they can both be on. If an issue pops up, a player can cancel the set time up to 24 hours before it is set to happen. If the issue happens after that, then they have failed to respect the set time. If one of them fails to respect this set time, he will lose the match. If both players fail to respect this set time, they will BOTH RECEIVE A LOSS. If both players fail to set up a time altogether, and don't meet for their match within the 2-week round, they will both receive a loss. IMPORTANT: If a player fails to respect a set time more than once, or purposefully avoids setting up one, he will be disqualified entirely from the tournament.
- For the playoffs, rounds will be drawn as soon as all matches beforehand have ended.
- Matches can be played either on Thistle MK 1 or a neutral player's server. If the chosen server is a neutral player's server, BOTH PLAYERS IN THE MATCH must FULLY AGREE on the server. It is the players` responsibility to set the cap on the server, or tell the neutral player to set the cap. It is 100% up to the players to allow spectators/the number of spectators to allow.
Matches:
- Matches in the Swiss Rounds are Best of Five, as stated above.
- The 'home' player chooses the first map. The player on the TOP of the matchup is the home player, the player on the BOTTOM is the away player.
- The away player chooses the next map, then the home player chooses the third map, and the away player the fourth.
- The same map may not be played twice in one match.
- If, at any point, three games are won by one of the players, the match is over.
- If, after four games, the score is 2-2, the fifth game is played. The map is chosen by the randomizer on this fifth game.
- Only Official maps are allowed. Among these, there is a short list of levels that are not allowed for various reasons. These maps are - Lupus, Nadir, Maximo Center, Marbleland, Nukesweeper Revisited, King of the Marble, and Ring.
- In the case of a drawn game (game - not match. As in 126-126 on Sprawl) matches continue to be played until one player achieves three wins. If more than five total games are required, all extra games` maps are chosen by the randomizer.
To view who you're playing against, and whether you're home or away, use the link in the second post to check the standings & match ups.
PLAYOFFS
As stated above:
- If there are less than 10 players total, the top 4 make the playoffs.
- If there are less than 25 players total, the top 8 make the playoffs.
- If there are 25 or more players total, the top 16 make the playoffs.
The playoffs are single elimination. Players are seeded according to where they end up in the Swiss Rounds, and matched up with one another. To make this clearer, here's an example of the final standings of a mock tournament:
Swiss Rounds
1. Frostfire (totally
)2. Matan
3. Xelna
4. Imperial
5. Regislian
6. Dushine
7. Kalle
8. RC (cuz he's bad at MP obviously)
9-21 = other players who don't matter in this example
(1) Frostfire VS RC (8]
(4) Imperial VS Regislian (5)
(2) Matan VS Kalle (7)
(3) Xelna VS Dushine (6)
- Winner of 1 vs 8 match plays winner of 4 vs 5.
- Winner of 3 vs 6 match plays winner of 2 vs 7.
So we might have
(8] RC VS Imperial (4)
(2) Matan VS Dushine (6)
or
(1) Frostfire VS Regislian (5)
(3) Xelna VS Kalle (7)
Or any combination that follows the seeding rules. There will be a link to the bracket in the second post, so don't worry - you just have to check that to see who you're up against.
Once these matches have been played, the winners play off in a final match. This final is on a set date, and will be filmed and posted to YouTube so all can watch it.
WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THE PLAYOFF GAMES
Playoff games are essentially played in the same fashion as the Swiss Rounds, but there are a few differences that need to be noted:
- Matches are Best of 7, up to the final, which is Best of 9.
- Randomizer begins choosing on the 7th game (9th in the final) in the playoffs instead of the 5th.
- If both players fail to respect a set time, they must set up another one ASAP (rather than being auto-loss'd). If they go over the two-week time frame, then they are both eliminated.
- Everything else is the same
- LOWER seed is home
SIMPLE CONDUCT RULES
- The biggest conduct rule is USE COMMON SENSE.
- For taunts, the only taunt that is allowed to be spammed is /v2 (Gaashfdkjrwljrwq…etc). Other taunts may be used in context (i.e; MM'ing somebody and doing Mega Marble Kids!) 1-2 at a time.
- Spectators of a match are not allowed to talk in server chat or taunt during a game. If a spectator disrupts the game intentionally (needs to be kicked), he will be disqualified from the tournament & the Marble Blast staff will be notified. The game the disruption occurred in will be replayed UNLESS both the following apply: a) there was less than one minute left to play, and b) one player was leading by 25 or more points.
- Please be a respectful winner, and a respectful loser. Trash talk before games is allowed but try not to go over the top/get too serious.
BASIC Q & A (please check this before asking a question!)
Q: I crashed during a game! I don't want a loss…
A: That sucks - read the last section, under the Q/A.
Q: I had to go during a game, and I was winning by a lot! Not fair!
A: It's your responsibility if you have to go during a game. You automatically lose that game if you have to go. If you have to go at any time during the matches of a set time, you will lose the match if it remains unplayed at the end of the 2-week frame.
Q: OMG, it was tied, and I got to the last gem first, but because of ping he got it and won the game (and match!!!!)
A: That sucks a lot, but there's nothing anybody can do about it. It's not fair to your opponent to replay the game, he fought just as hard as you did to win. No replays for ping steals, period, no matter how big the situation.
Q: Can I spam taunts?
A: Read the section above the Q & A - Simple Conduct Rules.
Q: Is respawning with Backspace allowed?
A: Yes.
Q: What the heck? I don't see my name on this round's matchups...
A: If we end up with an odd number of players, you have a chance to receive a 'bye' round. This means you don't play a match on the round. You'll never receive more than one bye in the tournament. If you receive a bye, you will be granted a win in scoring, so no worries!
Q: Everybody's done with their matches, and the round's time frame isn't over yet! We want to get going, can you set the next round early?
A: No. All rounds will be drawn & announced at 9 AM EST on Saturday mornings, period - with the exception of playoff rounds, which will be drawn as soon as the previous round is finished.
Q: I know you said no exceptions for ping steals, but I am LITERALLY INSIDE THE LAST YELLOW and I lost by one!!
A: No exceptions. You could've been there a split second faster.
CRASH DURING GAME RULES
Since there a liable to be crashes during matches, we need a set of rules on them. Here you are:
If the host crashes...
Before the last minute of play > restart game
During the last minute of play with one player leading by less than 25 points > restart game
During the last minute of play with one player leading by 25 or more points > leader can choose to replay game or take the win
If the leader crashes
Before the last minute of play > restart game
During the last minute of play, but leading by less than 25 points > restart game
During the last minute of play, leading by 25 or more points > loser chooses whether to give the player the win or restart game
If the losing player crashes
During the first minute of play > restart game
After the first minute of play but before the last, while losing by less than 25 > restart game
After the first minute of play but before the last, while losing by more than 25 > leader chooses whether to win or restart game
During the last minute of play > leader chooses whether to win or restart game
SPECIAL NOTE: On most Saturday mornings I will be on webchat at the time of the next round's generation (always 9 AM EST on Saturdays) to announce live who plays who in the next round.
Good luck in the tournament, all! If you have an inquiry (not listed above) don't hesitate to ask! Happy marbling!
