This is what I want to try out first:
Setup
There will be an announcement thread in which players can register, and 6 players will be hand picked out of the registered player pool. Players that doesn't get hand-picked will be placed in a scrambled queue-list, in which they will advance and challenge entry into the next league and also first in line to replace any no-shows for the ongoing league.
First, a group stage, with 6 players divided into 2 groups of 3 players. Within the group each player has a 'host' and a 'guest' game against the other players, 'host' meaning the player gets to pick the map out of a preset map pool. Each win is rewarded a point. In the event of ties the players will be ranked against each other based on their 'guest' points and if necessary, on $kill points. With each win the players carry with them their $ kills from the combat stat tab. The group winners play against each other in a final, in a best-of-5 with a preset series of maps.
The map pool will strictly adhere to standards that allows for 'open field warfare'. Meaning no maps are allowed that pins players to certain locations on the map, limiting armies' abilities to do counter measures during the entirety of the match.
All matches are played within my scheduled monday streams:
- Week 1, 16 November - Group A - Players [a,b,c] participate in 2 host + 2 guest matches each in the following order: (a vs b), (b vs c), (c vs a), (b vs a), (c vs b), (a vs c) in a total number of 6 group matches.
- Week 2, 23 November - Group B - Players [d,e,f] in the same formula as above
- Week 3, 30 November - The Finals - winner Group A versus winner Group B in a 'best of 5'
League Development
- The group winners (finalists) are automatically seeded into the next league.
- Two 3rd placers are relegated to the waiting queue and replaced by the 1st and 2nd player in the queue. The 1st in the queue replaces the relegator with the best 'guest' points or $kills.
- Two 2nd placers will have to qualify in order to enter the next league, by playing a 'best of 3' against the 3rd and 4th in the queue. The 3rd in queue play against the qualifier with the best 'guest' points or $kills.
- No-showers in the league are relegated to the queue and replaced by the 1st player in the queue.
- No-showers for players in the queue that are up for advancement or qualification are relegated to the end of the queue and need to notify the competition officials beforehand (no less than 1 hour before start), else these players will need to register anew to enter the queue. The exception is for no-show players in queue unexpectedly qualifying/advancing due to others ahead in the queue having a no-show. These players will stay put in their queue position and allow players behind enter qualification/advancement.
- The league winner receives a title and price, currently $50.
Match Rules
- Default mod Red Alert, latest playtest/release.
- Standard lobby settings, players can agree to 'Explored Map' in the group stage.
- Random starting position
- Host player in the group stage decides the map from the preset map pool.
- Finalists play a best-of-5 on a preset series of maps, scrambled from the preset map pool.
- Current map pool (still to be decided, at least 7 needed): Warwind, Sidestep, Tabula Rasa, Interior Halls, Dual Vegetation (untested)
- Players waiting in the group stage may follow the stream but are not allowed to spectate matches between opponents in their own group. Stream will run with a 3 minute delay.