TWL Season 7 Rules

[Cpt.Guano!]

Using the rules originaly written by Epinephrine and The Pusher, Acid, Pure_Luck and I (Cpt.Guano!) have come up with the following revisions. In modifying the existing rules, we refered to problems and appeals that were encountered in TWL Season 6 as well as comments made by the players of Season 6 in order to ensure a smoother Season 7.

Please read these rules over and reply with any questions or comments that you may have. Certain issues, such as TWLB rules, have not yet been finished so please keep posted for any changes.

[Cpt.Guano!]

Trench Wars League Rules and Guidelines

- Trench Wars Leagues is the premier competitive league in Trench Wars. It is designed for serious squads which are interested in competing against the best in the zone.

- Trench Wars Leagues rules may be revised at any time by the League Operators, but notice will be given on the official TWL site (www.twleagues.org) beforehand. As well, TWL is a privilege, not a right, and this privilege can be revoked for any player by the League Operators with sufficient cause.

- Many TWL offenses listed have a punishment of a ban from TWL until the end of the season. If the offense occurred during the last few rounds or the playoffs, the ban may be extended by the League Operators.

- The head TWL Coordinator (Cpt.Guano!) has the final say on all matters relating to TWL, however any direct conflict of interests will be handled by the other League Operators.

- The League Operators may be reached at trenchwarsleagues@yahoo.com



I. League Conduct Rules

1.01 When in any Trench Wars League arena during an official game, you must obey and respect the attending game referee and League Operators.

1.02 If the attending game referee feels abuse or harassment is being given to the players in the game (either by private message or team message) by a player who is not playing in the game, that player may be silenced. Furthermore that player will be reported to the League Operators who may take further action (see rule 1.07).

1.03 Deliberate attempts to disrupt game play may result in that player being silenced or kicked from the arena by the referee. As well, the player will be reported to the League Operators who may take further action (see rule 1.07).

1.04 Trench Wars Leagues referees are taken directly from the Trench Wars Staff. They are valued members of the Trench Wars community and without their support, the leagues would not be able to go on. As such they deserve added respect from players. If anyone is caught harassing the referee during a game (note rule 1.05), the referee reserves the right to silence the player in question and that player will be reported to the League Operators and dealt with severely.

1.05 If the referee is abusing his powers or taking excessive measures against players, players may report this to the League Operators who will then take further action if sufficient proof is obtained.

1.06 Any staff member who abuses their power during an official match will be reported to the League Operators who will then let the Trench Wars Staff Smods deal with the problem. Please note that instances where moderators accidentally type in blue during a complete blueout do not count as abuse (unless done repeatedly and purposefully).

1.07 An excessive abuse of the League Conduct Rules during a match will result in a suspension of up to five rounds based on the severity of the infraction and determined by the League Operators. Repeat game conduct offenses may result in a ban from Trench Wars League for as long as the League Operators feel is sufficient.

II. Trench Wars League Structure

2.01 Trench Wars Leagues is composed of three separate league divisions, Trench Wars League - Dueling (TWLD) which features 5on5 Warbirds, Trench Wars League - Javelin (TWLJ) which features 5on5 Javelins, and Trench Wars League - Basing (TWLB) which features 8on8 basing.

2.02 All playoff squads that participated in the previous Trench Wars Leagues season will be granted automatic admission to play in this season. At a date to be later disclosed by the League Operators, the highest-ranking TWD squads in each division will fill the remaining TWL spots of that division. Squads that dissolved at any time during the previous season, or prior to the new season's start, will have to re-enter Trench Wars Leagues through the TWD system. Squads that intend to return must also retain at least 50% of their roster from the previous season to remain seeded in TWL

2.03 Any squad that misses any two regular season games for any particular league division will be dropped from that league division.

2.04 If any squad drops out during the middle of a season for any reason, it will be replaced by the highest ranking team on the Trench Wars Division (www.twdivisions.org) ladder which is currently not in that division of Trench Wars Leagues and that wishes to join. Replacement squads who join before the season begins will be considered full squads in Trench Wars Leagues. Replacement squads that join during a season in progress will start out with a record of (0-x) [wins-losses], with the x representing the number of rounds that have already occurred. TWLD/TWLJ teams will receive a score of 20-50 for each missed game, and TWLB teams will receive a score of 0-20:00 for each missed game (for purposes of +/- ranking). Replacement squads must respond to the invitation as soon as possible otherwise the next highest ranked TWD squad will be asked. TWD teams need at least 10 games played in their respective TWD division to qualify.

2.05 All Trench Wars Leagues divisions will have a full regular season and will feature single-elimination playoffs. The exact structures for these will be determined by the number of participating squads in Trench Wars Leagues which will be determined by demand and competitiveness by the League Operators.

2.06 If any squad merges with another before the start of the next season, they must at least retain 50% of their roster from the previous season to remain seeded in TWL otherwise the squad will be considered new.

III. Multiple Squad Membership and Cheating

Note: Assistant captains are considered players on the squad, and not as co-captains for purposes of cheating. Because captains and co-captains (which are both marked off as 'captains' on the rosters) are expected to be more responsible, their punishment will be harsher and will result in direct punishment for their squads.Multiple squad membership, or double-squadding, is defined as one of the following cases:

a) A player being rostered with two different participating squads of Trench Wars League.
b) A player being rostered in a participating Trench Wars League squad and a different Trench Wars Division squad even if the squads play in different league divisions.
c) A player being rostered more than one time on the same Trench Wars League squad.
d) A player that is rostered in a Trench Wars League squad allowing another player to use their name to play in a League match.
e) A player that is rostered in a Trench Wars League squad using another player’s name to play in a League Match.
Instances of double squadding will not be tolerated. If a player has someone else who uses their computer for TWL (i.e. a sibling), those players are expected to notify the Trench Wars League staff prior to participating in any League matches.

3.01 Double-Squadding for Players: Any player found to double squadding along the definition previously outlined, will be subject to suspension from Trench Wars Leagues for 10 rounds with carryover to the next season. If they played in any games the week of discovery, those games will be forfeited by the squad that had the double squadder.

3.02 Double-Squadding for Squad Captains and Co-Captains: Any squad captain or co-captain found to be joined to either two Trench Wars Leagues squads or a Trench Wars Leagues and a Trench Wars Divisions squad, will be subject to:

a) Suspension from Trench Wars Leagues for 10 rounds with carryover to the next season.
b) A forfeit of all matches played in for the week the offense was discovered for the squad(s) which the offending player was a captain or co-captain of regardless of participation in those particular games.
c) Removal of the squad(s) from Trench Wars League participation for the squad(s) of which the offending player was a captain or co-captain of. The other members and co-captain(s) of the squad may appeal this decision and it will be decided by the League Operators, at which point a new captain may be approved.

3.03 Any squad member found to be guilty of cheating to alter game play and to create an unfair advantage, will be subject to:

a) Suspension from Trench Wars Leagues for 10 rounds with carryover to the next season.
b) Forfeit of all squad matches played in the week the offense was discovered of which the player participated in.
c) Referral to League Operators and Trench Wars Moderators for immediate punishment including being banned from Trench Wars.

3.04 Any Squad Captain or Co-Captain found to be guilty of cheating to alter game play and to create an unfair advantage, will be subject to:

a) Permanent suspension from Trench Wars Leagues participation.
b) Forfeit of all squad matches played in the week the offense was discovered for the squad(s) of which the player was a captain or co-captain of regardless of participation in those particular games.
c) Removal of the squad(s) from Trench Wars League participation for the squad(s) of which the offending player was a captain or co-captain of. The other members and co-captain(s) of the squad may appeal this decision and it will be decided by the League Operators, at which point a new captain may be approved.
d) Referral to League Operators and Trench Wars Moderators for immediate punishment including being banned from Trench Wars.

[Cpt.Guano!]

IV. Replaying of Interrupted Matches and Postponements

4.01 If an unpredictable server crash, router failure, TWBot failure, or other event has a massive impact on a game in progress, the match will be cancelled and all current scores discarded. The game will then be replayed at a later time. (See Rules 4.02, 4.03 and 4.04)

4.02 In the event that all technical difficulties are resolved within 15 minutes of the scheduled game time, the match will be played immediately upon the consent of the captains of both squads.

4.03 Postponed games may be replayed in an available time slot of the current weekend provided that all technical difficulties have been resolved and both captains agree on the game time.

4.04 In the event that a match cannot be replayed in the current weekend, it will be postponed until the following weekend. The game time of the match will be decided using the standard scheduling rules. (See Section 7)

4.05 When replaying a cancelled game, the affected squads must have the exact same number and type of ships that they had in their line-up prior to the break in the game. Please refer to Rule 5.06 regarding eligibility and postponed games.

4.06 If the Trench Wars Zone goes down for an inordinate amount of time, all the games for that timeslot will be postponed until the next weekend. If the zone is down for multiple timeslots, all of those games will be postponed. Once the server goes back up, the previously scheduled league games that were scheduled to start after or within 15 minutes of the server being fixed will be played.

V. Roster Rules and Requirements

5.01 All registered Trench Wars League squads may only have a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 35 registered members. Players may only have one name on their squad's roster, and if they have more they may be found in violation of doublesquadding rules (see section III).

5.02 Each squad is allowed to have a total of 3 captains and 5 assistant captains. All captains must be registered as so with Trench Wars Leagues.

5.03 Squad Captains, Assistant Captains, and members are allowed to only have one name registered to their roster. Any player found in violation of this rule will be subject to the same punishments as Double Squadding.

5.04 In order to be eligible for Trench Wars League game play, each player must be:

a) Registered at www.twleagues.org with the appropriate squad.
b) Eligible to play after the Standard Waiting Period. (See Rule 5.05)
c) Not be a member of any other registered Trench Wars League or Trench Wars Divisions squad (See Rule 3.0).
d) Not currently serving a suspension from Trench Wars League game play.

5.05 The Standard Waiting Period for roster eligibility goes as follows: Any player joining a squad for participation in Trench Wars League, will be subject to a one round cool down period after registration and confirmation by a Squad Captain. Players will not be eligible to participate in official Trench Wars League matches until the round proceeding that player joining the squad has completed (Example: Players joining before round 3 but after round 2 will not be allowed to play in any games until the round 4 games).

5.06 If there are postponements, players which were not originally eligible for the round before it was postponed will still not be eligible for the postponed round.

5.07 All Trench Wars League rosters will experience a soft lock at the start of Round 4 matches. This means that any players that de-roster from a Trench Wars League squad will no longer be eligible to join another League squad for the remainder of the season.

5.08 All Trench Wars League rosters will experience a hard lock at the start of Round 6 matches. This means that no roster additions or substitutions will be allowed after that point.

5.09 In the event that a player is accidentally de-rostered from a Trench Wars League squad, an Email must be sent to the Trench Wars League Operators within 24 hours or else they will be subject to all roster lock and waiting period restrictions. (See Rules 5.06, 5.07 and 5.08) If the player becomes rostered on another Trench Wars Leagues or Trench Wars Divisions squad within the 24 hour period, this offer will not apply.

VI. Appeals Process and Guidelines

6.01 If a squad feels that such factors as game referee decisions, staff involvement, server or router error, cheating, or other instances have affected the outcome and fairness of a game, that squad has the right to appeal to the League Operator. It is up to the squad to ensure that as much information as possible is included in the appeal for the League Operators to make a fair decision.

6.02 All appeals must be made within 24 hours of the completion of the game in question. No appeals will be accepted that are outside of the 24 hour period.

6.03 All appeals are to be sent to trenchwarsleagues@yahoo.com. Appeals sent to any other location or by any other means will not be heard.

6.04 All appeals will be answered by the League Operators as soon as possible. If server logs are needed to verify information, the process may take an additional length of time.

6.05 If a League Operator's squad is directly involved with an appeal in question, the League Operator will be prohibited from controlling, influencing, or mediating the appeal and the rest of the League staff will deal with the issue.

6.06 All judgments and decisions made by the Trench Wars League Staff are final. There is no appealing a final judgment.

[Cpt.Guano!]

VII. Scheduling Rules and Procedures

7.01 All three leagues will have a total of ten (10) time slots to choose from each week. There are five (5) slots on Saturday which begin from 1pm to 5pm EST (1800 - 2200 GMT), and five (5) slots on Sunday which begin from 1pm to 5pm EST (1800 - 2200 GMT).

7.02 There will be a total of five (5) available games per time slot. If a time slot is filled, another must be negotiated and chosen.

7.03 Only designated Squad Captains and Co-Captains may negotiate for available time slots. No other squad member is allowed to negotiate for available time slots.

7.04 All squads will be given a chance to negotiate and mutually agree upon an acceptable time for their games. Scheduling for games will begin on Mondays at 12am EST (500 GMT) and conclude on Thursday at 6pm EST (2300 GMT).

7.05 If neither squad enters a time into negotiation on the website, it will be assigned by the League Operator. The League Operator will choose a time slot starting between 2pm and 4pm EST (1900 - 2100 GMT) on either Saturday or Sunday by order of first availability. Timeslots of starting times of 1pm and 5pm EST (1800, 2200 GMT) may be chosen if no other slots are available.

7.06 If one Squad Captain fails to enter or agree to a proposed time in negotiation, the other's proposed time will be automatically accepted.

7.07 If the second Captain replies to an offered time more than 48 hours after the initial proposal, the first Captain is automatically rewarded the proposed time.

7.08 If the second Captain replies to the proposed time within the 48 hour time period, but no time was agreed to, a match of Rock Paper Scissors will be played between the Captains or Assistant Captains of both squads using the Rock Paper Scissors Bot. The Rock Paper Scissors match will have the following rules:

a) The winner of the Rock Paper Scissors match will be the first player to get 5 points (or in other words best of 9).
b) Captains or assistant captains will be asked to participate in the Rock Paper Scissors match, however if none are available, regular squad members will be asked to represent their squad.
c) If no members of one squad are available to play the Rock Paper Scissors match by Friday at 12am EST (500 GMT) then they will forfeit the time slot.
d) If neither squad is able to participate in the Rock Paper Scissors match by Friday at 6pm EST (2300 GMT), then the game time will be randomly assigned.

7.09 If both squads agree to a time after the deadline, they may petition the League Operator to alter the assigned time. There is no guarantee this time slot will be granted.

VIII. Pre-Game Rules

8.01 All Trench Wars League games will be held in designated TWLB, TWLD, and TWLJ arenas.

8.02 All league games will be refereed by an appointed moderator. All persons in the arena, game players and spectators, must obey the appointed referee and Trench Wars League rules. Some games may have multiple referees, but will be announced before the game begins.

8.03 All participating members of Trench Wars Leagues must be registered at www.twleagues.org in order to play.

8.04 All league games and their assigned arenas will be announced by a zone wide advertisement at the beginning of every hour.

8.05 Immediately following the game's announcement, Squad Captains or an appointed representative have 10 minutes to submit a valid line-up to the referee. An additional 5 minutes may be requested if a squad is experiencing difficulty gathering eligible players. Referees may give some leeway but are expected to start games on time to ensure that the league is run smoothly and fairly.

8.06 If a squad is unable to submit a valid line-up within the allotted time, that squad will automatically forfeit the match.

8.07 If a squad fails to show up for their scheduled match, the squad will automatically forfeit the match.

8.08 Game time roster eligibility will be verified by the game referee and the TWBots. All squad members must be squadjoined to the squad they are participating with in TWL during league games.

8.09 All squads will be placed on a frequency by the TWBot once the game has begun. Only squad members are allowed on the chosen frequency, and referees may join that frequency if the need arises. Squad members who are not playing and wish to join their teams private frequency, can do so by private messaging the attending TWBot with !myfreq.

8.1 Lag and LagoutsAll lagouts will be handled by both the arena settings and the TWBots. Ping, packetloss and spike will be enforced by the bot using the following limits:<Limits will be defined once the bot has been made>Any players who are in violation of these limits will be placed into spec immediately.

8.10

a) TWLD/TWLJ - Players are allowed a maximum of 3 lagouts per game. A player who has lagged or who has been placed into spec by the TWBot can reenter the game by private messaging the attending TWBot with !lagout. Once a player has reached the maximum lag out amount, the player will be replaced by a substitute if one is available. If none is available, the player will be placed on their squads frequency and they will keep their personal score as is, but their slot will be automatically assigned 10 deaths as if they died out.

b) TWLB - Players are allowed a maximum of 5 lag-outs per game. A player who has lagged or who has been placed into spec by the TWBot can reenter the game by private messaging the attending TWBot with !lagout. The player will be entered into the game in the same ship they left in. Once a player has reached the maximum lag out amount, the player will be replaced by a substitute if one is available. The substitute will be placed in the same ship as the person they are replacing, and are not allowed to change. If none is available, the player will be placed on their squad's frequency.

8.11 Players have 3 minutes to return from a lagout. If they do not return the ref will ask for a substitute if one is available, if not, the slot will be assigned 10 deaths in TWLD/TWLJ. There is no time limit to return after a lagout in TWLB.

8.12 If a participating player is, in the view of the ref, excessively jittery, blinking in and out, or otherwise showing signs of lagging that might be the result of an attempt to cheat the person will be immediately reported to the upper staff. Further action may be taken in game by upper staff. Suspicion of cheating will be followed up and the consequences will be harsh.

8.13 If a player who lags out returns and immediately lags out before they can change to their frequency, this will not be deemed a lagout.

8.14 If a player lags out when in a very deadly situation (about to run into a situation that looks to have a small chance of staying alive), then the host ref may assign the player a death. The league coordinators will review the incident and determine if the disconnect was intentional. If it was determined to be intentional further punishment may come to the player.

[Cpt.Guano!]

IX. Game Play Rules for Dueling and Javelins

9.0 Starting the Game

9.01 Squads will be allowed to submit a maximum starting line-up of 5 eligible players. Each player is assigned a specific slot. There is a minimum of 3 eligible players needed in order to start a game. If a squad is unable to meet the minimum requirements, that squad will be given a forfeit loss.

9.02 Players who are actively participating in the game must be in a Warbird (Ship #1) for Dueling matches and in a Javelin (Ship #2) for Javelin matches.

9.03 If a squad begins a match with fewer players than the maximum requirement, eligible squad members may join the game in progress at any point in the game. All joiners must report to the game referee.

9.04 Two substitutes are allowed per team, which squad captains and assistant captains will be in allowed to do using the substitute command for the TWBot (!sub : ). A substitute may only be put in the game as a replacement for a player who has exceeded the maximum lag out allotment, or as a replacement for a players whose lag prohibits them from playing. The substitute will be placed in the game with the amount of lives left for the slot that they substituted. No substitute may replace a player who was removed for violating allotments. If a substitute needs to be changed before they have been used (i.e. the sub has lag problems), the assigned squad captain can do so by messaging the attendant TWBot.

9.05 Once a game commences, Squad captains may request a spec chat only blueout, by asking the game referee. Both captains must agree to this in order for the blueout to take effect. TWL will feature a spec chat only blueout, with no other blueout level enforced. Staff is prohibited from use of public chat during any blue out conditions unless they are actively participating in a non-total blue out game. Violating this may result in disciplinary action for the offending staff member (see rule 1.06).

9.1 Game Play

9.11 Each game will consist of one 30 minute round, and each player will be given a maximum of 10 deaths. In Javelin games, teamkills do count as deaths. The squad with the least deaths at the end of 30 minutes will be declared the winner.

9.12 There will be no greens available in Trench Wars League Dueling or Javelin arenas except from player deaths. Full charge greens have been eliminated completely from these arenas.

9.13 All players will start in the TWBot assigned safety zones. If a player refuses to leave the safety zone after the game starts, the player will be warped from the safe zone. In TWLJ, if the person continues to stay out of the base, they will be penalized with one death for every 30 seconds out of the base. In TWLD, if the player continues to refuse after the 60 second time period, that player will be specced and given a score of 0 wins, 10 losses, unless a substitute can be appointed.

9.14 Warping is allowed in all Trench Wars League Dueling and Javelin matches. All ships are automatically equipped with anti-warp, which can be used by pressing the SHIFT + END keys. Players who continuously warp to avoid conflict will be considered refusing to fight and warned. If the behavior continues the player will be specced and given a score of 0 wins, 10 losses.

9.15 Hiding in an arena or refusing to fight will not be tolerated. If a player is found to be hiding or refusing to fight, that player will be warned. If the player does not comply within 60 seconds, the player will be specced and given a score of 0 wins, 10 losses.

9.16 Fighting outside of base in Trench Wars League Javelin matches is strongly discouraged. Players who are found to be fighting outside of base will be warned, and if they continue to fight outside, they may be specced and given a score of 0 wins, 10 losses. Players will not be able to spend more than 30 seconds outside of base, as it will penalize that player one life for every 30 seconds outside the base. If you enter the base, then leave, you will also be penalized one life.

9.2 Game Scoring and Results

9.21 If a game ends by result of a forfeit, the losing team will be given a score of 0 wins and 50 losses. The winning team will receive a score of 50 wins and 25 losses. See rule 2.03 for more on forfeits.

9.22 If a game results in a tie in score, a 5 minute overtime period will be played, and will continue directly from the end of regular time with no intermission. If any squad has 50 deaths before the overtime is complete, the other squad will be declared the winner. Else, after the 5 minute overtime, the squad with the least deaths will be declared the winner. If the teams are still tied after the 5 minute overtime, another overtime will be played and so on until a winner is declared.

9.23 The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of a game is the player on the winning team with the best kills minus deaths (kills - deaths) at the end of the regulation game period. If two players have the same number for this, the player with the more kills is MVP. If two players are completely tied, then they are declared Co-MVPs.

9.24 All scores and player statistics will be reported automatically to www.twleagues.org, upon completion of the match. If there is a bot error, the referee will manually input the scores.

[Verthanthi]

1. Define what constitutes abuse. Personally, I'd like to see "using powers in any manner that affects outcome".

2. This isn't really a rule, I guess, but I think it would help. Leave in game rulings up to the <ER>s. If the League Op makes a call, they will be biased when it comes to an appeal.

[Epinephrine]

Just to let you know,

<ER>s and mods who are hosting are always consulted before decisions are made. The final decision though, rests with the TWL Ops. This is for multiple reasons. Firstly, the <ER>s and Mods do not know the rules perfectly and it would be folly to assume that this could ever be so unless people got paid to do this right. Secondly, TWL Ops make the final call because they are familiar with all previous cases, and thus can make decisions which are consistant with past rulings. If ERs and Mods were to make decisions alone each time, it would result in widely varying interpretations of the rules, and thus a level playing field would not be achieved.

Rest assured though that the host is ALWAYS consulted and factual information for events are always from the host themself.

-Epi

[Cig Smoke]

i dont like roster limit ...but hey 35 is coo and i do like the "soft and "hard" roster lock tho good idea

[HellzNo!]

i dont get what you mean by fighting outside of base. Do you mean in spawn area, and leave it how it is for twjd, or do you mean your not even allowed to back out of the entrance. Is there going to be one of those border lines again? I think you should be allowed to fight outside base, because i know if its a close game but they have all 5 guys left and only 2 of my team, i wanna be able to fight outside base, because thats where i can fight the best. And i can open a space for me to enter base. If im not allowed to leave base, or they enemies arent allowed to leave either, they are just gonna block off all entrances, and thats even worse than fighting outside base. Also, fighing outsdie base is alot mroe time efficient. Who the hell wants to spend 15 minutes trying to kill one guy when you have all 5 of your teammates with 10 deaths left each, and you have to wait for him to get up to base. another point, the people who always complain about fighting outside base are the people who don't have the skill to dodge or shoot. They get mad because its alot harder to fluke out and get lucky shots outside base, so they always complain. Thats stupid. We dont take out fighting in mid base in twlb because some people suck at it. It's stupid to take out a legit part of the game because some dickhead cant aim or dodge.

[HellzNo!]

also, maybe i just missed it, but what are the lag limits? i usually have low pings, but they spike up and force me to lag out. are the limits gonna be the same as twd? more strict? less?

[Cpt.Guano!]

Im going to work on the bots first and experiment a bit before i finalize the lag limits. They will most likely be a little stricter than twd because the bots will monitor spikes. I will notify everyone when the limits have been set.

[HellzNo!]

my bad, i just read that in your other thread

[MaGi kOz]

i think captains and co captains should NOT be involved in running the league at all in any way, shape or form.

[Epinephrine]

Hellz as far as I know the TWLJ rules haven't changed one bit since last season.

Last season in TWLJ 2d managed to get the "do not cross" line working after a while and I think I forgot to put that into the rules... these rules merely reflect that. That line should be back for this season.

-Epi

[Epinephrine]

Originally posted by MaGi kOz
i think captains and co captains should NOT be involved in running the league at all in any way, shape or form.

As far as I know there are no more captains running TWL.

-Epi