The Sengoku Jidai League - Rules and Information

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The Sengoku Jidai League

Welcome to the Sengoku Jidai TWS2 Multiplayer League!

This League exists to promote high-quality competition amongst the TWS2 Multiplayer community. The rules are designed to emphasize competitive play that is both skillful and honorable, while the built-in forum utility and supervisory Gamemaster staff aim to make the system work as smoothly as possible. If you want to compete against the best players the TWS2 Multiplayer community has to offer, without the all the rudeness, camping, bug exploiting, etc. that is typical of the in-game Ladder, then this is the place for you.

So how does this thing work?

This system is designed as a multi-tiered competitive League, similar to the English football league system. Players will be divided amongst multiple tiers according to performance, with the objective being to match up players who will provide each other with a good challenge. Play will be divided into seasons, with each season lasting one month. At the end of each month, the top performing players from each tier will be promoted to the next highest tier, while the bottom performing players will be relegated to the next lowest tier.

The number of promotions and relegations each season is not yet set and will be determined based on the total number of players. During Season One, there will be only a single tier so that a fair baseline of performance can be established. Following the end of Season One, all players will be divided into multiple tiers (probably two or three, depending on the total number of players), and normal seasonal play with promotion and relegation will begin.

Each individual tier will be represented by a separate Ladder in the forum's built-in competitions system. You can see an example of what the ladders look like here. While that system also has a specific Leagues feature, it has various limitations that make it less ideal for what we want than multiple ladders joined by a bit of manual organization. Players within each tier will compete against one another while each season is in-play, and results will be reported directly to the utility itself which will automatically rank players using an Elo rating system. This system takes into account who you beat, not just how many wins you have, so you will increase your score more by defeating a player who is ranked higher than you than one who is ranked lower than you.

How are matches organized?

Unlike a sports league, there is no set match schedule. Players can pick who they compete against, so long as the player is on the same tier. Matches can be arranged in one of two ways; Open Challenges and Direct Challenges.

An Open Challenge is a standing offer by a player to compete against anyone who is willing to play them. The challenger sets a date and time when they are available to play, and any other players in the same tier can accept that challenge. The match will then be scheduled at the date and time set by the challenger. The entire system is automated through the ladder utility itself. The Open Challenge is also the best way to arrange an immediate match by mutual agreement. While both players are online, simply have one player create the open challenge and then have the other accept immediately after it is posted.

A Direct Challenge is a specific challenge issued to another player. The entire system is automated through the ladder utility itself. Players simply select another player within the same tier and directly challenge that person. The challenged player cannot refuse to fight, but they may negotiate the schedule. The scheduling system is automated and will allow the challenged player to pick three different times when they are available for the match. The original challenger can then pick any one of the three, and the match will be scheduled for that date/time.

When matches are completed, scores can be submitted automatically through the ladder utility itself, but both players must report the score. Both players will be expected to report the scores honestly and promptly. However, in the event of a problem, a single player can submit a score to the Gamemasters who will then confirm the result (you saved your replays, right?) and submit the score manually.

Note: To ensure a diversity of play, players must wait a full week before playing against each other another time, regardless of whether the match was created by an Open or Direct Challenge. Play against everyone, not just your friends!

Sounds good, so how do I join?

Any player can join the League at any time, though obviously if you join in one week from the end of a season, you will not be able to compete in very many matches and will not likely get promoted to the next tier at the end of the season. To join, complete the following steps:

1) Register an account on the Org forums.
2) Connect your Org profile with your Steam account.
3) Join the Org Steam Group.
4) Go to Tier 1 of the League and hit the Join Ladder button (it's at the top right of the main Ladder frame).

That's it, you're done! Now get out there and start fighting!

awesome now its time to beat down some loosers wit my cav spam lololol

No, it's not. This is a League for players who want to compete with others who act maturely and respectfully. We do not expect all players to like each other, and we understand that a certain amount of smacktalk is a natural part of any competitive system. However, players in the Sengoku Jidai League are expected to treat each other with respect both on and off the battlefield. We do not regulate the armies that players use, and if you want bring cav spam that's perfectly legal; you'll quickly learn that it's nowhere near as effective against veteran players anyway. However, we strongly urge you to use tactical skill and intelligence to win matches, not cheap moves and exploitation of game balance issues. While the Rules specifically ban some of the worst behavior, it is impossible to create an enumerated list of every single scenario in which a player could behave poorly. The Gamemasters will be monitoring the League and players that are found to be acting against the spirit of the League will be reprimanded, even if their actions were not specifically banned by the Rules. Gamemasters are free to take any actions they wish in response to perceived bad behavior, including (but not limited to) a simple written warning, loss of a match, relegation, expulsion from a season, and expulsion from the League.

We take the "high-quality competition" aspect of the League very seriously. Fight with honor and congratulate your opponent after the match is over, regardless of whether your won or lost. If you do that, you will be highly respected regardless of your ranking.

The Gamemasters for The Sengoku Jidai League are:
TinCow (Steam ID: TinCow)
AggonyKing (Steam ID: AggonyKing)
Azuretotalwar (Steam ID: ]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah )
00owl (Steam ID: [Fear]The Black Swan)
AdmiralPrice (Steam ID: AG no AdmiralPrice)

To public discussion thread for The Sengoku Jidai League can be found here.

The Sengoku Jidai League Rules

Universal Org Competition Rules:

1. All players must add their Steam ID to their Org forum profile and join the Org Steam Group prior to registration. No player will be permitted to play in any Org competition if they have not done this. Players must also Friend all Gamemasters who are involved in any competition they are participating in, and accept all Friend requests they receive from other competitors.
2. Gamemaster - All competitions must have at least one Gamemaster to supervise the competition and resolve disputes. If there is only one Gamemaster in a competition, the Gamemaster cannot play in the competition. If there are multiple Gamemasters in the competition, they can play, but they have no powers to enforce rules or resolve disputes in their own matches. If a player believes a Gamemaster is behaving improperly, the issue will be referred to the Org Staff.
3. Drops - The first two drops by one player or team will result in the battle being replayed. A third drop by the same player or team will result in an automatic loss for the dropper, and win for the other player or team. Extended Considerations:
   
   • Obvious Advantage: If a player drops while the other player or team has an obvious advantage (as indicated by the battle bar) then the player or team with the winning advantage can either choose to replay the Battle, or claim the win. Screenshots or replay must be submitted in order to claim the win if the dropping player does not agree.
   • Slight Advantage: If one player or team has only a slight advantage, the Battle is to be replayed with same factions, armies, and conditions. If this is the second try at completing the same Battle, and one player or team has dropped with a slight disadvantage in both attempts, the player or team with the slight advantage can then either choose to refight the Battle, or claim the win (as above).
   
   
4. Red-Line Camping - Positioning a unit to take advantage of the red-line to support its flank or rear is against the rules.
   The criteria for a charge of red-line camping must include these three things:
   
   • The positioning of a body of forces to use the red-line as a tactical advantage.
   • The proximity of that body of forces to the red-line, inhibiting out-maneuvering on that flank or to its rear.
   • Maintaining that position for a period of over three minutes, without showing signs of any attempt to break the appearance of camping; that would demonstrate that this was truly of temporary intention.
   
   
5. Inactivity - The lack of effort to arrange and complete Battles before any assigned deadline will result in a forfeit of the Match. The competition's Gamemaster(s) will evaluate effort according to the available evidence of attempts to arrange the battle, including posts anywhere on the Org, PMs, logs of Steam chat conversations, etc. A technical victory will be awarded to the team which made a greater effort, or both teams could be forfeit, if neither is considered to have done enough. An extension will only be awarded if both teams show good efforts to arrange the battle, and it is likely to be fought in the near future.
6. Bugs and Exploits - It is forbidden to use known bugs or exploits in the game, regardless of whether the bug/exploit was explicitly forbidden in the Rules. Intentional use of a bug or exploit is considered dishonorable behavior, and could result in forfeit of the match, expulsion from the contest, or any other punishment the Gamemaster feels is warranted. The discovery of new bugs or exploits must be publicly communicated to the Gamemaster(s). Known exploits include, but are not limited to, the following:
   Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

   
   

   • Repeated use of Stand and Fight to artificially inflate a General's Charge Bonus.

   
   

Specific Sengoku Jidai League Rules:

1. Seasons - Each season of the League will last for one month. At the end of each season, the top and bottom ranked players (number to be determined based on the number of competitors) in each tier will be promoted and relegated to the proper corresponding tier. At the end of each season, there will be a one week break before the next season begins.
2. Completing Matches Promptly - All League players commit themselves to playing their scheduled matches before the end of the season, and will strive to complete them much earlier than that to account for scheduling difficulties with later opponents. Players that do not demonstrate sufficient commitment to completing their scheduled matches will be penalized, with possible penalties including loss of individual matches, loss of all matches in an entire season, and permanent expulsion from the League.
3. Conduct - All players will be expected to abide by the TW Code of Honor standards, regardless of whether they have personally signed the CoH.
4. Challenges - All matches will be arranged through challenges by the players. Players may use one of two kinds of challenges (instructions on how to do this are provided below):
   
   • Open Challenges - Players may declare that they are available to fight a battle at a certain date and time against anyone who wishes to play. Any player in the same tier may accept the challenge and will be required to show up to fight the battle at the specified date and time.
   • Direct Challenges - Players may challenge a specific person in the same tier. The other player cannot refuse to fight the battle, though negotiations on scheduling are permitted.
   
   Regardless of the challenge method utilized, two specific players cannot fight each other more often than once per week.
5. Matches - All matches will be played as a best of three battles. All battles will have a designated attacker and defender, with one player defending in battles 1 and 3, and the other player defending in battle 2.
   
   • Map - All battles in each match will be fought on the same map, with the choice of map up to the players. If no agreement can be made regarding the map, the map will be the default map as specified for each Season.
   • Determination of Attacker/Defender - If the players have fought each other before, the player who was the attacker in battles 1 and 3 during the last encounter will be the defender in battles 1 and 3. If the players have not fought each other before and the match comes from a direct challenge, the challenger is the attacker in battles 1 and 3. If the players have not fought each other before and the match comes from an open challenge, the challenger is the defender in battles 1 and 3.
   • Roles of Attacker/Defender - The attacker/defender rules only exist to break stalemate situations, they are not intended to force defenders to sit still if they wish to attack. Camping is highly discouraged and ideally both players will engage each other aggressively. However, if a stalemate occurs, the designated attacker in each match will be the player who is responsible for moving forward and breaking the deadlock.
   
   
6. Reporting Scores - After each match, both players will report the match score in the League utility. The score will be reported as 2-0 or 2-1, depending on how many matches were played before one player won two games. If a technical victory is awarded due to inactivity, the score will be reported as 1-0. If a match is forfeited by both players due to inactivity, the score will be reported as 0-0.
7. Replays - All players will save replays of all matches and will post links to the replays in the comments section of the League utility for that specific match. Players can also give the replays to the Gamemasters, who can post the replays for them. Replays will be posted promptly and without complaint. Gamemasters may spectate any game they wish, including for the purposes of live broadcasting the match.
8. Deviation From Rules - Any of the rules listed below this rule may be changed by the players as long as both parties agree to the change prior to the match. Players are strongly encouraged to document any agreement by both sides to any rule changes via a forum post or screenshot of a chat log prior to the start of the match. If there is any dispute between the players in which the changed rules are instrumental, and the Gamemaster concludes there is insufficient evidence of the alleged rule change agreement, the battle will be discarded and re-fought with standard rules.
9. Battle Funds - 14k
10. Unit Size - Medium
11. Unit Restriction - No artillery (Mangonels, Fire Rockets, Cannons). No DLC units.
12. Season/Weather - Spring/Dry
13. Time Limit - None
14. Key Buildings - None
15. Battle Type - Classic Mode

Ladder Utility Tutorials

To Find a Player on Steam:

1. Go to the Ladder that corresponds to your current tier. For all players in Season 1, that Ladder can be found here.
2. Click the steam icon (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/images/misc/im_steam.gif) next to a player's name to get a pop-up which will let you access their Steam profile.

To Create an Open Challenge:

1. Go to the Ladder that corresponds to your current tier. For all players in Season 1, that Ladder can be found here.
2. Click the Find Match tab. (Right side below the main description window.)
3. Click Create Challenge for Match Finder. (Far right side of the Find Match window.)
4. You will now see something that looks like this:
   
   Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

   https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/image...laddertut1.jpg
   
   Fill in each field with the proper information as you see fit.
   Challenger: This is you, you cannot change this field.
   Date: Enter the date and time you are available for the match here. This is not set in stone, you can negotiate it with the other player later and there is no penalty if it is not fought at exactly that time. This exists mainly to make scheduling with others easier. It is highly recommended that you discuss the date and time with whoever accepts your challenge over the Org Forums or on Steam.
   Proposed Changes to Rules 9 to 15: If you are interested in modifying anything between Rules 9 and 15, you can state so ahead of time in this field. For example, if you are interested in using Veterans instead of just Classic Mode, you could write, "Will fight with Vets". Whoever accepts does not have to agree to these rules, but this is a way of letting people know in advance that you would be willing to do something different.
5. Hit Submit. (Bottom right corner.)
6. If you look at the Find Match tab, you will now see your Open Challenge listed for all players.

To Create a Direct Challenge:

1. Go to the Ladder that corresponds to your current tier. For all players in Season 1, that Ladder can be found here.
2. Left click on the name of the player you want to challenge. You will see a pop-up box that looks like this:
   
   Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

   https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/image...laddertut4.jpg
3. Click the Challenge Player option.
4. You will now see something that looks like this:
   
   Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

   https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/image...laddertut5.jpg
   
   Fill in each field with the proper information as you see fit.
   Challenger: This is you, you cannot change this field.
   Opponent: This is the person you challenged, you cannot change this field.
   Date: Enter the date and time you are available for the match here. This is not set in stone, you can negotiate it with the other player later and there is no penalty if it is not fought at exactly that time. This exists mainly to make scheduling with others easier. It is highly recommended that you discuss the date and time with the person you challenge over the Org Forums or on Steam.
   Proposed Changes to Rules 9 to 15: If you are interested in modifying anything between Rules 9 and 15, you can state so ahead of time in this field. For example, if you are interested in using Veterans instead of just Classic Mode, you could write, "Will fight with Vets". The person you challenge does not have to agree to these rules, but this is a way of letting that person know in advance that you would be willing to do something different.
   Extra Time and Date Details: Enter any extra information you can give about when you will be available to play. For instance, if you will be available from 7pm to 10pm GMT, on the listed date, you can write that. You can even list multiple times on multiple days. List anything that will make it easier for people to meet up with you.
5. Hit Challenge Player. (Bottom right corner.)
6. If you look at the Upcoming Matches tab, you will now see your Direct Challenge listed as a scheduled match against the person you challenged.

To Browse and Accept Open Challenges:

1. Go to the Ladder that corresponds to your current tier. For all players in Season 1, that Ladder can be found here.
2. Click the Find Match tab. (Right side below the main description window.)
3. You will now see a list of all the currently available Open Challenges. If there are Open Challenges available, you will see something that looks like this:
   
   Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

   https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/image...laddertut2.jpg
4. Find a match that appeals to you and click the Accept Match button on the right that corresponds to that particular match.
5. After you have accepted, you will automatically be redirected to the Your Matches tab, which will show your newly scheduled match.

To Submit a Score for a Direct or Open Chellenge:

1. Go to the Ladder that corresponds to your current tier. For all players in Season 1, that Ladder can be found here.
2. Click the Your Matches tab.
3. Click the Submit Score Now button that corresponds to the match you have just fought.
4. Enter the score from the match, with one point being assigned for each battle won by each player. (e.g. 2-0, 2-1, 1-2, or 0-2)
5. If you wish to submit a screenshot of the final score, enter the URL of the screenshot in the field available. This is not required.
6. Click Submit. If you are the first player to submit the score, the utility will now say "Awaiting opponents score confirmation." BOTH PLAYERS MUST SUBMIT THE SCORE. Once the second player submits the score, the match result will automatically be entered into the system and the rankings will adjust accordingly.
7. If you have fought a match but your opponent has not or will not submit the score, PM one of the Gamemasters.

(It is strongly recommended that you add a link to your replay files to the comments section of the match. To do this, upload the replay files to the Org Uploader or to any online file service (i.e. Rapidshare, Megaupload). Click the https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/image.../quote_40b.png button to open up the comments section, then paste in the URL for the replay file.) If you add replays like this, we will not have to chase you down to find them in case there is a problem.

Season 1 is now open for play. It will close on Monday, July 18th at 00:01 GMT.