Disclaimer:

The RTCW Cup Admins reserve the right to modify the following rules as necessary. Teams should check the rules on a regular basis and prior to every match to ensure they are in complete compliance. Rules are marked with an update date and we provide a log of changes to assist in this capacity. These rules are guidelines by which the RTCW Cup operates to ensure a fun and even playing field for all teams. At all times, these rules are subject to interpretation by RTCW Cup Admins. While our cup strives to provide the most comprehensive rules possible, not every scenario can be anticipated. Those matters are left to admin discretion based on the spirit of these rules and the situation at hand. Remember, this is just a game and good sportsmanship should be displayed at all times throughout the cup.

Common Sense Clause:

Players and teams will be held responsible for your actions. We recommend good judgment when making decisions that could impact your team and teammates while playing with us during this cup. Use common sense!

The General Rules & Format:

The cup format is the standard 6 vs 6 stopwatch using the ABBA system. Teams can agree to play shorthanded by one player (5v6) if they wish, but playing the match will be at the discretion of the team who fielded 6. If a team fails to field more than 4 players on the server by the default (or mutually agreed upon) match day and time, the opposing team will be awarded a forfeit win.

The RTCW Cup Admins have selected the maps to be played during the regular season. You can find a map list on the maps page of this website.

The regular season will consist of a nine week long regular season followed by a standard playoff system. The playoffs will include ONLY a winner's bracket. The playoffs will be single elimination in order to expedite the progress of the cup and avoid lengthy delays between matches.

At the end of the playoffs, the top two seeded NA teams and the top two seeded EU teams will go head to head in a battle for ultimate RTCW supremacy during the playoffs. More details on this will follow.

Team Rosters:

There is no roster limit. Teams are allowed to add members to their roster while the regular season is in progress up until Week #6. After that week, rosters will lock for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. Any players may join another team provided they have not previously played in any capacity in an official cup match. If a player is a member of a team currently participating in the cup but has not yet played a match, he is allowed to switch teams.

Starting Rosters:

In EVERY match, your starting roster MUST contain a majority - at least four (4) players - from the continent your team declared as your "home".

GUIDS:

Each player who is on a roster during the cup is required to have a valid GUID. You can obtain your GUID by entering the console command /pb_plist while connected to a server. Next to your alias, a string of 8 digits and/or characters will appear: this string is your Globally Unique Identifier (GUID). Players who are NOT playing with the GUID listed on their roster will not be permitted to compete in ANY match until he or she provides a current/valid GUID to the admins AND it is verified as accurate/valid. ABSOLUTELY NO GUID CHANGES during the cup will be permitted. NO exceptions.

Aliases:

Players are required to use the alias listed on their official roster. Casters/streamers often refer to the official rosters/aliases while live on stream, and have difficulty determining who is who. Using your correct alises is not an unreasonable request, and it makes life easier for both the casters and admins.

There is no penalty for a first offense. If your team continually disobeys this rule, player suspensions may result.

Divisions:

Teams will be placed into one large division. We will not separate teams by region into groups. Meaning during the regular season we will have NA vs EU matchups. We will limit the number of matchups however between the NA and EU teams in an attempt to help with scheduling and avoid any delays.

Match Substitutions:

A player on a roster may substitute as they wish in the event of a lag out or crash if and only if he or she is from the same continent as the player who crashed or lagged out. A similarly skilled player of a different continent can be substituted at the discretion of the admins - this is NOT determined by the opposing team. In the event of a server switch to a different continent, your team IS NOT permitted to substitute ANY player(s) who live in continent the match switched to. For example: if your match switches to a North American server at round 3, you ARE NOT permitted to substitute a North American player in for a European player.

Ringers:

A team may use one (1) ringer/merc every week during the regular season, but only one (1) ringer/merc during the entire duration of playoffs.

Teams using a stand-in or ringer MUST inform the admin team BEFORE the match is to be played. The admin team will approve or deny the use of the ringer/merc for that match.

Ringers/mercs can only play with a team ONCE during the duration of the regular season and ONCE during the playoffs. The player in question may ring/merc with another team during the same week or at any time if he or she is needed.

The admins will attempt to approve only ringers/mercs whom are an acceptable replacement player in terms of skill and ability of the player he or she is replacing. The approval or rejection of a ringer/merc IS NOT determined by the opponent - it is determined by the admin team.

Generic Match Format:

Each week, a map will be designated "MAP 1" and the other as "MAP 2".

Each week, a team will be designated as "HOME" and other as "AWAY".

HOME team starts on their server.

AWAY team will get starting map preference and starting side choice. The AWAY team can choose to start on MAP 1 or MAP 2.

AB BA will be played on the home team's server on the map the away team chose to start on. After AB BA, the match continues on the away team's server on the remaining map.

ALL FOUR ROUNDS must be played out or the team who disconnected will forfeit the remainder of rounds.

In the event of the a tie after regulation, a decider map will played in an AB BA format. AB is to be played on the home team's server with the away team picking their starting side. After AB, the match proceeds after switching servers and sides.

In the event of a tie after the decider, one (1) sudden death round of AB will be played on the same map as the decider on the HOME team's server with the AWAY team picking sides.

In the event of a double full hold in sudden death, switch servers to the away team's server and play one (1) BA round of ultra extreme sudden death.

If the event of another double full hold in ultra extreme sudden death, start back over on the home team's server and the away team chooses starting sides. Continue the pattern until somebody scores a point, the world ends, the internet becomes self-aware and declares war upon all of humanity, or a member of either team physically dies. Obituary submissions are mandatory.

NA vs. EU Matches:

One team will be designated the HOME team and one will be designated the AWAY team. The match format will follow the generic match format listed above.

Casted Matches:

Teams will need to provide the casters (MerlinatoR, Sabo, etc.) with Server IPs and passwords as well as Teamspeak/Mumble/Ventrilo IPs and any global or channel passwords.

Your team does not have the right to refuse match casting/streaming. If a caster/streamer is available and willing, you are obligated to provide the information to your communication and game server if he requests it. Refusing to do so will result in penalties that are at the discretion of the admin team.

Servers:

NA only matches are to played on a Chicago server and switching servers should be superfluous. EU only matches are to be played on Dutch servers and switching should be superfluous.

NYC and UK servers are to be used for NA vs. EU matches. Please schedule your matches as early as possible so servers can be reserved. If servers are double booked, admins will select a suitable replacement ASAP. Chicago is unacceptable for Europeans much like Germany/Netherlands is unacceptable for Americans.

Only servers running RTCW 1.4 with OSP 0.9 along with the latest cup config (Available For Download Here) are considered official match servers. Anything else is not an acceptable match server unless otherwise approved by an admin.

The admin team is forcing server selection during the cup. Your team does not have the absolute right to dictate where your opponent will play. Your team will have a choice between several NA or EU servers that are admin approved and should provide the most fair balanced latency for all matches. We will release details on this shortly before the first week of the cup.

Anti-Lag:

In matches involving both teams from the same continent, g_antilag 0 is enforced. In matches involving teams from different continents, g_antilag 1 is enforced. No exceptions.

Scheduling:

Teams may agree to play a match on any day and time during a match week. However, there will be no wildcards to skip a week. If no mutual agreement can be made, the default days and times are as follows:

EU vs EU = Tuesday @ 3 PM EST (9 PM CET)

NA vs NA = Thursday @ 9:30 PM EST

NA vs EU = Sunday @ 3 PM EST (9 PM CET)

Agreeing to play a match on a non-default day is binding. If your team agrees to play on a non-default day and does not play, you will be forfeited. If no mutual agreement is made, your team is forced to play on the default day, and if your team does not play, you will be forfeited. There are no exceptions.

If the two teams scheduled to play fail to schedule their match before the default day, you will BOTH be double forfeited unless your teams can come to a mutual agreement to play the match later in the week.

As soon as your team has scheduled a match, please inform an admin of the time and date so servers can be prepared, streaming/casting can be considered and scheduled, and admins arrange their schedule to be available during your matches.

If there is a problem contacting your opponent, players should notify the admin team as soon as possible.

Delays (starting match & between rounds):

Agreeing to a day and time to play a match is binding. You are afforded twenty (20) minutes of leeway/latitude after the scheduled time. If your team passes the twenty minute mark, the opposing team is afforded the right to forfeit you with absolutely no questions asked. Your team WILL be held accountable for your scheduling decisions. Admins will not automatically forfeit you for being late - it is at the discretion of your opponent.

Between each half round, a reasonable amount of time is permitted for each player/team to "take care of business": discuss tactics, use the restroom, get a beverage, etc. This should take no longer than 1-5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the opposing team is afforded the right to forfeit you with no questions asked - this is solely at the discretion of the other team.

It is YOUR CAPTAIN'S RESPONSIBILITY to ensure that YOUR TEAM has at least one alternate/merc/ringer ready AT ALL TIMES. We will not force the opposing team or streamers/casters to wait long periods of time because YOU ARE IRRESPONSIBLE.

Standings and Scoring:

Winning a match awards your team one (1) point. A forfeit win awards your team one (1) point. A team's round differential will be calculated by a ROUNDS WON:ROUNDS LOST ratio. Double full held rounds count as zero (0). In the event of a tie in points for two teams to move on to playoffs, the team with the highest ratio will advance.

The first and second placed teams in each group will enter into the winners bracket playoffs (regardless of group size the top TWO only will advance). The remaining teams will join the consolation bracket playoffs.

Exploits:

1. +Weapon boosting is forbidden. However, accidental/incidental boosting does occur and it is legal. However, if a team feels that an "accidental boost" was intentional, they may contact the admins who will review the case. The admins will use their due diligence to rule upon the consequences and conditions of the event. If a player is found guilty of intentionally boosting his or her teammate, the player will be suspended for the next match week. If a ringer/merc is found to be intentionally boosting, your team will forfeit the round in question.

2. On village, the documents ARE NOT allowed to be passed on through the gate located near allied bridge/spawn. Doing so results in a forfeit of the round.

3. Panzerfarming/Panzerswapping: your team is allowed to use "+dropweapon" to "panzerswap" amongst two soldier classes. HOWEVER, if two or more players simultaneously have a panzerfaust as a viable weaponbank, your team forfeits the round.

Example of what is LEGAL: Gamma is a panzer and Beta is another soldier class. Gamma fires the panzer, reloads the panzer, and drops the panzer to Beta so that he or she can fire another shot.

Example of what is ILLEGAL: Gamma is a panzer and Beta is a different soldier class. Gamma drops his panzer and respawns as a panzer. While Gamma is in limbo, Beta picks up the panzer and Gamma spawns with a panzer. Essentially, this means two panzers are simultaneously in play. This is punishable by a full round forfeit.

4. Door blocking: Intentionally using two players to prevent a door from opening is ILLEGAL. Using this tactic will result in an immediate round loss.

5. On beach, teleporting through the floor/sinking into the ground near the basement barracks is ILLEGAL. Using this tactic will result in an immediate round loss.

6. Document duplication glitch: In the rare event that the documents become duplicated on any map, you are NOT allowed to transmit the fake documents to complete the round. Doing so will will result in an immediate round loss. Utilizing a pause as soon as this happens to straighten out the situation is highly recommended.

If your team has a question about the legality of a possible tactic or exploit, contact an admin as soon as possible to avoid being penalized. If a player/team is found guilty of using an exploit that gained an obvious advantage, "It wasn't explicitly stated as being an exploit in the rules", "I/We didn't know," and "Everybody else is doing it," are NOT valid excuses. Spending an inordinate amount of time searching for the next undocumented exploit that gains your team an advantage in a match will almost certainly result in a penalty/forfeited round.

Cheating:

Online gaming is plagued by an enormous population of irresponsible and valueless individuals who do not see the harm in introducing cheats, hacks, and spam into the RTCW community's consciousness. It is expected that no team or player in this RTCW Cup cheats or uses a hack. Our admin team reserves the right to remove players and teams from this cup at any moment. Players who have been removed and are still found playing in official matches will be perma banned from future cups and tournaments.

Demos:

All players participating in the cup are required to record demos of their matches (using the command /cg_autoaction 7) and are not allowed to delete them until the end of the cup.

**** If your game crashes and you are forced to reconnect, BE SURE to manually type /record before the match is unpaused. If you join in the middle of a round, /cg_autoaction 7 will not record for you!!!! ****

EVERY PLAYER who plays any amount of time during a match MUST provide a link to their demos to an admin within 48 hours of the end of your match. To save yourself time uploading them, it is beneficial to zip or rar them. Team captains are permitted to zip or rar their entire team's demos and provide one link if he so chooses. As a courtesy to the admins, please neatly name/folder your demos in the zip/rar.

If any player fails to provide his demos within 48 hours of a match, it will result in a warning to the player and his team. A second 48 hour timeframe failure will result in a match point deduction at the end of the season. A third 48 hour timeframe failure will result in a match point deduction and the offending player permanently suspended.

The outright failure or refusal of a player to provide their demos before their next scheduled match will result in a match overturn (if their team won the match), a match point deduction, and an immediate 4 week suspension. A second refusal/outright failure is a match overturn (if their team won the match), a match point deduction, and an immediate permanent ban.

Disputes:

If any general conflict should arise between two teams, the admin team should be informed as soon as possible. Teams are encouraged to find mutually acceptable solutions amongst themselves via team captains without the aid of a cup admin. There are cases, however, in which an admin is needed and we would recommend pausing play if in a live match and contacting an admin as possible to resolve the dispute.

Prizes:

TBA

Change Log:

1/23/14 - Rules set created and edited for the cup - virus047

2/07/14 - Added Anti-Lag & NA vs EU Server Switching Rules - virus047

2/09/14 - Adjusted Scheduling System Rules - alpha

2/11/14 - Map System, Ringers, Scoring, NA vs. EU Server Switching, NA vs. EU Format & Server Switching, Starting Rosters - virus047/alpha

2/12/14 - Adjusted Map System, and various other rule tweaks - virus047/alpha

2/15/14 - Added Demo Submitting Rule. Added several exploit tweaks. Minor spelling/common sense adjustments. - virus047/alpha

2/22/14 - Minor spelling/common sense adjustments. - virus047/alpha

2/26/14 - Adjusted Demo Rules & Scheduling Rules. - virus047/alpha

2/28/14 - Casted Matches, Rosters, Playoffs & minor grammer edits. - alpha

3/03/14 - Alias, Demos & Match Format. - alpha

Official Cup Server Config: Download Now!