There have been several questions regarding when matches are to be scheduled, what order rounds are to be played in, how many players are required for a match, and when default wins are given. I'll give short answers first, and longer explanations after. Feel free to ask more questions about these issues here or in the Questions & Suggestions thread.
Short Answers
Q: When are matches supposed to be scheduled?
A: Whenever it's convenient for both teams. Usual match start times are 19:00-20:00 BST.
Q: What's the deadline for each round of fixtures? What order are matches played in?
A: The soft deadline for having 2 matches played was 24:00 BST 22nd August, 2018. There is no deadline for each fixture round. Teams may schedule their matches in any order.
Q: How many players are required for a match?
A: Eight. This is an 8vs8 tournament, so teams are expected to start each match with 8 players per side. A match can continue & finish 7vs7 if a player crashes or must leave, but it cannot start 8vs7 or 7vs7.
Q: When are default wins given?
A: Default wins are given when a team has 8 or more players ready & reports that their opponent failed to gather 8 players in time (minimum 10 minutes after the scheduled starting time for the match), or when a team's opponent violates certain rules such as those against cheating. They will also be afforded to all of the opponents of any team which is removed from the tournament, overriding previous match scores where applicable. A default win may also be given to the opponents of a team that makes illegal substitutions during a match.
Long Answers
Q: When are matches supposed to be scheduled?
A: Whenever both teams can agree to play, and before the qualifier deadline. It is up to both teams involved to determine what time is best suited to them. Some teams may have an easier time scheduling than others. As an example, teams which have primarily French players should have a wide range of times at which they can agree to play against each other. Turkish and Russian teams may be able to schedule easily against each other, but may have difficulty scheduling with a team that is primarily from France. We recommend that teams take into account where their opponents are geographically, so they can schedule matches against their more distant opponents on a weekend and play against nearby teams on weekdays when it's easier to play later in the evening.
Q: What's the deadline for each round of fixtures? What order are matches played in?
A: The only hard deadline for playing all of your matches is 24:00 BST Wednesday, 29th August 2018. As long as all four of your matches are played by that time, you have nothing to worry about. Starting from the time when I made this post, teams which have not played 2 matches yet will be reviewed by the administration to make sure they are making efforts in good faith to play their matches on time. The order in which you play your matches does not matter. As an example, each team has 4 rounds in which they must play and 1 round with a bye, so let's say that one team plays in rounds 1, 2, 3, and 5 and has a bye for round 4. This example team may play their round 5 match first, round 2 second, round 1 third, and round 3 fourth if they want. Order does not matter, only completion matters. It is recommended that you talk to all of your opponents as soon as possible, to begin the process of scheduling your matches.
Q: How many players are required for a match?
A: The rules state that matches must start with 8 players ready on both teams. Please schedule your matches at times when you are confident 8 players will show up. You are given 10 minutes after your agreed match start time to finish gathering all 8 of your players. If you take longer than 10 minutes to get 8 players, then your opponent is free to notify the administration that you are delaying the start of the match. They may also choose to wait up to 20 more minutes (for a total of 30 minutes after the scheduled match start) for you to finish gathering players. After 30 minutes have passed, the administration must be notified and the team which has 8 players ready will be given a default win. If the administration is notified of a delayed game, then the team which has 8 players ready is eligible for a default win. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, it is recommended that teams wait as long as they are prepared to (up to 30 minutes total), and that they only notify the administration of a delay of game if they cannot afford to wait longer or if 30 minutes have passed. On the other hand, you should schedule matches for a time when you are confident your players will be available. Poor scheduling & organization is the fault of the team, not the administration.
While matches must begin 8vs8, it is allowed for teams to continue playing 7vs7 if a player crashes, loses power, has an emergency, etc. When a player leaves the match unexpectedly, the team which lost a player may bring in a back-up player from their roster at the beginning of the next round but may only do so once per set. If they do not have a back-up player ready, then their opponent must match their numbers at the beginning of the next round (to make it 7vs7). If a team cannot begin the next round with at least 7 players, then they forfeit that half of the map (the set). They are then allowed 5 minutes to gather at least 7 total players to begin the next set with. If they do not have 7 players after waiting 5 minutes between sets, then they forfeit the remainder of the match. Teams are allowed to go back to 8vs8 at the beginning of a new set, when substitutions may be made freely.
Q: When are default wins given?
A: Naturally, we don't like handing out default wins. We're all here because we enjoy the game, so we would love it if everyone played all of their matches without issue. Unfortunately, complications do occasionally arise. In the interest of sportsmanship and server reservations, we cannot allow teams to wait exceedingly long periods of time for their matches to start. It is unfair for one team to show up at the designated time and place and be stuck waiting for their opponent to rustle up the rest of their team. It is also unfair if there are two teams that have to postpone the beginning of their match because a delayed match is still on-going on the server they reserved. Therefore, teams which have waited 10 minutes or more are free to request a default win if their opponent has not fielded 8 players to begin their match. Notifying admins of the delay entitles a team to a default win. They may choose--after waiting longer, up to 30 minutes total--to play their match, and if there are no further incidents then the match result will be considered valid. However, if there are other incidents with the match then the team which notified the admins will be consulted to determine the appropriate outcome.
Next, teams are allowed to make substitutions between sets freely, and are allowed one substitute per set in the event of an unexpected drop. Substitutions at any other time are prohibited, and a team which is caught doing so will forfeit the set in which it occurred as punishment for their first offense. If the team makes multiple illegal substitutions in one match or is caught making illegal substitutions in a second match, then they will forfeit the entirety of the match in which the second offense took place. Teams which repeat the offense a third time are disqualified.
Finally, there are certain rules which--when violated--will result in an automatic default win for the opponent of the violating team. These are provided below. Please note that in §2.4 it is stated that players which are required to use MOSS and refuse or neglect to do so will be removed the tournament. A player who agrees to use MOSS and neglects to provide the generated file for each of their matches after the requirement is put in place will be considered to have cheated in the matches they did not submit a file for, and thus §2.3 will apply. Players who are asked to use MOSS and refuse will only be removed from the tournament without further penalty.
Short Answers
Q: When are matches supposed to be scheduled?
A: Whenever it's convenient for both teams. Usual match start times are 19:00-20:00 BST.
Q: What's the deadline for each round of fixtures? What order are matches played in?
A: The soft deadline for having 2 matches played was 24:00 BST 22nd August, 2018. There is no deadline for each fixture round. Teams may schedule their matches in any order.
Q: How many players are required for a match?
A: Eight. This is an 8vs8 tournament, so teams are expected to start each match with 8 players per side. A match can continue & finish 7vs7 if a player crashes or must leave, but it cannot start 8vs7 or 7vs7.
Q: When are default wins given?
A: Default wins are given when a team has 8 or more players ready & reports that their opponent failed to gather 8 players in time (minimum 10 minutes after the scheduled starting time for the match), or when a team's opponent violates certain rules such as those against cheating. They will also be afforded to all of the opponents of any team which is removed from the tournament, overriding previous match scores where applicable. A default win may also be given to the opponents of a team that makes illegal substitutions during a match.
Long Answers
Q: When are matches supposed to be scheduled?
A: Whenever both teams can agree to play, and before the qualifier deadline. It is up to both teams involved to determine what time is best suited to them. Some teams may have an easier time scheduling than others. As an example, teams which have primarily French players should have a wide range of times at which they can agree to play against each other. Turkish and Russian teams may be able to schedule easily against each other, but may have difficulty scheduling with a team that is primarily from France. We recommend that teams take into account where their opponents are geographically, so they can schedule matches against their more distant opponents on a weekend and play against nearby teams on weekdays when it's easier to play later in the evening.
Q: What's the deadline for each round of fixtures? What order are matches played in?
A: The only hard deadline for playing all of your matches is 24:00 BST Wednesday, 29th August 2018. As long as all four of your matches are played by that time, you have nothing to worry about. Starting from the time when I made this post, teams which have not played 2 matches yet will be reviewed by the administration to make sure they are making efforts in good faith to play their matches on time. The order in which you play your matches does not matter. As an example, each team has 4 rounds in which they must play and 1 round with a bye, so let's say that one team plays in rounds 1, 2, 3, and 5 and has a bye for round 4. This example team may play their round 5 match first, round 2 second, round 1 third, and round 3 fourth if they want. Order does not matter, only completion matters. It is recommended that you talk to all of your opponents as soon as possible, to begin the process of scheduling your matches.
Q: How many players are required for a match?
A: The rules state that matches must start with 8 players ready on both teams. Please schedule your matches at times when you are confident 8 players will show up. You are given 10 minutes after your agreed match start time to finish gathering all 8 of your players. If you take longer than 10 minutes to get 8 players, then your opponent is free to notify the administration that you are delaying the start of the match. They may also choose to wait up to 20 more minutes (for a total of 30 minutes after the scheduled match start) for you to finish gathering players. After 30 minutes have passed, the administration must be notified and the team which has 8 players ready will be given a default win. If the administration is notified of a delayed game, then the team which has 8 players ready is eligible for a default win. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, it is recommended that teams wait as long as they are prepared to (up to 30 minutes total), and that they only notify the administration of a delay of game if they cannot afford to wait longer or if 30 minutes have passed. On the other hand, you should schedule matches for a time when you are confident your players will be available. Poor scheduling & organization is the fault of the team, not the administration.
While matches must begin 8vs8, it is allowed for teams to continue playing 7vs7 if a player crashes, loses power, has an emergency, etc. When a player leaves the match unexpectedly, the team which lost a player may bring in a back-up player from their roster at the beginning of the next round but may only do so once per set. If they do not have a back-up player ready, then their opponent must match their numbers at the beginning of the next round (to make it 7vs7). If a team cannot begin the next round with at least 7 players, then they forfeit that half of the map (the set). They are then allowed 5 minutes to gather at least 7 total players to begin the next set with. If they do not have 7 players after waiting 5 minutes between sets, then they forfeit the remainder of the match. Teams are allowed to go back to 8vs8 at the beginning of a new set, when substitutions may be made freely.
A: Naturally, we don't like handing out default wins. We're all here because we enjoy the game, so we would love it if everyone played all of their matches without issue. Unfortunately, complications do occasionally arise. In the interest of sportsmanship and server reservations, we cannot allow teams to wait exceedingly long periods of time for their matches to start. It is unfair for one team to show up at the designated time and place and be stuck waiting for their opponent to rustle up the rest of their team. It is also unfair if there are two teams that have to postpone the beginning of their match because a delayed match is still on-going on the server they reserved. Therefore, teams which have waited 10 minutes or more are free to request a default win if their opponent has not fielded 8 players to begin their match. Notifying admins of the delay entitles a team to a default win. They may choose--after waiting longer, up to 30 minutes total--to play their match, and if there are no further incidents then the match result will be considered valid. However, if there are other incidents with the match then the team which notified the admins will be consulted to determine the appropriate outcome.
Next, teams are allowed to make substitutions between sets freely, and are allowed one substitute per set in the event of an unexpected drop. Substitutions at any other time are prohibited, and a team which is caught doing so will forfeit the set in which it occurred as punishment for their first offense. If the team makes multiple illegal substitutions in one match or is caught making illegal substitutions in a second match, then they will forfeit the entirety of the match in which the second offense took place. Teams which repeat the offense a third time are disqualified.
Finally, there are certain rules which--when violated--will result in an automatic default win for the opponent of the violating team. These are provided below. Please note that in §2.4 it is stated that players which are required to use MOSS and refuse or neglect to do so will be removed the tournament. A player who agrees to use MOSS and neglects to provide the generated file for each of their matches after the requirement is put in place will be considered to have cheated in the matches they did not submit a file for, and thus §2.3 will apply. Players who are asked to use MOSS and refuse will only be removed from the tournament without further penalty.
