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Structural Rules
1.) League Structure
2.) Playoff Structure
3.) Replacement Teams

Scheduling Rules
4.) Schedule Board/Postponing League Game Rules
5.) Game Structure
6.) Teamkills
7.) Subbing
8.) Disconnections/Lagouts
9.) Ship Changing

Victory Conditions
10.) Win/Loss/Tie

Roster/Eligibility Rules
11.) Roster Limit/Eligibility/Ref Submissions

Miscellaneous Information
12.) League Conduct
13.) Appealing A Match
14.) The People's Game

Structural Rules

1. The SWZ League will be played in a fashion similar to professional sports leagues, with a regular season and then playoffs. There will be two preseason rounds in which scores do not count in league standings. The regular season will be played over X one-week rounds, a short break, and then a series of playoff elimination rounds where eventually a championship team for the season is determined.
   1a. Number of divisions and teams to be determined after squadron signups.
   1b. All teams will earn a win, loss, or tie during each round. Standings will be updated after every round. There will be no deadline extensions except when approved for a holiday, in which case the entire round will be extended. Teams that do not show up for a scheduled match will lose by default (no questions) and will be given ONE and only ONE warning. Should they again, not show up for a match, the League Staff reserves the right to drop the squad from the league.
   1c. Make-up/postponed games must be made up either before or during the next round weekend (along with their assigned match for that round) or after last round of the season, except for extreme circumstances where the staff might allow extensions based on necessity.

2. Playoff Structure

Quarter Finals (Round 13):

(3rd) vs (6th)
(4th) vs (5th)

Single match elimination.

1st and 2nd granted a by to the semi finals


Semi Finals (Round 14):

(1st) vs (Lowest Seed Winner from Quarter Finals)
(2nd) vs (Highest Seed Winner from Quarter Finals)

Best of 3 matches.


Finals (Round 15):

Winners from Semi Finals

Best of 3 matches.



Timing (updated as of 08/12/05):

(Weekend of. . .)

Quarter Finals - Sunday, July 31

Semi Finals - Sunday, August 7 (2 matches)
3rd match - Sunday, August 14 and August 21

Finals - Sunday, August 28 (3 matches)


3. If a squad drops out during the season, and a squad on the waiting list replaces them, their chances at entering playoffs depends on when they enter the season. Squads entering after round 6 begins will not have a chance at entering the playoffs. The squads entering before round 6 begins will have a chance at entering playoffs based on the same process as other teams. That process is by: i) Win/Loss record ii) Kill differential. Squads entering that have a chance at playoffs will not start out with a 0/0 record but they will not inherit the drop out squads record and kill differential. Squads entering will have a record based upon the following: Squads entering after an even round is completed will start out with an even record with a 0 differential.

Example 1: Squad enters after round 2 is completed. Squad will have a 1-1 record with 0 differential.

Example 2: Squad enters after round 4 is completed. Squad will have a 2-2 record with 0 differential.

Squads entering after an odd round is completed will start out with even record and the result of their first match would count twice but the differential would not be doubled. It would be counted as normal.

Example 1: Squad enters after round 1 is completed. Squad will have a 0-0 record. Squad wins their round 2 match by 5 kills. Squad will have a 2-0 record with a 5 kill differential.

Example 2: Squad enters after round 1 is completed. Squad will have a 0-0 record. Squad loses their round 2 match by 5 kills. Squad will have a 0-2 record with a -5 kill differential.

Example 3: Squad enters after round 3 is completed. Squad will have a 1-1 record. Squad wins their round 4 match by 5 kills. Squad will have a 3-1 record with a 5 kill differential.

Example 4: Squad enters after round 3 is completed. Squad will have a 1-1 record. Squad loses their round 4 match by 5 kills. Squad will have a 1-3 record with a -5 differential.

Example 5: Squad enters after round 5 is completed. Squad will have a 2-2 record. Squad wins their round 6 match by 5 kills. Squad will have a 4-2 record with a 5 kill differential.

Example 6: Squad enters after round 5 is completed. Squad will have a 2-2 record. Squad loses their round 6 match by 5 kills. Squad will have a 2-4 record with a -5 differential.

Scheduling Rules

4. Scheduling Star Warzone League matches will be based on the following:
    4a. All matches per round will be displayed on the Scheduling Board, as well as the SWZL website. Captains and Co-Captains will have access to the Scheduling Board to agree upon times. All Times must be agreed by 10pm EST Thursday immediately preceding the match weekend. Games are allowed to be scheduled for weekdays, but are not sanctioned by league staff. Weekday games may only be held in advance of the weekend round. If two squads wish to hold a weekday game, the squad captains are responsible for securing two referees from the available league staff, and submitting the request from both squads to the League Coordinator no later than 48 hours from the start of the match. Makeup matches cannot be held during the week. The team captains (or co-captains) must negotiate and agree upon a mutually acceptable time to play their match as soon as possible AND as often as possible. If one of the Captains does not reply after the deadline has passed, the match will be played at the time chosen by the other Captain. The later the captains decide to start attempting to schedule or if they never answer the opposing captain, the more they will find themselves playing at unwanted times.
    4b. Games may be postponed for one week, provided that both captains agree to this prior to the scheduling deadline and inform the league coordinators. If a captain has a strong reason to postpone a game and can not reach agreement with the other captain before the scheduling deadline then they can contact the sysop and request the game being postponed based on necessity.

5. Game Structure - The games will be played in SWZ League Zone under the following conditions:
    5a. Teams may start up to 4 players, and have any number of other members spectate, at the captain who is in charge of that Ghz's discretion as well as the referee. Teams can start as few as 2 players. The opposing team does NOT have to match the starting number of players. A team must have at least 2 players present AND STARTING to be recognized as having showed up for the game. If less than 2 players show up, it is counted as a no-show (see rule 1b for consequences). If team members who are unable to play (eg. stuck in spec because of connection difficulties) are present, they are still NOT counted as "starting" players.
    5b. If a team starts the game with less than 4 pilots the unused starting slot(s) are considered, "pending" and may be filled by late-arriving team members. Late-arriving team member(s) may arrive up to 30 minutes into game and may fill pending slots rendering them, "active" but must burn all items before entering play. After the 30 minute mark the pending slot(s) becomes, "dead" and unusable. These dead slots count as three deaths each for the team.
    5c. Teams will be assigned a GHz of either 100 or 200 (usually in alphabetical order), or as the referee directs. Starting pilots must then go to their assigned GHz. If one of the squads do not have any members present then the host referee will set a 10 minute timer. The squad then has 10 minutes to show up to the arena (the host referee should try and contact the squad if at all possible in this circumstance). If a squad has good reason to delay the match for a few minutes (such as late arriving members or waiting for reconnects) then they can request to the referee it be delayed and the referee will set a ten minute timer, at the expiration of which the game will start.
    *5d. To be able to play in a league game, a player needs to be eligible according to the team's roster and to meet the lag limits, which are no more than a 300 ms average ping and 2.5% packet loss (positive or negative, packet loss includes s2c, c2s and s2cweapons).
    5e. Questions or requests during the game should be sent privately to the host referee during the game, unless otherwise directed by him/her. Any disputes that arise during the match must be sent either to the Host referee, or emailed to the League Coordinators afterwards. During the game, the decisions made by the referee are final. Appeals to any referee decision may be made AFTER the match, using proper channels.
    5f. Spectators who are members of the playing teams and who are rostered, may spectate on their team's GHz. Team spectators may freely give whatever information they deem necessary to those persons ONLY on their own frequency. This information includes, but is not limited to, number of repels, deaths, specials, ping, or general strategy.
    5g. Either team or the host referee may request a no-blue-message match before the match begins. You must tell the host referee BEFORE the match begins. Spectators will then be told by the host referee in green that this is a no blue message match. If the match is declared a no blue, all spectators will be silenced. If during match play the blue messages become distraction or interference with match play or reffing, the host referee may call no blue at that time.
    5h. Each active slot will have 3 lives during the match; these slots will be numbered from 1 to 4. When a team subs in another player, the substitute inherits the remaining lives of that slot. All players with lives remaining must be present in the game and on the correct frequency when the game is over.
    5i. Regulation time has a 45 minute time limit. If the winning conditions as defined in the victory conditions are not satisfied at the completion of regulation time, a 30 minute overtime period will begin immediately, and play will continue uninterrupted. There is no break between regulation time and overtime. Note: in playoff matches, play will continue until one team wins. There will be no 30 minute time limit in the playoffs matches.
    5j. When a player dies, the bot/referee will normally announce (in green letters) the player who died, and the player who killed him/her. The bot/referee will also normally announce the match score in green letters at this time as well. This is to confirm that the referee witnessed the score and has it recorded. If you do not see the referee's announcement after a kill within a reasonable time (multiple scores take longer for the referee to record) please message the referee with the information. It is the team captain's responsibility to message the referee AS SOON AS POSSIBLE about "missed" kills, although other team members may also message the referee if they wish or if the captain is busy playing.
    5k. If at any time during the match either team has active slots remaining but no players in the game, the game clock shall be immediately stopped until at least one active slot is occupied on each team. The player(s) absent must return within 5 minutes, or after 2 minutes, lagsubbed if they cannot get in. If the player(s) don't return and can't be subbed, the slot becomes dead and the remaining lives are converted to deaths. If this results in all of their remaining slots being dead and/or pending, the game will be over, resulting in all dead slots.
    5l. Spectators may be asked to leave, or (if the situation warrants) forced out of the zone at the discretion of the referee. Spectating matches is a privilege, not a right, so please be considerate of the referee and those playing. Spectators will normally be allowed in all games. Please note that any form of communication from the spectators to the two teams that is not made through the public chat, which includes but is not limited to private messages, team messages, squad messages, is not allowed and will result in the violating spectator being silenced or banned.

6. Teamkilling - Being killed by a team mate will count as a death to the player/slot who was killed, but the team mate who got the kill will not get a kill credited to his/her stats. This will not happen if rule 7e or 8e applies to the situation. However it will count as a kill for the opposing team.

7. Subbing -  Each team slot (1-4) may be subbed after having suffered a death (does not apply to subs made under rule 8a) if the player has not made an offensive move after respawning. Subs inherit the lives AND ship changes remaining of the slot they sub in for.
    7a. To make a substitution, the team captain must message the referee privately to notify him of the player being subbed for, and the player coming in. The referee will, if it is a legitimate sub, send a green message notifying everyone of the sub, and unlock the arena for the players to switch. The referee will refrain from announcing WHICH ship the sub will be using however.
    7b. Subs DO NOT inherit the specific ship types the slot played, however; this means that a player may start in a Warbird, ship change to a Javelin, and then be subbed - the player subbing in may enter in as a Weasel and then ship change BACK to a Warbird if he or she wishes.
    7c. If a player is eliminated (3 deaths) or is subbed out, that player cannot sub into the game for another player. Also, if a team has a player eliminated, the "slot" the player was in cannot be subbed into. Subs can only take the place of "live" players.
    *7d. All subs must burn during the last 10 minutes of a match, or during Sudden Death overtime.
    7e. If a player subbing in dies immediately from enemy fire, he/she will not be penalized with a death, ONLY IF the following condition applies (referee's call):
The player did not make any sort of defensive or offensive move. This includes, but is not limited to thrusting in any direction, firing back (bomb or bullets), using a rep, portal, decoy or rocket.
    7f. Any player subbing without the referee's explicit permission will be considered an ILLEGAL PLAYER, and will be asked to come out of the game by the referee (and possibly forced into spec). It will then be at the judgment of the referee whether that player is allowed to sub or not later.

8. Disconnections/Lagouts -  If a player is disconnected or lags to spectator mode, he/she has 5 minutes to return and notify the referee that he/she is coming back in, assuming he/she is allowed to come back in (see rule 8b). If the player returns before the 5 minute limit, he/she must message the referee to re-enter. After re-entry into the arena, and changing to the correct team frequency, the player must have all of his/her special items (reps, ports, bursts, rockets, bricks, and decoys) burnt. The player cannot join the combat before the referee has confirmed that all of the player's special items have been burnt, and has been given the go-ahead by the referee.
    8a. If the lagged player does not return or is unable to join the game again because of too much lag, he/she can be subbed after 2 minutes. The replacement player must have all of his/her special items burnt.

    8b. If a player is disconnected or forced into spectator mode 3 times in one match, that player cannot play in that match any more and must be lagsubbed.
    8c. If a pilot is in combat with less than 500 energy and drops/leaves the playing field then they will be assigned a death as long as the referee can confirm that the player was in danger of dying. If the assigned death is that slot's third, then they cannot return into the game. If assigned a death the player will not be burned, and is eligible for a ship change as normal after death. If the referee cannot confirm they were below 500 energy and in combat while they dropped/left then no death will be assigned and it will be treated as a normal lagout.
    8d. If a player lags out with 5 minutes or less remaining in game time, the player has 5 minutes to show (the 5 minutes can continue after the game time). If the player shows within this time then their lives are NOT converted. If the host referee deems it was intentional, then the players lives will be converted regardless if he shows within time allowed or not. The player cannot be lag-subbed after game time (unless OT comes into play).
    8e. A player returning from a lagout must not move or use any specials until the referee burns him. If he moves he will be penalized a death. If a player is killed before he is burnt, the death will not count, and the player must again sit to be burnt.
    8f. Should the server crash during the match, the game will have to be completely replayed. When the rematch is to be replayed is decided by the 2 team captains. It can be played right after the crash, postponed to the next round, or postponed to the end of the season.
    8f. If a player is under the lag limits, but is visibly lagging hit and not taking damage to other players, that player may be asked to spec. This can only happen under the conditions that follow:
1. 3 Present refs must all concur that he is lagging, or 1 Ref and one senior staff member. If three refs or a ref and a senior staff member are not present, then the player will be allowed to keep playing.
2. If at least one staff members thinks the player is not lagging, he will be permitted to stay in the game.
3. No staff member will have a say if their own squad is playing.

9. Ship Changing -  If the league bot is present: Ship changing is only allowed during a 15 second period after your death. To change ships send a private message to the league bot containing "!sc #", where # is the number of your desired ship. E.g. ":Droid-SWZL-league1:!sc 1" to change to a warbird.
    9a. If the league bot is NOT present: Ship changing is only allowed during a one minute period after your death. To change ships send a private message to the referee informing him/her of your desire to change ships, and which ship you would like. The referee will spectate you to verify that you are not on enemy radar, and will then setship you to your desired ship. The referee will then message the arena in green that you are changing ships (but not what type you are changing to). When changing ships without the bot present, you must NOT be on any enemy's radar screen. If a player changes ships with enemies on radar, that player will be assigned a death. If you change ships without the explicit permission of the referee, you will be assigned a death. If you spawn on enemy radar, you are permitted to use powerups in your current ship as long as you are attempting to clear radar so you can ship change. Once you are clear of enemy radar, you will be ship changed immediately. If you use powerups in any form of attack upon the opposing team, you will be deemed to be stuck in that ship, and your ship change will not be permitted. (ie. you can rocket, repel, and basically flee, but if you turn and fight, you are stuck in that ship. Note that this rule applies only to ship changes, and not to subs.

Victory Conditions

10. Victory conditions are as follows: (note: where "kill" is used below, team kills will NOT be considered. You do not get points for killing your own team; however, the OTHER team does get points and your team mate's death will count as a "kill" for the other team for purposes of satisfying victory conditions.)
    10a. If one team is completely eliminated, the other team wins regardless of the current match score. (eg. team A starts 2 players, scores 7 kills, and team B starts 4 players and eliminates team A (6 kills). Team B wins.) - If both teams successfully eliminate each other (a mutual kill when the score is 11-11, for example), the game will be called a TIE. During playoffs, whoever gets the first kill in the "mutual elimination" circumstance will be the winner, as read by the referee's log.
    10b. If the regulation time period expires, the team with more kills shall be victorious, PROVIDED they have satisfied the minimum kill requirements determined by number of players starting for the OTHER team:
4 Players starting: 6 kills minimum. 2/3 players starting: 4 kills minimum. (e.g., team A starts 3 players, team B starts 4. Team A scores 4 kills, team B scores 5. Team B wins.)
    10c. If the team with more kills has not satisfied the minimum kill requirements at the end of regulation, they will still be victorious if they have 2 more kills than the opponent. A one-kill lead is not sufficient to win if the victory conditions under rule 4.2 are not met. (eg. team A and B both start 4 players. Team A scores 4 kills, team B scores 5. Neither team wins. If team A had only scored 3 kills, team B would win.)
    *10d. If neither team have satisfied the victory conditions in regulation time, a thirty-minute "sudden death" overtime period will be played as stated. Note: In playoff matches, play will continue until one team wins. (no 30 minute time limit in the playoffs) Victory conditions for overtime are:

Scenario 1: =========== - Score is TIED at the end of regulation time: The team suffering the next death will lose, regardless of the minimum kill requirements listed in rules for victory conditions.

Scenario 2: =========== - Team A has a 1 kill lead over Team B: Team A has 4 players. Team B has 4 players. Score is 5-4 Team A.

Team B victory conditions: ------------------------- Team B must score two kills to win the game 6-5 Team B.

Team A victory conditions: ------------------------- Team A must score one kill (as read by the referee's log). Team A wins 6-4 If Team B were to score one kill, and then Team A were to score their needed kill for the win. The final score would be 6-5 Team A.

If none of the above overtime victory conditions are satisfied during overtime, the match will be judged a TIE GAME. NOTE: 'A Death' as described above encompasses any event or condition which causes a slot to lose a life as outlined in these rules.

Roster Limit/Eligibility

11. Roster/Eligibility Rules -  All players playing in League play must be registered by their team captain. You may not change names during a League season. Pilots are only allowed to have access with one name on one SWZ league roster. Having access with multiple names through multiple rosters is not allowed, and subject to a season ban. Logging on under other another pilot's name is also not permitted, and will result in a ban.
    11a. A player may only change squads once during a season. The only exception being that a player may return to his original squad after switching once at which time he can not move again for that season. A player switching squads may not play in the next round of play if they played in the previous round. They may also not play in postponed or appealed games from rounds previous to when they became eligible. If they didn't play the previous round then they are free of the one round playing delay. No player may be added to a team's roster after the 7th week of normal season, or at any time during the playoffs. In addition, a player may only play for two different teams during any single League season. A player may not be on two league rosters at the same time. A player is considered to have "played" for a team when he starts a game or is subbed in for a player, whether it be a normal or lag sub. Being present at a game in spec is NOT considered playing.
    11b. The league will regard the designated Captain of the team as its owner and chief administrator. Only the existing captain may transfer ownership to another person, insofar as SWZ League recognition is concerned. The League Operator(s) reserve the right to award or deny transfer of squad ownership in special circumstances.
    11c. Roster size for any given team will be limited to 30 spots for game-eligible players.
    11d. A player who wishes to be removed from a given team's roster must make his wishes known to the Roster Administrator, who will then remove him from that team's roster.
    11e. There is no double-squadding allowed in League play. If you play for one team, regardless of how many accounts you have, you may not play for another. Anyone caught double-squadding will possibly be PERMANENTLY banned from League.
    11f. Squads are strongly encouraged to submit at least one referee for the season. Each squad that shows at least one ref every weekend will earn an extra win at the end of the season. Further, refs who show every weekend and/or do a superior job as judged by league administration will receive prizes in the main arena of SSCX Star Warzone. There will be two refs per match, and no more than two until all matches have been covered. Further, until all matches are covered, no ref may ref more than two matches per weekend. Refs will schedule their matches in the Referee Scheduling Forum. Squads must schedule their matches by 10PM EST on the Thursday before the round begins. Referees will have until 8AM EST on the Saturday of the match weekend. Match selection is based on a first come, first served basis.

Miscellaneous Information

12. League Conduct -  Conduct must be appropriate while in a League arena during League play. If a player or the referee asks someone to stop certain types of messages, they must stop. If a non-squad spectator changes frequency to a player freq, or messages players during matches, that person will be banned from SWZ league for interference in a match. If a player is argumentative, belligerent or rude to the referee, they will be kicked out of the zone. Pending a decision by the league coordinator the player may be permanently banned. Refs are the lifeblood of this league, and will be respected for their contribution. Referee abuse is totally UNACCEPTABLE.

13. Appeals -  It is possible to appeal the results of a match, if there is a serious and very clear infraction of the rules. You cannot appeal situations that cannot be verified (ie. Lag) Formal appeals should be mailed to the League Operators no later than 48 hours after the match. At which time the matter will be in the hands of the appeals committee. After a decision is reached, the League Operator will notify, via e-mail, the CAPTAINS of both teams involved. The decision is utterly and totally final in all circumstances.

14. The People's Game -  This single match will follow the same format and rules as described above. Two teams will be determined as follows: A voter is entitled to 2 votes for each squad in the league. Captain's and up to one assistant captain's vote will count for 2 votes. A voter must be on a current SWZL roster to be eligible. The top 4 squads at the end of Regular Season will contribute 2 of their highest voted players, while the rest of the squads will contribute just their highest voted player. These 16 players will be divided based on their squads' seeding:

Team A
Team B
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
8th
10th
11th
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
6th
7th
9th
12th

Captain/scheduler for each team will be the highest voted of the top 4 squads. "Surprise rule(s)" will be declared at the time of the match.

15. League staff reserves the right to the following:  The League Coordinators reserves the right to refuse League access to anyone for any reason. The League Staff reserves the right to amend any settings (excluding ship settings) during league for any given reason. League Staff also reserves the right to have the final verdict on anything for any given reason.

Biggest changes from last season:

Squad admonishment to submit referees.
Unused slots at the end of a match are converted to deaths.