Current Ladder Rules Revised V2

[prastle]

0. General Conduct Rules
   The rules for conduct in the forums and lobby also apply to the ladder. They are described here.
1. Joining A Ladder
   Once you are registered on tripleawarclub.org, click the Join Competition link on the Ladder page to join a ladder. A valid email address is required to initiate challenges and report game results. E-mail addresses are periodically checked for validity, and invalid accounts will be being deleted.
   All new players joining the Ladder begin with a rating of 1000 points. New players begin within the Provisional class. Once a player has played 4 matches or has 2 consecutive match wins, whichever comes first, they exit the provisional class. These requirements will be increased 6months after the date above.
   When you join a ladder competition, after you agree to these rules, the next page will ask you to update your ladder profile. This is important because your ladder profile is where your challenge slot is opened or closed (the slot begins open). Your preferred game options/rules can also be selected. These options can be edited later using the My Profile link in the ladder menus.
   If you will be playing PBEM games, the MARTI dice server (http://dice.tripleawarclub.org) is the officially recognized server to make dice rolls for the game. In order to use the MARTI dice server, you must visit http://dice.tripleawarclub.org and register your email. Note that when playing by email, you are not required to use any of the Post functions; turn summary, screenshot, or save game.
2. The Challenge System
   To challenge a player, log into the war club website, go to the ladder section, and click the Find Opponents link in the competition menu.
   The Find Opponents page, shows wether a challenge can be made and which opponents are available (as per your preferred rules/options.) A player may only make challenges if the total number of challenges made to other players does not exceed the total number of challenges accepted from other players by three(3) (Note that this is Total challenges--even if you play 50 games, the difference can never be greater than 3). This forces players to accept challenges from lower rated players if they want to continue challenging higher rated players.
   To search for available opponents select the rules/options from the drop down boxes and submit. A player will be shown if all of the following conditions are true:
   (i) The challenged player has his challenge slot open
   (ii) Both players have selected the same game rules/options
   (iii) The absolute difference between the players ratings is <=600
   It is possible that no-one will be listed in the box. This is not an error. It is because no other players currently meet the conditions described above for a valid challenge.
   Next to each available player, you can see how many points could potentially be gained or lost for the match. Our system calculates the ratings when the games are reported, so it is only an estimate based on current ratings.
   To generate a challenge, select an opponent and click the red challenge button next to their name. An automatic email is sent to both players informing them of the challenge.
   At that point the players should contact one another to schedule the match and to decide on the rules and format (see details below.) An opponent's email can be found under the Players link or in the challenging email sent by the ladder.
   Once a challenge is made, the challenge slots of BOTH players are closed. A player may reopen their slot at any time on the My Profiles page.
   There is no limit to the number of ongoing matches a player may have; however, it is strongly suggested that players limit their ongoing matches to 3 or less. There have been problems with players making/accepting too many challenges and then losing some of them because they were unable to make their moves in the required time (see 6. slow play penalty).
3. Match Format
   A match consists of two games played between player A and player B. In game 1 player A is the Axis while player B is the Allies. In game 2, player A is the Allies and player B is the Axis. For play by email, it is suggested that both games be played simultaneously to speed up play.
   The winner of each game is the first to reach 9 Victory Cities at the end of the USA turn, or through surrender by a player.
   The Following Will Be Used In The Matches:
   Axis & Allies 4ed Standard Rules and/or Low Luck rules. (These options are selected in the My Profile link in the flyout menu for each ladder.)
   The current stable version, as of the above date, of TripleA is v1.0.0.3.
   The Axis bid is set to 9 IPCs. These IPCs may be spent on units to be placed on the board prior to game start. The IPC may be split between Germany and Japan in any way. The only restrictions are that no more than one unit may be placed per territory and units must be placed in a territory controlled by or containing units of the same nation. Placement of naval units in empty sea zones or placement of German units with Japanese units (and vice versa) is not allowed. Unspent IPC's from the bid can be divided up between Germany and Japan for spending in future turns as the Axis player desires.
   The Territory Turn Limit Option is in effect so this box under the Options tab must be checked prior to starting a game.
   Taking advantage of bugs and cheating are to be reported to the Admins immediately. Questions about the rules, crashed games, or newly discovered bugs which give one of the players a benefit will have to be sent to the rules committee for adjudication.
   It is strictly forbidden to attack the enemies capital with ground units until after that power's first turn. However, strategic bombing raids and attacks with aircraft are allowed.
   Both players need to agree if tech is available to be rolled or not, before starting the match. Tech is either available for the whole game, or not at all. If players cannot agree to play with or without tech before starting, request challenge deletion in the forums.
   In cases where challenges were made and games WERE NOT started prior to one player deleting their account, the matches will be deleted and no points will be awarded.
   In cases where challenges were made and games WERE started prior to one player deleting their account, the matches will be valid and points will be awarded to the opposing player.
   A 3rd party dice server (such as MARTI at http://dice.tripleawarclub.org) is used to keep honest people honest. However, there are occasions where computers lock up during a dice roll or a player forgets to turn off their firewall prior to making their dice rolls preventing results from reaching the TripleA game. In these cases the following will apply:
   The FIRST time/date stamp result from MARTI is the official roll in case of duplicate rolls.
   Battles resolved prior to the lockup (if the game was not saved after these battles) should be re-rolled in local so that the net result is the same as the original result.
   In cases where the lockup occurred during a battle, the opponent can choose to have a neutral player (administrator) roll the dice or allow the player whose computer locked up to re-roll the dice using MARTI. But it is the opposing player's choice.
   Order Of Losses (OOL)
   It is expected that in certain types of battles, an order of losses (OOL) is requested unless both players agree beforehand on something different. These battles include:
   Defending multi-national forces
   Defending land units where a bomber is present
   Defending subs when enemy naval units are present
   Defending naval units if more than one type is present
   If there is any doubt outside a typical battle, ensure you get an OOL from your opponent before beginning the battle!
   Here is some more on OOL protocol:
   You MUST ask the defender for an OOL prior to rolling any dice if it is a situation that calls for an OOL, and
   You MUST go through the attack once an OOL has been given. The OOL is because normally you would sit at same table and during attack the other player would be there to remove units...for example: if you're goal is to kill a transport of the other guy, and then ask for an OOL and he decides he will keep it at all costs knowing eventually he will win out, then the attacker can not then decide he won't attack at all.
   The best way to ensure there is no issue here: set up and finish all your combat moves and then send the file back to your opponent and add OOL at the end of the game file and in the e-mail ask for his OOL. Then once they reply, you can begin the combat.
   Edit Mode (And Editing)
   PBEM Games
   Editing in PBEM games is not as forgiving as live games. In PBEM games, players have the opporunity to practice their moves as many times as they would like. And it also gives players the opportunity to save between movement phases for futher testing. With that said, editing in PBEM games are limited to; fixing game bugs (such as correct carrier movement) and fixing entirely missed placements.
   For example, let us run through a PBEM turn quickly. Once you recieve a game file, if you were to miss purchasing, you can simply reload the game file and purchase again, so editing is not needed.
   For your combat move, you can run it in local mode as many times as you wish, so your move is final once PBEM dice combat rolls are made. For non-combat, once again you can have practiced this already. Furthermore, once combat is done, you could even make a save file right then. That way, if you press "Done" too quickly during non-combat movement, you can reload the save and fix it. This save file will also help if you forget to place while accidentally clicking past "Are you sure you don't want to place units" message. You can reload the save, redo NCM and then place again. Again, this highlights the importance of making saves during move stages, and practicing your turns.

Lobby Ladder Games
Given the popularity of the online game lobby, live ladder games are becoming more common place. Editing rules are going to be fairly similiar to PBEM games.
Purchases
If you completely forget to purchase, an edit should be allowed. There is no opporunity here to reload the save game like PBEM. We want real competitive ladder matches.
What if you click done in the middle of purchase? (this happens when you close the buy window and look at the board, then click Done accidently instead of buy again.) If you had 30ipc and you bought 1 tank, an edit should be allowed. If you had 30ipc and you spent 28ipc worth, an edit should is the discretion of your opponent. Disputes can be solved by contacting the administrators.
No matter what purchase edits you ask for (if they are waranted or not), they MUST be completed BEFORE you roll any combat, and should happen BEFORE you move ANY pieces on the board! If you start moving things around and decide to modify your buy, an edit is not guaranteed.
Combat Move And Non-Combat Move
The ladder is about competitive games. It is the responsibility of players to review the board before they press Done on each combat phase. By accepting a live ladder game, you are denying yourself the move-practicing opportunities in a PBEM game. Major strategical errors should generally be allowed to edit. An example would be protecting a capital by 1 infantry that blocks a tank column. Remember it is your responsibility to review the board, not your opponents responsibility to allow you an edit, do NOT expect minor edits to be allowed. Players MUST decide what level of editing they will allow before the game begins.
Problems and arguments revolving editing can be submitted to the admins for review IF a decision cannot be reached by the two players involved in the live game. The admins will use their best judgement to decide. The admins WILL weigh their decision on competitive gameplay. The admins are admins because of their experience and good attitude in our community.
Placement
If you forget to place and click done through placement phase, AND you miss the dialogue window, placement edit fixes are allowed. Remember we want competitive games.
If you have placed in the wrong spot, this needs to not only be declared instantly, are subject to similiar rules as the Combat Move and Non-Combat Move section.
4. Reporting Game Results
Completed games can be reported by either player and should be reported as soon as the result is certain.
To report a game, click on the Report Game link in the fly-out menu for the competition. The reporting players name will be shown in the table's left column. To the right of this are drop down boxex for the allies game and the axis game. Select a win or loss for the reporting player for each game. Finally click on the Report button.
After pressing report, there will be a confirmation page. Mistakes made in reporting games can only be corrected by the administrators. It is advisable to double check entries before clicking the Confirm Report button. If a mistake is made, please go to the TripleA War Club Revised Ladder section of the forums and advise an Admin/Mod. Provide Name of players, Challenge ID number, and the problem.
In addition, there is an option to rate a player in the competition fly-out menu. It is a karma based system, and positive or negative feedback can be left. Both players in a match can rate their opponent.
5. Ratings System
Calculation of new ratings uses the Elo rating system. Ratings calculation are done when a match is reported, so there can be influence from intermediate rating changes as a result of other matches.
The formula for calculating the change in rating is based off the Elo ratings system. The war club uses the following setup:
Maximum rating difference is 350
K value for ratings < 2000 is 150
K value for ratings between 2000 and 2400 is 100
K value for ratings > 2400 is 50
Ratings calculation uses the minimum K value
These larger K values are to account for differences between TripleA and chess. They will be reviewed in 6 months from the date above.
The calculations are as follows. If Player A wins both games, Player A's Score (S) is 1. A draw is S = 0.5 for both players, and a loss for Player A is score S = 0.
The ratings difference used is the value of Player A's current rating minus Player B's current rating. If the difference is greater then the maximum difference of 350, then 350 is used.
Elo uses expected scores in the calculations, they are calculated by:
Player A's expected score is 1 / ( 1 + 10^( (Player B's rating) - (Player A's rating) / 400 ) ).
Player B's expected score is 1 / ( 1 + 10^( (Player A's rating) - (Player B's rating) / 400 ) ).
Finally the new ratings are calculated by:
Player A's new rating = (Player A's rating) + (Player A's K value) * ( (Player A's Score) - (Player A's Expected score) ).
Player B's new rating = (Player B's rating) + (Player B's K value) * ( (Player B's Score) - (Player B's Expected score) ).
A player's Rank is a function of rating points, the breakdown is:
General 2001+
Colonel 1751 - 2000
Major 1501 - 1750
Captain 1251 - 1500
Lieutenant 1001 - 1250
Sergeant 751 - 1000
Corporal 501 - 750
Private 1 - 500
The #1 player is rewarded with a special rank of Field Marshal.
6. Slow Play Penalty
The minimum number of moves required per match is TWO (2) per week. However, players should try to make at least 4 moves per week as a courtesy to their opponent. A move is defined as taking a turn in one of the games so making one move in the Allied game and one move in the Axis game counts as two moves.
Delays (sickness, vacation, moving, etc.) must be reported in the Revised Ladder portion of the tripleawarclub.org forum. A player who is delayed is expected to notify all of their opponents by email. Failure to do this may result in loss of the match due to slow play.
If an opponent is taking longer than 7 days to make two moves, a slow play warning may be sent by logging in to the ladder and clicking on the My Challenges link. A list of your challenges is displayed. An SP icon next to a name means the match is not finished and a slow play warning may be sent to that player. Clicking on the SP icon automatically generates an email sent to both players. In 3 days another email will be sent. In 7 days a final email will be sent telling both players that the match can be reported as a win for the warning player. Players can view the status of their slow play warnings by clicking on theSlowplay link.
A player receiving a slow play warning can click on the link contained in the email to disable it. It is expected that disabling the warning means the player has sent their required moves.
Players who are often inactive, receive many slow play warnings, or abuse the system (i.e. disable the warning without sending their moves) could have their account deleted by the administrators.
Note that the Slow Play process does not automatically produce a Win or Loss, it is only a mechanism to alert the other player that you have been trying to contact them to complete a started game before you consider their non-response a forfeit.
7. Removal From A Ladder
A player may leave a competition by clicking on the Leave Competition button on the fly-out menu. Their account is removed from the board and no more challenges can be sent/received by that account. However their information is stored in the system if they want to reactivate at a later date.
All ongoing matches by the player who deleted their account are forfeit. The other players gain the points from those matches as normal.
After ninety days (90) of inactivity, a player's account can be deleted by the administrators. All relevent data is saved should a player decide to become active again at a later point in time (contact a Mod/Admin in the forums section if you are trying to return to the ladder with an inactivated account).
8. Rules Changes
A player may submit a proposed rule change to the administrator. The proposal will be open for every member for discussion and voting in the "suggestions" topic of the war club forum. If a majority of the players voting agree to the proposal within 14 days of the posting, the proposal can become a new rule.