ozfortress Experimental Cup 1

At this point, we feel most are probably more than clued up to what this is, but for those who may not be, it's pretty simple in theory. This plugin changes the way you play Sixes, as typically within ozfortress you would play a Control Point (5CP) map to a thirty-minute map timer, a win difference of five (aptly dubbed the "mercy rule" in a long-lost age), and a round timer that is hard coded by the map itself.

So what does the Round Timer plugin do?

As we mentioned earlier, the default round timer is set by the map. This plugin provides both a consistent value and an override. The value that the round timer is set to by this plugin is one of a few factors that provided the reason for this cup's existence. For this cup, we are running a round timer of five (5) minutes.

This plugin also introduces a new gameplay element; when a round is not won by either team before the round timer runs out, the round is restarted to a rollout and subsequent mid-fight. The intention behind this is to further dissuade stalemates and introduces a strategic way for teams to still play out the clock in a more controlled manner.

So what else changes?

Beyond just the round-timer value, there are other changes we are making for this cup to the format. For many years, ozfortress has used a win difference of five, with no win limit. Some leagues follow this, some don't. Many of the players who we've spoken to regarding this plugin have expressed interest in a win limit of five, and we agree.

So, why this plugin? Is the change needed?

To answer the latter prior to the former, many would say yes. It's not for us to say definitively, that we feel that we should follow what the community wants, but we're also happy for engaging in changes to the format. The aim of the changes implemented by this plugin is to attempt to limit or otherwise abolish stalemating or slowing down the game. It does attempt to fix other aspects of play within sixes, but these are the more notable changes.

So...

So you may have noticed earlier we appended "in theory" to our statement explaining the plugin. Whilst internationally the reception of the plugin is mostly positive, we want to make sure that there aren't any potential issues or concerns that arise, specifically with our own ruleset. With this in mind, we'll be releasing the Sixes Post-Season Poll after this cup to collect tailored feedback.

What does this mean for Sixes past this cup?

We're looking forward to the changes that could come to future seasons, in particular Season 35. Pending the feedback from players, we may look to include this plugin in our Sixes seasonal league. with it's inclusion may come additional changes, perhaps a shorter round timer value, win limit or win difference changes, let's say tentative on the details for now.

For the cup, we have made a slight change to the whitelist in order to poll players in the followup season and cup poll whether or not they want this weapon gone. The Market Gardener is banned for this cup, but will not be for the season unless the majority wants it banned.

Will there be medals/badges for this cup?

There will be no medals/badges for the Experimental Cup 1.

What are the mercenary rules?

The mercenary rules are the same as the regular season, you are limited to two mercenaries per match and only able to use mercenaries within four of your matches in this cup. This means you could use eight (8) different players, or the same two mercenaries four times, but you cannot use mercenaries in more than four matches. You must get approval from the captain of the opposing team like in our regular season fixtures.

When will the follow up poll release?

The Sixes S34 poll is being combined with the follow up poll for OEC1 (this cup), so the poll should release the day after Playoffs.

By signing up, you acknowledge that you may be placed in any division the administrators deem fit for your roster, and thus your entire team should be able to play all three days. We will endeavour to let teams know of changes in initial seedings before the final release. Please ensure you specify the division you truly believe your team should be in, this will make it easier for administrators to consult with you on your seeding. Along with selecting your desired division, please also list who you expect to play, and what class/role. We've left a template below, please include it in your signup application's description.

On the ozfortress website, captains can create Teams using the "Start Team" button on the Teams page. Once created, captains can invite players to the team. Team invites are shown on a player's profile, which can be accessed by clicking on your name next to the bell on the top right-hand corner of your screen. Teams provide a pool of players that can be signed up for a tournament. Players may be in the pool for multiple teams but only one active roster for any given tournament. Captains may sign up a roster for tournaments under the league page.

If you're new and not sure how to get started, don't fret! Check out the Recruitment category of the ozfortress Discord where you can express your interest in joining a team, or peruse potential players to form a team of your own. Teams are normally comprised of one Medic, one Demoman, two Soldiers and two Scouts. If you're new to the competitive scene, click here for an introduction to ozfortress!

Once you've signed up your team or have joined one, your part is done. Don't worry if you didn't find or join a team in time, you can always be transferred onto a team in one of the Transfer Windows. See the Transfers link for more info on Transfers, and the Transfers Window link for info on when these windows are, both links can be found at the bottom.

Please ensure you have enough backups to last the entire cup; teams are allowed a maximum of ten players rostered.

• During OZF's Experimental Cup 1 we plan on conducting random demo checks to ensure players are recording demos. Please ensure that you are recording match demos in order to avoid punishment.
• If you are unsure of whether or not something is considered a game exploit, contact a League Administrator for clarification. Ignorance is not an excuse.