ozfortress Highlander Season 2

The Season 1 Highlander Map Pool featured a nearly identical set of maps to that of the final Season of RSL (Respawn League) Highlander. The only change to the map pool was with the addition of koth_proside_v1 in replacement of koth_cascade.

In the Season 1 Poll, we asked players to rate the map pool on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being they greatly dislike the map pool and 5 being they thought it was great. 56.1% of the votes gave the Season 1 map pool a score of 4 with a further 17.1% giving it a score of 5.

Proside

Similarly to the map pool question listed above we asked players who participated in the survey to provide a score of Proside between 1 and 5. From this, it was found that nearly one-third (31.7%) of players gave the map a score lower than 3. Furthermore, in a question in the survey where players were asked if they wanted to remove any maps, a total of 42.9% of players were wanting Proside’s removal. In terms of feedback for the map itself. Individuals made mention of sniper dominance and overpowered sightlines as well as ammo pack placements and dead space on the map. With all this data in mind it was decided that for the time being this version of the map would be removed from the map pool going into Season 2.

Cascade

With the removal of Proside we have decided to re-introduce Cascade back into the map pool as its King of the Hill replacement. When asking surveyed individuals what maps they would like to see included in future seasons of ozfortress Highlander, a surprisingly large percentage of responses (30.8%) specifically asked for Cascade to make a return to the map pool. As well as this enthusiasm from the community the staff team also wanted to include Cascade to see how teams will learn to play the map and if it could even become a staple map similar to Ashville or Product.

Going into Season 1 we unrestricted both the Natascha and the Sydney Sleeper which were both banned during the last season of the Respawn League Highlander. Upon reviewing the feedback from our Season 1 Highlander Poll we have made the following decisions.

Natascha

Upon reviewing the poll data it was found that over a third of players (39%) were unhappy with the Natascha's inclusion in the whitelist during Season 1 of ozfortress Highlander. With this information in mind, the decision was made to remove the Natascha once again.

Sydney Sleeper

After reviewing the poll data, an overwhelming amount of players (87.8%) were not wanting to or were indifferent to removing the Sydney sleeper from the whitelist. Due to this the weapon will remain allowed in league play just as it was last season. It is assumed that these results also reflect that the Sydney Sleeper was relatively underused in comparison to the Natascha. With this in mind if the weapon started receiving wider usage and players became unsatisfied with its performance then it would be unsurprising to see the Sydney Sleeper banned.

ABBA

Throughout the previous season, ABBA was default in both the Premier and Intermediate divisions in playoffs. However, if both teams agreed they could play the maps as a best of one as opposed to playing ABBA. Meanwhile, Open was not expected to play ABBA in their playoff matches but could elect to play it if they chose to. As you can see this can be quite a hard and tricky thing to get your head around hence why adjustments will be made to how it works.

When asked in the Highlander Poll if ABBA should remain in the playoffs, 61% of players agreed it should remain. Although, when asked if ABBA should be made mandatory for all divisions, approximately 36% of players voted that it shouldn't. Thus with this data, we determined that moving forward, ABBA is only to be played by the highest division of play. This means the lower division(s) will no longer play ABBA in playoffs and will play all attack defend maps as a best of one. Our goal with this decision is to simplify the playoff system by having fewer variables for players to worry about.

Pick Bans

Previously the map pick ban process would be conducted like so:

• Home team bans
• Away team bans
• Home team picks
• Away team picks
• Away team bans
• Home team picks

In Season 2 of Highlander we will be adopting the sixes pick ban process which proceeds as so:

• Home team bans
• Away team bans
• Home team bans
• Away team bans
• Home team picks
• Away team picks
• Home team picks

This change has been made to encourage healthier map selections by limiting teams from being able to select only KOTH maps. This change was not made using poll data but came to be due to discussions with players and in general, is considered a healthier Pick/Ban process for nine map pools. Our hope is it will promote more variety in the Pick/Ban process, and give teams further control over the maps they end up playing.

Pick bans must be done 24 hours in advance

It is expected that the Pick/Ban process is completed 24 hours prior to the matches scheduled start time. Failure to do so will result in punishments. In the event that a match is scheduled near immediately and maps were unable to be selected via the Pick/Ban process 24 hours ahead of the match then admin intervention is required. We will keep a close eye on this, but please feel free to reach out to your division administrator with concerns.

Premier

• Sperkle
• Oldcustard

Main

• Bakes
• Rainy
• Thyme

We've been looking for ways to provide quicker and easier access to our seasonal key dates for all of our seasonal leagues and tournaments, so we've made a public calendar on ClickUp! As we arrange season details and add dates to those tasks, you will see it update live, so no matter if we have announced it or not, it'll likely be there!

Public Competitive Calendar

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 reasonable in their expectations on division placement. 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.