Ladder For Tetris Clans

[Rosti_LFC]

HD has fairly decent support for teams in the site software, but so far nothing particularly serious has come out of it, and there's no real competition for it. Given a bit of time and effort, I plan to change that and set up a clan ladder for Tetris.

First off, this isn't going to be for a couple of months at least. The TTO has to finish before I'd even try and do anything, and I know myndzi also wants to set up some sort of clan competition format which I'm going to let go first. He's going for something different to a ladder system though, so they shouldn't interfere too much with each other anyway. I'm also probably not going to get the time free to properly devote to setting up and running something for a couple of months anyway.

Either way, I don't think it'll hurt to get some of the groundwork done and gauge interest for it now.

The basic format is going to be based on GameBattles, who already have an extremely popular and successful format for a large number of games, and I think it's a good starting point to go from. Details of how the GB points system works are here.

So, a few initial non-gameplay rules for the layout:

• Matches will be competed with teams of either three players (3vs3) or five players (5 x 1v1). (I might make it just three players depending on interest and how team sizes look to be shaping up)
• Clans can have multiple teams if they wish (eg. ClanName A, ClanName B, ClanName C), but the rosters for each team MUST be clearly set. Players for the A team must be clearly defined and cannot play B team matches, etc.
• Clan roster sizes are unlimited - a clan can have as many players as it wishes to have per team.
• Each competitor is only allowed to be on the player roster for a single clan at any one time.
• To prevent bias from team names, major Tetris sites cannot be used for clan names. There can be no team Hard Drop or team TetrisConcept.
• Clans can stem from alternative sites or pre-existing clans for non-Tetris games (eg. SC2 clans), but the clan must be accepted within the parent site and it's tetris members be registered players of the main clan, again to prevent name bias without proper affiliation.
• Each clan team requires a nominated captain who will need to be registered at HardDrop for match reporting and potential disputes.
• Ladders will run 5-month seasons with 1-month off-seasons (this is hugely subject to change/suggestions)

The game to be used will depend on what looks like the best option when the ladder starts.

So, interest, comments, suggestions, thoughts?

[arf]

Sounds like a good idea. I think having established teams can give the game more of that hardcore image that we all want over the casual one, but I'm only familiar with the system that CAL used for their games, so I could be a bit biased.

Anyways, I would say 5-months for one season is too long. I would say 3 months or even shorter. More off-season time allows for more teams to be created at a faster rate, and it gives existing teams more time to recruit more members.

[Rosti_LFC]

Well given it's a ladder, in theory clans should be able to join at any time regardless of the length of the season. I don't see why recruiting wouldn't be possible mid-season either.

I do think 5 months could be a touch too long though. I'm also not so sure about the time for players moving between rosters - maybe one month or something?

[Paradox]

I would like to see a team tournament, but ladders would probably start up the initial competition.

[chopin]

I like the idea, but I want something that the success relies not as heavy in a lot of time devotion. I'm not really good at this organization stuff, but I do feel that (at least the HD ladder) is wayyyy too long, boring, and time consuming. I also think it would be nice for team pages to have their own personal forum, just like 1 single -private- thread such as normal, usual ones in the main forum.


Go LEGI☠N!!!!!

[Rosti_LFC]

Pretty sure that private threads are almost impossible to have on any forum software. Private boards, sure, but there'd be dozens of them and it'd be a b**** to set up and maintain access levels.

From personal experiences, ladders work better with clans than they do for individuals. If there's more of you, then you don't need to play every game, and you get an element of clan pride and there's a bit more motivation to get a decent spec on the ladder. Thinking about it though, it does seem like 5 months would drag on a bit too long and 3 months or less would probably be better.

I'd also probably want to add some sort of final play-offs stage, taking the top 4-12 teams from the ladder (depending on the number of teams) and having a seeded knock-out phase for the final winner (also like GameBattles).

[Noogy]

how about having some sort of division thing so that really good teams are in a division apart from decent players in another division, etc.
i think clan ladders would be highly discouraging if there was like a blink-trance-hebo team; maybe you can take the avg 40L time of a team and have like three separate ladders based on it or something idk

[Rosti_LFC]

Already planning that sort of thing for my league when I revive it at some point in the next few months

I doubt there'd be much point for a team ladder. It's not in the nature of it, and I doubt we'd have enough teams to really make it worthwhile if there were multiple divisions, at least to start with.
Could be a mentality difference, but I haven't seen a single ladder being a problem much for other games. Instead you just get it where people are happy being in the top 100 teams, or are absolutely made up because they just beat the 29th ranked team or something.

I'd definitely like to try and avoid teams made up entirely of God-tier players (hence no Team HD), and I'd hope most of the better players would split up and have their own teams, rather than just clump together, but I also don't really see how I can truly stop it without interfering heavily.

[Paradox]

I have been on a forum that give you a private section for your clan, not that I think it is a good idea. I think the team size should be limited otherwise there could just be a few huge teams. If blink was on a team everyone would hop on it. I like 7 players max.

[Rosti_LFC]

I have been on a forum that give you a private section for your clan, not that I think it is a good idea. I think the team size should be limited otherwise there could just be a few huge teams.

Yeah but what's the point in being on a team if you never actually get to play for it? Sure a shitload of people could join Blink's team, but if they're not good enough to play in (and win) any matches then why would they stay on the team? And why would the team bother keeping them as players? I'd prefer roster size to be unlimited so teams can manage their own players more and to make scheduling and organising games far easier. Sure, I could set a player limit, but it would be fairly arbitrary anyway and I don't see the benefit.

[Paradox]

Fair enough, but I predict 2-3 huge teams and small teams with 1-2 players. We won't know how it turns out until it actually happens though. We can leave it unlimited and if a problem like that arises we can always limit it later.

[XaeL]

I think the idea in theory is good but i'm worried about the player base. Its not a massive game like say halo or CS wher eu have hundreds nad hundreds of players, so LIke paradox said it might end up being 2 equal-ish clans and then lots of tiny ones.

[chopin]

Go Green Party

[Rosti_LFC]

I think the idea in theory is good but i'm worried about the player base. Its not a massive game like say halo or CS wher eu have hundreds nad hundreds of players, so LIke paradox said it might end up being 2 equal-ish clans and then lots of tiny ones.

I think the core player base could provide about 25-30 people if people get keen.

I'd hope things could expand if it gets popular. I think the idea could be that clans have one or two good players, and then recruit keen-but-not-so-great players to make up the numbers, and it could work pretty well as a way of expanding and improving beginners. I'm not sure if I'd bother enforcing rules to make that sort of thing happen (I'd probably have to, admittedly, if I really wanted it) but I doubt I will just because it'll be an extra pain in the arse to regulate.

The issue with player-base does however mean that to start with it'll most likely be on Tetris Friends. Unless something better turns up in the next month or two. Or if Nullpo has a decent team mode by then (if it doesn't already - I've not played nullpo netplay in a few months).

[Profane]

I don't think you would have to much issue with teams evening out.  If you really look at the 'groups' or teams that have bunched together they tend to a mix of really good players and then solid players.  I don't think the Blink quality player is going to want 40 figure head players on his squad.  I personally don't care if Blink Trance and Hebo team up, it just gives me as a member of SF to work harder to beat them.  i don't want watered down teams.  I want to prove SF is the best Team EVER!!!  get some mofo's.