Hello IGS players,
Since we are now working to get the IGS league up and running once more, many changes are being made to the rules . The rule changes were designed to encourage more competitive play, and to counter some of the problems the old IGS league had. Please read the rules and get familiar with them, since these will in effect for the league once it opens next week.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RULES:
General Match & Cycle Rules
Rule #1 -- Match Confirmation
At the start of every IGS match, the game must be verified as a match. This is accomplished by one member of each team saying "IGS CONFIRMED" into All Chat.
Rule #2 -- Pooling
All pooling from here on in is illegal. Players may NOT give other players item at any point in the game as it defeats the purpose of it being a team game. Pooling will result in a loss of points for the clans that violate this rule. The only exception to this is charge items. Items such as Potions of Lesser Clarity, Flask of Water, Wards, ect. May be bought and used by the entire team, but not sold to transfer gold. The only item that will be allowed to be transfered is a Ring of health or a Ring of regen for a hero to regain lost hp. That is completely different from pooling and will be allowed.
Rule #3 -- Bug Abuse
Any bug abuse involving multiple heros or abuse of an item or heros skill will result in suspension of IGS. All bugs are listed on the TDA forums by the beta testers of the map. The severety of the punishment will be dealt with on a case to case basis, and can possibly result in permanent removal from IGS.
Rule #4 -- Team Killing
Team killing is allowed in IGS matches. Under the condition that the teammate is doomed or poisoned, the ability to kill your teammates is allowed for gameplay purposes. It is an advanced part of the game and will not be restricted.
Rule #5 -- Disconnect / Lag Issues
5 minutes is the disconnect/lag limit for IGS matches. Up until the 5 minute mark, the game may be remade. These include but are not limited to dropping and extreme lag. These will also be dealt with on a case to case basis. After the 5 minute mark, the game may not be remade unless under extreme circumstances. (Server split, host crashes, ect.) Once again, case by case basis.
Rule #5a -- Remake Rules
In the event of a game that is remade due to a dropped player / lag issues, the heroes in game must be the same as the initial game. For example, if the game is an -Allrandom mode, and a remake is needed, then the remake will be -Allpick and all players must pick the same heroes they randomed. This is prevent plug-pulling abuse when teams random "poor" lineups and in other situations.
Rule #6 -- Backdooring
Backdooring in IGS games is allowed. However, instances of teleport abuse are not allowed. You cannot use any form of teleport (furion skill, ignis fatuus, or Boots of Travel) to enter an enemy base UNLESS your creeps are already present in the base. So, for example, teleporting with Boots of Travel onto an ally hero that runs in to backdoor is illegal. Another restriction is on backdooring the World Tree/Throne. The World Tree/Throne can only be attacked if your team has destroyed one set of Barracks (both Ancient of War/Lore or Crypt/Temple). This is to prevent teams from simply winning because their heroes can tank the two defending towers next to the World Tree/Throne.
Rule #7 -- General Cycle Information
Cycles will last a total of 6 weeks. Each team participating may play up to 14 games per week throughout the entire cycle. You may not play the same team more than 3 times per week. You may not make up for games lost per week at any time.
Other Rules Regarding Battles & Unit Issues
Rule #8 -- Mid cycle team creation
New teams may form mid-cycle but may not make up for time lost. Clans my not however abandon a team name mid cycle and start a new one in hopes of ditching a negative record. Any team found doing this will be locked for the remainder of the current cycle and suspended for a portion of the next.
Rule #9 -- Player cap
All teams will have a cap of 12 players per team. Clans that have more players should split up into 2 or more separate teams within the league. They will be treated as separate teams and all rules about playing each other will still apply. If a clan has a legitimate reason for needing more than 12 players they should contact a moderator for their personal situation. Moderators have final say on raising the player cap for a team. Any player found going to more than one moderator after recieving a "No" as an answer will be locked for 2 weeks of the cycle and the answer will remain the same.
Rule #10 -- Team switching limit
Every player/account will only be allowed to change teams up to two times in any given cycle. This is to prevent players from acting as "ringers" in multiple clans.
Rule #11 -- Requesting a Void
When asking a match to be voided, cite SPECIFIALLY why the match is requested to be voided. Failure to do so will result in a confirmation of the match. (If your requesting a void, this is going to count as a loss, so just follow this rule please)
Miscellaneous Rules
Rule #12 -- Punishment
Any rule which is broken in an IGS match will result in a deduction of points from the guilty team, and will also follow with a lock on the guilty players involved. This punishment will be dealt with on a case by case scenario.
Rule #13 -- Rule Accountability
Ignorance is NOT an excuse for violating any rules in the IGS league. As players in the league, you are responsible for reading and knowing all the rules before participating in league play.
Rule #14 -- Staff Authority
IGS Staff have the final say in all situations. If you are unhappy with a decision made you may appeal to one of the lead admins, their word is absolute.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The newly launched league will also have a new challenging process. The new system is as follows:
Challenging Other Teams
When challenging other teams, your team should try to contact the team leaders of that team as displayed on their team roster page. As the team that extends the challenge, you are given the choice of what the match's game MODE will be.
Accepting Challenges
When being challenged by another team, you are given the choice of what side you wish to play on (sentinal or scourge), and you are given the option of which team will host. This means you may elect a member of your team to host, or you may elect a member of the challenging team to host.
Post-Game Procedures
After the game is over, and a winner is decided (in this case the "winner" is whoever received the "Victory" screen at the end of the game), the winning team must save the replay in the following format:
IGS Winning team-Losing team #v# MODE
So, if Team TDA defeats Team TDA2 in a -allrandom came with a 4v4 team format, the replay should be saved as:
IGS TDA-TDA2 4v4 AR
IGS = League Match
TDA-TDA2 = Winning team-Losing Team
4v4 = Number of players on each side
AR = Game Mode
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keep in mind that some things may change over the coming week. Right now the starting date for the next IGS league cycle is Sunday, September 18.
Check back for more updates as they become available.