CoD4 Search & Destroy rules
Ladder (rating)
Last build: 15:35, May 6th |
1. Introduction
- Please take the time to read through our global rules before you start playing in this ladder. These rules not only apply to CoD4 Search & Destroy but all ladders within ClanBase. Knowing the global ladder rules will avoid conflicts and will increase your chances of winning conflicts.
Pay particular attention to our rules on freelancing, linking your accounts and the 24-hour rule, reporting a no-show and the match conflict rules.
The General rules section covers the default punishment for breaking the rules, our right to broadcast matches, the complaints system and what counts as official match rules. The rating system is explained in detail, and provides information about the number one spot. - A list of defined ladder terms can be found .
2. Match rules
- A match is played over two maps, one picked by each clan in the challenge form. The clan with the lower ranking on the ladder can choose which map is played first. Each clan may choose which side they start on their opponents map.
- Each match is played over two maps with a roundlimit of 20 (= maxrounds 10) by default. Total rounds in a match is 2x20 = 40. The score is determined by adding all rounds won from each clan over the whole match.
- Snipers are limited to 1 as set by the ProMod.
- The default team size for the CoD4 Search & Destroy ladder is 5on5. Other team sizes are available by editing settings on the challenge form.
- This rule applies to this game's ladders which have had more than 500 activity (=matches per month) for 30 days or more:
Clans in the top 10 must play at least 1 legitimate match a month (30 days), which is not a no-show. Clans in the top 10 who haven't played a match in 30 days willl be forced into hibernation without warning, as described in the .
3. Optional rules
- Maxrounds: You can choose maxrounds in the challenge.
- Maxrounds 10 (default option)
- Maxrounds 12
4. Maplist
- The maplist for CoD4 Search & Destroy is:
- mp_backlot
- mp_citystreets
- mp_crash
- mp_crossfire
- mp_strike
- mp_vacant
5. Client settings
- In all ClanBase CoD4 ladders matches TZAC is Mandatory.
- All players must have the latest version of TZAC turned ON. Each player is responsible for making sure they are running the correct Anti-Cheat client during the match and they have to make sure they use the correct war ID before starting any match. Incase someone filled in a wrong war ID, they must upload the correct war ID on war comment within 48 hours after the match was played. If they fail doing that, they will lose by forfeit.
- - If a player logged out from TZAC during a match, that clan will recive a forfeit loss.
- - If a player crashes during a match and therefore was logged out from TZAC the score will remain if he/she or a new player rejoins within 5 minutes and with TZAC enabled. Otherwise they will forfeit the match.
- - If a new player rejoins he must have been in the clan for atleast 24 hour and his last change or registration of a CoD4 guid must have been more than 24 hours ago. Otherwise he is concidered to be a freelancer and his/her clan will forfeit the match.
- - Screenshots must be uploaded after each match (even if they are black), screenshots not uploaded 48 hours after match will result in a forfeit loss.
- If a player(s) has black screenshots, player(s)/clan(s) will not be punished while they are logged in with the correct anti-cheat during the entire match. - - Playing continuously without TZAC, will results in ladder suspension as defined in the punishment table. Same punishment as playing in a non GV-streaming server. All matches without any AC will be cancelled
6. Server settings
- All matches must be played on servers that stream to the ClanBase/Game-Violations repository. The latest version of the script is required for all ClanBase matches. Streaming information and instructions can be found here. DO NOT FORGET to add MD5 and CVAR checks to the server, how to add those can be found here. To check if the server you are playing on is streaming to the CB/GV repository, you can search for the server's ip on GV's site by using 'Status Check'. The clan/player responsible for the server is also responsible for making sure it streams, their/his opponent should demand a streaming server for all matches. Matches where a streaming server cannot be organised will be cancelled. Playing continuously in non GV-streaming servers results in ladder suspension as defined in the punishment table.
- A clan cannot claim a match cancel if the server belonged to them.
- All CoD4 Search & Destroy matches should be played with the following server settings:
6 second strat time
2 SMG limit - with the promod smg fix
45 second bomb fuse
1:45 minute round length
5 second plant time
7 second defuse time
LMG Disabled
Red-dot sight disabled
- All matches are played with Promod LIVE v2.11 http://www.codpromod.com,download link. In order to properly configure it on servers for ClanBase matches, use the appropriate command in the console:
- /rcon promod_mode match_mr10 (S&D Maxrounds 10 for 3on3+)
- /rcon promod_mode match_mr12 (S&D Maxrounds 12 for 3on3+)
- /rcon promod_mode match_2v2_mr10 (S&D for 2on2)
- /rcon promod_mode match_1v1_mr8 (S&D for 1on1)
- /rcon promod_mode match_hc_mr10 (S&D HC Mr 10 for 3on3+)
- /rcon promod_mode match_hc_mr12 (S&D HC Mr 12 for 3on3+)
- /rcon promod_mode match_2v2_hc_mr10 (S&D HC for 2on2)
- /rcon promod_mode match_1v1_hc_mr8 (S&D HC for 1on1)
- /rcon promod_mode match (all non-S&D matches)
- Using servers that do not authorise players original cd-keys from Activisions master server (cracked servers) is illegal. Opponents are allowed to ask for a legal server or provide their own (as long as it doesn't conflict with any other server rules). Unplayed matches will be cancelled if appropriate servers could not be found. Once a match starts you accept the server and its settings.
- All ClanBase ladder matches must be played using the Official v1.7 patch from Activision.
7. Demos and screenshots
- Demos:
- All players must record demos from the whole match. Demos can be requested and must be kept until the result has been accepted on ClanBase.
- In case of a conflict: both clans may request ineye demos from the other clan, but the following is required or the conflict will be discarded:
- The clan must explain their reason(s) for doing so and provide specific detailed information (i.e. approximate match time when an event took place and why they want to investigate it further). Providing non-detailed reasons such as "He cheats" will get your conflict discarded!
- The clan must immediately state the exact demos they want; players and maps.
- Upload at least one complete set of demos from 1 of their own players.
- The amount of ineye demos that can be requested are: 1on1: all, 2on2: 1 per map, 3on3: 2 per map, 4on4: 3 per map, 5on5: 4 per map, 6on6: 5 per map etc. 1 demo is a 1 complete map demo of one player. A clan can request demos in a conflict only once, other requests apart from the first one will be ignored. Failure to upload requested demos or uploading demos that are broken or missing will lead into a forfeit loss.
- Clans who repeatedly fail to upload demos will be . Players who repeatedly fail to upload demos can be suspended from playing according to .
- You can read here how to do a valid demorequest.
- Failure to upload requested demos or uploading demos that are broken or incomplete will lead into a forfeit loss.
- A demo is considered to be incomplete if it's missing 3 or more rounds. If a clan is manipulating the demo recording process (e.g. by stopping it in a live match on purpose), all the points gained in that period will be awarded to the opponent.
- Screenshots of the scoreboards should always be taken by each clan and kept untill 2 weeks after the matchresult has been confirmed. Only screenshots can be accepted as proof when there is a dispute about the score. Screenshots or Demos can be requested by supervisors at any time.
8. Regional ladder rules
- The following regional ladder rules apply for all region-specific CoD4 ladders.
- In order to participate in a regional ladder a clan/player must reside in that region or in a region that includes it. For example: East Europe includes Hungary.
- Any clan or player not from a ladder's region will be removed from that ladder. Depending on the kind of violation, the clan/player might face suspensions from a forfeit loss to a 3-month suspension from all regional ladders for that game.
- All matches MUST be played on servers within that region. Once a match has started then the server's settings and region is accepted, so clans/players will not be punished if the match is played. When neither clan/player can provide a server from that region and they refuse to play, the match should be cancelled. If a clan/player does have a server from that region and the opponent doesn't, the match must be played on the server from that region. In this case, the opponent may not refuse the server with the correct region and if they do, then the clan/player (with the correct server) should report the match as a no-show in the ladder channel.
- During matches a certain number of players must be from the ladder's region. The values are as follows:
- In a 2v2 : both players must be from that region
- In a 3v3 : 2 players must be from that region
- In a 4v4 : 3 players must be from that region
- In a 5v5 & 6v6 : 4 players must be from that region
- In a 7v7 : 5 players must be from that region
- In a 8v8 : 6 players must be from that region
- In a 9v9 & 10v10 : 7 players must be from that region
- Anything above this must have a minimum of 8 players and must be a minimum of 70% of the team
Violating this rule will result in a forfeit loss. In addition, you will be suspended for a period of time depending on the type of violation as stated in the . If the players are faking nationalities, more harsh punishments may be used. - It is a clan's responsibility to make sure its clan & player flags are correct for when clans are checked for regional status.
- IPs can be traced to a country by using IP trace tools such as 'Network Tools' and 'Geektools'.
- Any clan found guilty of abusing the regional ladder rules by faking nationality will be punished, depending on the violation, with a forfeit loss or more harsh measures. Players who continually rejoin ladders they were removed from despite warnings will have their responsible clans .
9. GUID's
- GUID's are unique identifiers used in games to recognise players. Examples: SteamID, PB guid, CoD2 guid, UT2004 guid, ETpro guid, DMW client nr and Xbox Live Gamertag.
- Every player must register his PB guid on the . Click to find out how to retrieve and register your GUID. Use the console commands '/pb_plist' or '/pb_power' to show all players' GUID's in a match.
- Only the last 8 characters are required for the CoD4 PB GUID. The system will not allow all 32 characters to be entered.
- Every player must have their TZAC User ID registered on their GUID page before a match starts. You can read TZAC User ID guide in order how to find your TZAC User ID.
- The last change of a CoD4 PB GUID can not be done later than 24 hours before a match. Players who did not register the correct CoD4 PB GUID more than 24 hours before a match will be considered freelancers.
- The last change of a GUID can not be done later than 24 hours before a match. Players who did not register the correct GUID more than 24 hours before a match will be considered freelancers.
- Only the last entered GUID (the one you can see on your account's page) in the changelog will be considered as valid to play with.
- Players with GUID's that are listed on the Master Ban List's (MBL) of Game Violations, PBBANS and Punksbusted are also considered cheaters and are not allowed to play in any ClanBase ladder matches.
Old GUID's from GUID logs aren't valid proof of the person cheating or being banned. It must be verified that the person in question actually triggered the ban before any action will be taken.
10. Miscellaneous rules
- Before each game can start, both teams have to announce themselves as ready. If one member of a team says that his team is ready he is considered to speak for the whole team, regardless of his status in the clan. Once a game has started it may only be restarted if both clans agree. If a game was started without the agreement of one of the teams, that team can demand that the game is restarted as long as at least one of their members remain in the spawning area.
- Substituting a player during the match is only allowed between games (so at the side or map change), or in case of extreme connection problems during the game. If the new player has not showed up after 5 minutes the opposing team can demand that the match starts without him.
- Clans have a maximum of 1 timeout per side per map (2 timeouts per map). Clans do not need to state a reason for taking a timeout.
The maximum total pause-time is 10 minutes per map per team (5 minutes per side, only one timeout per side per map allowed). Taking two timeouts at same side will lead to forfeit loss for violating clan. At map or side change clans can take a maximum of 5 minutes for a break, the match is to resume after that time.
If a clan does not ready up after the stated time this will lead to a forfeit loss for the violating clan. - If the server crashes during a match, the map will be restarted only if the crash occurred less than 1 minute into the start, or during the 1st round for round-based games. In all other cases the remaining time (rounded to the closest minute and with a minimum of 2 minutes) or rounds will be played, after which the scores will be added to determine the map win.
- It is not allowed to kick players from the opposing side under ANY circumstances, failure in doing so will result in a forfeit loss of the match.
- Spectating during an official match is not allowed. If a player leaves the server for any reason and rejoins they needs to choose sides immediately. If spectators join the server and enter the match, it should be paused and they should be made to leave before the match is continued.
- Once a match starts on the suggested server in the challenge, a clan cannot claim 50/50 unless the server has serious ping issues or both teams agree the server is not fit to be used or the game server has major problems. Evidence must be taken of the serious disadvantage (preferably a screenshot with the full line-up with visible pings) caused by the server issues. Clans abusing the rule or failing to provide proof for their claims will lose the match by default or have their claims discarded.
11. Cheating and abuse
- The applies to all ClanBase ladders. Any cheating or excessive abusive behaviour during a match will result in a forfeit loss. Cheating and/or using suspended players in matches results also in different kind of .
- If both clans cheated and/or used a suspended player in the match, both clans get a forfeit loss.
- Ladders are moderated by four methods: join applications, score changes, suspensions and deletions:
- Join applications are dealt with by the ladder/mod supervisors to stop fake clans, members with fake GUIDs and countries from the wrong region from entering the ladder.
- Matches may be edited to a cancellation, no-show, forfeit loss or a win for the opponent - depending on the ladder rules and severity of the problem. A forfeit loss is the standard punishment for all violations unless the punishment is otherwise stated in the rules.
- Suspensions are used to punish abuse of the ladder system and range from short-term to long-term/permanent suspensions, from one ladder only to all ladders. Suspensions are added by the ladder chiefs and assistants.
- Punishments are summarised in a table, found . Clans that are suspended from a ladder may not form the same clan elsewhere to play that ladder, this includes new clans or altered existing clans. The guidelines for determining if a clan with an active suspension has rejoined with a new clan will not be given out so don't ask for them.
- If a clan is suspended from a ladder the suspension can be viewed by using the clan's matches page. Appeals to the suspension reporter will only be acknowledged if the accusation against the clan can be proven false. Provide all necessary proof immediately on the war summary page. Members may only contact the ladder assistants/chiefs if the reporter is not mentioned.
- Clans or accounts may be deleted without warning as described in the .
- It is strictly forbidden to use accounts of other users, even if the users are in your clan. Such cases will always be considered abuse and subject to temporary bans. This does not apply to players who are forced to share GUID's.
- It is not allowed to take advantage of or abuse bugs. Any kind of bug abuse is considered cheating and will lead to a forfeit loss, unless otherwise mentioned specifically in the game-related rules.
- All programs or files, either changed game files or new files, that change the game or add to its functionality, or which interact with the game in any way, are strictly forbidden unless other rules specify otherwise. Modified versions of the game's resource files are always forbidden, regardless of what they do. The use of any forbidden program or file by any clan member during a match, leads to a forfeit loss, and could lead to a removal and ban from ClanBase in major cases.
- Programs that do not interact with the game in any way are allowed, even if they can be used and operated simultaneously with the game. Voice communication programs are examples of such programs.
- Any form of boosting including pistol boost and big bounce jumps are considered as bug abuse therefor forbidden.
- Any types of scripts proven to give a real advantage or are part of not allowed binds/scripts below will not be tolerated and will result in a forfeit loss. Config settings that give a distinct advantage over the opponent may be deamed config abuse and can lead to a forfeit loss depending on severity of claim.
Not allowed bind and scripts:
- any 'exec' or 'vstr' bind (this does not include anything related to demos or demo players)
- any script including 'lookdown'
- any bind including 'rate' cannot have a value outside 25000
- any bind including 'com_maxfps' cannot have a value below 40 or above 250
- any bind including 'screenshot' can only be bound to the F12 key
- any bind including 'attack' cannot be combined with any other command
- any bind including 'frag' cannot be combined with other commands/binds
All binds/scripts that are not covered by above not allowed scripts/binds will be reviewed on a case-by-case basic to see if they do give an unfair advantage. - Clans abusing the ladder system in any way in order to gain an advantage or just to be a nuisance will be deleted or suspended from ladder(s). Further punishment may include deletion of the accounts of the person responsible for the abuse, in extreme circumstances. Abusing any clear loopholes in the rules is forbidden, Chiefs of Ladders can punish clans/players for abuse not described in these rules.
- Using Game-Violations' Eye-dent tool to provide proof is allowed, but comes with restrictions. You may only post screenshots which show all the important columns (player name, player ip, guid, date and server ip). Highlighting the important parts on the picture is advised, but any other modification to the picture (for example adding text) is not allowed. If the proof is intended to show matching IPs where both Clean and Banned guids were used by the same IP, we will only accept it if the Clean/Banned guids were used on the IP is on the same day, unless you have very strong proof that the IP is static. IPs found older than a year are also unaccepted.
- We will only accept proof if you provide it the proper way. We wont accept anything where the provider requests any input from our side, or has any unnecessary limitations (for example rapidshare or megaupload), in other words, proof must be accessible directly. Some free image hosting sites are imageshack and photobucket. You may use other hosts, but make sure images can be viewed internationally. Also, be sure to save a copy of the image somewhere, in case the host removes it.
Demos should be uploaded to the ClanBase demo FTP (see ).
We wont accept any so-called "busted.avi" videos as proof, you must make timestamps for the original demo. - When providing timestamps for demos, remember to state which player's demo and what map you are referring to. The round indication should be clear for everyone to be able to follow. If the match was interrupted by a map restart (for example because of pause) or similar and the round ordering has changed, be sure to mark those too to make everything clear. Every timestamp must be exact, saying "watch demo" or "whole round" are unacceptable and will not be taken into consideration while watching the demo. A small amount of explanation may be added to the timestamps to make situations clear, but you must make them in English (regardless if it is a regional ladder or not), because our demo crew consists of people from different countries.
Global rules
12. General
- If the ladder rules for a specific ladder conflict with these global ladder rules, then the specific rules have precedence.
- The proper functioning of the ladder system depends on the sportsmanship of the participating clans. We expect everybody to play by the rules, but also to be flexible when circumstances require it and to be reasonable when an opponent has problems beyond their control.
- Not knowing the ladder rules is never a valid excuse for not following them.
- ClanBase reserves the right to broadcast every match. This can be done with online game broadcast tools for spectating purposes. The recording of such broadcasts can't be refused by the clans. In many cases ClanBase will allow or ask third parties to broadcast the matches. Spectators may never be charged.
- For any questions or comments concerning the ladder or the outcome of conflicts, contact the ladder supervisor by e-mail or CB Private Messages. For any questions or comments concerning the ladder or the outcome of conflicts that the supervisor can't resolve, or for complaints about the supervisor, read .
Messages not written in English will not be understood and will not be read. Messages containing abusive language will be ignored. Messages will be dismissed by the ladder managers if the controversial issue has not been discussed with the ladder supervisor first, or the ladder supervisor answered correctly but was ignored. - Agreements and arrangements made in the challenge notes field, on the server or elsewhere are not binding. Only the official ladder rules and settings (maps, optional rules) decided on the challenge form should be followed and be considered as the correct rules. Agreements that contradict the ladder rules will be overruled in conflicts.
For example: In conflicts, we will ignore clans who claim that the opponent agreed that they could use a freelancer on IRC or that the clan had put ‘24-hour rule doesn’t apply’ on the challenge notes and the opponent accepted. Proposed servers are never binding and are ‘suggested’ play locations only.
- Disclaimer: references to any gender in any ladder rulebooks within this website do not imply these ladder rules are gender-specific.
13. Clans and Players
- Any clan registered on ClanBase can participate in any regular ladder. There are some additional requirements clans must meet before they can join an Invitational ladder described in Invitational ladder rules. For information on how to register your clan on ClanBase, read the .
- It is not forbidden for a player to be a member of more than one clan if the player links their personalities by using the link on the admin page. Any player in more than one clan without will be considered to be a freelancer in all clans except the one they were registered with first, unless the duplicate account is inactive. Account is considered to be inactive if the last login date was over 60 days ago before the match date.
Duplicate accounts will be forcibly merged when they are noticed. Users are notified five days before their accounts will be merged via CB private message to give them a chance to try to prove that the accounts' owner isn't the same. Oldest account will remain as the main account in forced linking. If the oldest account has been abandoned, the next oldest (used) account will remain.
- Only players who are registered in a clan on ClanBase can play in ladder matches, and they can only play with the nick (or very similar) they're registered with in that clan. Only players that have been registered as clan member for 24 hours or more are allowed to play for their new clan. Unregistered players, players violating the 24-hour rule and registered clan members who use a different nick or GUID from the one registered on CB will be considered freelancers.
Clans may request another player to be used by the opponent before the match, if their choice is violating this rule. If they cannot replace the player then the match is a no-show. - Once the match starts, neither clan can complain that the other clan is using a player with a different nickname or who hasn't been in the clan for 24 hours. A clan may make a claim of freelancers if their opponent uses a player who has the wrong GUID registered or is an unregistered player, or uses a substitute who is breaking the above rule, or a player changes their name into an unrecognisable nickname during the match.
- The above 24-hour rule does not apply to clans that joined the ladder (for the first time only) less than 48 hours before the official match time. The 24-hour rule does not apply to players who were briefly removed from the clan, for instance accidentally by the clanleader, assuming they were in the clan for 24 hours previously. A brief period is considered no longer than 18 hours. Players who are absent for longer than this period will be considered new to the clan again and must be in the clan for a further 24 hours before they are eligible to play.
- Using a freelancer in a ladder match will result in a forfeit loss. Using freelancer(s) in multiple matches will result in a temporary suspension of the clan from affected ladders or even all ladders. Violations are accumulated over time. See the for specific durations. Freelancers used over a year ago will not count, unless the clan has a long history of using freelancers.
14. Ladders
- ClanBase only creates ladders when we believe there's a 'market' for it. When a new game or mod is released, we usually create a European ladder for it first, and country ladders later as the European ladder becomes busier. A game/mod must have been played very actively in CB for a while before we consider making an invitational ladder for it.
- If you would like to request a new ClanBase ladder for a new game, mod or an existing game and you think there will be enough interest from other clans to make it competitive - please start a petition (or vote for an existing petition) using .
Next, we will consider adding the ladder, based on the popularity of the game or mod and based on our relevant expertise in order to provide a great working ladder. There is no set number of votes that will ensure a ladder or game is added. The ladder/game may be rejected if it has been tried before and failed. - Country/region ladders may be restricted to clans of the corresponding nationality, appearing in the Regional Ladders section of the rules. Not every ladder has these rules, but the restriction for all regional ladders is that matches for country/region ladders have to be played on servers in that country/region, unless both clans prefer not to. When clans play on a server not within the region, neither clan can later dispute the score because of it, as when a match starts – servers and settings are accepted. Disputes need to be settled before the match starts.
- It is possible to have special coverage in the ladder pages about interesting matches, interviews etc. if game crew and community are motivated & active enough. Ladders can have a separate coverage supervisor who isn't directly involved in running the ladder.
- The inactivity system will remove clans from all the ladders with more than 20 active clans, who haven't played for 8 weeks. Read for more info. The inactivity system is designed not to work on ladders with no or little activity. Dormant clans will not be forcibly removed from inactive ladders by the ladder chiefs unless they hold the number one spot. Please do not ask us to do so, alternatively challenge more active clans in the ladder.
- The gold, silver, and bronze ladder icons can be obtained only in large/active ladders. These icons feature next to the clan’s name.
- Playing several matches against the same opponent in a short period of time is considered cheating as it distorts the ranking. As a rule of thumb, never play the same opponent twice in less than one week unless you also play many other matches. Playing the same opponent three or more times in one ladder or over many ladders will result in short-term suspensions as described . In case of grave violations it will be assumed the matches are fake.
- Clans without the required amount of players can be removed from the ladder after 7 days.
- When a possible fake match is discovered, both clans involved will be suspended from all ClanBase ladders without warning. Players who create 3 or more fake clan matches gets their accounts removed. See the .
Clanleaders have 1 week to against this decision, but they must supply proof of the match in the form of screenshots or demos and post them on the war summary page. Players should then mail/CB pm the supervisor that reported them. If supervisor's details weren't included in the clan's suspension/deletion notes, you should email the Chiefs of Ladders 
- Clan won't be punished for a fake match if all the following criteria are met:
- Clan leader didn't arrange the fake match.
- The clan (leader or a trustee) reports the fake match to ladder's supervisors via CB PM and war summary page's comments page before 48 hours have passed of the fake match's 'starting time'. Tell in the war summary page also to which supervisors you reported the fake match, including their nick and link to their CB profile.
- The person responsible of the fake match is removed from the clan as soon as possible after the fake match is noticed and the clan leader gets online. If it's uncertain who did the fake match, ladder supervisor can be consulted regarding it.
This can only be used three times per year and clans trying to abuse this by reporting matches that aren't actually fake will lose the right to use this for a year.
15. The rating system
- ClanBase ladders use a rating system based on the ELO system known from chess. Every clan starts with a rating of 1000 points. After each match, points are added or subtracted based on whether the outcome of the match was a win, a loss or a draw (the score has no importance).
- How many points you gain after a win or lose after a defeat depends on the rating difference between you and your opponent before the match. The ELO formula is very complicated, but the following easy examples will give you a good idea:
- Beating an opponent with the exact same rating gets you 60 points.
- The maximum amount of points you can win for a single victory is 120, but to get this many points you'll have to beat an opponent who is 700 or more points ahead of you in the ranking. You get 100 points for beating an opponent who is 200 points ahead.
- Beating lower ranked opponents gets you less than 60 points. If they were 200 points below you you only gain 20 points, if they were 300 points below you only get 10 points, and if they were 400 points below you get a mere 5 points.
- If a match ends in a draw you will gain points if your opponent was ranked higher, or lose points if they were ranked lower.
- The number of points you can win and the number of points you can lose always add up to 120. So if you can only win 30 points with a victory, you can lose 90 points with a defeat.
- Against clans that have played less than 3 matches in a ladder, you only win or lose half the amount of points you could win or lose.
- The ladder leader does not have a rating, but is considered to have an infinite rating instead. Top 5 clans can take the top spot by challenging the current ladder leader and beating them in a direct confrontation. If that happens they become the new ladder leader while the old leader will return to the normal ranking with the points they had before. If the challenger loses or plays a draw, the ladder leader’s position doesn’t change.
- The ladder leader is not allowed to refuse playing the other top 5 clans without a valid reason (valid decline options are proposed by the system, see Arranging Matches). Repeatedly rescheduling to senseless dates or with non-default match rules or only playing lower ranked clans in order to be able to decline challenges will be considered abusing the ladder system and the clan will risk being removed from the first spot, and . You need to provide the supervisors with valid match IDs (wid) of matches they have declined or we will not act.
- Clans at the number one spot who are legitimately beaten may not create a war, accept and confirm the score with a 2nd clan before the score to the original one has been confirmed - so that the 2nd clan gets the number one spot.
- Clans outside the top 5 can also challenge the ladder leader, but such challenges can be declined freely. If the ladder leader is beaten then they're switched with the second ranked clan while the challenger gains 120 points. If the ladder leader wins, nothing changes.
- In case the number one has been deleted for ladder, cup or C&A violations, the second clan in the ladder is set to number one.
16. Methods of challenging
- There are in which to find clans to play against:
- Direct challenges
- Open challenges
- Automatches
- IRC requests
- LAN matches
- Direct challenges are challenges where you challenge specific clans you have selected yourself. They can be made by clicking the challenge cross
on the ladder's or to the right of the clan's name, or to the right of a ladder's name on a clan's matches page. The challenged clan is required to confirm the challenge, decline it or reschedule the time. - Open Challenges (OC) can be by members without specifying who their opponent is. Their matches are then advertised and other clans can for matches they want. The OC creator sets criteria which clans must reach, including judge rating, proposed maps and ladder ranking. Once accepted an OC becomes a regular match where all the rules in this book apply. Clans can create up to 3 OCs per ladder and cannot accept more than one OC from the same opponent.
- Automatches are matches randomly scheduled by CB which clans set up with an . CB pairs opponents if their entry settings match each other's. Once a match is created from an automatch entry - all the same rules apply as direct challenges. Turning up to the match is obligatory. Clans can make up to 7 automatches per ladder. Times between automatch entries cannot overlap.
- IRC requests - Users are allowed to use CB game channels (i.e. #clanbase.cod4) to search for ClanBase wars, within reason. If someone cannot find an opponent straight after making a request they shouldn't spam the request again or they may be removed from the channel.
- LANs - Clans should not play ladder matches at LANs as they may be mistaken for fake matches, unless the following precautions are taken:
- You arrange friendly matches only, OR
- You arrange the match in advance of the LAN and sort out the scores after the LAN has finished OR
- You upload demos immediately after the match, or post match screenshots showing the final scores.
17. Arranging matches
- The deadline for reacting to a challenge is 7 days after the challenge or 7 days before the war, whichever is later. If by the deadline the opponent still hasn't reacted to the challenge, they get a penalty of 5 points. If the ladder leader ignores such a challenge, they will lose their position to the second clan. You can set an earlier deadline for accepting the challenge, but then there is no penalty if the opponent doesn't react in time.
- You can only refuse a challenge from another clan in the following cases:
- Reschedule: You want to reschedule the match to another date. This date has to be within 14 days of the original challenge.
- Unequal match: There is a gap of 10 ranking positions and 100 points between you and your opponent, or you have more than 1100 points and it's your opponent's first match.
- Busy in this ladder: you already have 2 or more matches in this ladder in the next 30 days.
- Custom maps: the opponent selected custom maps.
- Declinable matchrule: the opponent selected a declinable match rule in the challenge form.
- Hibernate: you want to set your clan as inactive in this ladder. You lose 32 points but after that you can decline all challenges. All your scheduled matches are cancelled when you go into hibernation. Hibernation ends automatically when you play an official match for this ladder again.
These options are only available for the ladder leader:
- Unequal match: The challenging clan is not ranked in the top 5 of the ladder.
- Resign: Using this option will make the ladder leader lose it's position in the ladder to the second ranked clan.
If you don't want to play the match for some other reason, you'll have to contact the other clan (e-mail, IRC, MSN, XFire) and persuade them to cancel their challenge.
- A scheduled match can be cancelled until 12 hours before the starting time on the . The side that wishes to cancel the match will either have to request a reschedule or go into hibernation.
- When both clans agree not to play a match it can be cancelled for any reason after its scheduled starting time. Just choose the 'Match was cancelled' option on the result form.
- If a match is played without being arranged on ClanBase first, then both sides are depending on each other's sportsmanship to accept the result afterwards. We will not force match results when there was no accepted challenge for that match.
18. Before the match
- To find your opponent before a match, you should look on their clan channel on IRC or contact them directly through ClanBase private message (aka CB PM), Xfire, MSN or any other means if you don't use IRC.
- If you still haven't managed to get in touch with your opponent 10 minutes after the scheduled starting time of the war, you can fill in a no-show. Report a no-show by posting a clear comment on the war page and tell why the match is a no-show and what you've done to contact your opponent. No-shows reported 20 minutes after the official match time will be ignored.
To contest this, the other clan must also log a no-show report in the match page comments. - If you're more than 10 minutes late, you have to accept a no-show if your opponent insists. If you feel there's a good reason the result shouldn't be a no-show, you'll have to convince your opponent of that.
- If one clan is short of players or refuses to start the match with the rules agreed upon in the challenge form, the other clan can demand a no-show to be filled in. Remember that challenge notes, the proposed server and agreements made elsewhere are not considered to be binding rules.
- Repeatedly not showing up for matches will result in .
19. During the match
- Once a match has started, its result counts, unless both sides agree it shouldn't. Ping, lag issues or incorrect server settings are no excuse for leaving; you should have checked the server before you started playing.
- If one clan walks away from the match, the score at the time when their last player quit can be considered to be the result of the match if the clan that stayed was leading. If the leaving clan was winning but the losing clan could have still won the match, ClanBase can change it to the advantage of the clan that stayed.
20. After the match
- Either clan can enter the result of a match, unless the other has already done so. A match result can be:
- The real score of the match.
- A no-show if the opponent didn't show up.
- The result reflects the punishment specified in the rules which the opponent violated.
- A forfeit if the opponent violated rules with no punishment specified.
- In case of a no-show/forfeit it's strictly forbidden to fill in any score (even 1-0), even when both clans agree. Instead you must check the no-show/forfeit box on the result form, which will result in a fixed penalty of 10 points for the clan not showing up or 120 in case of forfeit. No-show/forfeit matches where a score has been entered may be cancelled or changed to a no-show/forfeit without warning.
- Once one clan has entered a result, five things can happen:
- The score is edited by the clan that entered it.
- The score is accepted by the other clan, and ladder ratings are adjusted accordingly.
- The other clan refuses to accept the score, and enters another result.
- The other clan refuses to accept the score, making it a match conflict (see below).
- Both clans do nothing for 4 days, after which the score is accepted automatically.
- Clans may not confirm a no-show/forfeit instead of the real score to get more points, unless a no-show/forfeit is the punishment for violating a rule. Clans that put in an excessive no. of no-shows/forfeits instead of the correct score will be . To avoid this, ensure that you report a match as a no-show in the match page comments at the match time.
- Clans are expected to have proof of their match being played for one week after the score has been confirmed in ClanBase.
- Clans should provide an accurate Player of the Match list. Supervisors may alter or remove a clan's PotM list if the wrong players were added or an excessive number of members were added to the list.
21. Match conflicts
- The match conflict system functions as a court room with ClanBase admins acting as judges. A match conflict can be made when the result entered by one clan is not accepted by the other.
- If you can't resolve the conflict with your opponent then try entering the appropriate match result first. Only after the opponent changes the result multiple times, you should initiate a conflict. Entering false results will lead to a conflict loss.
- The system will not allow the creation of match conflicts during the first 24 hours after the match time, so try to solve the conflict with your opponent by IRC/MSN/Xfire/e-mail or in the match report first. Not making an effort before starting the official match conflict, will result in a conflict loss.
- In the conflict both sides must explain the problem in a short but clear and complete way. Both sides should state the match result they claim and only relevant and proven facts may be mentioned. This can be in the match conflict or in the comments located under the conflict case. Failure to make a clear match conflict will lead to a conflict loss.
- 'Conflict loss' means that a conflict rule (insulting opponent in conflict, entering false score...) mentioned in this chapter was broken. Match score can be a played score like 21-19, no-show or forfeit win (if opponent used freelancer, cheated...) that's based on the rules of other chapters. Winning below means that clan has won according to the match score (can be forfeit/no-show too):
- If both clans break a conflict rule, the match score stands.
- If losing clan breaks a conflict rule, the match score stands + losing clan might get a warning and/or ladder suspension based on .
- If clan won by playing and breaks a conflict rule, loser gets a noshow win.
- If clan won by forfeit/no-show and breaks a conflict rule, match is canceled.
- If the match was tied, breaking a conflict rule leads to a noshow loss.
- All proof and information on the match should be written to the conflict page. However, supervisor can use information found in the warpage.
- Examples of valid proof are demos, in-game screenshots and server logs that were obtained from a neutral party. Screenshots are used as main means to prove the match's score. Private logs from IRC, MSN etc. or server logs provided by either clan will not be considered to be evidence because they can be easily falsified. If a demo is used as proof of cheating or other malicious actions, you must specify the exact moment(s) (down to the exact minute and second) where the cheating occurred or you will get a conflict loss. Supervisors will not look at entire demos.
- Ladder-specific rules tell details on how to request demos and/or screenshots from an opponent. Upload requests can only be made once by both sides. When a requested demo/screenshot upload is complete, the other clan has 3 days (72 hours) to provide all info as how the requested and uploaded items would make proof for their claims; for example exact times that show cheating in a demo. Giving information too late doesn't matter if it's already available when supervisor solves the conflict. Supervisor can give clans more time to give the required info.
- Any form of abuse, starting off-topic discussions, making unproven accusations, needless repeating already mentioned facts or any other comments not relevant to solving the case, if done excessively, will result in a conflict loss.
- Falsifying evidence in a match conflict results in a ladder suspension as described in .
- If both clans violated the ladder rules in a way that would award them both a forfeit loss, the match will be cancelled. Such closure of the conflict does not mean proven individual cheating will go unhandled, such cases can be reported to the ladder supervisor by mail/CB pm in order to punish the player(s).
- It is strictly forbidden to contact any admin in private to defend your case. Anything you have to say must be said openly. Trying to influence an admin in private will lead to a conflict loss.
- Match conflicts are never urgent and the admin will typically let a week go by before looking at a case to give both sides the chance to explain their case. Wait patiently until a decision is made. Only when a conflict is older than one month, you can mail/CB pm the game supervisor. If the conflict involves watching demos, you should wait two months before contacting the game supervisor.
- If a clan does not give any new relevant information within 3 days (72 hours) since the last reply, it will be considered they have nothing more to add.
- Match conflicts will be judged by the ladder rules at the time of the match and by the match rules agreed upon in the challenge form.
- Clans who repeatedly make conflicts will be , if they have no foundation in the rules or they are clearly made for the sole purpose of complicating the match process. Clans who repeatedly violate the ladder rules and force other clans into making conflicts will also be .
- Clans are allowed to write conflicts and comments in the language of a regional ladder if the ladder supervisor is from that same region but a translation in English should always be provided as well. In the event the conflict is looked at by another supervisor, everything not mentioned in English will be ignored.