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5v5 iCTF Ladder

1. General

  1. The 5v5 iCTF Ladder is an Unreal Tournament ladder hosted by PassionateGaming.
  2. The PassionateGaming ladders are long lasting leagues which are intended to function with little to no involvement of admins.
  3. The proper functioning of the ladder system depends on the sportsmanship of the participants. 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.
  4. Not knowing the ladder rules is never a valid excuse for not following them.
  5. 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.
  6. We reserve the right to broadcast every match. The recording of such broadcasts can't be refused by the players.


2. Map List

  1. Listed below are the maps and their versions that will be used in this ladder.
    • CTF-Acrony-RE1
    • CTF-Anfractuous-RE1
    • CTF-BrokenLimits-RE3
    • CTF-Command-S6
    • CTF-Duku-S6
    • CTF-Grudge-RE1
    • CTF-IztacB14
    • CTF-Klondike-S6
    • CTF-Mesmerize-RE2
    • CTF-Nuance99-RE3
    • CTF-Overflow-S6
    • CTF-RankinB11
    • CTF-Rune-RE2
    • CTF-Sprinta-S6
    • CTF-Switchback-RC7
  2. Optionally, custom maps are allowed if both sides agree to it through the challenge form.


3. Discord

  1. The official Discord channel of this ladder is #ladders-ictf in PassionateGaming Discord server.
  2. This channel should be used for reaching out to the opponents before the match or looking for opponents to play against.
  3. All players taking part of the matches in this ladder must have their Discord account linked to their PassionateGaming website account. This can be done in your account's Security Settings. Players whose Discord account is not linked will appear on the team roster page as crossed out and are not allowed to play.
  4. Players who are not in the PassionateGaming Discord server during the match for whatever reason are not allowed to play and such match will result in a forfeit loss.


4. Teams and Players

  1. Any team registered on PassionateGaming website can participate in any team ladder.
  2. It is not forbidden for a player to be a member of more than one team, however the players can only play for a maximum for two teams in any 30-day period in this ladder. This rule is effective starting from December 9, 2024.
  3. Any player in more than one team using two distinct user accounts will be considered to be a freelancer in all teams except the one they were registered with first. Using duplicate user accounts at the same times not allowed and such accounts will be removed without a notice. Only the oldest user account is considered valid.
  4. Only players who are registered in team on PassionateGaming can play in ladder matches, and they can only play with the nick (or very similar) they're registered with in that team. Only players that have been registered as team member for 24 hours or more are allowed to play for their new team. Unregistered players, players violating the 24-hour rule and registered team members who use a different nick from the one registered on the PassionateGaming website will be considered freelancers.
  5. Once the match starts, neither team can complain that the other team is using a player with a different nickname or who hasn't been in the team for 24 hours. A team may make a claim of freelancers if their opponent uses 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.
  6. The above 24-hour rule does not apply to teams 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 team, for instance accidentally by the team leader, assuming they were in the team 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 team again and must be in the team for a further 24 hours before they are eligible to play.
  7. Using a freelancer in a ladder match will result in a forfeit loss.


5. The Rating System

  1. PassionateGaming ladders use a rating system based on the ELO system known from chess and is loosely based on the system once used by ClanBase. The ELO rating in this ladder is not linked to the ELO of the PassionateGaming Ranked PUGs in any way.
  2. Every ladder participant 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.
  3. 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.
    • You can also use the ELO Calculator (linked at the bottom of the Active Ranking page) to get an idea about how many points you would win or lose after playing against a specific opponent.
  4. Against opponents that have played less than 3 matches in a ladder, you only win or lose half the amount of points you could otherwise win or lose.
  5. The ladder leader does not have an active rating. Instead, the leader maintains hidden rating that will continue to change as they play additional matches after reaching the top spot, however it does not affect their position in the ranking. Top 5 teams 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 their hidden rating getting converted into active rating points. If the challenger loses or plays a draw, the ladder leader’s position does not change, however their invisible rating might be affected.
  6. The ladder leader is not allowed to refuse playing the other Top 5 teams without a valid reason (valid decline options are proposed by the system). Repeatedly rescheduling to senseless dates or only playing lower ranked opponents in order to be able to decline challenges will be considered abusing the ladder system and the offender will risk being removed from the first spot, and suspended.
  7. Teams outside of the top 5 can also challenge the ladder leader, but such challenges can be declined freely. If the ladder leader is beaten then they yield their top spot to the second ranked team and return to the active ranking with their hidden rating getting converted into active rating points. The winner of this match gains 120 points. If the ladder leader wins, ratings of the teams (active or hidden) are adjusted accordingly.
  8. In case the ladder leader is suspended and removed from the ladder, the second ranked team in the ladder is set to number one.


6. Match rules - General

  1. All matches in this ladder are played 5 vs 5.
  2. The matches are played using either Regular or Clutch ruleset, determined by the agreement in the match challenge form.
  3. If the maps were selected in the challenge form, then this is a binding rule and the selected maps have to be played unless both parties agree otherwise.
  4. Teams can choose team color on their opponent's map(s).
  5. Players are not allowed to exploit any game-related glitches and it may result in a forfeit loss of the map. Glitches include but are not limited to:
    • binding movements like thrusts to movement or other action keys;
    • hiding in glitches/bugged solid materials;
    • bunny hopping / bouncing or any other movement glitch abuse.


7. Match rules - REGULAR (20 minutes per map)

  1. The match is played over two (2) maps. Each team picks one map they wish to play.
  2. Each map is played until the time limit of 20 minutes runs out and a map winner is determined.


8. Match rules - Clutch (5 minutes per map)

  1. The number of maps played is agreed upon in the challenge form. By default, a Clutch match consists of eight (8) maps.
  2. Each team picks up to four maps they wish to play. The same map cannot be picked twice or more by the same team.
  3. Each map is played until the time limit of 5 minutes runs out and a map winner is determined.
  4. Teams take turns playing each other's maps, unless agreed otherwise.


9. Server Selection

  1. All matches must be played on servers sanctioned by PassionateGaming.
    • Please note: the Clutch gamemod is only available on servers #6 - #10.


10. Arranging matches

  1. Teams that have joined the ladder may freely challenge specific opponents on the Active Ranking, New or Hibernating tabs of the ladder by clicking the challenge cross button of the given team. The same button is also available on the team's match details page.
  2. 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 team. If a challenge is made less than 7 days in advance, there is no deadline for reacting to the challenge and the challenge will be automatically cancelled shortly after earliest proposed match time.
  3. Teams that are currently hibernating in the ladder may freely ignore all challenges without a penalty.
  4. Active teams can only refuse a challenge from another team 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 wants to play custom maps.
    • Hibernate: you want to set yourself 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 in this ladder again.
    These options are only available for the ladder leader:
    • Unequal match: The challenging team 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 team.
    If you don't want to play the match for some other reason, you'll have to contact the other team (e.g. via Discord) and persuade them to cancel their challenge.
  5. When both sides 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.
  6. If a match is played without being arranged on the PassionateGaming website 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.


11. Match punctuality

  1. To find your opponent before a match, you should look out for them in the PassionateGaming Discord channel dedicated for this ladder.
  2. If you still haven't managed to get in touch with your opponent 10 minutes after the scheduled starting time of the match, you can fill in a no-show. Only clear failed attempts to reach the opponent in the public ladder channel will be considered as proof of them not showing up.
  3. If you are 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.


12. Entering match results

  1. Teams must enter/confirm results of their matches using the button on My Matches tab of the Ladder page or on their personal Agenda page on the website.
  2. Either side 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.
    • A forfeit if the opponent violated rules with no punishment specified.
  3. In case of a no-show/forfeit it's strictly forbidden to fill in any score (even 1-0), even when both sides agree. Instead you must select the no-show/forfeit option on the result form, which will result in a fixed penalty of 10 points for the team 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.
  4. Once one team has entered a result, five things can happen:
    • The score is edited by the team that entered it.
    • The score is accepted by the other team, and ladder ratings are adjusted accordingly.
    • The other team refuses to accept the score, and enters another result.
    • The other team refuses to accept the score and contacts the ladder supervisor for resolution.
    • Both teams do nothing for 3 days, after which the score is accepted automatically.
  5. Teams 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. Teams that put in an excessive number of no-shows/forfeits instead of the correct score will be suspended.
  6. Teams are expected to have proof of their match being played for one week after the score has been confirmed.
  7. If for some reason the results cannot be entered on the website, screenshots of the match should be provided to the ladder admins via Discord.


13. First-person demos

  1. All players must record a first-person demo on all maps. There is no valid excuse for not recording a demo of your game. If you don't know how to or yours is 'broken', contact an admin or your captain for help.
  2. The opposing team may request demos of one or more players to be uploaded before accepting the match result.
  3. Players must keep their demos for one week after the score has been confirmed.
  4. Admins may request the demos at any time within a week after the score has been confirmed.
  5. Cheating accusations will be reviewed and ruled on by an anti-cheat team.
  6. If a team refuses or fails to upload demos when requested, it will result in a forfeit loss of each map a demo is not provided for.


14. Sportsmanship

  1. A player may not spam a non-teamsay binds during a match. Players who do this will be warned to cease; players who continue will risk forfeiting the map for their team and/or getting themselves suspended from the ladder.
  2. Racism will not be tolerated. If a player makes racist remarks in game or on Discord, the player in question will be warned and may be suspended or banned from PassionateGaming.


15. Spectators

  1. The only people allowed to spectate matches are PassionateGaming admins and members of the stream team. It goes without saying that if someone is spectating, they are not allowed to have any communications with the players.


16. Precedent

  1. The admin staff will abide by this ruleset as closely as possible, however some deviation may be needed if any unpredictable scenarios arise.
  2. In the event that something not covered by this ruleset occurs, the admins reserve the right to use their discretion to solve the issue. This includes, but is not limited to, amending and changing rules if the need arises. Any changes or new rules will apply to those situations from that point on setting a precedent.

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