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ESEA League - Counter-Strike 1.6 RulesLast updated 09/05/10 @ 4:36am EST

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1. Universal Rules
2. Schedule
3. Standings, Tie Breakers, and Playoffs
4. Prizes
5. Game Settings
6. Eligibility / Adding & Dropping Players
7. Match Times & Rescheduling
8. Match Scheduling & Server Assignments
9. Match Forfeits
10. Match Process
11. Stats, Demos, & Scorebots
12. Exploits & Infractions
13. Cheating
14. Server Crashes & Disconnects
15. Official irc Channels & Admins
16. Official move up and move down process

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Universal Rules

• We reserve the right to change, modify, or adapt all rules as deemed appropriate by ESEA in order to uphold and maintain a spirit of overall fairness and good sportsmanship
• All players and teams are to uphold the spirit of fair play at all times
• Unsportsmanlike conduct of any type, including but not limited to racist or abusive remarks and attempts to use circumvent or abuse any league policy as determined by ESEA is not tolerated and is subject to punishments including forfeits, expulsions, bans, or any other action deemed appropriate by ESEA

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Schedule

• Week 1 - de_cpl_strike
• Week 2 - de_cpl_strike
• Week 3 - de_nuke
• Week 4 - de_cpl_fire
• Week 5 - de_tuscan
• Week 6 - de_lite
• Week 7 - de_dust2
• Week 8 - de_train
• Week 9 - de_inferno

For conferences with an even number of teams, all teams start the 2nd week and play all maps 2 times, ending with 16 matches played.

For conferences with an odd number of teams, 14 random teams play the first map 3 times over the first 2 weeks, the same 14 teams in turn randomly play 1 of the remaining 7 maps only 1 time. Also, 2 random teams play all 8 maps 2 times but start week 1 while the remaining teams in the conference play all 8 maps 2 times but start week 2. All teams end the season with 16 matches played.

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Standings, Tie Breakers & Playoffs

• The league is broken down into the following conferences:
• Invite division - National Conference
• Main division - East, Central, and West Conferences
• Intermediate division - East, Central, and West Conferences
• Open division - East, Central, and West Conferences
• If a match must be replayed on a certain round due to a dispute, at the admins discretion, the start money will be $16,000.
• You will recieve your official playoff seed the first round and it will last the duration of playoffs.
• At the end of the regular season, playoff eligible teams will advance into a playoff bracket to determine the champion:
• Invite division (LAN Playoffs in TBA) - top six teams based upon:
• Overall record then by
• Head to head record then by
• Highest amount of regulation rounds won
• Single map playoff if all other tie breaker scenarios are indecisive
• Main division (double elimination bracket) - top 16 teams based upon:
• Overall record then by
• Head to head record then by
• Highest amount of regulation rounds won
• Single map playoff if all other tie breaker scenarios are indecisive
• Intermediate division (double elimination bracket) - top 16 teams based upon:
• Overall record then by
• Head to head record then by
• Highest amount of regulation rounds won
• Single map playoff if all other tie breaker scenarios are indecisive
• Open division (double elimination bracket) - top 64 teams based upon:
• Overall record then by
• Head to head record then by
• Highest amount of regulation rounds won
• Single map playoff if all other tie breaker scenarios are indecisive

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Prizes

• Payments - winners will be contacted within 14 days with the appropriate payment and/ or W9 forms. Players will have seven days to return the completed paperwork and team captains must provide the prize breakdown per player on the active roster. Prize winnings will be paid to all eligible participants within 21 days of receiving the completed paperwork.

Invite Division, Prize Pot: $14,500

• 1st place: $7,000
• 2nd place: $2,950
• 3rd place: $1,650
• 4th place: $1,100
• 5th place: $900
• 6th place: $900

Main Division, Prize Pot: $5,550

• 1st place: $2,000
• 2nd place: $1,250
• 3rd place: $1,000
• 4th place: $600
• 5th place: $350
• 6th place: $350

Intermediate Division, Prize Pot: $4,000

• 1st place: $1,200
• 2nd place: $750
• 3rd place: $600
• 4th place: $450
• 5th place: $300
• 6th place: $300
• 7th place: $200
• 8th place: $200

Open Division, Prize Pot: $3,150

• 1st place: $1,000
• 2nd place: $650
• 3rd place: $500
• 4th place: $400
• 5th place: $200
• 6th place: $200
• 7th place: $100
• 8th place: $100

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Game Settings

• Freeze Time - 15 seconds
• Round Time - One minute and 45 seconds
• Regulation Max Rounds - 15
• Regulation Start Money - $800
• Regulation Side Selection - the home team chooses to start as either CT or T upon joining the assigned game server
• Overtime Max Rounds - 3
• Overtime Start Money - $10,000
• Overtime Side Selection - in overtime, teams first play the side they last played in regulation

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Eligibility / Adding & Dropping Players

• Roster Lock - there are NO roster locks. A player will only be able to join a league team's roster once per seven day period
• Premium Status - all competitors must be Premium members to compete in matches. Competitors' Premium status is automatically validated on a real time basis through our server authentication service for each match
• Entry Fee - All participants must pay the specific entry fee for the division (ie CS 1.6 Open) they wish to play in. That entry fee gives you the right to only play in the division for which you paid (ie not CS 1.6 Main or TF2 Open). If you would like to switch divisions before registration closes, contact an admin who will be able help. If you would like to switch divisions after registration closes you will have to pay an additional entry fee for the division you wish to join and you will not be refunded for your original entry fee. This is done to discourage team and division hopping in addition to helping to boost division prize pots
• You may only play on one team per game, including multiple accounts.
• Only 3 people may join a teams roster in a single week.
• Rosters will be locked two weeks before the end of the regular season.
• Once a match is assigned to a server, rosters will be locked and no new players will be able to join.
• Invite rosters are limited to 5 starters, 2 backups, and 1 manager.
• Invite rosters are limited to 4 player additions over the course of a season.
• For divisions above Open, excluding Invite, for a team's spot to be maintained between seasons, a team must have 2 players who participated during the prior season (through playing a match) on the roster at the close of registration. Failure to do so will result in a demotion to Open.
• For divisions above Open, excluding Invite, for a team's spot to be maintained once the regular season begins, a team must use 2 players who participated during the prior season (through playing a match) in 3 out of the first 4 matches played (i.e. not including forfeits) of the season. Failure to do so will result in the team being removed from the League and any matches played after the 4 match probation period will be overturned.

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Match Times & Reschedules

• Default Match Times - teams in all division are scheduled for two matches per week. The default match time for each division are:
• Invite Division: Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 pm EST
• Main Division: Wednesday and Sunday 9:00 pm (Conference Time)
• Intermediate Division: Tuesday and Sunday 8:00 pm (Conference Time)
• Open Division: Monday and Wednesday 8:00 pm (Conference Time)
• Match Times - matches can only be played between 12:00 pm and 11:30 pm local conference time for the match day (you cannot play at obscure hours of the day)
• Reschedules - teams can reschedule any regular season match as needed if the new match time is mutually agreed upon by both team captains
• Invite division - matches can be played any day during that match week but must be scheduled to be played no earlier than 12:00 pm CST Mondays and no later than 11:30 pm CST Saturday of the match week. No matches can be played on Sundays
• Main division - matches can be played any day during that match week but must be scheduled to be played no earlier than 12:00 pm conference local time Sunday and no later than 11:30 pm conference local time on Friday of the match week. No matches can be played on Saturdays
• Intermediate division - matches can be played any day during that match week but must be scheduled to be played no earlier than 12:00 pm conference local time Sunday and no later than 11:30 pm conference local time on Friday of the match week. No matches can be played on Saturdays
• Open division - matches can be played any day during that match week but must be scheduled to be played no earlier
  than 12:00 pm conference local time Sunday and no later than 11:30 pm conference local time on Friday of the match week. No matches can be played on Saturdays

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Match Scheduling & Server Assignments

• Initiating a Match Offer - Either the captain or designated scheduler from the home or away team can initiate a match offer. When initiating a match offer, the captain proposes a match time and server from the pre-populated server list
• Countering a Proposed Match Offer - the opposing team's captain or scheduler has 24 hours to accept the offer or initiate a counter-offer. If the opposing team does not accept the match offer, then they can either:
• "Reject" a proposed match offer, which will allow the captain to propose BOTH a new match time and server
• "Accept Match Day & Reject Server" for a proposed match offer, which will allow the captain to propose a new server for the proposed match day. If a new server is selected that is different from the last server proposed, one of the two will be randomly selected to settle the dispute
• Un-agreeable Match Offers - if both team captains cannot agree upon a new match time within 24 hours of the default match time, the match will automatically be assigned to the divisional default match time. The game server will then be randomly assigned to a random server within the conference
• If the average ping difference between two teams is more than 25, teams can join #esea.support and contact an admin to evaluate and potentially re-assign the match to a server with the most fair pings. If you want to use that rule in order to change the server, make sure to contact an admin 45 mins before your match time. If a team has players outside of their respective conference, the team will not be able to dispute the ping difference.

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Forfeit Wins & Loses

• If a team does not have five players in the server and "readied up" within 20 minutes of the originally scheduled match time, then they can compete with no less than four players or it is a forfeit loss for the team that could not field their team. After 20 minutes pass, ".reportffw" will appear and the captain of the team completely present can use the command to report the forfeit win. He can also report the forfeit win in #esea.support or through a Website Support Ticket.
• Below is the listed amount of times a team may forfeit before they are placed inactive in the league.
• All Divisions: Four matches per season

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Match Process

• Game Servers - all matches must be played on the assigned ESEA game server. Team captains will have the ability to propose which location they want the server to be played on and all team members will be notified of the final server assignments. The entire match must be played on the assigned server - you cannot play each half on a different server
• Steam ID - be sure your Steam ID in your ESEA profile is consistent with the Steam ID you are using to compete with. All rosters are automatically validated by Steam ID upon joining the server. Only registered and eligible participants from the assigned teams will be allowed in the assigned game server
• Client - all participants must be running the ESEA Client at all times during their matches or they will automatically be kicked by the server. Any attempt to circumvent the Client will results in a forfeit loss and expulsion from the league. You join your assigned match server through the ESEA Client
• Once a match goes live, it cannot be restarted, if a player disconnects during the pistol round, pause the match during the next freeze time.

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Stats, Demos, & Scorebots

• Statistics - box score statistics will immediately be available for viewing on your team and individual profile page immediately following all league matches (as they are with pugs and scrims). Weapon and map statistics will also be added to your cumulative individual statistics and can be filtered out individually under the "Game Stats" page in your profile.
• HLTV Demos - HLTV demos are available for download and viewing on your team and individual profile pages within five minutes of the conclusion of each match. Download the demo and submit your best shot in our Clip of The Week contest to win ESEA Points!
• POV Demos - all POV demos will be recorded, stored locally, and accessible under the "Demo Browser" tab of the ESEA Client. POV demos must be submitted to an ESEA administrator within 24 hours if requested to do so. All players must keep their POV demos for a period of 14 days
• irc Scorebots - irc scorebots will automatically join the home team's irc channel (as inputted in their team profile page) and begin when the match starts. If no home team irc channel is set then the bot will join the away team's, and if the away team also does not have an irc channel specified in their team profile page then the bot will create and join #esea.match00x. The channel for each match and the results will be announced in #esportsea upon the start and completion of the match

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Exploits & Infractions

• Dispute Resolutions - all disputes must be filed via a website support ticket within three hours of the conclusion of the match along with the demo, specific infraction, and the round in which the infraction occurred. Disputes will be resolved by League Administrators and all decisions are final
• Exploit & Infraction Penalties - exploits and infractions will be dealt with on a case by case decision, but standard resolution for the below infractions include overturning the round in which the infraction occurred if the infraction had a direct impact on the outcome of that round in addition to the subsequent three rounds
• Flash Bang Bugs - it is illegal to use any flash bang bugs, regardless of intent. All servers will have the latest known version of fixed maps
• Silent Bomb Plants - all bomb plants must be done in a position in which it can be heard by the opposing team
• Illegal Bomb Plants - it is illegal to plant the bomb in a position that cannot be defused by the opposing team or in a position in which the bomb is floating and not touching the ground
• Illegal Bomb Defuses - the bomb cannot be defused through solid objects and the defusing player must be able to see part of the bomb in order to legally defuse
• Walking / Boosting Through Walls - walking or boosting through walls, floors, or roofs is not allowed
• Map Exploits - Boosts that result in clipping are illegal. Clipping is when a player is either boosted through a solid layer, or when a player manipulates him/herself so that they can see over, under, and/or through any solid entity such as a wall or box.

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Cheating

• If a team is found to have been using a ringer during a match, the match will be overturned, and the player will be banned from the ESEA Network for account sharing.
• If a player is found to be cheating on any server that is part of the ESEA Network, any matches played by the user for the team he/she is on at the time of the detection (not the time of the ban), in addition to any matches played for any other team after the time of the detection, will be overturned.
• If a player is found to be ban evading on the ESEA Network, any matches on any team that he/she has played in the last 30 days will be overturned.
• If you receive the following bans while playing on any of our products, they will carry over to the league.
• Cheating
• Ban Evasion
• Karma Cleanup
• Malicious Activity
• Paypal Fraud
• Unsportsmanlike Conduct
• Illegal Customization
• Account Sharing

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Server Crashes & Disconnects

• Server Crash - if a server crashes contact a League Administrator in #esea.support and they can use our Match Medic to restore the game to last completed round (match score, per player start money, equipment, weapons, etc.)
• Player Disconnect - if a player disconnects, ONLY the Captain (or Assistant Captain if the Captain disconnects) of the disconnected team may pause the round during the freeze time of the next round. The match will remain paused for no more than five minutes, at which point the match will be un-paused and resumed by the Captain of the disconnected team. If the player is not able to rejoin the game due to some issues, teams should have back-up players ready to join. If it is not possible, the team can play in a 4v5 situation

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Official Channels & Admins

• #ESEA.CS.Invite (official channel for current Invite players)
• #ESEA.CS.Main (official channel for current Main players)
• #ESEA.CS.Intermediate (official channel for current intermediate players)
• #ESEA.CS.Open (official channel for current Open players)
• #ESEA.Support (official channel for League Support, make sure to use ".help league")
• Current League Administrators

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Official move up and move down process

• How does the move up and move down process work?

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