Players arriving later than 7:30 will have their pre-makeup scores (see
Section III) used for games they miss with associated
penalties.
F. Announced Lateness
If a league player notifies the league Commissioner in advance that
the he or she will be late, the league Commissioner will
use his discretion to either wait for the player or begin play.
III. Pre-Makeups
A. Overview
It is very important for league players to show up for all league nights.
However, emergencies do come up. In the event
that a player misses a week, the player’s pre-makeup scores will be
used. Early in the season (week 1 or before), each
player will play one official game, on each machine. This game
must be played as part of a multi-player group. These
scores will be recorded. Then, during the season, if a player
misses a week, these scores will be entered along with the
scores for the other group members who actually played as if the absent
player played along with them. The pre-makeup
scores will be made available to players in the group who are playing
against these scores.
B. Penalty
Later in this document, game scoring is discussed. For any single
game, first place earns three points with the potential for
a 4th point if the first place player beats the 2nd and 3rd place players
combined. When a pre-makeup score is used, the
player cannot get the 4th point even if the score would otherwise warrant
it. If a player is absent in a given week and has no
pre-makeup score for the game that his or her group is playing that
week, then that player receives zero points for that
game that week (this is called the Zero Point Rule).
C. Pre-makeup Scores
on New Games
If a new game arrives at 8OTB, each player must play a pre-makeup game
on that machine as soon as is possible otherwise
the Zero Point Rule applies.
D. Limit
The maximum number of weeks for which pre-makeup scores can be used
is three. After this, the Zero Point Rule applies.1
IV. Money / Prizes
A. Dues
Every week during the regular season, players will each pay $6.00 that
will be used exclusively for prizes.
B. Prizes
Prizes will consist of weekly payouts and end of tournament trophies
and cash for the top three overall winners in each
division (more on that later). The dues will first go toward weekly
payouts (50%) and the remaining 50% plus money put up
by the League Commissioner and/or the owner of 8OTB will go toward
the trophies and end of season cash prizes. The end
of season cash prizes will be awarded in this way:
Place A Division B Division
First 45% 15%
Second 35% 5%
Third * **
* as a consolation prize, 20% of the amount that the winner of Second
Place of A Division gets.
** as a consolation prize, 50% of the amount that the winner of Second
Place of B Division gets.
Weekly payouts will be as follows: Total tournament points (TTP) (including
points obtained after bonus multipliers
are figured in after the third week of the tournament) for the winner
of each group for that week will be compared.
The two people with the highest TTP will share the prize pot for that
week. 75% goes to the highest TTP scorer and
the rest goes to the other winner. If both people have the same amount
of TTP then those winners will be ranked
according to the total of all normalized scores they obtained on the
games they played that week. Normalizing scores
are a way of comparing scores obtained by players on different machines.
For example, a score of 1 Billion in Attack
from Mars could be equal to a normalized score of 1 Million points
and a score of 50 Million on The Addam’s Family
could be equal to a normalized score of 1 Million points.
Note on Weekly Payouts and Absent Players: An absent player forfeits
any cash prize that he or she might have won
in a given week even though his/her TTP is one of the top two for the
week. In this case, then the person in the group
from which the absent player was supposed to play who has the next
highest TTP will be declared the winner of the
group that week for payout purposes.
C. Games
League members will pay for the games played on league nights.
When replays are awarded during league games, the
replays are considered the “community property” of the league.
The next group to play on that machine can use the credit.
It is up to the players in the group to decide who gets the credit,
or if it can be split between two players by each of them
putting in one coin. The winner of the replay does have the first
right to use the replay when possible. For example, if a
group is playing two games on a particular machine and a player gets
a replay on the first game, the player gets to use that
credit on the second game.
V. Game Rules
A. Order of Play
For the first game of the night, the highest ranked player in each
group goes last, the 2nd highest ranked player goes next to
last (or first in a two player group), the 3rd highest ranked player
goes first (or second if in a four player group), and in a
four player group, the lowest ranked player would go first. For each
subsequent game that night, the order in which position
is chosen is based on the order of finish of the previous game.
The winner of the previous game goes last, the 2nd place
player goes next to last, etc.
B. Extra Balls
A player may play one and only one extra ball per game. Any other
extra balls that are earned must be drained. The player
can, however, try for the skill shot. If the skill shot requires
a flipper shot, this CANNOT be attempted. For example, the
Super Skill Shot in Attack From Mars. It is up to the players
in a group to keep track of whether a player has played their
extra ball.
C. Malfunctions
If a serious malfunction occurs, the player affected by the malfunction
has the right to replay the game, alone, after the other
players finish. The player must decide immediately after the
ball during which the malfunction occurred. If the player
allows the game to continue, the assumption is that the player is going
to use the current game and not play a makeup. It is
up to the player to make sure this decision is made before allowing
the game to continue. If the player decides to replay the
game, the score for this make-up game is used as if it were played
with the other players, whether or not it is higher then the
player’s score on the original game.
Examples of serious malfunctions:
Player is forced to tilt the ball away to dislodge a stuck ball
A turn ends prematurely (bonus count starts with ball in play).
This includes the situation where a machine kicks out
two balls to start and the turn ends after the first ball drains.
A lit kickback fails to kick the ball into play. (Note: In Theater
of Magic, the Hocus-Pocus magnets are not designed to
be 100% effective and thus their failure is not considered a major
malfunction. The ball-save in Tales of the Arabian
Nights is a similar example).
Examples of minor malfunctions:
Player tilts a ball that is stuck without waiting for ball searches
A multiball round ends prematurely but current ball continues
A ball goes airborne and down the drain
A switch fails to register but doesn't result in loss of turn
A lit kickback fails to work during multiball but doesn't end
turn
If a malfunction is serious enough to prevent all players from continuing
the game, the entire game is replayed, possibly on
another machine. If a malfunction gives significant advantage
to any one player, and there is no way to avoid it, everyone
replays their game (possibly on a new machine) and takes the
new result. If it is discovered and can be avoided, and
players do not take advantage of it, play can continue.
If a problem is encountered in a game, and no mention is made during
a match, no retroactive changes are made. If a
problem is noticed but it is decided to play anyway, it is considered
part of the game.
D. Death Saves and Bang-Backs
Neither death saves nor bang-backs are allowed in League play.
If a ball bounces back on its own, no penalties are invoked.
If a death save or bang-back is performed, that player's score is set
to zero.
E. Tilts
If a player tilts away the ball of another player, the offending player
must buy a credit to be used by the offended player to
buy-in the extra ball at the end of the game, if possible. If
no buy-in is possible, the offended player has the option of taking
the game as-is or replaying the entire game (with the offending player
paying for the replayed game), taking the higher of
the two games.
If a player tilts another player’s ball a second time on a particular
night, the offending player automatically gets a score of
zero points for that second game. The offended player has the
same options as above.
F. Slam Tilts
Slam tilts fall into three categories: intentional, accidental and
malfunction. The slam tilt is considered a malfunction only
if the coin door is loose, or some other problem with the machine makes
it prone to slamming under normal
shaking/nudging conditions.
Intentional slam tilts are caused by players hitting the coin door,
attempting bang-backs, or hard shoving of the machine
after a drain. If it is clear that the ball had already drained
and the shove served no useful play purpose, the slam tilt is
considered intentional. If the slam occurred during a legitimate
save attempt, it is considered accidental. Whether
intentional or accidental, the slamming player receives a score of
zero for the game. Scores for the other players are noted,
if possible. The match is then replayed without the slamming player.
If the slam was deemed a malfunction, the match is
replayed with the slamming player. Each player keeps the higher of
the two scores.
An intentional slam tilt is considered unsportmanlike conduct and repeated
offenses are grounds for the player’s expulsion
from the league at the Commissioner’s discretion.
VI. Game Scoring
A. League Points
All league standings are based not on actual game scores, but on league
points. League points are awarded based on 1st,
2nd 3rd and 4th place in individual games, with additional league points
awarded based on actual scores as follows:
B. Three Player Games
In a three-player game (which will likely comprise the majority of
league games), league points are awarded as follows:
1st Place: 3 points
2nd Place: 2 points
3rd Place: 0 points
One additional point is awarded either to the 1st place player or the
3rd place player. If the 1st place player scores more
than the 2nd and 3rd place players combined, the 1st place player gets
the extra point. Otherwise, the 3rd place player gets
the point. Thus, in a 3-player game, the points awarded are either
4-2-0 or 3-2-1.
The idea here is that a player is rewarded for a decisive win or for
keeping it close.
C. Four Player Games
In a four player game the points are awarded like this:
1st Place: 3 points
2nd Place: 2 points
3rd Place: 1 point
4th Place: 0 points
Two additional points are awarded in four player games. One point
to either 1st place or 3rd place and the other point to
either 2nd place or 4th place. As in the three player game, the
1st place player gets the extra point for beating 2nd and 3rd
combined, otherwise the 3rd place player gets the point. The
2nd place player gets the point for beating 3rd and 4th place
combined, otherwise the 4th place player gets it.
D. Two Player Games
In a two-player game, the points are awarded like this:
1st Place: 3 points
2nd Place: 0 points
One additional point is awarded to the 1st place player for tripling
the score of the 2nd place player, otherwise, the 2nd
place player gets the point.
VII. The Regular Season
A. Length
As noted earlier, the regular season will consist of ten league nights,
one per week, on Wednesdays. In general, national
holidays will be skipped. Other weeks may be skipped based on
weather, or other circumstances, at the Commissioner’s
discretion.
B. How Many Divisions?
If there are fewer than 8 players competing during a League season,
all players will compete in a single division. If there
are more than 7 players, then there will be two divisions, an A and
a B*.
C. Weekly Groupings
Each week, players will be broken into groups of three, with four players
in the bottom group or groups to round out the
total number of players. Each group will have a “winner” each
week based on who has the most league points for the week.
The groupings for the week will be determined by swapping the winner
in each group with the loser from the group
immediately above, with the exception, of course, of the winner in
the top group. For example, in week 1, players A, B, and
C comprise group 1 and players D, E, and F make up group 2. If
the order of finish for these groups is B, C, A and F, D, E.
For week two, the groupings would be B, C, F and A, D and the winner
from group 3. Player E would move down to group
3.
D. Missing a week
If a player misses a week of play, and does not have pre-makeup scores
available, their group position for the next week
remains unchanged. This removes the potential for a player to
miss a week, move down a group, and have the opportunity
to play against weaker players. For example, in a typical three-player
group, if one player is missing, the winner of the two
present players moves up and the loser moves down.
E. Special rules
for 4-player groups.
As noted above, the lowest groups may be 4-player groups. Swapping
only one player, particularly in the bottom group
where only one player changes each week, causes the lower groups to
be more stagnant than the others. To alleviate this,
4-player groups will swap two players as long as the players moving
up scored at least 10 points AND the players moving
down scored no more than 10 points. In other words, to move up,
you have to score at least 10 points, and you can’t
move down if you score more than 10 points.
F. Game Selection
Each week, there will be a certain number of working pins, P. If P
< 5 then all groups will play one or more games twice so
that the total number of games played that week is 5. If P > 5 (which
should normally be the case) then all groups will
choose 5 of the P games to be used that week. Everybody in each group
will get to choose the game(s) he or she doesn’t
want to play or wants to play twice, as the case may be. The lowest
player in each group chooses first, then the next lowest
chooses next, and so on. If a game is chosen by 2 or more people in
a group, then that game will not be used that week (or
played twice if P < 5). If a game isn’t chosen by at least two people
in a group (for three and four player groups), then the
games chosen by the lowest (P-5) ranked players will not be used that
week (or the lowest (5-P) players have their chosen
games used twice if P < 5).
G. Qualifying for
A and B divisions
At the end of the regular season, each player will either be in division
A or division B based on the following rule: Starting
with the 4th week3 of the season, any player who plays in group 1 or
2 at least two times will automatically be an A division
player. All other players will be B division players.
H. Initial Weekly Groupings
The groupings for the first week can have some effect on eventual stratification
of the league into the two divisions. For
example, anyone who plays in group one for the first week has a good
chance of still being in at least group 2 by the fourth
week and thus being an A division player. For the first week
of play, the players will be grouped, as accurately as possible,
according to skill. The determination of skill will be based
on whatever information is available for that player. First, the
player’s finish in a previous league or tournament will be used.
Players that finish in the top half will be placed in higher
groups. Players that finished in the bottom half will be placed
in lower groups. If the player is unknown, they will be
placed in a middle grouping at the Commissioner’s discretion.
If a new player is known to be an expert player, the
Commissioner can place the player in a top group.
I. Notes on Groupings
The idea behind grouping the players according to this scheme is so
that players tend to play against other players of similar
ability. When a player has a good week, they move up a group,
and thus, in theory, play against slightly better players the
next week. Likewise, after a poor week, the player moves down
a group and plays worse players.
By stratifying the divisions as explained, players of similar ability
will be competing with each other for the playoff spots.
Thus, while the initial weekly groupings may seem to favor the strong
players, they are really designed to help everyone.
VIII. Match Bonus Points
A. Overview
The method for awarding league points coupled with the grouping system
can lead to certain anomalies in the overall
fairness of the system. In particular, there are times when it
would seem advantageous for a player not to do well on
purpose to avoid moving up in the groupings. Often, a player
will only win their match by one or two points, and then have
to play in a much tougher group the next week. Thus, the reward
for winning the weekly match (the mere one or two points
more than the 2nd place player in group) was not sufficient to compensate
for having to move up in the groups.
To compensate for this, we also award bonus points for winning your
match. Further, the number of bonus points awarded
is augmented by difficulty level of the group.
B. Points
When awarding match bonus points, a match will be treated like a game.
For example, in a three-player match, the winner
of the match will receive 3 bonus points. The 2nd place player
will receive 2 points and the loser, zero points. A bonus
point will also be awarded as in a 3-player game. If the winner
of the match scores more than the 2nd and 3rd place player
combined, the winner gets a bonus point. Otherwise, the 3rd place
player gets it. Typically, the winner does not score more
then the other two players combined. So, usually, in a three-player
match, the bonus points will be 3-2-1.
Two player matches and 4-player matches are scored like 2 and 4-player
games. However, if in a 4 player game, the winner
of the match scores more than the other three players combined, then
another bonus point is awarded to the winner of the
match.
C. Ties
There are two cases where ties may occur.
Case 1: Two (or more) players score the same number of league points
for the match. The person with the highest total
normalized score (TNS) for that week wins the tie.
Case 2: The winner of a match scores exactly the sum of the 2nd and
3rd (for a 3 player group) combined. If the total
normalized score of the winner is greater than the sum of the normalized
score of the other two players in the group then he
or she wins the tie otherwise of the second and third place players,
the one with the lowest total normalized score wins the
tie. Exception: If second and third place are tied for TTP then Case
1 applies here.
Examples (the examples use a bonus multiplier of 1X):
Player TTP (excluding bonus points) TNS Wins Tie? TTP (inc. bonus
pts)
1)
A 14 15.0000 Y 15 (14 + 1 bonus pt for
winning the tie)
B 8 8.5000 8
C 6 3.0000 6
2)
A 12 6.7500
B 5 5.5000 Y 8 (7 + 1 bonus pt for winning
the tie [lower
TNS])
C 7 8.8350
3)
A 12 13.6750
B 6 6.7800 Y 7 (6 + 1 for winning the
tie (higher TNS:
[Case 1 applies here])
C 6 5.5000
D. Bonus Multipliers
For the first three weeks of the season, the bonus points are awarded
exactly as described above. Starting in week four,
bonus points are multiplied by group-difficulty multiplier. Each
week, players will be assigned a bonus multiplier based on
the group in which they are playing and on the average of their last
three week’s groups. If you play in the same group as
your average, your multiplier is 2X. If you are one group higher
than your average, your multiplier is 3X. If you are two
groups higher, it is 4X. Likewise, if you are one group lower,
you multiplier is 1X and 2 groups lower gives you a 0X
multiplier (no bonus points for that week).
Examples:
Suppose you played in groups 4, 4, and 3 in weeks 4, 5, and 6 respectively.
This is an average of 3.66666 rounded to 4. For
week 7, you are still in group 3. This is one group higher than
your average group (over the last 3 weeks) which is 4. So,
your bonus multiplier would be 3X. If you had moved up to group
2 for week 7, your multiplier would be 4X. The
multiplier is used to multiply the bonus points. To continue
this example, if you had moved up to group 2 for a multiplier
of 4X and you won the group (but did not beat 2 and 3 combined) you
would get 3 bonus point multiplied by 4 for a total of
12 bonus points!
E. More thoughts on
Bonus Points
As detailed, this bonus point scheme should make it so that there is
never any question as to whether it is better to win your
group and move up. The bonus points awarded for winning your
group coupled with the multiplier awarded for playing in
a higher group should always make it worth more to win.
IX. The Playoff Match
A. Qualifying
After the regular season is complete, each player will have a total
number of league points accumulated for the ten weeks.
This will be the total of regular points plus bonus points. Depending
on the total number of players in the league, anywhere
from 2 to 4 players in each division will advance to playoffs.
The playoffs will then determine the A and B division
champions.
B. Lateness / Absence
Play will begin promptly at 7:15 PM. Players who qualify for
the playoffs will be given a 15 minute grace period. After the
grace period, if the player is not in attendance, the first runner
up for the that division’s playoffs will automatically advance
to the playoffs.
If a player notifies the Commissioner in advance that he or she will
be unable to attend playoff night, every attempt will be
made to reschedule the playoff tournament, if possible. If it
is not possible, based on other players’ schedules, etc., then the
playoffs will go ahead as planned using the runner-up player as the
alternate.
C. Format
All playoff players will play one game on each of the working pins
on playoff night. The first game to be played will be
chosen randomly and each subsequent game will be chosen by the lowest
scorer of the previous game.
For a two player playoff match:
One round will be played and the person with the highest TNS at the
end of the round will be the winner of the division.
The other person then gets second place in the division. The winner
of each game goes last in the next game.
For a three player match:
One round will be played and the person with the highest TNS at the
conclusion of the round will be the winner of the
division. The person with the second highest TNS gets second place
in the division and the lowest TNS scorer takes third
place. The winner of each game goes last, and the lowest scorer goes
first.
For a four player match:
Two rounds will be played. The first round is to weed out the fourth
place person (who has lowest TNS of all the players
and will not participate in round 2) and the second round will be played
just like a three player match. For round 1, the
highest TNS scorer (of the three that are left) is in first, the second
highest TNS scorer is in second, and the lowest TNS
scorer is in third. The game and order of play that starts round 2
is as follows: The lowest TNS scorer picks the first game
to be played while the highest TNS scorer goes last and the lowest
TNS scorer goes first. The player with the highest TNS
in round 2 wins first place in the division, and the player with the
lowest TNS takes third in the division.
D. Miscellaneous
The playoff tournament will be likely take longer than a typical league
night. Plan on staying as long as it takes!
X. Acknowledgments
Thanks to A.J. Fried and ultimately the founders of the Free State
Pinball Association (FSPA) and the Triangle Pinball
League (TPL) for providing the basis for most of the rules on which
this league is based.
XI. Further Information
For any further information, contact Koi Morrisat either of these two
email addresses: kmorristaftzww@mindspring.com
or morrisk@war.wyeth.com.
You may
also call me at 732-274-4091 (Work #).
XII. Document History
3 Jan 1999 The revision of this document from A.J.’s GSPA League rules
was completed.
Revision of Section VIII of the league rules (this replaces what’s given
in the rules that
was handed out in week 1) and a corrected version of the weekly payouts
paragraph
given in Sec IV B. (Prizes) [21 February 1999]
VIII. Match Bonus Points (MBPs)
A. Overview
The method for awarding league points coupled with the grouping system
can lead to certain anomalies in the overall fairness
of the system. In particular, there are times when it would seem
advantageous for a player not to do well on purpose to avoid
moving up in the groupings. Often, a player will only win their
match by one or two points, and then have to play in a much
tougher group the next week. Thus, the reward for winning the
weekly match (the mere one or two points more than the 2nd
place player in group) was not sufficient to compensate for having
to move up in the groups.
To compensate for this, we also award bonus points for winning your
match. Further, the number of bonus points awarded is
augmented by difficulty level of the group.
B. Points
When awarding match bonus points, a match will be treated like a game.
For example, in a three-player match, the winner of
the match will receive 3 bonus points. The 2nd place player will
receive 2 points and the loser, zero points. A bonus point
will also be awarded as in a 3-player game. If the winner of
the match scores more than the 2nd and 3rd place player
combined, the winner gets a bonus point. Otherwise, the 3rd place
player gets it. Typically, the winner does not score more
then the other two players combined. So, usually, in a three-player
match, the bonus points will be 3-2-1.
Two player matches and 4-player matches are scored like 2 and 4-player
games. However, if in a 4 player game, the winner of
the match scores more than the other three players combined, then another
bonus point is awarded to the winner of the match.
C. Ties
There are three cases where ties may occur (for three player groups
or a four player group in which one player is not there
that week (disregard his/her league points for purposes of computing
MBPs)).
Case 1: Two (or more) players score the same number of league points
for the match. The person with the highest total
normalized score (TNS) for that week wins the tie.
Case 2: The winner of a match (player A) scores exactly the sum of the
2nd and 3rd (for a 3 player group) combined AND the
total normalized score of the winner is NOT greater than the sum of
the normalized score of the other two players in the
group, then he or she wins three MBPs. Regarding the remaining players
(players B and C), 2 subcases can occur: a. B and
C have equal amount of league points in which case the player with
the highest TNS wins 2 MBPs and the other player gets 1
MBP. b. B and C do NOT have equal league points in which case the person
with the higher league points wins 2 MBPs and
the other player gets 1 MBP.
Case 3: The winner of a match (player A) scores exactly the sum of the
2nd and 3rd (for a 3 player group) combined AND the
total normalized score of the winner is greater than the sum of the
normalized score of the other two players in the group,
then he or she wins the tie (therefore getting four total MBPs). Regarding
the remaining players (players B and C), 2 subcases
can occur: a. B and C have equal amount of league points in which
case the player with the highest TNS wins 2 MBPs and
the other player gets no MBPs. b. B and C do NOT have equal league
points in which case the person with the higher league
points wins 2 MBPs and the other player gets no MBPs.
For two player groups, ties are broken in this manner (for the purposes
of breaking ties in which one or two players (C, and
possibly D) are absent from the group in a given week, disregard his
or her league points and premakeup scores (this means
that an absent player will win no MBPs that week)):
The player who has the highest TNS gets three MBPs and the player who won more games gets the extra MBP.
For four player groups, treat the match as if it were two three player
matches (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place players as one match
and 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place players as another match, using TNS to
determine each player’s place, if necessary), then use
Case 1, 2, or 3 from above for each of the matches to determine who
gets the extra MBP in each match.
Examples (the examples use a bonus multiplier of 1X):
Player TLP (excluding MBPs) TNS Wins Tie?
TLP (including MBPs)
1)
A 10 15.0000
Y 14 (10 + 3 MBPs + 1 extra MBP for winning the tie (Case 1))
B 10 8.5000 10 (8 + 2 MBPs)
C 6 3.0000 6 (6 + 0 MBP)
2)
A 12 6.7500 15 (12 + 3 MBPs (Case 2))
B 6 5.5000 7
(5 + 1 MBP (Case 2a))
C 6 8.8350 Y
9 (6 + 2 MBPs + 1 extra MBP (Case 2a))
3)
A 12 13.6750 15 (12 + 3 MBPs (Case 2))
B 5 6.8500 Y
7 (6 + 1 MBP (Case 2b))
C 7 5.1500 9 (7 + 2 MBPs (Case 2b))
4)
A 14 14.2500 Y
18 (14 + 3 MBP + 1 extra MBP (Case 3))
B 7 5.5000 9 (7 + 2 MBPs (Case 3a))
C 7 3.5000 7 (7 + 0 MBPs (Case 3a))
5)
A 10 13.0000 Y
14 (10 + 3 MBPs + 1 extra MBP (Case 3))
B 7 6.7500 9 (7 + 2 MBPs (Case 3b))
C 3 3.6000 3 (3 + 0 MBPs (Case 3b))
6) A two player match where Player C is absent and has premakeup scores
for all games played by the group
A 12, winning 3 games 3.7500
13 (12 + 1 MBP (this player won more games than the other))
B 12, winning 2 games 5.7000 15 (12 + 3 MBP (this player
has the higher TNS))
C 13 (disregard because he/she is not there) 13
7) A four player match with two players tied for league points
A 4 2.5000 4 (4 + 0 MBPs for coming in last
in the match)
B 4 3.5000 5 (4 + 1 MBP for coming in third
in the match (higher TNS
of A and B))
C 8 7.5000 11 (8 + 2 MBPs for coming in second
in the match + 1 MBP
for beating A and B (TNS higher than
A and B combined))
D 17 12.0000 22 (17 + 3 MBPs for winning the
match + 1 MBP for beating B
and C + 1 MBP for a league point total
greater than all of the
other players in the group combined)
D. Bonus Multipliers
For the first three weeks of the season, the bonus points are awarded
exactly as described above. Starting in week four, bonus
points are multiplied by group-difficulty multiplier. Each week,
players will be assigned a bonus multiplier based on the
group in which they are playing and on the average of their last three
week’s groups. If you play in the same group as your
average, your multiplier is 2X. If you are one group higher than
your average, your multiplier is 3X. If you are two groups
higher, it is 4X. Likewise, if you are one group lower, you multiplier
is 1X and 2 groups lower gives you a 0X multiplier (no
match bonus points for that week).
Examples:
Suppose you played in groups 4, 4, and 3 in weeks 4, 5, and 6 respectively.
This is an average of 3.66666 rounded to 4. For
week 7, you are still in group 3. This is one group higher than
your average group (over the last 3 weeks) which is 4. So,
your bonus multiplier would be 3X. If you had moved up to group
2 for week 7, your multiplier would be 4X. The multiplier
is used to multiply the bonus points. To continue this example,
if you had moved up to group 2 for a multiplier of 4X and you
won the group (but did not beat 2 and 3 combined) you would get 3 bonus
point multiplied by 4 for a total of 12 bonus points!
E. More thoughts on Bonus Points
As detailed, this bonus point scheme should make it so that there is
never any question as to whether it is better to win your
group and move up. The bonus points awarded for winning your
group coupled with the multiplier awarded for playing in a
higher group should always make it worth more to win.
The Weekly Payouts paragraph in Sec IV B. (Prizes) should read:
Weekly payouts will be as follows: Total league points (TLP) (including
total match bonus points (after bonus
multipliers have been counted in when they take effect) after the second
week of the league) for the winner of each
group for that week will be compared. The two people with the highest
TLP will share the prize pot for that week.
75% goes to the highest TLP scorer and the rest goes to the other winner.
If both people have the same amount of TLP
then those winners will be ranked according to the total of all normalized
scores they obtained on the games they
played that week. Normalizing scores are a way of comparing scores
obtained by players on different machines. For
example, a score of 1 Billion in Attack from Mars could be equal to
a normalized score of 1 Million points and a score
of 50 Million on The Addam’s Family could be equal to a normalized
score of 1 Million points.