Boundary-scarred Capsuleers,
Signups for Alliance Tournament XVII are now open! Below is the full list of rules and signup instructions. All hopeful competitors, please take your time and review everything carefully.
Contents
Alliance Tournament XVII Rules & Format
Greetings Alliance Tournament competitors and fans. The format and rules for this year’s Alliance Tournament are similar to that of previous years. However, there have been some alterations to the overall ruleset so please peruse these rules carefully. For any questions or clarifications, you may post in the EVE Online Tournament Forum or the Alliance Tournament Discord server.
Do note that both the format and match rules are subject to change at CCP’s discretion. It is strongly advised that participants regularly check the Tournament forums and Discord for the most up-to-date information.
INTRODUCTION: FORMAT & REGISTRATION
FORMAT
Alliance Tournament XVII is a 32 team, double-elimination tournament hosted on Tranquility. The Tournament will culminate in a best-of-five finale, with the semi-final matches being a best-of-three series. The 32 entry slots will be decided in the following fashion:
– Maximum of 8 slots reserved for the winning captains from both the EVE NT Alliance Open and the Anger Games (4 slots per tournament)
– Maximum of 8 slots from the Feeder Tournament (see “Feeder Tournament” below)
– Remaining slots awarded to winners of the silent auction (see “Silent Auction” below)
For AT XVII, the Captains directly invited are:
– TheLastSparton
– dexter xio
– Azure and Argent
– Mira Chieve
– Damassys Kadesh
– StarFleetCommander
Each team will consist of a maximum of 10 pilots fielded at any given time. All alliance members are eligible to compete in any match in which their alliance is taking part; team lineups do not have to remain the same between games. Further, each ship is given a point value (listed below), and the sum of the point values for the ships must not exceed 100 points.
Players may only compete for a single alliance, regardless of how many player accounts they have. Likewise, there shall be no sharing of in-game assets, information, or services with the intent to participate in, or assist, multiple teams. More on this in the “Collusion Rules” section.
The seeding for AT XVII will be completely random, though in future tournaments the placing in AT XVII may be relevant. Players may not change their allegiance during AT XVII, and Tournament rosters should be considered ‘locked’ before 23 August 2021.
MERCENARY RULE
The Mordu’s Legion, sponsors of Alliance Tournament XVII and one of New Eden’s most notorious mercenary outfits, have persuaded the Interstellar Gaming Commission to allow each alliance the option of employing the services of ‘Mercenaries’: otherwise unaffiliated pilots who exhibit a keen propensity for competitive play. The IGC has offered the following guidelines as it pertains to the use of Mercenaries.
Guidelines & Practices
– Mercenaries must not be Team Captains
– Mercenaries may only compete with the team who has employed their services.
– Teams may not leverage the “Mercenary” rule to create b-teams. The Collusion Rules (see below) still apply.
– Teams may not employ the services of more than ten (10) mercenaries on their roster.
– The Mercenary must submit their name to the IGC via this form to formally offer their services. The Team Captain of that team must also confirm their list of Mercenaries. If both steps are not completed, the Mercenary may not compete.
– Mercenaries may not intentionally sabotage their teams as this may result in a permanent ban from all future tournaments. CCP has final adjudication in such matters.
– A Mercenary may not offer their services if they are a member of an alliance that is competing in Alliance Tournament XVII
In certain circumstances, Alliance Tournament Captains may petition the IGC to alter their team name to more aptly reflect the new identity their mercenaries may have imparted. The IGC are very strict arbiters and request that all names be identifiable and representative of the group; not all names may be accepted. Consider the following example scenarios:
– NPSI community wishes to have their team name reflect their long-standing community: Spectre Fleet. IGC is amenable to this.
– A Lowsec PvP alliance expands their ranks with some wormhole pilots, requesting a name change to: xXx 420 Whole Destroyers xXx. The IGC would not consider this a valid name.
The Mercenaries and Team Captains must register before the “roster lock” period on 23 August. At that time, the list of Mercenaries and their affiliated teams will be made public on the EVE Online Tournament Forums and the AT Discord so that teams can better analyze their prospective competition.
PARTICIPATION & REGISTRATION
The cost of registration for Alliance Tournament XVII is 2,500 PLEX, contracted to “C C P” corporation with the ticker -CCP-. Entries contracted to any other variations, Engineering Corp or otherwise, will NOT be accepted.
To register a team, the Alliance Executor must fill out the following form and nominate a Team Captain for the team. The Team Captain may also be the Alliance Executor.
Importantly, teams who have already been awarded an entry slot must still register for Alliance Tournament XVII. Unused slots, or duplicate slots, will be ceded and distributed to the Silent Auction.
SILENT AUCTION
Teams interested in getting a direct invitation to Alliance Tournament XVII can opt to bid for a slot in a silent auction. The highest bidders in the silent auction will be awarded a slot in Alliance Tournament XVII. The minimum bid for the auction is 2,500 PLEX, and bids are only accepted in increments of 250 PLEX. In the event of tied bids, the bid with the earliest submission time will be considered the tiebreaker. Auction results will be announced on 16 August.
Teams who enter the Silent Auction but do not win a slot will have their entry fees refunded and given a chance to earn their way in through combat in the Feeder Tournament.
FEEDER TOURNAMENT
Teams who fail to qualify via the Silent Auction will be automatically entered into the Feeder Tournament. While the exact format of the Feeder Tournament may vary on the number of entrants, the general format will be a single-elimination tournament using the same point distribution and victory conditions as Alliance Tournament XVII. The Feeder Tournament will be held on 4 and 5 September, a full two months before the main event.
The remaining rules for the Feeder Tournament will mirror those of ATXVII with the following exceptions:
– The Feeder Tournament will take place on the Thunderdome event server instead of the Tranquility live server
– Flagships are not allowed in the Feeder Tournament
– Each team in the Feeder Tournament will have two bans per match instead of three
RULES
SUMMARY OF KEY CHANGES FROM PREVIOUS ATs
- This tournament is sponsored by the Mordu’s Legion, and as such Mordu ships will have a reduced point cost.
- A new Mercenary Rule allowing pilots to offer their services to alliances that they are not in.
- Instead of a limit to the maximum number of copies of a given ship that a team may field, teams are restricted to a maximum of three (3) of any hull size, with exceptions where noted.
- Point costs have been adjusted, as well as the introduction of granular point values for certain individual ships.
- Reintroducing the cascading blind ban rule as seen in last year’s EVE NT Alliance Open
- Each team is given three blind bans (See “Ship Bans” below)
- In the event of duplicate bans, teams will be awarded an additional number of bans equal to the number of duplicate bans
- Reintroduction of Flagships
- Reintroduction of navy faction drones
- ECM modules may only be fit to ships which give an ECM bonus.
- Removal of Alliance Tournament prize ships from competition
- For the best-of-three semi-finals, winning teams will not be able to use any of the ships fielded in their winning matches. These additional bans will reset after each series. Further, this rule also applies to the best-of-five grand finals, however the list of banned ships will be reset before the fourth match in that series.
Note on changes to ship and module balance
– Changes to ship and module balance for EVE will always follow their own schedule independent of the tournament schedule and will never be delayed to avoid the tournament. This means that major changes can occur in the period between the release of tournament rules and the tournament itself, or even during the tournament period. All teams are impacted equally by such changes and the ability to quickly adjust to such changes is part of what separates the best tournament teams from the rest.
– Teams should keep this in mind when making their plans and keep a close eye on CCP communications for the earliest look at potential changes.
MATCH RULES
- Teams may field up to ten pilots in the arena
- Fights are limited to ten minutes. If a fight reaches time, the team that has earned the highest total points will be declared winner. See “Victory Conditions” below.
- Intentional pod-killing is NOT allowed. All podkills will be reimbursed.
- The match simulation is taken as-is. Teams are advised to spend their preparation time to verify that ships and modules are completely operational. There will be no re-plays.
PENALTIES
Any player found to be in violation of the Alliance Tournament rules may be penalized to various degrees, depending on the severity of the offense. All penalties are incurred at the tournament referee’s discretion, and all decisions are final. Penalties may include, but are not limited to:
– Points deduction
– Reducing of ship HP and Capacitor
– Moving the ship to a different warp-in
– Complete removal from the fight
– Ban from competing for one or more matches
– Referees and tournament administrations may void a match and/or vacate wins if they believe that a team is not competing or attempting to alter the outcome of a match.
SHIP RULES
Each team may have up to 10 ships on the battlefield, up to a total of 100 points. The following calculator should come in handy when planning your team composition.
Teams may field no more than 3 of a given hull size, e.g., No more than 3 Battlecruisers (2 Navy Brutix and 1 Astarte would be legal, 2 Navy Brutix and 2 Astarte would not). All logistics ships (T1 and T2 variants of both cruiser and frigate size) are exempt from this rule, so 3 Orthrus and 1 Scimitar would be legal, as would 3 Vengeance and 2 Inquisitors.
Teams may field no more than 1 Logistics Cruiser, or 1 Tech one Support Cruiser, or 2 T1/T2 Logistics/Support Frigates in each match.
With the exception of the Praxis, Gnosis & Sunesis, special edition ships are banned – the current list is as follows: Apocalypse Imperial Issue, Armageddon Imperial Issue, Megathron Federate Issue, Raven State Issue, Tempest Tribal Issue, Guardian-Vexor, Mimir, Adrestia, Vangel, Etana, Moracha, Chameleon, Fiend, Rabisu, Stratios Emergency Responder, Gold Magnate, Silver Magnate, Freki, Utu, Malice, Cambion, Chremoas, Whiptail, Imp, Caedes, Victor, Virtuosso, Hydra, Tiamat.
Use of the Nestor, Marshal, Enforcer, Pacifier, and Monitor is NOT allowed.
Currently, the use of the frigate escape bay on battleships is NOT allowed as we are still exploring certain balance and practical implications. We will make an announcement if this changes.
SHIP POINT VALUES
The point value of ships are as given below. If a ship is given points from both a class and an individual point value the more specific value is always true. If a ship does not have a point value, it is not a legal ship.
- Widow (Battleship): 25
- Leshak (Battleship): 25
- Rattlesnake (Battleship): 25
- Marauder: 24
- Black Ops Battleship: 23
- Battleship, Pirate Faction: 23
- Battleship, Navy Faction: 21
- Barghest (Battleship): 20
- Thunderchild (Battleship): 19
- Battleship: 19
- Command Ship: 18
- Zarmazd (Logistics Cruiser): 18
- Drekavak (Combat Battlecruiser): 17
- Ikitursa (Heavy Assault Cruiser): 17
- Logistics Cruiser: 16
- Strategic Cruiser: 16
- Battlecruiser, Navy Faction: 15
- Combat Battlecruiser: 13
- Recon Ship: 13
- Heavy Assault Cruiser: 12
- Heavy Interdictor: 12
- Rodiva (Tech 1 Support Cruiser): 11
- Draugur (Command Destroyer): 11
- Gila (Pirate Cruiser): 11
- Attack Battlecruiser: 10
- Vedmak (Cruiser): 10
- Tech 1 Support Cruiser: 9
- Cruiser, Pirate Faction: 9
- Kikimora (Destroyer): 8
- Orthrus (Cruiser): 8
- Nergal (Assault Frigate): 7
- Cruiser, Navy Faction: 7
- Stormbringer (Cruiser): 6
- Command Destroyer: 6
- Tech 1 Disruption Cruiser: 6
- Electronic Attack Frigate: 5
- Damavik (Frigate): 5
- Logistics Frigate: 5
- Worm (Pirate Frigate): 5
- Cruiser: 4
- Tactical Destroyer: 4
- Frigate, Pirate Faction: 4
- Covert Ops Ship: 4
- Interdictor: 4
- Assault Frigate: 4
- Interceptor: 3
- Frigate, Navy Faction: 3
- Tech 1 Disruption Frigate: 3
- Stealth Bomber: 3
- Destroyer: 3
- Punisher (Frigate): 3
- Garmur (Pirate Frigate): 2
- Tech 1 Industrial Ships: 2
- Frigate: 2
- Rookie Ship, Pirate Faction: 2
- Skybreaker (Frigate): 1
- Tech 1 Support Frigate: 1
- Rookie Ship: 1
PLACE & TACTICS
- Captains must be online and available 45 minutes prior to the match to make their ban choices. Further details on bans can be found in the subsection Ships and bans.
- Participants should be prepared, in their chosen ships, and in a fleet 20 minutes before their scheduled fight time. Prior to being teleported to the match system, all pilots must be docked in a station, not in an Upwell structure or undocked in space. Teams will be brought by a GM to a solar system in uncharted space and designated as Team 1 and Team 2. If you are not ready within this time allocation, you will be disqualified from this match and the opposing team will be given an automatic win.
- There are eight entry locations in the system which serve as start-off points. Four entry locations are marked for Team 1, and four marked for Team 2. Teams will be moved to the entry location of their captain’s choosing. Once the teams are in system, all instructions will be given by the referee in local chat. You must keep an eye on that channel at all times once in system.
- Once word is given, teams warp in to the arena beacon specified, at a range of their choosing, up to a maximum of 50 km. Team members are allowed to warp in at different ranges.
- Once instructed to warp by CCP staff all team members must warp promptly to the arena. Soon after allowing teams to warp the referee will once again lock warp functions and any team members that have not yet initiated warp will be subject to penalties at the referee’s discretion. This rule is enforced to prevent teams from scouting out the opposing team with some of their pilots before deciding on the warpin distance for other team members.
- The arena will measure a 125 km radius around the central beacon.
- The arena contains nine Mobile Micro Jump Unit structures, one placed in the center and eight placed 87km away from the center in the direction of each of the eight team beacons. These outer structures form a cube around the center of the arena with sides approximately 100km in length. These Mobile Micro Jump Units are indestructible and usable by all.
- The host will begin a countdown. When the countdown ends, the host will break target locks of all ships in the arena.
- If a player warps out/leaves the arena, their ship will be destroyed. This includes disconnection emergency warps. This rule is in effect before and during the match.
- Warping within the arena is NOT allowed.
- Boarding a ship during the match is NOT allowed.
- Deploying cargo containers, anchorable items, upwell structures or mobile structures into space is NOT allowed. Dropping regular jettison containers is allowed.
The following restrictions are in place after teams have warped to the arena beacon, until the match begins:
– Locking players before the match starts is NOT allowed.
– Activating aggressive or targeted modules before the match starts is NOT allowed.
– Launching drones before the match starts is NOT allowed.
– Moving before the match starts is NOT allowed.
– Beginning the activation cycle of a Micro Jump Drive or Mobile Micro Jump Unit before the match starts is NOT allowed.
– Activating Command Bursts before the match starts is allowed
FITTING RESTRICTIONS
All T1 and T2 modules are allowed, with the following exceptions:
– All Remote Armor Repair modules and Remote Shield Transfer modules are NOT allowed, EXCEPT on ONE of: A Logistics Ship, a Tech 1 Support Cruiser; or on up to TWO Tech 2 Logistics Frigates or Tech 1 Support Frigates.
– A combination of T1 and T2 repair frigates is allowed if desired (so ONE T2 logistics frigate alongside ONE T1 support frigate is allowed)
– Note that Strategic Cruisers are NOT allowed to fit remote repair modules in this tournament.
– Only ONE Remote Capacitor Transmitter module is allowed per ship.
– The Ancillary Shield Boost module will be restricted to a maximum of one per ship.
– ECM modules, including ECM Bursts, may only be fitted to ships which have an ECM bonus.
– Warp Disruption Field Generators are restricted to a maximum of one per ship.
– Activating a Warp Disruption Field Generator module without a script loaded is NOT allowed.
– Micro-jump field generators are NOT allowed.
– The Bastion Module is NOT allowed.
– Cloaking devices are NOT allowed.
– Faction, COSMOS, deadspace and officer modules are NOT allowed (except within specified groups on a flagship).
– Abyssal (Mutated) modules are NOT allowed (except within specified groups on a flagship).
– T1 Rigs are allowed. T2 Rigs are NOT allowed
– Stasis Webification Probes are allowed
– Navy Cap Boosters are allowed.
– Micro-jump drives are allowed.
– Polarized weapons are allowed.
– Stasis Grapplers are allowed.
– Command Bursts are allowed.
All T1 and T2 ammunition, missiles and charges are allowed, with the following exceptions:
– Remote Sensor Dampener and Weapon Disruptor Scripts are NOT allowed
– Pirate Faction ammunition is NOT allowed.
– Navy Faction ammunition, missiles and capacitor boosters are allowed.
– T1 (Tech One) and Navy Faction combat and sentry drones are allowed.
– T2, augmented and integrated combat and sentry drones are NOT allowed. The Gecko is NOT allowed.
– Only T1 logistics drones are allowed. T2 logistics drones are NOT allowed.
– All electronic warfare drones are allowed.
– Attribute Enhancers that give bonuses to anything other than perception, intelligence, willpower, memory, and charisma are NOT allowed.
– Genolution “CA-” implants are NOT allowed.
– With the exception of Leadership Mindlinks, ONLY Hardwirings that have a name ending in “1”, “2” or “3” are allowed.
– All Leadership Mindlinks (including navy mindlinks) are allowed.
– Boosters (drugs) are NOT allowed.
FLAGSHIPS
NOTE: The Flagship has returned this year, with some different variations
- The following ships may not be designated as Flagships
- Leshak
- Bhaalgorn
- Rattlesnake
- Widow
- Any remaining T1 battleship, T2 battleship, or faction battleship may be designated as a flagship.
- Team captains must indicate to the host managing their match if they intend to use their flagship in any given match, and which pilot is flying the flagship.
- Flagships may ignore meta level restrictions for the following module types (this means they may fit faction, officer, cosmos, deadspace, and abyssal (mutated) versions):
- Turrets and Missile Launchers
- Smartbombs
- Afterburners and Microwarpdrives
- Warp Scramblers, Warp Disruptors, and Stasis Grapplers
- Target Painters
- Sensor Boosters and Signal Amplifiers
- Overdrives, Nanofiber Internal Structures, and Inertial Stabilizers
- Weapon and Drone Upgrade Modules
- Armor Plates and Shield Extenders
- Damage Controls
- ONE Shield Booster or up to TWO Armor Repairers
- Flagship ship types must be decided in advance and Team Captains must submit their selection via EVEMail to the character named “IGC Alliance Tournament” no later than 11:00 UTC on 15 October. The fittings for a flagship do not have to be disclosed. The names of flagships do not have to be disclosed or remain constant. Fittings may also be changed from match to match.
- All flagship hull types will be published in the flagships section of the EVE Online Alliance Tournament site following the deadline date.
- A flagship may be fielded in any match, even if its ship type has been banned, and counts as a normal ship in every way other than the ones defined above.
- Flagships must still follow all non-metalevel based fitting restrictions, including any restrictions that ban module types or limit the number of a certain module that can be fitted.
- A flagship costs the same points value as a normal ship of its type.
- You are under no obligation to field your flagship in any given match.
- If your flagship is destroyed, it may not be fielded again during the tournament.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
- During a match, a team scores points for each enemy ship it kills, equal to the tournament points value of that ship. The team that has scored the most points at the conclusion of the match, or that destroys the entire opposing team, is the winner.
- If a team chooses to field less than 100 points, non-fielded points count towards the opponent’s score.
- If a fight is tied after 10 minutes, time dilation will be used to progressively speed up the tournament solar system and encourage a prompt end to the match.
- In the very unlikely case that a fight is tied after 15 minutes, the victory will be awarded to the team that had more collective potential team DPS at the beginning of the match, as measured by the tournament automated “attack bar”.
SHIPS BANS
- Each Captain will have three (3) blind bans.
- A Tournament referee will contact the competing Team Captains in-game between 15 and 45 minutes before their scheduled match time.
- Team Captains have 2 minutes to submit their decisions after being contacted by the Tournament referee. Bans not submitted in this time period will be considered forfeit.
- The referee will exchange Bans to the opposing Captain once both sets have been received.
- Teams are then allowed an additional 2 minutes to declare an additional number of bans equal to the number of duplicate bans originally submitted. E.g., If both teams ban Leshak and Guardian they both get an additional two (2) bans.
- Further duplicate bans are discarded, so if both teams ban the same ships in the second round, no extra bans occur.
- Each ban targets a specific ship type and not a ship class or other hull. For example, banning the Harpy would not exclude the Hawk or Frigates in general.
- All bans apply to both teams equally.
- Teams should endeavor to have multiple ship setups available as bans may impact your primary team composition. No additional time will be given if eligible ships are not available.
- During the final day of the competition, some matches will require teams to be ready within 15 minutes of the completion of banning.
ADDITIONAL RULE VARIATION FOR THE FINAL DAY
- This year there will be an additional adjustment to the rules for the first three matches of each of the two series that take place on the final day of the tournament: the best of three elimination bracket final series and the best of five grand final.
- For these two series, any time a team wins a match they will not be allowed to bring any of the ship types they fielded in that match for the rest of the first three matches of that series. The losing team in each match will be free to bring the ship types they lost with again if they wish.
- Flagships are immune to this additional restriction and may continue to be flown in each match until destroyed.
- These additional restrictions reset at the end of each series and if the grand final series reaches the fourth match the additional restrictions will also reset before that fourth match.
COLLUSION RULES
- Each team must be working towards its own victory in each match and in the tournament overall, not the victory of any other team.
- “B Teams” and two teams acting as one team are NOT allowed.
- Since collusion rules are inherently susceptible to being gamed, the final authority on all issues of potential collusion is the CCP tournament staff. We strongly advise teams not to try to push to the edges of what may be considered appropriate. Tournament impropriety will result in swift and severe disciplinary action.
- Teams are allowed to scrimmage against each other in order to practice for the tournament if they wish.
- Setting up “house rules” for matches in the Alliance Tournament will be considered collusion and is NOT allowed.
- Shared leadership, shared theorycrafting, shared planning, shared logistics, and free sharing of resources between teams are all NOT allowed.
- Making deals with other teams to split prizes if either team wins is NOT allowed.
- Using a Mercenary to sabotage a team to throw a match is NOT allowed.
