Topic: GZ's Divisional League - Patrol Battle Rules in effect

[KHH Jakle]

Bach posted on our forum looking for our status on PBR for our next cycle.  I thought I'd just lay it out here as well:

Cycle 3, which will kick off in about 3 weeks (we have to wrap up Cycle 2) WILL have PBR as mandatory for ship selection in all matches.

http://gzleagues.com/op/ is the site address.  Whoever is going to point man for a new team needs to sign up with the site, then submit a fleet/clan application to set up their team.

Please visit www.gzleagues.com/forum for more info, or email me directly at jakle@comcast.net

[Lepton]

Good to hear.  In looking over the GZ site some months ago, I thought this was one of the most interesting and promising ideas being floated about.  Now if you guys could develop a campaign that generated random or even standardized scenarios based upon the Patrol Battle Rules that essentially allowed people to generate matches in hexes and report the outcomes of those matches a la a ladder-league-like web interface, I'd be there with bells on just to see if people would go for it.

[FPF-DieHard]

Good to hear.  In looking over the GZ site some months ago, I thought this was one of the most interesting and promising ideas being floated about.  Now if you guys could develop a campaign that generated random or even standardized scenarios based upon the Patrol Battle Rules that essentially allowed people to generate matches in hexes and report the outcomes of those matches a la a ladder-league-like web interface, I'd be there with bells on just to see if people would go for it.

Sort of like Max's F&E Campaign

FPF wants in on the next cycle, should be interesting as I have NEVER flown in ladder play.

[KHH Jakle]

Huzzah!

Let me know if you have any questions on how to get FPF set up (individuals need to get registered and someone - you I imagine - needs to submit the Clan application.  It's relatively quick and easy)

And it's not a Ladder   It's a 'Divisional League'. 

It's probably petty to split hairs - but to me, Ladder equals: god aweful match negotions - which seem to always end up being arounf 180-200 Late, Fleets/Players picking and choosing their opponents to maximize their chances for success - sometimes flat out shutting out fleets to prevent them from getting any points at all in the 'ladder'.  Trawling the GSA lobby, looking for a match.  Fleets 'banning' other fleets - so on and so forth - ad nauseum.

All that's been done away with.

First off, there is no ladder, but rather two conferences that all teams are randomly distributed to at the start of each cycle.  Every team WILL play every other team in their conference twice, culminating in a Playoff to determine the conference champ  - who will then go on to the Cycle championship versus the other conference champ. 

No negotiations: terms of each game are posted and predetermined (by a random terms generator).  All eras being playable, the Total BPV ranges configured to each era to allow everything from small firgate squadrons, to larger more squadrons - yet capped to prevent all Dreadnought Squadrons (of course, with PBR in effect, that can't happen anyway).

So DH....you can safely say you NEVER played in a ladder

But, as your first organized GSA PvP play experience...I hope you find it worthwhile.

[762_XC]

About durn time! Did they ever figure out how X-ships fit into the PBR?

[Lepton]

Good to hear.  In looking over the GZ site some months ago, I thought this was one of the most interesting and promising ideas being floated about.  Now if you guys could develop a campaign that generated random or even standardized scenarios based upon the Patrol Battle Rules that essentially allowed people to generate matches in hexes and report the outcomes of those matches a la a ladder-league-like web interface, I'd be there with bells on just to see if people would go for it.

Sort of like Max's F&E Campaign

FPF wants in on the next cycle, should be interesting as I have NEVER flown in ladder play.

Yeah, Max's idea is great, but that is not exactly what I am talking about.  I envision something similar to the D2 with a map and a mission/scenario generator or selector.  Groups of 2 or 3 players per side elect to take a mission/game in a certain hex.  One side makes their mission request and it is played, then the opposing side makes their mission request and it is played.  So, people are committed to at least two games to balance the mission numbers.  Obviously the outcomes are then reported via a web interface.  An online map is maintained, etc.

This campaign could have two different forms to my mind.  First, it could be tied to fleets' actual race alignments and folks would fly as fleets. Or, second, it could merely be a system for generating games for anyone to play wherein no one would be bound to playing any particular race or side and people just play for the fun of it.

Max's F&E project is great, but it is complicated and very hands-on and likely to be short-lived for it.  Something like a campaign that people can just stumble into and is automated might have more staying power and wider appeal.  I mean, what do the GZ guys do when they aren't doing divisional matches?  Practicing for them?  I suppose so.  Such an automated campaign would be a way of channeling people's GSA funtime into something that has an actual consequence.

[KHH Jakle]

  I mean, what do the GZ guys do when they aren't doing divisional matches?  Practicing for them?  I suppose so. 

To some extent...but this league is more 'recreational' (as opposed to the 24/7 occupations that people once had for this game on GSA).  Often teams don't show up on GSA until it's time to play a scheduled match.

Lepton - I think your idea is actually very cool.  But I can say with certainty that it is beyond the resources or desire of GZ to develop something like that. 

[KHH Jakle]

About durn time! Did they ever figure out how X-ships fit into the PBR?

I need to work out the text, but 1st Gen X-ships (the ones in Late Era) will be covered by an SFB-ish proviso that allows for a single Heavy Cruiser hulled X-ship acting as the Squadron Command ship with the remaining 2 (or 1) ships being non-X.  This represents the 'Historical' Deployment of X-Cruisers as DN replacements for non-X flotilla's

OR

The whole squadron has to be made up of X-Ships.  This then represents the other 'Historical' alternative, where all X-Squadrons were put together to bring the full effect of their technology to bear.

Since ship selection is by Total BPV, players will need to consider these alternatives in light of what they can actually afford to buy for the specific game.

[762_XC]

Are they still drawing matches in advanced? That was one of my big concerns. A 900 adv match pretty much guarantees a win for ISC or Hydran.

[KHH Jakle]

As of right now, we are still drawing Advanced (about 15% of all games) 

I have to take a closer look at how Advanced Era ships are bucketed - up till now, PBR hasn't covered them.  Potentially, PBR could have the same 'leveling' effect there as it has in the other eras.

I'll be looking at that over the weekend as I update the rules.  I'll probably post a copy of the updated Pre-cycle 3 rules here, doesn't hurt to get commentary from non-participants as well

[FPF-DieHard]

Advanced era sucks.

[KHH Jakle]

Yeah....so if it mysteriously stopped showing up....I don't think anyone would miss it...

[Kroma BaSyl]

Yeah....so if it mysteriously stopped showing up....I don't think anyone would miss it...

nudge is as good as a wink to a blind man...know what I mean...know what I mean...

[GDA-S'Cipio]

Yeah....so if it mysteriously stopped showing up....I don't think anyone would miss it...

Pardon me while I do my happy dance.



Outstanding, Jackle!  I'm very much looking forward to cycle 3.  The PBR matches we've done so far have always proven to be the more fun matches.

-S'Cipio

[KHH Jakle]

Yeah....so if it mysteriously stopped showing up....I don't think anyone would miss it...

nudge is as good as a wink to a blind man...know what I mean...know what I mean...

Ya know...if it weren't for havine Classic Monty Python episodes for free on my Comcast On Demand Cable Tv...I'd have no idea where that came from...