Winter DAB 2021
Rules & Guidance
First off, we’d like to thank you for your interest in the inaugural Winter DAB tournament for Final Fantasy Randomizer. Double-Anti Bingo is not a format that’s been featured much in the community and, outside of a couple of IRONGOL races, this will be the first major production to feature Bingo in an FFR event. We look forward to seeing how this event goes, and what kinds of new ideas it adds to the community going forward.
The Basics of the Tournament
The format is, as noted, Double-Anti Bingo (DAB). For those unfamiliar, DAB features not only both players running an FFR seed, but a Bingo board on the side. A few minutes ahead of the match, each player will look at the board and select a line for the other player to complete. This will give each opponent a chance to “spike” the other player and strategize how best to get a leg up on their opposition. Players will then be tasked with (a) completing the line selected by their opponent, (b) completing (at least) one additional line, and (c) killing Chaos only after both lines have been completed. Players can venture anywhere in the world of the seed, including into the Temple of Fiends Revisited, but they are not allowed to kill Chaos until their Bingo lines are complete.
Note: there are some squares, such as “Don’t Use Cabins/Houses”, that could “brick” a player if they used one accidentally. In instances such as these squares, if the player catches it before they save their game, they can reset back to a previous save without any other penalty. If the player saves after making the mistake, they must take a two minute penalty (pause their game and wait two minutes) before continuing.
The Winter DAB tournament will be a double-elimination tournament, featuring 1-on-1, Best-of-1 matches. Due to how long a single match with Bingo included can take (easily adding on an extra half an hour to the normal FFR seed length), running more than a Best-of-1 between players every week simply isn’t feasible for the schedule available, although the finals will be Best-of-3. As this is double-elimination, the winner of a match will move on in the “Winners’ Bracket” with the loser of a match will drop to the “Losers’ Bracket”. A loss in the Loser’s Bracket will mean the end of the tournament for that player.
Once all the players have joined the tournament and we have an exact count, the size of the initial bracket will be announced. Players will be seeded into the starting bracket by current rank on the FFR Racetime.gg main (Weekly Races) leaderboard (with unranked players being slotted in last). Players will then schedule their races with their opponents and let the FFR broadcast team know when their matches are happening. Bracket matches will be handled week-to-week, until all matches are complete and a winner is announced.
Requirements for Participants
- All races must be streamed. Your race cannot be recorded ahead of time but must be raced live, on stream, at whatever designated time your race is scheduled.
- Due to the Bingo board (and meta game this entails), stream delay is not required. However, as always, cheating is not tolerated. As such:
- Players may not hang out in any chat other than their own. Do not be in the a broadcaster network’s chats/streams at the time of your race.
- Players may not hang out in the opponent’s stream or chat during the race.
- Players’ own chats must be set to “emote only”.
- If players, somehow, get outside advice or assistance -- such as from a chat window not set to emote only, and even if they did not ask for the advice and did not use the advice given -- they will be disqualified with the win given to their opponent. If both players in a race somehow gain outside assistance during their race, both will be disqualified and the race will be scrubbed, with a loss given to both players. If this happens the tournament will be adjusted to exclude both players (such as having a run-off between the two players previously defeated in this branch of the bracket, and letting the winner of that race move up in the bracket).
- Matches will be conducted on racetime.gg (as opposed to the FFR Discord bot or SRL IRC). Players will be required to have a racetime.gg account and be in the racetime.gg rooms 30 minutes before their race to allow for setup time of the stream.
- Players must have a timer on screen for synching and timing of the races (in case of a “photo finish”).
- The “Tournament Safe ROM” flag will be on for this tournament, so all players must use a ROM that will pass the verification of this flag.
- Players will need to keep an eye on the chat in the Bingo room in case a race monitor has to let them know of an issue with a run. This could include informing them on a Bingo square issue that could require a reset and/or penalty two minutes.
- As is standard FFR policy, if a race ends within three seconds or less between players, the tournament admins will perform a manual retime of the race. If, after the retime, the race is still within one second, a re-race will be required and participants must make themselves available to run that race.
- While on stream, and in interviews afterwards, players must comport themselves and act to the expected standards for on-air behavior. This includes, but is not limited to: no cussing, no rants about the other player, no rants about the tournament, no rants about the format, no rants about the streaming service. This extends not only to the on-air portion of the event but to Twitch chat and public-facing Discords as well. Anyone that acts in a manner counter to the professional attitude and bearing we expect from our players at this event will be disqualified from the tournament.
Some players have asked what they will be allowed to use in the tournament. Of the concerns raised so far, the tournament will allow:
- Reset buttons (hard and soft reset) may be mapped to controllers. The old standard, where these buttons could not be mapped to a controller, was an SRL standard and is no longer in use in FFR races, and it will not be enforced at SGLive.
- Players may use their fun graphical hacks for their game. That is, of course, with the caveat that the rom must pass the “Tournament Safe” flag, so players will really only be able to edit their hero sprites. If the sprites are not recognizable as the traditional heroes of the game, the players must name their characters after the classes being used (i.e., FI, TH, BB, RM, BM, WM). As an example, using FF3 versions of the sprites is fine and does not require players to adjust the character names, but using Ranma 1/2 sprites, or Breath of Fire sprites, or Castlevania sprites, etc.. isn’t as easy to understand and would require conformed, basic names for the characters. And, of course, character names, and hero sprites, must conform to the above standards listed (so no swear words for character names, and no offensive sprites of any kind, etc.).
Bingo and Flags
- Round One Flags
- Note, as the tournament progresses, the basic flags will be update to (a) decrease the amount of possible bonuses for Blursed Gear and to (b) reduce to the number of Bonuses/increase the number of Maluses for Blursed Classes. Revisions to the flags will be announced ahead of time to let all players have a chance to practice them.
- List of Possible Bingo Squares
- Explanation of Bingo Squares
- Bingosync Site
- Use the dropdown to select “Final Fantasy 1” as the Game, “Randomizer Winter DAB” as the Variant, and “Non-Lockout” as the Mode.
FAQs
Q: Why won’t there be a delay for the event?
A: The players will play on a shared Bingo board. They will already get some “meta” information as their opponent fills in squares, and that’s just the nature of the game. Beyond that, because the board fills in real time, a delay would mean that we would be ten or fifteen minutes behind the board getting filled in, which would be bad for streaming. For the sake of the event, and how DAB games are normally played, we are waving the standard delay for this event.
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Q: What color choices are available for the Bingo board?
A: The two players in the race can choose from Red or Green (the two colors selected as they appear best, with the most contrast, against the Winter DAB layout). If the players can’t choose who will be what color, it will be chosen for them.
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Q: I see Tavern Mode is on. How does that work for the squares dictating party composition?
A: The definition of a party comp square states that the team must start and end with the required party members on the team. What happens between the start screen and killing Chaos, though, is up to you, so for a square that states you have to take two Black Mages (as an example), you have to have those two on the start screen, and they both must be in the party when Chaos is terminated. In the case of a tile that states an or preference, such as having 0 or 3 Black Belts, you could start with 0 Black Belts and end with 3 Black Belts, and the intent of the square would be fulfilled. In all cases, start and end of seed are all that matters; the time in between, though, is up to you.
Note that you can promote these classes and still have them count, so a Black Wizard counts for a Black Mage tile, a Monk counts for a Black Belt tile, etc. The only time this would be an issue is if you have a tile that says, “Never Promote”, but then you would need to keep that in mind while filling in your board.
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Q: For the tile “Use All Elemental Spells in Battle”, is that in a single battle or over the course of the seed?
A: That’s over the course of the seed. Track it however you can, and then mark the square once your party has cast at least one spell from each of the eight elements: Fire, Lightning, Ice, Earth, Time, Death, Status, and Stone/Poison, along with at least one cast of a non-elemental spell (such as NUKE, FADE, HARM, and most buffing and curative spells).
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Q: For the tiles “Use Only Blessed Gear” and “Use Only Cursed Gear”, where does neutral (zero-rated) gear fall? Can I use this, too?
A: This is actually answered by the Explanation of Bino Squares doc (linked above), but the answer is no; zero-rated gear does not count and cannot be used if this is one of your required squares.
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Q: For the tiles where I have to kill a certain set of enemies (like “Kill 3 Kinds of Wolves”), let’s say I kill a wolf and then reset out of the dungeon -- does that still count?
A: So long as you kill an enemy and win the battle, you can check that enemy off your list. So in the case of wolves -- Wolf, GrWolf, WrWolf, and FrWolf -- if you kill a WrWolf and win the battle, you could then reset out of the dungeon (or other location) you were at and that kill will still count. It only fails to count if you lose, or otherwise fail to win, the battle (such as resetting immediately upon a kill).
Also of note, if the enemy runs from the battle, and then you successfully finish the encounter, that, too, counts. A morale broken enemy is still defeated, so you get credit for the kill.
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Q: If I have a square that requires me to kill a specific enemy with a specific spell (like “Bane Tiamat”), does item magic still count?
A: Yes. In your example, the tile requires you to “Bane Tiamat”, so you can do this either with the BANE spell or with the Bane Sword (used as an item, not, like, physically hitting Tiamat with the sword). Both ways of casting the spell count so long as Tiamat actually dies from BANE.
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Q: For the tiles where I have to see a certain element, do I have to survive the battle?
A: No. Some of those skills/spells could come early in the game and forcing you to survive those elemental attacks with a low-level party would be cruel. So long as you see an element cast by an enemy, even if you die, it counts.
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Q: For the tiles where I have to spend X amount of money in a shop, can I reset out of my game after spending that money (to get it all back)? And how do I spend all of that? Can it be in multiple trips or all at once?
A: No. The requirement is that you spend the money, not that you kind of spend it but not really. If you have to spend a certain amount of gold, that gold needs to permanently be removed from your pool. The same goes for the tiles that task you to earn X amount of money in a shop -- you have to sell gear to do it, and that will come with the penalty that it might be gear you need later, so you have to decide if the loss of the gear is worth filling in the square.
For these tiles, you are allowed to spend (or earn) a bunch of money buying (or selling) equipment, and then immediately, while staying in the shop, sell (or buy) more equipment to generate more sales revenue, and then repeat the process to get over the monetary threshold. Note, though, that these tiles have to be done in a single trip to a shop, not over multiple visits.
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Q: For tiles where I have to throw some item or another out into space (“Throw the Masamune out of the Sky 3 Window), I assume that has to be permanent as well?
A: Yes. Like with the shops, where selling an item has to remain permanent (no resetting out after to get an item back but still keep the Bingo square lit), if you are required to throw an item away, that item must remain thrown away.
Note, though, that you might throw the Masa away, and then be forced to reset out later due to an enemy encounter going poorly. So long as it’s unintentional, you do not need to go back to the Sky 3 floor and throw the sword out the window a second time. Simply drop it on the ground (so it remains out of your inventory) and move on with your seed.
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Q: Can I use STUN and other non-damaging spells during the battle with Garland for the “Garland Boxing” tile?
A: Yes. So long as all the damage you do is from your punches, any non-damaging status spell is fair to use. Damaging spells, and instant-death spells, are not to be used for this tile in the Garland battle.
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Q: For the tile “Canoe from Elfand to Ice Cave”, can this trip be done in reverse (start at Ice Cave and canoe to Elfland) for it to count?
A: No, it’s a trip of inconvenience and only the trip to Ice Cave from Elfland counts for this tile.
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Q: For tiles where I have to take a certain class (in a certain number, such as “Take 2 Back Mages”), am I allowed to change my party at any times?
A: If you use a tavern to swap out party members, this is allowed, but you must switch your party back before you go to fight Chaos. You are not allowed to reroll your party at any time.
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Q: For the tile “Promote as Soon as Possible”, what if the TAIL is behind a nasty encounter and while I think the TAIL is there, I don’t know? How do I handle this tile?
A: If you suspect the TAIL is there but you don’t have confirmation, you don’t have to battle your way in. You are free to go elsewhere and clear other locations in the world. It’s only once you know the TAIL’s resting place (such as it’s the last location you could possibly clear) or you already have the TAIL (and AIRSHIP) in hand that you have to go to Bahamut and class change.
This also applies to if the TAIL shows up in a shop and is hideously expensive. If you can’t afford the TAIL you aren’t forced to immediately grind for it to get the item. You do, however, have to put in a good-faith effort to pick up the TAIL as soon as you have the money, and then go class change. For example, if you find a good tile you could grind on, and you get enough money for the TAIL, you have to stop grinding, go class change (assuming you have the AIRSHIP in this scenario) and then come back after class change if you want to grind further.
This is one of those special scenarios where you have to have two key items -- TAIL and AIRSHIP -- so once one of those ends up in your inventory, you’re running out the clock on the other. As long as a good faith effort is put in to respect the intent of the tile then you’ve followed the goal here.
Also note that, in some instances, going through the dungeon could be faster than walking back out the way you came. The point is to force you into a situation where you might have to promote earlier than you wanted (especially if you have a BB seed). So, in these instances, the general rule is you can complete the dungeon (fight the boss, check chests) so long as you don’t do anything to prolong the dungeon (sit and grind).
Additionally, you do not get to light this tile until you promote. If you need to have this tile (as it’s forced) you have to keep digging for key items until you find the TAIL and FLOATER so you can promote. It doesn’t count until you’ve hit promotion.
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Q: What can I equip if I have “equip no swords”?
A: Anything but a sword. You may only equip weapons that have a non-sword icon (chuck, dagger, staff, axe, hammer) or the Catclaw (which is technically a short sword but Black Mages can use it, and if a Black Mage can use it is it really a sword?). High end weapons such as the Katana, Vorpal, Excaliber, Defense (swung as a weapon), and the all powerful Masamune are not allowed.
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Q: If I have “Do Not Use Caster Items”, am I allowed to swing it as a weapon? If I have “Use No Swords”, can I use the Defense sword as a casting item?
A: In both cases, the answer is “yes”. If you are not allowed to use swords, that means “equipping it and swinging it in battle”, so using it for the spell it could cast, but not as a weapon, is fine. Similarly, if you are not allowed to use “casting items”, that means using it for its spell. You can still equip the item for its offensive weapon capabilities (or, in the case of gear, as a piece of armor that deflects damage).
Q: I have a “Kill X Types of [Enemy]” tile but I can’t find the final type. What do I do?
A: This was something that was more recently pointed out the planning committee and, for a stop-gap measure for this tournament, we have made some adjustments for specific versions of this tile:
- For the Ogres, both Ogres and Bulls are allowed for the tile.
- For Giants, both Giants and Trolls are acceptable.
- And, finally, for Lizards, both Lizards (Saurias, Agamas, and Iguanas) and Gators are allowed.
For the other enemy types, such as wolves and dragons, there are more versions of the enemy than the tile requires to complete the “kill list”, so these are easier to achieve. We hope this helps and makes the tiles much more manageable.
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Q: Who generates the Bingo board for the players?
A: Whoever is acting as the active gatekeeper for the race will roll the seed and they’ll generate the Bingo room and board. They will do this 30 minutes before the start of the race, so the board can be properly cropped, but the room will only be passed to the players ten minutes before the race start -- the same lead time as is normally given for the race seed.
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Q: When the players are getting ready for their match and selecting the row/column/diagonal for their opponent, in what order are selected rows called?
A: At the same time. In fairness to both players, each player will select the row/column/diagonal for their foe in private and then send that selection to the gatekeeper. Once both players have made their selection, the gatekeeper will then reveal both at once in the race room and Bingo room (to ensure it’s not missed).
Remember, you only have to pick your opponent’s forced line ahead of time. The other row you’ll complete for yourself can be done at any time while you run the seed. You have to finish your forced row and any other (or multiple) as you see fit, so long as you fill in two (the one forced plus additional free selection).
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Q: What happens if I accidentally do something that breaks one of my required squares?
A: In most cases, the player will be informed, in the Bingo chat room, that they’ve messed up one of their squares. If possible, the player will need to immediately reset back to their last save and redo whatever they were doing, avoiding whatever action violated that square. For instance, if the player equips a piece of Blessed Gear while they have a square that only allows them to “Use Only Cursed Gear”, they would reset back to their last save and proceed again without putting on that piece of offending gear. In some instances (such as using a CABIN when they have a square that says “Use No CABINs or HOUSEs”, if they save after violating the square, the race monitor will inform the player in the Bingo chat and the player will need to pause their game and wait for two minutes as penalty.
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Q: What happens if a bingo board can’t be completed, like if there are two squares in a row that work opposite each other?
A: Bingosync’s boards are set up in such a way to try and prevent this from happening (there’s a sanity checker in place to try to avoid grouping like-squares). It can still happen -- “Only Use Blessed Gear” and “Only Use Cursed Gear” being in the same row, or a row that somehow dictates that you must have five different characters in your team, but it’s very rare. Still, if it does happen, where any row on the board may not be completed for whatever reason, the board will be rerolled.