Winter Robot Wars Chaos Wing X
2024 Winter Tournament
Rules & Guidance
Welcome to the 2024 Winter Tournament, Winter Robot Wars Chaos Wing X, FFR's biggest tournament of the year. The event pits players in 1v1 bracket matches to determine this year's champion. The event this year will feature three weeks of qualifier group matches before heading into a 1v1, double-elimination bracket, all so players can take their shot at being the top of the heap.
About the Tournament
This year's Winter Tournament will follow a two-part structure. The first part will be required qualifiers. Twelve matches will be scheduled, four per week, with three handled as live, group races and the fourth as a weekly async. Players are required to race in at least four matches during these three weeks, and then their top four scores will be averaged, creating their seed for the bracket.
The bracket with be double-elimination, a new change from past Spring and Winter Tournaments. This type of bracket results in a similar number of matches to a single elimination system, but with the added benefit that players get to play more opponents, and in the lower bracket, more players at their same skill level.
All live races will be conducted on the Winter Tournament 2024 leaderboard on Racetime.gg (aysncs will be handled in a special set of channels on the FFR Discord). Players will need to have a Racetime account, as well as a Twitch stream to broadcast to, if they wish to participate in the tournament.
Important Dates:
- Sign-ups: December 2, 2023 - January 6, 2024 @ 11:59 PM EST
- Official Start of the Tournament (Qualifiers): January 7, 2024
- Weekly Race 1: Tuesdays at 10:00 PM EST
- Weekly Race 2: Thursdays at 7:00 PM EST
- Weekly Race 3: Sundays at 3:00 PM EST
- Weekly Async: Starts Fridays at 10:00 AM EST (runs for 36 hours)
- Bracket Seeding Reveal Stream: January 28, 2024 at 9:00 PM EST
- Start of Brackets: January 29, 2024
Tournament Structure:
Qualifiers
The first phase of the tournament will be qualifiers. Unlike in years past, these qualifiers will be required for participation in the tournament. Qualifiers will run for three weeks, starting on January 7, 2024. Three of the races each week will be conducted live, on Racetime.gg, and streamed. The fourth race each week will be conducted as an async race, with players allotted 36 hours to complete their run in that race. Players are required to play in at least four total of these races (live and async) to qualify for the tournament. That does mean that players who choose to primarily run in the asyncs will still have to schedule at least one live race as well. Dates and times for the live races were designed to give as much flexibility and openness for players schedules as was possible.
Scoring for each qualifier race will be based around the top player's run time, with lower scores being better. The top time of the race will get a 0. All other runs will get 1 point for each minute (and fractional points for each second) players score above that time, capped at 15 points max. The four best times for each player across all their runs (both live and async runs) will be averaged and used to create their qualifier seed. This will then determine their placement in brackets.
Note, all qualified players will be placed into brackets. No one will be eliminated at this stage of the tournament (assuming they've played their four required races). As such, no play-in race or last chance qualifier will be required this year.
Async Races
As noted, async races will be run on the FFR Discord. The async each week will be posted at 10:00 AM EST that Friday. The post will have the seed link and hash. Players will have 36 hours to complete the race, and players may complete the seed at any point during that time period. Once the 36 hours have elapsed, the async will be closed and any scores submitted after that point will not count. Late runs will get a DNF if submitted after the cut-off.
Once they have run the race, players should submit their times, and a link to their race vod, on the Async Submission Form. As scores are submitted, a leaderboard will be populated allowing players a chance to see how they did against everyone else in that race.
Races are run using the honor system. While you are allowed to practice flags before playing a seed, do not practice a seed before playing it. Everyone must go into their races fresh without foreknowledge of a specific seed. Any time proven to have come from a practiced seed (or other given foreknowledge) will be voided. Repeat violations from a player will require the removal of that player from the tournament.
Async races must be done in one attempt, with timer visible the entire run. Once a seed begins, you are not allowed to pause/stop the timer until Chaos is defeated. You are allowed to take breaks if needed but your timer must stay running the entire time even during those breaks.
Racers must stream their races. Although async races are not broadcast on a major broadcast channel (such as RPGLB or SG) there must be video proof of your race to verify your run. Make sure your vods are saved on Twitch, YouTube, or your streaming service of choice. Any run completed without a vod to verify it will be voided.
We require that all entrants keep their stream on emote only mode during official races.
Brackets
With everyone scored and seeded, play will then progress to brackets. This year will feature a double-elimination bracket, which will seem quite daunting when first witnessed. It will have a lot of slots on it, and it will look like a lot of games will have to be played. This is true, but it's worth noting that all matches in this year's bracket are Best-of-1 (Bo1) instead of previous year's Best-of-3 matches. Bo1, combined with a double-elim bracket, comes out to the same number of minimum required matches while also allowing more players opportunities to play against various opponents.
Once fully seeded, bracket play will begin. Because double-elimination brackets have a lot of games, with many different opponents, we need all players to be ready to schedule their matches once they know their opponents, all so we can keep the bracket moving. Players will have four days to schedule and play their races. This comes out to, effectively, the same number of required matches within the same allotted time as in tournaments past.
Please note that due to the large number of races, especially early in the tournament, not all races will be broadcast. We will run two matches a day during the first week of the tournament (14 max), with games selected based on who scheduled it first and if they already have a broadcast team set to go for their match. Races with broadcasters ready to go will have priority over matches where the tournament team has to find volunteers.
After the first week of the tournament, once players have moved deeper into the bracket, all Winner's Bracket matches will be streamed. Lower Bracket matches will only be streamed once players have moved into the Elite 8. This eases broadcast burden and keeps our volunteers from overworking themselves. That said, if players in a Lower Bracket match are able to pull together their own broadcast team, that match will go on the air.
Please note that bracket is not officially populated until after qualifiers are over.
Finals
Unlike the rest of the tournament, the Finals will be a Best-of-3 (Bo3) match. This will include a scoring reset, so the Winner of the Winner's Bracket will not come in with a one game advantage over the Winner of the Lower Bracket. Finals will be scheduled at the players' convenience and all games will be broadcast.
In the Event of Ties
While unlikely, ties are possible. In the Final Fantasy Randomizer community, a race will be retimed if both players finish within three (3) seconds or less of each other. If this occurs, a tournament staffer will retime the race off the Twitch streams from both players. If the final time is within 1 second between the players, the race will be considered a tie. If this occurs during Brackets that race will need to be re-run. If it occurs during Finals, another race will be added to the Bo3 series.
Note that ties during Qualifiers, even at the top for that day, are not considered an issue. Tied scores in qualifiers will stand.
The Flags
Flags this year play to a different skill set from recent events. They feature an incentive pool of items (swords, armor, safety gear) gained from “Fetch Quest” NPCs, but all Key Items will be loose in the world. It's like an “Oops All Loose” flagset, but with some ability to control your end-game gear.
Drafting and Other Allowances:
Although the flags allow for open parties, players are allowed to agree to a specific party, as they like, before the seed is rolled. This can be any combination of characters and nones, or even just random four forced (4orced). Party changes (forcing) must be done before the seed is rolled and must be agreed to by both players.
Players may also choose to modify the flags with the below set of approved changes (and only these approved changes):
- Scale:
- Encounter Rates:
- Overworld Encounter Rate can be increased (but not decreased) by up to 0.20x (cap of 0.70x).
- Dungeon Encounter Rate can be increased (but not decreased) by up to 0.27x (cap of 0.80x).
- Encounter Rates:
- Maps:
- Towns:
- Confused Old Men may be turned on.
- Dungeons:
- Sky Castle 4F: Change Normal to Teleporters or Maze
- Generated Waterfall may be turned on.
- Flip Dungeons Horizontally may be turned on.
- Swap Stair Locations may be turned on.
- Towns:
- Treasures:
- Trapped Chests:
- All flags in this sub-section may be turned on.
- Trapped Chests:
- Enemies:
- Warmech:
- Change Patrolling to Required.
- Astos:
- Buffed may be turned on.
- Shuffled Location may be turned on.
- Fiends:
- Alternate Fiends may be turned on. (Please note this can lead to some pretty difficult ToFRs.)
- Bahamut:
- Fight maybe be turned on.
- Fight + Buffed may also be turned on.
- Warmech:
- Party:
- Allowed Starting Classes:
- Party Draft may be turned on. Pool size can be any (between 4 and 8), as agreed upon by both players.
- Allowed Starting Classes:
- Adjustments:
- RNG:
- Fix Missing Battle RNG Entry may be turned on.
- RNG:
- Experimental:
- Set RNG may be turned on
- Procedurally Generated Earth Cave
Gentlerunner's agreements are allowed (such as both runners must accomplish a random task), but if you make an agreement you must confirm it with the staffer in the race room, and you must honor that agreement. Failure to do so could result in vacating results of the race.
The Winter Tournament staffer gatekeeping the race room will confirm all changes agreed upon before they roll the seed.
Sign-Ups:
Please sign up using the Winter Tournament Participant Form. ALL ENTRANTS MUST BE A MEMBER OF THE FFR DISCORD SERVER.
By signing up, you agree to be held to the Final Fantasy Randomizer Discord’s Code of Conduct while engaged as a participant of this event. Violations of the Code of Conduct may result in consequences ranging from a warning to bans from the discord, the tournament, all further events; these consequences may extend to other communities as well.
Scheduling Matches:
Use the below form to schedule your matches. As a reminder, players should avoid scheduling matches on days that are already busy on the schedule to avoid over burdening the broadcasting crew.
Broadcasting and Restreaming:
If you are being restreamed, the following Quality of Life flags will be required:
This request is to accommodate spectators who may be photosensitive. If you fail to make this accommodation, you will not be featured on future restreams unless you enable these features in your next race.
Stream Requirements:
- Runners need to be in their race room with their streams up and on the FF "blue screen" 20 minutes before the race starts. If you aren't up and ready to be streamed at that point you won't be on a restream. Game needs to be up, clearly visible, and not covered by other windows (including an emulator with another game or the FFR website with flags showing) for the duration of the stream. Please do not play another game on stream while you wait for the race to start.
- All races during the tournament will require a 10 minute (600 second) stream delay. If you need help setting this up in your broadcast software, please notify a Tournament Staff member.
- Certain broadcast partners may request that your stream outputs be resized to be less taxing on the restreamer’s resources.
- Players must have online archives of their races vods for the duration of the tournament in case of need for review later.
- A timer must be visible on your stream. This is necessary for broadcasted races and non-broadcasted races. Stream timers will be used to sync broadcast races as well as determine outcomes in case of a draw.
- The Tournament Safe ROM feature will be on for the entirety of the tournament. If you have questions or concerns, please contact a Tournament Staff member.
Custom Sprites:
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 or NSFW sprites of any kind, etc.). Questionable sprites should be sent to a Tournament Organizer for review/approval.
The Use of Trackers:
Throughout the Winter Tournament 2023 runners will be able to use trackers to help track key items and locations checked. However, the tracker must not be automated. Trackers which update entrances based on user input are allowed.
Conduct:
While on stream, and in interviews afterwards, players are expected to behave professionally and act to the expected standards for on-air behavior. This includes, but is not limited to: no inappropriate language, no rants about the other player, no rants about the tournament, no rants about the format, no rants about the streaming service, etc. 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.
Dropping/No Show Rules:
- If you wish to drop from the tournament, you are free to do so. Please inform a Tournament Staff Person by pinging @Winter Tournament Staff as soon as possible.
- If a player drops during the bracket round, this will be treated as if the runner forfeit the match and their opponent will move on to the next stage of play.
- If a runner does not respond to their paired opponent for the purposes of scheduling their required races, tournament staff should be notified after 24 hours, so that staff can assist in the situation.
- Please make every reasonable effort to complete your match(es) with your opponent(s). Should there be any reason why you are not able to complete your race in a given week, please contact the tournament staff as soon as possible.
- If it is 10 minutes until the race start a player has not shown up for their race or, at the very least, contacted their opponent and tournament staff, they are considered a no-show for that match. This will be considered a forfeit for the no-show runner and a win will be awarded to the person who showed up for the race.
- The person who showed up for the race can request a rematch with their opponent; the person who was a no-show cannot request a rematch.
- If the person who showed up for the race desires it, and a broadcast was scheduled, they may do an exhibition run of the seed. They are under no obligation to do so once the win is awarded. It's just for fun. If an exhibition is run, depending on the original channel scheduled, do note that the broadcast channel may change.
- If neither runner shows up for the scheduled race, the runners will have the opportunity to reschedule their race within the current deadline of the tournament stage in which the race is supposed to happen. If both players fail to reschedule, it will be considered a loss for both.
- A forced double-loss in the Winner's Bracket will result in a coin flip to determine who will move on to the next Winner's round and who will drop to the Lower Bracket.
- A forced double-loss in the Lower Bracket will results in the player eliminated in the previous round moving on to the next stage of play.
Game Rules:
All games will be run using Racetime.gg. You will be asked if you have an account when entering into the tournament; please make sure you do so. You may use a console or approved emulator to play. All races are blind.
The winner will be determined by the Racetime's timer, unless external technical difficulties are in place, or if the race is decided by 3 seconds or less. In either case, the runners may agree upon a race retime. If they do not, a Tournament Organizer will retime the runs by hand and determine the winner.
Accidental Forfeits:
If you accidentally forfeit, please re-enter within 60 seconds of the forfeit. If the 60 seconds elapse, or you forfeit three (3) times in a race, the forfeit will be official. If you accidentally “.done” during the race before completing the race, let the tournament staff in the race know that it was an accident and re-enter the race as soon as possible.
Forfeits Due to Technical Issues:
If somebody has a technical issue that results in a forfeit (e.g. power loss, internet outage, hardware malfunction, software issues, etc.), please notify tournament staff as soon as possible! If you are unaware of the issue that caused the forfeit (e.g. LiveSplit integration betrayed you), a tournament staff will contact you as soon as possible via Discord and tell you of the issue.
Anti-Cheating Policy:
Cheating is not tolerated in community races. This includes, but is not limited to: using any external programs to analyze a ROM, looking at your competitor’s stream or chat, looking at the restream or the restream chat, or hacking the ROM to give yourself any sort of advantage. Any cheating discovered will result in penalties ranging from a forfeit of the race or instant disqualification from the tournament. Additionally, bans on participation in future FFR events or events organized by other communities may be sanctioned depending on the nature of the offense.
We require that all entrants keep their stream on emote only mode during official races.