# Tournament Gametype The Tournament gameplay (gametype 3) in Duelers mod is very different from the normal Tournament in basejk. Fundamentally, it does not rely on restarting the map for each pair of dueling players but rather it uses an FFA-like context and the multi-duel non-interference code developed in version 1.1 of Duelers. This section is devoted to explaining the way this new gametype works. ## Non-Interference You cannot play the tournament mode with the Non-interference code turned off. Even if you set the Cvar to 0, the game will reset it to 1. The foundation of the new gametype is that fact that one can select multiple pairs of players to duel each other simultaneously. Each pair will see only themselves and will not interact in any way with the other players on the map at the same time. When you are not dueling you will be able to watch all of the other duels. (Though it might be tough to pick out just who is fighting who when there are a lot of players in a small space!). The non-interference code removes the restriction of having only two players on a duel map at the same time. With multiple, simultaneous duels, much of the time you must spend waiting for a turn to duel is eliminated. ## Score, Wins, and Losses When playing a Tournament game with Duelers, three statistics are maintained. For each duel played, there will always be a winner and a loser. The total number of wins and losses is tracked for each player. A match consists of a set of duels fought between the same pair of players. The number of duels in a match is set by the system administrator using the "fraglimit" directive. If the fraglimit is set to, say, 2, then each match is a "best of three" competition. The first player to win two of the duels is declared the winner of the match and a point is added to their score. Wins and losses and your score are only reset to zero when the tournament is completed and a new map is started. A player can decide to take a break and become a spectator with no penalty -- of course, inactivity timers may still apply. The tournament ends when either the "timelimit" is reached or the score of the leading player reaches "duel_fraglimit". Both of these parameters are set by the server administrator. If the m_dXT cvar is set, and the "timelimit" is reached, no new matches will be started. However, any matches currently underway will be allowed to finish before the level ends. ## The Scoreboard and Target Information The scoreboard and information provided when you target a player have been enhanced to help you understand what you see during gameplay. The Scoreboard (shown when you press the 'scores' key) shows:
| player names and who they are currently dueling, if anyone;
| their score, wins and losses;
| their ping and time on the level.
The Scoreboard is sorted by score and represents the top scoring players on the server. There may well be more players playing on the server than will be displayed on the Scoreboard. The targeting information shows the player name and also their current dueling partner, if any. This can help make sense of what you are seeing while you observe other duels while waiting for your next match. When you are actually dueling yourself the targeting information only shows the name of your opponent and, of course, you will not see any other players on the map. ## Spectators and Suicides During a Duelers Tournament, a player may elect to become a spectator or to commit suicide. A suicide will forfeit any match you are current playing. You will be assigned to a new duel once you re-spawn again. Your score will remain the same as it was when you killed yourself. If you decide to become a spectator, you will forfeit any match you are currently playing. While you are a spectator, you will be able to watch all gameplay and you will not be included in any new duel pairs. If you follow a particular player, you will see the gameplay from their perspective -- the duel non-interference code will also work for you while following a player in a duel. Once you rejoin the game, you will resume being considered for duels, albeit from a possibly different place on the ladder since other players may have better scores now. ## The Ladder The ladder only exists as a logical construct in the game, but if you think of the Scoreboard you will get a good image of what it "looks" like. The ladder is a sorted list of all the active players on the map. Players who are spectators are not considered active. The list begins with the player with the highest score and all other players follow in descending order of their scores. Each time a match is completed and a player score is updated, the Ladder is re-sorted and ranks may be changed accordingly. According to their relative position in the Ladder, each player is a number of ranks away from another. For example, the player in first place and the player in fourth place are "3" ranks distant from each other. Players may only duel each other when they are a minimum distance from each other on the ladder. By default this distance is "1", however it can be set by the administrator of the game server. The minimum distance requirement makes the Ladder work like a traditional sport competition ladder where you must play against players near you on the ladder and only by defeating your neighbours and advancing up the ladder will you be able to play more skilled players. ## Creating New Matches The game creates new matches automatically. When you are placed in a duel with another player, a message will appear in the centre of your screen to let you know who you are about to duel. You will see their player icon in the top right of the screen as well. Any currently active force powers will be cancelled at the start of the duel. Your health, shield and force manna pool will all be topped up to maximum. There is a short period at the beginning when neither player is allowed to move. An audio "Begin" announcement will play and that is the start of the battle. In order to find pairs of players for each match, the game scans the ladder starting at the top and working down. When it finds a player who is not currently dueling but needs to continue dueling the previous player as part of a match in progress, another duel is set up with the same partner. If the player is not dueling and has completed the current match, then the game searches the rest of the ladder for another player who is also not dueling. If there is another player not dueling and that player is within the minimum distance on the ladder, a new match and duel is begun with that player. However, this player must not be the same player as in your previous match unless either you or they have played another match in between. [That is, unless you are the only two players on the map, you can't continue to compete with the same player over and over again without also competing with others]. Note that these rules do not ensure that you will always have a dueling partner available right away. You may have to wait until someone with the right "qualifications" becomes available! A quick look at the Scoreboard may help you understand who will likely be your next opponent. Be careful interpreting the Scoreboard however and remember that it is continuously updated as the matches currently in progress finish. ## Summary In review, the new tournament gametype has the following features
| Gameplay takes place in an FFA-like context, but with tournament style logic for assigning duel based competition -- all players are on the map at the same time and the map is not restarted to begin new duels.
| When dueling, the duelers appear to be completely alone on the map. You can be on a duel map with 30 other players and it will still seem just like a traditional duel.
| Duels and matches are established by the game automatically. Your position on the ladder (or score), the allowed challenge range on the ladder, and the availability of a suitable dueling partner are the only factors used in setting up a duel. In particular, multiple simultaneous duels happen all the time -- much less waiting than with basejk tournament play.
| You may become a spectator to take a break from the action.
| You may watch other duel action or you can battle other players in a free for all mode while waiting for your next official duel. Kills or deaths will not effect your score, wins, losses or status on the ladder.