Open Free-For-All Format & Rules

1. Random Seeding of Players

1. All participants will be randomly seeded into the Free-For-All (FFA) tournament bracket. This ensures a fair and unbiased starting point for all players. The random seeding process will be conducted prior to the commencement of the tournament and announced to all players.

2. Match Composition

1. Each match will feature a maximum of 8 players. If fewer than 8 players are available for a match (due to dropouts, disqualification, or other reasons), the match will still proceed with the available players.
2. In any match where 4 or fewer players are competing (due to dropouts, disqualification, or other reasons), the match must be played to completion. All players must finish the game to ensure accurate point distribution, which is critical for fair seeding in the 4v4 bracket.

3. Match Hosting

1. Dedicated Servers: There will be no player-hosted matches. All games will be played on dedicated servers to ensure fairness and consistency.

4. Advancement to Next Round

1. The top 4 players from each match—those finishing in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place—will advance to the next round of the tournament. This progression continues until only 8 players remain, at which point the tournament will conclude with the Grand Final Match. Any ties that occur throughout the tournament will be resolved according to the tiebreaker rules outlined below.

5. Tiebreaker Rules

1. In the event of a tie between players, the following criteria will be used in the specified order to break the tie:
   

1. Score: The total score from the match.
2. Kills: The number of kills achieved during the match.
3. Deaths: The number of times the player died, with fewer deaths being preferable.
4. Assists: The number of assists recorded.
5. Shots Hit: The total number of shots that successfully hit a target.
6. Hit Percentage: The percentage of total shots fired that hit a target.
7. Player v Player: The outcome of direct encounters between the tied players during the match.

6. Point Allocation and Progression

1. Points will be awarded based on the player’s final placement in each round. The points awarded will increase incrementally by 1 for each position as the tournament progresses. For example, if a player earns 8 points for finishing 1st in Round 1, they will earn 9 points for finishing 1st in Round 2, and so on. This increasing point system adds extra weight to later rounds, making every match critical to success.

7. Points and 4v4 Tournament Seeding

1. The cumulative points earned throughout the FFA tournament will be used to determine seeding in the subsequent 4v4 tournament bracket. Higher point totals will generally lead to a more favorable seeding position, offering an advantage in the team-based competition that follows.
2. Any participant who is also serving as a coach for a 4v4 team in the tournament will have their points from the FFA tournament excluded from seeding calculations. This rule ensures that players who are also coaches do not gain an unfair advantage in the seeding process, maintaining the competitive integrity of the tournament.

8. Gameplay Restrictions

1. No Grenade Jumping: Grenade jumping to reach elevated areas is prohibited.
2. No Super Bouncing: Super bouncing is prohibited.
3. No Exiting Map Boundaries: Players must stay within the normal boundaries of the map at all times.
4. No Use of Action Replay: Action Replay devices are strictly forbidden.
5. No Guardian Glitch: Exploiting the "Guardian Glitch" is prohibited.
6. No Covenant Elite Character: The use of the Covenant Elite character is prohibited.

9. Sportsmanship and Game Integrity

7. No Kill Trading in FFA Matches: Players caught intentionally giving kills to others during an FFA match will receive a warning. Two warnings in the same game will result in disqualification. Warnings reset at the start of each game.
8. No Communication During FFA Matches: Communication between players during Free-For-All (FFA) games is prohibited. Taunting is permitted.
9. Ending a Game: Incorrectly ending a game without referee approval may result in a forfeit.
10. Gamertags: Players must use their registered Gamertag for all matches.

10. Warm-Up Games

11. No warm-up games are allowed outside of scheduled warm-up periods.
12. During scheduled warm-up periods, the top 4 players (1st - 4th place) may remain in the game, while the bottom 4 (5th - 8th place) must step out to allow waiting players to join.

11. Technical Rules

13. TV Volume: Players must not raise the TV volume above [specified limit]. This rule does not apply to players using headphones.
14. Equipment Malfunctions: If an Xbox or TV malfunctions, the game will be restarted from the beginning.
15. Referee Approval: Any game started without a referee's approval will be restarted.

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FFA Tournament Format

1. All players will be randomly seeded into the FFA tournament.
2. Each match will consist of a maximum of 8 players.
3. Host will be randomly selected for all matches in Round 1. For all subsequent rounds, the player with the highest score from the previous round will be selected to host.
4. A player selected to host can decline hosting privilege for any round with the exception of Round 1. The player with the next highest score from the previous round will be selected to Host.
5. Players who finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th in each match will advance to the next round of the tournament until 8 players remain in the tournament.
6. All matches with 4 players (or less) must be played out to determine point distribution.
7. Tiebreakers (in order): Score, Kills, Deaths, Assists, Shots Hit, Hit %, Player v Player.
8. Points will be awarded to players based on their placement in each round. After each round, points will increase by 1 for each placement.
9. Points will be used to determine seeding for the 4v4 tournament bracket.
   (Points earned by participants who are coaching a 4v4 team are ineligible for seeding)

General Rules

1. No grenade jumping.
2. No super bouncing.
3. No communication between players during FFA games. Taunting is permitted.
4. No leaving the normal boundaries of a map.
5. No Action Replay.
6. No use of the "Guardian Glitch"
7. No use of the Covenant Elite character.
8. Players caught giving kills to other players during a FFA match will be warned. Players receiving two warnings during the same game will be disqualified. These warnings will not be carried over from game to game.
9. Incorrectly ending a game without the referee's permission may result in a forfeit.
10. Players must use their registered Gamertag during all matches.
11. No warm-up games may be played outside of scheduled warm-up periods.
12. During scheduled warm-up periods players who finish top 4 (1st - 4th) may stay on, but the bottom 4 (5th - 8th) must get up for any players waiting to play.
13. Players may not raise the TV volume above __. This rule doesn't apply to players using headphones.
14. In the case of an Xbox/TV malfunction, the game will be restarted from the beginning.
15. Games started without the approval of a referee will be restarted.
16. Players that fail to report to their station within 5 mins of the announcement, may forfeit the match.
    

Disqualification

1. Breaking rules #1-3 may result in a foul. Fouls stay with a player throughout the tournament. Two fouls during one game may result in a disqualification. A player that reaches a total of three fouls may result in a disqualification.
2. Breaking rules #4-8 may result in a disqualification.
3. Any sign of cheating may result in a disqualification and possible ejection.

Illegal Controllers

1. Any controller with Turbo or Wireless capabilities.
2. Keyboard & Mouse.

FFA Variant Setting Changes

• Score to Win Round = Unlimited
• Round Time Limit = 15 Minutes
• Suicide Penalty = None
• Starting Weapon = Battle Rifle
• Weapons on Map = Human
• Map = Midship

Example of Point System [256 Players]

Round-by-Round Breakdown [256 Players - ALL FULLSCREEN]