FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
ORGANISATION
Talent
Host
Commentators
Observer
Communication
CALENDAR
GENERAL RULES
Rules Updates
Fair-play and Respect
Availability and Communication
Confidentiality
Punctuality
Game Modifications
Communication Abuse
Cheat Software
Competition Manipulation
Betting
Sanctions
MAIN EVENT RULE
Travel Guidelines
Equipment
Training Area
Media Obligations
REGISTRATION
How to Register
Deadline
Regulations
GENERAL SETTINGS
DWL Mode
Lobby Settings
Game Settings
Player Restarts
Administrative Restarts
Qualification Phase
Qualification Deciders (Round of 12)
Main Event
Incorrect Civilisation
Laming
Bugs
Patrol Micro
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MAPS
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
Invited Players
Main Qualifier
Main Event
QUALIFICATION PHASE
Players Seed and Bracket Reveal
Qualifier Schedule
8th of November
9th of November
10th of November
Maps & Civilisations Draft
Rounds of 96, Best of 5
Rounds of 48, Best of 5
Rounds of 24, Best of 5
Round of 12, Best of 7
Score Report and Recorded Games
Replacements
MAIN EVENT
Players Seed
Tie Breakers in the Swiss Stage
Main Event Schedule
Sunday 15th of December
Monday 16th of December
Tuesday 17th of December
Wednesday 18th of December
Thursday 19th of December
Friday 20th of December
Saturday 21st of December
Sunday 22nd of December, final day
Maps & Civilisations Draft
Swiss Stage, best of 5
Playoff Stage, best of 7
PRIZE POOL
Main Event
Qualifiers
CONTENT CREATION
Broadcasting
Qualifiers
Main Event
Visuals and Assets
PoV Streaming
Recorded Content
Sponsoring Conflict
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FOREWORD
This handbook is designed to outline the rules and settings for the tournament “Noble Apartment Cup”.
It also has to be acknowledged that one should not expect this handbook to be fully and
absolutely comprehensive. At any time, decisions that are not explicitly stated in the handbook or even go against what is stated in the handbook can be taken by the tournament administration.
Every one of these decisions will be taken with the goal of preserving the fairness and integrity of the tournament. We wish everyone a great tournament.
INTRODUCTION
We are delighted to unveil the Noble Apartment Cup. A new Age of Empires 2 tournament at the highest level of competition, set inside the GamerLegion Apartment, now showcasing a fresh and refined aesthetic.
We honour the original spirit of the Apartment Cup, where everyone should feel comfortable and at home - yet noble.
Your presence is truly invaluable and we thank you for being an integral part of this grand affair.
ORGANISATION
This event is organised by GamerLegion.
TALENT
Host
Dash
Commentators
T90�Dave�Memb�T-West��Special Guest Commentator
Nili
Observer
The observer for the main event will be Vodka_L.
Communication
The main tool of communication between players and the tournament administration during the whole event will be the social platform Discord. You can visit discord.com to download and install the software.
You can join the Discord for the Qualifiers and all public information here.
Host and main administrator: Grabwespe
Administrator: JBR
Map pack supervisor: DocMaggie
CALENDAR
11th October - Announcement�14th October - Registration opens & Handbook release
31st October 23:59 UTC - Registration closed for Qualifier
8th November - 10th November - Qualifier
15th December - 22nd December - Main event
GENERAL RULES
Rules Updates
Rules can be added or modified at any time before and during the event if deemed necessary. Players are expected to be up-to-date with the latest version of the handbook.
A changelog can be found in the official Discord server.
Fair-play and Respect
All parties (players and staff) are expected to keep respectful and calm behaviour to one another in all situations during the event. Insults, racism, sexism, bad sportsmanship and overall bad behaviour toward any other party will not be tolerated.
Availability and Communication
When players register to the event, they are expected to be fully available at all the dates the event is taking place.
Once they are registered to the tournament, players must make an effort to be up-to-date with the latest evolutions of the tournament life that may concern them (including schedule, rules, settings and other information) by regularly checking platforms associated with the event. They must answer as quickly as possible to any question or enquiry the tournament administration may have for them. Players making no effort regarding schedule and communication may face prize money reduction, game forfeits or disqualification.
Confidentiality
The content and means of private communication between participants and the tournament administration is deemed strictly confidential. The publication of such content is prohibited without the explicit agreement of the tournament administration.
Punctuality
It is expected for all players at any stage of the event to be in the lobby and ready to play at the planned time set in the handbook or in the Discord server of the event for the round. In order to achieve that, it is recommended to start drafting at the latest 15 minutes before the starting time of every set. If a player is not able to play at the planned time, a 10% prize money reduction will ensue. If a player is not able to play 15 minutes after the planned time, they will be disqualified.
Game Modifications
Graphical mods available in the mod centre are allowed.
Communication Abuse
Communicating with people other than the tournament administration and the opponent during a game is strictly forbidden. This includes, but is not limited to: stream sniping, spectator cheating, communicating with stream chat or voice chat.
Cheat Software
The use of cheating software will not be tolerated. This includes but is not limited to: macros, hacks.
Competition Manipulation
All types of competition manipulation hindering competition integrity, will not be tolerated. This includes but is not limited to: seeding manipulation, bribing, threats to other participants.
The lowest ranked account used by a player between 26th October and 31st October will be used for seeding purposes.
Betting
Betting on the tournament games is forbidden for the participants and every person who could have the capacity of influencing the outcome of the games.
Sanctions
If it is discovered that any of the aforementioned rules is not respected, appropriate sanctions will be taken by administrators, to the best of their knowledge and abilities.
Those sanctions can range from formal warning, games replayed, games forfeited or sets forfeited, to prize money reduction, immediate disqualification and ultimately disqualification from any future events from the organisers and administrators.
MAIN EVENT RULES
Travel Guidelines
The event will take place at the GamerLegion gaming house in Berlin.
All participants in the main event will be traveling to the location, travel and accommodation costs covered by the organiser.
Participants will be responsible for obtaining their visa and for following rules and regulations needed for their travel. If help is needed for getting a visa or if you have any travel-related questions, please contact Grabwespe.
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Equipment
The organisers will provide computers and monitors. Other peripherals are to be brought by the participants.
Training Area
Competitors will have computers at their disposal for preparation and warming up purposes.
Media Obligations
Players participating in the main event may be asked to partake in additional Noble Apartment Cup
media programs, such as press conferences, media shoots, interviews, autograph sessions, and other media activities. Those media activities are mandatory and can’t be avoided by the players.
As Noble Apartment Cup competitors, players will also be asked to interact with the public and promote the event, with consultation of the event organisers. If it doesn’t clash with their participation as players in the main event, they might also be asked to participate in other activities such as playing or commenting filler games or showmatches as well as commenting games during the main event.
GENERAL RULES
How to Register
Registration to the qualifiers is done in 2 steps.
Deadline
Sign ups are open until the 31st October, 23:59UTC for the qualifier. Late sign ups will not be allowed to participate in the event.
Regulations
The registration to the qualifiers is fully open. A total of 96 players will be selected to play in the qualifier.
By registering to the tournament you confirm you have read all the rules and settings of the event and that you agree to them.
When signing up, you should use your highest rated account. Registering with an account that does not reflect the accurate rating of the participant is strictly forbidden.
Communication with the tournament administration will be held in English exclusively.
If you are not able to communicate in English, you are allowed to be assisted by a representative who will be responsible for communication with the tournament administration on your behalf. You will then be held responsible for every action the representative takes on your behalf.
Any host or any member of the administration of this tournament cannot sign up for the tournament as a player. Anyone working in any capacity with World’s Edge on the Age of Empires franchise cannot sign up for the tournament as a player.
GENERAL SETTINGS
DWL Mode
The tournament will use the DWL game mode. Players start with 9 villagers, a bigger explored area, and resources that reflect that state of the game at the 2:30 minute mark of a classic RM game.
Lobby Settings
Public lobby
Spectators enabled
Spectator delay: 2 minutes (qualifiers); none (main event)
Server: players should work together to choose the fairest server possible for both players, in case of doubt or dispute, ask an admin.
Game Settings
Data Mod: Definitive Set
Game: Random Map
Location: (depending on the map)
Size: Tiny (2 players)
Difficulty: Standard
Resources: Standard
Population: 200
Game Speed: Normal
Reveal Map: Normal
Starting Age: Standard
Ending Age: Standard
Treaty: None
Victory Condition: Conquest
Lock Teams: [X] Yes
Team Together: [X] Yes
Team Positions: [ ] No
Shared Exploration: [ ] No
Lock Speed: [X] Yes
Allow Cheats: [ ] No
Turbo Mode: [ ] No
Full Tech Tree: [ ] No
Record Game: [X] Yes
Player Restarts
No player restarts are granted.
Administrative Restarts
Qualification Phase
An administrative restart can be called by the players within 4:00 minutes of in game time in the following cases:
If you are not sure your map allows for a restart, don’t hesitate to reach out to an administrator. If the other player doesn't agree with the call, the game files should be sent to an administrator. If the restart was abusive, and the player calling the restart won the game eventually, decisions will be made by administrators to the best of their ability.
Qualification Deciders (Round of 12)
During the round of 12, players should be connected to a voice lobby in the official Discord server, so that administrators can quickly and easily contact them while in game.
Administrators will spectate games and call administrative restarts if necessary, and warn the players through the voice lobby. Players can communicate potential restart situations to the administrators, but must wait for an administrative decision before restarting the game.
Main Event
An administrator will spectate the games and call administrative restarts if necessary.
Players can point out possible cases of administrative restarts to the administrators, but they cannot decide to restart on their own and must wait for an administrative decision.
Where deer get stuck on the edge of the map and become unlurable, players are allowed to request an admin restart within the 4 minute time limit.
Incorrect Civilisation
If a player chooses a civilisation they are not allowed to, the game will be restarted. The opponent player will choose a civilisation from the pool of civilisations of the faulty player for him to play. That civilisation will then be banned for the remaining games.
Miscellaneous
On top of every restart rule stated above, administrators retain the possibility to restart a game under any circumstance if deemed necessary for the flow and fairness of the game.
Laming
All forms of laming are allowed.
Bugs
Use of game bugs is not allowed. In the case a bug is used, intentionally or not, the administrators will decide whether a game should carry on or be restarted, replayed or forfeited.
Patrol Micro
The stand ground short patrol with melee units before or around fights is forbidden. Please reach out to admins if you are unsure what this is.
MAPS
The map pack will be available in the mod centre, under the name “Noble Apartment Cup - Map Pack”.
The map list is as follows:
African Reed Beds (NAC5)
Arabia (HC5)
Bedouins (Warlords 1)
Bypass (HC5)
Citadel (new)
Copenhagen (NAC5)
Dry River (ECL Map Pack)
Enclosed (NAC5)
High Tides (HC5)
Pacific Islands (Warlords 3)
Sunburn (ECL Map Pack)
Tidepool (Mad Random Pack)
Tiergarten (NEW)
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
Invited Players
Hera�Liereyy�TheViper�Yo
Main Qualifier
The qualification phase will consist of one single elimination qualifier.
The rounds of 96, 48, 24 and will be played as best of 5
The round of 12 will be played as best of 7
6 players will qualify for the main event.
Main Event
The main event will consist of a Swiss stage followed by single elimination playoffs.
The group stage will be played across 5 days, as Bo5.
After these 5 days, the top 2 players (1st and 2nd) will automatically progress to the semi final. The bottom 4 players (7th-10th) will be eliminated. The remaining 4 players (3rd-6th) will play a playoff (3rd vs 6th and 4th vs 5th) to advance to the semi final and will be played as Bo7.
The semi finals will feature players finishing 1st and 2nd place in the group stage as well as winners of the play-off and will be played as Bo7.
The final will feature the winners of the semi finals and will be played as Bo7.
Players must play with red and blue colours, the higher seed blue, the lower seed red.
QUALIFICATION PHASE
Players Seed and Bracket Reveal
Players will be seeded using their ‘ATP S-Tier Ranking’ for the top 20 and using current ladder ranking for the 76 remaining players.
Seeding for the qualifier will be locked on the 31st October, 23.59 UTC and brackets will be published shortly after. In case of withdrawal after the brackets are published, the bracket structure will stay the same and there will be no replacement.
Qualifier Schedule
1st-8th of November
The 48 Round of 96 sets will be played as best of 5, players will schedule as it fits them between Friday 1st November at 12:00 UTC to Friday 8th November at 23:59 UTC. If players can’t agree on a time to play their set, they should reach out to the administrative team which will make a final decision regarding the time, to the best of their ability.
Any sets played before Friday 8th November will need to be played in private lobby. The recordings will be released on 8th November.
9th of November
Note: The timetable is indicative, every set should start as soon as possible, once the previous set is over
Players will be split in 2 waves according to their time zones and other factors.
a. Wave A
13.00 UTC: Round of 48, 12 sets (Best of 5)
15.30 UTC: Round of 24, 6 sets (Best of 5)
b. Wave B
18.00 UTC: Round of 48, 12 sets (Best of 5)
20.30 UTC: Round of 24, 6 sets (Best of 5)
10th of November
Note: The timetable is indicative, every set should start as soon as possible, once the previous set is over. Furthermore, players will be allowed to start their set no later than 45 minutes after the planned time, if the previous set takes longer than expected.
13.00 UTC: Round of 12, set 1 & 2 (Best of 7)
16.00 UTC: Round of 12, set 3 & 4 (Best of 7)
19.00 UTC: Round of 12, set 5 & 6 (Best of 7)
6 players will then have qualified for the main event.
Maps & Civilisations Draft
The host of all the drafts is always the higher seeded player.
Rounds of 96, Best of 5
Civilisation draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/QTlhn
Map draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/lpuUN
Game 1 is played on the last map picked in the map draft.
Game 2 to 5: Loser of the previous game’s choice from the map draft.
Rounds of 48, Best of 5
Civilisation draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/QTlhn
Map draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/lpuUN
Game 1 is played on the last map picked in the map draft.
Game 2 to 5: Loser of the previous game’s choice from the map draft.
Rounds of 24, Best of 5
Civilisation draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/QTlhn
Map draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/lpuUN
Game 1 is played on the last map picked in the map draft.
Game 2 to 5: Loser of the previous game’s choice from the map draft.
Round of 12, Best of 7
Civilisation draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/KvjZI
Map draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/vLZqV
Game 1 is played on the last map picked in the map draft.
Game 2 to 7: Loser of the previous game’s choice from the map draft.
Score Report and Recorded Games
It is absolutely crucial that you report the score as well as your drafts and recorded games of your set as soon as it ends, in the dedicated channel in the official Discord server. This is the responsibility of both players.
Replacements
If a qualified or invited player is unable to make it at short notice, the highest seeded player that lost in the Round of 12 will be invited in their place.
If a qualified or invited player is not able to make it for any reason, they will receive the qualifier prize money of the person replacing them.
MAIN EVENT
Players Seed
Seeding for the main event will be made by the players themselves seeding each other. This seeding will then be used during the main event for the Swiss stage and drafting order.
Tie Breakers in the Swiss Stage
Main Event Schedule
Note: For the whole main event the timetable is mostly indicative except for the first set of each day.
Please see the information channel on Discord for further details here.
Sunday 15th of December
Group stage: Round 1 (Best of 5)
12.00 UTC: first set
14.15 UTC: second set
16.30 UTC: third set
18.45 UTC: fourth set
21.00 UTC: fifth set
Monday 16th of December
Group stage: Round 2 (Best of 5)
12.00 UTC: first set
14.15 UTC: second set
16.30 UTC: third set
18.45 UTC: fourth set
21.00 UTC: fifth set
Tuesday 17th of December
Group stage: Round 3 (Best of 5)
12.00 UTC: first set
14.15 UTC: second set
16.30 UTC: third set
18.45 UTC: fourth set
21.00 UTC: fifth set
Wednesday 18th of December
Group stage: Round 4 (Best of 5)
12.00 UTC: first set
14.15 UTC: second set
16.30 UTC: third set
18.45 UTC: fourth set
21.00 UTC: fifth set
Thursday 19th of December
Group stage: Round 5 (Best of 5)
12.00 UTC: first set
14.15 UTC: second set
16.30 UTC: third set
18.45 UTC: fourth set
21.00 UTC: fifth set
Friday 20th of December
Play-offs (Best of 7)
15.00 UTC: set A (3rd vs 6th)
18.00 UTC: set B (4th vs 5th)
Saturday 21st of December
Semi finals (Best of 7)
15.00 UTC: first SF (2nd vs set A winner)
18.00 UTC: second SF (1st vs set B winner)
Sunday 22nd of December, final day
13.45 UTC: Broadcast start
14.15 UTC: Pre-final show & showmatch
16.30 UTC: Grand Final Best of 9
Maps & Civilisations Draft
The host of all the drafts is always the higher seeded player.
Swiss Stage, best of 5
Civilisation draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/QTlhn
Map draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/jpPBB
Game 1 is played on the last map picked in the map draft.
Game 2 to 5: Loser of the previous game’s choice from the map draft.
Playoff Stage, best of 7
Civilisation draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/KvjZI
Map draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/sLxeN
Game 1 is played on the last map picked in the map draft.
Game 2 to 7: Loser of the previous game’s choice from the map draft.
Final, best of 9
Civilisation draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/zqlIu
Map draft: https://aoe2cm.net/preset/rzdZG
Game 1 is played on the last map picked in the map draft.
Game 2 to 9: Loser of the previous game’s choice from the map draft.
PRIZE POOL
Main Event
The event is sponsored by World’s Edge and features a total prize amounting to a minimum of $44,000 for the main event, which will be increased with the help of different purchasable items and donation incentives. Furthermore all additional purchase unrelated donations during the Qualifier and Main Event broadcast will go fully to the Main Event prize pool.
Players will be rewarded as follows:
First place gets $9,680. (22%)
Second place gets $7,040. (16%)
3rd and 4th places get $5,280 each. (12%)
5th and 6th places get $3,520 each. (8%)
7th place gets $3,080. (7%)�8th place gets $2,640. (6%)
9th place gets $2,200. (5%)
10th place get $1,760. (4%)
Qualifiers
$6,000 will be allocated to the Qualifiers prize pool. It will be split between players as follows:
Losers in Ro12 - $500
Losers in Ro24 - $250
BROADCASTING
The whole event is open to stream and cast.
Qualifiers
Broadcasting channels must use the dedicated visuals and graphics for their overlay, available in the official Discord server. The tournament & logo sponsors must be visible at all times during the stream.
The stream title must display the tournament name & “hosted by @gamerlegion”. It should also include a chat command “!nac” redirecting to the host’s channel:
“The Noble Apartment Cup is hosted by GamerLegion. Main broadcast for Qualifier and Main Event at https://www.twitch.tv/GamerLegion”.
Main Event
A clean feed will be provided with the necessary overlays and sponsor placements. The clean feed must be used and all of the sponsor logos and ads have to be shown.
The stream title must display the name of the tournament and organiser. It should also include a chat command “!nac” redirecting to the host’s channel:
“The Noble Apartment Cup is hosted by GamerLegion. Main broadcast from 15th - 22nd of December at https://www.twitch.tv/GamerLegion”.
Visuals and Assets
All the visual assets needed for streamers can be found in the official Discord server.
PoV Streaming
During the qualification stage, PoV streams are allowed and they should follow the same rules stated above in Qualifiers during their broadcast. In addition, PoV-specific rules have to be followed:
Recorded Content
All content recorded for sharing on video platforms must include the following:
Sponsoring Conflict
If a broadcaster spots a potential conflict between their personal sponsorships and the sponsors of the tournament, they are invited to contact Grabwespe.