Timeframe
Sign-up Deadline: 14th February
Seeding: 14th February
Brackets: 15th February
Qualification Stage: Single Elimination
Round of 32: 19th - 23rd February
Round of 16: 24th Feb - 01st March
Main Event: Single Elimination
Round of 16: 02nd - 08th March
Quarter Final: 09th - 15th March
Semi Final: 16th - 20th March
Grand Final: 22nd March [LIVE GAMES]
Brackets
Qualifications = Bracket
Main Event = Bracket
Match Settings
Round of 32: (Bo5)
Players will conduct a map draft in the order of;
Pick: A, B
Ban: A, B
Pick: B, A
A = Higher seed
Players may choose to play their home maps in any order
After the Map draft, each player must ban 1 civilisation (A then B) that neither player may use for the series.
Civilisations will be Hidden Pick no repeat.
Round of 16: (Bo7)
Players will conduct a map draft in the order of;
Pick: A, B
Ban: A, B
Pick: B, A, A, B
A = Higher seed
Players may choose to play their home maps in any order, and may not pick Slopes & Ravines.
After the Map draft, each player must ban 1 civilisation (A then B) that neither player may use for the series.
Civilisations will be Hidden Pick no repeat.
Game 1: HC3_Arabia
Game 2: Loser of Game 1 Home Map
Game 3: Loser of Game 2 Home Map
Game 4: Loser of Game 3 Home Map
Game 5: Loser of Game 4 Home Map
Players will conduct a map draft in the order of;
Pick: A, B
Ban: A, B
Pick: B, A
A = Higher seed
Players may choose to play their home maps in any order
After the Map draft, each player must ban 1 civilisation (A then B) that neither player may use for the series.
Civilisations will be Hidden Pick no repeat.
Round of 16: (Bo7)
Game 1: HC3_Arabia
Game 2: Loser of Game 1 Home Map
Game 3: Loser of Game 2 Home Map
Game 4: HC3_Slopes
Game 5: Loser of Game 4 Home Map
Game 6: Loser of Game 5 Home Map
Game 7: HC3_Ravines
Players will conduct a map draft in the order of;
Pick: A, B
Ban: A, B
Pick: B, A, A, B
A = Higher seed
Players may choose to play their home maps in any order, and may not pick Slopes & Ravines.
After the Map draft, each player must ban 1 civilisation (A then B) that neither player may use for the series.
Civilisations will be Hidden Pick no repeat.
Round of 16: (Bo5)
Round of 8: (Bo5)
Players will conduct a map draft in the order of;
Pick: A, B
Ban: A, B
Pick: B, A
Players may choose to play their home maps in any order
After the Map draft, each player must ban 1 civilisation (A then B) that neither player may use for the series.
Civilisations will be Hidden Pick no repeat.
Semi Finals: (Bo7)
Grand Final: (Bo7)
Players will conduct a map draft in the order of;
Pick: A, B
Ban: A, B
Pick: B, A, A, B
Players may choose to play their home maps in any order, and may not pick Slopes.
After the Map draft, each player must ban 1 civilisation (A then B) that neither player may use for the series.
Civilisations will be Hidden Pick no repeat.
Game 1: HC3_Arabia_v4
Game 2: Loser of Game 1 Home Map
Game 3: Loser of Game 2 Home Map
Game 4: Loser of Game 3 Home Map
Game 5: Loser of Game 4 Home Map
Round of 8: (Bo5)
Game 1: HC3_Arabia_v4
Game 2: Loser of Game 1 Home Map
Game 3: Loser of Game 2 Home Map
Game 4: Loser of Game 3 Home Map
Game 5: Loser of Game 4 Home Map
Players will conduct a map draft in the order of;
Pick: A, B
Ban: A, B
Pick: B, A
Players may choose to play their home maps in any order
After the Map draft, each player must ban 1 civilisation (A then B) that neither player may use for the series.
Civilisations will be Hidden Pick no repeat.
Semi Finals: (Bo7)
Game 1: HC3_Arabia_v4
Game 2: Loser of Game 1 Home Map
Game 3: Loser of Game 2 Home Map
Game 4: HC3_Slopes_v4
Game 5: Loser of Game 4 Home Map
Game 6: Loser of Game 5 Home Map
Game 7: HC3_Arabia_v4
Grand Final: (Bo7)
Game 1: HC3_Arabia_v4
Game 2: Loser of Game 1 Home Map
Game 3: Loser of Game 2 Home Map
Game 4: HC3_Slopes_v4
Game 5: Loser of Game 4 Home Map
Game 6: Loser of Game 5 Home Map
Game 7: HC3_Arabia_v4
Players will conduct a map draft in the order of;
Pick: A, B
Ban: A, B
Pick: B, A, A, B
Players may choose to play their home maps in any order, and may not pick Slopes.
After the Map draft, each player must ban 1 civilisation (A then B) that neither player may use for the series.
Civilisations will be Hidden Pick no repeat.
Map Pool
- HC3_Arabia_v4 (May not be chosen as a home map)
- HC3_Bay_v4
- HC3_Cup_v4
- HC3_Cross_v4
- HC3_ElDorado_v4
- HC3_Goldrush_v4
- HC3_Hideout_v4
- HC3_HighTide_v4
- HC3_Islands_v4
- HC3_Ravines_v4
- HC3_Slopes_v4
You can also download the maps from further down in this thread, but it is your responsibility to keep up to date with any new versions.
Prizepool
Total = $56,830
Main Event
1st = $13,560
2nd = $8,540
3rd/4th = $4,520
5th-8th = $2,260
9th-16th = $1,256
Qualifiers
Top 8 = $300
9th-16th = $200
17th-32nd = $100
Showmatches
5 showmatches for $200 each
Contributions
Microsoft = $50,000
Oracle455 = $1,000
Anonymous = $2,000
fathertres = $5,000
MattJustSalsa = $1,500
T90Official =1$ for each Twitch Subscriber (total subcount at conclusion of HC3)
From Microsoft's contribution $35,000 will be used towards the prizepool and the remaining amount will cover costs & promotions for the event. For HC2 T90 spent roughly $10,000 out of pocket and Microsoft's generosity will ensure all parties involved in HC3 get paid for their work without extreme stress on his part. T90Official will contribute $1 per Twitch Subscriber at conclusion of HC3 (minimum of $5,000), meaning current and future supporters of the channel contribute towards the event as well as himself.
Tournament Rules
§1 - Seeding and Participation
Hidden Cup 3 has 32 Qualification spots available for players to sign-up for. After the sign-ups are closed the players will be ranked according to their current & highest ratings on the AoE2 DE 1v1 ladder at the end of signups.
The 8 players who advance to the Quarter Finals of the qualification bracket will play in Hidden Cup 3.
Seeding within the main event will be entirely random.
§2 - Respecting Deadlines
All players must respect the tournament schedule and times for each round. There will be no exceptions or delays granted to any player. No excuse will be accepted for failing to play in the specified time. If the admin staff determine that a player is trying to avoid scheduling and playing the tournament games, the player may be warned, receive an admin loss for the game or match or be disqualified from Hidden Cup 3 tournament. Players failing to schedule, or not showing enough effort to get the match scheduled (determined by staff), in the first round will be replaced by the first ranked player that missed out on the tournament. Any player offering an Admin Win to their opponent, and not completing any round/games will be penalized 50% of their prize money.
§3 - Admin Times
If both players cannot come to an agreement in scheduling their match, the staff will analyse the situation, schedule and time zones in order to add a viable Admin Time that suits both players to the best of our ability. Admins will ensure players are not forced to play games between 2am - 6am local time.
If there is no agreement about the playing time by Wednesday 23.59 GMT, the staff might start interfering in order to get the games scheduled and completed in time.
§4 - Respect & Fairplay
Every player must respect their opponent. Bad behavior (determined by staff) will result in a warning and may lead to an immediate disqualification of the player. This tournament values not only great skills, but also sportsmanship and fairness. Any insult, racism or flaming will not be tolerated. Laming and mind games in game are allowed.
Players are requested to limit the time between games as much as possible to make the experience as smooth for everyone as possible.
§5 - No Smurfing
All players have agreed to the No Smurf rule. Each player must submit all relevant player usernames for Admin discussion. Smurfing and account sharing is not allowed. Any discovery of the aforementioned will result in player's disqualification.
§6 - Lobby Location
All tournament games are to be played in an unranked lobby in AoE2 DE with the allow spectators option turned off.
If a game is not recorded, it must be replayed regardless of the result.
§7 - Recorded Games Posting
All Recorded Games must be sent to a Tournament Admin immediately after the completion of the games by both players. Failure to do this may result in penalties.
§8 - Scheduling
Players will schedule the Qualification Rounds publically in the Scheduling Forum. Scheduled Games will be posted to the calendar and posted in the Hidden Cup 3 Tournament Progress Thread.
Players will send their available play times to the tournament admins and they will organise a time that works for both parties. Players are expected to check and respond to messages at a minimum of once per day. Failure to schedule a game may result in Disqualification or loss of prize money.
§9 - Restoring
In case of disconnections, the players must attempt to save and restore. All the .mgz recorded game files (multiple parts of the game before/after drop) must be provided when posting the recorded games.
If restoring is not possible, the recorded game should be provided, along with any additional information to the Administration of Hidden Cup 3 instantly. Subsequently, facts will be analysed and a final decision made. If an Admin is not around at the time of playing and the players cannot agree on a result, continue with the rest of the series and if the series is tied 2-2 at the end, then the final game shall be rescheduled.
§10 - Schedule Reliability, Admin Wins, Rescheduling
If a player does not show up to a scheduled game without notice their opponent must wait for a minimum of 20 minutes before any action can be taken. They should notify an Admin as soon as possible and a decision will be made.
§11 - Prize Money
Prizes will be sent via PayPal. If the recipients do not use/have PayPal the prizes will be sent by other means. However, certain fees may be deducted from the amount.
§12 - Communication
Each player must be fluent in English and is responsible for scheduling, possible disputes, and everything else regarding their participation. If a player is not fluent in English, they can have an External Operator to represent them during scheduling, recorded game posting and in the Hidden Cup 3 tournament in general. The External Operator must be added in the sign-up post.
§13 - Streaming, Spectating & Spoilers
Due to the nature of this event players are not allowed to stream their POV on any streaming website. Failure to comply will result in potential ban and replacement. Players are also asked to refrain from streaming on March 21st and 22nd. Players should not reveal which hidden account they are playing as. Evidence of spoilers will result in the loss of 50% of your prize money.
The entire event is open streaming. The main event (with the exception of the finals) will be recorded games. Recorded games will be shared within a Discord group before each game. The qualifiers will be streamed as recorded games, which will be released within a Discord group shortly before the games are streamed. Every set from the qualifier will be streamed by T90Official, and the streams will be scheduled as far in advance as possible.
Streamers of the main event must use a HC3 image on their overlays between games. Just like in HC2, T90 will provide 3-4 color options so streamers can use something that suits their channel the most.
Please contact robo for access to the discord.
§14 - Player Location
If a player has the potential to travel and play games from a different location, that player must request permission from the Admins beforehand. If Admins have any concern over a player's location and have not had a prior request, not only the player(s), but the player may be disqualified.
§15 - Rules Additions
New rules can be added and current rules can be changed. However, Admins MUST inform the players about such changes in Hidden Cup 3 Rules & Settings forum. All the latest additions in Rules & Settings will be in red.
§16 - Sending Recorded Game
Both players must send their recorded games, the civ bans, map picks & who they believe their opponent was immediately after the conclusion of their games. Failure to do so will result in a prize deduction.
Hidden Cup 3 has 32 Qualification spots available for players to sign-up for. After the sign-ups are closed the players will be ranked according to their current & highest ratings on the AoE2 DE 1v1 ladder at the end of signups.
The 8 players who advance to the Quarter Finals of the qualification bracket will play in Hidden Cup 3.
Seeding within the main event will be entirely random.
§2 - Respecting Deadlines
All players must respect the tournament schedule and times for each round. There will be no exceptions or delays granted to any player. No excuse will be accepted for failing to play in the specified time. If the admin staff determine that a player is trying to avoid scheduling and playing the tournament games, the player may be warned, receive an admin loss for the game or match or be disqualified from Hidden Cup 3 tournament. Players failing to schedule, or not showing enough effort to get the match scheduled (determined by staff), in the first round will be replaced by the first ranked player that missed out on the tournament. Any player offering an Admin Win to their opponent, and not completing any round/games will be penalized 50% of their prize money.
§3 - Admin Times
If both players cannot come to an agreement in scheduling their match, the staff will analyse the situation, schedule and time zones in order to add a viable Admin Time that suits both players to the best of our ability. Admins will ensure players are not forced to play games between 2am - 6am local time.
If there is no agreement about the playing time by Wednesday 23.59 GMT, the staff might start interfering in order to get the games scheduled and completed in time.
§4 - Respect & Fairplay
Every player must respect their opponent. Bad behavior (determined by staff) will result in a warning and may lead to an immediate disqualification of the player. This tournament values not only great skills, but also sportsmanship and fairness. Any insult, racism or flaming will not be tolerated. Laming and mind games in game are allowed.
Players are requested to limit the time between games as much as possible to make the experience as smooth for everyone as possible.
§5 - No Smurfing
All players have agreed to the No Smurf rule. Each player must submit all relevant player usernames for Admin discussion. Smurfing and account sharing is not allowed. Any discovery of the aforementioned will result in player's disqualification.
§6 - Lobby Location
All tournament games are to be played in an unranked lobby in AoE2 DE with the allow spectators option turned off.
If a game is not recorded, it must be replayed regardless of the result.
§7 - Recorded Games Posting
All Recorded Games must be sent to a Tournament Admin immediately after the completion of the games by both players. Failure to do this may result in penalties.
§8 - Scheduling
Players will schedule the Qualification Rounds publically in the Scheduling Forum. Scheduled Games will be posted to the calendar and posted in the Hidden Cup 3 Tournament Progress Thread.
Players will send their available play times to the tournament admins and they will organise a time that works for both parties. Players are expected to check and respond to messages at a minimum of once per day. Failure to schedule a game may result in Disqualification or loss of prize money.
§9 - Restoring
In case of disconnections, the players must attempt to save and restore. All the .mgz recorded game files (multiple parts of the game before/after drop) must be provided when posting the recorded games.
If restoring is not possible, the recorded game should be provided, along with any additional information to the Administration of Hidden Cup 3 instantly. Subsequently, facts will be analysed and a final decision made. If an Admin is not around at the time of playing and the players cannot agree on a result, continue with the rest of the series and if the series is tied 2-2 at the end, then the final game shall be rescheduled.
§10 - Schedule Reliability, Admin Wins, Rescheduling
If a player does not show up to a scheduled game without notice their opponent must wait for a minimum of 20 minutes before any action can be taken. They should notify an Admin as soon as possible and a decision will be made.
§11 - Prize Money
Prizes will be sent via PayPal. If the recipients do not use/have PayPal the prizes will be sent by other means. However, certain fees may be deducted from the amount.
§12 - Communication
Each player must be fluent in English and is responsible for scheduling, possible disputes, and everything else regarding their participation. If a player is not fluent in English, they can have an External Operator to represent them during scheduling, recorded game posting and in the Hidden Cup 3 tournament in general. The External Operator must be added in the sign-up post.
§13 - Streaming, Spectating & Spoilers
Due to the nature of this event players are not allowed to stream their POV on any streaming website. Failure to comply will result in potential ban and replacement. Players are also asked to refrain from streaming on March 21st and 22nd. Players should not reveal which hidden account they are playing as. Evidence of spoilers will result in the loss of 50% of your prize money.
The entire event is open streaming. The main event (with the exception of the finals) will be recorded games. Recorded games will be shared within a Discord group before each game. The qualifiers will be streamed as recorded games, which will be released within a Discord group shortly before the games are streamed. Every set from the qualifier will be streamed by T90Official, and the streams will be scheduled as far in advance as possible.
Streamers of the main event must use a HC3 image on their overlays between games. Just like in HC2, T90 will provide 3-4 color options so streamers can use something that suits their channel the most.
Please contact robo for access to the discord.
§14 - Player Location
If a player has the potential to travel and play games from a different location, that player must request permission from the Admins beforehand. If Admins have any concern over a player's location and have not had a prior request, not only the player(s), but the player may be disqualified.
§15 - Rules Additions
New rules can be added and current rules can be changed. However, Admins MUST inform the players about such changes in Hidden Cup 3 Rules & Settings forum. All the latest additions in Rules & Settings will be in red.
§16 - Sending Recorded Game
Both players must send their recorded games, the civ bans, map picks & who they believe their opponent was immediately after the conclusion of their games. Failure to do so will result in a prize deduction.
Gaming Rules
§1 - Game Settings
The game settings must be the following.
Game : Random Match
Map Style : Custom
Location : Determined by stage
Size : Tiny (2 player)
Difficulty : Standard
Population : 200
Game Speed : Normal
Reveal Map : Standard
Starting Age : Standard
Victory Condition : Conquest
Team Together : [X] Yes
All Techs : [ ] No
Allow Cheats : [ ] No
Lock Teams : [X] Yes
Lock Speed : [X] Yes
Record Game : [X] Yes
Multi Building Queue : [MQ]
§2 - Restarts
In a Best of 5 each player is awarded one restart each.
In a Best of 7 each player is awarded one restart each.
A restart must be requested before minute 4:00 game time (remember that this is shorter than real minutes). When a game is restarted, each player must choose the same civilizations as in the previous attempt.
§3 - Bugged Map Restarts
A player can request bugged map restarts during the first 6 minutes (game time). A restart requested due to a bugged map does not count as one of the restarts awarded before a series.
A bugged map is defined as the following for standard resource starts:
Gold: Less than 5 tiles of the main gold cluster are at least accessible on one side, extra gold are excluded.
Stone: Less than 4 tiles of a stone cluster are at least accessible on one side, extra stones are excluded.
Berries: Less than 4 tiles of a berry cluster are at least accessible on one side.
Animals: Spawned with less than 3 deer or less than 8 sheep or less than 2 boars or, one or more of the animals being trapped.
§4 - Hidden Civilizations
For the Hidden Cup 3 "Hidden Civilizations" must be selected when hosting the lobby on DE.
§5 - Different Civilizations
Different Civilizations means a civilization must be picked, choosing "Random" or "Team Random" at the start of the game is not allowed.
§6 - Graphical Mods
Any graphic changes that only affect the player's Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition are allowed.
§7 - Cheating
Cheating is not allowed under any circumstances. Players using any kind of cheat will be disqualified from Hidden Cup 3 tournament and banned from future events.
§8 - Automatic Agreement & Punishment
All the game settings provided in this post MUST be followed. Not following them may result in penalties and possibly disqualification.
§9 - Player Colours
Players must stick with a single colour for an entire series. They may freely choose their colour, as long as it does not clash with the opponents colour. EG. Red vs Orange, Blue vs Teal etc. It is each player's own responsibility to make sure that their colour is correct for all games.
§10 - Admin Participation
No Hidden Cup 3 Admin is allowed to participate in the tournament.
§11 - Straggler Trees
Players are not allowed to delete the straggler trees which spawn within 10 tiles of an opposing player’s Town Center. This rule does not apply if the straggler tree which is being deleted forms part of a wall for the defending player. On maps where main forests are exclusively straggler trees it is strictly forbidden to delete straggler trees from opponents (using the "palisade trick") unless they are being used as part of a mid-section of wall.
§12 - Laming
Players may steal enemy boars with their scout and are allowed to do anything else that is permitted within the game, including stealing boar with villagers, walling in resources or blocking/killing villagers in dark age.
§13 - Server
For the main event the administrators will select a Server for the players to play on that is as close to equal ping as possible.
For the qualifiers, the players should together work out a server that best suits the two players.
§14 - Pauses
Each player is permitted a maximum of 3 pauses per series.
The game settings must be the following.
Game : Random Match
Map Style : Custom
Location : Determined by stage
Size : Tiny (2 player)
Difficulty : Standard
Population : 200
Game Speed : Normal
Reveal Map : Standard
Starting Age : Standard
Victory Condition : Conquest
Team Together : [X] Yes
All Techs : [ ] No
Allow Cheats : [ ] No
Lock Teams : [X] Yes
Lock Speed : [X] Yes
Record Game : [X] Yes
Multi Building Queue : [MQ]
§2 - Restarts
In a Best of 5 each player is awarded one restart each.
In a Best of 7 each player is awarded one restart each.
A restart must be requested before minute 4:00 game time (remember that this is shorter than real minutes). When a game is restarted, each player must choose the same civilizations as in the previous attempt.
§3 - Bugged Map Restarts
A player can request bugged map restarts during the first 6 minutes (game time). A restart requested due to a bugged map does not count as one of the restarts awarded before a series.
A bugged map is defined as the following for standard resource starts:
Gold: Less than 5 tiles of the main gold cluster are at least accessible on one side, extra gold are excluded.
Stone: Less than 4 tiles of a stone cluster are at least accessible on one side, extra stones are excluded.
Berries: Less than 4 tiles of a berry cluster are at least accessible on one side.
Animals: Spawned with less than 3 deer or less than 8 sheep or less than 2 boars or, one or more of the animals being trapped.
§4 - Hidden Civilizations
For the Hidden Cup 3 "Hidden Civilizations" must be selected when hosting the lobby on DE.
§5 - Different Civilizations
Different Civilizations means a civilization must be picked, choosing "Random" or "Team Random" at the start of the game is not allowed.
§6 - Graphical Mods
Any graphic changes that only affect the player's Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition are allowed.
§7 - Cheating
Cheating is not allowed under any circumstances. Players using any kind of cheat will be disqualified from Hidden Cup 3 tournament and banned from future events.
§8 - Automatic Agreement & Punishment
All the game settings provided in this post MUST be followed. Not following them may result in penalties and possibly disqualification.
§9 - Player Colours
Players must stick with a single colour for an entire series. They may freely choose their colour, as long as it does not clash with the opponents colour. EG. Red vs Orange, Blue vs Teal etc. It is each player's own responsibility to make sure that their colour is correct for all games.
§10 - Admin Participation
No Hidden Cup 3 Admin is allowed to participate in the tournament.
§11 - Straggler Trees
Players are not allowed to delete the straggler trees which spawn within 10 tiles of an opposing player’s Town Center. This rule does not apply if the straggler tree which is being deleted forms part of a wall for the defending player. On maps where main forests are exclusively straggler trees it is strictly forbidden to delete straggler trees from opponents (using the "palisade trick") unless they are being used as part of a mid-section of wall.
§12 - Laming
Players may steal enemy boars with their scout and are allowed to do anything else that is permitted within the game, including stealing boar with villagers, walling in resources or blocking/killing villagers in dark age.
§13 - Server
For the main event the administrators will select a Server for the players to play on that is as close to equal ping as possible.
For the qualifiers, the players should together work out a server that best suits the two players.
§14 - Pauses
Each player is permitted a maximum of 3 pauses per series.
Administrators
robo | Discord robo_boro#5469 | https://steamcommunity.com/id/robo_boro/
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