Quick navigation:
Sign Up Thread
Spreadsheet with dynamic brackets, periodically updated seeding and more information about the tournament: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vZ6s6qAF9Wf90QjxqDSi36_kYm6XQ_0yXHxWqkOjgRs/edit?usp=sharing
Official OBNC Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/sESc6mu
Streaming Timetable:
Prize Pool and Donations:
Sign Ups:
Bracket Format:
Seeding:
Match Settings:
Map Pool:
Civilization Settings:
Restarts:
Specific Ingame Rules:
Admin Restarts:
Lobby/Game Settings BigLeague:
Lobby/Game Settings TinyLeague:
Broadcasting/Streaming:
Tournament Rules:
Match Timetable:
Admin Action/Decisions:
OBNC Admins:
OrnLu: OrnLu#7228 (Discord), @OrnLu528 (AoEZone)
LidaKor: LidaKor#8449 (Discord), @LidaKor (AoEZone)
FolderOfDoom: FolderOfDoom#1318 (Discord), @FolderOfDoom (AoEZone)
Nerfox: Nerfox#4561 (Discord), @Nerfox (AoEZone)
Chrazini: Chrazini#5687 (Discord), @Chrazini (AoEZone)
TriRem: TriRem#7472 (Discord), @TriRem (AoEZone)
Sign Up Thread
Spreadsheet with dynamic brackets, periodically updated seeding and more information about the tournament: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vZ6s6qAF9Wf90QjxqDSi36_kYm6XQ_0yXHxWqkOjgRs/edit?usp=sharing
Official OBNC Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/sESc6mu
Streaming Timetable:
Sign Ups close - July 17th, 11:59 PM GMT
Remember that these are broadcast dates - teams must have their matches played BEFORE their scheduled stream date:
July 28 (Tue) - BL Qualifier 1
July 30 (Thu) - BL Qualifier 2
Group Stage:
August 4 (Tue) - BL Group B (Desert), Opening matches
August 6 (Thu) - BL Group A (Tundra), Opening matches
August 11 (Tue) - BL, Winners matches
August 13 (Thu) - BL, Losers matches
August 18 (Tue) - BL, Decider matches
Knockout Stage:
August 20 (Thu) - TL Semifinal 1 (Winner of Arctic vs Runner-up of Steppe)*
August 20 (Thu) - TL Semifinal 2 (Winner of Steppe vs Runner-up of Arctic)*
August 25 (Tue) - BL Semifinal 1 (Winner of Tundra vs Runner-up of Desert)
August 27 (Thu) - BL Semifinal 2 (Winner of Desert vs Runner-up of Tundra)
August 29 (Sat) - TL Grand Final
August 30 (Sun) - BL Grand Final
To differentiate BL groups from TL groups we chose the following naming scheme:
BL Group A - Tundra
BL Group B - Desert
TL Group A - Arctic
TL Group B - Steppe
*in case TL suffers from scheduling issues, the semis will be moved to August 26th
All broadcasts will start at 16 GMT
Remember that these are broadcast dates - teams must have their matches played BEFORE their scheduled stream date:
July 28 (Tue) - BL Qualifier 1
July 30 (Thu) - BL Qualifier 2
Group Stage:
August 4 (Tue) - BL Group B (Desert), Opening matches
August 6 (Thu) - BL Group A (Tundra), Opening matches
August 11 (Tue) - BL, Winners matches
August 13 (Thu) - BL, Losers matches
August 18 (Tue) - BL, Decider matches
Knockout Stage:
August 20 (Thu) - TL Semifinal 1 (Winner of Arctic vs Runner-up of Steppe)*
August 20 (Thu) - TL Semifinal 2 (Winner of Steppe vs Runner-up of Arctic)*
August 25 (Tue) - BL Semifinal 1 (Winner of Tundra vs Runner-up of Desert)
August 27 (Thu) - BL Semifinal 2 (Winner of Desert vs Runner-up of Tundra)
August 29 (Sat) - TL Grand Final
August 30 (Sun) - BL Grand Final
To differentiate BL groups from TL groups we chose the following naming scheme:
BL Group A - Tundra
BL Group B - Desert
TL Group A - Arctic
TL Group B - Steppe
*in case TL suffers from scheduling issues, the semis will be moved to August 26th
All broadcasts will start at 16 GMT
Prize Pool and Donations:
BIG LEAGUE:
1st Place - 50%
2nd Place - 30%
Semifinals - 10% each
TINY LEAGUE:
1st Place - $200
Current Prize Pool - $1000+
If you would like to donate to the prize pool, please contact @OrnLu528 (AoEZone) or OrnLu#7228 (Discord)
List of Prize Pool Contributors:
OrnLu - $300
LidaKor - $100
FolderOfDoom - $25
Fast_PIG - $10
Ele_Archer - $50
iViktorius - $50
TurboNoobToober - $50
Dalulu_fr - $113
LiquidEggProduct - $102
majestic_apex - $100
Unexpected Paladin - $50
(Various gifted subs, bits, etc.) - $50
Panth141 - $200
1st Place - 50%
2nd Place - 30%
Semifinals - 10% each
TINY LEAGUE:
1st Place - $200
Current Prize Pool - $1000+
If you would like to donate to the prize pool, please contact @OrnLu528 (AoEZone) or OrnLu#7228 (Discord)
List of Prize Pool Contributors:
OrnLu - $300
LidaKor - $100
FolderOfDoom - $25
Fast_PIG - $10
Ele_Archer - $50
iViktorius - $50
TurboNoobToober - $50
Dalulu_fr - $113
LiquidEggProduct - $102
majestic_apex - $100
Unexpected Paladin - $50
(Various gifted subs, bits, etc.) - $50
Panth141 - $200
Sign Ups:
Deadline is July 17th, 11:59 PM GMT
Sign ups are open to any team of 4-5 players, although only the top 8 teams will qualify. Each team will select a “Team Captain”, who will be responsible for coordinating their team’s scheduling, as well as sending their recs to an admin after their match. All players have to state one main account that is used for seeding (for how seeding is done see index tab "Seeding" below). Additionally, they can also choose to state an account they want to play on during the tournament. Keep in mind you have to play all matches on the same account.
Sign Up Thread
Sign ups are open to any team of 4-5 players, although only the top 8 teams will qualify. Each team will select a “Team Captain”, who will be responsible for coordinating their team’s scheduling, as well as sending their recs to an admin after their match. All players have to state one main account that is used for seeding (for how seeding is done see index tab "Seeding" below). Additionally, they can also choose to state an account they want to play on during the tournament. Keep in mind you have to play all matches on the same account.
Sign Up Thread
Bracket Format:
Two GSL-style groups. First place of each group faces the second place of the other group in single-elimination semifinal bracket. Winners of those matches face in the grand final.
Group selection will be determined by seeding, with Group A consisting of seeds 1, 3, 6, 8, and Group B comprising seeds 2, 4, 5, 7.*
Bracket: https://tinyurl.com/OBNCInfohub
*This is subject to change by tournament admins prior to the start of the tournament
Group selection will be determined by seeding, with Group A consisting of seeds 1, 3, 6, 8, and Group B comprising seeds 2, 4, 5, 7.*
Bracket: https://tinyurl.com/OBNCInfohub
*This is subject to change by tournament admins prior to the start of the tournament
Seeding:
Seeding is based on a weighted average of all team members’ current ratings on the 1v1 RM and TG RM ladders. The formula for determining the overall rating per player will be: 80% 1v1 rating, 20% (TG rating - 500 elo). This is done due to the inflated, and sometimes inaccurate nature of the current team game ladder.
The rating for the entire team, for the purposes of seeding, will be an average of the weighted ratings for each team member.*
*This is subject to change by tournament admins prior to the start of the tournament
The rating for the entire team, for the purposes of seeding, will be an average of the weighted ratings for each team member.*
*This is subject to change by tournament admins prior to the start of the tournament
Match Settings:
All group stage and qualifier matches will be Bo5s; semifinal and grand final matches will be Bo7s.
Game number 1 in every series will begin on Nomad. As the map pool is pretty small overall, there will be no map bans or drafts. The losing team of each game will select the map for the next game as their home map. Any map that has not yet been played in that series can be chosen as a home map.
Group Stage and Qualifiers (Bo5):
G1 - Nomad
G2 - Home Map of the loser of G1
G3 - Home Map of the loser of G2
G4 - Home Map of the loser of G3
G5 - Home Map of the loser of G4
Semfinals/Finals (Bo7)
G1 - Nomad
G2 - Home Map of the loser of G1
G3 - Home Map of the loser of G2
G4 - Home Map of the loser of G3
G5 - Home Map of the loser of G4
G6 - Home Map of the loser of G5
G7 - Whichever map has not yet been played
Game number 1 in every series will begin on Nomad. As the map pool is pretty small overall, there will be no map bans or drafts. The losing team of each game will select the map for the next game as their home map. Any map that has not yet been played in that series can be chosen as a home map.
Group Stage and Qualifiers (Bo5):
G1 - Nomad
G2 - Home Map of the loser of G1
G3 - Home Map of the loser of G2
G4 - Home Map of the loser of G3
G5 - Home Map of the loser of G4
Semfinals/Finals (Bo7)
G1 - Nomad
G2 - Home Map of the loser of G1
G3 - Home Map of the loser of G2
G4 - Home Map of the loser of G3
G5 - Home Map of the loser of G4
G6 - Home Map of the loser of G5
G7 - Whichever map has not yet been played
Map Pool:
All games must be played on the OBNC version of these maps.
Link to the map mod pack: https://www.ageofempires.com/mods/details/16451/
Nomad (Fixed map for game 1)
Bedouins
Cross (Nomad)
Decentring
Hoodoo
Land Nomad (Altered starting resources so that players can immediately build TC)
Compass
Link to the map mod pack: https://www.ageofempires.com/mods/details/16451/
Nomad (Fixed map for game 1)
Bedouins
Cross (Nomad)
Decentring
Hoodoo
Land Nomad (Altered starting resources so that players can immediately build TC)
Compass
Civilization Settings:
This is going to be very complicated, so read well: in every game, all players will select “Random” as their civilization. That is all.
Random civilizations ensure that each game will feature 8 unique civilizations, forcing all players to adapt to the wild circumstances given to them by both the map generation and the civ generation. These civ settings were chosen because not only do they fit with the theme of the tournament, but also because civ drafts do not cleanly work with 4v4s in Bo5s or Bo7s (without re-drafting), and hidden pick/no repeat is boring and leads to a bunch of mirrors.
Random civilizations ensure that each game will feature 8 unique civilizations, forcing all players to adapt to the wild circumstances given to them by both the map generation and the civ generation. These civ settings were chosen because not only do they fit with the theme of the tournament, but also because civ drafts do not cleanly work with 4v4s in Bo5s or Bo7s (without re-drafting), and hidden pick/no repeat is boring and leads to a bunch of mirrors.
Restarts:
Due to the highly variable nature of these settings, one restart will be given to each team per series. Restarts must be called before the 5 minute mark game-time. When restarting a game, all players must re-roll their civilizations, allowing teams to use their restart to overcome a perceived civ disadvantage, as well as all the other reasons one might want to call a re. This does not include admin restarts (which will be detailed below).
Specific Ingame Rules:
- Players cannot build a Barracks before their first Town Center. This rule is pretty self-explanatory and is standard in most Nomad tournament games. Failing to comply will result in an admin loss.
- No Villager fighting until 3 minutes of game-time have passed. Villager fighting is here defined as actively trying to kill enemy Villagers with your Villagers. Admins can adjudicate situations where there is alleged Vill fighting before the 3 min mark and can result in an admin loss.
- “Laming” enemy sheep, deer, boar, etc. is allowed, as is walling in enemy resources, as well as walling in/trapping enemy Villagers, but only AFTER 3 minutes game time have passed. Doing so before 3 minutes will result in an admin loss.
- In the event where an enemy Villager inadvertently wanders too close to a completed enemy Town Center, the player is allowed to garrison their TC and turn the enemy Villager into a human pincushion. Note that this does not count as Vill fighting, and can be done at any time. Be careful with your Villagers!
- Slinging - players may not tribute resources to their teammates until the slinging player reached Imperial Age (players who already reached Imperial Age may tribute resources independently from their teammates current Age to anyone). Failing to comply will result in an admin loss. The only exception is a player who lost all his TCs and dosent have the resources to build or buy what he needs for a new TC. His team may sling him only the needed amount of resources to build a new TC but not more prior to reaching Imperial Age.
- TC Dropping: A Town Center rush/drop, also commonly known as “douching”, is allowed, but only AFTER the completion of a player’s first Town Center. This means that you cannot start building your Town Center, realize an enemy is nearby, and then delete your TC foundation to rush your opponent. You must wait until your first Town Center is completed before TC rushing. Failing to comply will result in an admin loss.
- Admin Loss: In the unfortunate event of a team earning an admin loss, the opposing team will be considered to have won the map in question, and will also get to choose the next map in the series (unless the series was on match point, in which case the opposing team will simply win the series). Please read the rules so this does not have to happen; ALs are not fun for anyone
Admin Restarts:
- Any admin restart must be called before the 5 minute mark game-time, and should be explained to the opposing team. An admin will be available to resolve any confusion/dispute.
- Due to Nomad maps having unique starts, the typical admin restart parameters of trapped/bugged resources do not apply. The exception to this is if a player’s starting Villagers are somehow trapped at the start of the game, or through DE magic get stuck before the player’s first Town Center is completed. If players are unsure if their situation qualifies as an admin restart, simply pause the game and message a tournament admin.
- The most likely cause for an admin restart for this tournament is a situation wherein two opposing players inadvertently build their starting Town Centers in range of each other. In the event that this occurs, it will automatically be an admin restart. See above rules regarding TC dropping, or “douching”.
- In case of an admin restart, the players have to chose the same civ they got randomly assigned in the bugged game.
Lobby/Game Settings BigLeague:
Lobby Settings:
Visibility - private
Players - 8
Password - no
Allow spectators - no
spectator delay - no
Hide civilizations - no
Game Settings:
Game: Random Map
Map Style: Custom
Location: Varies
Map Size: Large (8 Players)
AI Difficulty: Standard
Resources: Standard
Population: 200
Game Speed: Normal
Reveal Map: Normal
Starting Age: Standard
Ending Age: Standard
Treaty Length: None
Victory: Conquest
Lock Teams [X]
Team Together [X]
Team Positions [X]
Shared Exploration [ ]
Lock Speed [X]
Allow Cheats [ ]
Turbo Mode [ ]
Full Tech Tree [ ]
Record Game [X]
Visibility - private
Players - 8
Password - no
Allow spectators - no
spectator delay - no
Hide civilizations - no
Game Settings:
Game: Random Map
Map Style: Custom
Location: Varies
Map Size: Large (8 Players)
AI Difficulty: Standard
Resources: Standard
Population: 200
Game Speed: Normal
Reveal Map: Normal
Starting Age: Standard
Ending Age: Standard
Treaty Length: None
Victory: Conquest
Lock Teams [X]
Team Together [X]
Team Positions [X]
Shared Exploration [ ]
Lock Speed [X]
Allow Cheats [ ]
Turbo Mode [ ]
Full Tech Tree [ ]
Record Game [X]
Lobby/Game Settings TinyLeague:
Lobby Settings:
Visibility - public
Players - 8
Password - use anything you want but send it to players and admins
Allow spectators - yes
spectator delay - 3 minutes
Hide civilizations - no
Game Settings:
Game: Random Map
Map Style: Custom
Location: Varies
Map Size: Large (8 Players)
AI Difficulty: Standard
Resources: Standard
Population: 200
Game Speed: Normal
Reveal Map: Normal
Starting Age: Standard
Ending Age: Standard
Treaty Length: None
Victory: Conquest
Lock Teams [X]
Team Together [X]
Team Positions [X]
Shared Exploration [ ]
Lock Speed [X]
Allow Cheats [ ]
Turbo Mode [ ]
Full Tech Tree [ ]
Record Game [X]
Visibility - public
Players - 8
Password - use anything you want but send it to players and admins
Allow spectators - yes
spectator delay - 3 minutes
Hide civilizations - no
Game Settings:
Game: Random Map
Map Style: Custom
Location: Varies
Map Size: Large (8 Players)
AI Difficulty: Standard
Resources: Standard
Population: 200
Game Speed: Normal
Reveal Map: Normal
Starting Age: Standard
Ending Age: Standard
Treaty Length: None
Victory: Conquest
Lock Teams [X]
Team Together [X]
Team Positions [X]
Shared Exploration [ ]
Lock Speed [X]
Allow Cheats [ ]
Turbo Mode [ ]
Full Tech Tree [ ]
Record Game [X]
Broadcasting/Streaming:
All matches can be watched at twitch.tv/ornlu_aoe. Due to the logistical difficulty of scheduling a live match involving 8 players, matches will be cast as recorded games at the corresponding time/date listed above. Because of this, PoV streaming is unfortunately not possible. However, the casting of matches during or after the set broadcast date is completely open. If you would like to cast any matches, please message an admin via Discord so you can get access to the recs. If you would like to cast a match in which you have played, you are allowed to do so - as long as you do not prematurely spoil the results.
As Tinyleague is now open for Streaming POV or live casting any player/caster that wants to stream the games has to set his Stream on a 3 minutes delay.
All streams must clearly display the tournament banner in between games, have “OrnLu’s BIG NOMAD Cup” in their stream title, and include an !obnc twitch command that reads: "!obnc OBNC is hosted by OrnLu at twitch.tv/ornlu_aoe, more info about the tournament can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/OBNCInfohub "
Discord to get access to recs and the tournament banner: https://discord.com/invite/sESc6mu
As Tinyleague is now open for Streaming POV or live casting any player/caster that wants to stream the games has to set his Stream on a 3 minutes delay.
All streams must clearly display the tournament banner in between games, have “OrnLu’s BIG NOMAD Cup” in their stream title, and include an !obnc twitch command that reads: "!obnc OBNC is hosted by OrnLu at twitch.tv/ornlu_aoe, more info about the tournament can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/OBNCInfohub "
Discord to get access to recs and the tournament banner: https://discord.com/invite/sESc6mu
Tournament Rules:
- Playing Matches: All games must be played on the current AoE2: DE patch. All games need to be recorded. If a game is not recorded, it must be replayed regardless of the result. If a player drops or disconnects, the game must be saved and restored. If this is not possible for whatever reason, players may agree to restart the game. If there is a dispute, an admin must resolve the issue.
- Player Conduct: Please do not be toxic. All players/admins must be treated respectfully, and any instances of racism, toxicity, flaming, etc. should be recorded and reported to an admin. Appropriate action will be determined by an admin on a case-by-case basis. This rule should never need to come into effect - please act like adults.
- Cheating: Obviously, cheating of any kind is forbidden. This includes smurfing, macros, account sharing, etc. Any player caught cheating will be removed from the tournament and will forfeit any prize money. Specific situations will be adjudicated by a tournament admin. Just please do not cheat and make everyone’s lives more difficult than they need to be.
- Scheduling & Punctuality: All games must be played before the games are scheduled to be broadcast. Since each match involves at least 8 players, please make the effort to be as proactive and flexible as possible. Scheduling should be done through the relevant AoEZone thread. Each time is required to confirm a specific time for their match. If there is an issue in finding a fair match time, admin action will be required. Teams are responsible for ensuring that all players are punctual and ready to play at the agreed-upon time. Again, there are going to be a lot of people and time zones being coordinated here, so please do not be late if it can be avoided. If a team is not ready to play within 20 minutes of the agreed match time, admin action will be required.
- Recorded Games: All games, including disconnects/restarts, must be posted in the relevant AoEZone scheduling thread after the match is completed. Please also include the match results. In addition, since the games will be cast as recs, it is absolutely imperative that match results remain private until the match is broadcast. Spoiling a match result will result in admin action.
- Spectating: For what are hopefully obvious reasons, there may be no spectators for any tournament game. This can be easily done by unchecking the “Allow Spectators” box when making a lobby. If this rule is not followed, admin action will be required.
- Rule additions/alterations: Tournament rules can be added or changed during the tournament by tournament admins. All players will be promptly informed of any changes via AoEZone. This is OrnLu’s first time organizing a tournament, so chances are that he screws up something, somewhere. Please be flexible when it comes to rule additions/changes. Such additions/changes will be clearly marked in red.
Match Timetable:
Since the games will be broadcast as recs, teams can schedule their matches for a time that works best for everyone, within the given time frame. These will overlap, as teams may play their matches as early as they wish, but will have to make sure their matches are played by the time that match is scheduled to be broadcast. All games must be played during the following time frames:
BL Group A (Tundra):
Opening Matches - July 30th through August 5th
BL Group B (Desert):
Opening Matches - July 30th through August 3rd
BL both groups:
Winners Matches - August 5th through August 10th
Losers Matches - August 7th through August 12th
Decider Matches - August 10th through August 17th
TL Semifinals:
Semifinal 1 - August 13th through August 19nd
Semifinal 2 - August 13th through August 19nd
TL Grand Finals - August 22nd through August 28th
BL Semifinals:
Semifinal 1 - August 18th through August 24th
Semifinal 2 - August 20th through August 26th
BL Grand Finals - August 21st through August 28th
BL Group A (Tundra):
Opening Matches - July 30th through August 5th
BL Group B (Desert):
Opening Matches - July 30th through August 3rd
BL both groups:
Winners Matches - August 5th through August 10th
Losers Matches - August 7th through August 12th
Decider Matches - August 10th through August 17th
TL Semifinals:
Semifinal 1 - August 13th through August 19nd
Semifinal 2 - August 13th through August 19nd
TL Grand Finals - August 22nd through August 28th
BL Semifinals:
Semifinal 1 - August 18th through August 24th
Semifinal 2 - August 20th through August 26th
BL Grand Finals - August 21st through August 28th
Admin Action/Decisions:
In the event of a rule violation or if some unforeseen problem arises during the match, an admin will discuss the issue with the players to come to an agreeable solution. If teams cannot agree on a solution, an admin will act as the final judge, and players must follow the admin’s decision. In extreme cases, admins may take action without consulting players - this will not likely be needed, but is put in the rules just in case.
NOTE: If an issue arises, teams may discuss the situation and come to an agreement without needing to reach out to an admin. Most players are likely going to be experienced, and it is encouraged to simply reach out to the other team before resorting to contacting an admin. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, it is (hopefully) likely that there is common agreement in what is considered “fair”.
Players/streamers can always reach out to tournament admins if they have any questions or concerns. However, please DO NOT message OrnLu if your question/concern would spoil a series, as it would make his casting of said series even worse than usual. If you have such an issue, please message any of the other admins.
NOTE: If an issue arises, teams may discuss the situation and come to an agreement without needing to reach out to an admin. Most players are likely going to be experienced, and it is encouraged to simply reach out to the other team before resorting to contacting an admin. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, it is (hopefully) likely that there is common agreement in what is considered “fair”.
Players/streamers can always reach out to tournament admins if they have any questions or concerns. However, please DO NOT message OrnLu if your question/concern would spoil a series, as it would make his casting of said series even worse than usual. If you have such an issue, please message any of the other admins.
OBNC Admins:
OrnLu: OrnLu#7228 (Discord), @OrnLu528 (AoEZone)
LidaKor: LidaKor#8449 (Discord), @LidaKor (AoEZone)
FolderOfDoom: FolderOfDoom#1318 (Discord), @FolderOfDoom (AoEZone)
Nerfox: Nerfox#4561 (Discord), @Nerfox (AoEZone)
Chrazini: Chrazini#5687 (Discord), @Chrazini (AoEZone)
TriRem: TriRem#7472 (Discord), @TriRem (AoEZone)
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