Hello again everyone.
Apologies for the delay in bringing this update to you, hopefully it will have been worth the wait and should clear up any questions anyone may have about how the competition will be run:
Group stageEvery participant has been assigned to one of 4 groups (labelled A – D) and each group has 6 participants. Everybody in each group should play a single, head-to-head game against everyone else in their group individually. This means that everyone taking part in the World Cup will get to play 5 games at this stage of the competition.
GamesGames should be played online via JCloisterZone version 3.4.2 which can be downloaded here:
http://jcloisterzone.com/builds/JCloisterZone-3.4.2.zip. You must be running the same version of JCZ as your opponent in order for the game to work (so let's all stick with 3.4.2) and please remember to unzip this before you attempt to run it as you will encounter difficulties connecting to a game otherwise! Alternatively, with many of us heading to Essen this year it may also be possible for some games to be played in person. If this is the case, please do so and be sure to post photos of the finished landscape!
In order that they can take place, online games require a host which may be one of the players, or even a third person who isn't taking part in the match. If neither you nor your opponent has the ability to host games directly, please ask if someone else in your group is able to host for you at the time of your scheduled match. Failing this, someone in the chat room (see below) may be able to host for you or there is an online server which can be used by selecting JCloisterZone's "Play Online" option.
In the event of either player losing connection while the game is in progress, the game should be saved so that it can be reloaded. There will normally be someone in the chat room who will guide you through how this can be achieved, but it is a relatively simple process...
ExpansionsAll games at the group stage should include the following expansions:
- Inns & Cathedrals
- Traders & Builders
- The River (1)
- The Phantom
(these can be selected on the pre-game screen where you choose a colour and enter your name).
Please make sure you are familiar with the way the River is played through JCloisterZone as it doesn't entirely fit our officially recognised rules. The difference is only very subtle but affects the play order depending on who gets to place the final river tile/ lake. This caused upset last year which resulted in this expansion being withdrawn from all subsequent games but I'm re-instating it this year on the proviso that players have a quick test game against an AI opponent (or other) and accept that you have been warned!
Please also ensure that the "Randomize playing order" checkbox is enabled/ ticked so that the starting player will be chosen at random.
Artificial AidsOne of the goals of the CarcC tournaments I've organised has always been to mirror the experience of playing Carcassonne in person as closely as possible. Obviously this could be rather difficult since we have competitors from all over the world taking part, so we use JCloisterZone or other online methods of play where playing in person simply isn't feasible (travel/ cost/ time/ money/ etc). However, JCloisterZone now includes a number of artificial player aids such as Farm Hints, Projected Scores and even a screen showing tile breakdown, none of which would be available to players playing in person with a physical copy of the game. For this reason, I urge all players to avoid using these features of JCloisterZone and to rely purely on their wits while their games are in progress. Deliberate failure to ignore this and make use of JCloisterZone's artificial aids is considered cheating so please respect the integrity of the competition and the honesty of your opponents by avoiding them at all costs!
How groups will be rankedPlayers will be awarded 2 group points for a win or 1 group point for a draw so that an overall group-ranking can be established. "Points Differential" (total points scored by you minus total points scored against you in all games) will be used as a tie-breaker and the top 2 players from each group will go through to the knock-out stage.
CommunicationI will send an email round to each group once the competition is live. Please use this and/ or Private Messages (PMs) as an opportunity to schedule suitable times for your matches. Don't just sign in to the chat room and hope that someone will be there and available to play! There will also be a dedicated thread for each group (which I will link to in the email I send you) which is intended for you to record scores, post screenshots (including score breakdown) and game reports so that your groups progress can be tracked.
Chat roomOur web-based chat page is a handy place to meet with your opponent before your match, or to chat with other members of Carcassonne Central. It can be accessed through your browser by following this link:
http://sydby.com/carcassonne/irc/index.html. You will usually be able to find a third-party host here as necessary, and can also seek technical support relating to JCloisterZone or crashed games in the unlikely event that you need it.
PrizesUnfortunately I can no longer support a prize fund so we're playing purely for honour and bragging rights this year!
What happens next?More information regarding the rest of the tournament (specifically the knock-out stage) will be disclosed as the group stage begins to wind down.
Please ask now if you have any questions. Because if you have a question, the chances are that others might have the same question and I want everything to be as clear as can be in advance of what's sure to be a fantastic competition for all involved!
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November 16, 2016, 02:08:14 PM