1. Welcome to ASIA TF2 6v6 League Ruleset

updated: Tue, 11/9/21

Welcome to Asia TF2 League

Welcome to The Asia TF2 League, which stands for ATF2L in short form.

ATF2L continues its history from the main UGC Asia Highlander League, with its own independent administration, league schedule with its own map pool and whitelist.

1. Class Limits, Maps & Weapons

1.1 Class Limits - Each TF2 league within UGC has its own set of limitations on how many of each class you are allowed to use during a match. Please refer to the grid below for more details.

Highlander

6v6

4v4

2v2 (Ultiduo)

1 of each class

2 Scouts, 2 Soldiers, 1 Demoman, 1 Medic

1 Scout, 1 Soldier, 1 Demoman, 1 Medic (Having a Heavy and Medic at the same time is not allowed)

1 Soldier and 1 Medic

1.1.1 Switching classes during the game is allowed, therefore class limits apply to players that leave the spawn room or engage in play in any way. The spawn room is defined as the actual room that the players spawn in. Some maps, such as cp_steel (blue side) or cp_gravelpit (blue side) have an additional area outside of the spawn room that is protected by gates. This area is defined as your team's base.­ Class limits outlined above apply to your team's base.

1.2 Player Count - Each TF2 league within UGC has its own set of limitations on how many players can participate in a match and how many players can be rostered on a team. Please refer to the grid below for more details.

Category

ATF2L Highlander

ATF2L 6v6

4v4

2v2 (Ultiduo)

Default number of players for matches

9

6

4

2

Minimum number of players for matches

7

5

3

2

Maximum number of players in the team roster

18

12

10

5

1.3 League Maps - ­ATF2L plays league-worthy maps, which includes A/D (Attack/Defend), PL (Payload), KOTH (King Of The Hill) and Standard CP (Control Point). Each map type has specific gameplay settings for time limit and win conditions. Gameplay settings are controlled by server config files for each map type. Some map types will end when one team reaches a cumulative score, even if the config does not stop the match.­ See each map type below for details.

1.3.1 Teams must play the maps listed on the schedule page with the correct configuration for each mode in every given week. Teams are not permitted to change the maps for any reason.

Server Config files (CFGs)

  • ATF2L_koth.cfg
  • ATF2L_playoffs_koth.cfg
  • ATF2L_stopwatch.cfg
  • ATF2L_standard.cfg

1.3.2 Stopwatch maps (aka Attack/Defend and Payload Maps)

Examples: cp_steel (Attack/Defend) & pl_upward (Payload)

Match Play (full description): Stopwatch maps are played in 2 halves with a potential overtime round if there is a tie after 2 halves. Each team attacks and defends one time in each half. The Home team decides whether to attack first or defend in the first half.­ Teams should swap sides in the second half.

Example:

  • 1st half: Team A attacks and Team B defends then Team B attacks and Team A defends
  • 2nd half: Team B attacks and Team A defends then Team A attacks and Team B defends.­
  • Overtime Round: If each team wins a half, the scores will be tied at 1-1. The overtime round should be played just like the 1st half. Team A attacks and Team B defends then Team B attacks and Team A defends.

Winning the half (or overtime round): A team is considered the winner of the half if they have secured more checkpoints (or control points) than the other team or if they controlled the same number of checkpoints (or control points) in a faster time.

Example: pl_prowater_b12

Team A secured all 5 checkpoints in 7 minutes and 32 seconds. Team B was able to secure all 5 checkpoints in 6 minutes and 58 seconds. Team B would be considered the winner of that half and would be awarded 1 point towards the final scoring.

Winning the match: A team is considered the winner of the match if they win both regular halves OR if they win one half and the overtime round.

Match Play (concise description): Stopwatch maps are played in 2 halves where each team attacks once and defends once in each half. The Home team decides whether to attack first or defend first in the first half only. A team is considered to win the half when they capture the same number of points faster than their opponent or prevent their opponent from capping as many points as they did. Each half won counts as 1 point. If teams are tied 1-1 after the first two halves then an overtime round must be played just like the first half to decide the winner.

Scoring:­ Each half won counts as 1 point and winning the overtime round counts as 1 point.

Possible match scores ­are 2-0 or 2-1.

1.3.3 CP - Control Point maps ­

Examples: cp_vanguard & cp_warmfront

Match Play (full description): Control Point maps are played in 30 minutes. Each round ends when one team captures all of the control points. The map ends when one team gets a score difference of 5 (e.x 5 - 0, 6 - 1, 7 - 2) or when the 30 minute map timer ends.

Golden Cap Round:­ If the score is tied after then a golden cap round must be played to decide the winner. The winner of the golden cap is determined by whichever team can capture all the control points first. The specifications are the same with a normal match but instead, the team who scores first would win the entire map.

Match Play (concise description): The winning team is the first to have a score difference of 5 , or the highest score after 30 minutes.

Scoring: Each round won counts as 1 point.

­

1.3.4 KOTH - King of the Hill maps ­

Examples: koth_product_final, koth_coalplant_b8

Match Play (full description): KOTH maps are played to the first of 3 rounds won. Whichever team owns the control point when the timer runs out is considered the winner of that round. Each half ends when one team has won 3 rounds. Possible scores: 3-0, 3-1, or 3-2.

Winning the map: The winning team is the first to win 4 cumulative rounds. Please note: The winning team must have won 4 cumulative rounds to end a match.

Match Play (concise description): The winning team is the first to score 4 TOTAL round wins. The map is over when one team scores their 4th cumulative round win.

Scoring: Each round won counts as 1 point.

Possible match scores during the regular season are 4-0, 4-1, 4-2 or 4-3.

Note: During the playoffs, teams are to play to the first of 3 rounds won using the ATF2L_playoffs_koth.cfg so the possible match scores during playoffs for KOTH maps are 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2.

1.4 Weapon and Item Restrictions - ­Players may use any weapon or item in TF2, except for those excluded by the official whitelists. This list may change during a season due to patches and new releases by Valve. Any new weapons or items that are released by Valve during a regular season are automatically banned until the next season.

1.5 Picking Up Weapons - With the Gun Mettle update in July 2015, weapon pickups were introduced to TF2. Players are permitted to pick up dropped weapons.

1.5.1 Picking Up Medic Secondary Weapons - With the Meet Your Match update in July 2016, ÜberCharge decay was introduced to all dropped Mediguns. Players are permitted to pick up dropped Medic secondary weapons. This includes; the Medi Gun, the Kritzkrieg, the Quick-Fix and the Vaccinator.

2. League Schedule

updated: Tue, 11/9/21

2. League Schedule

2.1­ Schedules for each week are typically posted at least 4-5 days prior to the default match day. Scheduling is dependent upon all matches being completed and reported from the prior week. Failure to play a match on time may delay the schedule for next week for your division. Please make all efforts to play your matches on time.

2.1.1­ Default Match Day and Time - Every Sunday at 20:30 Singapore Time

2.1.2 Moving a Match - ­Leaders from both teams may agree to move a match to a different date and or time within the same week. This agreement must be documented in the Match Comm panel. If team leaders do not want the match to be moved then the match must be played on the default date and time. If there is an issue involving moving a match, your Division Admin can enforce a new time and date for the match to be played.

2.1.3 ­Late Matches - Matches must be played no later than the end of the week the match is at. If you are unable to play your match by the deadline please contact your Division Admin immediately. Matches reported after the deadline will not be accepted.

2.2 Match Comms - Team leaders are required to post in the Match Comm panel if the match is not being played at the default date and time. Match Comms must also be used if a team is requesting for a free merc or for any regular mercenaries on top of the free merc. It will be assumed that the teams involved in the match are playing at default day and time if no messages are posted in the match comms.

2.2.1 In the interest of good sportsmanship, team captains should schedule the matches at the earliest opportunity and inform the opponent team captain as soon as possible should they require a free merc and/or regular merc before the match. Acceptable panels for scheduling matches would be the match comms on the UGC website, Steam direct message and Discord direct message.

2.2.2 The match comms are built into your team leader 'My Match' web page. Simply ­log in as team leader to post. Match Comms are also available to all team captains in the teams involved in the match, by using the leader login on the UGC website.

2.2.3 ATF2L operates as a season-based competition. We will have 2 seasons of 6v6 each year, 2 full seasons consisting of 7 weeks of regular season and 4-5 weeks of playoffs.

2.2.4 Regular Season - ­Scheduling during the regular season is based on round robin or swiss depending on the division size.­ Teams will not play the same opponent twice during the regular season unless there is a shortage of teams for that division.

2.2.5 Playoffs & Forfeits - ­­Forfeits during playoffs are strongly discouraged. In the interest of good sportsmanship and fair play, please make all attempts to ensure that your playoff match is played. Please contact your opponents via Match Comms, Discord and Steam well in advance of the default match date and time. If your match cannot be played for whatever reason please contact your Division Admin immediately. The forfeiting team will be eliminated from the playoff bracket, resulting in a forfeit loss for all subsequent matches if applicable.

2.3 Roster Lock - ­All team rosters will be locked at the start of the season till the end of playoffs. If you need to drop a player after the season has started, please contact your respective division manager or do so during the transfer windows.

2.4 Rostering Players Mid-Season - For adding in new players, team captains must wait for the transfer windows which are open during week 3 and week 5, each transfer window is limited to a maximum of 3 players, subjected to the Head Admin and/or Division Admin’s approval.

2.5 Bye Week - If your division has an uneven number of teams, it is likely that 1 team in your division will receive a bye week. A bye week means that there is no opponent to schedule against your team and therefore you do not have to play that week. Bye's are typically given to the lowest ranked teams that have played all of their matches up until that point. If you receive a bye, your team will show in the schedule versus "BYE WEEK." Each team that receives a bye will also get a free win that week with full match points. No team will receive more than 1 bye week per season.

3. Division Placement

updated: Sun, 1/2/22

3. Division Placement & Rosters

3.1 Division Placement is based on a cumulative assessment of each player's prior roster history from the current and 3 prior completed seasons. Experience outside of this time period will not factor into placements. Most divisions have a quota system (outlined below) that dictates how many players from certain divisions may play there.

Players will be branded as a particular division once they have secured 3 or more legitimate wins (meaning played matches) in that division in a single season. Team history from before the review period will not be factored into placements.

Prior experience, as well as all rostered players will be taken into account for placement. ­Note: 6v6­, 4v4 and Ultiduo ­experience is not considered 1:1 with Highlander and vice-versa when deciding team placement. Admins reserve the right to move your team up or down a division at any point during the season.­­

Teams may request a specific division but ultimate placement will be decided by a Head Admin.

3.1.1 General Placement Guidelines for ATF2L.

  • Platinum - Is the top division in our Highlander and 6v6 league. Players in the Platinum division should have ample competitive experience.
  • Silver - Is the intermediate skill division. Rosters are expected to be a mix of players with experience on low Platinum teams, established Silver teams and high Steel teams. Teams are permitted to have no more than 2 Platinum
  • Steel - Is the lowest skill division for teams with no competitive experience or teams that could not secure 3+ legitimate wins in Silver in a prior season. Rosters are expected to be a mix of players with experience on low Silver teams, established Steel teams and new teams. Teams are permitted to have no more than 2 Silver players from teams with established records (3+ legitimate wins) in a single season over the past 3 completed seasons and current season.

3.1.2 Additional Placement Guidelines - We consider experience from other leagues such as Asiafortress, ozfortress and Respawn League Asia, but it may not be at a 1:1 scale, especially if it’s for a different mode such as highlander for ATF2L 6v6 and it is at the ATF2L’s administration discretion to consider the player’s experience(s) from other leagues (not limited to the leagues listed here) if it is appropriate for the division the player is considering to play in.

3.2 Regional Placement - As ATF2L is an exclusively Asian league, all teams must be based in Asia, out of region players (players outside of Asia) are allowed to participate in the league but they must be able to play on Asian servers (Singapore or Hong Kong servers) and make it at the default day and time (Saturdays at 20:30 Singapore Time, UTC +8). Each team is allowed to have a maximum of 4 out of region players.

3.2.1 Server Locations - All matches in ATF2L 6s must be played in an Asian server. Matches on any other servers will not be accepted if there is an average of 100 ms or greater difference in the teams’ latency. If you are unsure on which server to play on, please consult the Head Admin or your respective division admin. This only applies for players in the asian region.

3.2.2 Out of region players are excluded from the 3.2.1 rule of averaging pings. They are playing in an Asian league, as such, should expect ping issues. Although this is the case, this is subject to change depending on the division admin’s discretion.

3.3 Roster Confirmations - Team captains must check the rosters and work out roster issues before the match begins. Be honest with your opponent about your player's roster status. Once both teams are set to Ready, we ­consider this an agreement to move forward with all connected players (including any unrostered players that might be in the server). If there is any suspicion of an unrostered player on the opponent team, notify your division admin immediately.

3.4 Mercs and Unrostered­ Players - Every team is allowed to merc 1 player from the same or lower division the team is in for a match without written approval from the opposing team leader. The free merc must be in an active team playing the current season, teams that are not set to ready, such as teams that are set to dropped or set to not ready or on wait for next season are not considered active teams and any player in those teams are not eligible to be a free merc. The link to the merc’s UGC profile must be posted in the Match Comms for the other leader to see. If a concern arises with the legitimacy of a merc, or if you think the opposing team leader is misusing the free ringer policy please contact your Division Admin immediately.

3.5.1. Class restrictions is available for players as long as an admin approves it. When a person is locked into a class, they cannot impact the game through another class (ex. A class locked medic player can only play medic, but they are allowed to offclass to change their spawn.)

3.5.2. Players rostered in a division with a class restriction need to follow rule 3.5.1 for them to merc for a team.

3.6.1 This free ringer policy will only apply if the ringer information is put in Match Comms at least 15 minutes before the match.

3.6.2 If you need to use any additional unrostered players for any reason, written permission from the leader of your opponent team is required. This permission must be documented in the Match Comm panel.

3.6.3 Banned and/or Suspended players may not be used as mercs under any circumstances (even if written permission is given).

3.6.4 Matches/Rounds can be overturned, or replayed at an Admin's discretion if it is believed a merc was playing a match illegitimately, this includes but is not limited to: alting, switching accounts, or not meeting the requirements for a free merc (such as attempting to pass off a merc from a higher division as a free merc) .

3.6.5 Players from different divisions in other gamemodes, for example, a Platinum highlander player, cannot be a free ringer in Steel 6s. If any leader has confusion about who they can and cannot ask to merc for their team please contact your division admin.

3.6.6 When requesting approval to use an unrostered player, you are required to provide links to Steam profiles (and UGC player profiles if available) to the leader of the opposing team at least 15 minutes prior to the match time.

3.6.7 Once a specific unrostered player has been approved in writing in the match comms, that player may participate in the entire match and cannot later be disputed.

3.6.8 The ATF2L administration can force a team to allow an additional unrostered player, if the team denies all mercenary options for the other team.

3.6.9 If the other team is using an unrostered player, unless it is their free ringer or approved merc(s), and you did not give explicit written permission in the Match Comms for that player to participate in the match, please ask the leader of the opponent team to remove this player from the server. If the unrostered player does not leave the server by 15 minutes past the agreed-upon match time, please contact your Division Admin immediately.

3.7 Late Joining Players - ­Once a match is live, only rostered players may join the server (and only when a substitute is needed or your team has less than the default number of players in Rule 1.2.­ NOTE: We do not expect team leaders to check eligibility of late joining players during a live match. If a late joining player is later determined to be an unrostered player, any scores accumulated while that player is in the server will be nullified or overturned at the division admin’s discretion.­

3.8 Team Participation - Players may only be rostered on 1 team per league at a time. This rule extends to a person and not a specific Steam account.

Examples:

  • A given player can be rostered on a ATF2L Highlander and 6s team at the same time
  • A player cannot be rostered on 2 ATF2L 6s teams at the same time.

3.9­ Alias Accounts -­­ Additional steam accounts (also known as alias accounts) owned by the same player may not be rostered without explicit admin permission.

3.9.1 Players who are found to be using an alias account (without admin approval, see rule 3.9.2) will be subject to suspension and/or punishment from the league. The suspension will also apply to the­ player's main account.­ Teams who roster such players may be subject to penalties such as matches being overturned or replayed.

3.9.2 If a player needs to use an alternate account, they must declare it and obtain explicit approval from the Head Admin before the start of the season with valid reason(s) that they are unable to access and use their main account. Players are not permitted to switch accounts midseason for any reason.

3.10 Team Names - Teams are encouraged to be creative when naming their teams but should refrain from using team names that could be considered offensive. The ATF2L Administration reserves the right to change your team name if it is considered offensive. Repeated offenses may lead to a player/team suspension.

3.11 Roster Names - All players on the roster should be listed by the name that they most commonly go by in the community.

3.11.1 In-game name - All rostered players are strongly encouraged to use their most commonly used alias when playing matches. Using an offensive player name will lead to a suspension and a league ban for repeated offenses.

3.12 Team & Player Avatars - Use of offensive avatars on our site may lead to a player/team suspension

4. Servers

updated: Tue, 11/9/21

4. Servers

4.1 ­­Server Responsibility - It is both teams' responsibility to ensure a server is available to play the match.­ If the Home team does not have a server, the Visiting team may host.­ If neither team owns a server, it is both teams' responsibility to secure a suitable server for the match.­ Team captains are recommended to book a bookable server such as a Qixalite or sea.serveme server.

4.1.2­ The Home team (listed first in the schedule) has the choice of server for the first map, and for the third map. The Visiting team (listed second on the schedule) chooses which server to use in the second map.

4.1.3 ­The team providing the server must provide the ­address and password in Match Comms or on Steam or Discord direct message at least 15 minutes before match time.

4.2­ Only dedicated TF2 servers from professional hosting companies may be used in an official ATF2L match.

4.2.1 Home-based servers of any kind and quality are strictly prohibited from being used in official ATF2L matches. If you are caught using a home-based server, matches played on your server will be overturned.

4.3­ Servers must have a MINIMUM number of available slots depending on the TF2 league you are playing in. This is to accommodate both teams and SourceTV.­

  • Highlander: 19 available slots
  • 6v6: 13 available slots

4.4 Whitelists and Configs -­ All ATF2L matches must be played on servers running the official ATF2L item whitelists and configs found in our files section. It is the responsibility of team leaders and server administrators to ensure that these files stay up to date on your server. If a team feels their opponent's server is running outdated versions of these files, they must first contact the opponent team’s leader to resolve the issue. If a problem still persists, then an admin should be contacted. Make sure to properly document all conversations. ­WARNING: Once both teams begin a match by setting their status to Ready, both teams accept current server settings even if they are incorrect. Make sure to resolve these issues BEFORE setting your team to Ready!

4.4.1 If during the game you notice a player using a banned weapon or an officially banned cosmetic item, pause the match (this will not count as a normal pause) and ask them to stop using the item. If they refuse, please contact an admin immediately. Likewise if you are unable to use a weapon that is supposed to be allowed, pause the match (this will not count as a normal pause) and ask them to rectify the issue. If they refuse or are otherwise unable to do so please contact an admin immediately. Moving the match to a new server may be required if the host team is unable to update their whitelist in a timely manner. New cosmetic items (not yet listed in the official whitelist) are not subject to dispute in this manner.

For the most up to date copy of the whitelists and configs, please refer to the cfg pack which can be downloaded from the league discord

4.5 VAC (Valve Anti Cheat - Secure Mode) must be enabled and sv_pure 2 must be set for all matches.­

4.6 ­Mods - Manimod, Sourcemod, AMX Mod and AMXX Mod and the like are allowed as long as they do not interfere with the match. A csay command here and there will be tolerated, as long as it was in the admin mod config and is not insulting to anybody. Admin mods may only be used for setting the config, checking the amount of time left, and changing maps. Please disable all plugins that could affect any aspect of the match, including Donator plugins. If any player from the opposing team (the Visiting team) is kicked, banned or moved to Spectator during a match for any reason due to any installed mod, the hosting team will forfeit all points earned during the round, unless the Visiting team agrees otherwise.

4.7 Server Connection Issues and Crashes -­ Should a server have connection issues (including but not limited to: both teams experiencing extreme packet loss ­or lag)­ or if the server crashes outright and the team captains agree in writing that the server has become unplayable, the round will be stopped and restarted on another server. When a server crashes, any rounds scored­ must be retained. Rounds that have not yet concluded will be voided. Please see below for examples.

Examples:

  • CP maps:­ Your server crashes after 15 minutes of gameplay. The Home team has ­capped all 5 control points 3 times (score is 3-0). The Home team is in the process of capturing the middle command ­point in ­the fourth round when the server crashes. The score at the time of the crash was 3-0. Partially captured rounds are not counted. Teams should move to a new server and start the fourth round over again.
  • KOTH maps: The Home team has won 2 rounds and is currently controlling the point in the third round. The server crashes while the Home team has control of the point (with 30 seconds left on the clock). The score is considered to still be 2-0 and the third round must be replayed.

If your server crashes and both teams are not able to come to a resolution on how to proceed, please contact your Division Admin immediately. Server crash disputes need to be handled live while they are occurring.

4.8 Server Pauses - ­­In a regular season, each team is allowed 3 server pauses per match (for both maps) to deal with unexpected player drops from technical issues or to deal with a server-wide connection issue. Each pause can last for 6 minutes, and afterwards, both teams can unpause to resume the match after indicating in the match server that they are unpausing.

For playoffs, the same rules apply from above but instead of 3 server pauses, they are given 4 server pauses..

4.8.1 Anyone may pause the match, but that person must announce the reason for the pause immediately after it is initiated or, if possible, before the pause is initiated.­ Additionally, a match may only be unpaused by the team that initiated the pause but after 6 minutes, it can be unpaused by both teams as long as indicated that they are unpausing.­ ­

4.8.2 All unpauses should be preceded by a 15 second warning through in-game chat.­

4.8.3 A pause may last up to a maximum of any time. *NOTE* 15 minutes is a guideline, not a strict limit.­ If teams cannot come to a resolution after this 15 minute period has passed, then an admin must be contacted.

4.9 ­If it is found that a team intentionally crashed or restarted a server, they will automatically lose the match and further action will be taken, including temporary or permanent suspension.

4.10 SourceTV is required to be active and recording for all official ATF2L matches.­ The STV-delay must be 90 seconds and cannot be altered.

4.11 SourceTV Spectators - The team hosting the match is required to give the IP (and password) of the SourceTV proxy to their opponents. The host of the proxy is also required to have at least 3 spots open. The proxy may be password protected.

4.11.1 If the SourceTV proxy is unable to handle spectators on a team server, you must ensure that an STV is recorded of the match. If this is the case, you must make a copy of the STV demo available to your opponent within 48 hours.

4.11.2 Live spectators in the server are not allowed. Please set a join password on the server and request those not in the game to refrain from joining.­ Spectators are encouraged to watch the match through SourceTV. ­ATF2L Admins are allowed to join and spectate any ATF2L matches. Any ATF2L admin that requests to live spectate a match must be accepted to the server. Failure to do so may result in a penalty.

4.11.3 It is the responsibility of both teams to check that SourceTV is running before readying up and playing their match. If SourceTV was not running after both teams readied up and the match was played, then it cannot be disputed afterwards.

4.11.4 POV demos must be saved for the entire active season.

4.11.5 ­Failure to provide a SourceTV demo to an admin can result in a match being overturned or a player/team suspension.

5. Match Play & Playoffs

updated: Tue, 11/9/21

5. Match Play & Playoffs

5.1 Minimum player count - Each team must meet the minimum player count requirements spelled out in Rule 1.2 in order to ready up and play the match. Teams are allowed up to 15 minutes past the agreed upon match time to gather the minimum number of required players. In the interest of fair play and good sportsmanship we encourage teams to be flexible and allow additional time for your opponent to gather their players. We also ask teams to consider rescheduling should an issue arise at the last minute and one team is unable to field the minimum number of players.

5.1.1 If your opponent team has not readied up by 15 minutes past the agreed upon match time, please contact your Division Admin immediately.

5.2 Mid-match­ break - Teams are encouraged to take a break after each map during a match. Team breaks should last not more than 10 minutes, if a team refuses to ready up or start the match after 10 minutes of break time, an admin should be called.

5.3 Reporting Matches - Upon the completion of a match,­ the­ winning team must ­report the scores via the UGC website. Only team leaders with a dedicated team leader login can report match scores. To ensure that accurate scores are reported, please pay close attention to the submission form.

5.3.1 Should a team play with the incorrect amount of points, these extra points will not go towards your overall score, and will be defaulted back to the standard match points. If there is any issue regarding match points, it is up to your division admin’s discretion to decide on how to proceed.

5.3.2 If you have made an error in reporting the scores, please contact the head admin immediately.

5.3.4 ­When reporting scores, the team leader ­will be able to enter a Match­ Writeup for others to read. Please remember that these comments will be publicly available for all to view, therefore please be polite. ­The Match­ Writeup­ field is not to be used for submitting disputes against the other team. If an issue occurred ­in your match that requires admin intervention, please contact your Division Admin once the match has concluded.­

­5.4 Forfeits (default wins): If you think that your match is going to result in a forfeit, please contact your Division Admin immediately. If a team can not supply the minimum number of players required to play a match by 15 minutes past the agreed upon match time, ­the opposing team may request a forfeit from their Division Admin. The Division Admin may request a discord group chat between leaders from both teams to understand the issue that is preventing the match from being played. The Division Admin has the authority to order more time be given to organize the match and can alternatively order the match to be rescheduled to another date/time.

5.4.1 Documented proof of the situation that leads to the forfeit MUST be posted in the Match Comm panel. This includes (but is not limited to) in-game screenshots (with timestamps) ­showing the other team­ did not have enough players by the appropriate time as well as any relevant chat logs between the 2 teams. Failure to document the Match Comms regarding your forfeit will result in the match remaining unplayed. Forfeits, or defaults, should only be used when there is absolutely no means of playing the match. Sufficient proof must be shown to show that every means of getting the match played is exhausted. This means that teams should not forfeit, just because they do not wish to play. This also means that teams are heavily encouraged to reschedule matches instead of forfeiting if necessary.

5.4.2 Scoring for forfeits - Teams will receive the following Match Points for Forfeit Wins:

Silver and Steel Divisions: +2.5 Match Points

If your opponent team has clearly dropped from the league prior to your match please alert your Division Admin immediately. If no other opponent is available to play against, you will be awarded +5 Match Match Points in this case.

Platinum: +5 Match Points

5.4.3 Penalties for Forfeits - Teams with 2 or more forfeit losses will be removed from scheduling. Teams removed may be temporarily set to Not Ready or permanently suspended for the remainder of the season at the division admin’s discretion.

5.5 Match Abandonment - If an entire team leaves a match prematurely, that team forfeits the match as a whole (including every point scored). If a partial match has been played, the other team will be awarded full match points for the match only when the partial score is in their favor.

5.6.1. Playoff matches are played to the Best of 3 Maps.

5.6.2 Map Elimination System - The procedure for map picks/bans is as follows:

Home team bans a map

Visiting team bans a map

Home team picks the first map

Visiting team picks the second map

Visiting team bans a map

Home team picks the third map

  • Map #1: Home Team picks the starting color and the map is played on the Home Team's server.
  • Map #2: Visiting Team picks the starting color and the map is played on the Visiting Team's server.
  • Map #3: Home Team picks the starting color and the map is played on the Home Team's server.

5.6.3 Only maps played in the regular season of the current season can be picked.

5.6.4 Once a map is picked, it can't be picked again.

5.6.5 Map picks and bans can be done in the match comms or on Steam/Discord direct message. But the finalized map picks and bans must be posted in the match comms by Friday, 20:30 Singapore time in the week the match is on.

5.6.6 Map pick/bans time requirement - Teams are required to pick/ban final maps at least 24 hours before the default match day and time as stated in 5.6.5. Should no pick/bans be made by a team, then the map picks and bans will be picked by your Division Admin for the team that did not respond.

5.6.7 Playoffs/BO3 Map Structure -

KOTH maps - First to 3 rounds won

5CP - First to 5 score difference or the best of 30 minutes

5.6.8 Playoff Scoring

Each map win counts as 1 half won

Possible scores are: 2-1 or 2-0

 

6. Player & Leader Responsibilities

updated: Tue, 11/9/21

6. Player & Leader Responsibilities

6.1 Sportsmanship - Good sportsmanship is an important part of this league and all teams should be treated with respect.

6.1.1 Examples - Bad sportsmanship includes (but is not limited to) remarks that attack another player's ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or religion. Another example of poor sportsmanship is spawn camping while ignoring the map goals, such as camping the enemy spawn while ignoring the cart on a Payload map. Players can be suspended for bad sportsmanship at an Admin’s discretion. Repeated violations can result in team suspension. Additional offenses may include repeated harassment of certain players off-platform, delaying matches, and general non-compliance with the league standards/rules.

6.2 Recording Personal Demos - ­All players in an official ATF2L match are required to record POV demos. We recommend that players download and use p-rec, an automated plugin to record POV demos at https://etf2l.org/p-rec/ . Manual recording can also be done by typing "record demoname" in the in game console (without quotes). ­At the end of your match type "stop" (without quotes) in the console to end the demo.

6.2.1 All demos must be saved for the entire active season and must be provided to an Admin as soon as possible upon request.

6.2.2 Approved File Sharing Sites - When a POV demo is requested by an Admin, it must be uploaded to one of the following approved file sharing websites: Dropbox or Google Drive.

6.2.3 Random POV Checks - Admins will check for POV demo recording compliance on a weekly basis. Teams will be chosen at random and all players who participated in the match that week will be required to submit their demos. Admins will contact Team Leaders directly, and Team Leaders are responsible for collecting the demos and making them available to the Admins.

6.2.4 Punishment for POV Non-Compliance - Failure to provide a POV demo upon admin request will result in the following actions for each player that fails to submit a POV demo: 1st Offense - 1 week suspension 2nd Offense - 2 week suspension 3rd Offense - 8 week suspension

6.2.5 Players who receive a 1st offense for not providing a POV demo will be subject to repeated spot checks throughout the season to ensure compliance.

6.3 ­Team Switching and Spectating - Switching to your opponent's team or going to spectator during a live match is strictly forbidden and players who do so may be suspended.­ Points earned that round may be removed if it is ruled that team switching affected the match.­ If you need to go AFK during a match, do not switch to spectator, call for a pause instead if it’s urgent.

7. Cheating & Other Offenses

updated: Tue, 11/9/21

7. Cheating & Other Offenses

7.1­ Cheating of any kind is strictly prohibited. Our scope of review for cheating is not limited to official ATF2L matches. There are so many methods of cheating it is impossible for us to list them all. However we will list some of the most common methods below.­

7.2 Map, Weapons and­ Game Engine Exploits - ­The intentional use of exploits of map flaws, weapons and game engine bugs are­ not allowed. Use of exploits in a match can result in either the round being replayed or the offending team may lose the round.­ Examples: Engineer buildings may not be placed in areas in which the opposing team is unable to destroy them. This includes but is not limited to maps that allow­ you to build a teleporter inside the spawn room itself (such as on koth_ashville_rc1). Exception: Some maps, like cp_steel and cp_gravelpit, have a protected area outside of the spawn room which is still behind gates (this area is defined as your team's base). You are allowed ­to build engie buildings in your base (as long as it's not in your actual spawn room).­­ Players may not shoot through solid surfaces or doors that are intended to be closed. This includes but is not limited to the A door on cp_steel. Splash damage through surfaces that are meant to be permeable such as fences and crates is allowed. Engineers are not permitted to build a teleporter in the small closed off room at Red's last spawn on pl_upward.

­ 7.3 ­The use of ANY external program, wrapper or hook, be it a modified .dll, an .exe injecting hook, or ANY file or program that hooks on to the Source engine and gives a player additional HUD information, attributes, abilities, or significantly alters gameplay is ILLEGAL and BANNABLE.­ This includes specifically (but not limited to) the use of a wallhack, aimbot, autodet, anticonc, speedhack, third person view, esp of any type, radar of any type, sound manipulation, and trueaim ("sniper dot" for non-sniper classes.)­

7.3.1 Ping Manipulation (also known as ping masking) - Ping manipulation of any kind is prohibited. This includes but is not limited to using console commands to alter the value of your ping.

7.4 ­Using the server or console commands to give any part of your team an unfair advantage is cheating. This does not include scripts regarding flag status, class status, health status, incoming calls, or the like. If you are in doubt about a particular script, post it on our forum for advance approval by an admin.­

7.5 VAC Ban Policy (Effective for all new VAC bans after May 13th 2015)

7.5.1 Source Engine VAC Bans - A player with a Source Engine VAC ban (that prevents the player from joining a TF2 VAC secured server) will be banned from the league for a period of 4 months from the date the account is VAC banned. In all cases, the ban period applies to a person and not a single Steam account. Alias accounts created to evade this VAC policy will lengthen the duration of the player ban. After the ban period has expired, these players will be permitted to register a new alias account and continue participating in the league.

7.5.2 Game bans - Game bans can be treated like VAC bans, in regards to representing a player cheating in non-VAC secured games, and/or being banned from custom softwares such as, CSGO's Overwatch and Easy AC.

7.6 Mirror Ban Policy 7.6.1 UGC reserves the right to mirror any ban that a player faces in another competitive TF2 league.

7.6.2 If a player wishes to appeal their mirror ban, they must repeal the ban in the league they were banned in originally. Other Offenses:

7.7 Aliasing (defined as playing under a different Steam account than your main account)­­ as a method to avoid a previous ban­, to hide your competitive experience from your opponent or to play in a lower division will result in a permanent league ban. Bans are issued to PERSONS not ­Steam IDs. ­

7.7.1 If you are caught aliasing in a lower division or you are ­rostered on more than 1 team in the same league with an alias account the following actions will be applied; a.) Your alias(es) will be permanently banned from the league and b.) Your main account will be suspended or possibly banned.­ 7.7.2 In an alias dispute the burden of proof is on the accused player(s), not the Admins. If a player cannot sufficiently prove the alias account is not theirs, they will be subject to a suspension or ban.

7.7.3 Sometimes there are valid reasons to play under an alias account and players may do so only with explicit admin approval. Refer to rule 3.9.2 7.8 ­Account-sharing­ (defined as giving out your Steam username/email and password to a third-party to play as you in a match) is strictly prohibited.

7.9 Match Betting/Gambling - Team Leaders and individual players who are found to have bet on their own matches, regardless of the match outcome, will be banned from the league and any matches bet on must be replayed. This rule also applies to placing bets through alias accounts or other third parties. Punishment for betting on your own team may also extend to the entire team if multiple players are found to have taken part in the bet. If this occurs, the match in question will be overturned (when applicable).

7.10 Admins reserve the right to enforce suspensions/bans at any time for any reason whether a clear rule was broken or not. Suspensions/bans can result from (but are not limited to): Cheating, aliasing, account-sharing, impersonation of an Admin or another player, betting, posting personal information, and abuse/harassment. The scope of consideration for such punishment is not limited to official ATF2L matches.

7.11 Punishment for Cheating - Players who are caught cheating in an official ATF2L match will be banned from the league for 1 year. When a player has been found guilty of cheating, the match that the dispute originated from will be overturned. The Anti-Cheat Team may also elect to review demos from prior matches that occurred within 2 weeks of the match that lead to the ban. If cheating is found to have taken place, those matches may also be overturned as well.

8. Match Disputes

updated: Tue, 11/9/21

8. Match Disputes

8.1 Match Disputes - If you feel a rule has been broken by your opponent during an official ATF2L match please make all attempts to get your match played before pursuing a dispute. We ask all teams to be reasonable and flexible with each other. This can include but is not limited to waiting an extra few minutes to ensure the match gets played or allowing your opponent to have additional pauses. Playing a match is always preferred over a dispute or a forfeit win. 8.1.1 Before submitting a dispute please try to contact your Division Admin to resolve the issue while it is happening live. If your Division Admin is not available please try reaching another admin in the ATF2L discord.

8.2 Submitting a Dispute - I­f no admin is available then your Team Leader should file a Support Ticket. Support Tickets can be filed from the Team Leader homepage by clicking on League Support > Support Tickets. Use the "Match Dispute" topic. All match disputes must be submitted within 48 hours after your match has ended. Disputes submitted after this deadline may not be honored. 8.2.1 If your team leader is unavailable to submit a dispute ticket then any individual player may also file a dispute ticket. To do so, use the Steam login button on the UGC homepage and from your Player homepage click League Support > Support Tickets. Use the "Match Dispute" topic.

8.2.2 Required documentation - The burden of proof in a dispute is on the team that submits the dispute. Please provide as much detail as you can in the dispute email. This must include a summary of the dispute, what rules you think were broken, screenshots, chat logs and STV (and/or POV demos).

8.3 ­While a dispute is pending, public discussion of the dispute is prohibited on the UGC forums.

8.4 Admins Involved in a Dispute - ­Any Admin who happens to play for a team that is involved in a dispute is not allowed to participate in that dispute due to conflict of interest.

8.5 Dispute Resolution - ­Admins will try to handle all disputes as quickly as possible, however some disputes may require more time depending on the complexity.­ Once a dispute has been resolved both teams involved in the dispute will be notified via the email we have on file for each leader.

8.5.1 Outcomes from match disputes are decided on a case by case basis and may include (but are not limited to): a forced rematch, score reversal, match reversal, and/or player/team suspension.

9. Team Ranking & Ties

updated: Tue, 11/9/21

9. Team Rankings and Titles

9.1 Ranking - All ATF2L Teams are ranked on our current season's rankings web page. Rankings are reset after each season, so that only regular season matches are included in final rank calculations. Rank calculation is done using the values shown at the top of the rankings web page. The rankings page will automatically be updated as match results are accepted by admins each week of regular season matchplay.­

9.2 Title Playoffs - Elimination playoffs are used after the end of regular season to determine the season's title winners or champions. The setup of these playoffs may vary slightly from season to season. Generally speaking, playoffs will be a 4 or 5-week double elimination bracket using rank seeding.

9.2.1 ­After the last match in the regular season, playoff seeding is determined by regular season ranking of all teams as shown on our current season rank page.­ ­UGC admins will determine the final regular season rankings after including all approved match results prior to playoffs. Seeding will then follow rank numbers.­

9.2.2 ­Playoff Brackets - The current schedule web page will display playoff brackets during Playoff weeks.

9.2.3­ Playoff Eligibility - Teams are not allowed to miss any matches to be eligible for playoffs.

9.3 Final Ranking ­- At the end of playoffs, a final season rank page will be kept for each season.­ This is separate from any titles won by teams in playoffs.­

9.4 Title Winners - Teams that are awarded season titles as part of our playoffs will be listed on our web page. We will keep a durable record of all season title winners and champions on our league web page.

10. New Teams

updated: Tue, 11/9/21

10. New Teams

10.1 To create a new TF2 team, goto our team signup page and complete the application process.

10.2 If your team is approved, it will be placed in a *New Teams division based on your region. Note: Teams in these *New divisions will not be scheduled to play matches.

10.3 In order to be scheduled for matches your team will need to be in one of the following divisions: Platinum, Silver or Steel division.

10.4 To get placed in one of these divisions you must first have the default number of players on your roster for your league. See rule 1.2 at the top of this page for default player counts. 1

0.5 Once your team has the default number of players, the leader must submit their roster to the Head Admin or the respective division admin for the division they wish to play in.

10.6 The ATF2L Administration will then review the request and place your team according to the general placement guidelines outlined in Rule 3.1.1.

11. Rule Admistration

updated: Tue, 11/9/21

11. Rule Administration

11.1 ­The Rules set forth on this page may be altered or updated at any time. It is the sole responsibility of every team/player to keep up to date with these Rules.­

11.2 Occasionally Admins may enforce a map-specific rule during the season. These rules will be posted in the league announcements in the ATF2L discord. It is YOUR responsibility to view the announcements.

11.3 Leaders/players should not take rule enforcement into their own hands. It is NOT up to you if your opponent should receive a forfeit loss for a given situation. Always contact the Head Admin or your division admin for resolving disputes.

11.4 ­We reserve the right to interpret all of the Rules set forth on this page as we see fit in each situation.

END

THIS ASIA 6v6 RULESET superceeds the UGC Common Ruleset where applicable.

UGC TF2 COMMON RULE BASE

TeamFortress 2 League Common Rule Base

This section of rules serves as a common base ruleset for all UGC TF2 Leagues.

Published on January 2, 2022   8:29 AM Eastern Time Change log

1. Class Limits, Maps & Weapons updated: Mon, 9/21/20

1.1 Class Limits - Each TF2 league within UGC has it's own set of limitations on how many of each class you are allowed to use during a match. Please refer to the grid below for more details.

Highlander 6v6 4v4 Ultiduo
1 of each class 1 Medic, 1 Demo, 1 Engie & 1 Heavy
2 of any other class
1 of each class, however teams cannot use Medic + Heavy at the same time. 1 Soldier + 1 Medic

1.1.1 Switching classes during the game is allowed, therefore class limits apply to players that leave the spawn room or engage in play in any way. The spawn room is defined as the actual room that the players spawn in. Some maps, such as cp_steel (blue side)  or cp_gravelpit (blue side) have an additional area outside of the spawn room that is protected by gates. This area is defined as your team's base.­ Class limits outlined above apply to your team's base.

1.2 Player Count - Each TF2 league within UGC has it's own set of limitations on how many players can participate in a match and how many players can be rostered on a team. Please refer to the grid below for more details.

Category Highlander 6v6 4v4 Ultiduo
Default # of players for matches 9 6 4 2
Minimum # of players for matches 7 5 3 2
Maximum # of players per roster 21 15 10 5


1.3 League Maps - ­UGC plays league-worthy maps, which may include AD (Attack/Defend), CTF (Capture The Flag), PL (Payload), KOTH (King Of The Hill), Standard CP (Control Point) and UD (Ultiduo). Each map type has specific gameplay settings for timelimit and win conditions. Gameplay settings are controlled by server config files for each map type. Some map types will end when one team reaches a cumulative score, even if the config does not stop the match.­ See each map type below for details.

1.3.1 Teams must play the map listed on the schedule page for each given week. Teams are not permitted to change the map for any reason.

1.3.2 Stopwatch maps (aka Attack/Defend and Payload Maps)

Examples: cp_steel (Attack/Defend) & pl_upward (Payload)
Configs: ugc_HL_stopwatch.cfg, ugc_6v_stopwatch.cfg & ugc_4v_stopwatch.cfg

Match Play (full description): Stopwatch maps are played in 2 halves with a potential overtime round if there is a tie after 2 halves. Each team attacks and defends one time in each half. The Home team decides whether to attack first or defend in the first half.­ Teams should swap sides in the second half.

  • Example:
    • 1st half: Team A attacks and Team B defends then Team B attacks and Team A defends
    • 2nd half: Team B attacks and Team A defends then Team A attacks and Team B defends.­
    • Overtime Round: If each team wins a half, the scores will be tied at 1-1. The overtime round should be played just like the 1st half. Team A attacks and Team B defends then Team B attacks and Team A defends.

Winning the half (or overtime round): A team is considered the winner of the half if they have secured more checkpoints (or control points) than the other team or if they controlled the same number of checkpoints (or control points) in a faster time. 

  • Example: (pl_badwater)
    • Team A secured all 5 checkpoints in 7 minutes and 32 seconds. Team B was able to secure all 5 checkpoints in 6 minutes and 58 seconds. Team B would be considered the winner of that half and would be awarded 1 point towards the final scoring.

Winning the match: A team is considered the winner of the match if they win both regular halves OR if they win one half and the overtime round.

Match Play (concise description): Stopwatch maps are played in 2 halves where each team attacks once and defends once in each half. The Home team decides whether to attack first or defend first in the first half only. A team is considered to win the half when they capture the same number of points faster than their opponent or prevent their opponent from capping as many points as they did. Each half won counts as 1 point. If teams are tied 1-1 after the first two halves then an overtime round must be played just like the first half to decide the winner.

Scoring:­ Each half won counts as 1 point and winning the overtime round counts as 1 point.

Possible match scores ­are 2-0 or 2-1.

­
1.3.3 CP - Control Point maps ­

Examples: cp_badlands & cp_process_final
Configs: ugc_HL_standard.cfg,  ugc_6v_standard.cfg, &ugc_4v_standard.cfg

Match Play (full description): Control Point maps are played in 2 halves (each consisting of up to 7 rounds). Each round ends when one team captures all of the control points. Each half ends when one team wins 4 rounds or the 30 min time limit is reached. Possible scores for a given half: 0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0, 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 2-2, 3-2, 4-2, 3-3, or 4-3.

Overtime Round:­ If the score is tied after 2 halves then an overtime round must be played to decide the winner. The winner of the OT is determined by whichever team can capture all the control points first.

If neither team manages to capture all control points during the OT round, a special second OT round is to be played. In this round the first team to capture the center control point will win the match. Please note: The configs will not stop the match after one team captures the center control point in the special OT round. You will need to stop the match manually by executing the ugc_off.cfg file.

Winning the match: The winning team is the first to win 5 cumulative rounds, or the team with the highest score after two full halves have been played.

Match Play (concise description): The winning team is the first to score 5 TOTAL round wins, or the highest score after two halves. Halves can end when either the 30 min time limit is reached or when the cap limit of 4 is reached. Overtime: A tied total score results in an Overtime (OT) round, which is played to first round score. If neither team scores the round before the timer ends then a second OT round is to be played. In the second OT round the first team to capture the center control point wins the match.

Scoring: Each round won counts as 1 point.

Possible match scores are 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 5-1, 2-2, 3-2, 4-2, 5-2, 3-3, 4-3, 5-3 or 5-4.

­
1.3.4 KOTH - King of the Hill maps ­

Examples: koth_product_rcx, koth_ashville_rc1
Configs: ugc_HL_koth.cfg, ugc_6v_koth.cfg & ugc_4v_koth.cfg

Match Play (full description): KOTH maps are played in 2 halves (each consisting of up to 5 rounds). Each round ends on a timer. Whichever team owns the control point when the timer runs out is considered the winner of that round. Each half ends when one team has won 3 rounds. Possible scores for a given half: 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2. Please note: A single half cannot result in a tie score.

Overtime: If ­teams are tied after 2 halves (example: Team A wins 3 rounds in the first half and Team B wins 3 rounds in the second half), a single overtime round must be played to determine the winner. Whichever team owns the control point when the timer runs out is considered the winner of the OT round.

Winning the match: The winning team is the first to win 4 cumulative rounds. Please note: The winning team must have won 4 cumulative rounds to end a match.

Match Play (concise description): The winning team is the first to score 4 TOTAL round wins. The match is played in two halves. The first half is over when one team scores 3 round wins. The second half is over when one team scores their 4th cumulative round win (including round wins scored in the first half) or when the other team scores 3 round wins. If scores are tied 3-3 after two halves then another round is to be played. The first team to win the tiebreaker round will win the game.

Scoring: Each round won counts as 1 point.

Possible match scores are 4-0, 4-1, 4-2 or 4-3.


1.3.5 UD - Ultiduo maps ­

Examples: ultiduo_baloo_v2, koth_ultiduo_r_b7
Configs: ugc_UD_ultiduo.cfg

Match Play (full description): Ultiduo maps are played best 2 out of 3 rounds. Each round ends on a timer. Whichever team owns the control point when the timer runs out is considered the winner of that round.

Overtime: If ­teams are tied 1-1 after 2 rounds then a tiebreaker round must be played to determine the winner. Whichever team owns the control point when the timer runs out is considered the winner of the OT round.

Winning the match: The winning team is the first to win 2 rounds.

Match Play (concise description): The winning team is the first to score 2 TOTAL round wins. If scores are tied 1-1 after two rounds then another round is to be played. The first team to win the tiebreaker round will win the game.

Scoring: Each round won counts as 1 point and winning the overtime round counts as 1 point.

Possible match scores are 2-1 or 2-0.

1.4 Weapon and Item Restrictions - ­Players may use any weapon or item in TF2, except for those excluded by the official whitelists. This list may change during a season due to patches and new releases by Valve. Any new weapons or items that are released by Valve during a regular season are automatically banned until the next season.

1.5 Picking Up Weapons - With the Gun Mettle update in July 2015, weapon pickups were introduced to TF2. Players are permitted to pickup dropped weapons.

1.5.1 Picking Up Medic Secondary Weapons - With the Meet Your Match update in July 2016, ÜberCharge decay was introduced to all dropped Mediguns. Players are permitted to pickup dropped Medic secondary weapons. This includes; the Medi Gun, the Kritzkrieg, the Quick-Fix and the Vaccinator.

2. League Schedule updated: Fri, 11/19/21

2.1­ Schedules for each week are typically posted 4-5 days prior to the default match day. Scheduling is dependent upon all matches being completed and reported from the prior week. Failure to play a match on time may delay the schedule for next week for your division. Please make all efforts to play your matches on time.

2.1.1­ Default Match Day and Time - See section A of the rules at the top of this page.

2.1.2 Moving a Match - ­Leaders from both teams may agree to move a match to a different date and or time. This agreement must be documented in the Match Comm panel. If team leaders do not want the match to be moved then the match must be played on the default date and time as dictated by your region. If there is an issue involving moving a match, your Division Admin can enforce a new time and date for the match to be played. See section A.

2.1.3 ­Late Matches - Matches must be played no later than the deadline outlined in Section A (typically 2 days after the default match date/time). If you are unable to play your match by this time please contact your Division Admin immediately. Matches reported after the deadline will not be accepted.

2.2 Match Comms - Team leaders are required to post in the Match Comm panel every week. The Match Comms must be used to coordinate the date of the match, the time of the match, the server(s) to be used for the match and any possible ringers/mercs that need to be used in the match. Match Comms serve as the official record of your match and will be the only evidence that Admins use in reviewing a match dispute. Forfeit (default) wins ­will not be accepted if the Match Comms panel was not used!

2.2.1 In the interest of good sportsmanship, team leaders should post in the Match Comm panel at least 24 hours prior to the match to give ample time for responses. If you cannot post in the Match Comms for any reason or do not receive a response from the other team leader in Match Comms please try adding them on Steam prior to the match. Copy and paste your steam chat into the Match Comms. Contact your Division Admin if need help contacting the other team.

2.2.2 The match comms are built into your team leader 'My Match' web page. Simply ­log in as team leader to post. Match Comms are also available to all players, by using the steam login on UGC website.

2.2.3 UGC's TF2 leagues operate as a season-based competition. In a given year, UGC will offer 3 seasons: 2 full seasons comprised of 8 weeks of matches and a playoff period which can last up to 5 weeks and 1 shorter 8 week season. 

2.2.4 Regular Season - ­Scheduling during the regular season is based on team rank each week.­ Teams will not play the same opponent twice during the regular season if possible. Priority will be given to avoid repeat matches over rank-based matches if the need arises.

2.2.5 Playoffs & Forfeits - ­­Forfeits during playoffs are strongly discouraged. In the interest of good sportsmanship and fair play, please make all attempts to ensure that your playoff match is played. Please contact your opponents via Match Comms and steam well in advance of the default match date and time. If your match cannot be played for whatever reason please contact your Division Admin immediately. The forfeiting team will be eliminated from the playoff bracket.

2.3 Roster Lock - ­Each team's roster will lock prior to the start of playoffs, at Week 7 default match day. Teams may not add any new players until the end of playoffs.

2.4 Bye Week - If your division has an uneven number of teams, it is likely that 1 team in your division will receive a bye week. A bye week means that there is no opponent to schedule against your team and therefore you do not have to play that week. Bye's are typically given to the lowest rankings teams that have played all of their matches up until that point. If you receive a bye, your team will show in the schedule versus "BYE WEEK." Each team that receives a bye will also get a free win that week with full match points. No team will receive more than 1 bye per season.

2.4.1 Requesting a Bye - ­­Teams can request a bye from a week's scheduling with certain restrictions. Teams that request a bye will not be scheduled and will not receive any points from the bye.

3. Division Placement & Rosters updated: Mon, 2/8/21

3.1 Division Placement is based on a cumulative assessment of each player's prior roster history from the current and 3 prior completed seasons. Experience outside of this time period will not factor into placements. Most divisions have a quota system (outlined below) that dictates how many players from certain divisions may play there.

Players will be branded as a particular division once they have secured 3 or more legitimate wins (meaning played matches) in that division in a single season. Team history from before the review period will not be factored into placements.

Prior experience, as well as all rostered players will be taken into account for placement. ­Note: 6v6­, 4v4 and Ultiduo ­experience is not considered 1:1 with Highlander and vice-versa when deciding team placement. Admins reserve the right to move your team up or down a division at any point during the season.­­

Teams may request a specific division but ultimate placement will be decided by a Head Admin.

3.1.1 General Placement Guidelines.

Platinum - Is the top division in our Highlander, 6v6 and Ultiduo leagues. Players should have mid to higher level competitive TF2 experience. Rosters are expected to be a mix of players with experience on established Gold and Platinum teams and players from high Silver teams.

Gold - Is the top division in our 4v4 league. Rosters are expected to be a mix of players with experience on established Gold teams and high Silver teams.

Silver - Is the intermediate skill division. Rosters are expected to be a mix of players with experience on low Platinum teams, established Silver teams and high Steel teams. Teams are permitted to have no more than 2 Platinum players or (1 Platinum + 1 Invite/Prem) from teams with established records (3+ legitimate wins) in the past 3 completed seasons and current season. Teams are permitted to have no more than 1 ESEA-I or ETF2L Premiership player rostered. See rule 3.2 for more information.

Steel - Is the lowest skill division for teams with no competitive experience or teams that could not secure 3+ legitimate wins in Silver in a prior season. Rosters are expected to be a mix of players with experience on low Silver teams, established Steel teams and new teams. Teams are permitted to have no more than 2 Silver players from teams with established records (3+ legitimate wins) in a single season over the past 3 completed seasons and current season. Teams are not permitted to have any players with established experience in Platinum or Gold. ESEA-I and ETF2L Premiership players are not permitted to play in Steel. See rule 3.2 for more information.

Single Region Divisions (SRD) - SRD is a division that is used for certain region’s game modes when there are not enough teams to make more than 1 division. Due to the fact, there are not enough teams, there can be any range of skill in an SRD. This means that any player with any skill level is allowed to play in an SRD. This can include but is not limited to, players from Steel - Platinum, as well as Open players - Invite players.

3.1.2 Additional EU HL Placement Guidelines - We are including experience from ETF2L when considering placements.
ETF2L High is considered to be Platinum. Mid is considered to be Silver and Open is considered to be Steel.

 3.2  Regional Placement - Teams must have at least 75% of their players housed in the region that they wish to play in. Example for South American teams wanting to play in North America - Please use this map as a guide. In order to be placed in the North American division, at least 75% of your players must be housed within the Dark Blue and Light Blue sections on the map. The limit of foreign players in each game-mode is as follows:

  • Highlander - 5 players
  • 6v6- 3 players
  • 4v4 - 2 players
  • Ultiduo - 0 players* (see rule 3.2.4)

3.2.1 Peru / Colombia Exemptions - Players from Peru and Colombia are given the ability to choose to play in either North American or South American divisions if applicable. However, these players are expected to be aware of time zone differences, daylight savings time, language barriers, and any other issues relating to North American gameplay. Team leaders are expected to be fluent in English and must be ready to accommodate continental North American teams (e.g switching servers at half time). If the Peruvian / Colombian team leaders fail to comply with North American Guidelines, then disputes can be resolved favoring continental North American teams.

3.2.2 Server Locations - Teams of players from Peru and Colombia playing in NA Divs, must use American servers when hosting matches. 

3.2.3 South American Roster Limits Inside North America - Teams comprised of Peruvians / Colombians - playing in North American Divisions, are allowed to have 25% of their rostered team outside of the region that they intend to play in (i.e Peruvians playing in North America can have 25% of their roster be from Argentina, and Peruvians playing in South America can have 25% of their roster be from America). Although 5 players from outside the region can be rostered, only 2 foreign players can play in each match.

3.2.4 Ultiduo Exceptions - Ultiduo is excluded from this ruleset, meaning all teams must have players from the same region, For example, a team with the 1st player from America must have its 2nd from either Canada, America or Mexico. A team with the 1st player from either Peru or Colombia must have its 2nd player from either Peru or Colombia. Teams made up of 2 players from either Peru or Colombia are still considered North American, but continental North Americans and continental South Americans cannot mix on the same roster, although they can play in the same division.

3.3 ­Invite/Premiership Player Limit - Each league and division has a set limit to the number of Invite/premier players allowed on a team's roster.­ We define Invite/Premiership as any player in ESEA-I or ETF2L­ Premiership participating in the current season and prior 3 seasons of these respective leagues. For limits by league and division please refer to the grid below.

Division NA HL EU HL 6v6 4v4 Ultiduo
Platinum No Limit No limit No limit N/A No limit
Gold N/A N/A N/A No limit N/A
Silver N/A 1 1 1 N/A
Steel 0 N/A 0 0 0
Iron 0 N/A 0 0 0


3.4 Player Eligibility - ­All players on a team must be listed on their team roster at least 18 hours prior to the agreed-upon match date and time in order to be eligible to play.

3.5 Roster Confirmations - Teams must check rosters and work out roster issues before the match begins. Be honest with your opponent about your player's roster status. Once both teams are set to Ready, we ­consider this an agreement to move forward with all connected players (including any unrostered players that might be in the server).

3.6 Ringers (Mercs)­ and Unrostered­ Players - Every team is allowed to ring 1 player from their division for a match without written approval from the opposing team leader. However, you must still provide links to the ringer or mercs UGC profile, in Match Comms for the other leader to see. If a concern arises with the legitimacy of a ringer, or if you think the opposing team leader is misusing the free ringer policy please alert your Division Admin.  

3.6.1 This free ringer policy will only apply if the ringer information is put in Match Comms at least 15 minutes before the match. Regions with Single Regions Divisions (SRD) must have the ringer approved by the Division Admin at least 15 minutes before the match. 

3.6.2 This rule does not apply for Ultiduo. All ringers MUST be approved by the opposing team leader in Ultiduo.

3.6.3 The same ringer may be played no more than 2 times per season.

3.6.4 Teams found to be misusing the free ringer policy can be suspended at the discretion of the Division Admin.

3.6.5 If you need to use any additional unrostered players for any reason, written permission from the leader of your opponent team is required. This permission must be documented in the Match Comm panel.

3.6.6 Banned and/or Suspended players may not be used as ringers under any circumstances (even if written permission is given).

3.6.7 Matches/Rounds can be overturned, or replayed at an Admin's discretion if it is believed a ringer was playing a match illegitimately, this includes but is not limited to: alting, switching accounts, or not meeting the requirements for a free ringer.  

3.6.8 Players from different divisions in other game mode's, for example, a Platinum 6s player, cannot be a free ringer in Steel HL. If players are from other SRD's they must be approved by an admin before the match as it is hard to judge them based off of the division they are playing in. If any leader has confusion about who they can and cannot ring please contact an Admin. 

3.6.9 When requesting approval to use an unrostered player, you are required to provide links to Steam profiles (and UGC player profiles if available) to the leader of the opposing team prior to the match time.

3.6.10 Once a specific unrostered player has been approved in writing in the match comms, that player may participate in the entire match and cannot later be disputed.

3.6.11 Teams do not have to allow any additional unrostered players in the match if they do not want to, however, all teams can ring one player from their division without written permission from the opposing leader. Please see 3.5. 

3.6.12 UGC Admins will never force a team to allow an additional unrostered player, except for the free ringer.

3.6.13 If the other team is using an unrostered player, unless it is their free ringer, and you did not give explicit written permission in the Match Comms for that player to participate in the match, please ask the leader of the opponent team to remove this player from the server. If the unrostered player does not leave the server by 15 minutes past the agreed-upon match time, please contact your Division Admin immediately. 

3.7 Late Joining Players - ­Once a match is live, only rostered players may join the server (and only when a substitute is needed or your team has less than the default number of players in Rule 1.2.­ NOTE: We do not expect team leaders to check eligibility of late joining players during a live match. If a late joining player is later determined to be an unrostered player, any scores accumulated while that player is in the server will be nullified.­

3.8 Team Participation - Players may only be rostered on 1 team per league at a time. This rule extends to a person and not a specific Steam account.

  • Examples:
    • A given player can be rostered on 1 HL team, 1 6v6 team and 1 4v4 team at the same time.
    • A player cannot be rostered on 2 HL teams.

3.9­ Alias Accounts -­­ Additional steam accounts (also known as alias accounts) owned by the same player may not be rostered without explicit admin permission.

3.9.1 Players who are found to be using an alias account (without admin approval) will be subject to suspension and/or banishment from the league. The suspension will also apply to the­ player's main account.­ Teams who roster such players may be subject to suspension as well.

3.10 Roster Lock - ­­A roster lock will ­be in effect starting on the default match day of Week 7­ of the regular season. Players cannot be added after this lock for any reason.­ Rosters will reopen once playoffs have ended.

3.11 Team Names - Teams are encouraged to be creative when naming their teams but should refrain from using team names that could be considered offensive. Admins reserve the right to change your team name if it is considered offensive. Repeated offenses may lead to a player/team suspension. 

3.12 Roster Names - Each player on the roster should be listed by the name that they most commonly go by in the community.

3.12.1 In-game name and clan tag - ALL rostered players are now required to change their in-game name to match their rostered name and to wear their clan tag in all casted matches. If your opponent team refuses to follow this rule, please contact your Division Admin immediately.

3.12.2 Failure to follow this rule can result in player/team suspension. 

3.13 Team & Player Avatars - Use of offensive avatars on our site may lead to a player/team suspension.

3.14 Roster Cooldowns - Effective Midnight (EST) of Week 1

3.14.1 Players may join 1 team in each format per 8 day period. The 18-hour roster cooldown timer still applies to roster joins.

3.14.2 Teams may accept no more than 3 players to their roster in an 8 day period. A player that left your roster and wants to rejoin will still count against that limit of 3 per 8 days.

  • Exceptions:
    1. Prior to the effective date, players may move around freely and teams can accept as many new players as they want. These new rules will be in effect starting at Midnight (EST) of Week 1 default match day and will remain in effect throughout the active season.
    2. Teams sitting in one of the Regional *New Teams divisions are exempt from all aspects of these rules while they reside in that division.

4. Servers updated: Mon, 2/8/21

4.1 ­­Server Responsibility - It is both teams' responsibility to ensure a server is available to play the match.­ If the Home team does not have a server, the Visiting team may host.­ If neither team owns a server, it is both teams' responsibility to secure a suitable server for the match.­ UGC has a limited number of servers for matches and any team may request one by.­ Servers are loaned on a first-come-first-serve ­basis.­ To rent a UGC match server click here.

4.1.1 If neither team has a server and no UGC servers are available, the match must be rescheduled to a date when a server will be available. If this occurs, please notify your Division Admin immediately.

4.1.2­ The Home team (listed first in the schedule) has choice of server for the first half, and for the third (OT) round. The Visiting team (listed second on the schedule) chooses which server to use in the second half.

4.1.3 ­The team providing the server must provide the ­address and password in Match Comms or an alternate messaging source at least 15 minutes before match time.

4.2­ Only dedicated TF2 servers from professional hosting companies may be used in an official UGC match.

4.2.1 Home-based servers of any kind and quality are strictly prohibited from being used in official UGC matches. If you are caught using a home-based server, matches played on your server will be overturned and you will lose the right to be home team for the duration of the season.­

4.2.2 Server Location - ­Servers must be located in the geographical region of your division. Examples: North American division matches must be played on servers located in the United States, European division matches must be played on servers located in Europe, Asian matches must be played on servers located within the Asian region and AUS/NZ matches must be played on Australian­ servers. South American division matches should be played on South American servers unless a better server is available in Central or North America. A Canadian server may be allowed for North American division matches, if approved in advance by Admins.

4.3­ Servers must have a MINIMUM number of available slots depending on the TF2 league you are playing in. This is to accommodate both teams and SourceTV.­

  • Highlander: 19 available slots
  • 6v6: 13 available slots
  • 4v4: 9 available slots
  • Ultiduo: 5 available slots

4.4 Whitelists and Configs -­ All UGC matches must be played on servers running the official UGC item whitelists and configs found in our files section. It is the responsibility of team leaders and server administrators to ensure that these files stay up to date on your server. If a team feels their opponent's server is running outdated versions of these files, they must first contact the opponent team’s leader to resolve the issue. If a problem still persists, then an admin should be contacted. Make sure to properly document all conversations. ­WARNING: Once both teams begin a match by setting their status to Ready, both teams accept current server settings even if they are incorrect. Make sure to resolve these issues BEFORE setting your team to Ready!

4.4.1 If during the game you notice a player using a banned weapon or an officially banned cosmetic item, pause the match (this will not count as a normal pause) and ask them to stop using the item. If they refuse, please contact an admin immediately. Likewise if you are unable to use a weapon that is supposed to be allowed, pause the match (this will not count as a normal pause) and ask them to rectify the issue. If they refuse or are otherwise unable to do so please contact an admin immediately. Moving the match to a new server may be required if the host team is unable to update their whitelist in a timely manner. New cosmetic items (not yet listed in the official whitelist) are not subject to dispute in this manner.

For the most up to date copy of the whitelists and configs, please refer to your league's download page: HL Downloads6v6 Downloads, 4v4 Downloads & Ultiduo Downloads.

4.5 VAC (Valve Anti Cheat - Secure Mode) must be enabled and sv_pure 2 must be set for all matches.­

4.6 ­Mods - Manimod, Sourcemod, AMX Mod and AMXX Mod and the like are allowed as long as they do not interfere with the match. A csay command here and there will be tolerated, as long as it was in the admin mod config and is not insulting to anybody. Admin mods may only be used for setting the config, checking the amount of time left, and changing maps. Please disable all plugins that could affect any aspect of the match, including Donator plugins. If any player from the opposing team (the Visiting team) is kicked, banned or moved to Spectator during a match for any reason due to any installed mod, the hosting team will forfeit all points earned during the round, unless the Visiting team agrees otherwise.

4.7 Server Connection Issues and Crashes -­ Should a server have connection issues (including but not limited to: both teams experiencing extreme packet loss ­or lag)­ or if the server crashes outright and the team captains agree in writing that the server has become unplayable, the round will be stopped and restarted on another server. When a server crashes, any rounds scored­ must be retained. Rounds that have not yet concluded will be voided. Please see below for examples.

  • Examples:
    • Stopwatch maps: The game is in the first half and the Home team has just finished their attack round setting a time of 7 minutes and 30 seconds. Teams switch sides and the Visiting team is now attacking. The server crashes 3 minutes into the Visiting team's attack round. The Visiting team's attack round must be started over. They will still have a goal of 7 minutes and 30 seconds set by the Home team.
    • CP maps:­ Your server crashes after 15 minutes of gameplay. The Home team has ­capped all 5 control points 3 times (score is 3-0). The Home team is in the process of capturing the middle command ­point in ­the fourth round when the server crashes. The score at the time of the crash was 3-0. Partially captured rounds are not counted. Teams should move to a new server and start the fourth round over again.
    • KOTH maps: The Home team has won 2 rounds and is currently controlling the point in the third round. The server crashes while the Home team has control of the point (with 30 seconds left on the clock). The score is considered to still be 2-0 and the third round must be replayed.
    • Ultiduo maps: The Home team has won 1 round and is currently controlling the point in the second round. The server crashes while the Home team has control of the point (with 30 seconds left on the clock). The score is considered to still be 1-0 and the second round must be replayed.

If your server crashes and both teams are not able to come to a resolution on how to proceed, please contact your Division Admin immediately. Server crash disputes need to be handled live while they are occurring.

4.8 Server Pauses - ­­Each team is allowed one server pause per half to deal with unexpected player drops from technical issues or to deal with a server-wide connection issue. Each team is allowed 1 additional pause in an Overtime round. Pausing should not be used for minor issues such as 1 player experiencing a ping spike.

4.8.1 Anyone may pause the match, but that person must announce the reason for the pause immediately after it is initiated or, if possible, before the pause is initiated.­ Additionally, a match may only be unpaused by the team that initiated the pause.­ The other team may not unpause the match unless otherwise specifically instructed by an Admin.­

4.8.2 All unpauses should be preceded by a 15 second warning through in-game chat.­

4.8.3 A pause may last up to a maximum of 15 minutes. *NOTE* 15 minutes is a guideline, not a strict limit.­ If teams cannot come to a resolution after this 15 minute period has passed, then an admin must be contacted.

4.9 ­If it is found that a team intentionally crashed or restarted a server, they will automatically lose the match and further action will be taken, including temporary or permanent suspension.

4.10 Team Ping Differences - ­If the team providing the server has an average TEAM ping greater than­ 100ms (over the other team's average ping), the match must be moved to the other team's server or a neutral server, such as a UGC server. If the hosting team refuses to move the match, please contact your Division Admin immediately. This rule does not apply to teams nor players that are playing outside of their home region. (such as a Euro player in an NA division).

4.11 SourceTV is required to be active and recording for all official UGC matches.­ The STV-delay must be 90 seconds and cannot be altered. The UGC server configs will auto-record a SourceTV demo, be sure to stop recording by executing the ugc_off.cfg file after your match has completed.

4.11.1 SourceTV Spectators - The team hosting the match is required to give the IP (and password) of the SourceTV proxy to their opponents. The host of the proxy is also required to have at least 3 spots open. The proxy may be password protected.

4.11.2 If the SourceTV proxy is unable to handle spectators on a team server, you must ensure that an STV is recorded of the match. If this is the case, you must make a copy of the STV demo available to your opponent within 48 hours.

4.11.3 Live spectators in the server are not allowed. Please set a join password on the server and request those not in the game to refrain from joining.­ Spectators are encouraged to watch the match through SourceTV. ­UGC Admins are exempt from this rule spectator rule. Any admin that requests to live spectate a match must be accepted to the server.

4.11.4 It is the responsibility of both teams to check that SourceTV is running before readying up and playing their match. If SourceTV was not running after both teams ready up and the match was played, then it cannot be disputed afterwards.

4.11.5 STV demos must be saved for the entire active season.

4.11.6 ­All teams are required, if directed by ­an Admin, to submit SourceTV (and or POV) ­demos to each other or to an admin within 48 hours after the last round of the match was played.­­

4.11.7 ­Failure to provide an SourceTV demo (and/or POV demo) to an admin can result in a match being overturned or a player/team suspension.

5. Match Play & Playoffs updated: Sun, 10/17/21

5.1 Minimum player count - Each team must meet the minimum player count requirements spelled out in Rule 1.2 in order to ready up and play the match. Teams are allowed up to 15 minutes past the agreed upon match time to gather the minimum number of required players. In the interest of fair play and good sportsmanship we encourage teams to be flexible and allow additional time for your opponent to gather their players. We also ask teams to consider rescheduling should an issue arise at the last minute and one team is unable to field the minimum number of players.

5.1.1 If your opponent team has not readied up by 15 past the agreed upon match time, please contact your Division Admin immediately.

5.2 Mid-match­ break - Teams are encouraged to take a break after the first half of the match is completed. This break should not last more than 10 minutes. Team leaders are encouraged to remain in communication with one another during the break, especially in the event that 10 minutes becomes insufficient. If a team is refusing to ready up after 10 minutes please contact your Division Admin immediately to resolve the issue.­

5.3 Reporting Matches - Upon the completion of a match,­ the­ winning team must ­report the scores via the UGC website. Only team leaders with a dedicated team leader login can report match scores. To ensure that accurate scores are reported, please pay close attention to the submission form.

5.3.1 Winning teams must report Match Scores 11:59pm (your local time zone) on the day following the default match day. Contact your Division Admin immediately if you can not meet that reporting deadline. If the winning team leader has not reported a match result by 24 hours after a match has been played, it is acceptable for the losing team to submit the Match Scores. Failure to report a match by 11:59pm (your local time) on the 2nd day after the default match day may result in the match remaining unscored for the remainder of the season.

5.3.2 Should a team play with the incorrect amount of points, these extra points will not go towards your overall score, and will be defaulted back to the standard match points. If there is any issue regarding match points, it is up to your Divison Admins descretion to decide how to proceed. 

5.3.3 If you have made an error in reporting the scores, please contact your Division Admin immediately.

5.3.4 ­When reporting scores, the team leader ­will be able to enter a Match­ Writeup for others to read. Please remember that these comments will be publicly available for all to view, therefore please be polite. ­The Match­ Writeup­ field is not to be used for submitting disputes against the other team. If an issue occurred ­in your match that requires admin intervention, please contact your Division Admin once the match has concluded.­

­5.4 Forfeits (default wins): If you think that your match is going to result in a forfeit, please contact your Division Admin immediately. If a team can not supply the minimum number of players required to play a match by 15 minutes past the agreed upon match time, ­the opposing team may request a forfeit from their Division Admin. The Division Admin may request a group Steam Chat between leaders from both teams to understand the issue that is preventing the match from being played. The Division Admin has the authority to order more time be given to organize the match and can alternatively order the match to be rescheduled to another date/time.

5.4.1 Documented proof of the situation that leads to the forfeit MUST be posted in the Match Comm panel. This includes (but is not limited to) in-game screenshots (with timestamps) ­showing the other team­ did not have enough players by the appropriate time as well as any relevant chat logs between the 2 teams. Failure to document the Match Comms regarding your forfeit will result in the match remaining unplayed. Forfeits, or defaults, should only be used when there is absolutely no means of playing the match. Sufficient proof must be shown to show that every means of getting the match played is exhausted. This means that teams should not forfeit, just because they do not wish to play. This also means that teams are heavily encouraged to reschedule matches instead of forfeiting if necessary. 

5.4.2 Scoring for forfeits - Teams will receive the following Match Points for Forfeit Wins:

  • Silver, Steel, Iron and Single Region Divisions: +2.5 Match Points
    • If your opponent team has clearly dropped from the league prior to your match please alert your Division Admin immediately. If no other opponent is available to play against, you will be awarded +5 Match Match Points in this case.
  • Platinum and Gold: +5 Match Points

5.4.3 Penalties for Forfeits - Teams with 2 or more forfeit losses will be removed from scheduling. Teams removed may be temporarily set to Not Ready, so that Team Leaders can change their status back to Ready if their team is still able to compete. Once a team has >2 forfeits, their status will be set to Suspended and they will be removed from the remainder of the season.  

5.5 Match Abandonment - If an entire team leaves a match prematurely, that team forfeits the match as a whole (including every point scored). If a partial match has been played, the other team will be awarded full match points for the match only when the partial score is in their favor.

  • Control Point Map Example:
    • The first half of the match has ended and the Home team is in the lead with 3-1. During the half-time the Visiting team decides to leave the match and not play the second half. The Home team will be award the win and will receive +3 in the Points For ranking column and +5 in the Match Points column. The Visiting team will receive zero points.

5.6. Playoffs - Participation in playoffs will be limited to a certain number of teams and entry into playoffs will be based on the final rankings after all the Week 8 matches have completed.

5.6.1. Playoff matches are played Best of 3 Maps with each map being played to 1 half, with the exception of Stopwatch maps, which are still played first-to-2-halves wins.

5.6.2 Map Elimination System - The procedure for map picks/bans is as follows:

  1. Home team bans a map
  2. Visiting team bans a map
  3. Home team picks the first map
  4. Visiting team picks the second map
  5. Visiting team bans a map
  6. Home team picks the third map

Map #1 : Visiting Team picks starting color and map is played on Home Team's server.
Map #2 : Home Team picks starting color and map is played on Visiting Team's server.
Map #3 : Home Team picks starting color and map is played on Home Team's server.
 

5.6.3 Only maps played in regular season of the current season can be picked.

5.6.4 Once a map is picked, it can't be picked again.

5.6.5 Map choices MUST be made in Match Comms in the proper order and will be reviewed by an admin.

5.6.6 Map pick/bans time requirement - Teams are required to pick/ban final maps at least 24 hours before the scheduled match. Should no pick/bans be made by a team, then the maps will be picked by your Division Admin.

5.6.7 Playoffs/BO3 Map Structure - Please note that each map is being played to 1 half

  • Stopwatch maps - Played as *2 halves (i.e. each team attacks and defends twice).* These map types cannot be tied. Optional: Teams may agree to play Stopwatch BO1, just 1 half, but both must post their agreement in Match Comms prior to the match.
  • CP maps - Played to 4 wins or highest score after 30 minutes.**This map type can be tied after 30 minutes. If this occurs then you MUST play 1 additional Overtime round to determine the winner of the map. Whichever team caps all the points first in the OT round will be declared the winner of that map. If neither team manages to capture all points during the first OT round, a second special OT round is to be played. In this round, whichever team caps the center CP first wins the game. Note: This ONLY occurs if a 2nd OT round is actually needed.
  • KOTH maps - Played to 3 wins. This map type cannot be tied.
  • Ultiduo maps - Each map is played Best of 3.
     

 5.3.8 Playoff Scoring

  • Each map win counts as 1 point
  • Possible scores are: 2-1 or 2-0
  • Please post the map list you played and the scores per map in the Match Writeup box when you submit the scores.
  • Matches without Match Comms and Match Writeup with detailed map scores (and maps played) will not be accepted.

6. Player & Leader Responsibilities updated: Sun, 10/17/21

6.1 Sportsmanship - Good sportsmanship is an important part of this league and all teams, players, and Admins should be treated with respect and dignity.

6.1.1 Bad sportsmanship - Ignoring map objectives to engage in spawn camping, delaying matches, and denying ringers for no valid reason are just some of the examples of bad sportsmanship that is not tolerated in UGC.

6.1.2 Team Leaders - Team Leaders are ultimately responsible for their players’ actions. If a pattern of misconduct becomes apparent, Team Leaders are expected to manage their players accordingly. Team Leaders may face punishment if they enable their players to continue harassment or misconduct.

6.2 Harassment - UGC aims to foster a competitive and enjoyable experience for all users, and anyone who engages in harassment of any kind will be punished accordingly. Just because UGC takes place in an online environment does not mean you get to treat others any differently than you would in a real-world environment. Your behavior does have consequences.  

6.2.1 Harassment - Harassment of any kind is not tolerated in UGC. This includes (but is not limited to) remarks that attack another player’s ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or religion.

6.2.2 Trash talk - Understanding that competition creates rivalries and can lead to tensions running high, UGC does tolerate minimal levels of trash talk or “BM”. However, if this trash talk crosses the line into harassment, players or teams can be punished at an Admin’s discretion.

6.2.3 Harassment cases are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, and each decision is based purely on Admin discretion.

6.2.4 UGC matches will generally not be subject to having their results changed as a result of harassment that occurred during the match, although players may face punishment as a result of their behavior within the match. Admins can still overturn matches at their discretion.

6.2.5 Off-platform behavior - It is not the desire of UGC to police the off-platform behavior of players. However, UGC Admins may take into account off-platform harassment and other such misconduct when making punitive rulings.

6.2.6 - If it is clear to an Admin that a player is attempting to weaponize these rules to gain an advantage (such as not immediately reporting misconduct with the intention of holding some form of leverage over another player), no punitive action may be pursued.

 

6.3 Recording Personal Demos - ­All players in an official UGC match are required to record POV demos. This can be done by typing "record demoname" in console (without quotes). ­At the end of your match type "stop" (without quotes) in the console to end the demo.

6.3.1 All demos must be saved for the entire active season and must be provided to an Admin within 48 hours of a request. 

6.3.2 Approved File Sharing Sites - When a POV demo is requested by an Admin, it must be uploaded to one of the following approved file sharing websites: Dropbox or Google Drive.

6.3.3 Random POV Checks - Admins will check for POV demo recording compliance on a weekly basis. Teams will be chosen at random and all players who participated in the match that week will be required to submit their demos. Admins will contact Team Leaders directly, and Team Leaders are responsible for collecting the demos and making them available to the Admins.

6.3.4 Punishment for POV Non-Compliance - Failure to provide a POV demo upon admin request will result in the following actions for each player that fails to submit a POV demo:

1st Offense - 1 week suspension
2nd Offense - 2 week suspension
3rd Offense - 8 week suspension

6.3.5 Players who receive a 1st offense for not providing a POV demo will be subject to repeated spot checks throughout the season to ensure compliance.

6.4 Highlander Platinum Division POV Demo Exchange - Each Team Owner may request a maximum of one POV demo from any player in the match. This request should be made Team Owner to Team Owner within 24 hours of match completion and the POV link must be shared within 48 hours of the request. A record of the request must be kept.

NOTE: At this time, this program is limited to the North American and European HL Platinum Divisions only. Additional divisions may be added to this program at a later date.

6.4.1 Contact an Admin if the POV is not shared as required. Penalties for missing POV Demo Exhange are managed by your Division Admin and follow those outlined in 6.2.4. Division admins are permited to extend a one time "warning" for missing POV's provided that is set as a first penalty for the entire division. Compliance is tracked.

6.4.2 Any POV demos exchanged in this program are considered private unless specifically released to the public by the recording player. This means that POV demos should not be reproduced (in whole or in part as video clips) in publicly accessible locations, and the original link cannot be shared outside of your team. Any public release of POV files requires the permission of the recording player or the originating Team Owner.

6.5 ­Team Switching and Spectating - Switching to your opponent's team or going to spectator during a live match is strictly forbidden and players who do so may be suspended.­ Points earned that round may be removed if it is ruled that team switching affected the match.­ If you need to go AFK during a match, do not switch to spectator.

6.6 Commercialization - UGC has and will always be a free league. UGC will never ask players to pay to play in a league for a free game, and these sentiments are extended to cover any form of commercialization of our free league. 

6.6.1 - Selling roster spots may result in all players on the roster being prohibited from receiving medals for the season. Team leaders may be punished.  

6.6.2 - Steam prohibits users from selling their Steam Accounts. Those accounts are not allowed to partake in UGC activities.

6.6.3 - UGC prohibits advertising websites/products in your team description/name, advertising websites/products in the UGC Discord, and soliciting/offering payments to have players roster on your team. Certain exceptions may be granted by Head Admins.

6.6.4 - Team leaders are prohibited from soliciting objects/pictures/services for roster spots. If you are unsure about how this rule applies to your situation, please contact a Head Admin.  

6.6.5 - UGC allows commercial casting of UGC matches and the sponsorship of players/teams within the league.

 

7. Cheating & Other Offenses updated: Mon, 2/8/21

7.1­ Cheating of any kind is strictly prohibited. Our scope of review for cheating is not limited to official UGC matches. There are so many methods of cheating it is impossible for us to list them all. However we will list some of the most common below.­


7.2 Map, Weapons and­ Game Engine Exploits - ­The intentional use of exploits of map flaws, weapons and game engine bugs are­ not allowed. Use of exploits in a match can result in either the round being replayed or the offending team may lose the round.­

  • Examples:
    1. Engineer buildings may not be placed in areas in which the opposing team is unable to destroy them. This includes but is not limited to maps that allow­ you to build a teleporter inside the spawn room itself (such as on Ashville).
      • Exception: Some maps, like cp_steel and cp_gravelpit, have a protected area outside of the spawn room which is still behind gates (this area is defined as your team's base). You are allowed ­to build engie buildings in your base (as long as it's not in your actual spawn room).­­
    2. Players may not shoot through solid surfaces or doors that are intended to be closed. This includes but is not limited to the A door on cp_steel. Splash damage through surfaces are that are meant to be permeable such as fences and grates is ok.
    3. Engineers are not permitted to build a teleporter in the small closed off room at Red's last CP on pl_upward.

­

7.3 ­The use of ANY external program, wrapper or hook, be it a modified .dll, an .exe injecting hook, or ANY file or program that hooks on to the Source engine and gives a player additional HUD information, attributes, abilities, or significantly alters gameplay is ILLEGAL and BANNABLE.­ This includes specifically (but not limited to) the use of a wallhack, aimbot, autodet, anticonc, speedhack, third person view, esp of any type, radar of any type, sound manipulation, and trueaim ("sniper dot" for non-sniper classes.)­

 7.3.1 Ping Manipulation (also known as ping masking) - Ping manipulation of any kind is prohibited. This includes but is not limited to using console commands to alter the value of your ping.

7.4 ­Using the server or console commands to give any part of your team an unfair advantage is cheating. This does not include scripts regarding flag status, class status, health status, incoming calls, or the like. If you are in doubt about a particular script, post it on our forum for advance approval by an admin.­

7.5 VAC Ban Policy (Effective for all new VAC bans after May 13th 2015)

7.5.1 Players with VAC bans - Players who receive a VAC ban of any type after May 13th 2015 will be automatically banned from rostering in any of UGC's TF2 leagues unless cleared by an Admin.

7.5.2 Source Engine VAC Bans - A player with a Source Engine VAC ban (that prevents the player from joining a TF2 VAC secured server) will be banned from the league for a period of 4 months from the date the account is VAC banned. In all cases, the ban period applies to a person and not a single Steam account. Alias accounts created to evade this VAC policy will lengthen the duration of the player ban. After the ban period has expired, these players will be permitted to register a new alias account and continue participating in the league.

7.5.3 Non-Source Engine VAC Bans - A player with a VAC ban that does not impact their ability to connect to a VAC-secured TF2 server may appeal the ban policy by filing a support ticket under the "VAC Appeal" category. Players may be required to join a VAC-secured TF2 server. Once a player is cleared they may choose to roster their VAC Banned Steam account or they may choose to use a new alias account when approved by an Admin.

(Effective December 18th, 2017 - VAC bans, regardless of the game, can no longer be appealed. Players who are VAC banned will serve their 4 month league ban period before they are eligible to play again.)

7.5.4 Game bans - Game bans can be treated like VAC bans, in regards to representing a player cheating in non-VAC secured games, and/or being banned from custom softwares such as, CSGO's Overwatch and Easy AC.

7.6 Mirror Ban Policy

7.6.1 UGC reserves the right to mirror any ban that a player faces in another competitive TF2 league.

7.6.2 If a player wishes to appeal their mirror ban, they must repeal the ban in the league they were banned in originally.


Other Offenses

7.7 Aliasing (defined as playing under a different Steam account than your main account)­­ as a method to avoid a previous ban­, to hide your competitive experience from your opponent or to play in a lower division will result in a permanent league ban. Bans are issued to PERSONS not ­Steam IDs. ­

7.7.1 If you are caught aliasing in a lower division or you are ­rostered on more than 1 team in the same league with an alias account the following actions will be applied; a.) Your alias(es) will be permanently banned from the league and b.) Your main account will suspended or possibly banned.­

7.7.2 In an alias dispute the burden of proof is on the accused player(s), not the Admins. If a player cannot sufficiently prove the alias account is not theirs, they will be subject to a suspension or ban.

7.7.3 Sometimes there are valid reasons to play under an alias account and players may do so only with explicit Admin approval.

7.8 ­Account-sharing­ (defined as giving out your Steam username/e-mail and password to a third-party to play as you in a match) is strictly prohibited.

7.9 Match Betting/Gambling - Team Leaders and individual players who are found to have bet on their own matches, regardless of the match outcome, will be banned from the league and any matches bet on must be replayed. This rule also applies to placing bets through alias accounts or other third parties. Punishment for betting on your own team may also extend to the entire team if multiple players are found to have taken part in the bet. If this occurs, the match in question will be overturned (when applicable).

7.10 Admins reserve the right enforce suspensions/bans at anytime for any reason whether a clear rule was broken or not. Suspensions/bans can result from (but are not limited to): Cheating, aliasing, account-sharing, impersonation of an Admin or another player, betting, posting personal information, and abuse/harassment. The scope of consideration for such punishment is not limited to official UGC matches. 

7.11 Punishment for Cheating - Players who are caught cheating in an official UGC match will be banned from the league for 1 year. When a player has been found guilty of cheating, the match that the dispute originated from will be overturned. The Anti-Cheat Team may also elect to review demos from prior matches that occurred within 2 weeks of the match that lead to the ban. If cheating is found to have taken place, those matches may also be overturned as well.

8. Match Disputes updated: Mon, 2/8/21

8.1 Match Disputes - If you feel a rule has been broken by your opponent during an official UGC match please make all attempts to get your match played before pursuing a dispute. We ask all teams to be reasonable and flexible with each other. This can include but is not limited to waiting an extra few minutes to ensure the match gets played or allowing your opponent to have additional pauses. Playing a match is always preferred over a dispute or a forfeit win.

8.1.1 Before submitting a dispute please try to contact your Division Admin to resolve the issue while it is happening live. If your Division Admin is not available please try reaching another admin from our Discord chat room. 

8.2 Submitting a Dispute - I­f no admin is available then your Team Leader should file a Support Ticket. Support Tickets can be filed from the Team Leader homepage by clicking on League Support > Support Tickets. Use the "Match Dispute" topic. All match disputes must be submitted within 48 hours after your match has ended. Disputes submitted after this deadline may not be honored.

8.2.1 If your team leader is unavailable to submit a dispute ticket then any individual player may also file a dispute ticket. To do so, use the Steam login button on the UGC homepage and from your Player homepage click League Support > Support Tickets. Use the "Match Dispute" topic.

8.2.2 Required documentation - The burden of proof in a dispute is on the team that submits the dispute. Please provide as much detail as you can in the dispute email. This must include a summary of the dispute, what rules you think were broken, screenshots, chat logs and STV (and/or POV demos).

8.3 ­While a dispute is pending, public discussion of the dispute is prohibited on the UGC forums.

8.4 Admins Involved in a Dispute - ­Any Admin who happens to play for a team that is involved in a dispute is not allowed to participate in that dispute due to conflict of interest.

8.5 Dispute Resolution - ­Admins will try to handle all disputes as quickly as possible, however some disputes may require more time depending on the complexity.­ Once a dispute has been resolved both teams involved in the dispute will be notified via the email we have on file for each leader.

8.5.1 Outcomes from match disputes are decided on a case by case basis and may include (but are not limited to): a forced rematch, score reversal, match reversal, and/or player/team suspension.

9. Team Rankings and Titles updated: Sat, 6/6/20

9.1 Ranking - All UGC Teams are ranked on our current season's rankings web page. Rankings are reset after pre-season, so that only regular season matches are included in final rank calculations. Rank calculation is done using the values shown at the top of the rankings web page. The rankings page will automatically be updated as match results are accepted by admins each week of regular season matchplay.­

9.2 Title Playoffs - Elimination playoffs are used after the end of regular season to determine the season's title winners or champions. The setup of these playoffs may vary slightly from season to season. Generally speaking, playoffs will be a 4 or 5-week single or double elimination bracket using rank seeding. Playoffs will be played on popular, mainstream maps.

9.2.1 ­After the last match in the regular season, playoff seeding is determined by regular season ranking of all teams as shown on our current season rank page.­ ­UGC admins will determine the final regular season rankings after including all approved match results prior to playoffs. Seeding will then follow rank numbers.­

9.2.2 ­Playoff Brackets - The current schedule web page will display playoff brackets during Playoff weeks.

9.2.3­ Playoff Eligibility - Teams are allowed to miss no more than two (2) regular season matches to be eligible for playoffs. If teams miss more than two, they can continue to play out the season but will not be included in playoff brackets.

9.3 Final Ranking ­- At the end of playoffs, a final season rank page will be kept for each season.­ This is separate from any titles won by teams in playoffs.­

9.4 Title Winners - Teams that are awarded season titles as part of our playoffs will be listed on our web page. We will keep a durable record of all season title winners and champions on our league web page.

10. New Teams updated: Mon, 2/8/21

10.1 To create a new TF2 team, goto our team signup page and complete the application process.

10.2 If your team is approved, it will be placed in a *New Teams division based on your region. Note: Teams in these *New divisions will not be scheduled to play matches.

10.3 In order to be scheduled for matches your team will need to be in one of the following divisions: Platinum, Gold, Silver, Steel, Iron or a Regional division.

10.4 To get placed in one of these divisions you must first have the default number of players on your roster for your league. See rule A2 at the top of this page for default player counts.

10.5 Once your team has the default number of players, the leader must submit a Division Change request from the leader panel. 

10.6 Admins will review the request and place your team according to the general placement guidelines outlined in Rule 3.1.1.

11. Rule Administration updated: Fri, 11/19/21

11.1 ­The Rules set forth on this page may be altered or updated at any time. It is the sole responsibility of every team/player to keep up to date with these Rules.­

11.2 Occasionally Admins may enforce a map-specific rule during the season. These rules will be posted in the weekly news. It is YOUR responsibility to review the news page.

11.3 Leaders/players should not take rule enforcement into their own hands. It is NOT up to you if your opponent should receive a forfeit loss for a given situation. Always contact your Divsion Admin for dispute resolution.

11.4 ­We reserve the right to interpret all of the Rules set forth on this page as we see fit in each situation.