Rules

Teams participating in Amplify VI are required to understand and follow the rules listed below. Take your time to read them as a team, to help prevent issues during the tournament.

I. General Rules

  1. All rules and penalties are to be enforced by the staff. Staff reserve the right to override any rules for the sake of fairness during the tournament.
  2. Staff reserve the right to prohibit any player or team from participating in the tournament, as well as disqualify them for the remainder of the tournament, due to reasons including but not limited to cheating, unreliability, and/or unsportsmanlike conduct.
  3. Rule changes made during the tournament will apply for all matches played after the change has been made (at the staff's discretion). An announcement will be made in the Amplify Discord server if and when there is a change to the ruleset.
  4. All teams will have a maximum of 3 and a minimum of 2 team representatives. These player representatives will be the only ones organizing their team's matches throughout the tournament, and no one else.
    1. All team representatives must cooperate with the requests of the Amplify staff. Failure to cooperate will result in removal as a team representative at staff's discretion and the team in question must find a replacement.
  5. All player representatives for each team will be added to a Discord channel. The Amplify staff will oversee the channel.
  6. All teams must be registered with a minimum of 9 players at all times to be considered eligible to play. Teams that have less than this amount may be forced to withdraw from the tournament.
  7. Teams must play to win. Teams caught intentionally losing or fixing matches will be disqualified.
  8. Failure to comply with any of the rules in section I. will result in a warning, and possibly a forced withdrawal or disqualification from the tournament depending on severity, frequency of the offence, and what the staff see fit, at staff's discretion.

II. Registration

  1. All registrations and friend code updates must be done through the official MKCentral Registry.
  2. Players are only allowed to play for the team that they are registered for. If a player is caught playing for a team they are not registered for, their points will be removed, the player will be disqualified for the remainder of the tournament, and the team in question will receive a 100-point penalty.
  3. If a player is caught playing with an incorrectly-registered friend code, they will be considered unregistered for their team in all future matches until the friend code is updated on the MKCentral registry.
  4. If a player is caught making multiple registrations for the same tournament (alting), this player will be disqualified for the remainder of the tournament and MKCentral Staff will be made aware.

III. Tournament Format

  1. The group stage is the first stage of the tournament. In this stage, teams are divided into groups, and play for points in their group’s leaderboards. Group stage results determine the bracket seedings.
    1. If a team wins a match, they will score 2 points on the leaderboard.
    2. If two teams draw a match, they will each score 1 point on the leaderboard with the exception of both teams forfeiting where neither team will receive any points.
    3. If a team loses a match, they will not be given any points on the leaderboard.
    4. If both teams have 0 or less points in a match (due to a double forfeit or penalties), neither team will be given any points on the leaderboard.
    5. Teams are ranked within each group as follows:
      1. The greatest amount of points scored on the leaderboards.
      2. The fewest amount of forfeits.
      3. The greatest average scoring differential in matches that did not result in a forfeit.
      4. The fewest points lost due to penalties.
      5. The below procedure will be followed in the case that all of the above are tied between 2 or more teams:
        • If the tied teams are competing between Gold and Silver or Silver and Bronze bracket seeds, or bye and non-bye seeds, a tiebreaker GP of 4 races shall be played between the tied teams (6v6, 4v4v4, etc., depending on the number of tied teams), with single races played in the case that the tiebreaker GP is tied as well.
        • Otherwise, the seedings will be decided at random by Amplify staff.
  2. The second and final stage of the tournament is the bracket stage. In this stage, teams are divided into three brackets (based on group stage results) and are eliminated after losing two matches.
    1. In the case of a double forfeit in the elimination stage, preference in determining the advancing team is given in the following order:
      1. The better head-to-head record.
      2. The better head-to-head scoring differential.
      3. The fewest forfeits in head-to-head matches.
      4. The fewest points lost to penalties in head-to-head matches.
      5. The higher seed (as determined by Rule III.a.v.).

IV. Prizes

  1. The top 12 (or less, if fewer than 12 exist) eligible players on the winning team will split evenly a $240 USD prize, rounded to the nearest cent.
  2. To be eligible, a player must play at least 12 races over the course of the tournament, and of those players, be in the top 12 players on the winning team according to the following criteria, in order of precedence:
    1. Most wins with their team (partial wins included).
    2. Most races played.
    3. Last match fully absent, in reverse order (a player who was absent from the Losers Finals but not the Grand Finals will take precedence over a player absent from the Grand Finals).
    4. Races played in the last match(es) partially absent, in decreasing order (a player who was absent 2 races in the Grand Finals will take precedence over a player absent 3 races in the Grand Finals).
    5. Highest average score per 12 races played.
  3. Payments are to be made by PayPal only. PayPal will be the sole determiner of currency conversions. Players must provide a valid email address, which is able to accept payments via PayPal, which will be kept on file by Mario Kart Central staff for as long as determined appropriate for the business and interests of Mario Kart Central.
  4. Players have 365 days following the end of the final match to provide a valid email address to Amplify staff for payment. After this period, winning players will forfeit their earnings.
  5. Players may only provide their own email address for payment. Providing another person’s email address (except for a parent’s or guardian’s) may result in action taken by Mario Kart Central and/or Amplify staff.
  6. No substitutes in winning players will be permitted, even at the request of winning players/teams. If a player refuses payment, no other player may receive their earnings. However, players will still be able to claim their prize for 365 days following the end of the final match (see Rule IV.d.). In addition, waived earnings will not be split amongst the remaining winning player(s).
  7. Payments will be made following a 7-day waiting period after the end of the tournament. This waiting period allows for any disputes regarding tournament results. If there are any unresolved disputes, payments will not be made until the disputes are resolved.

V. Mii Names

  1. Players' Mii names must always begin with their team's tag and be followed by their in-game name.
  2. Players must use the tag for the team which they are registered for. Tags must stand in front of the nickname and must begin in the first spot of the Mii's name.
    1. Tags may be surrounded on one or both sides by special characters, with a maximum of one special character in front of the tag. These special characters may not be or resemble alphanumeric characters.
    2. Tags must match the team's tag as displayed on the MKCentral and Amplify registries, including casing and special characters. For example, DVP, dvp, and Ðvp would not be acceptable tags for ÐVP, nor any other variation using other special characters.

    Examples for Clarification:
    • ÐVP Twonk
    • ÐVP·Twonk
    • [ÐVP]Twonk
  3. The exact same tag must be used by all players in a team.
  4. If two teams with the same tag are playing each other, one of the teams must put the character "2" following its tag (e.g. if two teams from Divine Phoenix played each other, Divine Phoenix 1 would use the tag "ÐVP" and Divine Phoenix 2 would use the tag "ÐVP2").
  5. Tags must be visibly separated from players' names, either through the use of spaces, special characters, or differences in letter casing.
  6. Players must use a Mii name which makes them easily recognizable as their alias on the MKCentral registry.
    1. Name abbreviations of 2 or more letters are permitted as long as they are not easily confused with another member of the same team.
  7. Names being used by a player may not be shared by another teammate during a match.
  8. Players may not use Mii names that include profanity or offense to the other team, staff, or people outside of the match.
  9. Failure to comply with any of the rules in section IV. will result in a 10-point penalty to the team's score if the offending tag or name appears after 2 races subsequent to joining the war.
    1. With the exception of rule V.h., this penalty is waived if it is the team’s first and only infraction of the rules in section V. during the tournament, otherwise, a 10-point penalty will be given to all players who violated the rule.

VI. Match Execution

  1. Matches are to be played 6-versus-6. 5v5 matches are not permitted.
  2. Match duration is one Grand Prix (GP) of 12 races.
  3. In the case of a tied match in the elimination stage, the following tiebreaker rules apply:
    1. Play an additional GP of 4 races.
    2. If the second GP is tied, the teams must play single races until the match is no longer tied.
  4. Players have free choice of character and vehicle combination.
  5. Lap trolling (using items to hit players a lap ahead) is allowed.
  6. Players may not choose a track that has already been played. Any team that is responsible for picking a track that has already been played will receive a 20-point penalty, unless the team can prove that the track was picked using the random button.

VII. Disconnections and Player Compensation

  1. If a team is missing one player at the onset of the match, they have a choice of going handicapped, forfeiting the match, or requesting the staff for a reschedule. If a team is missing more than one player, they have the choice of ​forfeiting the match, or requesting the staff for a reschedule. Reschedules are subject to the rules in section XIII.
  2. If there are two players missing at the track selection screen, the room is to be reset and the race will not count.
  3. If a total of at least three players, with at least one from each team, disconnect during a race, the room is to be reset and the race will not count.
  4. Players who disconnect but still appear on result screen will receive their bot's points.
    1. Rule VII.d. does not apply if more than 2 players from one team disconnected during the race.

VIII. Hosting

  1. The host team must provide the away team with the host's friend code at least 15 minutes before the room opens.
  2. The host must open the room between the scheduled time and 5 minutes after the scheduled time (e.g. if the scheduled time is at 17:00 UTC, the room must open at any time between 17:00 UTC and 17:05 UTC).
    1. The host may not open the room before the scheduled time. If this happens, the away team has the right to request that the room gets closed and reopened.
  3. If 10 minutes have passed since the opening of the room, the host has the right to start the match as long as no more than one player is missing from the room.
    1. After 10 minutes of the room opening, if the amount of players in the room is not sufficient for the match to start, the match will either be rescheduled (see section XIII.) or counted as a forfeit (see section XIV.). Staff reserve the right to decide what will happen in this case.
  4. The host is not required to have all the players from the other team added on their friends list, as long as there is at least one player from the other team that is added.
    1. The host must accept all the away team's players' friend requests received before the match and/or when the room is reset.
  5. The host must start the room with the following room settings:
    • 150cc Race
    • No Teams
    • Normal Items
    • Hard COM
    • All Vehicles
    • 12 races
  6. The host must reset the room if 3 or more players, with at least one from each team, disconnect during a race (see rule VII.c.)
  7. If a player joins the room that is not meant to play in the match, then the host must close the room and reopen the room again, setting the number of races to the amount of remaining races.
    1. In the case that the room is reset, the hosting team must wait 30 seconds before joining.
      1. Rule VIII.g.i. does not apply if the room is reset at the request of the away team, or if the room is reset due to a situation in which multiple away-team members disconnect.
  8. In the case that the room is reset, the host may start the match again after 5 minutes of the room being reopened, or sooner if all players are ready.
  9. Failure to comply with any of the rules in section VIII. will result in the hosting team being given a warning for their first offense, a 20-point penalty for their second and subsequent offenses, and a host ban for their third; the player in question will will receive a warning for their first offense, and host ban for their next.

IX. Results

  1. Both teams are responsible for gathering the match results. They are required to let staff know of any substitutions, disconnections, player names, etc.
    1. The away team is responsible for letting either the hosting team or staff know about any details that affect the score, as appropriate.
    2. The home team is responsible for posting the results to MKCentral, including feedback from the away team, in the designated forum section within 3 hours of the match's end, and before any affected teams' scheduled matches.
    3. If the home team is unable to provide complete results, the away team takes responsibility for communicating results, in part or in full, to staff.
    4. If neither team can provide complete results, the match will be deemed either incomplete (see section XII.) or a double forfeit (see rules XIV.b.).
  2. Match results submitted must include at a minimum screen captures of all relevant scores, and optionally videos and/or tables in addition.
  3. If there is insufficient proof of a value on the score table, that value will default to the lowest possible amount given the provided proof.
  4. Staff deserve the right to request additional information regarding the match results.

X. Lagging

  1. Minor lag incidents will not be penalized; however, players that frequently display lag may be given warnings.
  2. Players that display severe lag, as determined by staff, will have their points removed for the races in question.
  3. Races in which multiple players display severe lag, as determined by staff, may not be counted.
  4. If a player frequently displays severe lag, they may be disqualified from the remainder of the tournament, at staff's discretion.

XI. Game Modifications

  1. All game modifications, including custom textures and music/sound, are prohibited. Players caught using game modifications will have their points removed and will be disqualified from the remainder of the tournament.
  2. Any matches played that involved a player using game modifications will not count, and the match will result in a forfeit in disfavor of the team(s) which used game modifications.

XII. Incomplete Matches

  1. If a team can not complete a match, whether or not by choice, the default result will be a forfeit in disfavor of the team unable to complete the match.
    1. In the case that the races played result in a score in which one team is ahead by more than 40 points times the amount of remaining races, the final result will be that of the races played.
  2. If a team frequently shows difficulty in completing their matches, they may be disqualified, at staff's discretion.

XIII. Rescheduling and Replays

  1. Matches are to take place at the scheduled date and time unless both teams are in agreement to play at a different date and time.
    1. Reschedules must be communicated to and approved by staff.
    2. Reschedules are by default not permitted, unless approved by staff, which are generally reserved for extraneous circumstances.
  2. A reschedule may be granted upon request by only one team if (1) the original date and time interferes with a team's normal availability or other MKCentral event's schedule; (2) the original date and time coincides with a country's national or religious holiday; or (3) the staff agree that a given excuse is acceptable.
  3. If a reschedule is applied to a match, the new date and time will override the original date and time for that match.

XIV. Forfeits

  1. If a team forfeits a match, the match is to be scored 150-0 in disfavor of the team that forfeited.
  2. If two teams forfeit a match, the match is to be scored as a 0-0, with both teams considered having lost the match.
  3. If a match between two rosters of the same team results in a forfeit, it will automatically be scored as a 0-0 double forfeit, with both teams considered having lost the match.
  4. If a team is found to be forfeiting frequently, as determined by staff, they may be disqualified for the remainder of the tournament.

XV. Disqualifications and Withdrawals

  1. Any future match results for disqualified or withdrawn teams will be scored as a forfeit.
  2. If a team withdraws or is disqualified before seedings for the elimination stage have been determined, all previous match results for that team will be scored as a forfeit.