How to Run a PvP Tournament Like a PRO!

Good Afternoon!

My name is Jack. You know me in the game as "MarijuanaMan."
I was talking very briefly with Securityguard in the server and he said that you guys run these boring events because it's too hard to coordinate a PvP event.
Thing is... It's actually NOT that hard. To the contrary, I could, in theory, run a PvP event right now and I have ZERO GM powers. I'm just a regular donator.
So today I'm going to teach you guys (GMs, Admins, ViPs, etc.) how to run a PvP event like a true PRO.

I will also explain how events like the one I am suggesting will be very GOOD for your forum and community.

((CAUTION! I only speak ENGLISH but I write very well. I understand Americans are rare in ToW so I will try to use universally easy terms.))

Event Suggestion: ToW ToW - Talisman of World's Tournament of Wonders!
This is very, VERY basic.
It's a simple, single-elimination PvP tournament. If you do this correctly the whole community will benefit. These will turn into your BIGGEST events ever and encourage more player communication.

Step 1: Registration
You should announce the DATE of the ToW ToW 1 or 2 weeks before it is going to begin. Also be VERY clear about exactly what time the tournament will start. This is very important.

Every player that wishes to participate in the tournament MUST sign up for at a DESIGNATED FORUMS AREA.
There should be TWO designated forums areas. One to sign up for the tournament (open a NEW forum thread for each tournament) and another to discuss the tournament so that that discussion does not interfere with the sign-up. This makes things easier.

The Registration Form should be very simple. You want to know just a few vital details about each character signing up.

Quote :

Character Name:
Character Level:
Do you have Ring/AMmy Set?
Do you have Wonderland Set?
Brief Comment:

Registration should END a day before the tournament. Registration should not be allowed on the day of the tournament. This is to be 100% sure of fairness.

Step 2: Bracketing
This is the ONLY hard part.
Out of all the characters joining, you must separate them into different brackets. After all, to put a lvl 40 against a lvl 90 with full DS set is just cruel and unusual punishment!

Bracket levels are up to you as GMs. But I suggest the following:
Low-Tier = 50-60
Mid Tier = 61-70
High Tier = 71-80
Top Tier = 81-85
EX Tier = 85-90 (90 without wonderland or ring/ammulet)

Then there should be a "Wonder" or Champions Tier that consists ONLY of level 90s with full ring/ammy, wonderland sets. The TRUE test of SKILLS!

Simply separate the sign-ups into those tiers.
Remember that a tier requires FOUR (4) OR MORE PEOPLE for that tier to get a tournament.
If there are fewer than 4 people in a tier, that tier does not get to participate (otherwise they are very hard to bracket).

Step 4: The PvP!
Now it's Tournament Day! Are you excited?!
You should find a good spot to have the tournament. PvP arena, or maybe create a new instance or cave just for the tournament.
I suggest you DO NOT do it in Stone. That would get real crowded and confusing really fast.

Run the tournament according to the brackets. Single-Elimination format.
There are only 2 Rules:

Absolutely NO Instant Full Heal potions! No matter what tier, no matter what battle.
Each match MUST have a referee!

As matches begin, the two people fighting join the referee's party. This way the referee will see if someone uses an Instant Full Heal potion.
One person will challenge the other to a duel. The two players battle it out. The last one standing moves up in the tournament. The winner will rest till his health is full, then move on to his next opponent.

Referees are very important. They ensure the fairness of the match. The referee doesn't need to be a GM or Mod or Admin. It can be a regular player. They just need to have a good eye and immediately disqualify the person who cheated. The person who DID NOT CHEAT automatically moves on to the next bracket.

ONLY 1 ADM or GM is required! That person will be the "Bracket Keeper." He or she simply marks the tournament bracket to be sure that the tournament moves smoothly. The GM should also announce the winners of each match via World Chat. That person will also issue the prizes. ALL REFEREES will submit the name of match winners to the "Bracket Keeper" so that he may update the standings.

That's IT
It's not as hard as you think it is. It just requires some brief coordination between GMs and Players.
It's more exciting than the events you already have. AND it will encourage more forums activity as people discuss the pre-tournament and the match-ups!
The higher the tier, the better the prizes should be. This way people are encouraged to play more and level up their gear and talismans to get to the higher brackets!
That means more potential donators as people scramble for better gear to join the tournament!

yeah right..salutation..




But in the referee side.If a regular player will be a ref., I bet there will be a lil infairness there..If you know what I mean.. I guess it will be a main event so I suggest that we need the presence of the VIP's or staffs to act as the ref.Anyway it will be done 1 or two times a week maybe.,.

CallMeJack wrote:

Good Afternoon!

My name is Jack. You know me in the game as "MarijuanaMan."
I was talking very briefly with Securityguard in the server and he said that you guys run these boring events because it's too hard to coordinate a PvP event.
Thing is... It's actually NOT that hard. To the contrary, I could, in theory, run a PvP event right now and I have ZERO GM powers. I'm just a regular donator.
So today I'm going to teach you guys (GMs, Admins, ViPs, etc.) how to run a PvP event like a true PRO.

I will also explain how events like the one I am suggesting will be very GOOD for your forum and community.

((CAUTION! I only speak ENGLISH but I write very well. I understand Americans are rare in ToW so I will try to use universally easy terms.))

Event Suggestion: ToW ToW - Talisman of World's Tournament of Wonders!
This is very, VERY basic.
It's a simple, single-elimination PvP tournament. If you do this correctly the whole community will benefit. These will turn into your BIGGEST events ever and encourage more player communication.

Step 1: Registration
You should announce the DATE of the ToW ToW 1 or 2 weeks before it is going to begin. Also be VERY clear about exactly what time the tournament will start. This is very important.

Every player that wishes to participate in the tournament MUST sign up for at a DESIGNATED FORUMS AREA.
There should be TWO designated forums areas. One to sign up for the tournament (open a NEW forum thread for each tournament) and another to discuss the tournament so that that discussion does not interfere with the sign-up. This makes things easier.

The Registration Form should be very simple. You want to know just a few vital details about each character signing up.

Quote :

Character Name:
Character Level:
Do you have Ring/AMmy Set?
Do you have Wonderland Set?
Brief Comment:

Registration should END a day before the tournament. Registration should not be allowed on the day of the tournament. This is to be 100% sure of fairness.

Step 2: Bracketing
This is the ONLY hard part.
Out of all the characters joining, you must separate them into different brackets. After all, to put a lvl 40 against a lvl 90 with full DS set is just cruel and unusual punishment!

Bracket levels are up to you as GMs. But I suggest the following:
Low-Tier = 50-60
Mid Tier = 61-70
High Tier = 71-80
Top Tier = 81-85
EX Tier = 85-90 (90 without wonderland or ring/ammulet)

Then there should be a "Wonder" or Champions Tier that consists ONLY of level 90s with full ring/ammy, wonderland sets. The TRUE test of SKILLS!

Simply separate the sign-ups into those tiers.
Remember that a tier requires FOUR (4) OR MORE PEOPLE for that tier to get a tournament.
If there are fewer than 4 people in a tier, that tier does not get to participate (otherwise they are very hard to bracket).

Step 4: The PvP!
Now it's Tournament Day! Are you excited?!
You should find a good spot to have the tournament. PvP arena, or maybe create a new instance or cave just for the tournament.
I suggest you DO NOT do it in Stone. That would get real crowded and confusing really fast.

Run the tournament according to the brackets. Single-Elimination format.
There are only 2 Rules:

Absolutely NO Instant Full Heal potions! No matter what tier, no matter what battle.
Each match MUST have a referee!

As matches begin, the two people fighting join the referee's party. This way the referee will see if someone uses an Instant Full Heal potion.
One person will challenge the other to a duel. The two players battle it out. The last one standing moves up in the tournament. The winner will rest till his health is full, then move on to his next opponent.

Referees are very important. They ensure the fairness of the match. The referee doesn't need to be a GM or Mod or Admin. It can be a regular player. They just need to have a good eye and immediately disqualify the person who cheated. The person who DID NOT CHEAT automatically moves on to the next bracket.

ONLY 1 ADM or GM is required! That person will be the "Bracket Keeper." He or she simply marks the tournament bracket to be sure that the tournament moves smoothly. The GM should also announce the winners of each match via World Chat. That person will also issue the prizes. ALL REFEREES will submit the name of match winners to the "Bracket Keeper" so that he may update the standings.

That's IT
It's not as hard as you think it is. It just requires some brief coordination between GMs and Players.
It's more exciting than the events you already have. AND it will encourage more forums activity as people discuss the pre-tournament and the match-ups!
The higher the tier, the better the prizes should be. This way people are encouraged to play more and level up their gear and talismans to get to the higher brackets!
That means more potential donators as people scramble for better gear to join the tournament!

This would be a cool event.Especially for those who are bored enough already and want something new..really new.Anyway, it would be nice if staff will be present,whereas make it once or twice a week in order not to have a reason for absence.. or maybe..Make it a main event of all the events made..

That's the idea.

I say regular players can be referees because the only way to cheat would be for the ref to announce a false winner. So obviously the ref must be trustworthy.

You'll also notice that I set the minimum tier level to 50.
This is because I believe that if you're a new player under level 50, chances are there's still more you need to learn about combat.

This assures a more smooth set of matches if everyone involved knows their skills and powers and, more importantly, how to use them properly.

That's why I suggest that staff should be acting as ref. To avoid awkward things if this going to happen.I guess it's just a matter of a lil' bit of time.And to set a good time would be good that there would be no reasons of lack of time.Especially when it's on the tourney part already..

EL_GATILLO wrote:

That's why I suggest that staff should be acting as ref. To avoid awkward things if this going to happen.I guess it's just a matter of a lil' bit of time.And to set a good time would be good that there would be no reasons of lack of time.Especially when it's on the tourney part already..

Yeah. But that means the tournament itself would take FOREVER.
Imagine this...

32 people spread out across 4 different brackets.
That means 7 matches per bracket to determine the winner in each level tier.
7 matches per tier x 4 tiers = 28 total matches.

And each one needs a referee.
In order to effectively run the tournament with that many people, you would need at least ONE gm/adm/vip per tier level to referee.
PLUS the one who is marking the official tournament standings.
Total would need 5 GM/ADM/VIP on at the same time to do this.

It would require a bit of coordination but it's not impossible.

Now imagine if we had 50 people? 80? Sure it would make a very big and exciting PvP event but the prizes would have to be SENSATIONAL and we would need people who are dedicated to the event. We would need trustworthy player volunteers otherwise the tournament might take all day for all tier brackets to declare winners.

I would suggest that, for anything over 32 people, we hire/recruit player volunteers.

yeah right..I bet there would be trustworthy ones who will really volunteer for it..I assure you..If.. It would be a yes from the staff..Anyway,let's keep on convincing them.. Cheers ya' all..

....i think that PVP event not only takes a for an hour but a day...

It depends for me if I have to be asked.We'll never know until we are on it.Because I do believe that the outcome or the time to be consume for that is on how would the players or the contestants behave the time the event takes place.It's up to the users respectively.

True.
I did a bit of research... most duels last 10 seconds or less so maybe the tournament will not take all day.

We just need solid ref.

You do know what you are saying ?

1-2 weeks notice to register and so on. Multiple tiers and many matches, different locations. 5 staff online at the SAME time at the choose date. How are you going to 5 people to plan 14 days ahead? What if one misses to come what then? Plus having 5 staff online at the same time doing the same thing for several hours just sounds impossible. Plus the players joining must agree on the date and time for the event otherwise they may be busy and what if someone in the event decides to log off? PLUS you're going to need a lot more tiers for those who have DONATION items and those who do not i'm sure many would think that's unfair too (So that would be be a tier with those with plat wep, a tier with those for 1 plat wep and 1 plat assist and 1 tier for those with 2 plat assist and 1 wep?. Im sure some would win on that simply cause they are so few) .... For me it sounds like a fun idea for an event but its nothing more than an idea since for me at least it sounds impossible to execute.

Cake wrote:

You do know what you are saying ?

1-2 weeks notice to register and so on. Multiple tiers and many matches, different locations. 5 staff online at the SAME time at the choose date. How are you going to 5 people to plan 14 days ahead? What if one misses to come what then? Plus having 5 staff online at the same time doing the same thing for several hours just sounds impossible. Plus the players joining must agree on the date and time for the event otherwise they may be busy and what if someone in the event decides to log off? PLUS you're going to need a lot more tiers for those who have DONATION items and those who do not i'm sure many would think that's unfair too (So that would be be a tier with those with plat wep, a tier with those for 1 plat wep and 1 plat assist and 1 tier for those with 2 plat assist and 1 wep?. Im sure some would win on that simply cause they are so few) .... For me it sounds like a fun idea for an event but its nothing more than an idea since for me at least it sounds impossible to execute.

Bro, relax. I've got all that covered. I'm not one of these little kids with crazy ideas.

About Staffers: This is why I also suggested that we could recruit player volunteers as refs. Technically, we wouldn't need any more than ONE GM/ADM/WTF-ever.
I know there's a lot of people who would GLADLY referee a match for 30 measily seconds if it meant they got a free EMB or a couple pills. Our players are smarter than you think.

About Matches: After a bit of research, I've determined that a 32-50 man tournament would only take 2 hours. That's easy. Most duels last a minute or less. If we have multiple referees, we can keep the whole tournament under 2 hours.

About Donation Items: FACT- They aren't as OP as you think. I would know this for certain. Besides... this is the part of my idea that DIRECTLY BENEFITS ToW's bottom line:
If the prizes are worth fighting for, then people will FLOCK to donate because then they could stand a better chance of doing better in the tiers. It doesn't matter how good your gear is until you reach 90 and rock that Wonderland Repu set.

If you are near the same level, and hit your skills correctly and like a pro, the underdog could very easily become the winner. Otherwise, If they don't think it's fair, they don't need to participate. Simple, no?

About Registration: The 1-2 weeks rule is in place so that people may SET ASIDE TIME on the date of the tournament. It gives all players and staffs advanced notice of the tournament date so they could free up a few hours on that date to participate. How do you think every other game does their PvP events? They set a date (usually weekly) and time. If you make it that day, you play. If not, well, we'll see you next week. EVERY other game does this in one form or another.

If your IRL responsibilities keep you from joining one contest, so what? Try to make the next one. It's NOT that big a deal.
The 1-2 week thing ALSO helps the GM Bracket Keeper prepare the brackets by allowing him or her to add them to brackets without rushing. That way, come tournament day, we can just jump right in.

SUMMARY: Technically, I could run this entire thing by myself. It requires no GM powers. Just communication with a few cool players (referees) to keep track of tournament standings so that a winner can be declared fairly. There are a few people in my guild who would gladly volunteer. And if there are parts about the tournament you'd want to change to make it "more possible" (it's already super easy) then do that.

But stop with these crappy math, link, and stall events. They're just for people who don't actually want to WORK for anything anyway. Beggars, mostly.

If I had proper prizes to pay the winners and a few extra pills/EMB/SBMB to pay my referees, it would be the biggest event this server has ever had and I'd be able to direct it all by myself.

It just takes people NOT being too lazy. I can't emphasize any more than I already have how brain-dead simple this thing is.

Matter of fact, if you guys would let me announce a tournament and give me the items I need to give to winners and pay refs, I'll do it myself just to prove these things:

1) How insanely easy it is. It's a LOT easier than it sounds!

2) How many people have been WAITING for a TRUE PvP event.

3) How it'll be your biggest, most requested, event ever for people who are not beggars.

I guess there is no hard in trying.And that is why there is what we called PLAN. Well That's why we call it event..What if one will be absent?..Well, That would make us have a support plan in every main plan. if ever that would happen.For example have someone as reserve that if ever one will be absent then the reserve will stand as proxy. And so on and so forth.Folks, if there is will there's way. And for the contestants leaving off, that would mean he/she lost by default.. As simple as that..Guys, in every event, many things happen..Some are negative but more on positive I bet. but if we help each other, we can make it I assure you. Ok if this would happen I am willing to honestly help in making it.Take on me.

So how much you need? (items)

Cake wrote:

So how much you need? (items)

I'd like to pay my refs properly. I'm thinking 1-3k pills per ref depending on how long the tournament lasts. 1 ref per division.

As far as winners of the actual tournaments, the prizes should increase with the level of difficulty.
For example the lowest tier of participants should be fighting for probably a few EMBs + 20 IFH.
As the tiers increase we would need to increase the rewards due to the higher risk and difficulty.

Personally, that's the only thing I'm unsure about is the prizes. You don't want to give *too* much, I guess, but if the prizes are appropriate or even GREAT, and the tournament runs smoothly, it'll be the hottest thing in the game.

I'm open to suggestion about prizes.

If 1-3k will be the salary of one ref..Blank one slot with no payment..And put my name on it..I volunteer freely.Just to make the event happen and let's see the outcome.If it goes smoothly..Well and good..Maybe we can continue on it.If it's bad..or worst.Then let's see the scenario that make it bad and try to improve it.But if it does not benefit enough.Then lets call it an end(maybe its not meant to happen here). But I bet it will be successful(disregarding hard-headed players though)..

Its up to you to say what you're going to need.

Cake wrote:

Its up to you to say what you're going to need.

Well, that's just the thing.
I want to prove to you guys that this can be a successful event.
But to make it a success would take a lot of "resources."

This is why I suggest only running the tournament one a month. Twice maximum a month.

Again, I'd need between 2-3k pills per ref. Happy refs = more reliable refs.
Then I'm thinking maybe 5-8 EMBs for the lowest possible tier winner. + 10 IFHs.
And maybe at the top tier (NOT EX TIER) would get a rare pet + 5 SBMB + 50 IFH.

As far as EX Tier (lvl 90 with full ring/ammy, wonderland set) goes... it's hard to think of a prize for them because they already HAVE the best of everything.
If I had it my way, I'd create a set of gear that is only attainable through the tournament.

Ok

Well kinda every1 needs skyblue for provide the DS set..

I like the idea ICallYouJack , you mean like a team box or karate tournament, 2 teams form 5 players , judge call 2 names an they start fighting. me likey... i support that.