COD League - Rules

General Rules

• All members of a team competing in the league will be considered as having accepted the 2015 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare official league rules.
• Any sign of cheating or gambling may result in a forfeit of the game/match and/or disqualification from the league.
• Players/teams that are disqualified prior to the start of a game will not be allowed to play in the game.
• Players/teams that are disqualified during a game must quit out of the game.
• Players/teams that are disqualified will not receive any benefits (prize(s), etc.) for their ranking in the league.
• Teams may not play a match ahead of its scheduled start time, or delay the start of a match beyond its scheduled start time without the approval of a tournament official.
• Teams must designate a captain of their team.
• A team’s captain is responsible for all communication with ACL league officials.
• A team’s captain has complete ownership of the team’s position in the league.
• If a captain is absent for a match, the team’s captain or manager must designate an acting captain who will temporarily assume the captain’s responsibility.
• The elected captains will count as two votes, while starter players count as one vote respectively. - Substitute players do not count towards voting.
• To elect a new captain, all three starter players will be required to vote towards electing a new captain. If the voting is not unanimous, the current captain will remain.
• Teams must have at least three players present in order to start a game.
• A team will forfeit the match if they don’t have at least three players present by 15 minutes after a match’s start time (grace period).
• Teams that played a previous game(s) in a match will forfeit the match if they don’t have at least three players present by ten minutes after the conclusion of the previous game (grace period).
• Teams with three players present will be forced to start a game at the end of a grace period.
• Bots are not permitted in any game.
• If teams that are scheduled to play each other both forfeit a game or match, the home team will be awarded the game/match win.
• Teams may delay a match between games for up to ten minutes.
• Teams can request that a tournament official enforce this ten minute time limit.
• After ten minutes of a tournament official enforced delay, if the delaying team is not present, they will forfeit the match.
• Individuals may not use another player’s Xbox Live account in a game.
• Individuals may not allow another player to use their Xbox Live account in a game.
• Players who break this rule may be disqualified.
• In order to dispute game results, players/teams must notify a tournament official that they would like to protest the game before a new game has begun.
• In order to dispute match results, players/teams must notify a tournament official that they would like to protest the match no longer than 15 minutes after the end of the match.
• Teams may request that they be allowed to concede victory of a game.
• Coaches are not permitted at any stage of the event.
• Teams found using a coach may forfeit a game, match or be disqualified. This includes having extra players in the lobby of a tournament match.
• ACL reserves the right to broadcast any match.
• If ACL chooses to broadcast a match, ACL staff members must be allowed into each game.
• If ACL staff members are unable to connect to a host, all other hosting options may be explored until a suitable host is found.

Gameplay Rules

• The Call of Duty eSports rules must be enabled for all games and matches.
• Players must be signed in to Xbox Live for all games and matches. If this rule is violated, invalid games will be replayed.
• All matches must be played using the Xbox One console.
• Players may not compete from outside Australia and New Zealand.
• No warm-up or practice games are permitted once the match’s first game has begun.
• Teams may substitute players between maps, but may not do so during a map.
• If a game ends in a tie, it must be replayed.
• The game will be replayed immediately.
• When a game is replayed, the host is not changed.
• Capture the Flag and Uplink must get through overtime before a tie can be declared.
• If a round/game is started without the approval of a tournament official, it will be restarted from the beginning.
• Teams must not incorrectly end a game without a tournament official’s permission.
• If a player disconnects from a game during the first 30 seconds or before the first kill, the game must be restarted. If a player disconnects from a game after the first 30 seconds or after the first kill, the game must continue and the player who disconnected may rejoin the game. If all players on a team disconnect without a tournament official’s permission, that team will forfeit the game.
• If a player lags out after the first 30 seconds and/or after the first kill, the match must continue.
• If a player disconnects from a respawn game, the game must continue until an intermission is made. After an intermission has been reached, the game must be ended. It is the responsibility of the shorthanded team to end or leave the game before the start of the next half. Rounds that are played while a team is shorthanded will be counted. After a game is ended, the team will be given 5 minutes for their teammate to return before they must start another round shorthanded. When the game resumes, the score will be as it was when the game was ended and the teams will be set to resume the game from proper sides.
• If a player disconnects from a search and destroy game, the current round must be completed. After that round has been completed, the game must be ended. It is the responsibility of the shorthanded team to end of leave the game before the start of the next round. Rounds that are played while a team is shorthanded will be counted. After game is ended, the shorthanded team will be given 5 minutes for their teammate to return before they must start another round shorthanded. When the game resumes, the score will be as it was when the game was ended and the teams will be set to resume the game from proper sides.
• Players who disconnect from a game before it has ended will be allowed to rejoin the game, but a team will forfeit the game if all of their players disconnect without a tournament official’s permission.
• If a player or tournament official loses connection to the game when the game launches, the game must be restarted from the beginning.
• If a tournament official loses their connection to the game after the game launches, but all players remain in the game, then the game must continue.
• If proof is provided within 10 minutes after the conclusion of the map proving network manipulation, teams will be allowed one full replay of a game.
• Network manipulation proof will only be accepted in the form of router logs. It is the players responsibility to provide these logs to a Tournament Official within the allotted time.
• Only one replay will be allowed, per team, per series.
• If further connection issues occur, it is recommended that a substitute player enter the game as a replacement.
• It is the responsibility of all teams and players to protect themselves from connection manipulation.
• If an outside player joins a round while it is in progress and stays for more than 10 seconds, picks up or uses a weapon, picks up or defuses a bomb, grabs the satellite or a flag, spends time in the hardpoint, or is injured, the affected round must be restarted.
• If an outside player joins a round while it is in progress and stays for less than 10 seconds, doesn’t pick up or uses a weapon, doesn’t pick up or defuse the bomb, doesn’t grab the satellite or a flag, doesn’t spend time in the hardpoint, and isn’t injured, the round must continue.
• The team responsible for inviting an outside player may be penalised with a game or match forfeit.

Hosting

• The hosting team is responsible for setting up each game with the correct gametypes, settings and restrictions.
• Starting a game with an incorrect gametype, setting or restriction may result in a forfeit of the game.
• Players/teams who quit out of a game and claim that the wrong settings were used will forfeit the game if they are unable to provide proof to back up their claim.
• Teams should play a “host-test” game for roughly 30 seconds before a new host is going to be used in order to determine if the host is reasonable.
• Host-test games should be played using a map that the teams are not scheduled to play against each other so that players are not confused whether the match has officially commenced/resumed.
• All players must agree that the host is reasonable before the commencement of a game.
• If a reasonable host cannot be found, the hosting team’s best host must be used.
• If, after the start of a game, the host is transferred to a player who was not designated to be the game’s host, the game must still be played.
• If a player’s connection to the host becomes unreasonable during a game, the game must still be played. After each game, either team may request that a new host be tested, if the previous host was unreasonable.
• Teams may request that they be allowed to give up their hosting privileges for one or more games.
• The opposing team must then accept or reject the opportunity to host the game(s).
• The team that is not originally assigned to host may choose to play as Sentinel or Atlas for that game.

Gametypes and Hosts

• Set maps will be used for all matches.
• The home team will host games 1, 3 and 5.
• The away team will host games 2 and 4.

Roster/Substitution Rules

• A team will be able to have a maximum of 6 players on their roster at any given time.
• At the start of the season, teams must select 4 players as “starters”.
• The remaining two players can be added to a roster as a “substitute” player.
• Teams will assign starters and substitutes when they are notified of their acceptance into the ACL Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare League.
• Substitute players can only play for one team.
• To request a trade and/or change of status, you may email [email protected] at any time.
• Changes are not valid unless approved by an authorised tournament official.
• Subject must contain: COD - TEAM NAME - Change of Status/Roster Change.
• Teams are allowed to freely request changes to their rosters at any given time.
• Teams may submit a request to change a player’s status (starter/substitute) at any time.
• A request to change a player’s designation from starter to substitute must be accompanied by a request to change a secondary player’s designation from substitute to starter.
• Your team must at all times contain two “permanent starter” members at any given time.
• To become a permanent starter member, you must have played a minimum of 5 matches (series/scheduled matches) once listed as a starter.
• Original players from the team will be counted as permanent starter members until a change of status is made.
• Teams are allowed to trade players with other teams in the league at any given time.
• All parties must agree for the trade to take place. (Both players involved in the trade, and teams involved in the trade)
• Week 3 of the league will be counted as a recruitment week.
• Recruitment week will allow teams to recruit players from outside the league pool of players.
• Players may submit a request to declare free agency at any time during this period.
• Players may not be able to be officially removed from a roster unless a trade is mutually agreed on, or free agency is declared.

Reporting Results

• During the regular season, the winning team must report the match results to a tournament official within 30 minutes of its completion.
• To report the match results, teams must report the match score (3-0, 3-1 or 3-2).
• Teams must include screenshots of EVERY map played for a match to be considered complete.
• In order to be awarded a forfeit win, a team must contact a tournament official if a team fails to attend a match by the end of the grace period.
• Teams should contact a tournament official if they encounter any problems setting up or playing a match.
• If a tournament official is called into a lobby, players must keep them un-muted at all times and comply with their instructions.