Semi finals start in two weeks!
After the bloody quarter finals, the next challenge awaits each team! The Difficulty increases significantly, as in this round there will be many new elements of hotseating that you will need to dominate to win, such as expanded siege and agents rules, underdeveloped starting settlements and expansions against AI.
We will be using
Ancient Conquest mod. You can download the mod from its mod page
https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...0-Full-Release
and you have to apply a minor HS patch (just extract into your Ancient Conquest mod folder and overwrite)
https://www.mediafire.com/file/ogxnv..._Patch.7z/file
The Semi finals and finals will be hosted here in TWC.
TEAMS
Team I: Syracuse and Thracs
Team II: Satrapy of Lydia and Cilicia
Team III: Sparta and Egypt
Which team plays which factions will be revealed after the 2 weeks period of testing. And in the same time the matches will be begin!
Testing will last for two weeks, and the semi finals will start right afterwards. Factions will be assigned to players after testing.
Test save: (admin password is "password")
https://www.mediafire.com/file/onrfn..._Test.sav/file
Rules (for semifinals)
General:
- The hotseat will last 20 turns, unless the winner is clear sooner.
- All teams must fight properly till the end, despite their defeat possibly being unavoidable, until the winner team is declared, either by both loosing teams admitting defeat, or by admins declaring a winner after the turns limit (Victors would be decided by a vote amongst the organizers based on how each faction managed in general).
- NO BENDING/ALLIANCES with other teams and no diplomacy at all.
- PASSWORDS IN THE TEAM MUST BE SHARED with your teammate. No admin subbing, if one of the players cant play his turn, his teammate shall sub him. The factions played by the team will not be assigned to players by admins, it will be up to players within the team to decide who plays which factions. The players are of course meant to plan and play for both factions together.
- PM the next whole team that it is their turn. You have 24 hours to play each turn, 48 hours per team.
- 2 strike rule when it comes to a team being late. If your late 2 times with no warning, word or reason then you'll be kicked.
- The Western corner of the map is out bounds, as well as Persepolis (see the map preview). Nobody may enter these regions during the entirety of the Hotseat.
- Not allowed to call invasions.
Bugs and Exploits:
- No exploits/bugs allowed: Posting defeats, making walls of units on map to disallow enemy agents to move and stomping/killing agents with units, surrounding armies/navies to deny retreat, intentionally spreading a plague with agents/units, stepping on a merchant to remove him from a trade resource, exploiting AI factions ( for example demanding/accepting money or settlements from AI factions), and more.
- Not allowed to give money to your other faction if you are bankrupted.
- Full list of exploits and bugs here
https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...cussion-Thread
Military rules:
- You cannot attack enemy lands of opponent teams, if they have not played their first turn yet.** You can however cross lands of theirs during the 1st turn, if your army doesnt stand in enemy territory after it has finished movement). You can enter your ally's lands on turn 1. It means for example, that during the 1st turn, Gardener cannot attack Lannister, but Lannister can attack Gardener.
- All battles are auto-resolved. Screenshots must be posted with: odds and result screens, mouse over the odds bar to show the ratio, the armies involved with their banners visible on the campaign map, unit card of siege unit must be visible if used to directly assault settlement. In some matches manual battles against AI will be allowed.
- Armies that are defeated in battle by a player that comes after them in the turn list may not move the following turn. This is to make it fair for people who are defeated by players that come before them in the turn list. Armies standing in a settlement/fort when defeated are excluded from this rule.
-
2 forts per region per team, and forts need to have a garrison of at least
5 units, to limit fort spamming a bit. You are
allowed to build forts only in the regions you own!
- Ships cannot leave blockaded ports. It's not allowed to keep units protected by placing them in ships docked in a port.
- It is allowed to block ports via ground troops. At least 2 units per ship required.
- Not allowed to besiege a settlement to deny its garrison participation in battle.
- You are not allowed to besiege a settlement to deny enemy retreat into it.
- You are not allowed to build watchtowers.
- Heroic victories are 100% banned and illegal. If you get a heroic victory repeatedly, contact an Admin and we may allow it.
- Bribed units/agents cant move for one turn. As bribed generals are also counted generals stolen by princesses.
- No ransoming allowed
- You are not allowed to lure an ambushing army a tile closer, for example to bring it in range of more of your forces.
-
Siege engines are allowed
- Each unit of siege equipment can be used just once in each turn to take settlement.
- Ballistas can assault wooden walls and forts,
- catapults can also assault basic stone walls (but not large/huge stone walls)
Agent rules:
- Spies are not allowed to open Gates on players, unless there is at least 60% (for large/huge settlement its 80%) chance of entering into the settlement. If a spy was has been in city for several turns, you will have to leave the settlement and enter it again. If inside the settlement is at least 1200 soldiers (720 for large/huge settlements), than spies may not open the gates anyway. Screenshots must be provided
- Assassins cannot sabotage and are not allowed to kill family members or generals. Assassins need at least 60% chance to kill other agents, for enemy assassins/spies just 30% is required. Screenshots must be provided
- Princess must have over 30% odds of success in order to steal a general. Pictures must be posted as proof of these odds. However, if the stealing of a general leads to a bug, such as that a besieging enemy army lifts the siege, then it would not be allowed.
- Merchants need 60% to acquire other merchant's assets. Only allowed in your own regions, Rebel Controlled Regions, or regions you have aquired Trade rights to. Screenshots required
- It is not allowed to put agents that cant be bribed into forts (princesses, priests,...)
Settlement rules:
- Destruction of buildings is not allowed. Only exceptions are churches of foreign religions. They can be destroyed immediately after taking a settlement
- Settlements gifted to your teammate should disband all units save one. No gifting regions in a war zone (bordering faction at war with, or under threat). Only allowed once per 5 turns.
MAPYou can check video preview for the semi finals map by YTWM -
https://youtu.be/f8cX1RKh8uc . He will also soon publish reviews of each quarter final match!
Use the upcomming two weeks well, as afterwards we start, it will naturally not be possible to tweak things anymore.