America's Army 3 Ladder Rules

These rules are based on the old ruleset of AA2. TWL admins have the right to use their discretion on ALL cases. If something is not listed in this rulebook, players should not automaticly think that it is allowed. Players / Teams are encouraged to contact the Ladder Admin / Lead Admin if they find something which should be added/modified to the rules.

Rule Index

• General Ladder Information
  
  
• Ladder Specific Rules
  
  
• Player Guidelines
  
  
• Team Management
  
  
• Server Requirements
  
  
• Server Settings
  
  
• Match Details
  
  
• Match Results Reporting
  
  
• Match Dispute Filing
  
  
• Substitute, Dropped or Additional Players
  
  
• Game Demo Recording
  
  
• Universal AntiCheat Software
  
  
• Cheating
  
  
• Smurfing
  
  
• Penalties for Rules Infractions
  
  
• Admin Structure
  
  
• Version Releases
  
  
• Rules Statement
  
  
• Important Links

General Ladder Information

TWL Ladder Play is based upon an attacking/defending ladder rung system. Teams may join ladders at their discretion and attempt to work their way to the top by attacking teams on "ladder rungs" above them. A successful result by the attacking team results in them taking the spot or rung from the defending team. In turn the defending team falls to the next spot down. If the attacking team loses the match then both teams stay at the rung they were on prior to the match. Teams who are in an active challenge and teams that are on official "rest" are the only teams that cannot be challenged. All other teams can be challenged and "must" accept any challenge made. Failure to do so could result in loss of rungs on the ladder or in removal from the ladder.

TWL America's Army Ladder matches are played using a best of 12 round system Certain scenarios can exist where individual rounds can be tied. Specific information about Type of Gameplay, Round Wins/Ties, Maps, Round Times, and Squad Size can be found in the Ladder Specific Rules.

In the event of a tie after all rounds have been completed, the teams will play a Sudden Death Overtime round. Additional Overtime information can be found in the Ladder Specific section.

Please click here for a tutorial on how to create an account, create a team, join a ladder with your team, and add other players to your team's roster. Please note that in the GUID section of that tutorial you would use your "exact" Americas Army player soldier name. Additionally, please familiarize yourself with our Player Guidelines and Team Management rules before registering.

Issuing a Challenge
Teams that have reached the required roster minimum, and do not have a pending challenge from another team or have not lost a match within the last 24 hours, are eligible to challenge up at any time. Challenges are issued through the teams Admin Console by the Team Founder or Captain(s). NOTE - You must be logged in to the TWL site in order to administer your team. Please see the next section for details on how high up the ladder you can challenge. You will not be able to challenge teams that have another pending challenge, are on rest, or have won a match within the last hour.

Ladder Movement
You can challenge anyone above you 10 slots or 50% of the remaining ladder from your current rank - whichever is higher. (Ex: Rung 100 can challenge rung 50. Rung 48 can challenge to rung 24. Rung 15 can challenge to rung 5).

Challenge and Match Date Acceptance
There is a time limitation for match responses. This includes Acceptance of a Challenge and/or Date Acceptance. The present time frame is 48 hours. At the 48 hour mark a "Forfeit Flag" is created to notify the Ladder Admin that there is an overdue acceptance. The Admin will then look into the issue and either give more time or award a forfeit loss and ladder rung drop to the team failing to meet the 48 hour requirement. The admin would choose to give the other team more time if they feel the team is making an effort in scheduling the match.

Match Times are Posted in CET
On the bottom of the screen there are 2 clocks, the TWL NA Time is EST, the TWL EU Time is CET.

Map Selection
The TeamWarfare server randomly chooses the map once the challenging team has selected the match date. The maps are selected on a weighted scale that tries to ensure that all maps are picked an even amount of times for each ladder. For a complete list of the maps played in each ladder please see the Ladder Specific Rules section.

Match Communications
All Communications concerning Match Logistics must take place within the TWL site provided "Match Comms" section. The "Match Comms" button becomes available once the match is confirmed. Communications in Match Comms are to be limited to specific match information and have to be in english so that the Admins can understand what is going on in case of a dispute. Players found abusing match comms could be subject to unsportsmanlike conduct punishment.

The only official way of communication regarding a TWL match is the Match Communications provided by the appropriate link in the TWL site. Any communications between teams regarding match logistics etc via MSN, X-Fire etc is not considered as "official" communication channel for TWL.

Server Choice
The server must comply with the Server Requirements section of the rules.

When the Attacking team chooses the date and confirms the match they must immediately post their server information in match comms. The Defending team then must choose and post which server they want to use 24 hours prior to the match. Failure to do so will result in them losing server choice and the match will be played on the Attacking teams Server.

It is strongly recommended that both teams post their server information in the match comms. If neither team can provide a server for the match, the appropriate Ladder Admin should immediately be contacted. Normal procedure in cases where neither of the teams can provide a server is either a match kill or a reschedule.

Side Choice
The Defending team has the right to pick their starting side for the match. It must be confirmed in the drop down box 24 hours prior to the start of the match. If the Defending team does not select a starting side, it reverts to the Default (Defender = Defend, Challenger = Assault).

Inactivity
Teams are expected to remain active at all times while on ladder. The only exceptions are when teams take a "Rest" period or during official TWL Holiday periods. Further information concerning "Rest" can be found 2 sections down.

To combat inactivity TWL has instituted the following 2 rules.




1. Teams receiving 3 no-show forfeit losses in any 45 day period will be removed from the applicable ladder.
   
2. Teams must play, or at least attempt to play, a minimum of 1 match every 3 weeks. Teams failing to follow this guideline will be removed from the applicable ladder.

Rescheduling
Both teams must agree in Match Comms to the rescheduling of a match. Once the new match date/time is agreed a notification email should be sent to the Ladder Admin.

Rescheduled match dates must be within 10 days of the original match date.

Teams can only agree to reschedule a match 1 time without Admin approval. If a 2nd reschedule is needed, please contact the Admin for the ladder to request the reschedule.

If both dates selected by the Defending team conflict with other confirmed matches for the Attacking team, then the Defending team "must" agree to reschedule the match.

Resting
Teams may rest for a total of 7 days per 3-month period (13 weeks). Teams start and stop rest via the Admin Console. Please note that you cannot go on rest when you are in an active challenge or for 24 hours after you report a match loss. Rest is counted in whole day amounts.

Teams in the top 5 spots on the ladder are not eligible for rest, but may contact the appropriate Ladder Admin if a situation exists that they feel warrants a short rest period. The final decision to grant top 5 teams rest will be at the sole discretion of the Ladder Admin.

Deviation from the Defined Rules
Teams may choose to play their Ladder match pretty much any way they want, provided the change is agreed to in "Match Comms" by BOTH teams. They can change maps, change times, change weapons assignments, number of players, etc, etc, etc. It has been said by Senior Staffers in the past that teams can choose to play Yahoo Chess, if that is what they want to do. TWL only requires that the results be reported consistent with ladder match results on the date the match is scheduled to play.

Players are strongly encouraged to take screenshots at various times throughout matches. Screenshots often can be instrumental in resolving match disputes quickly and efficiently. Examples of when players should take a screenshot include.

• Global Chat of any team discussions over any kind of issue.
  
• Global Chat where any opponent is exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct.
  
• Any other situation where a player feels that a screenshot might show a potential match issue.
• In general, as with the current version, screenshots are most likely the only way to provide anykind of actual "evidence" from a match play. So it is strongly recommended that teams take as many screenshots as they see appropriate. Lack of screenshots may lead your team to loose the dispute.

Ladder Specific Rules

Below is a list of each Ladder type for the Americas Army 3 division. Click the relevant link below to view the specific details for each ladder. Rules in the ladder dropdown section take precedence over conflicting General Ladder Rules.

[CLICK TO EXPAND]

[O] 2v2 Ladders

[O] 4v4 Ladders

[O] 6v6 Ladders

Player Guidelines

All players wishing to participate in TWL Ladders must maintain a single active TWL Site Account and use that account to join any TWL League or Ladder site wide. Players found using multiple accounts could be subject to disciplinary action including site ban.

Players wishing to join a TWL Americas Army 3 Ladder or League are required to list the last 8 digits of their PBGUID in their TWL profile. Players must do this before they attempt to join a team in a League or Ladder as the TWL Site will block them from joining. Adding their 8 last PBGUID digits is accomplished by the following steps:

1. Click on your TWL Player name at the top left of the TWL Page to open the dropdown menu.
   
2. From this menu highlight "Account Maintenance"
   
3. To the right of "Account Maintenance" click on "Profile".
   
4. On the profile screen find the section "Anti-Smurf in Game Identifiers".
   
5. At the bottom of the "Anti-Smurf section click on "Add another id".
   
6. Select America's Army 3: PBGUID and enter the last 8 digits of your PBGUID and then click on "Add Identifier".
   
7. To find your PBGUID please visit http://history.anticheatinc.com/aa3/index.php and search for your soldier name.

It is also mandatory to add your UACID as your In-Game Identifier. Instructions on how to download, install, use and find your UACID and Match ID can be found here.

Failing to register the proper uacid on a TWL account will get a player removed from the team's roster and we will suspend the account until the ID is in place.

A player may only play on 1 team per ladder. A player found to be playing for more than 1 team on a given ladder will be considered Smurfing.

Upon joining a ladder, a player is not eligible to play in a match that was already "accepted" by the defending team before the day he joined.

Players are expected to conduct themselves in a courteous manner at all times in the Match Comms and during Match Play. TWL has a zero tolerance for Unsportsmanlike Behavior such as use of profanity, inappropriate racial or sexual comments, taunting, showing disrespect, and spamming of game chat or match comms with non-match related comments. The list in the previous sentence is an example and not a complete list. Players found exhibiting Unsportsmanlike Behavior could be subject to punishment under the Sportsmanship section found in Penalties for Rules Infractions. Determination as to whether punishment is warranted is at the discretion of the applicable Ladder Admin or Senior Staff Member.

Team Management

Team Management on the TWL AA3 Ladders is handled by the Team Founder and players on each ladder roster that he/she designates as Captains. Captains have the same authority level as the Founder when administering the team on the ladder with the exception of joining new ladders, editing the team profile information, and changing the founder. The Founder is encouraged to exercise caution when choosing captains as they can do things such as forfeit challenges, kick players from the roster, and remove the team from ladders. However, TWL does encourage the founder to appoint enough Captains to ensure challenges are accepted and match scores reported in a timely manner.

TWL requires that the Founder or a Captain is present for all matches. They are not required to "play" in all matches but must be available to report the match score or file a match dispute within 1 hour of match completion.

Team founders are responsible to ensure that his/her players do not cheat, are not banned from TWL under other accounts, and do not Smurf for other teams. Under certain circumstances the Founder can be suspended or banned from TWL for failing to keep his/her team cheater/smurf free. See the Penalties for Rules Infractions section for details.

TWL will continue to support teams who police themselves of hackers, cheaters and smurfs. In cases where a team purges a hacker from their ranks and brings it to the attention of TWL staff, team punishments will be waived.

Once a team joins a ladder, that team has 2 weeks to bring its roster to the minimum roster requirement for the ladder. Teams are also required to maintain the roster minimum at all times while on the ladder. Roster minimum requirements vary by ladder and can be found in the Ladder Specific Rules. Failure to reach or maintain the roster minimum will result in team removal from the particular ladder.

Server Requirements

• The Server must be running the TWL Prescribed game version.
  
• The latest version of Punkbuster must be running. Directions for setting up Punkbuster to run on a server can be found here.
  
• Player slots equal to the number of prescribed match players for the map plus 2 extra slots for Admins/Match Observers. If one of the two teams requests an admin, this one should be able to join the match it fits in his schedule.
  
• Teams must request an admin through match comms 24 hours before match start.
  
• Should have a minimum of 512kbps upload connection speed. Teams can agree to a slower connection speed via match comms but in doing so they wave their right to dispute on grounds of high pings or lag.
  
• Admin control of the server must be available before and during the match in case of setting issues or crash.

Match servers must be located as follows:

• North American ladders: The server must be located in North America.
  
• European Ladders: The server must be located in Europe
  
• Oceanic Ladders: The server must be located in the Oceanic Region.

***Teams may request in match comms to use a server located outside of the designated region. However, the opponent is under no obligation to agree to the request. If they DO NOT agree then a server located within the designated region must be used. If they DO agree then they waive their right to protest game play issues due to high ping and lag. Teams found using a server for a match that is located outside the region without notifying and receiving approval from their opponent; will receive a forfeit loss for the match. Subsequent attempts by the same team will be met with stiffer penalties.

If the server is being hosted by a match player, that player cannot be connected to the server via the same connection. (i.e. from behind a router or firewall)

Teams that lease servers with log keeping capabilities must set them up to do so and keep all logs for a minimum of 72 hours. Servers that allow FTP access can create and store logs. To setup logging you should only need to create a folder named "Logs" in the AA System directory.

Server Settings

Edit the following in your servers AA3Game.Ini file:



Open the configuration file (AA3Game.ini) for example with notepad, and search for the following entries (CTRL+F): These are the required settings for TWL match play. You must edit your configuration file according to these settings!

[AA3Baseline.AA_GameInfo]
TimeLimit=** (Ladder/Map Dependant)
[AA3Game.AGP_GameInfo]
TimeLimit=** (Ladder/Map Dependant)


[Engine.AccessControl]
AdminPassword=******* (your adminpw here)
GamePassword=******* (Opponent must be informed about the correct pw.
Note: if this line is missing from your ini add it directly below the AdminPassword line)

[AA3Baseline.AA_GameInfo]
bAllowTMDiscardScoringRounds=True
bKickIdlePlayers=False
fpMaxROEAutoKick=1000000.000000
bEnableMapRotation=False
bAutoBalanceTeamsSizes=False
bDisableForceJoinTeam=True
iMaxBattlePlanningTime=25
iMaxRoleSelectionTime=15
iRoundPreparationTime=10
bUseTS3VOIP=True
fpDroppedObjectiveResetTimeoutSeconds=0.000000

[AA3Baseline.AA_TeamInfo]
bRestrictFTRolesByTeamSize=True

[AA3Baseline.AA_PlayerController]
bUseTS3VOIP=True
bTS3UseVOX=False

[AA3Baseline.AA_GameReplicationInfo]
bEnableMPHeadshotToIncap=False

[AA3Game.AGP_GameInfo]
VOIPServerMode=VSM_TEAM_CHAT_DEADRULES
CommDisciplineMaxTime=10.000000
CommDisciplineMinTime=10.000000

[AA3Baseline.AA_GameReplicationInfo]
bMPCheatsEnabled=False
SpectatorMode=SpecMode_FirstPersonOnly
TS3ServerMode=TS3SM_TEAM_CHAT_DEADRULES






Additional Server Setup Information




Punkbuster must be running on the server during a match with "No" optional PB features other than PB Screenshots activated and TWL CVARS. 3rd Party Anti-Cheat Organization ban lists are not to be running during a match. If a player from the team visiting the server is kicked due to any optional PB features (other than TWL CVARS), the team hosting the server will automatically forfeit a round and the player must be allowed to rejoin.


No scripts are to be running that spam the console with messages.

No 3rd party programs like ServerGuard or ExploitEnder are allowed to be running during a match.

No game play modifications are to be active on the server during a match.

Procedures to deal with several of the bugs listed above are found in the Match Details section.

Match Details

In the days/hours leading up to a match both teams are required to familiarize themselves with the Ladder Specific Rules and match applicable sections of the General Ladder Information. The team providing the server is to also ensure that it complies with the Server Requirements and that it is setup properly as per the Server Settings rule. Players are to make sure that they have the latest PB client installed and it is functioning properly. The team member designated to be the Team Captain in the match must be familiar with the match logistics issues. Failure to be prepared will only lead to unnecessary match delays and disputes.

When the teams enter the server they are not to join their side until both teams have all players on the server and are ready to start.

The first live round must begin no later than 10 minutes after the scheduled match time. Teams are encouraged to show sportmanship if the other team is late, but are not required to do so. For the live play to begin, both teams must have atleast the minimum amount of players on the server what is required by the ladder specific rules. If either teams fails to do this in the 10 minute deadline, they are to report a forfeit loss if the other team does not agree to a reschedule. When players join the server, they are NOT to pick their side until both teams have all players on the server and are ready to start LIVE play.

After joining your team the squad leaders is to summit a "RequestDiscardRound" in your console after you have picked your weapons.



RequestDiscardRound:

Teams must have the squad leader spot picked. Failing to have a player that can summit the Request a Discard Round will cost you the match by forfeit.



• RequestDiscardRound command must only be used during the battle planner*
  
• Requires both squad leaders to execute command
  
• Will affect next round after it is issued. or round players are about to deploy to if done during battle planning.
  
• Discarded rounds will disable all statistics and scoring as well as weapon damage

• All opposing players are on the opponent's roster and are eligible for the match.
  
• Server is running the required TWL PB Scripts and is streaming.
  
• The server is set to the proper map.
  
• The server is set to the proper game type.
  
• All players are logged in UAC.
  

Teams failing to perform the checks above forfeit their right to dispute over them once the match goes live

Additional Mission Planning Round Information/Instructions

During the Mission Planning Round God-Mode is automatically activated.


Teams are allowed to discharge their weapons and test their Grenades in their general spawn area. The opposing team is encouraged to stay out of this area while their opponent is discharging weapons. This is to test your weapon loadouts for any glitches. If you feel the need to be in your opponents spawn you run the risk of getting hit. If you feel the need to discharge a weapon outside of your spawn area you may NOT fire at or near an opponent. If you do and are asked to stop you must stop IMMEDIATELY or you will be subject to unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

Teams can agree on start live play after the falling settings have been tested.


1. Check the round time limit.
2. A Player from each team will withdraw - "suicide" to check the Spectator Mode setting


Once the Discard round ends the match must go "Live", even if all players from a team are not yet present. Teams beginning the match with less than the max number of players may subsequently bring them in by following the procedures listed in the Substitutes/Dropped Players section. The exception to this rule is if a team does not have the required minimum amount of players present. In this scenario the match ends and the team in question will report a forfeit loss. The minimum number players allowed is found in the Ladder Specific Rules.

Additional Server Setting Checks
T B A

The above settings or any other settings which cannot be checked during the Mission Planning will be addressed during the first live round only. Teams noticing any settings to be wrong will immediately notify their opponent, the round will then stop and the team providing the server will have 10 minutes to correct the setting. The match will then restart. These settings may only get brought up for correction during the 1st Live Round of the match. If they are noticed later, they cannot be changed and neither team can dispute over them.

Round Play

The match will be played in 2 sets of 6 rounds, server will switch sides every 3 rounds for 12 rounds total. The best of 12 rounds will be the winner.
Scores from the 1st set will be carried over to the 2nd set. Scores are to be kept in global chat.
First and second set overtime rounds are to be ignored, Defending team will withdraw - "suicide" at the beginning of those rounds.

If the match ends in a tie, sudden death overtime will be played in the a 3rd set



Sudden Death Overtime

Overtime will be played on the TWL randomly generated map unless both teams agree to a map change. The Defending Team has side choice on the Overtime Map.

If more than 1 overtime round is needed, teams will swap sides after each round.

The teams may take a 5 minute break while the server is being reconfigured. They are then expected to quickly join the server and ready-up so the Mission Planning Round can begin. From the end of the last normal round to the beginning of the OT 1st round no more than 10 minutes should pass.

Teams will play 1 round on the OT map and if there is a round winner, that team is the match winner. If the teams tie in the first round of OT then the match continues 1 round at a time until someone wins a round. That round winner is the match winner.

* The Defending team has side choice.
* The first live round is a set up to make sure players are on the correct sides.
The 2nd round is to be live. The team who wins this round will also be declared as the match winner. If the OT round ends in a TIE the match must continue until a winner is found.

Match Results Reporting

Match results are reported by the Founder or Captain from the "losing" team in via their teams Admin Panel for the particular ladder.

At the conclusion of the match the "winning" team is required to post the final score in Match Comms.

The "losing" team has 1 hour to report the loss via their Admin Panel or file a Match Dispute. Failure to do so will result in team penalties.

Match Dispute Filing

Bug Exploit
Before filing a dispute in this category its strongly recommended that teams read the Cheating rules section to determine if TWL considers what your reporting an exploit. When a Bug Exploit Dispute is filed the specific exploit must be listed along with the player using the exploit and an approximate time that it happened. Example: Player Snake used the Run/Shoot Exploit in the 3rd round to kill Player Mongoose. Be aware that without a Demo recording most disputes of this type cannot be proven.

Cheating
TWL has a zero tolerance for cheating and gives all disputes for cheating its full attention. TWL also takes false cheating accusations very seriously. Therefore it is recommended that a team which is considering filing a cheating dispute take a few moments and do the following:

• Have a little cooling off period with your team while you discuss what transpired in the match.
  
• Read the rule section on cheating to see if it can help you determine what the opposing player(s) were doing.
  
• If any of your players took screenshots or recorded a Demo, have them review them. They should make notes of the specific times they feel the opposing player(s) cheated.

Once this is done if your team feels that they have specific instances of cheating to report, please go ahead and file a dispute. The dispute needs to have specific information about what your team feels transpired. "They were head shooting us all over the place" is NOT specific information. "Player X shot and killed 2 team members through smoke during the 3rd round. In round 6, Player X killed our whole team with single burst shots" is the kind of information the Ladder Admin would need in order to properly research the claim.

Invalid Server
Disputes would be filed under this category for server requirements or setting problems.

Teams cannot file disputes under this category after the match has ended. By playing the match teams agree to any server inconsistencies versus the posted rules.

No Show
This category covers teams not showing up for the match at the agreed upon date/time.

Before filing a dispute under this category please double check the date/time in the Admin panel and check match comms.

No show disputes are processed much quicker if the disputing team can produce, for the Admin, a screenshot of their team on the server.

Rules Violation
This category would be used for the rare problem not covered by the other more specific categories.

Smurfing
Smurfing disputes must be accompanied by the player profile of the suspected smurf "and" specific evidence of the violation. Teams are not to smurf dispute because they "think" an opponent "might" be someone else.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Harassment in match comms or during the match in the form of name calling, profanity, racial slurs, or taunting are valid reasons for filing Unsportsmanlike Conduct disputes. Additionally there are several places throughout the rules that discuss and define Unsportsmanlike Conduct. Screenshots of this type of behavior during a match are required evidence.

1. The team founder or captain must go to the Admin Panel for the match they want disputed and click on the "Dispute Results" button.
   
2. On the next screen they will choose the appropriate dispute type. Explanation of all the dispute types is provided above. Also on this screen they will provide an explanation for the dispute. Specific information must be given when filing cheating, bug exploit, or sportsmanship type disputes. "The other team cheated" or "They head shot us the whole match" are NOT acceptable explanations. TWL needs specific information such as what kind of exploit was used and in what rounds.
   
3. Right after the dispute is filed it is strongly recommended that the disputing team post in match comms that they have disputed and provide a brief explanation of why.
   
4. The disputing team must collect all necessary evidence such as screenshots and demos and be prepared to provide these things to the Admin upon request.
   
5. The team founder or designated captain(s) must frequently check the match comms for updates until the dispute is closed.

There are a few conditions listed in the Match Details section that require teams to immediately leave the server and dispute. Beyond those conditions, teams are encouraged to try to finish matches before filing a dispute. TWL does not have a rule that automatically allows teams to go back and finish matches should their dispute be overturned. So it is very important for teams to ensure they have sound evidence of a match overturning violation before they choose to quit in the middle of a match and dispute. Failing to do so could result in the presiding Admin ruling that they forfeit the remaining rounds that they chose not to play.

Once disputes are "filed" an email is automatically sent to the Founder/Captains from both teams and the Admin for the Ladder. Additionally, a thread is automatically generated in a staff area of the site.

All communications with the Ladder Admin concerning the dispute need to take place in Match Comms. The only exception to this would be when emailing screenshot or demo evidence to the Admin.

Teams filing "cheating/sportsmanship" type disputes need to understand that the opponent is going to be very upset. Because of this they need to stay out of the match comms other than to notify the opponent of the dispute and to answer questions directed by the presiding Admin. They MUST NOT engage in arguing with the opponent no matter what might be said. If the comments by the opponent get out of hand, the Admin will handle it.

After a protest has been initiated, both teams have 24 hours to gather evidence. In this time the team being protested against may issue a counter-protest.

TWL strives to complete all match disputes within 48 hours of them being filed. However, occasional unforeseen circumstances do force them to run a bit longer. If you feel that a dispute is taking too long you may email the Lead Ladder Admin.

TeamWarfare allows Game Administrators full discretion regarding decisions and punishment. Rule infractions are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Appeals to the presiding Admins decision must be made to the Lead Ladder Admin within 48 hours of the dispute being closed.

Substitutes/Dropped Players

Dropped Players

Players dropped from the server due to connection issues or game crashes or ROE Kicks are to return to the match using the same RequestDiscardRound procedures listed in the paragraph above. If a player drops during a live round he will be counted dead and match will continue until a round is discarded so the player can rejoin the server.

Dropped players can also join to the server during "Battle Planner" without RequestDiscardRound procedure but its use is recommended

NOTE: Early Roe Kicks: If you perform ROE in the first 25 seconds of the round you may still be kicked

Teams may use the procedure above to bring in additional players if they begin the half with less than the prescribed roster size.


Players are NOT to join the server during a live round under any circumstances. Doing so will result in an automatic round forfeit for their team.

Game Demo Recording

Universal AntiCheat

Universal Anticheat (UAC) software is client side cheat detecting system.

It is designed to scan the computer in unspecific random time, search for cheats or other software used to gaining advantage over another players.

Universal AntiCheat software is the official Anti Cheat Software for TWL and it is mandatory for all matches (Ladder/League).

The steps to download and use UAC can be found here.

If you need further assistance, please contact AntiCheat Staff or America's Army Staff

Penalties for players/teams found not using UAC software are found here.

Cheating

Cheating in TWL is defined as any action by a player performed with the purpose of gaining an unfair advantage over other teams and players. TWL AA breaks “Cheating” into several categories for ease of explanation and to set penalty levels for players caught performing the action. The categories are Game Hacking, Exploits, and Illegal Game Settings/Commands/Binds. Penalties for all cheating infractions can be found in the Penalties for Rules Infractions section.

The specific actions listed in this section do not cover every possible situation that could be considered cheating. TWL Administrators maintain the right to make spot decisions concerning what constitutes cheating if it benefits the teams involved or the community as a whole.

This section may be updated frequently as new cheats are found and old ones made obsolete by version updates. Teams are strongly encouraged to check here on a regular basis.

Game Hacking is categorized as the use of 3rd party programs such as:

• Aimbot and other programs that increase accuracy
  
• Radar and other programs that give locations of the enemy
  
• Speedhacks and other programs that manipulate weapon rates of fire or player character speed.
  
• Ushield and other programs that hide the running of 3rd party hacking type programs.

TWL works closely with other Competitive Gaming and Anti-Cheat organizations through sharing of information on players caught cheating via 3rd party programs. As a result penalties are handed out by TWL for players caught game hacking in TWL, in organized matches hosted by other gaming organizations, and in public servers.


TWL considers “Testing” of Game Hacks to be the same as using them
in matches. Therefore the penalties are the same.

This category is defined as the changing of game settings through the use of illegal settings, commands, or bound commands. This rule also covers the execution of files that illegally change settings or issue commands. The specific actions are broken in to 3 Sections based upon their impact of fair match play. Different penalty levels exist for the 3 sections and are found in Penalties for Rules Infractions.

Level 1 Illegal Game Settings/Commands/Binds

• Built-in game cheats such as devmode or the mpcheat commands.
  
• Use of game mods or the modification of any game files, other than modifications to .ini files as required by the ladder.
  
• Invoking commands either directly from the console or by bind that:
  
  
  • Turn off fog
    
  • Change the player character speed or health.
    
  • Change weapon dynamics such as ammunition count, rate of fire, or recoil/accuracy
    
  • Combines centerview with any action

Level 2 Illegal Game Settings/Commands/Binds

• No single key may be bound to more than one “action”. Action
  key examples are Sprint, Move Forward/Backward, Strafe, Lean,
  Crouch, Prone, Jump, Take Objective, Open/Close Door, Fire, Change
  Rate of Fire, Reload, Fix Jam, Zoom. Examples of commands not
  considered “Action” are Commo Messages(all), Gamma, Brightness,
  Contrast, Mouse Sensitivity(provided its not adjusted to a level
  that affects weapon recoil). Commands not considered “Action” can
  be bound together and with Action commands at the user’s
  discretion.
  
• Key binds that causes any variation in the normal speed of an action. An example of an illegal key bind would be one that allowed you to crawl at the pace of a run, or any bind that cuts the time it takes to perform a normal action.

Level 3 Illegal Game Settings/Commands/Binds

• Dead players communicating with live players via the console during match play.
  
• Sound manipulation that lets you hear something you shouldn’t or subtracts sounds that should be played.

Game bug exploits are actions that the game developer did not intend for the player model or weapons to be capable of performing. TWL does not consider all game bug exploits to be illegal. This is due to either wide acceptance/knowledge of the bug(level playing field) or due to TWL not having an effective method for policing the action.

TWL maintains the right to add and subtract from the illegal exploit list as necessary. If you are concerned about something not listed here then you should contact the Lead Ladder Admin, Competition Manager, or Competition Director for clarification.

Current Illegal Bug Exploit List

• The use of any map exploits (This includes ‘map holes’ or
  the ability to leave the normal boundaries of the map).
  
  
  
  

  Current list of known map exploits:
  

  
  
  • TBA

• Firing an automatic rifle while sprinting
  
• Sprinting and pulling the pin on a grenade
  
• Firing while in the action of going prone
  
• High rate of fire on AR/RPK
  
• Additional 203 shell load out above the map default
  
• Looking through objects exploit(includes rocks, hills, walls, and other structures)

TBA

TBA

Smurfing

• the act of signing up/playing for more than one team on the same ladder, either under the same account or a different account.
  
• The act of playing for a team you are not registered to play for
  
• Signing up for the same team under multiple accounts.
  
• The act of playing a match using a TWL registered game account belonging to someone else.

Penalties for players/teams found to be Smurfing are found here.

Penalties for Rules Infractions

The penalties listed in this section are considered a standard guideline for use by the TWL Administrators. Teamwarfare allows Game Administrators full discretion regarding decisions and punishment. There may be times that the ruling Admin increases or decreases punishment based upon specific factors at the time of ruling. Players who wish to appeal their punishment may do so by going to next higher authority above the ruling Admin. See the admin structure section for chain of command information.

• 1st Offense: A team warning via email
  
• 2nd Offense: 20% drop of ladder ranking
  
• 3rd Offense: Team removal from Ladder

If a team/player fails to run UAC Software:



• 1st Offense: 15 day Suspension for Player.
  
• 2nd Offense: 30 day Suspension for Player.
  
• 3rd Offense: 180 day Suspension for Player.

Hacker caught in TWL Match:




• Player Permanently banned from "all" games at TWL.
  
• Forfeiture of the Match the player was caught hacking in.
  
• The Team the player was hacking with drops 20% down the ladder.

Hacker caught playing in a match for a TWL recognized competing Gaming Organization:




• Player Permanently banned from TWL Americas Army.
  
• Player banned from all other TWL games for 1 year.

Hacker caught in a Pub/Scrim:




• 1st offense: Player banned from TWL for 1 year. (Starting from the date the player was banned)
  
• 2nd Offense: Perma Banned. (A pub ban on two seprate games equals also as two offenses.)
  
• Circumventing your ban, either by creating new accounts, or smurfing as another player will result in the player(s) being Permanently banned from TWL.

• 1st Offense: Player banned from TWL, match forfeit

• 1st Offense: 90 day match play suspsension, match forfeit
  
• 2nd Offense: 180 day match play suspension, match forfeit
  
• 3rd Offense: Banned from TWL, match forfeit

• 1st Offense: 15 day match suspension, match forfeit
  
• 2nd Offense: 30 day match suspension, match forfeit
  
• 3rd Offense: 90 day match suspension, match forfeit
  
• 4th Offense: Banned from TWL, match forfeit

• 1st Offense
  
  • Single instance of exploit use: Player Warning, Team Loss of Round
    
  • Multiple instances by same player in the match: Player 15 Day Suspension, Team Loss of Round
    
  • Multiple instances by multiple players from the same team during the match: Player(s) 15 Day Suspension, Team Loss of Match by 12-0 score
  
  

  
  

• 2nd Offense:
  
  • 30 Day Suspension, Team Loss of Round
  
  

  
  

• 3rd Offense:
  
  • 90 Day Suspension, Team Loss of Round
  
  

  
  

• 4th Offense:
  
  • 1 Year Ban from TWL Americas Army, Team Loss of Round

• The Smurfing player will be banned from TWL.
  
• If the smurfing took place through use of another players account, that account will be banned from TWL.
  
• The team that the smurfing player was caught playing for will be removed from all TWL Americas Army competitions.
  
• Players in the match and on the team where the smurfing took place will be subject to 90 day match play suspensions or more depending on the severity of the smurfing offense. The team founder, if he/she played in the match, will receive a minimum 180 day match play suspension.
  
• If applicable, the smurfing players original team will be dropped 33% down the ladder where the smurfing took place.

• 1st Offense: 15 day match play suspension or warning email determined by the severity of the conduct
  
• 2nd Offense: 30 day match play suspension
  
• 3rd Offense: 90 day match play suspension
  
• 4th Offense: ban from TWL match play and forums.

• 1st Offense: Match forfeit or team warning email determined by the severity of the conduct
  
• 2nd Offense: Match forfeit and reduction in ladder rank of 33%
  
• 3rd Offense: Match forfeit and removal from the ladder where the offense occured.
  
• 4th Offense: Match forfeit, removal from all TWL competitions, and Founder 15 day suspension

• 1st Offense: Team warning via email
  
• 2nd Offense: 20% drop in ladder ranking
  
• 3rd Offense: Team removal from Ladder

Players caught circumventing any type of match suspension or ban will automatically be permanently site banned from TWL. The teams the circumventor played for may also be subject to penalties as listed below.

Player circumventing on the same team he/she was suspended or banned from:





• Team will be dropped to the bottom rung of all ladders they participate on
  
• The team founder will be suspended from match play for 30 days.

Player circumenting on a different team than the one he/she was suspended or banned from:





• TWL may impose similar penalties as listed above if it determines that players on the new team had a previous relationship with the circumventing player or if its clear that no research was done by the team into his/her background.

Each player and team has a right to have the decison rendered against them reviewed by higher authority. Before filing an appeal the offending party must check to see who issued the penalty. That is the first step to knowing where to appeal.

Competition Manager Issued Suspensions/Bans





1. Competition Director
   
2. Quality Control

Anti-Cheat Team Issued Suspensions/Bans





1. AA Anti-Cheat Manager
   
2. Competition Director
   
3. Quality Control

Link to the AA Staff contact information.
Quality Control email address.
All appeals must be filed in writing via email and submitted within 72 hours of the suspension/ban start.

Admin Structure

The admin staff for each game is made up of responsible players from the TWL community. Most often they come from the gaming community that they administer. Each one volunteers his/her time to help make TWL the succesful competition and community site that it is.

The AA Competition Staff is broken up by 3 regions: North America (NA), Europe (EU), and Oceania (OC).

Ladder Admin
Each Ladder is assigned a primary Ladder Admin to oversee the operations of the ladder. Ladder Admins report to the Lead Ladder Admin.

Lead Ladder Admin
Each competition region is assigned a Lead Ladder Admin to oversee the daily operations of the competition Ladders. When players/teams have issues with ladder admin decisions or concerns about their performance, the Lead Admin should be their first contact. The Lead Ladder Admin reports to the Competition Manager.

Competition Manager (CM)
The CM is responsible for the daily operations of all TWL AA competitions. Players/teams not satisfied with ruling reviews performed by the lead admin would be brought to the CM. the CM reports to the Competition Director.

Competition Director (CD)
The CD acts as the CEO for the TWL community. The Competition Director oversees the Competition Manager and Community Manager. He/she works closely with the game AC team by participating in the setting punishment policy and the review of appeals. The CD acts as the "end of the line" for dispute resolution.

The Anti-Cheat Team exists to catch players attempting to cheat during game competition and research players banned by other Anti-Cheat organizations for possible banning by TWL. The AA Anti-Cheat team consists of an Anti-Cheat manager and 2-3 Anti-Cheat Admins. The AA Anti-Cheat Team reports to the TWL Anti-Cheat Director. Players wishing to appeal suspensions/bans handed out by the AC team need to appeal to the applicable AA Regional Competition Director. If the CD does not overturn the AC ruling then the player may request further review by the Quality Control team.

The TWL Ladder Admin staff idle every evening on IRC to assist with match issues and to answer questions. The official TWL Americas Army IRC channel is on gamesurge.net under the channel name #twl_aa. For a brief tutorial on how to download, install, and navigate to our TWL channel using a free IRC client, please click here.

Link to the TWL AA Staff Listings

Link to the TWL Senior Staff Listings

Version Releases

TWL reserves the right to set the Version used for Match Play. Should the version come in conflict with the latest released version, TWL will provide the community with ample notification.

When a new game version is officially released for public download from the Army, the following guidelines will be put in place:

• All matches will be postponed on that day plus an additional 3 days (minimum).
  
• All matches scheduled for that day and the next 3 may be killed or rescheduled by the request of one team.
• Any matches that are already scheduled 4 days after the release through 7 days after the release may be rescheduled by agreement of both teams.

Matches that have met the criteria for being killed or rescheduled must be forwarded to the appropriate Ladder Admin via email. A link to the Match Comms must accompany the message.

The TWL Staff reserves the right to extend the dates above if the release warrants more down time while significant game play changes are explored.

TWL STRONGLY recommends that its players always choose to download the new "Full Version" release versus a "Patch".

Rules Statement

This is a "work in progress" and will be updated frequently as the staff and teams gain more experience from the competitive play of AA3. Keeping that in mind, some issues which are not listed in this ruleset are not necessarily allowed. Game admins have full discretion regarding their rulings.

All rules are to be viewed as 'General Guidelines'. Certain situations may require an admin override a posted rule if it is felt to be in the best interest of the community or teams involved.

The rule set can be modified at the discretion of the Game Competition Director. Notification of rule changes will always be made via a post in the TWL AA Ladder Forum. Also on some occasions rule changes will be included in an email to team founders/captains. The change will be considered active the moment it is posted in the forums. Be aware that rule changes are not automatically added here. In some cases the change may be temporary to deal with a short term game issue and not necessary to add here. At other times the staff reserves the right to gauge community reaction based upon the forum post before adding the change here.

Important Links

• TWL America's Army Ladder Forum
  
• TWL America's Army Q&A Forum
  
• TWL Support Forum for Account/Team and Site Issue
  
• America's Army Official Game Site

Rule Change revisions will be listed here..


3.0.7 Update 3/18/2010
Ruleset updated 7/27/2009 - GMan
Major ruleset update. 7/16/2009 - nooz
Full ruleset ready for review 7/10/2009 - nooz
Added Alley Fog. 4/13/2010 - Highflyr
Suicide now known as withdrawn - 6/28/2010 - Highflyr
Updated Server settings due to release of 3.08 patch 6/28/2010 - Highflyr
Ladder Specific maplists updated for v3.1.1 6/25/2011 - nooz
Modified AntiSmurf Id's to be used with the 8 last PBGUID digits, added Universal AntiCheat 01/05/2013 - Utiq