Frozen Synapse dark extermination league - season 2. All welcome!

[Peter Radiator Full Pig]

Oh fer Pete's sake. The only way to make that entirely fair would be to make sure that no-one completed their game before a specific time - otherwise someone who held off could see what strategy others used and copy them. The point of randomness is that it normalises over large enough samples anyway. I'm still unconvinced that even choosing the map offers a statistically significant advantage to the challenger.

Your one map idea has merit. If people can copy others, so can opponents. Also, youd either need to delay till the end, or since you would most likly have a different game by turn two, be unable to copy.
Randomness might normalise over large enough samples, but whos to say these samples are large enough? Maybe if, in a couple of thousand years, we have enough games done, wed know whos who in the Frozen Synapse world. In a tournamnet or division of 5, randomness has a large factor.
Also, in chosing the map, a person can look at an opponents games, see if they suck with, for instance, grenades, and make a game with two of them, or something. You can pick a map that plays to your strengths.
Strange that you want more randomness in a game like Frozen Synapse, designed from to esque that (Though not totally, or default would be symmertical elimination, which I think should at least be a game mode in the menu)

[imirk]

If you are willing to go through my games and analyze my play style to pick a challenge to disavantage me then you deserve that advantage :P

[ColOfNature]

As it happens I like the current system: it seems to have a nice balance between randomness and structure. If the consensus is that we want a specific number of units then that's fine too - in fact I'm warming to the idea. I just like as many variables as possible because occasionally they'll conspire to make me look good.

[WombatDeath]

Right, I've had a busy few days so haven't been around as much as I'd like, but my current thoughts for season 3 are:

1) Each team must consist of four men
2) Divisions will contain five or six players (depending on number of sign-ups)
3) Other rules will remain the same
4) Season three will again be two weeks, starting 26 September
5) Sign-ups for season three will open next week (19 September), possibly earlier if I get my act together

Depending on how that works out we can consider smaller divisions and shorter seasons from season 4. I think this is one area where we can't please everyone: some people like to play lots of games at once and others prefer to sit and contemplate their next diabolical move at leisure from atop the throne of skulls in their subterranean Citadel of Doom. While I'm mainly in the former camp, lacking as I am a subterranean Citadel of Doom, I'm inclined to err on the side of caution and avoid turning the league into a chore for anyone.

More feedback welcome - the more the better!

By the way, some of you have been awarded victories (and possibly defeats) as a result of abandoned games (globally, not in this league). More info here.

[WombatDeath]

Oh, yes, and the final season two tables are available on the spreadsheet. Congratulations to Web Cole, Airtekh and some sort of weird marsupial for topping their respective divisions! Well played to all those promoted, and commiserations to those heading down a division - it won't be long before you get the chance to go back up.

Thank you once again to Col for immortalising our collective genius/hamfistedness on the youtube channel, and to all of you (except Du3lingDragon, whose gleaming skull will be added to Web Cole's throne) for your commitment to getting all of the games finished.

In season three I am fucked.

[SF Legend]

So the update just hit with tournament support. Will we be giving that a try for next season?

[WombatDeath]

That was the plan, but they've had to roll back the Steam patch so we shall continue the old-fashioned way (a week later than expected - sorry about that, I've had a busy week). Sign-ups will open tonight!