STA Hostile Intent - Rules

STA HI Rules I. Introduction II. Terminology III. Scheduling & Match Results IV. Server Settings V. Challenging Server Settings VI. Ping Imbalance VII. Pre-Match VIII. Match Play IX. Overtime X. Forfeits XI. Mercy XII. Member Rules & Substitutions XIII. Conduct & Sportsmanship XIV. Disputes XV. Rulings XVI. Suspensions & Ejections XVII. Cheating XVIII. Exploits XIX. Anti-Cheating Measures XX. Entrance & Retention XXI. Clans With Multiple Teams (6v6 Division Only) XXII. Division Format XXIII. Caveat XXIV. STA-HI Map Rotation XXV. Rules Amendments XXVI. Edit History [March 2004 - May 2004] XXVII. Edit History [June 2004 - May 2006] XXVIII. Edit History [May 2006 - Present] I. Introduction Welcome to STA-HI, the Stronger Than All Hostile Intent league. STA-HI, established during the spring of 2004, was created to expand on Hostile Intent’s small but devoted fan base, hoping to bring in clans that would not otherwise have heard of the game. The league seeks to bring a fun, fair, and community-oriented atmosphere to HI’s clan scene. II. Terminology Home Clan: The clan listed first for their match on the schedule (i.e. if the schedule lists “Clan ABC vs. Clan DEF”, clan ABC is the home clan). Away Clan: The clan listed last for their match on the schedule (using the example above, clan DEF is the away clan). Serving Clan: The clan that is in control of the server currently being used. Nonserving Clan: The clan playing opposite the serving clan. Forfeit: A match result recorded as a loss, often due to a failed dispute, poor sportsmanship, or lack of attendance. May result in suspension or ejection from the league. Technical Forfeit: Both clans receive a loss for the match in question. Nulled Match: Neither clan is awarded a decision for the match. It's as if the match never happened. Bye Week: A week during which a clan is not scheduled to play a match. These occur either because there are an odd number of clans in a division or because of extenuating circumstances (in case a clan requests it). Messagemode1: Public talk on a server that is seen by both your team and the other team. Associated with the "say" command. Messagemode2: Private talk on a server that is seen ONLY by your team. Associated with the "say_team" command. Round: An individual period of play. A round is worth one point for either team within the overall match. Half: A total of 8 rounds played as one side (Nato or Tango). Regulation Time: The 16 rounds played over the course of two halves. Overtime: Overtime rounds are played to decide the winner in the event of a tie during regulation time. Match: A match is two halves with each team having played on both sides of the map, for a total of 16 rounds, plus any overtime rounds played. III. Scheduling & Match Results Scheduling Clans play at the time designated by the schedule page. The default time for matches is 9:30 PM Eastern Standard Time on Thursdays. STA-HI will endeavor to schedule opponents that clans have not played in recent weeks (as far back as possible), with appropriate consideration to the following factors: - Current rank (win/loss record) - Win/Loss streak - Number of matches played - Recent margins of victory STA-HI administrators will always try to have the schedule for a given week posted by the Sunday of that week. However, we are volunteers and situations may arise that prevent us from accomplishing that. The schedule will be posted as soon as it is possible. If you wish to receive a bye for a week of matches, you must request it any time prior to the Sunday of that week, barring extenuating circumstances. Late requests are subject to approval at the discretion of the scheduling admin. These may result in a loss by forfeit and the transgressing clan may be subject to disciplinary action. Rescheduling Clans may mutually agree to reschedule a match any time prior to the default Thursday time without the permission of an admin. In the event of a reschedule later than the default time, an admin must give permission for the reschedule. We highly discourage reschedules later than Friday, so think ahead if you can't make the default Thursday time. Under no circumstances will a match be rescheduled later than the Sunday following the original match time. This includes overtime rounds, as per the rules regarding rescheduling overtime. Results All results for matches should be submitted immediately after match completion. Admins have the option of disregarding any match results not received by 11:59 PM EST on Friday, unless the match was rescheduled to Saturday or later. IV. Server Settings Each clan will have a choice of their own server for a half. The home team will choose which server to use for the first half. If there is only one server available between the two clans involved, then the entire match will be played on that server. The home clan also has their choice of which side (Nato/Tango) to play first. All servers must be in Canada or the United States unless both clans agree to a foreign server. All servers must the correct version of the maps assigned. Use of the STA-HI server configuration files is mandatory. Additionally, servers must have the latest publicly released version of Hostile Intent (including server side fixes), unless a specific exception is made. Servers must also be running the most up-to-date version of Steam. All servers must be dedicated Hostile Intent servers. Listen servers and standard DSL or cable modem servers are not acceptable under any circumstances. Uncapped cable modems or SDSL servers may be approved for match play after inspection by an STA-HI admin. Players rates should not be higher than 8000. All servers must have VAC enabled. If any of these settings are not correct, the opposing clan may refuse to play the half on that server. Failure to correct the problem(s) within 15 minutes of the start of the round will result in a forfeit for the transgressing clan. The following settings may be changed if both clans agree to the changes. If no agreement is made, default settings will be used: Default: - 6 players per team (minimum number of players per team: 4) - hi_roundtime 6 - sv_maxrate 8000 - assigned maps All STA-HI matches are friendly fire enabled (mp_friendlyfire 1). Admin Mod and other third-party server tools If the serving clan has Admin Mod or any other nonstandard administration features, then those features cannot conflict with STA-HI settings or prevent actions that are otherwise permissible. In particular, if the serving clan's administration software prevents the other team from communicating via messagemode2 (say_team) commands, then the software is violating these rules. Additionally, if the serving clan's server blocks Gamevoice and the visiting clan is reliant on it, then a violation will be called. If a match is affected by such problems (e.g. a player is kicked for accidentally killing a hostage or team-killing), then the serving clan may forfeit. V. Challenging Server Settings Server settings may only be challenged during prematch (i.e. not after the match. Once the match is played, there are no disputes over server settings). It is the responsibility of the serving clan to maintain the integrity of the server settings during the match. If the serving clan is not using default or agreed-to settings during prematch, they have 15 minutes from the match's start time to correct their problems or forfeit the match. If, during the match, the server settings change, then the nonserving clan MAY challenge the server settings. In this case, the following actions will be taken: If the serving clan provides proof that both clans agreed to the new settings, then the nonserving clan forfeits the match. However, if the serving clan cannot provide proof of an agreement to change settings to the disputed settings, then the serving clan forfeits. Note that the accusing (nonserving) clan must somehow provide proof of invalid server settings before their case will be considered. VI. Ping Imbalance There is currently one regulation with regard to ping imbalance. The matter has been considered in detail; any concrete, detailed rule that regulated ping balance would yield more problems than it solved. Each clan is entitled to their choice of server provided that no more than two of the nonserving clan's players have a ping of over 250 ms. This rule will be applied on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the appropriate coordinator or administrator. Additionally, note that if a server is disqualified under this rule, those players that pinged over 250ms should play on whatever server is used as an alternate for the disqualified server. If a clan brings in lagging players for the purpose of disqualifying a server, they will be punished for poor sportsmanship. Ping Problems During Match If your clan has a ping problem during match, you should contact an admin as soon as possible (IRC is the only definite real-time way you can do this). This should only happen if the ping rule is violated for a considerable length of time (i.e. more than one round). VII. Pre-Match Clans must have all match information - server locations, times, IP addresses, server order, passwords - exchanged at least ninety minutes before the scheduled match time. This way, if one clan decides to be a no-show, the other clan can still salvage their evening. Clans have 15 minutes after the default time, or the mutually agreed to time (see "Rescheduling" above), to join the server. Failure to comply will cost the offending clan a forfeit. Under extraordinary circumstances, such as connection problems for a majority of members, STA-HI may allow an exception. If there is an error caused by the in-game server browser (read: Steam), clans are required to attempt to connect to the server in question via a different method, e.g. GameSpy, the All-Seeing Eye, or the /connect console command. All clans are expected to be ready to play at the default time. Clans should send a representative to the #sta-hi IRC channel on Gamesurge to avoid disagreements and potential problems. If a clan cannot be contacted as of scheduled match time, then that clan will forfeit. Use of the STA-HI prematch config is mandatory. During prematch, when the initial joining begins, no shooting, hostage- or objective-touching is permitted. Players that have joined the wrong team must switch. STA-HI's prematch config sets "sv_maxspeed 0" to help facilitate this. It is at this time that every player should begin recording their first person demos. Recording of demos is required in STA-HI (in the event that they are needed as evidence). Record demos using the "record <demoname>" console command. If anyone is killed during prematch then the map is to be restarted using the sv_restartround command. This cycle will be repeated as needed. If a player repeatedly kills others during the prematch, he may be kicked from the server. If players from a team persist in killing during prematch, then that team will forfeit the match and the clan may be removed from STA-HI. The match will start after both teams acknowledge that they are ready to begin match play (clan leaders can do this via messagemode1), after which the server operator must execute the STA-HI live match config and issue the "sv_restartround 10" command. This way, neither team begins with any score. Live play begins after the sv_restartround command takes effect. Finally, during prematch, both the serving and nonserving clans should check server settings to verify that they are correct. See "Challenging Server Settings" above for more information. VIII. Match Play Either participating clan may refuse to start the match until no later than 15 minutes after game time, but only if the refusing clan was present at scheduled match time (i.e., they may not show up late). At this time the match starts, or the refusing clan forfeits. Only leaders are allowed to use messagemode1 (public talk) during a match. This includes mm1 while in ghost mode. Excessive mm1 spamming may be grounds for forfeit loss. However, clans will not be penalized if they are on friendly terms and choose to chat during the match. Understand that if your team opts to talk during the match and the opposing team is NOT on good terms (or on talking terms) with you, then you could be penalized. If the server crashes during play, all round wins up to the point of the crash will be counted. The serving clan then has 5 minutes to revive their server. If the server cannot be revived in time, play will move to the opposing clan's server. There, the remaining rounds will be played; this includes the remaining rounds from the interrupted half plus any rounds from halves yet to be played. Make sure that clans join the right sides of the map (i.e. you return to the team you were playing on prior to the crash, regardless of whether or not you switched to a new server after the crash). Ultimately, each clan must play 16 rounds total (not counting overtime). That is to say, each clan will play 8 rounds as Nato and 8 rounds as Tango. In the event of a server crash, clans are encouraged to find a mutually acceptable solution, in accordance with the rules above. If none can be reached, an STA-HI official will issue a ruling. If you are a victim of a problem with ping that violates the ping rule, you should follow the procedure laid out above under "Ping Imbalance". Half-Time/Post-Match After the first half is completed, clans are allowed to take a 10-minute break and head back to IRC. Clan leaders should meet, in #sta-hi if necessary, to exchange info regarding the second half. After the match is complete, BOTH CLANS are to go to the Operations page to fill out the "Submit Scores" form. Match Scoring The numbers of rounds won by each team over the course of the two halves are compared. The team with the most round wins is awarded the win for the match, assuming no disputes or other circumstances arise. In the event of a tie, the match goes into overtime. IX. Overtime There can be no ties in STA-HI matches. If a match is tied after the completed 16 rounds, then overtime rounds will be played until the tie is broken. Overtime will follow the procedure described here: - Teams will play 3 rounds per side (Nato/Tango) - Teams and server order will return to initial settings (i.e. what they were at the start of the match, the home team’s server choice being used first). Use of the STA-HI overtime server config is mandatory. The designated fallback time for overtime rounds, in the event that a match is running late (as per the conditions described below), is 9:30 PM Eastern Time the Sunday following the match. If overtime is set to begin prior to 11:00 PM Eastern Time, then sets of overtime halves must be played until one is scheduled to begin after 11:00 PM EST, unless both clans mutually agree to reschedule to the designated fallback time. If overtime is set to begin after 11:00 PM Eastern Time, either clan may request to reschedule the overtime rounds to the designated fallback time. Clans may also mutually agree to reschedule their overtime rounds to any time prior to the designated fallback time, but may not reschedule to any time later. If clans are not able to complete the match by the following Sunday, the match will be nulled or ruled a technical forfeit. Delaying a game in order to push past the 11:00 PM mark is forbidden, and any clan found to be doing so will be subject to disciplinary action. X. Forfeits 6v6 Division - If a clan shows up with 3 or fewer members in a standard match and fails to reach the required 4, they have until 15 minutes after the agreed start time to do so before they forfeit the match. 4v4 Division - If a clan shows up with 2 or fewer members in a standard match and fails to reach the required 3, they have until 15 minutes after the agreed start time to do so before they forfeit the match. If only one clan is present at an agreed-upon match time or on the default night at match time, it will be considered a forfeit for the clan that is absent. Clans must have at least 1 member in the server at the default match time in order to receive the 15 minute grace period to wait for the other members. If a clan fails to get in contact with an opposing clan in time, or fails to show for a match on time with a sufficient number of players (as outlined above) then it may be ejected from STA-HI without notice. The ejected clan may appeal STA's decision, but will have to wait a minimum of three match weeks to return. When this time is up, the clan will be evaluated for 'fitness' and a decision will be made about whether or not it is ready to re-enter STA-HI. Additionally, a ruling as to whether the clan's record will be reset or not, and what division the clan will go into will be issued. XI. Mercy When a clan has passed the point of being able to win (i.e. they have lost at least 9 rounds in regulation time), they may request "Mercy" from the opponent and end the match. All remaining rounds are credited to the victor. Please note, this is entirely at the discretion of the winning clan and they do not need to grant mercy. If a losing clan drops from the server without agreement, they will earn a forfeit loss and may face disciplinary action. XII. Member Rules & Substitutions STA-HI will not tolerate ringers or multi-clanners. A ringer is any person playing for an STA-HI clan that they are not currently a member or recruit of. A multi-clanner is any player currently in a clan participating in STA-HI who belongs to another HI clan, whether or not that HI clan is currently participating in STA-HI. In order to be as effective as possible in stopping the above mentioned problems, STA-HI controls clan rosters which include player name and SteamID. Only players listed on our roster are eligible to play in matches. Rosters may be edited on Saturdays through Tuesdays only. Additionally, if an HI "club" exhibits organizational structure like a clan (i.e. has leaders, schedulers, match records, and the like), then for the purposes of our rules, it will be considered a clan, and players may be punished accordingly. So-called "clubs" - with members from several clans - are not eligible for entrance into STA-HI. Punishment for the first offense will be forfeiture of the match in which the ringer/multi-clanner played. Further offenses will result in ejection from STA-HI. Addendum for disputes regarding roster violations Roster disputes will be handled much like server setting disputes. They must be handled during prematch. All player names and SteamIDs are to be checked during prematch for all starting players. Both teams must agree on rosters before the match has begun. In the event of a substitution, the sub's name and SteamID should be checked immediately after the half is over. If it does not match, STA officials should be contacted and the match will be ruled a forfeit against the offending clan. If a substitute is not listed on our roster and is playing in an STA-HI competition with your team, you are in violation. PERIOD. "I forgot to add him" is not a valid defense. You are a professional, update your roster. Substitutions In game substitutions are allowed, providing the following conditions are met: - You cannot willfully substitute out players that disqualified another server due to ping. - No more than 6 players from your clan can be connected to the server at once. If the player that is to be substituted for is timing out, that player must disconnect/drop before the new player comes in. Rule of thumb: sub out before you sub in. XIII. Conduct & Sportsmanship Clans are expected to conduct themselves professionally at all times, both in game and out. Nuking, channel takeovers, spamming, crashing a match server, or any other form of denial of service will not be tolerated. If it is proven that any clan has engaged in the above activity, that clan will be REMOVED from STA-HI immediately. There is ZERO tolerance for this type of behavior. Adequate proof in the form of screen shots, demos, and server logs must be provided to STA-HI before a ruling is made. STA-HI admins will have final say on punishment. Sportsmanship Clans that have sportsmanship or conduct issues will be treated harshly. Poor sportsmanship will typically result immediate ejection from STA-HI. Activities that would warrant this consideration include excessive mm1 spamming (in-game), and public defilement of other clans. Keep in mind that sportsmanship covers issues not specifically addressed here and admins will use their best judgement on these issues. Additionally, it may be considered unsportsmanlike for a clan to have a publicly viewable record of scrimmage results (that is to say, results from a practice match between two clans agreeing to play a “scrim”). While STA-HI does not govern the manner in which scrimmages are played, some clans may not appreciate having results from these practices being posted in such publicly viewable venues as (without being limited to): IRC channel topics, websites, and message boards. Public discussion of specific scrimmage results in such real-time communication programs as IRC is not strictly prohibited, but clans are encouraged to avoid disclosing this information whenever possible. Scrimmages are meant for practice, if you wish to set up an independently operated match between your clan and another (with publicly recorded results), be sure that that intention is clear with your opponent first. Admins Members of clans in STA-HI will treat STA-HI staff with respect at all times. Admins will treat members of clans with respect as well. Staff volunteer their time and effort for this league; if you fail to respect them, you will no longer play for STA-HI. Without clans, there is no league, and administrators will treat clans with respect, even when disputes arise. XIV. Disputes In the event of a dispute, both clans involved must submit claim packages to STA-HI admins for review. A claim package is a precise representation of a clan's claim that the opposing clan's actions warrant a forfeit loss for that clan. Claim packages must include: - The rule violated by the opposing clan, as quoted from this document - How the rule was violated by the opposing clan - Proof that the rule was violated as described - proof may be in the form of server logs, e-mails, IRC logs, in-game screen shots, or in-game demos For any one dispute, each clan involved may submit no more than four claim packages. STA-HI coordinators will evaluate the submitted material and the result will be one of the following: - Technical forfeit: both clans earn a loss - Forfeit by dispute: one of the two clans involved will earn a win by forfeit; the other will earn a corresponding loss - Nulled match: neither clan earns a win or loss The transgressing clan (only in forfeit by dispute case) may be suspended or ejected if STA admins deem it appropriate due to the situation at hand. Note: YOU must take the initiative and submit evidence to us. Do NOT ask us to e-mail you for evidence. Real-Time Dispute Handling If a dispute must be handled immediately, the disputing clans should send ONE representative to IRC channel #sta-hi on Gamesurge. There they may contact their Division Coordinator or dispute handler, as listed on the STA-HI contacts pages. If there is no STA official able to handle the dispute at the time, clans must follow the outline given above. If there is a dispute during a match, STA must be notified BEFORE the match is over. Once a match is played, both clans have signified that they agreed to the server and server settings. Hence, the match result will stand unless it is discovered that there were extenuating circumstances of some kind. IMPORTANT: STA-HI officials may request files for use as evidence at any time, without prior notice. These files include, but are not necessarily limited to, server logs, screenshots, or in-game demos (Half-Life *.dem files). Clans must be able to provide them within 24 hours, unless a specific exception is granted. Failure to provide these files may result in suspension or ejection from the league for the transgressing player or clan. Addendum: Any clan entering a dispute without proof will be subject to disciplinary action under the sportmanship clause. XV. Rulings During match night, any STA-HI coordinator may handle your dispute, providing that coordinator is not in your clan and is not a member of the opposing clan. Once a dispute is settled, you may not appeal the decision with another admin. If you believe you were penalized due to an unfair ruling, contact the STA-HI League Administrator, but be prepared to justify your case. Clans will be punished for poor sportsmanship if they abuse this privilege, e.g. in hopes of a ruling reversal when the ruling was valid. If a dispute is not covered by the rules, a committee of admins will issue a ruling that upholds fairness and the spirit of the rules. Note that for all disputes, clans are encouraged to find mutually acceptable solutions without the aid of an STA-HI official. XVI. Suspensions & Ejections A clan is marked as suspended if any of the following conditions occur: - The clan is going inactive and has requested the suspension - The clan forfeited their most recent match - The clan has violated rules (severe manner but not enough to warrant ejection - e.g. first offense) and its division coordinators have agreed to suspension. Suspended clans are not scheduled for play. Division coordinators may deny a clan's request for suspension. Any clan that is inactive for one month will be removed from STA-HI. They may later request reinstatement; such requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis. A clan is ejected from STA-HI if any of the following conditions occur: - The clan has not contacted their division coordinator after having been suspended for at least one week due to forfeit rule (see above) - The clan has violated rules (severe infraction) and its division coordinators have agreed to ejection Charlie clans may be dropped at any time for any reason. As a member of a Charlie Division, you are a probationary member of STA-HI. Coordinators may agree on suspending or ejecting a clan for reasons not outlined in this document. XVII. Cheating Cheating of any type is not permitted in STA-HI. Cheats include, but are not limited to: - using the "stopsound" command to remove ambient noises from maps - gl_alphamin exploit - "silent run" scripts - bunny hopping speed exploit - fullbright command - transparent texture override - models that extend beyond reasonable bounds (a.k.a. hacked models) - any mechanism by which information that is not normally available to the player is obtained (e.g. aim proxy, Roger Wilco eavesdropping, observing LAN players) STA-HI enables spec_teamonly and spec_forcefirstperson to prevent ghosting. Ghosting is defined as spectating the map while dead and broadcasting enemies' positions to living teammates via external communication programs. If it is found that security issues related to ghosting arise, STA-HI may enforce the use of spec_fadetoblack to prevent it. External communication programs such as Ventrilo and TeamSpeak are allowed in STA-HI. If it is found that cheating occurs, notify an STA-HI official and proper punishment will be decided on. Make sure to have proof. Proof may include demos and console logs. If your clan claims that another clan has cheated and cannot supply enough evidence to substantiate the claim, then the claim will be discarded. Spurious accusations of cheating will be considered a violation of proper conduct and action will be taken against the accusing clan. Precautions that can be taken by an STA-HI Coordinator if individuals in a clan have been suspected of cheating are: 1. The Coordinator must be given rcon to check SteamIDs or IP addresses during a match if it is deemed necessary by the Coordinator. 2. Both sides may be asked to submit in-game screen shots or demos during the match or at any time the STA Coordinator feels suitable. Additionally, STA-HI does not permit the use of custom models. These include, but are not necessarily limited to, player models, weapon models (this includes v_*.mdl files - the model of the gun you are using as you see it), and hostage models. All players must use default Hostile Intent models during league play. Keep in mind that there might be cheats NOT explicitly mentioned here. Clans are required to use proper judgment in deciding if exploits and/or bugs are considered cheats. Feel free to ask an STA-HI official if you are in doubt. Clans may be punished for cheats not mentioned here. If it is somehow determined that a clan is cheating in league play, that clan will be removed from the league immediately and permanently. XVIII. Exploits Grenade Tosses Grenades may not be tossed over any wall that is supposed to be the top of the map. Boosting Boosting teammates to areas that would otherwise be unreachable by a lone individual is allowed provided that the area being boosted to is not the edge of the map (be it an interior edge or exterior edge). For instance, boosting onto the roofs of the buildings in hi_colombia is acceptable, but boosting on top of the outside wall on hi_colombia in order to walk around the edge of the map is not. Boosting to any location in which you are able to see through a nulled brush is forbidden. Illegal Camping Locations It is illegal to camp on top of any door in a map, in any position - standing, crouched, or prone. This rule applies exclusively to func_door and func_door_rotating entities (and the like) within the map. Permanently open doors and objects roughly the same size and shape of doors do not fall under this rule. This rule does not prevent the use of doors as boosting points to other areas of the map (such as the rafters near the objective in hi_deadbolt2). You may use it as a stepping stone, but you may not camp it. Jump-Firing Jump-firing (or crouch-jump-firing), in which a player is able to raise their sights while jumping, maintain their sights in the raised position while jumping, or fire their weapon while jumping, is considered an exploit and is forbidden. Illegal Door Use It is illegal to open or close a door through another brush in the map, in cases where the door is not in visible line of sight of the player. Opening or closing a door through a transparent brush is legal under this rule. For example, it is forbidden to open the door leading from the front hallway to the staircase room in hi_croatia from the outside of the building, but it is legal to open the front warehouse doors in hi_jungle through the indoor upper grate area. There may be cases where it is not clear if a door falls under this rule and you are encouraged to contact an admin for judgment about the issue. There may be other exploits not explicitly covered here; while they may not fall under the category of cheating, they may be considered violations of proper sportsmanship. Disputes will be handled accordingly (again, use proper judgment, and ask an admin if you need clarification on what might be considered an exploit). XIX. Anti-Cheating Measures STA-HI does not currently require any third-party anti-cheating software. This is subject to change at any time and clans must be prepared to adhere to these changes. The league does, however, employ the following anti-cheat measures: Demos First-person demos are required to be recorded by all players participating in an STA-HI match. The entire match is to be recorded and the .dem file saved on the player's hard drive for no less than 2 weeks after the given match. Screenshots Every player participating in an STA-HI match must take a screenshot any time he or she joins a match server. This means that if you disconnect from a server (because of half-time, connection problems, or for any reason), you must take a screenshot after you have reconnected, even if you have switched servers. Screenshots may be taken during prematch or during the 5 seconds of freezetime at the beginning of a round. The conditions under which screenshots must be taken are: - You must be alive - Your primary weapon v_model must be visible (the slot1 weapon) - The scoreboard must be visible (the +showscores command) while all participating players are connected to the server Players must keep screenshots on their hard drives for no less than two weeks after the match in which they were taken. STA-HI has created a client-side screenshot script that helps facilitate taking screenshots under the aforementioned conditions. This script will select your primary weapon, raise the scoreboard, take the screenshot, and lower the scoreboard. Use of this script is not required, but there is no excuse for not meeting all these conditions. See the script here. Follow the directions in the file in order to use the script. HLTV HLTV is not currently required for matches. The HLTV rule has been suspended indefinitely, but may be reinstated if the need arises. VAC VAC must be enabled on all servers used for STA-HI matches. XX. Entrance & Retention This is detailed in the Information section of the site. Requirements The following are requirements for clans that wish to join STA-HI. Any clan that applies for entrance must meet these requirements, or entrance will be denied without notice. The clan must be in good standing in the HI community. No cheaters or unsportsmanlike clan will be invited to STA-HI. The clan must supply: - Game server IP address (if you have one) - Clan website (if you have one) - Clan name - Clan tag - Contact information: The member of the clan in charge of coordinating matches and representing the clan (not necessarily the leader) must supply a nickname and an e-mail address, as well as their IRC server and channel information. Additionally, the clan must have at least 6 members on their roster (5 for the 4v4 division). If possible, the clan should also supply a second contact, and IPs/ports for any HI servers they have access to. All contacts supplied must be able to effectively coordinate matches and communicate with STA-HI in the event of a dispute or other event warranting communication with the league. Additionally, all inter-clan communications (e.g. rescheduling requests) are to be done between the contacts listed on the STA-HI site, unless a Division Coordinator or Administrator grants a specific exception. Retention A clan must meet the above requirements in order to remain in STA-HI. If a clan is suspended and does not contact the league within one week of the suspension, then they will be removed. Additionally, any clan in STA-HI that demonstrates that they are not aware of the rules or standards by which we operate may be ejected without notice. We wish to keep this league as enjoyable and as efficient as possible, and we will exercise this ejection rule aggressively if we must. XXI. Clans With Multiple Teams (6v6 Division Only) The question of multiple teams under one clan has arisen on several occasions. A clan may submit more than one team for entrance into STA-HI provided they meet the following requirements. 1. They operate as separate clans, with separate leadership and rosters. 2. They wear separate tags that clearly identify which members belong to which team. 3. They do not 'trade players' back and forth on a regular basis. Behavior such as this would violate the ringer rule and would meet with harsh consequences. STA-HI will continue this policy as long as we do not have problems with multiple teams. XXII. Division Format 6v6 Division The 6v6 division is the main competitive area of this league. Clans in this division will compete for the League Title where-as the 4v4 does not. Clans do not have to compete in the 4v4 division to enter the 6v6 and in fact are encouraged to join 6v6 over 4v4 simply because the matches are more structured with 6 players. Clans are allowed multiple teams in this division if their rosters permit constant play. XXIII. Caveat We reserve the authority to rule according to our interpretation of the rules, should it be necessary. If a situation that needs a ruling is not covered by the rules, in whole or in part, then we will appeal to common sense and fairness, as well as precedence, in making a ruling. XXIV. STA-HI Map Rotation hi_alandalus hi_colombia hi_congo hi_croatia hi_deadbolt2 hi_hotel hi_jungle hi_offshore hi_russia Maps played in STA-HI are nominated for a vote by consensus of the administrators. Additionally, some maps will be excluded (also by consensus) due to poor design. Once a map is nominated by the admins, clans will decide via a vote if the map will be included in the rotation. This applies to both official and custom maps. Any questions, comments, or future map requests should be e-mailed to the appropriate admins. XXV. Rules Amendments Should a rules amendment be deemed necessary by any STA-HI coordinator or administrator, it will be added and will be noted in the edit history section at the bottom of this document. Any member of a clan in STA-HI may suggest a rules amendment on the STA-HI public forum. Such an amendment must survive review by other clans and by the STA-HI Council before it will be implemented here. XXVI. Edit History [March 2004 - May 2004] This file was adapted from the most current version of the STA-CSX rule set at the time. First draft was completed on March 10th, 2004. Many of the sections are word for word copies of that original document, with minor changes to reflect differences between the games – mostly name-wise. This document was finalized on March 24th, 2004. April 1st, 2004 - Added hi_russia and hi_deadbolt1 to map rotation. - Added section "Playoff Scheduling" that deals with how clans are scheduled in the post-season. April 6, 2004 - Switched to 1 map per match format, changed all associated rules and guidelines - Removed anti-cheat software requirement - Removed server requirement - Reorganized some rule sections to minimize redundancy - Made minor wording changes for clarity April 10, 2004 - Updated rules to include European division - Removed hi_aurora from the rotation due to exploits, removed hi_hotel due to imbalance April 17, 2004 - Removed Euro division - Added new rules regarding player boosting - Moved "Map Exploits" into its own section and put "Boosting" and "Grenade Tosses" within it. April 19, 2004 - Changed match format to 8 rounds per side, for a total of 16 rounds per match - Updated Overtime format to 3 rounds per side, for a total of 6 rounds per overtime period May 7, 2004 - Adjustments to the map rotation - Removed hi_twilight because of balance issues - Removed hi_offshore due to performance issues May 9, 2004 - Edited the entire document for clarity and to limit redundancy - Merged some sections together - Removed the round robin playoff format May 11, 2004 - Removed HLTV requirement - Removed website requirement for clans May 13, 2004 - Removed hi_majesty from map rotation due to heavy Tango-sided imbalance May 25, 2004 - Added "Objectives" subsection to "Map Exploits", that deals with objective exploits: completing outside the objective area XXVII. Edit History [June 2004 - May 2006] June 4, 2004 - Created section "Anti-Cheating Measures" and moved "Screenshot Rule", "Anti-Cheating Software", and "HLTV" into it. - Added screenshot requirement - Updated "Terminology" sections to remove unused terms - Removed section "The Home Team Advantage" and placed its contents under "Server Settings" June 11, 2004 - Removed hi_russia from the map rotation, too many exploits June 13, 2004 - Updated screenshot rule with new link to script August 4, 2004 - Removed teammate-player-model-visible requirement from screenshot rule conditions, since in some maps that is not always possible August 27, 2004 - Added hi_hotel and hi_russia to the map rotation September 14, 2004 - Updated Member Rules & Substitutions to include Saturday as a day in which rosters are open. July 15, 2005 - Removed sections relating to Playoffs, Championships, and a seasonal format - Updated Exploits section July 30, 2005 - Updated Exploits section - Updated rules regarding rescheduling and overtime August 15, 2005 - Added VAC requirement XXVIII. Edit History [May 2006 - Present] May 23, 2006 - Created 4v4 Division - Updated rules to reflect new division Last Updated on November 21, 2007

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