Ladder System FAQ Megathread!

[Sundown]

This is a FAQ Section for the competitive ladder system here at HaloCommunity, and a brief explanation of its features.

This FAQ is sorted into topics, expand the spoilers below to learn about the subject.

How do I access the ladder page?

General Information:

1) First, you need to locate the "Competitions" tab at the top of any page on the site.
2) You will be taken to the main page for the ladder.
3) Here, you can select the ladder of your choice. Simple!

How do I create and manage a team on HaloCommunity.com

Team Creation:

1) First, you will need to decide which ladder you would like to join. Each ladder has varying requirements, such as number of players allowed on your team, etc.
2) Next, Each of your teammates will need an account on HaloCommunity. Once they are all signed up, the next step is to create the team!
3) Navigate to the "competitions" section of HaloCommunity.com.
4) In the left sidebar, Select "New Team". A simple editor will come up for the team creation. The only required field here is the team name. The rest is open for editing later.
5) Submit that form, and you will be taken to your team's page. Click on the small pencil icon next to your team name.
6) Here, you can set a team logo, change team details and bio, etc. Make sure to save any changes.
7) Once you have a team page, now you need players. Your teammates will all need to have signed up on HaloCommunity, and have clicked the link in the confirmation email.
8) Have each of them visit your team page. You can link them directly to the URL, or have them navigate to it through the "Teams List" on the left sidebar on any page under "competitions".
9) Once they have found your page, They will have an option to "Request to Join this team". This will send you a notifcation to accept or deny anyone who wishes to join your team.

If you have any issues with players not being able to join, and admin can assist by adding players directly to the team.

10) Once you have teammates, check your team page. The "Team Members" tab will allow you to control who is on your team. You can also promote players to "Leader", which gives then administrative control over the team. This includes; Challenging teams, accepting challenges, and submitting matches.
11) You can revisit these pages at any time to manage or maintain a team on the site.

So we have a team. How do we join, view, and manage the ladder?

Team Management:

1) Access the "Comp" tab at the top of any HaloCommunity.com page.
2) Select the ladder you wish to join.
3) Select "Join Ladder" at the top of that new page.
4) You will see several tabs here. You will begin on the "Rankings" tab, where you can see your teams' progression compared to every other team, sorted by ELO rating.
5) A new button will appear "Go Inactive". Clicking this button will put your team into an inactive state, where you cannot be challenged. Rejoining the ladder will retain any previous stats you have had. You are allowed to do this 3 times throughout the lifetime of the ladder before your team is not allowed to rejoin.
6) The ladder is free-challenge based, in that there are no scheduled games. It is up to teams to decide when to play one another. Check the next section on how to manage challenges.

How many team members can we have?

Team Limitations:

Technically, you can have as many players on a team as you want. However in order to participate on any given ladder, your teams' roster must fit the requirements posted on the rankings page. For example, the 4v4 ladder allows you to have 4 (minimum) to 6 (maximum) players.

In team based ladders with prizes, if your team wins, and you have more members on roster than prizes we have to give away, it is the responsibility of the captain of the team to designate which members should receive prizes. For example, the 4v4 ladder has a prize of 4 copies of Halo 4. These copies go to the winning team. If you have 5 or 6 players, someone will NOT be receiving halo 4. This allows teams to have substitutes if desired, but understand we cannot give prizes to necessarily all of your teammates. Again, this will be under the discretion of the Team Leader of the winning team to decide, should this issue arise.

Note: HaloCommunity Staff are allowed to participate on teams, but are not eligible to win prizes.

How do we issue, accept, and manage challenges to other players/teams?

Challenge Information:

1) To issue a challenge, visit the "Rankings" tab. Locate the team or player you wish to play, and click on their team name. You will be given several options, one of which is "Challenge Player".

2) Simply enough, you only need to define when you are challenging them. The map selection is randomized.
3) If you are challenged, your team leader(s) will recieve a Private Message on our site, with all concerning details.
4) Click over to the "Your Matches" tab. Here, you can see which teams have challenged you, who you have challenged, and all open challenges. All information pertaining to the status of these challenges is availiable as well.
5) Know that you can also create an open challenge (and accept other open chalenges) on the Matchfinder tab. Here, you can define a time your team is looking to play, and other teams can accept.

How do we play and submit matches?

Game Submission:

1) First, remember it is the responsibility of the WINNING team to report games, and that BOTH teams must submit a score confirmation.
2) Begin on the "Your Matches" tab. Locate the game you are trying to submit; which should have been accepted, and will say "Awaiting score submission".
3) Report the score of the game in the box, and add a game link (from Halo Waypoint) for the game.
4) If you lost the game, the other team will complete steps 2 and 3. You will see the status of the match change from "Awaiting score submission" to "Awaiting score confirmation".
5) Confirm the score, and the rankings will be updated accordingly.
6) If a scheduled match is not played, the game can be rescheduled if so agreed by both teams. Otherwise, the team who did show up for the game may submit a forfeit via the "Dispute Match" form. These will be reviewed by an admin, and handled accordingly.
7) If you suspect another team has cheated, please use the same Dispute Match form.

Please make sure to go over the rules before you begin playing ladder matches, and have fun! If you have any other questions about the ladder system, feel free to ask them in this thread, or send a PM to Sundown. Your question will be answered, and might be added to this FAQ!