MSEL Minecraft Survival Games Rules

  • Updated

Minecraft Survival Games

The rules contained on this page only cover this specific game, please review the MSEL General Competition Rules for information covering all official tournaments. 

1. Anti-Cheat

No additional anti-cheat is required for official matches.

 

2. Match Procedure

Supported Platform

  • PC (Java version)

2.1. Series Lengths

One game will be played every day, with scoring outlined in section 6 below.  Scores contribute to each player’s score on the leaderboard. Please keep in mind that due to the structure of the tournament, matches cannot be rescheduled for a different time or day.

2.2. Game Lobby

  • Client Version 1.8.X
  • What Time do I Queue for My Match?
     Minecraft matches are hosted every Tuesday at 3pm CST, 4pm CST, 5pm CST, 6pm CST and 8pm CST. Players will choose one of the available windows to queue for their match. 
  • Queuing for Your Match and Obtaining the Server IP
    From your dashboard select “Join Queue” shown with your listed Minecraft match for the week. Once the timer reaches zero, all queued players will be taken to a match page where a specific Server IP will be shared. Keep in mind that only players who have queued up will be on the specific server’s whitelist for the match, those who did not queue up will be unable to participate.
  • Connecting to the Server
     To connect to the Server IP provided on your match page, follow these step
    • Launch Minecraft and select Multiplayer from the Main Menu
    • Select Direct Connect
    • Enter the Server IP and Press Join Server
    • The match will begin 5 minutes after the minimum number of players join the server

If this is your first time on the server a popup will appear instructing you to download a resource pack used by the server. The resource pack is required in order to participate in the Minecraft tournament. Choosing no to the download will remove you from the server.

 

3. Tournament Rules 

3.1. Game Connections

This rule has been migrated to the MSEL General Competition rules (see 2.7.2 "Game Connections").

3.1.1. Account Ownership

Game accounts used in official tournaments must belong to the student participating using that game connection. At no point in time may players share accounts with each other or use an account of another person, regardless of if they are in the tournament or not.

3.1.2. School-Purchased Accounts

Schools may create accounts or purchase game licenses for their students participating in a tournament if they do not already have an active one. These accounts will be considered the students’ personal account and may only be used by one student each. These accounts and licenses may not be transferred to another student upon the previous student’s graduation or leaving the team, as this would be against any publisher’s Terms of Service or End User License Agreement.

3.2. Match Streaming

3.2.1. Spectators

At this point in time there are no spectator slots available on the Minecraft servers.

3.3. Playoff Qualification

Teams must compete in and complete 75% of their Regular Season matches in order to be considered for playoff qualification. Teams who do not meet this requirement will be removed from qualification consideration regardless of their final record. 

3.3.1. Unplayed Matches

Any match or queue that a team misses or does not complete will result in the match being counted as a loss against the team's record at the end of the regular season.

3.4. Playoff Qualification Tiebreakers

The tie breaker system will be run as a tiered protocol that will be used if multiple teams finish the regular season with the same overall record. 

  1. Wins. (Forfeit wins and bye wins are scored as a 0-0 win)
  2. Head-to-head record. (If the two tied teams have played each other, their match record against each other is compared)
  3. Overall game win percentage. (e.g. winning a match 3-0 is better than 3-2)
  4. Higher opponents’ game win percentage. (e.g. it is better to beat an opponent who  consistently won 3-0 than 3-2)
  5. Fewer forfeit losses.
  6. Fewer bye wins.
  7. The team which had a higher number of wins before their first loss.
  8. If the first loss is received after the same number of wins, then the team which lost to the stronger opponent (as defined by game win percentage) will be ranked higher.

 

4. Restrictions

4.1. Resource Packs

The server side resource pack must be used at all times while in game.

4.2 Shaders

The Base Shader Mod is the only shader mod acceptable for use in MSEL matches, though it may cause issues with your connection to the server so use it at your own risk. The use of all other shaders is prohibited 

4.3 Optifine

Optifine will be allowed as a Client Side Mod. All other third party clients are prohibited from use in official matches. 

4.4 Teaming

Teaming up or communicating with another player during matches in order to gain an advantage over other players is prohibited. Offending players can face punishments up to removal from the tournament.

4.5. Delay of Game

Players who intentionally delay the game's end may face disciplinary action including removal from the tournament. Instances of Delay of Game for the tournament include any scenario that would prevent the match from finishing in a timely fashion. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Players refusing to fight one another in a final 2 scenario
  • Players attempting to hold the server hostage until all other players quit. 

If you witness attempts to delay a game or hold the server hostage, please reach out to an MSEL Administrator immediately.  

4.6. Out of Bounds Access

Accessing areas on the map that are not accessible by normal means by using a glitch or exploit is prohibited in official matches. Players caught accessing “Out of Bounds” areas of the map risk being removed from the tournament and other disciplinary actions. 

4.7. Public Accusations

Publicly accusing a player or team of violating the rules will not be tolerated. If you suspect another player, or team has committed a rule violation, please file a match dispute as soon as possible so the MSEL Administration can open an investigation.

 

5. Stoppage of Play

5.1 Disconnection

  • Server Side Disconnections

If the match experiences a Server Side Disconnection or Server Crash, players on the server will be messaged and the match will be restarted from the beginning of the game. 

  • Player Disconnection

Players disconnecting will result be treated as a death during the match. If the disconnection happened during game 1, the disconnected players will be allowed to join the server for game 2.

 

6. Scoring 

Score for each Survival Games match will go into a season point pool. Points at the end of the regular season will be totaled to determine advancement. 

  • Match Scoring
    • 3 points for attendance
    • 2 points per kill 
    • Top 10 Finish
      • 10th: 1 point
      • 9th: 2 points
      • 8th: 3 points
      • 7th: 4 points
      • 6th: 5 points
      • 5th: 7 points
      • 4th: 9 points
      • 3rd: 11 points
      • 2nd: 13 points
      • 1st: 15 points

7. Team Rosters

Only one roster is required for all Minecraft: Survival Games players on a School Team. Each player on the roster will be given their own match when they queue up at the designated match time. No player substitutions can be made at any point during the match, as the matches are set to be played 1v1.

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