Westwood Studios Official Westwood Online Tournaments Frequently Asked Questions List Last Update: May 20th, 1998 Version 1.3 About this document.... This FAQ file contains many of the commonly asked questions about the Westwood Online Tournament System including how to get started, rules, etc. An updated version of the FAQ sheet can be found at the Westwood web site : http://www.westwood.com All information contained herein is copyright 1996-8 by Westwood Studios. You are allowed to distribute it freely, but not to make changes. --- PART 1 : GENERAL INFORMATION ------------------------------------------- 1.1 What is Westwood Online? 1.2 How much does it cost? 1.3 What do I need to connect to Westwood Online? 1.4 Where do I get the free software and login account? 1.5 What is the Westwood Online Tournament System? --- PART 2 : GETTING STARTED ----------------------------------------------- 2.1 What do I need to play a tournament game? 2.2 What do I have to do to get ranked? 2.3 OK, so how do I start a ranked game? 2.4 How can I check my score? 2.5 What do Rank, Name, Stats, Points and the faces mean? --- PART 3 : PRIZES -------------------------------------------------------- 3.1 This is fun, but what do I get for playing? 3.2 What countries are eligible for prizes? 3.3 There is no way I am going to win this. Why should I try? --- PART 4 : THE BAD STUFF - CHEATING -------------------------------------- 4.1 Is cheating possible in the Westwood Tournaments? 4.2 Is cheating a good idea? 4.3 How do you know we are cheating? 4.4 What is considered cheating? 4.5 Disconnecting from a game (purposely or not) 4.51 Disconnections in Red Alert games (only) 4.6 Can I tell if a person is likely to disconnect before playing? 4.7 Is there anything else? 4.8 What about harvester treaties, time limits and other agreements? 4.9 What should I do if I suspect someone of cheating? --- 5.0 TECHNICAL STUFF ---------------------------------------------------- 5.1 How is my rank calculated? 5.2 The 90% Rule (Red Alert games only) 5.3 Where can I find more information? **************************************************************************** * 1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION * **************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.1 What is Westwood Online? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Westwood Online is an online service hosted by Westwood Studios for people of all interests and ages. On Westwood Online, people can talk with others, play Internet-ready games like Command & Conquer, Red Alert, and, the Monopoly CD-ROM game. Westwood Online includes direct support for only those games released by Westwood Studios. But, since there is an IP address button, you can arrange any internet- ready computer game that requires an IP address to connect. Because Westwood Online is available worldwide, you'll often see people speaking many different languages online. Regardless of where people are connecting from, all Internet compatible games can be played across several languages, and over different platforms. (i.e. A Macintosh user in France can play a PC user in the UK). Whether you're online to play a game against a friend, or just meet others from around the world and talk about your favorite hobby, Westwood Online is intended to be a fun place, courtesy of Westwood Studios. (Note: Westwood Online is not an Internet service provider. You cannot "surf the web" with Westwood Online, nor can you send email. However there are no additional costs or long distance fees to pay, other than what you are already paying to your Internet service provider.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.2 How much does it cost? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Westwood Online service, software, and login account are all free. There is no cost to connect to Westwood Online. However, you will need to have service provided by an Internet provider. Because you connect to Westwood Online through the Internet, there are no direct long-distance fees or additional costs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.3 What do I need to connect to Westwood Online? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- You'll need the following to hook up to Westwood Online : * A Computer : PC Owners : 486 or better with Windows 95 MAC Owners : 68040 or better with System 7.5 or higher * A SLIP or PPP connection to the Internet. * A copy of the Westwood Online software for either the PC or MAC. * A login account. If you want to play games on WOL, you must have at least a 28.8 modem. Note that individual games have other requirements. Check your game manual for details. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.4 So how do I get the software and a login account? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Westwood Online software is available for downloading at the Westwood Studios Web site: http://www.westwood.com/techsupport/faqs.html You can also find Westwood Online distributed with many of Westwood's software titles available in stores. To get a login account, just run the registration program included in your Westwood Online software. Simply install the Westwood Online software, then run the INTERNET REGISTRATION program by clicking on the appropriate icon in the Westwood Online folder. The nickname you selected while signing up, along with a new password will be emailed to you immediately after completing the sign-up form. Getting a free account usually doesn't take more than 3 or 4 minutes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.5 What is the Westwood Online Tournament System? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Tournament System is a way to rank yourself against others in one of our online tournament-ready games. Simply by playing one of the games (see below) online, your score will be recorded by the system. You can view your rank at any time by visiting our tournament home page at http://www.westwood.com/westwoodonline/tournaments **************************************************************************** * 2.0 GETTING STARTED * **************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.1 What do I need to play a tournament game? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To play in a Westwood Tournament, you need the following: 1) A copy of a Westwood Studios Internet playable game, including: Red Alert (with Counterstrike and/or Aftermath) Command & Conquer Tiberian Dawn Gold Edition Games People Play Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor (more games coming soon!) 2) The newest version of Westwood Online (available via auto-update or from our web site) with a nickname and password 3) An Internet connection through your local Internet provider, or a national Internet provider like NETCOM or Earthlink. If you have these, you are set to go! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.2 What do I have to do to get ranked? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just start playing! Unlike other ladder systems, you won't need to fill our a form or rely on an opponent to post their loss. Whenever you play a tournament game on Westwood Online, your score is automatically tallied as soon as the game ends, and rankings are updated on our server every hour. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.3 OK, so how do I start a ranked game? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are hosting a game, you will get a channel setup box before your channel is created. On the first page of the setup, you will see an option box called "Tournament Game (Westwood official maps only)". If this box has a check in it, your game will be ranked by the system and your score will count. If it is unchecked, your game will be "just for fun" and no scores will be counted. If you are joining a game, you can tell if a game is ranked or unranked by the channel name's color in the game channel list. If the channel name is in yellow, it is a ranked game. If it is plain white, it is an unranked game. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.4 How can I check my score? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your rank in each tournament you enter is recorded on our web site at the following URL: http://www.westwood.com/westwoodonline/tournaments/ From this page you can choose which tournament you wish to view. From the next page, choose RANKINGS from the available Icons. You can look up people by nickname or by rank number, and by which side or game they usually play in. For example, in the Red Alert ladder, you can view Allied players, Soviet players, or a mix of both. In the Games People Play ladder, you can choose to view Hearts, Spades, or Euchre. The rankings update every hour. If your score does not seem to Change, please wait until the next hourly update to check your score. The date and time of the last update will appear at the bottom of the rankings page. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.5 What do Rank, Name, Stats, Points and the faces mean? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information listed below your tournament menu is clearly separated in to five different sections which are explained below. Note that the layout may be slightly different for each game. RANK This is your overall placement in the tournament system you are viewing. Depending on which tournament you are in, (like Red Alert and C&C Gold) your placement will vary depending on whether you are looking at the COMBINED listing, or at the Soviet or Allies listing (in the case of Red Alert). Your combined listing is what we use to determine overall rankings and prize awards. However, we also award prizes to top players in each category, so there are plenty of ways to win. NAME This is your nickname or login that you use to connect to Westwood Online. You may search for any nickname by using the search feature to the left of the RANK button above. STATS This is the number of games that you have won and lost. If you forfeit or quit any game it will be reflected here as a loss. POINTS This is the number of points you have accumulated based on the ranks of the people you have won or lost against. Players that defeat opponents of a higher rank will accumulate more points more quickly than players that consistently play lower ranked players. For example, if you are at rank #200 and you beat a player ranked at #10 then you will receive more points than if you had beaten someone at rank #3000. CONNECTION ICONS The connection icon for each player is represented as either green, yellow, or red and denotes the connection quality of the player ranked. A green icon represents a player who has disconnected rarely during the middle of a game. A yellow icon represents a player that loses connection slightly more than an average number of times. A red icon denotes a player who has frequently disconnected during the middle of a game. Please take note of this information before selecting a player to compete against. Players that have a red icon near their name may be excluded for tournament prizes and contests because of their highly unstable Internet connection. **************************************************************************** * 3.0 PRIZES * **************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.1 This is fun, but what do I get for playing? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Every month Westwood Studios gives away thousands of dollars worth of prizes to the tournament winners. Check the tournament web page for details on what the prizes are for each tournament. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2 Which countries are eligible for prizes? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Setting up contests to run in multiple countries is a legal nightmare, because each country has its own rules and regulations about what can and cannot be done. Due to legal restriction in certain areas, we can only award prizes to players that live inside of the United States, Canada (excluding Quebec), United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. We are continuing our efforts to extend the eligibility of the contest to additional countries, and we will update this document when new countries become eligible. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3 There is no way I am going to win this. Why should I try? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The tournament scores are reset at 12PM Noon PST on the first of every month. If you didn't get into the top positions last month, give it another try this month! **************************************************************************** * 4.0 THE BAD STUFF - CHEATING * **************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.1 Is cheating possible in the Westwood Tournaments? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- We have caught cheaters and disqualified them in the past for unfair playing. However, in many cases we must depend on you to notify us of people that play unfairly, or use cheats to get ahead in the tournament. Please write to us at contests@westwood.com. Include the name of the person you played against, and exactly what they did that you feel was unfair. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.2 Is cheating a good idea? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Absolutely not. Any cheating will immediately get you banned from the current tournament. Depending on the severity of the