Communication‍

This is a closed, invitational tournament only.  Individual Rec Room teams will need to be approved by VAL.

Players MUST use Discord to contact their opponent. 

Here is the link to our Discord where all opponents contact each other: https://discord.gg/NeRRKJw8HN

There will be no more than 16 teams allowed to participate and possibly a smaller number of teams.

VAL admins will produce the brackets, no outside bracket software needed.

We encourage using additional methods such as Facebook to contact your opponent, but only Discord messages will count and be official in case of disputes where the opponent does not show up. The opponent not showing up will result in a forfeit. VAL reserves the right to decide the forfeiting party.

Players may schedule their brackets through to the semi finals and finals matches. Once to the semi finals and finals VAL will coordinate with the remaining teams to schedule the matches. 

The finals will have different recording and other spectating rules TBD. In general, players should expect to have their matches broadcast and casted over.

VAL will make reasonable efforts to match players by region, but this is not guaranteed. No region locks.

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Team captains will need to apply through this Google Form (to be made)

Rules Summary
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Overall Tournament Rules

• This is an invitational tournament. Signing up/applying does not guarantee a spot in the tournament. Chosen participants will be notified by VAL admins.
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• Teams will sign up together (only one application needed, from the team captain). Individual sign-ups are not permitted, but players are encouraged to use the VAL Discord server to find teams if they desire.
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• Teams will consist of 4 players and up to 2 substitutes (see below for substitution rules).
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• The tournament will follow a standard bracket format - quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. In the case of more than 8 teams participating, qualifiers will be added.
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• VAL admins will collect registrations and then release brackets.
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• Byes may be possible.
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• Seeding is determined by VAL admins.
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• Players must report results of their matches. Screenshots and recordings are highly recommended. If players provide both in game names, VAL admins can work with Rec Room Paintball admins to verify, however this is not guaranteed. VAL may provide a Google form link for screenshots at a later date in the VAL Discord.
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• Video recording of matches is highly recommended. VAL reserves the right to enforce reschedules or other competitive rules due to crashes, etc or require video recording.
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• If connection or other problems on behalf of a player causes crashes, players who are having connectivity problems will have up to 90 minutes to reschedule their matches. Players who cannot fix connectivity or other tech issues will most likely be disqualified by VAL admins. For this reason, it is advised to stream, record, or otherwise document all matches.
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• Players found to be abusing or otherwise disconnecting often may be disqualified.
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• Players should prepare for tech tests with VAL admins to verify home setups in the finals.
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• Players can choose to use VR-Teleport or VR-Walk.
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• Screen mode and seated mode are not permitted.
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• Exceptions can be made in special circumstances. Please contact the VAL admin to discuss any concerns.
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• Using the lobby/dugout intentionally during a match is not permitted. The fenced-in corner sections of River are not dugouts and may be used.
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• No exploitation of cheats, bugs, glitches, or lag will be permitted. If players are found to be exploiting or using any of these to their advantage, VAL admins will take disciplinary actions at their discretion, including disqualifying players and/or teams.
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• VAL reserves the right to require evidence of cheating or exploitation prior to disciplinary decisions.

Tournament Structure

• VAL will release the bracket up to four days in advance. Teams will schedule their matches (for the quarterfinals and semifinals, not the finals) to be completed by the end of playtime for that round (the last day of the round at 11:59 PST). VAL admins will schedule the final match with the qualifying teams.

• Communication should occur over Discord - see communication section above for more details. Failure to schedule a match will result in forfeiture for one or both teams, dependent on efforts made by each team. VAL admins will come to these decisions; keep records of communication to avoid forfeiture.

• Each match (prior to the finals) will be a best of 3 games. 

• The final match will be a best of 5 games.

• Substitutes will be allowed (as long as they are also registered for the tournament), but players can only be substituted between matches - all games in a match will be played by the same 4 players on each team.
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• Games will be played until one team reaches 100 hits. The Capture The Flag (CTF) gamemode will not be used in this tournament.
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• Maps will be assigned by VAL admins and posted with the bracket/matchups.