How does the general format work? Talking EVO rules here. I know its 2/3 until finals
if you lose once, every pool has a losers bracket, and you can still get out of your original pool, correct?
When you first walk in, what should one expect?
How do you know when its your time to play?
Can you give me general information that you feel someone whose new to the tournament scene should know?
Feel free to give me insight into things I did not ask about as well, as im generally unaware of how things work in a tournament setting
My only knowledge of tournaments comes from watching streams, and they dont really delve into details much there.
General format is 2/3 double elim, so yes to losers bracket. If pools, then you yes you can make it out of pools if you lose one, but you will be on the loser’s side of the top 8/16/32 whatever. Not every tournament will have pools.
When you first walk in you should check in and make sure you are registered for everything you want to enter. Come early to ensure this and so you have time for casuals. You will know it’s your time to play because you will be called by the TO/staff.
You should just be open. Be open to playing casuals with the guy that won the whole thing. Be open to meeting new people. Be open to asking questions. You should also be aware of things like where they are in the bracket and if you might have a match coming up. Be aware of how a match is being played out so you can learn and maybe talk to better players about what/why something is going on.
Have fun. Practice. Bathe. Respect other people’s belongings and space but don’t be afraid to talk shit. Don’t be offended if the other guy has a loud cheering section, the only reason you don’t have that is because you don’t know anybody. Have more fun.
konkrete pretty much nailed it, but I’d just like to reiterate a few of the high points.
[LIST]
[]Try to be early for the event. Double-check your registrations. Play casuals to warm up. Give the organizers a hand if you want to. You’re there to have fun. Enjoy it!
[]BATHE AND WEAR DEODORANT. DON’T BE THAT GUY!
[]Always let the person running the bracket know if you are going to leave the area. Give them your cell phone number if you need to. There is nothing worse than being DQ’d because you needed to run to the bathroom and the guy running the bracket didn’t know where you were.
[]EAT! Because you’ll likely be sitting down all day, you won’t realize how empty you’ll get until it’s too late. Either bring snacks or go out for food, but force yourself to eat at set times. You WILL lose track of time, and you WILL get mentally stupid if you don’t eat all day. Same thing goes for water. Carry a water bottle, and refill it. Stay hydrated.
[*]Don’t get discouraged. If this is your first few tournaments, odds are good that you are going to get stomped. Hard. Everyone thinks they are pretty good until they meet someone who actually is good. Tournaments are about finding the things you need to improve in your gameplay, and then working on them at home or with new friends until you’ve mastered it.
[/LIST]
theres nothing to really know about going to tournaments unless you actually need to be reminded to eat. Usually whoever is taking sign ups can give you the low down of the things you need to know. I would just try to be aware of their rules for DQing people, and keep and eye on your gear.
It’s important to estimate how many people are showing up, entry fee, and pot. It’s sort of a business gamble.
Other than that, incentive to go? How long you expect it to last? etc.
I’ve been to a lot of local tournaments and a few majors. There are a few things to factor in that don’t really show up on live stream. For one you will have to wait. I know a lot of people who don’t like waiting. However with limited setups it’s bound to happen. Generally if tournaments get above 35 entrants you’ll find yourself waiting a lot. The second thing is that if you lose early you’d have to wait for the entire winners bracket to complete then they’ll do losers. However let’s say you crawl through losers, you’d then have no lag time between matches.
There are other factors such as people cheering during matches, sometimes for your opponent. People talk shit during matches a lot (I’m one of them) so don’t let this get to you. There are a lot of external factors like exhaust which sometimes hinder performance. For old school arcade players like me, this is something I’m use to. For the XBL and PSN generation who are use to playing in the comfort of their own home with “fewer” distractions this can be a hard thing to take in at first.
I understand it somewhat. I admit I dont have a very firm grasp of it.
my incentive to go is just to find good players, good competition etc. Online really isnt doing it for me anymore, and I still like playing the game. Most people suck online, or abuse lag.
I dunno how far I would get, which is why my first tournaments will be closer to where im at.
Go to NEC this year. It’s in Philly. Meet people. Get your name out there, so when you host a tournie, people WILL come from Philly. It will also give you a good example of what a tournament COULD be.