Galactic Empire Combat Ladders

Active Ladders

Ladder Rules & Instructions

General Gameplay

Points & Scoring

One's placing on a ladder is determined by score. When an officer defeats another in a match, they are awarded points. The number of points is determined by the formula:

Points = (Total Officers On Ladder + 1) - Loser's Placing.

In other words, if there are 15 officers on the ladder, defeating the 1st placed officer is worth 15 points and defeating the 15th placed officer is worth 1 point. The greater the placing of the officer you defeat, the more points you're awarded. Should you lose a match, you receive 1 point for your participation.

In the occasional event of a tie, a match is still considered played, but simply not reported. Any "re-playing" of the match would be done via either officer issuing the other a new challenge.

A challenge must be responded to (although not necessarily played) within 72 hours. A challengee of a lower placing than the challenger, when responding, may accept a challenge or simply refuse it. A challengee of a higher placing than the challenger is unable to refuse challenges, and when responding, must accept it or state that they forfeit the match.

Accepted challenges should be played as soon as is convenient for both players to meet online. A direct IP connection is the default connection type, however alternate connection types such as permanent open servers (eg.- A Jedi Outcast public server), gaming networks (e.g.- The Zone), IPX networks, and dial-up connections may be used if both officers agree.

In the event of a refusal, the challenger is awarded one point.

Forfeitted challenges should be reported by the challenger upon receipt of the statement of forfeit, and will be treated in precisely the same way as if the match was actually played and won by the challenger.

Un-responded to challenges (wherein the challengee hasn't responded within a full 72 hours) should be reported by the challenger. If the challenger is of higher placing, the match is treated as a refusal. If the challenger is of lower placing, the match is treated as a forfeit.

Note that a challenge may be issued only ONCE per 24 hours. If both players are willing, more matches can be played, but no player can be forced to play, forfeit, or refuse more than one match per opponent per standard 24-hour period.

Rules Applicable to Specific Ladders

X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter [XvT]

• A match is a multiplayer melee.
• Any options can be used however no non-player-craft should appear in the game. All options must be agreed by both parties.
• Craft selection: anything unless players cannot agree. Note that it is advised not to use the T/A unless both parties have good internet connections.
• In case of arguement, default options and "Basic Furball" should be used.

X-Wing Alliance [XWA]

• Similar to above, one on one mission.
• Use 6 waves of 1 craft.

Jedi Knight [JK]

• Any level is allowed together with any set of options, as long as agreed by both parties.
• One match consists of 5 kills. The first officer to reach 5 kills is the winner of that match, and a new match should be started from the beginning.
• In case of argument, use "Canyon Oasis" level and default options.

Jedi Outcast [JO]

• Any level is allowed together with any set of options, as long as agreed by both parties.
• One match consists of 5 kills. The first officer to reach 5 kills is the winner of that match, and a new match should be started from the beginning.
• In case of argument, use "Shuttlebay" level and default options.

Jedi Academy [JA]

• Any level is allowed together with any set of options, as long as agreed by both parties.
• One match consists of 5 kills. The first officer to reach 5 kills is the winner of that match, and a new match should be started from the beginning.
• In case of argument, use "Imperial Control Room" level and default options.

Galactic Battlegrounds [GB]

• Unless other settings are agreed upon, the following options should be defaulted to:
  • Game Type: Random Map
  • Map Type: Standard
  • Location: Random
  • Map Size: Tiny
  • Reveal Map: Normal
  • Resources: Standard
  • Initial Tech Level: Standard
  • Victory Conditions: Conquest
• No computer controlled players are allowed
• Air-based units should not be used unless agreed upon by both parties

Star Wars: Battlefront [BF]

• Unless other settings are agreed upon, the following options should be defaulted to:
  • Map: Bespin, Galactic Civil War
  • Max players: 2
  • AI per team: 16
  • Team Damage: ON
  • Heroes: OFF
  • Teams: Selectable
  • AI Difficulty: Medium
• Challenger plays as Empire first (or Republic if other rules are agreed upon). Switch sides for a second game. If it becomes a tie, whoever wins by the larger margin picks the side for the third round.

Star Wars: Battlefront II [BFII]

• Unless other settings are agreed upon, the following options should be defaulted to:
  • Map: Coruscant, Galactic Civil War
  • Max players: 2
  • AI per team: 16
  • Team Damage: ON
  • Heroes: OFF
  • Teams: Selectable
  • AI Difficulty: Medium
  • Mode: Conquest
• The challenger plays as Empire first (or Republic if a different era is agreed upon). Switch sides for a second game. If it becomes a tie, whoever wins by the larger margin picks the side for the third round.

Republic Commando [RC]

• Any deathmatch map is allowed with any set of options as long as agreed upon by both parties.
• One match consists of 5 kills. The first officer to reach 5 kills is the winner of that match and a new one should be started from the beginning.
• In case of arguments, use the "Arena A17" map with default options.

Empire at War [EaW]

• Players may agree on any space or land level they wish with any set of options.
• Campaign Missions are not permitted to be counted for the regular Empire at War ladder! All matches must be single engagements.
• If the players cannot come to an agreement, the following options should be defaulted to:
• Map 1, Space Battle: "Alderaan Defense" with default options.
• Map 2, Space Battle: "Hoth Conflict" with default options.
• Tiebreaker Map, Land Battle: "Yavin Training Grounds" with default options.
• Challenger plays as Empire in the first game. Switch sides for the second game. If the games end in one victory each, then it goes to the tiebreaker map on the ground. Whichever player won in the shorter amount of time in space gets to pick his or her side for the tiebreaker game.

Empire at War Campaign [EaW Campaign]

• Players may agree on any campaign scenario they wish with any set of options.
• Winning an entire campaign is counted as one win on this ladder.
• Each win on this ladder counts for 10 combat victories towards your applicable ratings.
• If the players cannot come to an agreement, "The Path to Endor" campaign and default options should be used.

Connections & Suggestions

A reality of the modern day Holonet is that connection problems still occur...

In the case of a disconnection, the match must be re-played unless both players agree that the officer with more kills at the time of disconnection is the clear winner. If a player disconnects for a second time, they forfeit the match to the other player.

In the case of contestants experiencing high lag (severe enough to make the match unplayable), the match is declared as being invalid and not reported. However, abuse of this provision will quickly lead to one's banning from the ladders. This is meant to prevent lag from unfairly favouring one player over another, and its misuse to nullify one's losses for the purposes of ladder advancement can and will be considered cheating.

In some games, there is an advantage to one player or another based on whether or not they are the hosting player. This effect is commonly referred to as "host lag". One recommended way of reducing host lag is to have a neutral third party host the game in question. This may be another player or, for games that support it, a dedicated server hosted by a third party.

If host lag cannot be eliminated as a factor by third party hosting, it is HIGHLY recommended that players take turns hosting to mitigate this effect. While it is not always possible due to firewalls, networks, and other connection-related difficulties, it does make for the most fair gaming situation.

The Empire presents a list of suggestions on how to minimize lag below. Note that not all suggestions are applicable to all games or platforms.

Local System Suggestions

1. Exit or disable any other internet-using programs.
   Attempting to download a file while you play will have a negative impact on your game. Your internet connection, especially upload speed, is limited. Make the most of it.
2. Exit or disable any other CPU-intensive programs.
   For best experience, your game requires as much CPU power as is available. The more that is available, the faster and smoother your game will run.
3. Check the local network for network-intensive programs or operations.
   If somebody else on your home or local network is doing something network intensive, it can slow down your connection - even if they're only moving things within the local network.
4. Configure, disable or bypass firewalls.
   Firewalls often make for connection troubles. Usually it is possible to configure your firewall and game to work correctly. If not, the firewall may need to be bypassed or disabled. Note that bypassing or disabling your firewall leaves your system at more risk, and should be done only if you know what you are doing - and then, only very carefully.
5. Configure or bypass local routers.
   Local routers often make it possible to connect to a game but not to host one. If possible, configure port forwarding and router configuration to allow the appropriate traffic to pass through. If this is not possible, it may be necessary to bypass the router. Note that bypassing your router leaves your system at more risk, and should be done only very carefully.
6. Choose a wired connection.
   Wireless connections are more likely to drop out and lag at any time, especially under heavy load. Local radio interference, such as from a microwave or cordless telephone can cause signal interruption. It is much preferable to use a wired connection if at all possible, to avoid these problems before they occur.

Game Setup Suggestions

1. Choose a small(er) map.
   A larger map puts more strain on the computer and on the internet connection. Where appropriate, a smaller map means less data to update and gives a better chance of a lag-free game.
2. Choose an empty server.
   The more players on a given server, the more updating has to happen between clients. To reduce lag, it is preferable that the challenger and challengee be the only two players on the server.
3. Reduce the number of objects and weapons in-game.
   By reducing the number of objects, you reduce the amount of information that needs to be transferred. Some good examples would be not using asteroids in a map, or disabling guns in a game that's intended to be saber-only. (Note that static gun emplacements and other enemy characters or craft are NOT permitted and should be a non-issue).
4. Choose a reliable server.
   If a third party is hosting, select a third party with a reliable server and internet connection. This applies both to public servers and to another player hosting.
5. Do not choose the largest, best, or other superlative ships/weapons/characters.
   The more complex and equipped the ship, weapon or character is, the more there is for the game to keep track of. As an example, it is generally faster to choose TIE Interceptor rather than TIE Advanced, since the TIE Advanced is a more complex and faster ship. Faster ships can lead to more troubles with enemies jumping around rather than moving fluidly.

These suggestions may help you to have a more enjoyable and fair gaming experience.