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Highlander Ruleset

Format Specificity

Rules within this ruleset apply strictly to the Highlander (HL). While each ruleset may share rules, the specific contents are likely different when listed within a format-specific ruleset rather than the Global ruleset. Please note this ruleset is authored for our Highlander seasonal leagues, but in the event it is linked on an ozfortress-run Highlander tournament, rules mentioning seasonal specifics should be ignored. If you are not sure whether or not a rule applies to a Highlander tournament run by us, please reach out.

1. Highlander Format

1.1. Class Limits

The following class limits are required on for official matches. Breaking these limits in any way is considered cheating, and depending on administrator discretion could lead to league penalties or a match result being overturned.

  • 1 Scout
  • 1 Soldier
  • 1 Pyro
  • 1 Demoman
  • 1 Heavy
  • 1 Engineer
  • 1 Medic
  • 1 Sniper
  • 1 Spy

Please Note

Server configurations allow for more than one Scout to allow players to effectively swap classes without the need for swapping to spectator; swapping to spectator is not allowed as outlined here.

1.2. Whitelist (Unlocks)

The Highlander whitelist can be found here.

1.3. Stopwatch

Payload and Attack/Defend maps are played using a Stopwatch. There is no timelimit for Stopwatch maps other than what is set by the Stopwatch timer itself.

1.3.1. Regular Season Stopwatch

During the regular season, stopwatch maps are played to one round, with each side attacking and defending once. On occassion, league administrators may decide prior to the season to include a "ABBA week", typically on a staple map. For more information on ABBA, see 1.3.4. ABBA.

1.3.2. Upper Division Playoffs Stopwatch

For Upper division playoffs, Stopwatch is played under ABBA conditions. Two Upper Division teams can agree to play to one round win instead of ABBA. For more information on ABBA, see 1.3.4. ABBA.

1.3.3. Lower Division Playoffs Stopwatch

For Lower division playoffs, Stopwatch is played under ABBA conditions. Two Lower Divison teams can agree to play ABBA as described in 1.3.4. ABBA.

1.3.4. ABBA

The ABBA system is fairly simple, even though it was coined by the wizards of old. Its name is literal, and dictates the order how a 2-0 scoreline of rounds won, is won. Take A as the "Attacking" side, a team starting on attack who would eventually go on to win the match would end up playing in order; one attack half, one defense half, another defense half, and ending with another attack half. Typically in ozfortress Highlander, the regular season wouldn't see any Stopwatch maps played as ABBA, meaning the victor of the one and only round played is the victor of that map. However when playing a Stopwatch map under ABBA conditions, to win the map, a team would need to win two rounds (also known as a best-of-three scenario).

1.4. King of the Hill (KOTH)

In Highlander, all King of the Hill (KOTH) maps follow a best of five win condition with a three minute team clock. Different KOTH maps may vary slightly on overtime timers, locked and unlocked timers (when the point is not able to be captured at the start and when it unlocks) as these are built into the map.

1.5. Control Point (5CP)

1.5.1. 5CP map timer

The map timer for 5CP maps is 30 minutes.

1.5.2. 5CP round timer

The round timer for 5CP maps is 10 minutes.

1.5.3. 5CP round win limit

The round timer for 5CP maps is 5 rounds.

1.5.4. 5CP map draws

In the event that two teams draw at the end of a 5CP map, they are required to play a golden cap. Golden Cap rounds are played till the first capture of the last point with no time limit. You can find more details on the Server Configs page here.

1.6. Highlander Tiebreaking Measures

These measures are only in place for Highlander.

  1. Teams will have all their Map Points from throughout the season tallied with the highest total being the winner of the tied teams.
  2. If the above fails, Direct Encounter will be used with the winner of said match being the winner of the tied teams.
  3. If the above fails, an external calculation will be done comparing team's total winrate across their season to their potential win rate.

2. Highlander Playoffs

2.1. Playoff Match Format

Playoff matches are exclusively played as a Best of Three (BO3) series with maps selected from the map pool.

2.2.1. Playoff Map Selection Order

For Playoff matches, the higher seeded team is awarded the final map pick.

The higher seeded team is Team A. They can, however, choose to be Team B by deferring the first ban. Maps must be played in the order in which they were picked.

Pick/Ban Order
  1. Team A bans a map
  2. Team B bans a map
  3. Team A picks a map
  4. Team B picks a map
  5. Team B bans a map
  6. Team A picks a map
Team A Ban Pick Ban
Team B Ban Pick Pick

2.3.2. Expanded Playoffs

Expanded Playoffs is our own playoff format, allowing the top 6 teams of a division to participate. Expanded Playoffs has three rounds:

  1. Quarter Finals: Upper Match (4th vs 5th Place) and Lower Match (3rd vs 6th Place)
    • Teams who lose the Upper Match and Lower Match are knocked out of the season.
    • Winners move on to Semi Finals
  2. Semi-Finals: The winner of the Upper Match plays in Semi-Final #1 against the 1st place team, the winner of the Lower Page Match plays in Semi-Final #2 against the 2nd place team.
    • Winners of their respective match progress to the Grand Finals
    • Losers of their respective match progress to the Bronze Final.
  3. Grand/Bronze Final: Winners of Semi Finals 1 and 2 vs each other in the Grand Final. The losers of Semi Finals 1 and 2 vs each other in the Bronze Final.