Look, I has photoshop!
I want talk about the “Ideal” tournament. Instead of imagining features that may (or may not) be technologically possible I wanted to talk about the best things that are already being done. The goal would be a Frankenstein-style tournament comprised of all the ideal parts of our current tournaments.
For the sake of discussion assume that next year all these leagues will be consolidated into one large league. This is a “friendly” merger so the new tournament will use all the best features of the old independent leagues. Which features of each league would you keep?
Below you will find a few polls that hardly begin to cover these details. As people post I will add any polls that seem relevant. Please vote in the polls and give a brief post about why you feel this way. Please try to focus on what you like as opposed to what the others are doing wrong.
The Polls:
Broadcast style + Show Spoiler +
Poll: I like to watch
Games cast live from LAN event (49)
78%
Games cast live by in-game observers (8)
13%
Games cast from replays (6)
10%
63 total votes
Games cast live by in-game observers (8)
Games cast from replays (6)
63 total votes
Your vote: I like to watch
(Vote): Games cast from replays
(Vote): Games cast live by in-game observers
(Vote): Games cast live from LAN event
I suppose the difference between LAN and just observer would be the ability to hear the crowd behind the casters and knowing that the players have/will interact in person. The cast by observers is supposed to imply the players playing in their home environment.
Structure + Show Spoiler +
Qualification structure + Show Spoiler +
Tournament format+ Show Spoiler +
>>IGN – A 16 Player Double Elimination tournament, with the first 2 winner's rounds and first 3 loser's rounds Best of 3s. The rest of the rounds will be Best of 5s excluding the grand final which will be a Best of 7.
>>MLG – Top 16 from open bracket will join Top 16 Seeded players in the Championship Bracket pool play. The Open Bracket is a double-elimination, best of three bracket.
Players that lose in the Open Bracket will be placed in the Championship Losers Bracket.
Championship Bracket
The Top 16 seeded players will be divided into four pools of five players each.
The fifth player for each pool will be derived from the Top 16 Open bracket.
The results of Pool Play will dictate where each player is placed in the Championship Bracket.
>>NASL - 50 players will be placed in 5 Divisions of 10, Top 2 of each Division will be placed into Main Bracket.
Remaining 20 players from each Division will be placed in 5 Qualifier Brackets.
Winners of each Qualifier Bracket will be placed into Main Bracket.
1024 Players will compete in Open Tournament, Winner will be placed into Main Bracket.
Re-qualification structure (who stays for the next season) + Show Spoiler +
>>IGN season 1 is invite only
>>MLG 256 Players will play Open Bracket til Top 16. Top 16 from open bracket will join Top 16 Seeded players in the Championship Bracket pool play.
>>NASL is interview-to-invite
>>MLG 256 Players will play Open Bracket til Top 16. Top 16 from open bracket will join Top 16 Seeded players in the Championship Bracket pool play.
>>NASL is interview-to-invite
Tournament format+ Show Spoiler +
>>IGN – A 16 Player Double Elimination tournament, with the first 2 winner's rounds and first 3 loser's rounds Best of 3s. The rest of the rounds will be Best of 5s excluding the grand final which will be a Best of 7.
>>MLG – Top 16 from open bracket will join Top 16 Seeded players in the Championship Bracket pool play. The Open Bracket is a double-elimination, best of three bracket.
Players that lose in the Open Bracket will be placed in the Championship Losers Bracket.
Championship Bracket
The Top 16 seeded players will be divided into four pools of five players each.
The fifth player for each pool will be derived from the Top 16 Open bracket.
The results of Pool Play will dictate where each player is placed in the Championship Bracket.
>>NASL - 50 players will be placed in 5 Divisions of 10, Top 2 of each Division will be placed into Main Bracket.
Remaining 20 players from each Division will be placed in 5 Qualifier Brackets.
Winners of each Qualifier Bracket will be placed into Main Bracket.
1024 Players will compete in Open Tournament, Winner will be placed into Main Bracket.
Re-qualification structure (who stays for the next season) + Show Spoiler +
>>IPL - The top 4 finishers automatically qualifies for IPL 2.
>>MLG - Top 16 Ranked players will be seeded into upcoming events pool play.
>>NASL- Top 34 from Divisions will qualify for next season. Top 8 from 1024 player Open Tournament will qualify for next season.
>>MLG - Top 16 Ranked players will be seeded into upcoming events pool play.
>>NASL- Top 34 from Divisions will qualify for next season. Top 8 from 1024 player Open Tournament will qualify for next season.
Extras + Show Spoiler +
As a viewer: + Show Spoiler +
Are you willing to watch adds? + Show Spoiler +
If all three were on at the same time, which would you watch? + Show Spoiler +
How many hours (max) will you spend watching SC2 “live” + Show Spoiler +
If all three were on at the same time, which would you watch? + Show Spoiler +
How many hours (max) will you spend watching SC2 “live” + Show Spoiler +
Edit: Please post any questions you think I am missing and I will add them
Helpful Links (so you can avoid wearing your ass as a hat):
+ Show Spoiler +
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/IGN_ProLeague
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/North_American_Star_League
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/2011_MLG_Pro_Circuit
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/North_American_Star_League
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/2011_MLG_Pro_Circuit