Graham

Points: 48,465, Level: 100

Activity: 75.8%

Post your thoughts about a CEVO Main division for Season 4. This division would provide a place for teams not quite at the Professional level to duke it out without discouraging fresh teams in CEVO FREE.

CopulatingDuck

Points: 709, Level: 14

Activity: 0%

While I'd love to eventually see a Main division, I think it's too soon to have one. Just from watching esea this season, and the staggering number of teams folding/forfeiting, I have absolutely zero confidence that a Main division would be viable at this time. Teams dying left and right screw up rankings (or at least they do in esea) and not being able to play matches week after week is just dumb.

voted no :|

Graham

Points: 48,465, Level: 100

Activity: 75.8%

Well CEVO just announced Season 4 and there is no Main division but the Pro division is open to all who will pay.

http://communityfortress.com/tf2/new...2-season-4.php

runtime

Points: 791, Level: 15

Activity: 93.9%

TF2 really really really really really really really really really really really really needs a main division.

Most teams in Main will stick together. Most teams in FREE, may not.

TF2 needs to separate the competition.

A six team Pro division:

Complexity, Loaded, 20ID, EG, Pure, MoB

This could become 8 if two more teams with P level players form, which is possible.

A 8 team Main divison:

Area 51
Exult
Knights of Goku
doin work
Strickland Propane
Zilla Gaming
throwback
404 Not Found
Cardboard Robotz will likely not exist next season I think

Obviously this list is subject to change - one or more of these teams may be able to go -P, teams may be restructured, a new Main team may arise.

Splitting into three divisons will accomplish:

1) Less forfeits
2) Less 5-0 rolls, more interesting matches for spectators to watch. TF2 is a big spectator esport. The Professional MOTW usually gets several hundred watchers.
3) More fun for the teams's players themselves
4) A season that is always competitive, before the playoffs even arrive

Graham

Points: 48,465, Level: 100

Activity: 75.8%

I think you are a correct on a number of your points and as the head official for CEVO-P TF2 for CEVO, I can assure you that these have been brought to the attention of the executives. The primary issue for them is that they don't see consistency. It appears that the non-top 6 teams are always in a state of turmoil.

Pipher has said that he wants a set number of solid teams for Professional and a set number of solid teams for Main (I cannot recall the numbers for each). What we were seeing prior to announcing Season 4 is that we would have to move up some of the top Main teams to Professional because Pipher would never allow a 6-team division. This would ruin the Main division and so we came to the decision that an open Professional division, like S3, would work best.

It's my opinion that a Main division could have possibly worked for Season 4 but it would have had the potential to ruin the season if teams couldn't hold it together. I think Season 5 will be the best chance for a Main division since the season will come after S4, CEVO's offseason tourney, probably an Alienware LAN, ESEA S4, etc. Teams will be a bit more settled at that point.

wanderrful

Points: 5,158, Level: 49

Activity: 99.4%

so what has changed since the ap made that post? i think you would have a much better situation right now if you went with runtime's idea.

Graham

Points: 48,465, Level: 100

Activity: 75.8%

We went with runtime's idea. It totally failed and the division fell apart. It wasn't anyone's fault but the teams shouldn't have committed if they couldn't play the matches (they have ESEA and TWL too).

Hitman Smurf

Points: 1,449, Level: 22

Activity: 0%

I think a Free division and a Pro divison are all that are needed, at least until there are more teams available to play. CAL was successful with open/main/invite and CPL because they had a large player base in CS:S, but not so much for TF2. Let teams play for free and then either allow them to move up of their own accord when they feel they are ready and/or want to pay to play or give invites to top teams from the free division. I don't know how this will work with CEVO's business model but it's worth a shot and it's a good way to get people into competitive TF2.

__________________


Hitman Smurf's Steam Profile

Graham

Points: 48,465, Level: 100

Activity: 75.8%

CEVO won't do a Pro division unless the teams are paying and CEVO has prizes to provide. This season teams didn't want to pay and there were no sponsors (bad economy). We made a Main division instead that is essentially Pro minus the entry fee and the prizes.

There will be an offseason tournament with Alienware and then Season 5 will probably be only FREE. It will most likely won't be until Season 6 for there to be a Professional division again.

Hitman Smurf

Points: 1,449, Level: 22

Activity: 0%

OK, I see now. The lack of sponsors is probably making it hard on the pro teams. At least the Free division will be challenging, though with main/pro teams playing in Free it may frustrate newer teams...seems a little "Catch 22". Here's hoping for a better economy.

__________________


Hitman Smurf's Steam Profile

Graham

Points: 48,465, Level: 100

Activity: 75.8%

Exactly. On the bright side, this season's FREE division has done excellent.

Hitman Smurf

Points: 1,449, Level: 22

Activity: 0%

That's good news, I'm looking forward to playing in the next season...a quick question though, are teams persistent from season to season? My teammates can't get on the team since rosters are locked but I was wondering if once they are able will that team be there and we just join the season? It seems strange that you can't even see the team in a search. I'm used to CAL where you could create a team and add people and that team and see the team no matter the season (with the exception of roster locks). Maybe this is a question for another place and thread LOL

__________________


Hitman Smurf's Steam Profile

Graham

Points: 48,465, Level: 100

Activity: 75.8%

Haha no it's ok. Teams are persistent from season to season but they have to join each event. They aren't automatically placed in the next event. Rosters unlock each week starting Thursday at midnight and ending Sunday at midnight. You can't search for a team that hasn't played a match yet.

Hitman Smurf

Points: 1,449, Level: 22

Activity: 0%

So, on, say Friday, my teammates can join the team, even during the season, but when locked they can't? Then we join the season the next time it comes up? If they can't search for the team how can they join it?

__________________


Hitman Smurf's Steam Profile

Graham

Points: 48,465, Level: 100

Activity: 75.8%

Roster locks/unlocks are for teams within a season. They can't join your team until it is registered to an event. They will have to wait until the next event starts.

Hitman Smurf

Points: 1,449, Level: 22

Activity: 0%

That's what I didn't get...got it now, thanks.

__________________


Hitman Smurf's Steam Profile

wanderrful

Points: 5,158, Level: 49

Activity: 99.4%

egg on my face in this thread

Kermit

Points: 1,697, Level: 24

Activity: 24.2%

Cevo-Free is a success this season still, but Cevo-M is a failure. It's somewhat dead, with only 6 teams or so still actually scheduling matches. I don't think going from cevo-p to cevo-m was the best idea, but then again, with esea going on, I don't think many teams would play in cevo-p anyway.

Graham

Points: 48,465, Level: 100

Activity: 75.8%

Yea CEVO Free has definitely been a total success. We tried with Main but we should have just gone with only Free.

djfivenine

Points: 11,361, Level: 73

Activity: 3.0%

I was actually working on a blog about how much CEVO ruined a perfectly good Free season by ruining Cevo Main...

But I think there are some bigger people associated to CEVO on commfort and I am afraid that they might take away my posting rights.

Graham

Points: 48,465, Level: 100

Activity: 75.8%

Haha go ahead.