Full Official Rules and Regulations

Digital Games Regional Qualifying Ladder – Command and Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath

Competition registration accepted between Friday, June 6, 2008 at 3:01 PM EST (GMT -08:00) and Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 11:59 PM EST (GMT -08:00). THERE IS NO ENTRY FEE TO PARTICIPATE OR WIN THIS COMPETITION.

Eligibility: Competition is open to any person who is 13 years of age or older at the time of registration. The Digital Games Qualifying Ladders are broken out by Region, and competitors are required to compete only in the Region where their country of residence is listed on the Digital Games site (http://digitalgames.ggl.com). Country of residence is defined as the country in which a competitor holds or can obtain a valid passport. The following are NOT eligible to participate or win awards: Employees of Digital Games sponsors (“Sponsors”) or Professional Interactive Entertainment, Inc. dba GGL (“Tournament Producer”), and their respective parent companies, affiliates and subsidiaries, their advertising and promotion agencies, their licensors, and their respective employees, individuals engaged in the development, production or distribution of materials for this Competition, persons who are immediate family of, dependents of (as defined by IRS regulations), or who live in the same household as any person in any of the above categories. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law or regulation.

How to Register to Play: Competitors must register online at http://digitalgames.ggl.com. Each participant MUST register individually and must accurately complete all required registration information. Once registered, individuals must join the competition Qualifying Ladder for the Region and Game in which they wish to compete. Competitors can compete in more than one Game, but only in one Region (see “Eligibility”). NOTE – due to the “ladder” format of the Competition, players may register and join the Competition after the Competition has begun, up to the end of the Regional Qualifying Ladder stage of the Competition. For team games, players must form squads of the appropriate size (see ”Match Squad Size” below) before they can begin competing. LIMIT: One (1) registration per person per Game. All registration information submitted becomes the property of Tournament Producer and will not be returned. Tournament Producer’s computer will be the official time clock for registration, and the official time zone for the Competition will be Eastern Standard Time.

English Language: This Competition is conducted in English (which will be given its everyday ordinary meaning), including all disputes and requests for support, and any and all disputes will be resolved subject to the laws of California.

How to Play: The Competition will begin on Friday, June 6, 2008 and will end in October, 2008. Only valid registered participants will be eligible to compete. Tournament Producer’s decisions are final and legally binding as they pertain to this Competition.

Tournament Stages: The tournament will consist of the following stages for each game:

-          Regional Qualifying Ladder (6/11/08 – 7/27/08)

-          Regional Final (mid-August through mid-September, 2008)

-          Global Final (for select games only, dates TBD)

For a detailed breakdown of the Competition Structure, which varies from Region to Region, see http://digitalgames.ggl.com.

Regional Qualifying Ladder: On Wednesday, June 11, 2008, valid registered players/squads will be able to begin joining the Regional Qualifying Ladder, and will be able to begin playing matches immediately. Players/squads will start with 1000 points and will gain points for playing and winning matches. Matches are best of 1 unless otherwise indicated in your game’s match settings.

-          60 points awarded for a win (regular win or forfeit win)

-          40 points awarded for playing (win or lose)

o        i.e. if you play and win you get a total of 100 points (60 + 40). If you play and lose you get 40 points.

-          25 points LOST if you decline a regular challenge (but there is NO penalty for declining an Instant Challenge)

-          50 points LOST if you forfeit a match

-          3-day “Challenge Active” period – this means that if you receive a challenge, you must respond (either by accepting or proposing alternate times) within 3 days or the challenge is automatically marked as a “Decline” and you lose 25 points (this does not apply to an Instant Challenge).

-          If you do not play a match or issue a challenge within 7 days, you are marked as inactive and you lose 100 points. You will continue to lose 100 points every 7 days that you remain inactive in the ladder. Once inactive, you can re-join the competition, but you will not be given back the points lost while inactive.

-          You can only challenge a particular player/squad once within 7 days.

-          You can only challenge other players/squads within a certain range of your spot in the ladder: either 20 spots up or 10 spots down in the ladder, OR within 20% of your points up the ladder or 10% of your points down in the ladder (in other words if you have 1000 points you can challenge players/squads up to 1200 points or down to 900 points).

Match Scheduling (Ladder): During the Regional Qualifying Ladder Stage, competitors schedule matches themselves through GGL’s ladder challenge tools. First, one player/squad challenges another player/squad in the ladder, proposing three dates/times for the match. The player/squad that receives the challenge then has the option of either accepting one of the proposed times, in which case the match is officially scheduled, or responding with three alternate times. If the original challenger does not agree to any of the alternate times, they may drop the challenge with no penalty, but if they accept one of the alternate times then the match is officially scheduled. “Instant Challenges” may be issued or declined with no penalty. Matches once scheduled can not be altered without the agreement of both players/squads and without notifying the Tournament Producer. Failure to show up to compete within 10 minutes of a scheduled match time will result in a forfeit loss (with point penalty) for the player/squad that does not show up, and a forfeit win for the player/squad that does. Declining a challenge without proposing alternate times will also result in a point penalty. Players/squads can challenge and play as often as they wish, and can play against players from any country within their Regional Qualifying Ladder, within the guidelines of the ladder rules.

Players/squads will forfeit their scheduled match if they are not present and ready to compete within ten (10) minutes of the scheduled time. The Tournament Producer will be the timekeeper, and the official time zone for the tournament will be Eastern Standard Time. *** NOTE – once a player is logged in, all times on the website appear in that player’s native time zone, chosen during the registration process. It is important that each player make sure he/she has set the correct time zone – players can edit their time zone through the “Edit Account” link.

Substitutions/Alternates/Ringers (team games only): Once a match begins, no substitutions are allowed. (Note: once the first map/race/song/venue is launched, that is considered the start of the match.) If a player(s) needs to be replaced due to console failure, hospitalization, or another serious incident occurs rendering a player (or players) unable to play, contact a Tournament Administrator to have that player replaced with another player on your Squad Roster. Only players on your Squad Roster on the Digital Games site are permitted to participate in a match in this competition. If an illegal player is used, the opposing team must notify a Tournament Administrator before the start of the match or else there will be no penalty for the duration of the match.

Match Format: During the Regional Qualifying Ladders, all matches will be a single map/race/song/venue only, unless otherwise indicated in your game’s match settings. In the event a map/race/song/venue ends in a tie, restart the same map/race/song/venue with the same game settings and continue to replay the map/race/song/venue until a winner is determined.

Game ID / Xbox Live Gamertag / PS Online ID: You MUST use a valid Game ID / Xbox Live Gamertag / PS Online ID (NO GUEST ACCOUNTS), and you must include your Game ID / Xbox Live Gamertag / PS Online ID in your GGL profile. DO NOT change your Game ID / Xbox Live Gamertag / PS Online ID during the tournament. If you change your Game ID / Xbox Live Gamertag / PS Online ID without permission from a Tournament Administrator, you may be suspended or banned from the Competition.

Match Hosting: The host must be agreed upon by all players. You may test all hosts until the best one has been determined. The host must be one of the players participating in the match. Default hosting rule: During the Regional Qualifying Ladders, the player/squad who received the challenge will host the match. Optional hosting rule: If one of the players has an excellent connection that all of the players ping fairly to, both players/squads may agree to use that host for the duration of the match. The player/squad that received the challenge or is the higher seed still counts as host whether or not they were the agreed upon host for the purpose of choosing sides, if applicable (i.e. If Team1 received the challenge but Team2 is the agreed upon host, Team2 still chooses which side to play first).

Sides (if applicable): If the game requires both players/squads to play as different sides, the player/squad who does not host chooses which side they would like to play first.

Match Interruption: If any player loses his/her connection before the map/race/song/venue starts (during map/race/song/venue load time for example) or before any scores are recorded (kills, captures, tickets, etc.), restart the map/race/song/venue once the player has rejoined the game lobby or (for team games) a substitute from the squad’s official roster has joined. In a team game, if a player loses his/her connection mid-game, continue playing as normal. If the host drops, the hosting player/squad will receive a forfeit for that map/race/song/venue. In a 1v1 game, if a player loses his/her connection mid-game, the player will receive a forfeit for that map/race/song/venue.

Player/Squad Agreements: Any agreements made between players/squads to change the rules (i.e. to play under different settings, use a different map/race/song/venue, etc.) before, during, or after a match will result in an automatic forfeit for both teams.

Lag Test Round and Internet Issues: Due to the unpredictable nature of the Internet, it is highly recommended that players/squads start a test game for about two full minutes to test the host’s connection and make sure the game settings are correct. If a host is unacceptable, continue testing connections until one can be found. Once the official match has started, any lag issues that arise are to be considered out of players control and the match should continue as normal.

Save Replays/Screenshots: If the game allows it, players/squads must save a replay of the match and/or screenshot of the final result screen, and upload it on the “Match Details” page.

Match Disputes: Players must provide some sort of proof (picture, video, replay file, etc.) along with their match disputes. Failure to do so may render your dispute invalid. If there is an issue before the match starts (i.e. the other team is using a ringer), contact a Tournament Administrator immediately. Choosing to continue to play the match may render the dispute invalid.

Glitches/Exploits: Players are forbidden from using any game or hardware glitches or exploits to gain or attempt to gain an advantage. If an area/action within the game is accessible only due to an exploit or bug in the game, then that area/action is off limits. If a player uses such an area/action, the Tournament Administrator may incur a suitable penalty which may include a forfeit of the match or a disqualification from the tournament. If you are unsure whether an area/action is considered off limits, ask a Tournament Administrator before your match. Use of any glitch or exploit will result in a forfeit loss and potential suspension or banning (for the player and/or the entire squad) from the Competition, at Tournament Producer’s discretion.

Settings: Any setting not listed below should be left at default

Map/Race/Song/Venue Selection: During the Regional Qualifying Ladders, the GGL Competition system will randomly assign a map/race/song/venue from the Map/Race/Song/Venue Pool below to each officially scheduled match. Map/race/song assignments will be posted on the “Match Details” page for each match.

*** Tournament Producer may change the Game Settings & Specifications as needed.

ALL GAME MATCHES MAY BE MONITORED BY THE TOURNAMENT PRODUCER. IN ADDITION, THE TOURNAMENT PRODUCER MAY VERIFY AND/OR CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION INTO ANY AND ALL ASPECTS OF THE TOURNAMENT TO VERIFY ELIGIBILITY AND/OR FULL COMPLIANCE WITH THE RULES. EACH COMPETITOR AGREES THAT ANY AND ALL GAME PLAY MAY BE RECORDED AND USED BY TOURNAMENT PRODUCER, ITS WEBSITES, AND AFFILIATED NETWORKS.

IN THE EVENT OF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING, ANY PLAYER (AND THE PLAYER’S ENTIRE SQUAD) MAY HAVE THEIR REGISTRATION(S) DELETED, MAY BE DISQUALIFIED AND/OR MAY FORFEIT THEIR ELIGIBILITY, AWARDS AND/OR TOURNAMENT STATUS IN THE SOLE DISCRETION OF THE TOURNAMENT PRODUCER WITH OR WITHOUT WARNING:

-          Providing inaccurate, improper, and/or incomplete information in connection with the process(es) of registration, logging in, game setup, issuing or receiving challenges, match scheduling, gameplay, statistical reporting, normal operation of software and/or hardware, score reporting, rankings, brackets, any tournament logistics and/or other aspects of the Tournament (the “Processes”).

-          Duplicate registrations and/or other abuse of the Processes.

-          Players selecting USERNAMES and/or providing any information, text, and/or other content that the Tournament Producer, in its sole discretion, determines are offensive and/or otherwise inappropriate.

-          Any successful and/or unsuccessful attempt to cheat, tamper, gain an unfair advantage, manipulate, hack, stall, delay, expedite, bypass, modify or make any unauthorized and/or improper modifications to the Processes and/or the gameplay.

-          Any intentional or unintentional disconnecting of an internet connection, power source or other electronic malfunction, power outage or other natural or unnatural act which causes the Processes and/or gameplay to be interrupted, delayed or otherwise adversely affected.

-          Any utilization of 3rd party hardware peripherals to gain an unfair advantage, or acting in an unsportsmanlike and/or disruptive manner, as determined in the sole discretion of the Tournament Producer.

-          Any player’s inability, failure and/or refusal to provide verification of full compliance with the Rules and the Processes.

-          Any player’s inability, failure and/or refusal to fully participate in and/or cooperate in connection with any investigation or inquiry into compliance with the Rules and Processes which may be undertaken by the Tournament Producer in its unrestricted and sole discretion. The foregoing shall include, without limitation, any request by the Tournament Producer that any player provide a written, notarized declaration under penalty of perjury of the laws of the State of California and the United States of America.

-          The existence, adoption, modification, legislation, amendment, and/or enforcement of any applicable statute, ordinance, regulation, administrative and/or judicial ruling and/or determination by any government entity that the Tournament, any of the Rules herein, or any of the Processes, are unlawful, restricted by applicable law and/or contrary to the public policy of any applicable governing body. In event of the foregoing, the Tournament Producer shall have the option of disqualifying any and/or all players, and terminating the Tournament and not awarding Prizes with or without notice in the Tournament Producer’s absolute and sole discretion.

-          Players/squads can earn Digital Games Regional Medals by finishing as the top-ranked (Gold Medal), second-ranked (Silver Medal), or third-ranked (Bronze Medal) player/squad in the Regional Final. For a detailed breakdown of the Competition Structure, which varies from Region to Region, see http://digitalgames.ggl.com.

-          Players/squads can earn Digital Games Regional Medals by finishing as the top-ranked (Gold Medal), second-ranked (Silver Medal), or third-ranked (Bronze Medal) player/squad from their country in the Regional Qualifying Ladder (if there is no Regional Final) OR by finishing first, second, or third in the Regional Final (if there is one). For a detailed breakdown of the Competition Structure, which varies from Region to Region, see http://digitalgames.ggl.com.

-          Players/squads can earn invitations to the Digital Games Global Final to be held in China in October as part of the Our Olympic Organizing Committee’s welcome events hosted by the China Government. For each game, we will select one platform to advance to the live Digital Games Global Final in China. For example, if a game is available on the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, we will hold a Regional Qualifying Ladder for each of those three platforms, but only one will advance to the live Global Final in China. Invitations do not include airfare, hotel, or other travel assistance/funding – invited players will be responsible for arranging their own travel to the Digital Games Global Final.  The first-, second-, and third-ranked players at the end of the Digital Games Global Final will win Digital Games Global Medals (Gold, Silver, and Bronze).

-          Additional awards can be earned for various activities within the Digital Games websites – see http://digitalgames.ggl.com for details.

All expenses not stated in these Official Rules are solely the responsibility of the winner. Winners may not substitute, assign or transfer awards, but Tournament Producer reserves the right, in its sole discretion to substitute award with another award of equal or greater value should the advertised award become unavailable for any reason. Any player under 18 who is invited to attend a Digital Games live event, including the Digital Games Global Final, must be accompanied by a parent or designated adult guardian. Any player who is invited to attend a Digital Games live event, including the Digital Games Global Final, will be responsible for obtaining all documents and permissions to travel (i.e. passports, visas, etc.). Due to the long lead time to obtain some such documents or permissions, competitors are strongly encourage to obtain them immediately if there is any chance they will attend a Digital Games live event.

Winner Releases: Each award winner will be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, any proof of eligibility requested by Tournament Producer, Liability Release and, where lawful, Publicity Release forms. All executed documents must be received by Tournament Producer or its designated agent within ten (10) days of notification or an alternate winner may be selected. If this is the case, the player/squad who finished next after the award winner will be declared the alternate winner. If an award winner fails to comply with these Official Rules, cannot be located or reached, has provided an incorrect email or mailing address, is determined to be ineligible or not in compliance with these Official Rules, declines or fails to claim the award for any reason, or if the award notification is returned as undeliverable, such entrant and his/her entire squad will forfeit their opportunity to collect the award and an alternate winner will be selected. Acceptance of an award constitutes permission for Sponsors, Tournament Producer, and their respective advertising and promotion agencies to use winner’s name, voice and likeness, along with his or her address (limited solely to city and state) and the right to use and publish their scores, proper name and any statements made or attributed to such winner (collectively, the "Attributes") in any and all media, unless prohibited by law. This will include but is not limited to media now known or hereafter devised, without notice, review or approval, in perpetuity and throughout the universe for advertising and promotional purposes in connection with the Competition without further compensation, and releases Sponsors and Tournament Producer, from all claims arising out of the use of such Attributes.

By entering this Competition, entrants release and hold harmless Sponsors, Tournament Producer and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, franchisees, directors, officers, share holders, employees, agents and advertising and promotional agencies from any and all liability or any injuries, loss or damage of any kind arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from or in connection with this Competition or any related activity, or the use, misuse of any award received, or for any typographical or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of any award. Entrants agree to abide by these official rules and the Tournament Producer’s decisions, which are final.

Online General Rules & Miscellaneous:

Verification of all game matches and conduct of all match games are under supervision of the Tournament Producer. Sponsors and Tournament Producer are not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email or registration to be received or sent by Sponsors and Tournament Producer as a result of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or by human error which may occur in the ability to enter a participant’s entry, or any combination thereof, or otherwise, including any injury or damage to entrant’s or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in the Competition. Persons found tampering with or abusing any aspect of this Competition, as solely determined by the Tournament Producer, will be disqualified. If disqualified for any of the above abuses, Sponsors and the Tournament Producer reserve the right to terminate entrant’s eligibility to participate in the Competition. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE COMPETITION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSORS AND TOURNAMENT PRODUCER RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. In the event any portion of the Competition is compromised by virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention, fraud, technical failure or other causes beyond the control of the Sponsors or Tournament Producer which, in the sole opinion of the Tournament Producer, corrupts or impairs the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper play of the Competition, Sponsors and Tournament Producer reserve the right in their sole discretion to cancel, modify, suspend or terminate the Competition and not award Awards.

TAXES: All taxes on prizes/awards are solely the responsibility of the winner.

WINNERS LIST/OFFICIAL RULES: For a Winners List or a copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope in a separate first-class stamped envelope to: Winners List or Official Rules (designate which), Digital Games Tournament, c/o GGL, 12950 Culver Blvd., Suite 160 Los Angeles, CA 90066. Requests must be received by December 31, 2008. Official Rules will also be available on http://digitalgames.ggl.com.

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