Shadow’s Trophy 2024
Regulations
Shadow's Trophy 2024 Online Time Attack Tournament Regulations.
The organizers of the Tournament are:
- And personally =[:)]=MI1T, =[:)]=Hellboy, 2BAG_Inferno, eekz, ICS_Vortex.
Special thanks go to the Eagle Dynamics studio for sponsorship, information and technical support of the Tournament.
Also, the organizers of the Tournament thank the 104th Phoenix VFBS squad and 104th Maverick personally for his help with the broadcasts.
Contents of the Regulations:
- Conditions of admission to the Tournament.
- Procedure for the Tournament and general provisions.
- Prize fund
- Acceptance of applications and registration of participants.
- Qualification.
- Final (Top-6).
- Rules for flights.
- Tournament Arbitration. Rights and obligations.
- Organizers. Rights and obligations.
- Participants of the Tournament. Rights and obligations.
- Internet resources used during the Tournament.
- Scheme of Shadow’s Trophy 2024 Race Track.
- Organizers contacts.
1. Conditions of admission to the Tournament.
1.1 Anyone who has the following software is allowed to participate in the Tournament:
- DCS World (release version, actual at the time of the Tournament);
- Purchased and installed one or more modules:
1.2 To avoid any fraud, one participant from one account (and, as a result, with one UCID) is allowed to participate in the Tournament.
Other players who use one account with one key to the modules (listed in clause 1.1) for several clients (and whose UCID is the same for all clients of one account) will not be allowed to participate in the Tournament.
2. The procedure for holding the Tournament and general provisions.
2.1 The competition allows flights on the following types of helicopters:
2.1.1 Helicopters:
- Mi-24P
- Ka-50 (all modifications)
- Mi-8MTV2
- UH-1H
- AH-64D
- SA342L
- OH-58D
- CH-47F
2.1.2 Aircrafts:
- F-14B
- F-15C
- F-15E
- F-16C
- F/A-18C
- M-2000C
- Su-27S
- Su-33
- J-11
- MiG-29A
- MiG-29S
- MiG-29G
2.2 The tournament runs from November 15th, 2024 till December 15th, 2024.
2.3 The Tournament is a series of timed flights (“Time Attack”) on the Tournament race track with a sequential order of passing checkpoints/gates (according to Section 12).
2.4 Stages of the Tournament:
- Qualification.
- Final (Top-6).
2.5 All aircraft in the Tournament are divided into four groups:
2.5.1 Group “A” includes:
- F-16C
- F-15C
- Su-27S
- J-11
- Su-33
- MiG-29A
- MiG-29S
- MiG-29G
2.5.2 Group “B” includes:
- AH-64D
2.5.3 Group “C” includes:
- F/A-18C
- F-14A
- F-14B
- F-15E
- M-2000C
2.5.4 Group “D” includes:
- Ka-50 (II)
- Ka-50 (III)
2.6 From the general list of all participants in the Qualification on all aircraft, a qualification grid for the Final is formed, into which 6 pilots with the best results among the aircraft of their group are selected (from each of the 4 groups).
2.8 After the announcement of the results of the Qualification, the selected pilots indicate on the VIRPIL Servers website the type of aircraft in which they will participate in the online part of the Tournament (in those groups where this is required). In the absence of information on changing aircraft, the player claims that the online part of the Tournament in the corresponding group will be held on the aircraft on which he showed his best qualifying result. It is prohibited to change the type of helicopter/jet during the Finals of the Tournament.
2.9 The online part of the Tournament is held in one stage for each of the 4 groups - the Final (Top-6).
2.10 Qualification runs from November 15th, 2024 to December 8th, 2024.
2.11 The final (Top-6) for each group is held on December 15th, 2024. This stage is the final one. The event will be streamed and a post-flight survey of pilots will be conducted live via voice communication.
2.12 Competitions are held in the mode of successive flights.
2.13 The order of flights is determined according to the times shown at the previous stage of the Tournament from worst to best:
- In the Final (Top-6) - according to the results of the Qualification.
2.14 The order of flights of groups in the Final:
- Group “A”
- Group “B”
- Group “C”
- Group “D”
2.15 The graphical progress of the participants (Tournament table) is displayed on the VIRPIL Servers portal.
2.16 Distribution of prize-winning places:
- The winner of the Qualification is the player who showed the best time in one of the groups;
- The first, second and third places in each group in the Tournament are taken by the participants who showed the three best results in the Final (Top-6), respectively;
2.18 The game server for the Tournament qualification is:
- VPC Europe Aerobatics & Tournaments (Beta)
(IP address 45.81.252.203:10316).
The list of servers and their purpose in the Tournament is not final and can be changed by the organizers during the Tournament.
2.19 The use of more than two smoke generators while flying on the tournament race traks during Qualifications and Finals is strictly prohibited. Violation of this prohibition will result in disqualification of the participant.
2.20 The voice server for communication between players and organizers during the Tournament is “VIRPIL Controls Community Servers” Discord Server.
2.21 The official languages of communication at the Tournament during Finals are Russian and English (international).
2.22 The final (Top-6) will be broadcast online on the YouTube channel "VIRPIL Controls" (Section 9).
3. Prize fund.
3.1 Qualification winners within one module are awarded coupons for the VIRPIL Controls webstore in the amount of 50€, valid for 3 (three) months.
3.2 Prize winners for 1st place in groups “A” and “C”:
Or coupons for the VIRPIL Controls store in the amount of 1000€, valid for 3 (three) months.
The champion in each group receives any 1 (one) module for DCS World developed by Eagle Dynamics studio to choose from. As prizes, participants will be able to select modules only developed by Eagle Dynamics studio. Third party modules are not included in the prize pool.
3.3 Prize winners for 1st place in groups “B” and “D”:
Or coupons for the VIRPIL Controls store in the amount of 1000€, valid for 3 (three) months.
The champion in each group receives any 1 (one) module for DCS World developed by Eagle Dynamics studio to choose from. As prizes, participants will be able to select modules only developed by Eagle Dynamics studio. Third party modules are not included in the prize pool.
3.4 Prize-winners for 2nd place in each of 4 groups:
Coupons for the VIRPIL Controls store worth €500, valid for 3 (three) months.
3.5 Prize-winners for 3rd place in each of 4 groups:
Coupons for VIRPIL Controls stores worth €200, valid for 3 (three) months.
3.6 Each Qualification participant can receive a coupon worth €5 in VIRPIL Controls webstores, valid for 3 (three) months.
3.7 More detailed information on the prize fund (the procedure for assigning it, conditions for issuing prizes and other additional information) is described in Appendix No. 1 to these Regulations.
4. Acceptance of applications and registration of participants.
4.1 Each player who wants to take part in the Tournament is required to go to any of the Tournament servers specified in clause 2.18, then complete the course to obtain a qualifying result. The number of qualifying attempts is not limited. Qualification is limited in time according to clause 2.10.
4.2 To confirm participation in the Tournament, after receiving the Qualification result, the pilot must go to the VIRPIL Controls Community Servers website and register on it, and also fill out the following fields when registering:
- Name
- Family name
- Language (English or Russian)
- Side
- Pilot photo*
- Squad*
- Squad logo*
- Age*
Fields marked with * are not required, but are recommended to be filled in.
From this moment on, the player is considered an official participant (of the Tournament), and his current and subsequent results are recorded by the Tournament organizers as entry results.
4.3 Registration of Qualification participants begins from the opening of the Tournament and occurs until December 8, 2024.
4.4 Upon completion of Qualification, pilots who have qualified for the next stage must confirm their participation in the Final by accepting the invitation in the “Notifications” section of the VIRPIL Controls Community Servers portal.
4.5 The final decision on continued participation or disqualification of a participant remains with the Chief Arbiter of the Tournament.
4.6 Confirmation of Final participants begins from the moment the Qualification closes and continues until December 12th, 2024.
4.7 The participant's game nickname must be unique and can consist of Latin (classical) and Russian characters (including numbers and special characters). Proper names, for example, “Alex”, “Dan”, “John”, etc. Simple nicknames are prohibited. Applications with simple nicknames will not be accepted for consideration and will not be included in the general list of registered participants.
5. Qualification.
5.1 Qualification is an online automated selection of participants to participate in the Final (Top-6).
5.2 Qualification runs from November 15, 2024 by December 8, 2024.
5.3 Qualification is held on the official DCS World servers of the event (clause 5.4). To participate in it, pilot must go through the race track according to the scheme (Section 11) with a final non-zero result. A non-zero result is considered to be crossing the finish line and obtaining the final time. The race result “DNF” (“Did Not Finish”) does not count.
5.4 Qualification Servers:
- VPC Europe Aerobatics & Tournaments (Beta)
(IP address 45.81.252.203:10316).
6. Final (Top-6). Flights with judging.
6.1 The game server for the face-to-face part of the Tournament is:
- VPC Europe Aerobatics & Tournaments (Beta)
(IP address 45.81.252.203:10316).
6.2 Two flights are carried out according to the course scheme (Section 11) with the best attempt counting.
6.3 If a pilot fails to show up at the start line within a certain time without explanation, the judge removes him from the competition.
6.4 If the pilot is limited by any circumstances in terms of time, he can apply for an earlier or later departure before the start of the online part of the Tournament, with the permission of the judge. The application must be communicated to the organizers via email or text message on Discord no later than December 13th. 2024 23:59 (UTC-0). Contacts of the Tournament organizers are in Section 12.
6.5 The maximum permissible ping of a participant during the Finals must not exceed 300 ms. If a participant exceeds the maximum ping value, he is not allowed to participate in head-to-head racing. In this case, the pilot will be given a technical defeat.
6.6 If a participant loses his connection to the server once during the race, he will be given a technical defeat in the race. If a race participant is unable to restore the connection to the server within 5 minutes, he is given a technical defeat at this stage of the Tournament.
6.7 Lags of participants (lags, trajectory stability, disappearance, etc.) and their impact on the course of the race are assessed by the Arbitrators and, by their decision, the participant may be given a technical defeat at the stage.
6.8 Race order:
- Before the start of flights, the participant and the Arbiter must be in the Discord voice communication system (in the “Race” channel; clause 2.19) and on the DCS World simulator server (clauses 2.18, 6.1) of the meeting;
- The arbitrator has the right to remind the participant of the basic flight rules and other excerpts from the Regulations at his discretion;
- The competitor must occupy the allocated slot and begin the race as soon as he receives a verbal/text command from the Referee;
- The initial recording of the lap time is done automatically using a script in the mission.
- Missing any gate is penalized with additional time according to the route diagram.
- Any adjustment of helicopter systems using standard simulator tools is allowed.
- Victory in the race is awarded by the Arbiter according to the best time shown through the mission script and in accordance with clause 2.16;
- At the end of the flights, the Arbiter gives a voice and/or text command and the participant becomes an observer.
6.9 In the Final (Top 6), if the helicopter receives damage, as well as failures and malfunctions, the following rules apply while passing the route:
- Partial loss of power, i.e. turning off one engine on twin-engine airplanes and helicopters while passing the route is not considered a malfunction resulting in the result of the attempt being reset to zero.
- After completing the course, the competitor must be able to make a soft landing (with minimal additional damage assessed by the referees). A plane or helicopter crash after crossing the finish line will result in the result being reset to zero.
- The final decision on the result of an attempt when situations described in this paragraph arise is made by the Chief Arbiter.
6.10 The start of the match occurs if the participant and Linear Referee are present in the Discord voice chat (Skype is used as a backup communication platform).
6.11 A participant on the Arbiter’s command takes a slot. Subject to the availability of free slots, and with the permission of the Arbitrators, a participant may occupy a slot in advance. For the VPC Jets Race Track, it is allowed to occupy slots at the Sochi-Adler airfield with the preparation (refueling) of the aircraft and subsequent taxiing to the takeoff area.
6.12 The arbitrator, by means of a verbal command, gives permission to “Take off when ready.” The time limit for taking off is 1 minute.
6.13 After the allotted time has expired or earlier, the participant must move to the starting area. Time limit for entering the zone from the moment of takeoff:
- For the VPC Helicopter Race Track - 60 seconds.
- For the VPC Jets Race Track - 110 seconds.
6.14 The referee verbally confirms permission for the pilot to begin passing the course and the referee records the start of the race (for example, “First qualifying attempt of pilot X”).
6.15 After completing the first attempt, the pilot is allowed to replace his helicopter by entering the spectators and occupying a slot, or proceed directly to the starting position. The procedures from clauses 8.4, 8.5 are carried out sequentially.
6.16 Each qualifying attempt continues until the mission script records the preliminary results or the participant’s helicopter crashes, including situations with errors in piloting and, as a result, a collision with the ground or landing on the ground. As well as the Arbiter’s commands in the voice chat: “Attempt completed, join spectators.”
6.17 After the race is completed, the Arbiter checks the exact time of the participant, determined by the mission script, taking into account the mistakes he made and generates the final time result of the flight.
6.18 The result is recorded in the score table.
7. Arbitration of the Tournament. Rights and responsibilities.
7.1 The Chief Arbiter of the Tournament is 2BAG_Inferno (Denis).
The following persons have been appointed as Linear Arbitrators:
1. =[:)]=Hellboy (Mikhail);
2. =[:)]=MI1T (Dmitry);
3. ROSS_Baron von Myakin;
7.2 The Tournament Arbitrators are responsible for the implementation of these Regulations by all Tournament participants.
7.3 The Chief Arbiter has the right to remove Linear Referees from work and is the highest authority in resolving disputes both between Linear Referees and between participants.
7.4 The Chief Arbiter may resolve conflict situations not covered by these Rules.
7.5 Arbitrators have the following rights:
- Issue warnings to participants in case of minor violations (no more than two warnings for the entire Tournament);
- To remove participants from the Tournament if their warning limits are exceeded;
- Suspend, without explanation, participants who grossly violated these Regulations (insults in chat, voice server Discord or Skype, etc.).
- In a disputable situation, the Arbitration Panel or one of the Arbitrators has the right to require additional data from the participant for objective control (including the flight track (*.trk) and other means available in DCS World);
- The Chief Arbiter has the right to consider and/or refuse to consider complaints from participants.
7.6 The arbitrators have the following duties:
- Monitor compliance with the rules constantly and impartially throughout the Tournament;
- The Panel of Arbitrators, along with the organizers, is obliged to keep a full record of the results of all matches on the VIRPIL Controls Community Servers website.
7.7 Mild violations are considered:
- Purposeful distortion of the language of communication in voice chat;
- Entering the match server with a nickname that does not match the one stated during registration. The use of nicknames containing technical words such as “Server”, “Admin”, similar ones and their variations.
- Leaving the cockpit and/or becoming an observer before the Arbiter’s command.
7.8 The following are considered gross violations:
- Ignoring the requirements of the Arbitrator located on the server;
- Entering the match server with a nickname containing a direct or indirect insult, being a curse word, or allowing for an ambiguous interpretation.
- Use of any modifications of the DCS World simulator and its modules.
- Intentional damage to track objects or aircraft of other participants.
- Clear and deliberate violation of the rules of the route.
8. Organizers. Rights and responsibilities.
8.1 Responsibilities of the organizers:
- Provide a platform (DCS server) for holding the Tournament (clause 2.16);
- Providing necessary information to participants through the VIRPIL Controls Community Servers website in a timely manner;
- Keep a complete record of the results of all matches on the VIRPIL Controls Community Servers website.
8.2 Organizers' rights:
- The organizers have the right to remove a participant from the qualification or in-person stages of the Tournament if serious violations are detected or in the event of actions that impede the conduct of the Tournament that are not described in these Regulations.
- The organizers have the right to end the Tournament early without distributing the prize fund in the event of circumstances beyond their control.
9. Participants of the Tournament. Rights and responsibilities.
9.1 Participants' rights:
- The participant has the right to appeal the decision of the Linear Arbiter by contacting (orally via the Discord voice system) the Chief Arbiter of the Tournament within an hour after the decision is made by the Linear Arbiter. In this case, the participant is obliged to clearly state the essence of the complaint. After this period, it is impossible to appeal the results.
9.2 Responsibilities of participants:
- Provide the required data upon registration in accordance with section 4;
- Provide data requested by the Arbitrators (panel of judges) in accordance with clause 7.5;
- Be ready to conduct the match at the time indicated by the Tournament schedule, including your own appearance, both in the Discord voice system and on the specified DCS World match server (clause 2.18).
- Be prepared for post-match interviewing with broadcasting of the interview to the target streaming services of the Tournament (clause 2.21, Section 10).
- Comply with the rules of staying on servers designated by the organizers as sites for holding stages of the Tournament.
9.3 Participants are prohibited from:
- In any means of communication officially used during the Tournament, insult in any way other participants of the Tournament.
- Show intolerance based on ethnic, religious or political views.
- Use an excessive number of messages in chats.
- Use public sections and chats to discuss personal issues.
10. Internet resources used during the Tournament.
- Virpil-servers.com — Website of the VIRPIL Controls Community Servers project
- Youtube.com — video hosting and online broadcasting service.
- VIRPIL Controls Community Servers — Discord. Voice communication program.
