News | July 27, 2008 10:48 pm

By zoboa

You have been clamoring for it, so now we are delivering. This August, XboxAmerica will be hosting its first ever Summer Tourney Series. We are going to do something a bit different though, as this will not be the usual one-and-done winner take all Tournaments that we have had in the past. This one will consist of not one, not two but FIVE[/b] mini-tournaments that will earn you points toward a drawing for a couple of real nice prizes. Every Saturday night in August, we will be running three gaming segments beginning at 9 pm, 10 pm and 11 pm EST. These will be run by Hektic and I along with other XbA staffers who will be mixed in both playing and assisting.

The Skinny:[/b]
What: XbA Summer Tourney Series
Where: XboxAmerica Chat room and Xbox Live
When: Each Saturday in August 2008 at 9, 10 and 11 p.m. EST
Who: Open to any member of XboxAmerica including staff and recent arrivals
Why: Accumulate points toward prize drawing at end of tourney series

Grand Prize: Microsoft 4,000 Point code
First Prize: Microsoft Xbox 360 Messenger kit

How to earn points:[/b]
Weekly Play 1 Pt
1st Place Avg 10 Pts
2nd Place Avg 9 Pts
3rd Place Avg 8 Pts
4th Place Avg 7 Pts
5th place Avg 6 Pts
6th Place Avg 5 Pts
7th Place Avg 4 Pts
8th Place Avg 3 Pts
9th Place Avg 2 Pts
10th+ Place Avg 1 Pt


We have selected five titles that most people should already own, and if not, should be able to rent without an issue. In addition, these titles (with the exception of UNO) allow for quite a few people in each session, so we can get as many people included as possible.

Games, date and scoring method:[/b]
Call of Duty IV (Aug 2nd) Avg Kills
UNO (Aug 9th) Avg Points
Halo 3 (Aug 16th) Avg Kills
Grand Theft Auto IV (Aug 23rd) Avg Money
Shadowrun (Aug 30th) Avg Kills

The details for each of the games settings will be announced during that week.


How it works:[/b]
There will be three sessions* during each hourly segment every Saturday night during the month of August. Anyone wishing to play should show up in the XboxAmerica chat room and identify themselves to the XbA staff as wanting to play. The staff will pick people in the order that they announce they wish to play and invite them to a session. If you show up late, or miss out, the staff may stick around and host another game after 11 pm, but I would encourage everyone to arrive early so we can get anyone in that wants to play. Depending on when you arrive in chat, you may have to wait until the next segment, but please be patient.

Each hourly segment will consist of three 10-minute sessions* (always deathmatch or vs.) with points awarded for the place of finish in each one. Each game will use a slightly different method for scoring, but the basic premise is the average of how you finish across all three sessions is how many points you earn. For example, your total amount of kills over all three sessions is added up and divided by three to get your average kills. Players across ALL segments are then ranked in order of their average kill total and assigned that many points based on the point distribution scale. So if after three Halo 3 deathmatch games you finish an average of third across all players that participated that evening, then you will earn 8 pts.

After 10th place, everyone will receive one point regardless of how they finished. However, dropping during a session will result in an automatic 0 for any subsequent sessions if you cannot find your way back in (the XbA staffer will try to invite you back).

How to Win:
For every 5 points you earn during the five-week Tourney Series, you will get one entry into the prize drawing. We will take your total accumulated points, divide by five and round to the nearest whole number. If you have 32 pts accumulated (divided by 5) that equals 6.4 chances which will be rounded to 6. However, if you have 38 pts (divided by 5) then that equals 7.6 and will be rounded to 8. There really is no fair way to do it, but if anyone shows up and participates all five weeks (no matter how bad you suck), they will have a minimum of 3 shots at 4000 MS points! Do well and earn more chances.

The grand prize and first place winners will be selected in a random drawing based off of the total amount of points accumulated by each player. Only one prize per person is allowed. The winners will be contacted through the XboxAmerica PM system and will have the prize shipped to them electronically (Grand Prize) or through the USPS or parcel service (First Prize.) Times, game titles, segments and sessions can change due to circumstances that are out of XbA staffs hands. Results will be posted within 48 hours of the Satrday evening sessions.

Please remember, even though there are some cool prizes available, this is a casual event that allows anyone that shows up for three events the chance to win a prize. We need your cooperation to make this a success and fun time.

If anyone has any questions, throw them in the thread and we will answer them. This is casual, so if we screwed up and missed something, let us know so we can get it updated.

Thanks,
Z, Hektic and the entire XbA staff

*UNO may require more sessions due to only four participants at a time

Keywords: None