Editing GU League

[[Image:GUMatch.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A GU match in progress. ]]

=GU League Info=


===General Info===

The GU League is currently the most successful and active BZFlag league. It launched on January 23rd 2005, and since then has recorded over [http://gu.bzleague.com/index.php?link=fights 21,100 matches]. There are currently [http://gu.bzleague.com/index.php?link=teams 28 teams], 20 of which are active. There are over [http://gu.bzleague.com/index.php?link=players 350 players] representing 47 different countries. All matches are played on the [[Hix]] map. (Statistics as of June 2, 2010)

The GU League offers challenging competition and includes some of the top BZFlag players. New players learn fast by getting involved in fun matches and by watching other players. People from all age groups play and many are willing to help new players get started.

Make sure to visit the [http://my.bzflag.org/bb/viewforum.php?f=103 official GU League forum] and read the "sticky" threads at the top of the page. They contain a lot of important information.

=Playing in GU=

For players that are new to BZFlag, it is recommended to check out the [[Getting_Started|Getting Started]] page. A [[Getting_Started#Registering_a_callsign.28Optional.29|globally registered name]] is required for league play.

A player can then [http://gu.bzleague.com/index.php?link=register register in the league] using the same name. One of the [http://gu.bzleague.com/index.php?link=contact GU League Admins] must be contacted with a request to be added to the [http://my.bzflag.org/bb/memberlist.php?mode=group&g=20506 gu.league spawnlist] on the BZBB forums. This will allow the player to spawn and talk on league servers.

==Rules and Guidelines==

The league keeps very high standards of behavior and sportsmanship. So check these rules before doing anything else:

*Match disturbance, player harassment, language, cheat accusations in public (1 day -7 days ban)
*Using cheats on public servers or in other leagues (6-9 months)
*Using cheats in the GU league (1 year to life)

These are subject to change, so please always check the [http://gu.bzleague.com/index.php?link=rules GU Rules page] directly.

===Fun Matches===

A good way to get started in the league is to play fun matches (typically abbreviated as 'fm'). These types of matches are very popular. Only official matches are entered into the website, so there is less pressure during a fun match. Players do not have to be in a team, and players from specific league teams don't have to play on the same color.

Fun matches can also have additional players join during play.  Make sure that the current players don't mind before joining a match. Players should '''self-kill''' by shooting while facing a wall or self-destructing with the delete key. This ensures there is not an unfair advantage due to initially spawning on the team base. The phrase "sk please" is used quite often to request that someone self-kills.

Fun matches are not to be reported.

===Teams, Matching & Reporting===

So, you've registered and want to get some action? First of all, you're going to need a team. You can join a team by visiting the [http://gu.bzleague.com/index.php?link=teams teams] page and hitting the "Join" button next to the team, that is, if the team is open to anyone. Most teams however, are closed and can only be joined by invitation sent from the team leader. 
Usually you will always find some teams that are interested in new and active players. If you want to contact the leader of a team or the team itself, use the "BZMail" option that can be found at the top or bottom of any Team/Player profile page.  
Don't be discouraged if the first couple of requests get turned down, most teams like to get to know the players before they accept them into their team. But it's easy to establish yourself within the GU community. You can get to know players best by playing fun matches, spending time on the various public servers and talking to others in Observer during matches. It's a learning by doing system. 

Once you've found and joined a team you like you can immediately start matching! There are some rules you should take into account before doing so though. 

===Official Matches===

Basic commands needed during official matches:

* '''/countdown''' - Start the 30 minute match timer.
* '''/countdown pause''' - Pause the match timer. Should not be abused and should only be used when necessary. (E.g. a player has to stop for a moment, etc.)
* '''/countdown resume''' - Resume the match timer and allow the match to continue.
* '''/gameover''' - This will abruptly end the match at any given time. (Do not abuse! Ending a match with out any notice will most certainly lead to a ban)

Guidelines:

* Do not start the match timer before all participating players are ready and make sure everyone has agreed on playing an official match. 
* Make sure all players agree with opponents lag before starting the match. It is frowned upon to start a match and realize half way in that the lag is unplayable.
* Everyone participating should either able to finish the match or have a substitute available in case. 
* Make sure the server is an official GU League match server.
* If a player goes [NR] (which means they are 'Not Responding', thus have lost their connection to the server somehow), pause the match and wait for a substitute or for the player to rejoin
* Make sure everyone is ready for a substitute before it happens to prevent major chaos in the match.
* If two more players want to join from the respective teams, make sure everyone is prepared and has said yes to the addition of players.
* Pick a server closest to the majority of players. If it is a half/half case, just agree on one. 

If for some reason a match has to be canceled, make sure a player of both teams somehow saves score, remaining time, position of flags/players. (Easiest by taking a screenshot - hit F5)
When the match can be resumed later, adjust the timer to the remaining time the match was stopped at. Use the /timelimit <minutes go here> command to adjust the timer before a match.

===Entering/Reporting official matches===

After you've successfully played an official match, you need to either report the match to one of the [http://gu.bzleague.com/index.php?link=contact referees (aka 'refs') or admins] by BZMail on the GU site, or just have a present ref/admin enter it. When reporting by BZMail, you '''must''' include: Teams, Score, Time, Date.

==Official league servers==

It is very important that you only play official matches on the official league servers.

Here's a list of the servers and their respective location. 


'''Europe:'''

* brad.guleague.org: 5158
* bzf.guleague.org: 5158
* dub.guleague.org: 59997
* longdon.guleague.org: 5158
* destroyer.guleague.org: 5158

'''America:'''

* quol.guleague.org: 5158 (Canada)
* quol.guleague.org: 5157
* my.inexplicably.org: 5158 (Texas, USA)

The replay servers can be found on port 5159, except for dub.guleague.org: 59996

If a match is not played on one of these servers, than it cannot be counted as official.

===Replays===

Every match, official or fun, is automatically recorded and saved to the respective replay server. Some servers have websites where the replay file, time, date and players are posted.

* http://longdon.guleague.org/
* http://destroyer.guleague.org/
* http://bzf.guleague.org/matchlist.html
* http://quol.bzflag.bz/bzmatches/ (New design!)

You can find help on how to get a replay start and running on the servers but here's a quick summary:

#Find the replay file you want by either using the above mentioned web-sites or by using
##/replay list -n (if possible, will display a list of recent replays in chronological order)
##/replay list *10042009* (will show you all replays played on April 10th, 2009)

#Once you've found your replay file
##/replay load #index number

Use /replay skip + or - <amount of seconds> to navigate within a replay
Use /replay pause and /replay resume to pause and resume a replay

===Public Servers===

Along with the various official servers, there are quite a few public servers set up using either identical or similar settings to the league. Players usually meet up there to get warm and just shoot around before or after a match. Anyone can play there, regardless of being registered in the league or not. All of these public servers are running the HiX map, some are CTF and some are just FFA. 

List of popular HiX public servers:

* bzf.bzflag.net:5154 [FFA - HiX map]
* bzf.bzflag.net:5155 [4-Team CTF HiX] 
* bzf.bzflag.net:5160 [2-Team CTF HiX]
* quol.guleague.org:5156 [2-Team CTF HiX]

=Settings and Options=

A big part of the GU league, is being able to compete. But the premise for that, is having good settings that will make things like dodging, shooting and jumping a lot easier. A very large amount of the GU players use mouse and only a dozen keyboard. If you are just starting out, I would recommend you try playing with mouse first, as many things will be easier to do later on.
In this game, it's impossible to become the best dodger, jumper and shooter at the same time. These are two if not three completely different types of playing that require many different settings. 

Most of the setting adjustment is done by the [[Config_File]], as you can not exercise all your possibilities in the GUI options. You can find a lot of detailed information by using the [http://my.bzflag.org/bb/search.php Search option on BZBB]. Many players have posted their personal configs and other tips there. 

For mouse players, these individual playing styles, also mean individual mouse settings. Mousebox size, mouse DPI, mouse sensitivity are all crucial. Usually slower mouse settings and a big mouseboxsize, will enable you to be a better jumper and or shooter, while fast, sensitive, precise mouse settings and a small to even negative mouseboxsize will be enable you to dodge better. 
Next to all the native options, some players use mouse enhancement applications, see [http://my.bzflag.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=13245 Whitelist] for further info.

Very experienced players however, are known to be able to jump, shoot and dodge with extreme precision. So, no setting in the world is going to help, if you don't practice and play enough.


=Stats=

You might have asked yourself how you're supposed to find other players online if you want to arrange a match. 
There are some very useful BZStats and Player checkers that are have been useful to the whole community for years.

#The general BZStats checker that Strayer coded shows a massive amount of information on everything BZFlag related.
##http://bzstats.strayer.de
##http://bzstats.strayer.de/leagues/gu/online/?lang=en (that shows all current GU players that are online)

#The second checker is Saturos' GU League Checker
##http://guc.saturos.de (V.1)
##http://guc.phago.de (Beta V.2, this version is still in the makes but already has many features and fixes that V.1 does not)
The GUC displays all main Public and Official GU League servers with scores, players, timer and teams. (Very useful for following matches without opening a client)

=Abbreviations you should know=

As mentioned already above, there are some abbreviations used very often in the league. If you haven't already, check out [[Jargon]] for more non-league specific abbreviations and Jargon. Below are some league specific abbreviations. Note that this is not a complete list, just the most common terms you should know in order to prevent confusion between players or in a match.

<properties>
offi=Referring to an official match. ("offi?" means somebody wants to play an official match)
fm=Referring to fun match. ("fm?" means somebody wants to play a fun match)
sk=Selfkill. (Expression often used when new players join an already running fun match. New players should kill themselves once immediately after spawning.)
tk=Teamkill. (More frequently used outside of league play too)
def=Defense. Your flag is under immediate attack or about to be taken. Watch out for yours!
att=Attack. Focus on getting your opponents flag.
gs, ns, n1, g1=Good shot, nice shot, nice one, good one. Frequently used when a player does something that the other regards as nice or skillfull.
ty, thx=Thank you. Thanks.
hf, gl=Have fun, good luck.Usually always said to the opposing team before a match starts
gg=Good game. Usually said by all participating players after a match has ended.
</properties>

[[Category:Leagues]]