Help - Game Play

Playing on SkillGround

To begin playing, you must:

1. Enter a Game page by clicking on a game link from the Home page.
2. Select a Play Mode (Head-To-Head, Multiplayer, Team Play, Quick Play, or Tournament) to enter the lobby.*
3. Challenge an opponent or join a match/tournament.

* If not already logged in, you will be required to log in.
The game lobbies are where players gather and play against each other in matches and tournaments. In each game lobby, players can switch between all the other available Play Modes via tabs.

Once you are in the lobby of your preferred game and play mode, keep in mind these important criteria before participating in a match or tournament:

Skill Rating:

This is an indicator of the relative skill of a player. The higher the rating, the higher the level of ability of that player.

1. We recommend challenging players of similar skill in Head-To-Head mode (with a rating no more than 100 points higher than yours).
2. In other play modes, pay attention to the rating limit set for the match or tournament. If it is set too high, we don't recommend that you join it.

Ping Time:

The Ping Time (or Ping), measured in milliseconds, can be thought of as the time that your computer takes to send a message to SkillGround and back again. The lower this number is, the better the game performance will be. High ping times translate to reduced responsiveness or ‘laggy’ games. Some SkillGround games are able to compensate for high latency connections by slowing down game time to improve the game's fairness and smoothness. Try to play opponents with ping times within 50-100 milliseconds of yours, thereby ensuring that you will not be at a disadvantage due to poor game performance.

Match Preference:

These settings can be adjusted by each player to announce their match preference to other players. Some players like to play for cash prizes, others do not. Some players like to play on certain maps with certain characters or vehicles, etc... This is only a guideline for challengers and may be the reason why a player is not accepting your challenge.

Availability:

It is also important to remember that at any time you can disable incoming challenges by deselecting the “Enable Incoming Challenges” check box. Disabling incoming challenges means that others cannot challenge you. Just remember to check it back when you’re ready to be challenged, otherwise players will not be able to challenge you to a match. This box automatically checks if you issue a challenge.

Play Modes

The previous section explains how to select a play mode to enter a game lobby. This section will explain how to actually play in the mode you have selected.

There are 6 play modes available on SkillGround - Head-To-Head, Multiplayer, Teamplay, Quickplay, Tournament, and Practice. Each play mode is found in its own lobby, with the exception being the Live lobby for ToCA.

Head-To-Head

Head-To-Head is one of the Play Modes available on Skillground. In every Head-To-Head lobby, you will see a list of players ready to play the game. Available players have “Challenge” listed as their status. To participate in a match, you must either send an opponent a challenge or accept one that you received.
Follow the instructions below to start playing head to head:
·  Send A Challenge:

• Choose an opponent by clicking on “Challenge” beside their username.
• Enter the terms of the challenge (Map/Course, Entry Fee, etc…) and send the challenge to your opponent when you are ready.
• If accepted, the game will launch and your match will begin.
• If you received a counter offer, review the terms and make sure it is acceptable.
• If your challenge was declined or your challenge timed out, return to the lobby and try a different opponent.

Important: Review the match preferences of players before sending challenges. By sending a challenge with terms suitable to your opponent, your chance of getting a match started is greatly increased.
·  Receive a Challenge:

• If you have received a challenge, review the terms (Map/Course, Entry Fee, etc…) and make sure it is acceptable to you.
• If you accept the challenge, the game will launch and your match will begin.
• If, however, you are prepared to play the opponent under different terms, click on “Modify Challenge” to send your opponent a counter offer.
• • Make your changes to the terms of the challenge and send the challenge to your opponent.
  • If accepted, the game will launch and your match will begin.
  • If your counter offer is declined, return to the lobby and try a different opponent.
• If you decline the challenge, try challenging a different opponent to a match with your terms.

Multiplayer

A Multiplayer match is a 3-8 player mode where players compete against each other in a race track or golf course for the highest score. You can either join a Multiplayer match or create your own.
Follow the instructions below to start playing:

·  Join a Multiplayer match:

• If you find a Multiplayer match that you are interested in joining, review the terms (Track/Course, Entry Fee, Rating Limit, Time Limit, etc…) and the participants who already joined, and make sure it is acceptable to you.
• Click  the “Join” button to join the match.
• Wait until the player minimum is met. If you find that players are not joining, you may return to the lobby and try to join a different match.
• Once the player minimum is met, the match is set to begin. A countdown will begin to allow the match to fill up. The game will then load, and your match will begin.

·  Create a Multiplayer match:

• In the “Create a Match” panel, located below the list of Multiplayer matches, you can enter the terms of your match (Track/Course, Entry Fee, Rating Limit, Time Limit, etc…).
• You will automatically become the first participant in the match that you have created.
• Wait until the player minimum is met. If you find that players are not joining, you may return to the lobby and try a different match.
• Once the player minimum is met, the match is set to begin. A countdown will begin to allow the match to fill up. The game will then load, and your match will begin.

Live

A Live match is a 2-8 player mode where players compete against each other on a race track. You can either join a Live match or create your own. Follow the instructions below to start playing:

·  Join a Live match:

• If you find a Live match that you are interested in joining, review the terms (Track, Entry Fee, Rating Limit, etc…) and the participants who already joined, and make sure it is acceptable to you.
• Click the “Join Match” button to join the match.
• Wait until the player minimum is met. If you find that players are not joining, you may return to the lobby and try to join a different match.
• Once the player minimum is met, the match is set to begin. A countdown will begin to allow the match to fill up. The game will then load, and your match will begin.

·  Create a Live match:

• In the “Create a Match” panel, located above the list of Live matches, you can enter the terms of your match (Track, Entry Fee, Rating Limit, etc…).
• Once the terms of the match have been selected, click the "Create Match" button, and you will automatically become the first participant in the match that you have created.
• Wait until the player minimum is met. If you find that players are not joining, you may return to the lobby and try a different match.
• Once the player minimum is met, the match is set to begin. A countdown will begin to allow the match to fill up. The game will then load, and your match will begin.

• Join a Team:

• Create a Team

Quick Play

Each SkillGround  game has a Quick Play mode, where players try to maximize their score by competing against AI-driven “bots”, racing against the clock or shooting the lowest golf score.  The final score earned is then compared to the scores of other players in their Skill  Rating range. Each player is assured a fair game – no random elements affect the player’s outcomes, and success is based entirely on the skill of each player.

When joining a Quick Play game, SkillGround will attempt to group you into an existing match that requires additional opponents to start.  To ensure fairness, SkillGround attempts to match you with other opponents closest to your own skill rating.  If no such matches are found, you’ll be placed into a new match, and SkillGround will then try to find opponents that match your skill level. 

Important: In the rare occurrence that a match is not found within 12 hours, the game is cancelled and your entry fee is refunded.

In Quick Play lobbies, you will see a list of all the available games you can join, along with the settings for each game.  The number of opponents you’ll be measured against is also listed in the lobby.  Remember:  the more participants in a game, the greater the prizes to be won!

Join a Quick Play Game:

• If you find a Quick Play game that you want to join, review the settings of the game in which you will be playing (Map/Course, Difficulty, Game Mode, Number of Laps or Available Weapons, etc.)
• Also review the terms of the game (Entry Fee, Game Duration/Number of Holes, and Prize Fund) and the number of participants you will be comparing your score against, and make sure they are acceptable to you.
• Click the “Play Now” button to start the game.
• The game will launch, and then your match will begin.

Once your match is completed, your score will be compared to the opponents in your pool.

• If the game is still in progress, you can view your ranking in a current standing page, available under “My Games” in the “My Account” section.
• If the game has completely finished, final results are available in Transaction History in the “My Account” section when all opponents have completed their game.

Important:  Because these games aren’t played simultaneously, declaring a winner may take several minutes or hours, depending on how long it takes for the requisite number of players necessary to complete a game session to play the game.  During this time, you can play other games or tournaments.

Tournaments

Tournaments are similar to Quick Play games – players still play against “bots”, race against the clock, or play golf for the best score possible.  The difference is that players can rejoin the same tournament over and over in order to improve their score – as long as it’s within the set tournament time limit.

Important:  Only your highest score qualifies you for a prize and determines how many Experience Points you will earn. For example, if you participate in a tournament multiple times, and achieve the three highest scores, your top score is the only one eligible for a prize.

Match sizes in tournaments are not fixed – an unlimited number of players can join in before the expiry of the set tournament time limit.  The number of prizes awarded is based on a percentage of the number of players who join up. All Prize Funds available to be won are guaranteed. 

There are two types of Tournaments available at SkillGround:  those with fixed Prize Funds, and those where the Prize Fund grows with each entry fee paid.  These latter Tournaments are referred to as Progressive Tournaments and are indicated by the word “Progressive” in their titles in the Tournament Lobbies.  Progressive Tournaments have this name because amount of the prizes gets progressively larger as more people join. In Progressive Tournaments, the more players, the more prizes and the bigger the prizes become. Here’s how Progressive Tournaments work :

• Each tournament starts off with a guaranteed minimum amount of prizes to be won.
• Players then start joining the tournament, with 25% of every player’s entry fee being added into the Prize Fund for that Progressive Tournament. The other 75% of the entry fee is credited to SkillGround against the guaranteed prize amount.  No matter what the size of the prize pool, prizing will never be below the guaranteed minimum.
• Once the amount of money collected by SkillGround is equal to the minimum Prize Fund that it is guaranteeing, 75% of each subsequent entry fee is added to the Prize Fund for that Progressive Tournament and the remaining 25% of the Entry Fee is paid to SkillGround as its fee in hosting the Tournament.
• Prizes are awarded no later than 30 minutes after a tournament ends.

Tie Breaking

In the event of a tie game: In UTour Golf, the winner will be the player who has achieved the highest Bonus Score.  A player’s Bonus score in a UTour Golf match is determined by a formula which emphasizes consistency (number of Greens-In-Regulation, putting accuracy and fairway accuracy) with a tip of the hat to showmanship (average driving distance).  For more information click here.

Quick Play games have their own scoring and tie-breaking rules, described in each game’s rules (click on the link “Game Rules” under “Help Topics” on the left-hand side of each game’s lobbies).  Scores in Tournaments are calculated the same way, although you can compete in a Tournament more than once in an effort to improve your score.

Points to consider:

1. Skill Ratings don’t win games, skill wins games. It is ultimately up to you and your performance in any given match regardless of the Skill Rating of you and the other players you are competing against.
2. Differences in Skill Rating reflect your estimated chance to win a match against a person based on your respective playing histories. If you play against a player with an equal Skill Rating, statistically, you will have a 50% chance of winning (reflecting the odds of winning against an equally skilled player).  For every 60 rating points you have, greater than or less than your opponent, your estimated chances of beating that opponent are increased/decreased by 10%.  For example; if your rating is 60 points lower than an opponent, you will likely lose 60% of the matches against that person in the long run.  If your rating is 180 points lower than an opponent, you will likely lose 80% of the matches against that person in the long run.  This is statistically based on your Skill Rating in relation to your opponent’s Skill Rating and is not a predefined or guaranteed margin for success. This is simply an average observed over numerous SkillGround test cases and assumes that a player always exhibits an identical level of skill consistent with their previous gaming history. 
3. In Cash Games, the change in your Skill Rating for winning a match is related to the amount of your entry fee. Basically, the more you wager the greater the increase in your Skill Rating if you win the match.
4. Tip: Challenge opponents who are in your skill range and have played a number of games in the past.  It is important to take into account your opponent’s entire profile including ‘number of games played’ prior to challenging them or accepting challenges from them (to do this, just click on their name in the lobby).  Each player’s history will have a Skill Rating AND a total number of games played. The true skill of a player is better illustrated after a person has played a number of games and has a track record of wins versus loses. In fact, by the time a person has played 50 games, their Skill Ranking should be very accurate. Conversely, a player who has a Skill Rating around 1000, but has only played a handful of games, may not yet have played enough games to get a very accurate Skill Rating and therefore, you may find yourself up against a very skilled player who is just starting out.
   
   

Skill Matching in Quick Play
In Quick Play Games, players are not actually playing against a live opponent, but rankings are determined by comparing scores of other players who have played the same game with the same settings. 

Skill Ranking

The SkillGround ranking system will show your overall rank in a game. These rankings are updated hourly. You can see your rank by going to My Account --> My Profile or in the right panel in the game lobby section. You can view the ranking of other players, as well as other details, in the game lobby by clicking on their username.

Note: Inactive players will NOT be included in game rankings

Reward Points
Reward Points are given to SkillGround players for their participation in all type of matches and tournaments.  For playing a cash game or tournament, players are given 15 Reward Points for every dollar they pay in entry fees. For example, if the entry fee for a Multiplayer or Quick Play  game was $2.00, each player would receive 30 Reward Points. Players are also given 2 Reward Points for every free game they play.

Experience Points

Experience Points (XP’s) are granted based on a player’s participation and match results. XP’s are a measure of a gamer's skill and experience, and accumulation of XP’s allows players to reach higher player levels on SkillGround. The better your game, the faster you will scale the ranks, and reach higher player levels.

• In games with no entry fees, the total XP awarded is determined based on the charts below.
• Players who play cash games get 50% more XP.

Important:
Every time you gain Experience Points, the points are used to bring you closer to a higher player level (see next section). It also increases your Experience Points balance. Experience Points shown in the "My Account" section are spendable points, and the balance shown has no relation to leveling up.

Experience Points for Head-To-Head, Multiplayer and Quick Play play modes are awarded based on the following tables


WarPath and CQC:

Kung Fu :

UTour Golf :

To calculate the amount of XP points to be awarded for UTour Golf, you must add the amounts for the following two tables:

Additional XP points are awarded based on the number of holes to be played: