The Final Frontier: Game Fixing

[fred1]

Enemy was banned for like a Mill series and a half no? They were accused of fixing a game in the middle of the season and were banned for the rest of the season. Then MS decided to ban them for the 2004 series if I'm correct. There weren't any rules on paper about it though. It seems like the MS took the liberty of inflicting a sanction they felt fit the crime (I think it was a little over the top personally especially with regards to all the other dirty deeds that were performed during that season).

I have heard of some pretty obvious match fixing this year...... no bans no controversy.... wussup wit dat.

Any way if MS are having trouble enforcing gun rules cause they can't prove anything how are they ever going to prove a game was rigged? Except if someone is crazy enough to admit it. Its not like you can follow money trails from one teams bank account to another.... cause paintballers are all skint.

 

[Furby]

I'm not sure I understand the point of game fixing, at least in this sport as it currently stands...prizes aren't normally worth whatever payoff could be involved, except at the upper levels...and those guys would rather go toe-to-toe on the field rather than just take a piddly payoff...unless there are egos so inflated that they can justify in their minds laying out the proverbial phat cash to secure a win...

 

[Baca Loco]

Originally posted by Furby
I'm not sure I understand the point of game fixing, at least in this sport as it currently stands...prizes aren't normally worth whatever payoff could be involved, except at the upper levels...and those guys would rather go toe-to-toe on the field rather than just take a piddly payoff...unless there are egos so inflated that they can justify in their minds laying out the proverbial phat cash to secure a win...

Dale, you restore my faith in innocence. It doesn't typically work like that. Imagine late in the prelims and a team needs x points to get through and their opponent has no chance but if they play too good might keep them out. Or a quarter final where one team can't advance but could influence who does. Or a finals where two teams know each other and one can win if...

Nor does that sort of thing only happen in big time events, they can happen at your local rookie tourney--and do.

 

[Gyroscope]

It happens, but most of the time it is difficult to prove. There are enough variables in paintball that it would be difficult to coordinate anything more complex than win, lose or draw, and the circumstances where it would be attractive are also unpredictable. Being that it is difficult to prove, I think penalties ought to be very severe.

Which leads me to another line of thought regarding difficult to enforce rules...

 

[Sherman]

Originally posted by fred1

I have heard of some pretty obvious match fixing this year...... no bans no controversy.... wussup wit dat.

It's the new "1 point for the draw" rule in the MS. There has been couple of incidents where both teams knew that a draw will get them thru. I really don't think that playing a deliberate draw is game fixing. Teams just play the rulebook and don't want to risk anything. MS should fix the rules (make a draw as good as a loss) or change the format.

 

[Red Ring Inflictor]

Last season there were some pretty obvious examples of game fixing at Mill tournaments with one very clear example in Toulouse. Some of the teams even bragged about it.

At Malaga Beach rumors were being circulated about game fixing that was being discussed before the quarterfinal round. The ref manager heard these rumors and went to each team captain and told them that anything that appeared like game fixing in his opinion would result in disqualification and a ban. He even told them he would watch the games to monitor it.

Obviously the captains responded with scepticism and ridicule and asked how it could be proven. But the ref manager stuck to it, watched the games in question and both teams clearly played to win despite the rumors and possible advantages that could have been gained by draws or throwing games.

That's what I meant by deterence. Sometimes the "mad man" ploy can be used to good effect.

The point I wanted to make about X Ball is how many problems such a multi-goal format solves. Especially when the double elimination scheduling is used. The crazy run-throughs by hit players that often get rewarded with wins (the 90-second rule in X Ball fixes that), problems with players getting off the field when eliminated (X Ball players are usually in a hurry to get geared up again), dead-box problems, crowd interference problems, the hassle with armbands, start signals that aren't heard because of voices that have been lost, time-consuming check-in procedures that must be done 50 times a day versus 8, spectators trying to find a favorite team's game only to miss it because it started early and only lasted one minute and this game fixing thingy.

It doesn't necessarily have to be X Ball but the antique formats are so rife with problems that they need to be laid to rest with the dodo.

 

[Baca Loco]

Day 5 and it looks like I could have made my money on an over/under of 6. Almost makes me wonder if the reticence to discuss this topic stems from so many players having done it at one time or another in one way or another. Just wondering. Given the reams of cyberpaper used up to record everyone's outrage over stuff like playing on or wiping or the French or expensive, bad tourney food or too few porta-johns the lack of interest here is nearly astonishing. Isn't it?

 

[Buns of steel]

Originally posted by mamat2000
if i have a good memory, Team Enemy (france lol) has been banned for the whole season 2 years ago (not 100% sure) for collusion, both teams banned cause marshalls guessed the game has been fixed ....when something is SO obvious that you cannot say the contrary, then i believe marshalls have to do their job.
Is game fixing worse than gun cheating? give your point...

I believe this was at Bitburg. The reason the marshals had a reasonable doubt about the validity of the game was both teams had 6 players shot the last 2 players grabbed the flags "missed" each other as they ran them back then sat at the flag bases till the time ran out. Now that could of happened in an unfixed game but the big clue was when the marshals couldn't work out the scores someone on the teams told them what it was as they had worked it out earlier

 

[sjt19]

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[Baca Loco]

Too bad I didn't have big money riding on this one--of course nobody woulda taken the bet.

Okay, maybe somebody would be willing to address the idea that a) this is so far out of the ordinary tourney ballers experience you don't know what to say, or b) almost everybody is complicit in one way or another.

Vote a or b. Simple as. C'mon.