Introduction to the Internet Bolo League (IBL)
last updated 4/07/02
IBL is no longer active, the following is provided for historical reasons only.
last updated 4/07/02
IBL is no longer active, the following is provided for historical reasons only.
Bolo is a networked multi-player tank battle game originally for the Apple Macintosh. It has since been ported to Windows and Linux. The game features real-time graphics, strategy, and arcade action. The Internet Bolo League (IBL) organizes 2x2 (2 players vs. 2 players) WinBolo games among players of similar ability on a regular basis. Up to twice a week, instead of trolling the tracker looking for a game, IBL players can expect the good company of other experienced players in a series of evenly matched, fun games. IBL does not exist to rank people. Our rankings are only for the purpose of setting up evenly matched games.
To qualify for IBL, you must fulfill all of the following:
- In accordance with currently popular game settings, IBL members are Internet WinBolo players who enjoy 2x2 tournament games on relatively small maps with visible mines.
- All skill levels are welcome, but you should probably have at least several months of Internet Bolo experience. If you are brand new to Bolo or Internet play, you are probably not quite ready for IBL yet.
- Your internet connection must be up to par. IBL is only for those with broadband or decent dialup connections. If you frequently have trouble playing 2x2 games due to networking problems, you should not try IBL.
- While we treat Bolo as just a fun game, we take IBL quite seriously. You should be prepared to participate at least every other week or so, each time requiring 1-2 hours of uninterrupted playing during the game nights. This is a serious commitment, we can't have people walking out halfway, that leaves everybody else hanging.
- In order for us to contact you with news and announcements, you must have access to email and check it at least every few days.
- In addition, you must know how to use Internet Relay Chat (IRC) because that is how games are set up.
IBL is no longer active. It was deactivated for Mac Bolo in the late 90s, then revived briefly during 2002 for WinBolo, then deactivated again.
Note new times effective 4/27/02! (This is the 2nd change.) IBL is played twice every week, starting Sundays at 9 pm (21:00) and Wednesdays at 10 pm (22:00). All times are U.S. eastern time zone, currently Eastern Daylight Time which is -0400 from Universal Time. If you don't know how to convert your time to that time zone, check the U.S. Naval Observatory clock. You may choose to play on either night or both nights, your wins and losses will be calculated separately and their effects on your rating added together. Generally there will be several 10-week seasons each year. Don't sign up unless you are pretty sure you can play at least one night on most weeks.
IBL games are set up on Internet Relay Chat (IRC). At least several minutes before the starting time, use the IRC client program (such as mIRC for Windows) to join the channel #IBL on the IRC server irc.winbolo.com port 6666 or 6667. If you're not familiar with IRC, don't wait until the last minute, be sure you can connect beforehand. (In case irc.winbolo.com is down, use irc.mystical.net as an emergency backup.)
All players must meet on #IBL before the starting time! Division assignments are based on who is there and on time. Don't cut it too close, instead be there a little early to deal with inevitable last minute reboots, reconfigurations, and other difficulties. If you are late, you will not be allowed to play except as an emergency substitute. First time IBL players should refer to the sign up section below and show up at least 15 minutes early. Note that it usually takes some time to set up tentative divisions and test people's network connections with each other. Note further that IBL games require a time commitment of 1-2 hours of uninterrupted playing, so clear it in advance with your parents, significant others, boss, etc. If you quit before finishing your games for the night, you disrupt the whole night for 3 other players, and you will be suspended from the league!
On each IBL night, all players who are on-time and don't lag will be grouped into divisions of 4 each according to their rank. The divisions are made in the following manner. At the appointed time, the organizer will do a roll call. There is no advantage to being early, but you must be on time and you must pay attention. Players who show up late or who do not respond to the roll call will not be allowed to play except as emergency substitutes.
Divisions are made according to rank and lag, so pay attention (don't be playing warm up games or running to the bathroom, because if you miss it when your name comes up, you won't get to play). The top 4 ranked players available form the first division and test their lag with each other by joining a mock game. If a first division player lags too badly, he is demoted to the next lower division, and the the next highest ranked player available takes his place. Once a lag-free division 1 is formed, they can start playing. The process is then repeated for division 2 with the next 4 available players and so on.
EXAMPLE: if on a given night the following 10 ranked players show up:
#1, #2, #4, #8, #11, #15, #21, #30, #31, #35 If everybody was on time and nobody lagged, then the first 8 would be formed into 2 divisions of 4 each, while the last 2 (#31 and #35) are left out, as shown below:
Div 1: #1, #2, #4, #8
Div 2: #11, #15, #21, #30
left out: #31 and #35Unfortunately it is seldom that simple. Consider a more realistic scenario. Let's say #8 shows up late, so he doesn't get to play at first. The next highest player, #11, is promoted from Div 2 to Div 1. Div 1 would then be #1, #2, #4, and #11. Further, lets say #2 lags horribly. The next highest ranked player, #15, is promoted to take his place. The new Div 1 now looks like:
Div 1: #1, #4, #11, #15
If their lag is OK, they begin to play. Now division 2 consists of #2 (bumped from division 1), #21, #30, and #31, and their lag together is OK, so they too can play.
Div 2: #2, #21, #30, and #31
In the end, #8 and #35 are left out. In the next section, we will discuss your options if you are left out.
Generally the person in each division with either the highest seed or best network connection runs that division. He will set up games on the fastest game server available (either by hosting the game himself or by using a public game server), choose which one map to play on (stick to one map for all 3 games to keep things fair), deal with contingencies, and report results. Each division has 4 people in it (A,B,C,D), and you play all 3 combinations of 2x2 games (ABxCD, ACxBD, ADxBC). In other words, each game you'll have a different ally, until you've allied everyone in a round robin fashion.If you were dropped because there were not enough players to form a complete division, you have several choices:
- You may hang out and hope somebody drops out due to unexpected lag or other emergencies, then substitute for that player. Players bumped due to having a lower rank get first priority, followed by players who showed up late.
- You may sit out that night. Sorry, but it won't happen the next time, see the rain check policy.
- If there are 2 or 3 left out players, you may optionally choose to play round-robin 1x1 games. Those games also count towards ratings.
At the beginning of each season, all players are subjectively assigned a numeric rating between the minimum of 800 and maximum of 2400 points, with 1600 points for an average player. Usually the rank order is not changed among returning players. Using the Elo system adapted from the chess world, each player's rating is adjusted once a week depending on who they played against and whether they won or lost. The new ratings then determine the new rank order, which is used only for the purpose of forming divisions the next week. If you are interested, check out these mathematical details. Don't worry too much about your initial rating the first few weeks. The system is designed so that if you play a few weeks, you will quickly rise or fall to a rating more representative of your true skill. If you are overrated, you will lose, drop down, and play with people closer to your skill level until you start to win again. The converse is true if you are underrated. The current ratings are always publicly available. You may also use the report form to see how imaginary games might affect your ratings.
Wintermute (Joe Lachance) started IBL during the Summer of '95 with the help of Kovas (Kovas Boguta) who ran the original IBL home page as part of the U of Chicago Bolo Page. In the second season of Fall '95, Jolo (Joseph Lo) and FireIce (Stephan Van Coppenole) took over IBL and changed the division and ratings system significantly. For the third season of Spring '96, Jolo and Will (William Uther) kept the same system but added more automation using WWW resources and custom C/PERL/shell programs. The 4th season took place during the summer of '96. During the 5th season we added MHz (Kevin Girard) as a 3rd co-organizer. After a brief hiatus, the 6th season (spring '97) started up again under the control of Tzunami, Krempic and Ian from Middlebury, but unfortunately it fizzled after just one week due to lack of interest. Things went dormant for many years as Mac Bolo became relegated mostly to cult status. Then with the rise of WinBolo came a whole new group of players. In spring of '02, IBL was revived for WinBolo under the leadership of Min and Liz of Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada, with help from Jolo.
To sign up, email 924@cablelan.net at least one day before showing up, in the email, make sure to include your nickname (using the proper capitalization that you want). If I don't know who you are, I will reply asking for other details about you. Then be sure to show up for the next IBL night at least 15 minutes early.
