Ladies and gentlemen, Comrades and Commanders, C&C gamers around the world, we are proud kick off the official Command & Conquer Ladder Season 3. The season officially began earlier today with the Ladder Resets precisely at 1PM PST across the Red Alert 3 1v1 and Kanes Wrath 1v1 Ranked Ladders (we also reset the 2v2, Clan Ladders, and Tiberium Wars Ladders as well).

This is the biggest Command & Conquer tournament of the year and will officially crown the best "solo" player of 2009 thus far for Red Alert 3 and Kanes Wrath. The stakes have been risen to new levels, never before-seen in the Command & Conquer multiplayer community. This time around, the Final 2 in both the Red Alert 3 and Kanes Wrath season ending online tournaments will each win a trip to Cologne, Germany to compete in our Grand Championship Finale live at the German GamesCOM Convention (formerly known as the Leipzig Games Convention). And that's not all! The Red Alert 3 grand champion will win a $4,000 cash prize and the Kanes Wrath grand champion a $2,000 cash prize. Not to mention the trip of a lifetime to Cologne, Germany.

The following is a complete description of the tournament structure, prizing, specific dates, and legal rules and regulations. To all those wishing to participate in our Ladder Season, please read every word of the following to ensure you've got the full scoop. And for those joining for the first time, it's simple to participate. Make it to the end, and you'll be legendary. Here we go!

 

Command & Conquer Ladder Season 3 Details

 

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ OUR FULL LEGAL RULES AND QUALIFICATION

 

The Command & Conquer Ladder Season 3 is a competition of skill to determine the best "Solo" player of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 and Command & Conquer 3 Kanes Wrath on our 1v1 ranked ladder. Players may compete in both tournaments.

 

How Do I Enter?

To play a match on our 1v1 ranked ladders, you must:

• Log online to Red Alert 3 and/or Kanes Wrath with your EA Membership Online ID. To create a new Online ID, simply type the name that you would like to use and then click "log in". If the name is not in use, this will become your new Online ID. Remember to always log in with the same Online ID.

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• For Kanes Wrath, select Automatch at the bottom of the screen. For Red Alert 3, select Play Game at the top of the screen.

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• Choose 1v1 Ladder from the respective drop-down menus.

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• Choose your faction. Chose your skill rating range (for Red Alert 3 only). You may play as any faction for any ranked match.

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• Click Join Game or Play Game.

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• You will then connect to another player who is within a range of your current ranking or the ranking range you selected.
• • If you would like to be matched up against anyone on the ladder, no matter what their rank is, then select "widen search" during this process for Kanes Wrath or pre-select (Any ~1000) for Red Alert 3 under Skill Rating Range.

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• Once your match is complete you will be brought back to the ladder and faction selection screen. If you wish to play again, simply click "Join Game" or "Play Game".

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• Your ranking on the 1v1 "Solo" ladder is determined by your win/loss record and our "Elo rating points system". We will provide further information on our scoring system soon.

 

Regular Season Qualification Periods

The regular season of the Competition opened on Friday, May 1st at 1:00PM Pacific Standard Time ("PST") Zone in the United States (e.g. Los Angeles City time) and will close on July 22nd, at 1:00PM PST. During the course of the Regular Season we will qualify 32 players for Red Alert 3 and 32 players for Kanes Wrath for the season ending online playoffs through a series of 3 qualification rounds as follows:

• Qualification Round 1 – May 1 (1:00pm PST) to June 1 (1:00pm PST) - 4 weeks
  • At the end of this Round the Top (8) ranked players on the Red Alert 3 and Kanes Wrath 1v1 Ladder will automatically advance to the Season Ending Online Tournament

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• Qualification Round 2 – June 1 (1:01pm PST) to July 1 (1:00pm PST) - 4 weeks
  • At the end of this Round the Top (8) ranked players on the Red Alert 3 and Kanes Wrath 1v1 Ladder will automatically advance to the Season Ending Online Tournament

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• Qualification Round 3 – July 1 (1:01pm PST) to July 22 (1:00pm PST) - 3 weeks
  • At the end of this Round the Top (16) ranked players on the Red Alert 3 and Kanes Wrath 1v1 Ladder will automatically advance to the Season Ending Online Tournament

If a player qualifies twice or more ("Multiple Qualifier), then the next highest ranking player on the "1v1 Ladder" for the Qualification Round in which the Multiple Qualifier earned his or her second and/or third qualification, will qualify for the Season Ending Online Tournament. For example: If the #8 ranked player for Qualification Round 1 was still ranked #8 at the end of the Qualification Round 2, then the #9 ranked player for Qualification Round 2 would qualify for the Season Ending Online Tournament.

Once a player has ranked in the "Top 8" on the 1v1 Ladder for any Qualification Round, they do not need to continue playing to stay qualified for the Season Ending Online Tournament. We will be resetting the Ladders at the end of each Qualification Round!

 

Season Ending Playoffs Online Tournament Structure

The Online Season Ending Tournament will consist of the top 32 players from Red Alert 3 and the top 32 players from Kanes Wrath who qualified during the Regular Season. This Season Ending Playoffs Online Tournament will adhere to the following tournament structure and dates:

Group Stage Round 1 (Top 32) - 16 will advance
The Top 32 from Red Alert 3 and Kanes Wrath will each be seeded in to 8 groups of 4 based on their regular season ranking and qualification period. Each player will compete against the 3 other players in their group in a "Best of 3" (maps TBD). The player that wins the "Best of 3" will get 1-point in their group bracket. The two players with the most points in their group bracket will advance to Group Stage Round 2.

• Saturday, July 25th - Red Alert 3
• Sunday, July 26th - Kanes Wrath

Group Stage Round 2 (Top 16) - 8 will advance
The Top 16 from Red Alert 3 and Kanes Wrath Group Stage Round 1 will be re-seeded in to 4 groups of 4. Each player will compete against the 3 other players in their group in a "Best of 3" (maps TBD). The player that wins the "Best of 3" will get 1-point in their group bracket. The two players with the most points in their group bracket will advance to the Single Elimination tournament round.

• Saturday, August 1st - Red Alert 3
• Sunday, August 2nd - Kanes Wrath

Single Elimination Tournament (Top 8) - 2 will advance
The final 8 from Red Alert 3 and Kanes Wrath Group Stage Round 2 will be re-seeded in to a single-elimination tournament bracket. Each player must win a "Best of 3" against their opponent to advance in the bracket. The final 2 for Red Alert 3 and the final 2 for Kanes Wrath will advance to the Grand Championship in Cologne, Germany!

• Saturday, August 8th - Red Alert 3
• Sunday, August 9th - Kanes Wrath

PLEASE NOTE: You must be available on the following dates above if you qualify for the playoffs during the regular season, and advance during each tournament stage. There will be no exceptions unless the tournament organizers evaluate and approve the situation at their own discretion. We cannot promise any exceptions and reserve the right to accept none. We will take all time zone differences in to account when we specify the tournament start time for each stage listed above.

 

Grand Finals - Friday, August 21

The final 2 from the Single Elimination Top 8 tournament for Red Alert 3 and Kanes Wrath will be flown to Cologne, Germany to compete in a live finale at the German GamesCOM Convention. Further details below under prizing.

PLEASE NOTE: You must be available to travel to Germany August 20th - 23rd to compete in the Grand Championship. Please read our legal rules for player travel requirements. In the event you cannot travel during these dates or adhere to our legal rules, we will take the next highest ranked player from the Top 8 tournament. Travel dates are subject to modification and change. We will work with the finalists to accommodate depending on your location.

 

Prizing!!!

Prizes will be awarded in each tournament to the Grand Champion and Runner-Up in the Grand Championship, and the (2) Runner-Up's of the Season Ending Online Tournament as follows:

Red Alert 3 Prize Specifications

• Grand Champion Prize: One (1) USD $4,000 check + Logitech Prize Pack + trip to Cologne, Germany & GamesCOM Convention

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• Runner Up Prize: One (1) USD $1,000.00 check + Logitech Prize Pack + trip to Cologne, Germany & GamesCOM Convention

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• Runner Up Prize (2): (1) USD $250.00 check + Logitech Prize Pack

Kanes Wrath Prize Specifications

• Grand Champion Prize: One (1) USD $2,000 check + Logitech Prize Pack + trip to Cologne, Germany & GamesCOM Convention

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• Runner-Up Prize: One (1) USD $1,000.00 check + Logitech Prize Pack + trip to Cologne, Germany & GamesCOM Convention

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• Runner-Up Prize (2): (1) USD $250.00 check + Logitech Prize Pack

In addition to these prizes, anyone who qualifies for the Season Ending Online Tournament will receive an exclusive Command & Conquer T-shirt.

If any player maintains a rank in the "Top 8" at the end of all 3 Qualification Rounds, they will win a $400 cash prize.

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE TO VIEW OUR LADDER SEASON 3 TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE POSTER

 

Let The Battle Begin!

Surely it goes without saying that our reigning 2-time defending champion Shawn Teeter will be looking to go for an unprecedented 3-peat! However, the bigger question remains, will he attempt the impossible and go for the gold in both Red Alert 3 and Kanes Wrath, or will the young champion focus on just one? The world will be gunning for him, maybe it will be you. Will you be competing for the $4,000 Grand Prize in Cologne, Germany?! You'll never know unless you enter Command & Conquer Ladder Season 3! It's time to play, hit those ranked 1v1 ladders and start crushing your opponents. We'll have plenty more details and coverage as Ladder Season 3 carries on!