NEW FEATURES IN SSN1

Season 1 is here, but before you hit the court, we wanted to give you a look at what you can expect from our newest version of the game.

SSN1 upgrades include:

• GATED GAME LOBBIES (1, 3, AND 5 OWNED SWOOPSTER MAXIMUMS)
• NEW TEAM POINT SYSTEM (DETERMINING SWOOPER BOWL SEEDING)
• IN-SEASON TOURNAMENTS (DAILY/WEEKLY TOURNAMENTS)
• RUST FACTOR (AN INCENTIVE TO PLAY ALL SWOOPSTERS)
• DAILY GAMES CAP (DRIVING MATCHUP VARIETY IN EACH LOBBY)

Let's get into each SSN1 feature add...

WHAT ARE GATED LOBBIES?

In season 1, users will have the ability to enter games that limit the number of owned Swoopsters submitted per lineup. Meaning, in a 1-Swoopster game or tournament, each opponent is allowed to enter a maximum of one owned Swoopster, while filling the rest of their lineup out with free agents.

Similarly, in a 3-Swoopster game or tournament, an owner would be able to play up to three owned Swoopsters, along with two free agents. Our 5-Swoopster games and tournaments emulate today's tradional 5-on-5 model, where owners can submit up to 5 Swoopsters in a lineup.

WHY GATED LOBBIES?  

In short, for competitive balance and onboarding. We want to give those users (especially those new to Swoops) who own 1 to 3 Swoopsters a place to play against similarly funded teams.

At the same time, as you will see in the next section, we will be rewarding those owners who have invested in 5 or more Swoopsters by rewarding additional Swooper Points for winning full 5-on-5 tournaments.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN WHICH LOBBY?  

Everyone can participate in every type of lobby.

Here's how. While we have placed a cap on the number of owned Swoopsters you can add to your lineup in each lobby, WE HAVE NOT SET A MINIMUM. Which means, an owner with a single Swoopster on their roster can still enter a 3 or 5-Swoopster tournament. However, that user is likely going to be going up against fully funded squads of 3 and 5 Swoopsters, so their chances of success may be limited compared to playing in a 1-Swoopster game or tournament.

What this also means is that an owner with tens of Swoopsters (yes, those folks exist in the Swooperverse) will still be able to enter a single Swoopster into the 1-Swoopster games and tournaments, with the same holding true for the 3 and 5-Swoopster tournaments.

No one is excluded from a lobby, however, certain lobbies benefit different levels of ownership.

WHAT ARE IN-SEASON TOURNAMENTS?  

While not launching day one, we will be introducing daily and weekly tournaments with Swooper Bowl qualifying points on the line (more on that later) during SSN1.

A tournament will run in the same way any tournament typically executes. We will hold 8, 16, 32, 64, and even 128 team tournaments throughout the season, with one team crowned champion and the top-4 teams being rewarded with team points.

HOW DO YOU ENTER A TOURNAMENT?

Tournaments will be a mix of first-come-first-served entries, as well as tournaments in which teams will need to have qualified to gain entry. Those parameters will be clear within the COURT tab in the Swoops app.

HOW OFTEN WILL TOURNAMENTS RUN?

Daily.

Each day we will run two tournaments; one tournament will always be a 5-Swoopster tournament, while the second tournament will rotate daily between 1 and 3-Swoopster tournaments.

HOW MANY TOURNAMENTS CAN I ENTER?

Teams are limited to entering one tournament a day, so choose wisely.

IS EACH TOURNAMENT WEIGHTED THE SAME?

We're so glad you asked! The answer is no.

Teams will earn more points from winning and placing in 5-Swoopster tournaments, followed in points received by 3-Swoopster tournaments, while 1-Swoopster tournaments reward the least amount of points.

WILL THERE BE MAJORS?

WOW, how did you know to ask that??

Yes, there will be two majors each 13-week season, each of which will reward winners and those who finish within the top-4, additional team points.

Wait, what are team points? Let's get to that...

WHAT ARE SWOOPER POINTS (SP)?  

In an effort to reward the strongest teams and most avid owners, we have designed a new team activity and performance based point system (Swooper Points) that will be used to decide which teams qualify for the end of season Swooper Bowl, while also determining Swooper Bowl seeding.

HOW CAN I EARN SWOOPER POINTS (SP)?  

Team owners will earn points for playing games, winning games, and completing challenges, on a daily, weekly, and bi-seasonal basis.

DAILY SWOOPER POINTS EARNED:

• FIRST 5 GAMES PLAYED EACH DAY - 150 PTS

5-SWOOPSTER STANDARD TOURNAMENT POINTS EARNED:

• WIN A 5-SWOOPSTER TOURNAMENT - 100 PTS
• FINISH 2ND IN A 5-SWOOPSTER TOURNAMENT - 50 PTS
• FINISH 3RD/4TH IN A 5-SWOOPSTER TOURNAMENT - 25 PTS

3-SWOOPSTER STANDARD TOURNAMENT POINTS EARNED:

• WIN A 3-SWOOPSTER TOURNAMENT - 50 PTS
• FINISH 2ND IN A 3-SWOOPSTER TOURNAMENT - 25 PTS
• FINISH 3RD/4TH IN A 3-SWOOPSTER TOURNAMENT - 10 PTS

1-SWOOPSTER STANDARD TOURNAMENT POINTS EARNED:

• WIN A 1-SWOOPSTER TOURNAMENT - 25 PTS
• FINISH 2ND IN A 1-SWOOPSTER TOURNAMENT - 10 PTS
• FINISH 3RD/4TH IN A 1-SWOOPSTER TOURNAMENT - 5 PTS

WEEKLY POINTS EARNED  

• COMPLETE A WEEKLY CHALLENGE - 100 PTS
• FIRST 25 WINS IN A WEEK - 75 PTS

BI-SEASONAL POINTS EARNED  

• WIN A MAJOR TOURNAMENT - 200 PTS
• FINISH 2ND IN A MAJOR TOURNAMENT - 100 PTS
• FINISH 3RD/4TH IN A MAJOR TOURNAMENT - 50 PTS

WHAT ARE WEEKLY CHALLENGES?

For those of you who have participated in Swoops challenges in the past, weekly challenges will look familiar. Each week we will introduce a new team or individual Swoopster challenge, that once completed, will reward that owner with 100 team points.

Here are a few examples of challenges coming your way:

• SCORE 6,000 PTS AS A TEAM
• 70 BLKS FROM A SINGLE SWOOPSTER
• 140 3PTS MADE BY A SINGLE SWOOPSTER
• 1,000 ASTS AS A TEAM

WHERE CAN I TRACK MY SWOOPER POINTS?    

In the near term, we will be adding a 'TEAM PTS' column to the team leaderboard. In the long term, you will find a tracker within your personal locker room that tells you how close you are to completing your current daily and weekly activities.

WHAT IS RUST FACTOR?

As is the case in every sport, the less you play, the less you improve. That athletic dynamic holds true in the Swooperverse, and will become apparent in Season 1 with the implementation of the Rust Factor. The Rust Factor states that every Swoopster must play at least 50 games in a season to reach their optimal end of season progression. All lobbies (1, 3, 5 Swoopsters) count equally here, so dust off those Swoopsters you’ve been stashing on the end of your bench and get them some run so they can reach their full potential.

Important notes: 1) this is not all-or-nothing, the closer a Swoopster gets towards the 50 game threshold, the more potential it reaches, 2) games played over the rust threshold will not impact progression, either positively or negatively.

WHY A DAILY GAMES CAP?

To ensure users face a variety of opponents and to deter a handful of teams from flooding the lobbies, we will be implementing a concurrent games entered cap of 10 games per team. What that means is that once a team owner enters ten games, none of which have completed, they will receive an error when they attempt to enter the eleventh game. This is a rolling cap, not a daily cap, so users are able and welcome to enter more games once some of their previously entered games have completed.

Like anything else, the cap will be a test. If we see the results we’re hoping for (i.e. an even better experience for our owners), we’ll continue on with the cap. If the cap doesn’t have the desired impact, we’ll adjust. Regardless, and as always, we welcome thoughts and feedback from our team owners. Once the cap is reached, you’ll see an error when trying to enter a new game.

As always, we want to thank each and every one of our team owners for their love and support. The Swooperverse is yours, not ours.

Keep building!