- Multiple tournament types supported : single elimination, double elimination, round-robin, groups+single/double elim, etc.
- Multi-game support. In fact, any game support with potential goodies for some games (ex : link to qlranks for QL tournaments).
- User accounts not tightly linked to game accounts.
- Possibility for players to report their own match results.
- Good flexibility for admins so they can change pretty much anything they want in the tournaments (changing a loss in a win, adding a player after the tournament started, etc.)
- Good formatting possibilities for tournament descriptions.
- Possibility to link one or more streams to the tournament.
- Possibility to browse open and on-going tournaments by game (ex : Quake Live).
- From the homepage : links to the biggest on-going tournaments, biggest open tournaments by prizepool, most currently viewed streams from on-going tournaments, most relevant events according the the user's tournament history if logged in...
- Open tournaments, invitation-only tournaments...
- Option to let the website handle the prizepool distribution after the tournament.
- Maybe a season system to link some tournaments together and automatically calculate point leaderboards and stuff.
It would be a shame to keep it only for Quake when almost all of the infrastructure can be used for any game IMO. Consider it like an occasion to give Quake exposure to outsiders.
Additional tournament type: gamesports-aka-Zotac-cup-like. List of matches and results in each round instead of big-ass bracket that you scroll for hours.
For past tournaments: link all vods. Don't bother with embedding, but allow for any kind of title next to links, like "vod from today, cup coverage starts at 2:05".
EASY REGISTRATION (I'll fill real name, city etc. with bugmenot anyways so don't require them; I always get email verification 2 hours if not days later, so please allow me to use the page immediately, after all I'm probably registering to play in a tournament that's in 15 minutes)
EASY CONTRIBUTION (normal users adding vods and streams without going through any kind of pre-moderation)
EASY TOURNAMENT ACCESS (let me register a 5-man team having just 1 account, like the original House of Quake)
And of course, don't require registration for anything! Fucking Faceit needs you to login to even browse games and tournaments and teams and all that. Login requirement should be restricted to stuff that can "spam" the site (like linking vods, commenting on articles or whatever) and nothing else.
It's what CB, ESL, Faceit etc. require as well so I guess it's fair, but HoQ Season 1 was really nice and easy in that regard. It should be the other way around imo (other sites following HoQ's lead) ;)
Maybe I'm biased because I always end up doing managerial tasks within my clans, but it can be a PITA to get your whole team to sign up for a cup that's in few days.
Especially if it's a badly designed or very young/actively developed site - look at WGA, they had to post multi-point instructions on how to sign up and then fought for few weeks after the season started to get all players matched to team rosters.
once the tournament is over it would be awesome if you could just run over matches inside the bracket with ur mouse something would popup with screenshots and link for demo of each match
Focus should always be on the players and them having ease of use with the website coupled with motivating factors to participate. If you're trying to make money or build a business of esport dreams... stop right now and think of something else to do :p
-Simple layout and focus on quake only. (for now.. and probably forever. Multigame websites just don't have the same intimacy and often fail to deliver in more ways than one.
-For team modes only require the team leader to make an account and create his roster.
-Have some incentive for people to participate. This can be anything form prize money to multiple skill divs to just a header on the front page that says this guy won the last thing he is cool =) or Point standings etc... people like to see progress and/or to have bragging rights!
-Have a place to discuss predictions and results (like comment section in schedule / results page maybe). It brings a sense of community to the scene.
-Be able to begin and finish a match without any admin present. Same with reporting result.
-Have complete control over the website at all times!
And you already know about my ideas for the ideal League website =)
Pretty much everything faceit has. but before you play a match you have to choose the maps in the map pool. this way say you have a big ass map pool of 11 maps, it will be easy and simple to choose maps. =D
the map picker program will be similar to LoL/Dota pick/drop system of heroes.
each person gets a set amount of time to choose/drop a map.
I'd say : let anyone report results BUT make some reports more important than others. Basically, if someone "more important" reports when there is already a report, it overwrites it. The order of importance would be :
(Least important)
Random unregistered visitor
Registered member not admin or playing in this tournament
Registered member playing in this tournament but not competitor on this match nor admin
Competitor on this match
Tournament admin
(Most important)
FACEIT has a professional system with the deepest community integration (prize money, on-site lan and on-line streams, qlprism, links to tourneys, etc) that QL has probably ever seen and even it can barely get 12 people to sign up for tourneys. If you are thinking of doing a tourney site you should probably reconsider, I think this community is beyond saving at this point