Z Games

Z-Games are public games that are automatically created and started on the site. They appear on the "Join Game" page as maps with game names starting with "Z - ..." and are free for anyone on the site to join and participate in.

The goal of Z-Games is to always have games with fair settings available with a variety of maps and game types, so that users do not have to create and start their own games in order to play on AWBW. It also helps showcase good maps that might otherwise never be played.

Z-Games can be joined just like any other public game (see the AWBW Guide). Afterwards click the [Ready] button found on the Your Games page when you are ready to begin. Once you and your opponent have both clicked [Ready], the game will start immediately. Otherwise, there is a script that will automatically start any full, unstarted Z-Games once per day. Therefore, any full Z-Game will be started within 2 days of both players joining.

Creation Algorithm

The automated Z-Game creator generates new games once per day, up to a maximum of 50 Z-Games waiting for players. The generator runs using a few different steps:

1. The game type is determined first, picked randomly: 35% Standard / 40% Fog of War / 15% High Funds / 5% Tag / 5% High Funds + Fog
   • Standard - Games with standard Global League competitive settings. These games will always use maps from the "Standard" map category.
   • Tag - Denoted by "TAG" in the game title and two declared CO tiers (such as 'T2 + T2'). The same as standard, but with CO Tags enabled.
   • Fog of War - Denoted by "FOG" in the game title. Games with Fog of War turned ON. These games will always use maps from the 'Fog of War' map category.
   • High Funds - Denoted by "HF" in the game title. Games with funds per property set to 2000. These games will always use maps from the "High Funds" map category.
2. Map quality is picked afterwards: 20% New / 20% Under Review / 10% S-Rank / 20% A-Rank / 30% B-Rank. The following map categories are excluded:
   • C-Rank
   • Gimmick
   • Historical / Geographical
   • Joke
   • Sprite
   • Toy Box
   • FFA Multiplay
   • Team Play
   • None (No category)
3. Finally, the CO tier(s) is picked:
   • For Standard and Fog of War: 15% T0 / 25% T1 / 20% T2 / 20% T3 / 20% T4 / 10% No COP
   • For Tags: 15% T0 / 25% T1 / 25% T2 / 20% T3 / 15% T4 / 0% No COP
   • For High Funds: 15% T0 / 25% T1 / 25% T2 / 25% T3 / 10% No COP

Timer settings are left at the default settings of 1 week starting time with a 1 day increment to allow for a relatively relaxed playing schedule. After this, the map is posted and may be joined by anyone.

Z-Games cannot currently have different settings per map - as a result, the settings used for generation err on the conservative side for balance; for example, Grit and Sturm are always banned to T0 in Fog games even if the map design would otherwise render them suitable for play in T1. Any unjoined Z-Game that is older than one week will be automatically deleted.

The following game type was also run prior to September 2018:

• Limited High Funds - Denoted by "LHF" in the game title. Games with funds per property set to 500, and starting funds set to 100,000. These games are only played on maps in the "Limited High Funds" map category.

For more information or updates regarding Z-Games, please see this thread on the forum.