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====== DPL FAQ ======

===== Questions =====

==== General ====

  * <html><a href="#q1g">What is the DPL? And what does "DPL" stand for?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q2g">How does the DPL work?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q4g">How does the scoring work?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q6g">How do the playoffs work?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q8g">How long does a season last?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q9g">How many seasons will there be a year?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q10g">Will the Site Council cheat?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q12g">Will additional challenges (Free Studies, Speed Challenges, etc) count?</a></html>

==== Teams ====

  * <html><a href="#q5t">How long is the signup process?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref1">How many people can I request to be on my team? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref2">Is there any way to guarantee I play with a specific friend? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref3">What is the "Skill Cap"? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref4">How is the Skill Cap calculated? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref5">Does the "Skill Cap" apply to Mutual #1 choices? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref6">I requested someone, but we didn't end up on the same team. Why? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref7">What happens if none of my requests work out? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref8">How does the Random Fill work? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref9">I don't know anyone to request. Can I still join? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref10">Can I change my requests after submitting them? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref11">I take this very seriously. What if I don't like my team? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref12">I am part of a group of 3 photographers who absolutely love to play together. What can we do to make it happen? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref13">Can a group of 4 use a similar scheme? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref14">How are team captains assigned? </a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref15">How many teams will be setup, and what will be the team size?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#ref16">Can we replace a team member who is unable to contribute?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q7t">What happens if I get DQ'd and/or suspended?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q8t">How do I see my team standings & entries?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q9t">Can I vote on my team's entries?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q10t">How do we get a forum thread? And is it private?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q11t">Can we change the name of our team?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q12t">I can't be captain any more - how do I hand the team to someone else?</a></html>
  * <html><a href="#q13t">How does my team get allocated a division?</a></html>

==== Other ====

If your question isn't covered here, please post it in the forums, and someone will answer you there and/or add it to these FAQs

===== Answers =====


==== General ====

<html><a name="q1g"></a></html>== Q: What is the DPL? And what does "DPL" stand for? ==
A: The DPL is the DPChallenge Photography League. For more information, see the [[https://www.dpchallenge.com/league/league_dpl_information.php?about_the_dpl|about page]]

<html><a name="q2g"></a></html>== Q: How does the DPL work? ==
A: DPL teams, consisting of DPChallenge users and members, compete in matches against other teams. The match results are determined by team member entries into the Open and Member challenges that week. The season has multiple phases:
    - **Pre-season:** Registration and teams formation
    - **Regular season:**Teams compete against each other in their division
    - **Playoffs:** Qualified teams compete in elimination rounds
All the scores are automatically tracked and stats updated at the end of each week of the season. The 4 teams qualified for the last playoff round compete for Gold / Silver / Bronze medals.

<html><a name="q4g"></a></html>== Q: How does the scoring work? ==
A: There are two parts to this:
  * Team Member Scores - Each week, there are two challenges that count for DPL - member (Sunday/Monday) and open (Tuesday/Wednesday)Paid members may enter either or both, while registered members may enter the Open challenge. The 4 best scores of team members are averaged together to make the Team Score for that week. A team member may only contribute one score each week to the team score.
  * Team Scores - Once the team score has been calculated from the team member scores, the team with the highest score wins that week's match.

<html><a name="q6g"></a></html>== Q: How do the playoffs work? ==
A: The top 8 teams from all divisions advance to the playoffs. The playoff is divided into 3 rounds.
  - Elimination round of 8
  - Elimination round of 4
  - Medals round: The 2 qualifying teams compete for Gold. The runner ups compete for Bronze.

<html><a name="q8g"></a></html>== Q: How long does a season last? ==
The DPL is broken up into seasons.  A single season's schedule is as follows:

 - Week 1, 2, 3: Players registration starts.\\
 - Week 4: The teams are created and the team threads become active.\\ 
 - Week 5: The regular season season begins with the first challenge announced.\\
 - Week 6, 7, 8, 9: The first three rounds are completed.\\
 - Week 10: Mid-season break\\
 - Week 11, 12, 13, 14, 15: The next rounds are complete. Top teams announced.\\
 - Week 16, 17, 18: Playoffs round 1\\
 - Week 19, 20, 21: Playoffs round 2\\
 - Week 22, 23, 24: Playoffs round 3\\

<html><a name="q9g"></a></html>== Q: How many seasons will there be a year? ==
A: Assuming a 3-4 months space between seasons, we can accommodate 1.5 season a year.

<html><a name="q10g"></a></html>== Q: Will the Site Council cheat? ==
A: Uhh... NO! Of course not! :o)

<html><a name="q12g"></a></html>== Q: Will additional challenges (Free Studies, Speed Challenges, etc) count? ==
A: No, only the first two normally scheduled  Members and Open challenges (Sunday/Monday and Tuesday/Wednesday) will be counted towards the team scores each week.


==== Teams ====

<html><a name="q5t"></a></html>== Q: How long is the signup period? ==
A: The signup period is usually 3 weeks.

<html><a name="ref1"></a></html>== Q: How many people can I request to be on my team? ==
A: You can request up to two people. You must rank them as your **1st Choice** and **2nd Choice**.

<html><a name="ref2"></a></html>== Q: Is there any way to guarantee I play with a specific friend? ==
A: Yes! There is exactly one scenario that is 100% guaranteed: The **Mutual #1**.
If you rank a player as your #1 choice, and they rank you as their #1 choice, you will be placed together.

<html><a name="ref3"></a></html>== Q: What is the "Skill Cap"? ==
A: The Skill Cap is a maximum performance rating allowed for a team, calculated based on the past performance history of its members. We use this to prevent stacking too many high-performing veterans on a single squad.

<html><a name="ref4"></a></html>== Q: How is the Skill Cap calculated? ==
A: We calculate it in two steps:

  - **Personal Rating:** We calculate a member's average percentile score from their last 10 challenges (prior to the DPL announcement).
  - **Team Rating:** We calculate the average of all the Personal Ratings of the members on a specific team.

<html><a name="ref5"></a></html>== Q: Does the "Skill Cap" apply to Mutual #1 choices? ==
A: No. **Mutual #1s** are the exception. We prioritize that specific bond above the skill calculations.

<html><a name="ref6"></a></html>== Q: I requested someone, but we didn't end up on the same team. Why? ==
A: If you weren't a Mutual #1 pair, your request was subject to the Skill Cap. We process requests in this order:

  - Mixed Mutuals (e.g., You picked them #1, they picked you #2).
  - Mutual 2nd Choices (You both picked each other #2).
  - One-Way Requests (You picked them, but they didn't list you).

If adding your requested partner would push the team over the allowed Skill Cap, the system skips that request to maintain fairness.

<html><a name="ref7"></a></html>== Q: What happens if none of my requests work out? ==
A: If your preferences cannot be met due to the Skill Cap (or if the people you chose were paired with their own Mutual #1s), you will be assigned to a team via **Random Fill**.

<html><a name="ref8"></a></html>== Q: How does the Random Fill work? ==
A: It isn't purely random chaos. The system assigns remaining members to teams specifically to keep the team under the Skill Cap. It tries to balance the league so every team has a fighting chance.

<html><a name="ref9"></a></html>== Q: I don't know anyone to request. Can I still join? ==
A: Absolutely. You can leave your preferences blank, and the system will place you on a team where your skill level fits best to balance the scales.

<html><a name="ref10"></a></html>== Q: Can I change my requests after submitting them? ==
A: Yes. You can edit your requests before teams are finalized.

<html><a name="ref11"></a></html>== Q: I take this very seriously. What if I don't like my team? ==
A: We do our best to make the math work for everyone, but remember: It is a game. The Random Fill might introduce you to new photographers you haven't interacted with before. We encourage you to embrace the new squad and do your best!

<html><a name="ref12"></a></html>== Q: I am part of a group of 3 photographers who absolutely love to play together. What can we do to make it happen? ==
A: While we strictly guarantee only pairs, you can coordinate your requests to maximize the probability of being placed together. To do this, you should form a "guaranteed core" and attach the third player to it.

**The Scheme:**
  * Players A and B must rank each other as **#1**. (This guarantees A & B are together).
  * Both player A and B use their **#2** slot for Player C.
  * Player C ranks Player A as **#1** and player B as **#2** (or vice versa).

**The Outcome:** Players A and B are locked together immediately. The system will examine the other requests, and will note that adding C to the team satisfies multiple requests at once. The system will most likely add Player C to the team, unless doing so pushes the total team performance above the Skill Cap.

<html><a name="ref13"></a></html>== Q: Can a group of 4 use a similar scheme? ==
A: Yes (details are left as an exercise to the reader). However note that as more and more high performing players are added to the scheme, it may become harder to satisfy all the requests while keeping the team below the Skill Cap.

<html><a name="ref14"></a></html>== Q: How are team captains assigned? ==
A: Team captains will be assigned initially based on their site history taking into consideration factors such as their DPL experience, if they served as captains in the past, seniority, etc.). A team can request to pass the role to a different member.

<html><a name="ref15"></a></html>== Q: How many teams will be setup, and what will be the team size? ==
A: The number of teams and the teams size will depend on the number of players registered. We are aiming at 5-7 players per team, and an even number of teams. In order to avoid leaving registered players out, the number of players per team may vary slightly (+-1).

<html><a name="ref16"></a></html>== Q: Can we replace a team member who is unable to contribute? ==
A: Direct transfers between teams are complicated, so we won’t be moving members from one team to another. However, during the mid-season break, teams may add one additional member to compensate for a non-contributing member.

<html><a name="q7t"></a></html>== Q: What happens if I get DQ'd and/or suspended? ==
A: For a DQ, your score for that entry will obviously not be counted towards your team's average. For a suspension, you will not be able to compete until the suspension is lifted.

<html><a name="q8t"></a></html>== How do I see my team standings & entries? ==
You can find the team standings [[https://www.dpchallenge.com/league/league_current_standings.php|here]], and the current entries at the end of the last thumbnails page for each challenge still in voting. In addition, all of this information will be kept in your team's profile page, which can be found under 'My Home' -> 'My Team' on the top menubar.

<html><a name="q9t"></a></html>== Can I vote on my team's entries? ==
No, they are treated like your own, ie displayed at the end of the last thumbnails page for each challenge.

<html><a name="q10t"></a></html>== How do we get a forum thread? And is it private? ==
Your team will automatically get a forum thread created once the teams are finalized. Team threads are hidden from all other DPC users APART FROM the Site Admins, who will only read the threads for moderation purposes.

<html><a name="q11t"></a></html>== Can we change the name of our team? ==
If the season hasn't yet started, the captain can change the team's name via the team admin page. However, once the season has started, the name is fixed, unless you have a typo or an exceptional circumstance - [[https://www.dpchallenge.com/help_contact.php|contact the SC]] for either situation, and they will decide whether to make the change.

<html><a name="q12t"></a></html>== I can't be captain any more - how do I hand the team to someone else? ==
There is no mechanism for this yet, so you will have to [[https://www.dpchallenge.com/help_contact.php|contact the SC]]. They will then contact your team, and confirm that they agree with the change.

<html><a name="q13t"></a></html>== How does my team get allocated a division? ==
Teams are allocated a division based on the team pre-season performance. Teams are allocated evenly between the divisions.

==== Other ====

If your question isn't covered here, please post it in the forums, and someone will answer you there and/or add it to these FAQs