Catan Newswire - August 2010

On Wednesday, August 11, 2010 the beta version of the new variant "Theme Game" goes online. In this mode, 2 teams consisting of 2 players each compete against each other in Cities & Knights, Seafarers, and the diverse scenarios. The team game thus offers an interesting variation of the well-known Catan scenarios. The open beta test lasts for two weeks and gives interested players (with Premium account) the possibility to get a first impression of this new game variant.

What is a Team Game?
When you play the games of the Catan Online World, you normally play against one or more opponents (with one exception: Troy). A team game is an interesting variant where two teams, each consisting of two players, compete against each other. The team partners can view each other's resource and action cards, and they may give each other resources "for free." Team partners should thus support each other so as to win the game together.

How Do I Play a Team Game?
In the game manager, team games occupy a separate area - they can be found under "Catan Games," in the sub-folder "Team Games." All Seafarers and Cities & Knights scenarios of the Catan Board Game (except for the Basic Game, MultiCatan, and Troy) can be played. The players join a game in the usual fashion. When the program starts, the following pairs are formed based on the order in which the players joined the game: ABCD -> AC and BD. The seating plan is always fixed (no "DrawSeat" option is possible).

During set-up, you can also select the option "Trade Limit," which is available only for team games. If this option is activated, each team member may - on his turn - give his respective partner up to 3 resources only. It is, therefore, permitted to "give away" up to 3 resources in one direction and also to trade at a 1:1, 2:1, 2:2, 3:1, 3:2, and 3:3 rate in both directions within the team. Please note that the trade with the bank or the normal trade is not affected by this - the option only concerns the resource trade between members of the same team. If this option is not selected, the team members may trade resources with each other at will.

Inside the Game
You may view your team partner's resources and action cards in a tooltip by placing the mouse cursor over his resource status indicator or card status indicator.

By clicking on this tooltip, it is converted in a moveable window that permanently displays your partner's resources and action cards. This window is meant for players who have a large monitor with plenty of space next to the game area.

A team game ends when a player has reached the number of victory points required for the respective scenario. However, the team that has the most victory points wins the game. In case of a tie, the team finishing the game with the required number of victory points wins.

ELO Ranking
Each player has a consecutive ELO value for all team games. At the beginning, this value is 1,000.
To calculate a game result, a team ELO value is determined. This value corresponds to the ELO of the team member with the higher ELO value.

Example:

Team A - Player 1: 800 ELO
Team A - Player 2: 1,200 ELO
Team B - Player 1: 1,000 ELO
Team B - Player 2: 1,100 ELO

Team A thus has a team ELO value of 1,200 and team B a team ELO value of 1,100. Both ELO values are now incorporated into the given formula, and the result is subtracted from, or added to, the individual values of the players.

If team A wins, the following results are obtained:

Team A - Player 1: 811 ELO (+11)
Team A - Player 2: 1,211 ELO (+11)
Team B - Player 1: 989 ELO (-11)
Team B - Player 2: 1,089 ELO (-11)

FAQ
Are the team games integrated into the monthly scores?
No. There is no monthly list, only the continuous ELO list.

To play Catan online for free and more, visit: www.playcatan.com