Competitions

There are two primary competition venues at the moment. More are sure to come.

## PvP battles

Players from opposing teams can enter the special dungeon portals at either the north or south end of Cartisport and battle for the town. There's nothing official done for it, but players can do it for funsies, considering that PvP is not allowed in \*actual\* Cartisport in the Overworld.

There is also the manor on the north side of Cartisport. When the game is running, players can compete in a "treasure hunt". Otherwise, it's just a free-for-all. See the main PvP page for more.

## Regattas

Players and crews with enough wealth can build their own ships and race them. To that end, several race courses have been established.  Generally, they are not much more than trying to race from one capitol to the other; but oftentimes there are obstacles in the way, such as landmasses, shoals and storms...as well as other competitors!  You can run your ship aground and not damage it, but competitors can fire upon you and cause damage.  So, be warned!
None of this would be possible wihout the Valkyrien Warfare (Valkyrien Skies) mod.

## Courses

Almost all race courses start at Cartisport, the capitol of Centralia.  If you swam or boated east-southeast of the starting point of the game, you've already been there. Special channel markers show the way. Most channel markers are simply black and white blocks stacked on each other. Major routes (especially race courses) are normally marked with fancier black-and-white buoys with blinking lights.

### Constellation Course

Probably the easiest course in the world.  Competitors simply depart southwest out of Cartisport for several hundred meters, then bear due west until they reach Alpion. There is some shoal water near the area where you turn due west, so be advised. The initial approach to this race course is marked with special buoys with "AL" printed on them. Follow the buoys marked with CA to the southwest until you reach CA-0, then look for the AL buoys.

Estimated distance:  8.8km

### Straight-and-Narrow Finish

This course starts in Cartisport and runs southwest to Kharazad Harbor, where competitors have to navigate their ship through a narrow underground channel with a relatively low overhead to the main docking area inside. Follow the CA- buoys out of Cartisport up to CA-0, then keep southwest, following the KH- buoys (only the first few are marked).

Estimated distance:  14.0km

### Tempest Run

Competitors start in Cartisport at the southern starting line and go due south until they reach the Tempest--an area of intense storms.  Those who pass through the Tempest will then turn southwest towards Chengdu. Follow the "CH-" buoys south (only the first few are marked).

Estimated distance:  7.1km

### The Long Haul

An endurance race that starts by following the same course as the Straight-and-Narrow Finish, but then turns due south.  Channel markers line the way to the goal, which is the harbor near Crag Keep.

Estimated distance:  30.0km

### The Mithril Serpent

Currently, the only course that does not start at Cartisport.  Competitors start at Chengdu and race south past William's Bend and through the Fordham Straits.  From there, the course turns west-northwest towards Kharazad Harbor where competitors once again must navigate through the narrow underground canal. Technically, contestants CAN race to Kharazad by going northeast out of Chengdu, through the Maelstrom, then rounding to the northwest and going that way.

Estimated distance:  13.0km

## Rules

1.  This is less a rule and more of a guideline: All ships should be no larger than 40m long, 17m wide and 22m high (from keel to top of mast, NOT height above water). The ship's draught should be no more than 5m for a total keel-to-mast height of 27m.  The only exception is for the Straight-and-Narrow Finish and William's Bend courses, which instead has a maximum height of 21m (26m keel-to-mast). You CAN build ships larger than these recommended specificiations, but any ship exceeding these dimensions may not be able to finish the race course(s) due to being too large; i.e., being too tall to enter a canal, too long to maneuver around a pier and into a berth, etc.

2.  You can do any design you want with your ship, but be warned that you will be awarded points during each competition based on the aesthetic quality of your vessel (how good it looks). **Remember** that this a game themed in the mid-18th century. Building a mini-aircraft carrier (for example) would be ridiculous.

3.  All ships before the start of the race will line up against a "barrier" that will be removed by a Race Master when the race starts.  It is a good idea to gently propel your ship forward until you just touch the barrier.

4.  Race Masters will set your ship's height during competitions using your ~~Basic Hovercraft Controller~~ Lift Lever.  If you are observed changing your height to avoid obstacles, you will be immediately disqualified. Additionally, there is a mechanism in the game that will automatically keep your controller between two set Y elevations.

5.  You can have any number of people on board your ship on friendly competitions, and a limit of 4 people on unfriendly competitions.

    - "Friendly":  These races are done in either Survival or Creative mode.  Ships may or may not have cannons installed on them \*.  It's primarily a test of seamanship and the construction of your vessel.

    - "Unfriendly":  All competitors are in either Survival or Adventure mode.  Ships DO have cannons installed and a limited number of Cannon Charge to fire at opposing teams \*.  While your ship may not initially sink upon damage to the hull, too much damage will eventually unbalance your ship and cause it to capsize.  Also, cannon fire can potentially kill you and your team mates, which may mean you will be unable to return to your vessel upon respawning. In extreme circumstances, you may even entirely lose your ship should nobody be left alive on board (aka, "ghost ship").  Race Masters MAY be willing to search for your vessel and stop it from running away, but do not beg for this to be done for you.  **You Have Been Warned**. In either scenario, you run the risk of encountering pirates that may fire upon your vessel.  Also note that you can TRY to run into other players, but due to the limitations of the mod used (Valkyrien Skies), there are no algorithms set up to determine collisions with other vessels.  Only static objects (piers, land masses, etc). And colliding with other active vessels may create undesirable results (i.e., YOU could get pushed off your ship).

6.  Referring to the above rule:  individual players can play as pirates, positioned by Race Masters at predetermined locations (the "pirate ships" are stationary objects).  Sometimes, pirates will be played by Race Masters as well.  In the case where individuals are playing the role of pirates, it must be stated that **anyone seen favoring a particular competitor, or focusing more on a competitor will be removed from the role by a Race Master**.  The Race Master(s) will always have the final say.

7.  To win, your vessel MUST cross the "finish line." I.e., pass between the black-and-white checkered markers and the black-and-white banners. You cannot pass on the outside of the two finish line markers to "finish." All vessels must pass between these markers. Scoring is done as follows:

   - 1st Place:  100 points

   - 2nd Place:  80 points

   - 3rd Place:    60 points

   - 4th Place:    40 points

   - 5th Place:  20 points

   - 6th+ Place:  0 points

   Additional points are given for the craftsmanship of your vessel.  All competitors can individually rate your vessel on a scale from 1 to 10.  The average is taken, multiplied by 5, and added to your final score. In this way, even someone who finishes 3rd place and gets a perfect score for craftsmanship can still win the competition overall (60 points for 3rd place plus 5x10 (50) for craftsmanship). Scoring ties (combination of finishing and craftsmanship) are broken by who finishes first. If two vessels cross the finish line at the same time and the Race Masters cannot determine who passed between the banners first, both vessels will be awarded the same amount of points.

**Please remember**: Due to the limitations of the Valkyrien mod, it's strongly recommended that you do not overpower your ship. Doing so could eventually mean you and your team mates will get flung overboard. You can place passenger chairs in strategic locations to help prevent team mates from being thrown overboard. See the ship building page for suggestions.