Pascal Bertrand#
Hello fellow Methuselahs,
As you all know, we now have a live Archon upload system (continue reading if you weren't aware of this), based on the submission of the Archons by the Princes.
Amongst other useful things, the submission of the Archons allows us to generate the Ratings page .
It's also used to generate the list of qualified players for CCs .
However, I regularly see that some organisers / players face trouble when using the Archon. And some issues are quite recurrent. So here's a little helping guide for those who use the Archon. For those who don't (or haven't yet), I would also recommend reading it, as you will probably have a better understanding of it afterwards.
PRELIMINARIES
Like all good things, the Archon requires some preliminaries.
First of all: if you're going to use the Archon, it's probably because you're running an event.
In this case, check the Event Calendar and look for your event. If you can't find it, then the first thing you should do is Register your event .
It is very important that you fill the "Event type" accordingly to your event. Here is a short description of all event types: Demo: Self-explanatory. This should be used for demos. Archons submitted for demos will not be taken into account when evaluating rating points / checking who is qualified for CCs, etc. Standard Constructed: The regular, common tournament. Standard Tournament rules apply, this is basically what you run if you don't run something specific. Results for this type will be taken into account. Limited: Mainly used for drafts. It will be taken into account, but just for limited ratings. This is the easiest way of being World's #2 (Hugh has bought slot #1) Mini-Qualifier: To be honest, this shouldn't be in this list. Don't use it, never ever ever. Unless things change, this is a old-world type that we forgot to delete. It should be pushing the daisies. Continental Qualifier: Each country can run some (depending on the country, from 1 to as many as Ginés decides) Continental Qualifiers each year. Check with your NC that you can run this kind of event. Players with 1GW at these events will qualify for the next Continental Championship. See the Continental Championships page for details Continental Championships: Held once per year per continent. It's a major gathering on players. I wholeheartedly recommend attending these. National Qualifiers: As far as I know, if you're not French, this isn't for you. Some countries (France) don't have an "Open" National Championship. In France, players must be qualified for the Nationals to qualify. Hence this format (which was used, iirc, in Italy some time ago). This is NOT the Contentinental Championship Qualifier. National Championships: Held once per year per country. This should be your country's major event, and I highly recommend going there - and to some other countries'. Storyline: Tournaments registered there count for the Storyline. You can check the Storyline pages (check options on the left side bar) for details on the current format. Launch Event: I honestly don't know what this is doing there. I recommend never to use it. Build your own Storyline: Storyline, again. Unsanctioned tournament: Self-explanatory. These events are almost Standard Tournaments, except that you slightly changes the rules. For instance, "Jyhad-Only, with Jyhad-Rules" tournaments should be "Unsanctioned". "Proxies allowed" must be Unsanctioned. These events don't count for the rating.
Use mainly Standard Tournament and Unsanctioned Tournament. Once in a while, you'll have to register a National Championship or a Continental Qualifier. French Princes will encounter National Qualifier. I must say I haven't used any of the others myself.
* If you have registered an incorrect type of event, you can always edit it: (copied from VEKN FAQ 2.18]
a) Go to the Event Calendar and look for the event you want to edit.
b) Click on the event.
c) Click on the organizer's name.
d) Click on the "Organized Events" tab.
e) Locate the event you want to edit and then click on the "EDIT" link.
Alternatively, you can edit one of your events by:
a) Finding your player page in the Player Registry .
b) Clicking on the "Organized Events" tab.
c) Finding the "EDIT" link on the right hand size.
HOW CAN I HAVE THE ARCHON?
The Archon is available from the RESOURCES/Downloads section on the left.
The Archon is some kind of a program that gets updated from time to time.
The current (as of 07/11/2021) version of the Archon is 1.5j.
We try to have the Archon supported by a maximum of tools - Excel, but also LibreOffice. If you think your Archon isn't compatible, please send it to me ().
SHOULD I USE A NEW ARCHON FOR EACH EVENT?
Yes.
Download the Archon, first thing you should do is to copy it somewhere you won't touch it. Rename that file "Archon_Model.xlsx" or "Archon_Model.ods" (depending on whether you plan to use Excel or LibreOffice), and whenever you hold an event, simply copy that file somewhere relevent to the event (Documents/vtes/events/2014-2015/Archon_FeeStakeCorte.xlsx) and start using it.
This way, we reduce the chances of losing an important file.
I HAVE AN ARCHON; I HAVE PLAYERS, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
A.K.A How to fill and archon
When you open the Archon, it should default to the second page, "Tournament Info".
FILL THE TOURNAMENT INFO PAGE
I cannot stress this enough, but this is almost the most important page of the Archon. If this page isn't properly filled, the submission is likely to fail (see below).
So take your time, and fill each field as best as you can.
"Date Report due at V:EKN" is purely informal. We won't be knocking at your door if you're late. Organizer: This person is in charge of preparing the event, finding a location, making the announcements, creating the event on vekn.net, etc. City: The place where the event is held. Format: Apart from drafts and unsanctioned events, events should be Constructed. Level: If everything is cool, you should choose the same type you chose when creating the event on vekn.net. (see above for details) Number of players: This field is automatically filled. Don't try and alter it. Number of rounds: Use 4 if you're running a 3R+F event, 3 if you're in a 2R+F Number of event matches: Automatically filled. Number of new members/warnings/disqualifications: As far as I know, we don't parse this information yet. Still, if we ever do, it's a good habit to fill it Multijudge: In events of 6+ players, the Tournament Rules allow the use of MultiJudge, if there is no non-playing Judge. Simply list here the names of the judges.
THE METHUSELAHS PAGE
On this page, you'll have to fill all data regarding the players.
Columns A (Player Num), B (Player Firstname), C (Player lastname), and E (vekn id) are required to be filled. Column D (city) isn't mandatory.
This is the only sheet you'll have to enter the name of the players. Everywhere else, players will be refered to by their associated number (from 1 to the number of players), either when entering the final table or overriding a round table.
DURING THE ROUNDS AND FINALS
Whenever a table finishes, report the result into the column E of the adequate table on the adequate round. You don't have to fill the G column, the Archon will process it correctly.
For the finals, you need to enter the A14-A18 cells with the IDs of the players for this event. Finalists are shown right above for reminers. Once the final is over, fill the F column with its results.
THE EVENT IS OVER, THE ARCHON IS FILLED, WHAT DO I DO?
Save the file by keeping its original format, that is .xlsx or .ods. The report module doesn't support other formats such as .ods or .xlsx.
Return to the event's page on vekn.net's calendar, and upload the Archon. You must fill the "number of players" field there, or you will see your Archon rejected.
Once the upload is over (this can take quite some time), check that everything is normal: All your players are displayed All your participants have at least 5 Rating Points All your finalists have significantly more Rating Points than the other players Rankings go from 1 to the number of players (except in case of ties, where some players are tied at the end).
If some players are displayed in red, it means that the name entered in the archon is not exactly the same as the name in the registry.
It's not necessarily an error. Usually it's because of missing uppercases, or an extra space, or a missing accent, or the first name being shortened ("Ben" instead of "Benjamin") but sometimes the VEKN is simply not the right one. The system can't distinguish those cases and uses red color to attract attention.
You should correct the archon only if the VEKN number is not correct. Mispelling doesn't require any correction.
If everything looks good, you can submit your Archon.
This sends a minor notification to your NC (basically, the NC needs to go to the Approve event page to know that there's an event to approve), so you sould just as well inform your NC that your Archon is ready to be approved.
LIST OF THINGS YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO DO DURING THE EVENT
PLAYER LATE, SKIPPING ROUND 1 BUT PLAYING ROUNDS 2+
First of all: IF you have a total (with the missing player) of 7, 8, 11 or 12, you're basically screwed. I would recommend either finding an extra (13/9 players is better than 12/8), or sacrificing players to go down to the next "usable" number of players (which, in our case, would be 6/10 - including the missing guy - I'll assume the missing player is a guy in the rest).
Any other solution I can think of is going to be messy.
As for many cases shown hereafter, you have two different cases. One is easy, the other one is a real pain where you don't want to feel pain.
In all cases, that player should be included amongst all other Methuselahs in the Methuselah page of the Archon.
Don't try to add him later on, or whatever. He is playing in the tournament, he should be there.
Easy scenario: With that player, you do NOT have 5N+1 players.
For instance, a (13present + 1missing)-player event is missing 1 guy. Or a (19-present + 1 missing)-player event. First, make sure that player isn't on a 4-player table. If he is, swap him with someone on a 5-player table. How do you swap? On the Methuselah page, simply exchange the "Player Number" fields. Then, in the Round 1 sheet, find your player, and remove him from the table by deleting the content of the "#" column. Do NOT remove his name manually, it'll be done automatically. Update the Override sheet to explain the change That's it, you've handled a missing player.
Difficult scenario: With that player, you have 5N+1 (16, 21, 26, ...) players
The problem comes from the fact that you were have 4 4-player tables that you have to deal with.
If you have 21 or more players, there is an easy solution. Follow the steps above, and make that missing player the #5. That way, he'll be the missing 5th player on table 1. You are creating a new 4-player table.
Now, even if this solution is simple, I would only recommend it if you are in a rush. (5 4-player tables are never better than 4 5-player tables).
Creating 5-player tables: Choose a 4-player table. You will have to reseat all the players from that table to other 4-playar tables. Check the Round2 and Round3 sheets to avoid collusions. "Collusions" are defined in the "Optimal 2R+F" sheet for reminders. Rule 1 is the most important, rule 9 is the less important. Reseat the players, replacing the numbers in the "#" column. Do NOT touch the "Player First/Last name", as it will be automatically updated. Update the Override sheet to explain the change
(tbc)
Sections:
- Player leaving after round 1, and coming back for round 3 (or not)
- Player dropping the event right before the finals
- Life Boon
COMMON PROBLEMS WHEN SUBMITTING AN ARCHON
[Q] There is an error in the archon file that was uploaded, is it possible to download the uploaded file and correct it?
Currently no. But you can either contact the person that uploaded the file and ask him or her a copy, or contact the Ratings Coordinator () and ask for a copy. Please include the event name and date, and its id (or paste the url of the event).
[Q] I can't upload the archon, there is no button to do so.
[A] You are not the creator of the event. Please contact the creator of the event, your NC or the ratings coordinator to fix this.
[Q] I get a "Invalid file extension (.xls)" when I try to upload the archon.
[A] The archon must be saved using the .xlsx or .ods extension. Do not mess with the file, I've seen some players renaming the file, it won't work.
[Q] After I've submitted my archon, the even page's background has turned white and I have lost all the style...
[A] Then you probably have an error message such as "The filename ../archon/uploaded_archons/213-1430213647.xlsx is not readable". I just told you you must not mess with the file. You've uploaded a file that wasn't a true .xlsx file. Please contact the ratings coordinator to fix this.
[Q] I've uploaded the archon, and I can see the names of the players. But some of them are displayed in red. What should I do?
[A] All you have to do is to check that the vekn id is correct.
The system only cares for the vekn id. To do so, it compares the archon name you've entered in the archon and the name of the player associated to the vekn id. If they are not strictly identical, it displays the line in red. It doesn't mean that there is an error though.
[Q] There is an error in the archon I've submitted. What should I do?
Use the "DELETE THE ARCHON" button, fix your archon on your computer, then re-upload it.
[Q] I've uploaded the archon and I can see the names of the players. But I can't submit the archon.
[A] Check you don't have an error message such as "Tournament level '' inserted in archon does not match with the type 'Standard Constructed' inserted on calendar:
please check and modify tournament level accordingly, then upload your archon again."
It means you didn't fill properly the "Tournament info" sheet, or that the tournament level entered in the calendar is not correct. Either edit your archon or your event to fix this.
(tbc)
Sections:
- "Tournament Info" wasn't properly filled
- Incorrect decimal separator
-
If you have face issues with the Archon, please DO report them here so that we can add them to the list.