1. Players should first Register all their information.  Your registration is reviewed in 24 hours and updated, and you can search your name or other players names using the 'find players' button.
2. When you are ready to play, I recommend you visit an online community to find opponents. Right now the Microsoft Gaming Zone is probably the best place to meet opponents initially, so go to www.zone.com/heroes/ and visit the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 section from the games list.  For Heroes 4 players, follow the instructions on your multiplayer menu to install GameSpy.
3. It is very important that you report your win or loss as soon as you finish a game, if you want to see your rankings updated properly. To confirm your opponent is a tournament player, ask them for their name, ranking, and check it on the rankings page, or player search.
4. To enter specialty tournaments, such as Clans, you need to have at least 4 games played on record, that is, be a footman rank or higher, and for them to be open.
5. Browse through the site, there is a lot of material on this site, so be sure to also visit the ToH Clans, Players Photo section, Player Listings, Older News, and tournament sections.
6.  If you wish to submit a player headshot for rankings, you can submit it once you have achieved the rank of squire or higher.
7. If there is still any confusion about anything relevant to the tournament, email me, or visit the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS at the bottom.

Points and rankings methodology All beginning players start with a base score of 1000. Player ratings provide a way to compare the strengths of two players without requiring them to play each other. It is not a competition. The rating system is similar to that used in chess ratings, the higher the rating, the better the player. Ratings are recalculated after each game, using the following formulae: Rn=Ro + 30 +0.05*(D) if they win, or Rn=Ro - (20 + 0.05*(D) ) if they lose. where Rn is the new (post-game) Rating, Ro is the old (pre-game) Rating, and (D) is the difference between opponents pre-game ratings. So for example, if a player with a ranking of 1000 beats a player with ranking of 1100, the winner moves up to 1035, the loser moves down to 1075. If the 1100 ranked player beats the 1000 ranked, winner moves up to 1125, loser moves down to 985. Players are promoted in this manner: Graphic Title Points Requirements Recruit Less than 4 games on record Footman 0-1149 pts Squire 1149-1299 pts Baron 1300-1499 pts Legionnaire  (Can control 1 division) 1500-1699 pts Lord  (Can control up to 2 divisions) 1700-1899 pts Emperor (Can control up to 5 divisions) 1900 + pts

Reporting your Games In standard free challenge 1vs1 games, make sure both players report win or loss via winloss program to get credit.   Notice that ONLY maps listed on the winloss program are eligible for regular tournament play. If you have a favorite map that is NOT listed, please send it in for consideration and addition to the winloss program. Under no circumstances are small maps, Tactician maps or Battlefest maps eligible for play, unless for those specific sub-tournaments when available. Send Homm 3 maps to Raven at raven@toheroes.com, Heroes 4 maps should be sent to Vesuvius at admin@toheroes.com. For specialty tournaments, select the appropriate box on the winloss program regarding the specific tournament you are participating in.

The Honor Rating & System The Honor Rating is calculated as a percentage, each player starting at 50% when they register.  The value then is shown on the player info & statistics as a description based on the percentage: 90-100% - Highest Honor 70-89% - High Honor 50-69% - Honorable 40-49% - Average 20-39% - Poor 0-19% - Disgraceful Players who hit 0% can be removed from TOH.  In general, the % changes based on your opponents opinion of your game during the winloss submission; +1% for honorable, -3% for dishonorable, and no change in the default neutral. Unreported losses -  When a player does not report their loss and does not dispute it when it is found on the unreported winloss page, they lose 5% honor after 5 days of it being on the unreported page, and the entry is deleted automatically. If you have a game on the unreported page that should not be there, ie you made a mistake, etc., please email the responsible party for correction. Do NOT assume we will know it's a mistake and remove it. Homm 3 issues go to SapphireRavyn and Homm 4 issues go to Vesuvius. The Cherry - If a player acquires the 'cherry', any future games versus recruits will result in a 5% loss in honor per game.  The Cherry is rather hard to get though, it requires that you play (90% or more of your games vs recruits and low ranking footmen -- while being a squire or higher rank).  It is not how many low rankers you beat, but the proportion you play against.

1- I have played several games, and reported them, but why am I still not on the Rankings Page?
If your opponent hasn't reported their win or loss against you, your report remains in dispute, and can be visited via the unreported win/losses link. Also, it may take up to 24 hours before your last report is updated, so be patient.

2- It isn't on the unreported file either! what now?
Did you make sure you put in your email/map info when you reported your win or loss? If win/loss report is not filled out correctly, it is usually discarded. If still a problem, just email Vesuvius, and he will correct the problem for you.

3- I cant seem to report my game "winner or loser not found!!!!!!"?
Make sure you know your name, password and your opponents name properly.  If misspelled, or your opponents name is typed differently from what it states on player search, then you wont be able to submit. Also check to be sure you are using the correct report page. There are seperate pages for Homm 3 and Homm4 games, if you try to use the wrong page your information will not be found and you will not be able to report.

4- How do I join a Tournament?
If youve played more than 4 games on record (that is Footman ranked or higher) you just need to read over each OPEN  tournament information and register by contacting the appropriate tournament coordinator. Tournaments may be closed because they are either full, in progress, or not actively running.

5- What is this clan thing?
A part of The Tournament with its own independent system, you can be a clan member if you wish, by contacting the clan leader listed (if the clan isnt full). You need 4 games like before.

6- What is considered Illegal/Cheating?
Using cheat codes, trainers, looking at saves, editing the map to your advantage, registering multiple player handles and reporting games against yourself, etc... Players should know that this kind of thing can only bring them down and out of the tournament.

7- My opponent dropped on me, do i get a win?
Depends. If your opponent is a member of the Tournament, with name listed in rankings, yes you can get credit, but only if the game was near finished. Try playing reliable players, that is players who have a significant record. Players with the Medal of Honor can be trusted to be very reliable.  Make sure you contact your opponent by email to try to continue the game first.

*** Keep eyes open regularly on the tournament pages, when a tournament opens, space fills up quickly. You cannot attempt to register for a tournament that isnt opened yet; so be weary of one that is opening up or about to open, so you can have first grabs.