Division Set - a set of rules for instantiating Division instances, which are Leaderboard instances of a specific configuration and number of players.
Divisions make tournaments more engaging by restricting the number of players to compete against - thus increasing the chances of winning a prize. Each individual division is called a Division instance.
For example, a user may feel there is more reason to play, and a greater chance to win if he is competing only against 10 players, as opposed to being one player in a Worldwide tournament where there might be thousands of opponents.
Divisions relieve some of the economic problems that arise when the same users win Worldwide Tournaments over and over again. This is because Worldwide tournaments usually have big prizes to match the number of players enrolled. The smaller Tournaments that Divisions allow decreasing the scale of payout that Design must offer to drive participation from the user.
Pro tip: There are benefits to both Worldwide and Division-based Tournaments, and it is up to your Design department to decide which ones to emphasize in your app.
Division instances run for a single scheduled rotation. Once the tournament is completed, new division instances are created for players who enter the next round.
With brainCloud Divisions, enrollees will be entered into a Division until the cap on the number of entrants is reached. When the cap is reached, entrants are then funneled into a new Division. This process repeats as players continue to enroll, up to as many Divisions as needed. Each Division of users competes for its own set of prizes without interference from any other Division.
Creating a division set
Click the [Add Item] button with a plus icon on it.
Fill in the fields and save the result.
Set Id
The Division Set ID is an identifier for the division instance to use. Normally it combines letters and numbers to distinguish each other.
Description
Enter a useful description for this Division. It may be useful to mention the Leaderboard Configuration for which this Division is rigged.
Scheduling
Scheduling tells the system when the app should launch a competition for a given Division.
Synchronized (recommended): For synchronized tournaments, configure as recurring rotation - daily, days, weekly, monthly. Assign the Tournament Template to the current period.
Floating: For floating tournaments, configure with recurring rotation as well. The rotation start will be adjusted as each new division is created.
Ad-hoc: For adhoc tournaments, configure with an adhoc tournament leaderboard. Each period will be a valid division period.
Based on Leaderboard*
For a Leaderboard Configuration to be available, the Division Template checkbox must first be set in: Design | Leaderboards | Leaderboard Configs | Edit Leaderboard Configuration | Settings panel
Max Players
Defines the maximum number of players in a Division.
Pro Tip: Since the benefit of Divisions is to make victory seem more tenable, setting this number to a comfortably small group size is recommended. Consider values from 10 to 30. There is no technical restriction to setting a bigger group size, but it will affect how often your Divisions fill up, which may affect how long your users must wait to complete.
Results expire after days
Determines how long a user has to log in to claim a prize before payouts are abandoned. (i.e. how long to keep the tournament data around after completion.)
Pro Tip: A value of 15 days is a generous grace period for most Division-based Tournaments.