XHB Hosting :: Battle of the Bits Lyceum

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XHB Hosting

::|CONTENTS

Hosting requirements
Badges for hosting
Boon deposits for hosting
Bit packs
Hosting rules
Hosting best practices
The hosting process
See also

This article outlines the details and best practices for hosting your very own XHB (also known as BEGHASTING)! Hostists keep the battlefield fresh and fertile, so if you've ever thought about trying to host something yourself, give it a shot! It is a pretty streamlined, accessible process, though of course since this is BotB there are quirks to learn, too. And that's what we're here for.

If you don't meet the requirements yet still want to have an XHB, don't fret! If you ask for an XHB in the IRC/Discord channel, then someone who is eligible may host one for you. Don't be afraid to ask, people are very friendly and often interested in both battling and helping! We also have a public account, Public Toilet, which can host a battle in a pinch. This might be a good way to practice hosting; make sure you still read and follow the rules though.

Hosting requirements

The most basic requirements for hosting involve badges, boon deposits and a bit pack (the prompt/ruleset); however, things get a little more detailed depending on your level, the number of badges you have, and whether you want to host an OHB, 2HB or 4HB. These will be outlined in the following two sections.

Badges for hosting

Typically you need a badge in the format you want to host. You earn the badge for submitting 7 entries in that format which score 20 points or higher in the battle (we call this "badge progress"). For example, if you had the allgear badge and the wildchip badge, those would be the only two formats you could host. If you're trying to earn a specific badge, feel free to ask in chat if anyone would be willing to host a battle in that format! People are helpful!

There are some special thresholds which confer additional hosting privileges:
- your BotBr level (lv17+ Mighty, lv27+ Ascended)
- your badge count (at 7 badges held)
- the badge's level (badges level up to bronze, silver and gold as you submit more entries to that format)

Level Status
OHB
2HB
4HB

n00b

badge in format

bronze badge in format

silver badge in format

Mighty

7 badges = any format

badge in format

bronze badge in format

Ascended

any format

7 badges = any format

badge in format

(admin)

any format

7 badges = any format

(sysop)

any format

Boon deposits for hosting

Hostists are required to put down a deposit in boons, BotB's currency. The deposit is returned afterwards, as long as the battle reaches a certain number of entries - we call this threshold "boonsaving". If you need more boons to be able to host, don't be afraid to ask others for a loan or a donation! We are happy to help, and more hostists of course means more battles, entries and creativity.

As with badges, there are different requirements depending on whether you want to host an OHB, 2HB or 4HB:

-
OHB
2HB
4HB

Deposit amount (in _b)

b725

b975

b1323

# of entries for boonsave

These requirements were reduced from b750/1250/2150 and 3/7/11 entries in mid-2023: post link

Bit packs

Bit packs are the prompt for the battle. Following the bit pack is mandatory for entrants. This not only helps ensure a fair fight for everyone but also serves to kick-start the creative process and get people working! Hostists can upload a file for the bit pack, such as a .ZIP, an image, or a text file; but there is also a convenient text field available on the hosting page to enter a plaintext prompt.

Themes
An XHB's title typically has little to do with what is expected of the XHB entries. However, if the XHB host declares a theme then all entries should be voted on based around that theme. Themes can be based on any sort of thing like genres, an emotion, video games, holiday humbuggery, etc.

Sample Pack
Some formats typically (or always) utilize a sample pack as the bit pack - often packaged as a .ZIP or .RAR file, but sometimes in the filetype of a particular format, such as .xrns in Renoise or .it/.xm in s3xmodit. Sample packs are accessible once the XHB starts. Unless otherwise noted by the host, the only samples that can be used within the XHB are the ones provided. Outside samples are not allowed. Notably, a sample pack restriction is the entire point of the remix format in particular.

Hosting rules

There are a few more things you should keep in mind when you create a pack:

Do not put offensive content in the bitpack or XHB title.
Do not put web links in the XHB title.
Make sure that you will have enough participants in the battle. If you have less than the required participants, then you will lose the boon deposit and will not receive hostist points. To prevent this, communicate with others in the IRC/Discord channel to ensure that there is enough interest.
Try to be creative with your bitpacks—make your XHBs interesting! XHBs are meant to be challenging and allow for creativity, so don't do the same thing over and over.
Cover XHBs are NOT allowed!!
During the voting period, make sure that everyone has time to vote by communicating with voters in the Discord/IRC channel. Let everyone who wants to vote do so, then close the battle and reveal the results when everyone is ready.
If you are unable to close the battle due to lack of time or other issues, inform an admin so that they can close it for you. If you fail to communicate this and are absent from your own battle, you will receive a Parasite ailment, prohibiting you from hosting for a while. An abandoned battle is no fun for anyone.
Repeated or consistent breaking of hosting rules may eventually result in loss of hosting privileges.

Hosting best practices

CHECK THE SCHEDULE FIRST! Since 2020, hostists have been able to schedule their battles in advance; currently up to a week! Avoid scheduling a battle that conflicts with another battle's runtime or voting+results time. Assume at least a half hour after a battle's entry period will be used for voting+results. If you feel that you absolutely must schedule at a specific time that's taken, ask the other hostist first whether they're OK with it. If a battle's start time needs to be adjusted, ask an admin and they will take care of it for you.
Asking in the chat first if anyone is interested in a battle will always be helpful towards ensuring you've got enough entrants to meet the boonsave threshold. Being able to schedule in advance helps this majorly, too, but it may still be useful to ask people about more esoteric, less frequently hosted formats.
Being present in chat to post results is a requirement, but aside from that, keeping an eye out for questions, concerns, or issues is also good to do. Saying something once the entry period is up also lets people know you're around and that it's time to vote.
When posting the results of the battle in chat, a general guideline is to spend no more than one or two minutes talking between each ranking. Spending much longer than this can seriously balloon the amount of time a single XHB consumes. However, leaving that little bit of time for people to comment and talk about the entries is valuable, so posting the results one-by-one is preferable to simply pasting the whole list at once and moving on.

The hosting process

1. With the preceding requirements met, BEGHAST an XHB.
The button/link to BEGHAST XHB will appear on BotB's home screen below your avatar when you meet all the requirements. Remember to also join the chat while hosting! If you start an XHB without being in the Discord/IRC channel you will most likely be given the Parasite ailment.

2. When the entry period is over, fairly decide when voting will end by communicating with participants in the Discord/IRC channel.

3. Once everyone is done voting, click the big button below the entries that says "Tally Resluts - End Voting". (If for some reason you need to re-open voting, there will be a link to do so at the next step.)

4. You will now see the Tally Sheet that lists the rankings and votes. Share the rankings on Discord/IRC in order of worst to best, with time for people to comment in between. Aim to spend no more than one to two minutes between rankings, to keep things moving.

5. Click the "end battle" link at the top of the tally sheet to finalize the XHB. It will close shortly, with all entries de-anonymized on the site and BotBr points distributed.

See also