Decathlon :: Altruism

[MatthewV]

Long ago, we had a decathlon of games. The event was fun but took up most of the summer. This one will be very different. This game will consist of 10 single submission games. Each one will run for about a week.

Players are allowed to discuss freely at all times, in public (this thread) or privately (bed rooms, messages, encrypted smoke signals etc). Sometime cooperation might be good. Sometimes sweet revenge might be better.

Players may give any number of points to another player. These transfers will take place after the current round has ended unless specified in the current round. This may be done publicly in the thread (use bold please) or by private message to me. (added 5/15)

There will be no limit on the number of players in each round. Points are cumulative and will sometimes be spent to possibly get more points. Many of the games will be similar to those found in The Newb.
Players cannot have a negative score.
You get 10 points as soon as you join the game. You must post your intention to play in the thread. Players may join at any time.
If you start playing the game but then realize that you cannot continue playing, please let me know. You score will become frozen and you will not be able to gain or lose points. This must be done before I post the next game so you cannot opt out of a round you feel might be unfair to your high score.

Current players and points
Termital 255
sAbLLimINal 188
PuzzleScot 177
Amb 157
ralphmerridew 160
jesternl 151
groza528 149
lexprod 106
dethwing 106
Quailman 74
xalolo 61

Current game: Altruism

[MatthewV]

Round 1. Fireworks!

You are on the grassy lawn and ready to celebrate the start of the decathlon. Set up and launch your firework!

The playing field is 150 units long and the sky is just 35 units high. You can set up your firework anywhere from 0 unit (far left side) to 150 unit (far right side) at any angle from 15 (left but still up a bit), 90 (up), to 175 (right but still up a bit) degrees.

You may load up as many points you currently have (so a maximum of ten) onto your firework. If your firework explodes without crossing the path of another firework, you will receive a bonus.

You must also specify how many units you wish your firework to travel before it explodes (it will also explode when it hits an edge of the playing field or the sky).

The scoring will work like this...
- You get 1 point for every unit your firework travels before intersecting the path of another.
- If you loaded points up and have your firework explode before it crosses the path of another players firework, you will double your investment.
- If you loaded points and your firework crosses the path of another before it explodes, those points are lost.

I will not read my messages until I am ready to finalize the results. If there are questions, please ask in the thread.

Submission format:
(starting place), (degrees), (points loaded), (distance to travel)
Example: 30, 160, 5, 15
The example could earn 25 points (giving the example a total of 30 points at the start of next round). [it is on the left side, pointing pretty far right]
Example2: 60, 90, 3, 300
This example will be going straight up until it hits the sky. It explodes at the sky, earning 35 + 6 points

Deadline is Sunday, May 8

[MatthewV]

Note: I adjusted the angles so that nobody could set up a firework at 0/150 and shoot it along the ground.

[Amb*]

I intend to play.

[lexprod]

I assuming only full units get a point, so rounding down no 1.458 points?

[MatthewV]

That is correct, partial points will always be rounded down in a manner not favoring the player. 0.99999... = 0

And a random example picture.

[Quailman]

/in

[Lepton*]

I know it's powered flight, but shouldn't there be a parabolic gravity term in the equation of motion?

[lexprod]

[MatthewV]

This game would be more realistic in 3-D also...

[ralphmerridew]

$0.01

[MatthewV]

Some players will start to notice this in round 5 and wish they had joined at this point of the game!

Note: although I asked players to post they are joining the game in the tread, some failed to do so. This will acceptable for this round only.

Submit before Sunday!

[sAbLLimINal]

oops, is that what the question mark is for?

/in

[PuzzleScot]

/in

[dethwing]

Oops. /in

[MatthewV]

Just one more day to get an early start in this game!

[Termital]

May I be let /in ?
_________________
_{Better ways to push & pull!}

[MatthewV]

The results are in!



At the start of round 1, the scores were...
9+61=70 PuzzleScot
9+43=52 Quailman
10+35=45 lexprod
5+27=32 Amb
8+14=22 dethwing
0+21=21 ralphmerridew
0+21=21 Termital
7+13=20 sAbLLimINal

The next round will be up soon
Congratulations to Amb for exploding closest to the path he was about to cross!

[PuzzleScot]

Coooooool - I can add psychology to my list of skills

[lexprod]

Haha, without investing I managed to score 3rd, huzzah!
_________________
I'll have a P please...

[MatthewV]

Round 2: Spare some change.

Would you, could you…. spare some change? *rattle rattle*
-----

The cost of coins:
50 cent coin for 7 points
25 cent coin for 4.5 points
20 cent coin for 4 points Brits only :-)
10 cent coin for 3 points
5 cent coin for 2 points
1 cent coin for 0.5 points

The bank can hold 130 cents. If this number cannot be reached exactly, all the money will be turned into points and given to the respective buyers.
- The bank is currently empty.
- If the total value of coins purchases ends in 0.5 points, I will round up to the full point. Purchasing two 1 cent coins would only cost 1 point.
- Players may purchase a maximum of five coins.
- Not submitting anything will be the same as not purchasing anything.

Players may freely discuss

New players must publicly show intent to join the game at this point!
New players still start with 10 points of spending money!

Entries are due in exactly one week!

[MatthewV]

So... if everyone only bought 50 cent coins, everyone would benefit lots.
...but if one person bough a 20 and 10, then everyone would lose.

So in this round everyone will either gain a decent amount or everyone will lose something. (Or people will be neutral and safe).

[lexprod]

...I...don't...get it?

Are we buying coins FROM the bank? Or to put IN the bank? to add up to 130? And then the points go...to people?
_________________
I'll have a P please...

[MatthewV]

So you use your current points to buy coins.

The coins go into the bank.

If the total in the bank can exactly make 130 = bad
If the total in the bank cannot exactly make 130, the value of the coins will turn back to points.

If player A bought a 20 and a 10 and player B got a 50 and player C got four 1's, the total couldn't equal 130. Player A would get 30 points, B would get 50 points and C would get 4 points. Minus, of course, the cost of the initial purchase.
If we add player D who also buys a 50, the total could equal 130 (50+50+20+10) and nobody would benefit.

Maybe I should have called it a can instead of a bank....

[Quailman]

I guess it's appropriate to say "cent."

[lexprod]

So if someone could afford to buy 5 50-cent coins, that's over 130 and that guarantees points? or is it that out of all the coins bought, there's no combination that could make exactly 130, even if the total is over 130
_________________
I'll have a P please...

[MatthewV]

On next Monday, I will take all the coins that were bought and try to make 130. If I cannot make that number exactly, points will be awarded.

In all cases I will have to figure out how much each person spent.

There is no way to guarantee earning points.

[groza528]

New Player

[MatthewV]

On a side note, I decided to start reading the submissions as I receive them. If you wish to make changes, please just send an updated copy.

[dethwing]

I've sent. This one is really confusing.

[lexprod]

So here's the deal: If no one buys a 20 or less coin, then there's NO chance of 130 happening. With 50 and 25 they'd all be multiples of 25. Simple. If someone does, it could go balls up, and we're all screwed.

I say we just stick with this deal, it'll make it much harder for people next round to catch up, helping us all.
_________________
I'll have a P please...

[jesternl]

/In, belatedly

[dethwing]

This "plan" favors 4 people. What makes you think the rest of us will let you get away with that?

[lexprod]

If by favor, you mean certain people have multiples of 7 or 4.5, that's pretty much incidental. Hell, round it up with 1 cent coins, it'll double your remainder and I doubt all combined will add to 30. I'm just trying to boost everyone's scores, to lock out late-comers (until the probably inevitible less-points-probably-means-better-round).

If we don't agree to this, then we may as well all sit on our thumbs, as there's no safety in the bank and everyone's better off saving points. Is that your plan?
_________________
I'll have a P please...

[dethwing]

Why yes, that was my plan. And untill I see something better that's what I'm sticking to.

[PuzzleScot]

Mebbe dumb, but everyone loses the cost of their coins regardless?

[groza528]

That is my understanding, Puzzlescot

[jesternl]

If you all will kindly sit on your thumbs, I'll go and buy myself 129 cents worth, OK?

[Termital]

Well, jesternl,60 cents is as far as your budget stretches, so you'll just have to do with multiplying your score by six. Now, assuming you could afford it, what would be so special about a bet of 129 in assorted coinage?

The way I understand the aforeposted clarifications, the win condition is not "Sum of banked coins' value is no greater than 130.", but rather "No subset of banked coins can have their values add up to exactly 130". Or is 129 special in some other way I'm missing?

For me, the big question on this round is: what will trust in individual player's honesty be worth to them in the future? And on that one, my predictive powers fail me (apparently, again).
_________________
_{Better ways to push & pull!}

[MatthewV]

Termital is exactly correct-- that is what this round is about. And the part about subsets is also correct.