Xtreme Contest Week 13 (Steelers-Ratbirds)

Wallace108 wrote:

bayz101 wrote:

I STILL don't understand why every contest has to be a without going over contest.

I've explained it. If that's not good enough, how about "because I said so."

DAMN IT DAD, YOU ALWAYS USE THAT AS A LAST RESORT!

So I guess basically we need Mach to clarify

Each guess needs to be separated by (number here). I don't know. We need something set in stone, especially considering anyone can enter and not everyone will be familiar with the rules.

Here's the discussion we had after there was confusion about who the winner was in the Steelers-Bengals contest (http://www.steelersxtreme.com/post?p=49523&mode=quote):

Buddha Bus wrote:

Wait... what? I thought this was a closest without going over contest?

Wallace108 wrote:

It's not an issue this week because Galax had the highest pick, and the score was above his pick.

bayz101 wrote:

the "Without going over" stipulation is rarely implemented in my contests, because usually, everyone goes over.

Wallace108 wrote:

In two years of doing this contest here, I think everyone went over only once.

We haven't been including the "without going over" stipulation every time because it's pretty much now assumed. You need to have that as a stipulation unless you have some kind of tie breaker with every contest. What if the number is 100, and one person has 105 and one has 95? Who wins?

bayz101 wrote:

Oh, I wasn't one of the one's who assumed.

I believe I won the contest being the closest w/ going over once, and I recalled a couple others winning it that way, so I figured it was assumed that that as okay. It all comes down to: Never assume, because when you do, it makes an ass-u-me.

Wallace108 wrote:

Going forward, we'll just make sure to always include the stipulation that winner is closest without going over. If everyone goes over, then just closest to the number wins. Also, and it hasn't happened yet, but two people can't pick the same number, so there's no need for a tie breaker. Problem solved.

So we have three options:

1. We assume Mach meant total passing yards and I win
2. We assume Mach meant Steelers total passing yards and Fer wins
3. We get Mach to clarify his contest rules

Well, all 155 of our forum members didn't participate in that discussion. Therefore, we need to find a way of reminding future contest winners, when they make a contest, it'll be a "without going over" decision, and nothing else. If everyone read the entire contest and made picks, i'm assuming everyone read the part where it says "closest number" and made their decisions based on that. If not, clearly everyone didn't read it all. I guess we could message contest makers the rule, but that's all I got.

We took this contest idea from the early days of SU. Back then, there was an issue over who a winner was, so they started making it "closest without going over" wins. We incorporated the same rules when we started the contest here. "Closest without going over" was stated early on, but then started getting dropped. But the assumption was still there.

When we started this contest last year, I always set it up with the stipulation that "closest without going over wins." When I changed it to winners set up the next contest, some people weren't necessarily as detailed about listing all the rules.

From week to week, the only thing that should change is the calculation. The basic rules of the game, especially in determining the winner, have been the same since the first week we did this contest. Most people have been leaving them out, but they've been assumed. And we clarified that after the Bengals game.

It's not my fault if others missed the conversation in the Bengals thread. I can't be responsible for what people do and do not read. I'm just being responsible for maintaining consistency in the rules that were established from the very beginning and were confirmed during that thread.

I think we're beating the dead horse. Now that I saw the transcripts, I remember the conversation. While it wasn't stated, it's always been 'closest' (damn 1 yard).

I still go back to my original 3 things to do.

If we just go off his wording, then it's clear I'm the winner. However, I know that almost all the contests were talking about the Steelers performance. So I say we just ask Mach for clarification.

HEY MACH, What the hell did you mean by the term, "total passing yards"? Total Steelers or total for both teams?

stlrtruck wrote:

So we have three options:

1. We assume Mach meant total passing yards and I win
2. We assume Mach meant Steelers total passing yards and Fer wins
3. We get Mach to clarify his contest rules

Well, it's sort of an "invisible" rule, really. A contest winner was decided by the "without going over" rule in my contest, although that wasn't what I planned. Wallace said in that thread that we'd do all future contests in the "without going over" format. Obviously, ANYONE can enter a contest, and therefore anyone can win. If everyone wasn't viewing that thread, not everyone would know the rules, especially if contest winners make the next contest. The only reason we're really running into trouble is because most websites have amins and mods make the contests, I suppose.

I'm almost positive Mach meant Steelers total yardage. That would make Fer the winner. If not, it's Truck.

bayz101 wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

So we have three options:

1. We assume Mach meant total passing yards and I win
2. We assume Mach meant Steelers total passing yards and Fer wins
3. We get Mach to clarify his contest rules

Well, it's sort of an "invisible" rule, really. A contest winner was decided by the "without going over" rule in my contest, although that wasn't what I planned. Wallace said in that thread that we'd do all future contests in the "without going over" format. Obviously, ANYONE can enter a contest, and therefore anyone can win. If everyone wasn't viewing that thread, not everyone would know the rules, especially if contest winners make the next contest. The only reason we're really running into trouble is because most websites have amins and mods make the contests, I suppose.

It's still a rule, invisible or not. I just say get Mach's input and put it to bed. No need to

And we know going forward we just need to put a note in the remaining contests about, 'closest without going over' as a reminder.

SOLVED!

Again, just so there's no confusion ...


Let's say in the future we've got a $25 gift card for contest winners. The contest says "closest to the number wins."

The winning number is 300. One poster has 305, and one has 295. Who wins? They're both 5 points away. We can't decide THEN to say, "Well, you went over, so the other poster wins." If there's money or prizes on the line, it can get ugly. We need standard rules for determining the winner. And that's what we have ... closest without going over wins. If EVERYONE goes over, then lowest score wins because it's closest to the number. We've also stated that two people can't pick the same number, therefore, it's impossible for there to be tie.

As for determining the winner of this week's contest, I don't care ... I wasn't in it.

Yeah, the contest creators certainly need to be warned. Everyone in this contest was fooled.

bayz101 wrote:

I'm almost positive Mach meant Steelers total yardage. That would make Fer the winner. If not, it's Truck.

Sure take the win away from me

Just to counterpoint the argument, if we take him at the words he typed, then it's clear he just meant total yardage. However, it's possible he only meant Steelers yardage. But we've had contests in the past the included 'total' between both teams.

Let Mach clarify his statement and we'll move on.

If he doesn't clarify it by tonight, then Fer and I will rock-paper-scissors for it first thing in the morning.

Wallace108 wrote:

Again, just so there's no confusion ...


Let's say in the future we've got a $25 gift card for contest winners. The contest says "closest to the number wins."

The winning number is 300. One poster has 305, and one has 295. Who wins? They're both 5 points away. We can't decide THEN to say, "Well, you went over, so the other poster wins." If there's money or prizes on the line, it can get ugly. We need standard rules for determining the winner. And that's what we have ... closest without going over wins. If EVERYONE goes over, then lowest score wins because it's closest to the number. We've also stated that two people can't pick the same number, therefore, it's impossible for there to be tie.

As for determining the winner of this week's contest, I don't care ... I wasn't in it.

All guesses must be an odd number of votes different from each other.

bayz101 wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

So we have three options:

1. We assume Mach meant total passing yards and I win
2. We assume Mach meant Steelers total passing yards and Fer wins
3. We get Mach to clarify his contest rules

Well, it's sort of an "invisible" rule, really. A contest winner was decided by the "without going over" rule in my contest, although that wasn't what I planned. Wallace said in that thread that we'd do all future contests in the "without going over" format. Obviously, ANYONE can enter a contest, and therefore anyone can win. If everyone wasn't viewing that thread, not everyone would know the rules, especially if contest winners make the next contest. The only reason we're really running into trouble is because most websites have amins and mods make the contests, I suppose.

Ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

Wallace108 wrote:

bayz101 wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

So we have three options:

1. We assume Mach meant total passing yards and I win
2. We assume Mach meant Steelers total passing yards and Fer wins
3. We get Mach to clarify his contest rules

Well, it's sort of an "invisible" rule, really. A contest winner was decided by the "without going over" rule in my contest, although that wasn't what I planned. Wallace said in that thread that we'd do all future contests in the "without going over" format. Obviously, ANYONE can enter a contest, and therefore anyone can win. If everyone wasn't viewing that thread, not everyone would know the rules, especially if contest winners make the next contest. The only reason we're really running into trouble is because most websites have amins and mods make the contests, I suppose.

Ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

Alright,Wallace,Sanders108. Eventually Brown will be in your siggy if this keeps up.

bayz101 wrote:

Yeah, the contest creators certainly need to be warned. Everyone in this contest was fooled.

No one should have been fooled. I'm not going back through the threads, but it's been stated several times that it's ALWAYS closest without going over. I'm not sure why it's being interpreted that always doesn't mean ALWAYS. For the most part, it's the same people who have been playing since the beginning of last season (and some of us even before then). Everyone should know the rules by now.

For new players in the future, yeah, we need to have the rules listed. It hasn't been a big deal because we've been playing just for fun. If there were prizes, I'd make sure the rules were listed clearly in every contest. It didn't seem necessary right now. I guess I was wrong.

Now, if someone who isn't using a potato to access the internet would remove the contest belt from Mach and I's siggy that'd be awesome.

Wallace108 wrote:

bayz101 wrote:

Yeah, the contest creators certainly need to be warned. Everyone in this contest was fooled.

No one should have been fooled. I'm not going back through the threads, but it's been stated several times that it's ALWAYS closest without going over. I'm not sure why it's being interpreted that always doesn't mean ALWAYS. For the most part, it's the same people who have been playing since the beginning of last season (and some of us even before then). Everyone should know the rules by now.

For new players in the future, yeah, we need to have the rules listed. It hasn't been a big deal because we've been playing just for fun. If there were prizes, I'd make sure the rules were listed clearly in every contest. It didn't seem necessary right now. I guess I was wrong.

Damn right you were wrong....

And I'm claiming, through my lawyer, that the way the contest was written that total yardage for both teams was to be used for this contest. Therefore I'm the WINNER!

Smokin' will be delivering his lawyer papers soon!

Wallace108 wrote:

bayz101 wrote:

Yeah, the contest creators certainly need to be warned. Everyone in this contest was fooled.

No one should have been fooled. I'm not going back through the threads, but it's been stated several times that it's ALWAYS closest without going over. I'm not sure why it's being interpreted that always doesn't mean ALWAYS. For the most part, it's the same people who have been playing since the beginning of last season (and some of us even before then). Everyone should know the rules by now.

For new players in the future, yeah, we need to have the rules listed. It hasn't been a big deal because we've been playing just for fun. If there were prizes, I'd make sure the rules were listed clearly in every contest. It didn't seem necessary right now. I guess I was wrong.

Well, we're getting new members and anyone can partake and win, therefore we can't continue living by the assumption that everyone understands the rules. This has happened twice now, and all we need to do is notify the contest winner that his contest must follow the "without going over" guidelines or this WILL happen again. It's not a big deal. We just need to be more clear, that's all.

I didn't play this week, but in all honesty, if I saw "total passing yards," I'd take that to mean total passing yards of both teams.

You've got Steelers passing yards, Ravens passing yards, and total passing yards.

Although that's how I would interpret it, my bet is that Mach was just referring to the Steelers quarterbacks. This is something else we're going to have to pay attention to in the future. If there's some vagueness about what we're supposed to calculate, someone needs to point it out early.

Look, the bottom line is the rules were clear, regardless of what Mach stated. The rule is the closest without going over.

Let's move on, stop beating a dead horse, the rules were clearly stated before and there was a misunderstanding. Reading Mach's rules, I assumed Steelers passing yardage, therefore, I'm going to concede this win to Fer and be done with it.

FER YOU'RE THE WINNER!!!!

I should be disqualified due to heavy use of steroids
Congrats Truck!!!

stlrtruck wrote:

Look, the bottom line is the rules were clear, regardless of what Mach stated. The rule is the closest without going over.

Let's move on, stop beating a dead horse, the rules were clearly stated before and there was a misunderstanding. Reading Mach's rules, I assumed Steelers passing yardage, therefore, I'm going to concede this win to Fer and be done with it.

FER YOU'RE THE WINNER!!!!

Would you prefer that we beat a live horse?

I agree. Until the day comes when there's an actual prize other than the K of X sig, this is all just for fun. So the call is that Fer is this week's winner. He also just won the Suicide game, and since he gets nothing for it, he can at least sport the K of X sig for a week.

Over the next couple of days, I'll make a standard contest intro, and a mod or admin will start the contest threads. Then the previous winner will post the new rules in the thread. There will also be a new stipulation that if the previous winner doesn't post the calculation within 24 hours (or whenever we decide), then a mod or admin will do it. No more doing it one day before the game.