What Do You Do When You Submit a Goo?

Jason Evans | September 24, 2007
So, if I submit one and it gets used, am I supposed to guess at it and get the extra point for it or is that bad form. I don't need the point to qualify, but just want to know what the protocol is.

-Jason

Lori Lancaster | September 24, 2007
[hidden by request]

Jason Evans | September 24, 2007
There is a "correct guesses streak"?!?!? Color me clueless. On one or two occassions I have guessed for the heck of it without thinking it really mattered. Oh well.

I feel like an idiot for not noticing that I did not have a "guess form" link on the one I submitted. Duuuh!

-Jason

Lori Lancaster | September 24, 2007
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | September 25, 2007
Welcome, Jason. I'm going to have to create some kind of "Begging To Differ" group in the Friends Network if you all keep signing up. It will go nicely with the "People Who Work With Mike Eberhart" group and the "People Who Game With John Gunter" group.

Mike Eberhart | September 25, 2007
Unfortunately, the "People Who Work With Mike Eberhart" group only has 4 more days of me. Then it's off to something new.

Scott Hardie | September 25, 2007
I wondered why there were all the "friends" changes from you over the weekend. Best of luck in the new position; it's always exciting.

Jason Evans | September 25, 2007
Actually, we are not all Begging To differ folks. We got to know each other on the Duke Basketball Report. Some moved over to BTD and some remain on DBR. We email each other constantly and several urged the rest of us to join the goo game. It is much fun!!

Scott Hardie | September 26, 2007
Glad you're here and glad you like it. :-)

Mike Eberhart | September 26, 2007
Thanks Scott. Actually, most of the ones that I removed no longer work in my office anyway. Plus there was one or two that I didn't know so I just removed them.

Unfortunately for me, I'm probably going to miss the tournament for the goo game again. I'm leaving for Ft. Meyers on Saturday and won't be back for a week. I don't think I'm going to have access to the internet while I'm down there. Oh well.

Amy Austin | September 26, 2007
That sucks, Mike (whew, one less heavy competitor! ;-D) -- but your new job sounds really cool! Are you going to be working for the same company/command/whatever? If I recall, you were a federal contractor... is this a move to permanent civil service? I find it interesting, since I recently saw a "sign maker" opening at Yellowstone Park and thought it sounded cool.

Mike Eberhart | September 26, 2007
No, no more working for the government for me. I'm actually going to be taking over my dad's sign company. It's been in busy for over 70 years. I worked there for 10 years before getting in IT, and now I'm going back to run the place. The company is called Eberhart Sign & Lighting Co. I'm still working on getting a website up and running, so there should be one in a couple of months. Anyway, should be an adventure. But first, I'm taking a quick vacation to Florida before starting my new job.

Amy Austin | September 26, 2007
Cool... (I'm so jealous!) Sounds awesome -- good luck with that!

Mike Eberhart | September 26, 2007
Thanks.

Scott Hardie | September 27, 2007
Mike, I emailed you separately. Congrats again on the new (old) job; it sounds great.

You will miss the Round XXXI tournament, and be missed at it. The silver lining for you is that you didn't care much for the single-elimination tournament last time, and I intend to use the exact same rules again. I do intend to modify it in the future, but I'm just not prepared to do so at this time.

Steve West | September 27, 2007
I volunteer to be paired with Mike in the first round of the playoffs. Shotgun!!!

Mike Eberhart | September 27, 2007
I never really had a problem with the single elimination format. I actually was on a vacation the last time it started too. Just bad timing on my part. I need to start planning trips around the goo game is what I need to do. So really, I would say stick with the format. People seem to like it. I would just work it to where someone doesn't get a free pass to the finals kind of like last time.

Other than that, thanks for the congrats.

Russ Wilhelm | September 27, 2007
Go ahead and pit me up against Mike. If all goes as planned, I will be down in Nashville for at least the first few days of the eliminations, so why not have a double elimination.

Scott Hardie | September 27, 2007
Nah, it's based on userrank at the start of the tournament. Denise will get the privilege of a free win against Mike in the brackets. In fact, this might be occasion for Denise to overtake Mike in userrank again. Not that I wish to fan the embers of that "rivalry" any further. :-)

Either Elliot or Jerry will go up against Russ in the brackets, depending on whether Matthew Preston can guess enough goos to qualify. I think he's guessing some as I type this.

Mike Eberhart | September 27, 2007
Well, just to put a little more flare into this conversation. I'm taking my laptop with me on my trip hoping that I might be able to access the internet through some rogue wireless connection. So, I'll try to play in the tournament. If I don't guess, then I couldn't find an internet connection.

Amy Austin | September 27, 2007
Nooooooooooooo...

;-)

Mike Eberhart | September 27, 2007
I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'd put the odds at 70-30 that I don't get a connection.

Amy Austin | September 27, 2007
In central Florida??? I doubt it!

Mike Eberhart | September 27, 2007
Well, I'm staying at a condo that is mainly inhabited by old people. So, they probably don't even know how to spell internet.

Scott Hardie | September 27, 2007
It's not like you'll need to be online very long during your trip. If you can't guess a tournament goo within a few minutes...

Scott Hardie | September 27, 2007
Old people? I wonder if they use The Google.

Amy Austin | September 27, 2007
You'd be surprised, Mike... there exist old hipsters, too... ;-)

Amy Austin | September 27, 2007
Well, that's for the old folks who use The Internets.

Mike Eberhart | September 27, 2007
That's a pretty funny link Scott. I would like to use The Google too... :)

Mike Eberhart | September 27, 2007
Hey, I just realized that the tournament isn't going to start until like the 5th of October. So I won't miss it at all. I get back on the 5th. Sorry all, looks like I'm in after all. I'll still probably lose in the first round though.

Amy Austin | September 27, 2007
You're a dork.

Mike Eberhart | September 27, 2007
Is that in reference to me? If so, then Thanks.... :)

Amy Austin | September 27, 2007
Yes, and You're Welcome! ;-[)

Steve West | September 27, 2007
In that case I take back that shotgun call. Thank you.

Mike Eberhart | September 27, 2007
What, you don't want to go up against me in the first round? You'd probably have a pretty good shot. I'm not very good and finding goos under a time limit.

Steve West | September 27, 2007
Mostly joking. I too have a hard time with a race for time. Expect to get bounced in the first round just like last time. I'm quick, I think. But not that quick.

Amy Austin | September 28, 2007
Well, it's good to know that at least I'm not alone in feeling this way...

Russ Wilhelm | September 28, 2007
Oh how I miss the old grid days.

Amy Austin | September 28, 2007
Word!

Mike Eberhart | September 28, 2007
I think a good idea for the grids would be the landmines that we use in RB. On a 100 space grid there could be two landmines hidden somewhere. Everyone will hit them, it's just a matter of when. Could make things interesting.

Amy Austin | September 28, 2007
That was originally Russ's suggestion for that system -- I like it, too!

Scott Hardie | September 28, 2007
I had hoped to start this tournament early, because that week-long break between the 50th goo and the first tournament goo is a real momentum-killer. I think it kept a few people from even playing in the tournament last time, since they forgot to come back. Any suggestions for eliminating that week? I guess we talked about it already and yet we're still here. :-\

If the goo guesses fell into place soon enough, I would have started the tournament early. But we currently have three players who can still qualify, and they have a whole week to do it. So, it looks like the tournament will start on Saturday, October 6th, as originally intended. I hope it doesn't have an adverse effect.

Amy Austin | September 28, 2007
You could still run non-competing goos (for tally points only) the week beforehand?

Scott Hardie | September 30, 2007
Amy, I really like this idea, which seems like the way to go. But it's also no small amount of work for me to come up with each goo, so I don't know if I want to go to all that trouble for a non-competition week; it sort of seems worth it and not at the same time. I can't decide. :-\

I wouldn't be able to do this just yet, but what about "reruns," putting up old goos just for something to guess at? Any interest?

Amy Austin | September 30, 2007
You mean a different clue for the same goo (with new gooed & source images)? I think that would be a good idea.

Russ Wilhelm | September 30, 2007
The original idea I had for the landmines was based off of a 100 square grid and ranking in the previous round. 100 goos per round seemed to be too many for some players, so that was shortened to 50. The landmine's idea was also percieved to be to hard on the top players. To some extent, that was part of the idea, to even thing up a little, and give others a chance to win the round.

But I still beleive in it. And it's not because I have no chance a the timed events, however true that might be. The idea of the landmines cme before the "quickfinger" rounds.

Modified version:
Top 80-100% - 4 landmines, one per column, 1 free column, randomly placed.
Top 60-80% - 3 landmines, one per column, 2 free columns, randomly placed.
Top 40-60% - 2 landmines, one per column, 3 free columns, randomly placed.
Top 20-40% - 1 landmine, 4 free columns, randomly placed.
2-20% - no landmines.
New players - place them in the 40-60% range since we're unsure of their abilities.

Give each player five defusers to use where they will. Use all five on one column or spread them around.

Each landmine hit will wipe out adjacent goos that have been guessed.

The biggest downside to this type of round is that Scott may have to come up with 25 more goos then the round would have had without landmines. That's a happy medium for the rest of us.

Another potential issue that could happen is that some top notch player could purposely play poorly on a round and almost ensure a victory in the next. But I would like to think that we have more honor than that.

The potental to mix up the competition is there, I think it still favors the top players, but there may be more diversity on who gets the top spot.