DKs Intensities in Ten Cities! [Winner=TX AG 90]

[Dukasaur]

Well, the first of the No Spoils Terminators has ended.... there's hope yet...

[macbone]

DK, I think you should call the second No Spoils and reform it as an Escalating game. =)

[Dukasaur]

DK, I think you should call the second No Spoils and reform it as an Escalating game. =)

Well, if we got desperate that would be a solution. However, I really don't think that we're that desperate yet. Game 9421442 and Game 9421439 have already ended, and the two that remain Game 9421441 and Game 9421440 are in rounds 25 and 31, respectively. 31 rounds is not extremely long by CC standards... I've been in games that went 150 rounds, and there are some games going on CC that are over 4000 rounds now...

Still, in order for the tournament to go forward, it would be nice to get these wrapped up.

I think the real problem is that people are playing them as Standard games and building toward a final confrontation, instead of treating them as Terminator games.
From the original description of the city stops:

... I do think, however, that we should celebrate our time sunbathing on the beach at Cairns (or sunbaking as they call it in Australia) with a nice laid-back No Spoils game too. To prevent the No Spoils game from getting too relaxed, and lasting forever, we will make it a Terminator game, and give double points for kills. This gives people some reward for going all-in. We will also have a No Spoils Trips game. Of course all the games will be Sunny -- we wouldn't want our resort stay to be spoiled by Fog!

Each player will participate in the following:
One 6-player Automatic No Spoils Chained Sunny Terminator game. This game scores two points per kill, with no other bonuses for winning or for finishing second. ...

I hope I was wiser than people give me credit for. I knew that multiplayer No Spoils has a tendency to deadlock, but I intended that being Terminator would avoid this tendency. As it says above, there are two points in the tourney for each kill that you make in these, and no bonus for winning the game, so everyone has an incentive to go all-in, make a kill, even if it means that they will themselves be killed on the next turn. And of course, in CC terms the situtation is pretty good: if you score a kill and are then killed yourself, you might have (depending on the ranks involved) a small net loss or a small net gain. If you kill two people and are then killed, you will almost certainly have a net gain.

I think if people stopped thinking of these as Standard games and got more in line with the fact that they are Terminator, they would be over quickly.

And for those of you who really hate No Spoils and love your Escalators, there's a bright sun on the horizon. The next stop, Sydney, is ALL escalating!

I'll PM this post as well, to the 11 players left in those two games.

[Dukasaur]

DK, I think you should call the second No Spoils and reform it as an Escalating game. =)

I suppose in CC points this one is all downside for you, since you're the only Major in a game full of stripers you have a target on your back. I feel your pain...

That was just the luck of the draw; the other game still going has three Majors and a Lieutenant.

[whakamole]

Terminator or standard, I play to win the game. I get the incentive that's being placed, But when everyone thinks "as soon as X makes his move to kill Y, then I'll kill X", then its just a matter of waiting for someone to blink, therefore you get a lot of nothing, whether or not its terminator.

I don't mind that the tournament has slowed down, in my game I just voiced my annoyance because this is the way every no spoils game goes, and spending seven months playing one game is just stupid to me. I realize it every time I say "hmm, haven't done that in a while" and join a random ns, then punch myself in the nuts for doing so two months later when I'm quibbling with someone over the extra 200 armies he just forted to my border... which obviously he isn't going to use because doing so would mean death to him just as quickly as death to me.

[GregDavidson]

I'm fine if you want to turn it into an escalating game...this deadlock has been going on long enough.

[Dukasaur]

I'm fine if you want to turn it into an escalating game...this deadlock has been going on long enough.

Lol, Greg, you're precisely one of the ones that I was talking about.... stop treating it like a Standard game and play it like it's Terminator. With the troops you have, you could easily wipe out Pink and Red in the next 2 turns. Yes, after that you'd get killed yourself, but so what? You would have earned 4 points in the tourney and probably be ahead about 25 CC points as well.

[GregDavidson]

Well, that didn't work out as planned....

[Dukasaur]

Well, that didn't work out as planned....

[Dukasaur]

Only one game left, and it looks like it may end soon.

Unfortunately, this is one of those nightmare weeks for me and I don't know when I can compile scores... so we may be on hiatus for seven to ten days.

I'll try to get to it sooner but can't promise.

[musteriuz]

Hey, Duke, how did your nightmare week go? Are you about ready to set us on our journey to the next city?

[Dukasaur]

Hey, Duke, how did your nightmare week go? Are you about ready to set us on our journey to the next city?

I'm hoping to make Sydney games on Thursday and publish a new C&F task on (next) Sunday.

I'm really sorry for the slowness. This new job has meant I rarely get anything done during the week. I try to make up for it on the weekend but then there's stuff to do at home that's fallen behind also.

[Dukasaur]

Cairns scores (unsorted)

Cairns scores (sorted)

Greg Davidson remains in the lead. Geko has made the biggest gain this round, bringing in 16 points and jumping all the way into third place. Congrats to Geko on a stellar performance!

Everyone from DoomYoshi up (inclusive) has won a right to go to Sydney. However, Muzzel, who has done very well and is in 8th place has apparantly vanished from CC, so ckyrias and scatt will play a tiebreaker to see who gets to have his spot. The tiebreaker game has been made and invitations sent.

I should be able to start the Sydney games this week.

[Dukasaur]

Ok, scatt hasn't shown up for his tiebreaker game, and hasn't been on CC much lately anyway, so that makes it easy.

[Dukasaur]

Welcome back to Intensities in Ten Cities!

I hope everyone enjoyed their summer! We kind-of lost the momentum for a while: first there were those no-spoils terminators that seemed to last forever, and then my new job turned out to be absolutely brutal and kept me from staying on top of things and compiling scores. But finally all that is behind us now: the terminators have terminated, and while my new job continues to be very demanding I've gotten some breathing space here and there, and the Cairns scores finally got compiled...

(Cairns scores)

Today we move on to Sydney, and as promised, all you escalating lovers will get your reward: nothing but escalating in Sydney!

Phase Five, Sydney
Okay, we leave the relaxed beach-bum life behind and head to the big, busy city of Sydney. Here we will pick up the pace to Big City level and definitely use Escalating as our only setting. We will also play more games and get fewer points for each, to simulate the daily grind of working class life.

Each player will participate in the following:
One 5-player Automatic Escalating Chained Sunny Standard game.
One 5-player Automatic Escalating Chained Foggy Standard game.
One 5-player Manual Escalating Chained Sunny Standard game.
One 5-player Automatic Escalating Adjacent Sunny Standard game.
One 5-player Automatic Escalating Unlimited Foggy Standard game.
All of these Standard games score 3 points to the winner, 2 points to the 2nd place finisher, 1 point for 3rd place, and nothing for 4th and 5th.
One 5-player Automatic Escalating Chained Sunny Assassin game.
One 5-player Manual Escalating Chained Foggy Assassin game.
The two Assassin games score 4 points to the winner.
Max 5 points awarded for the "colour and flavour" bonus.
Maximum possible: 28 points

Twenty will arrive in Sydney, but only sixteen will move on to Hong Kong, so those of you close to the bottom of the list had best be trying your hardest now!

show: sydney, game 1

show: sydney, game 2

show: sydney, game 3

show: sydney, game 4

show: sydney, game 5

show: sydney, game 6

show: sydney, game 7

[WorldCup4James]

Awesome, no big deal on the delay. Thanks for the great work as always

[Dukasaur]

I had to work this whole long weekend, so the C&F task didn't get issued. Next weekend, I hope.

[Dukasaur]

All Sydney games have begun. I'll be releasing the Colour and Flavour task this weekend at the customary time.

[Dukasaur]

As I talked about in the introduction, I wrote to all the mapmakers for their recommendations on these ten maps. A few replied right away, but some more replies have trickled in over time. Snapdoodle, the New York mapmaker, is the very last.

hi,

sorry for not replying earlier. the map is best played 4v4 or 3v3.

8 player ffa usually guarantees at least 20% of games end in stalemates because of the size of the map (stalement being a game that last longer than 1 month with constant turn taking). You can do a 5 player ffa and it lessens the stalement factor a bit but that would be the most I would go.

I think "ffa" means "free-for-all" or multiplayer non-team, and interestingly enough, 5 player ffa is exactly what I chose for New York.

[Dukasaur]

C&F task should be released tonight. (Noon Sunday in Sydney, and they are 15 hours ahead of me, so it will be 9 pm tonight for me. I am North American Eastern Standard, same as CC time.)

[Dukasaur]

Participation in the Colour And Flavour component of the tournament has been falling steadily, and I keep looking for new way to boost participation in it. On one hand, some people have complained that they come here to have fun and not to do work and write essays. On the other hand, I don't think any purpose is served by making the tasks so ridiculously easy as to not be a competition any more.

This time around, I'm going to try to accomodate both points of view. You have a choice of two tasks. Those who want to challenge themselves can do a difficult task. Those that just want to keep it lighthearted and fun can do the easy one. Of course, we can't offer the same points for both. The difficult task will have a maximum of 5 points awarded, the easy task will only have a maximum of 2. You can do both if you choose, but there is still a hard cap of five points per player maximum, so even if you ace both you still only score 5, not 7.

There are 152 points available to be won in the Sydney games, so according to the April 17th formula the target for the judges to award in C&F is about 15 to 23 points total.

The Challenging Task:
Sydney is home to numerous architectural marvels and famous buildings. Pretend that I am a real-estate speculator with a huge bankroll. Choose a building or structure in Sydney and persuade me to buy it. Include at least one good public domain photograph. Let me know how much you want for this building, and why it's a good investment for me. What kind of revenues does it produce, what is the future potential, etc.

The Easy Task:
Just like in Montreal, post a locally relevant joke. (Two koalas walk into a bar....) Preference will be given to those that have genuine Australian content, and not just Canadian jokes where the caribou are replaced by koalas. (And I notice that in googling Australian jokes there are a huge number of Abo jokes. PLEASE none of those -- we don't want our C&F to end up in C&A )

That's it. Do the hard one, do the easy one, do them both! Come back and comment on your opponents' efforts!

[GregDavidson]

THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE--LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!

The Sydney Opera House was conceived and built by Danish architect Jorn Utzon in 1957. The opera house opened in 1973 at a cost overrun or 1400%. It became a UNESCO World Heritage sight in June of 2007. It is arguably one of the world's most distinguished buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centers in the world. The opera house has multiple venues. It hosts 1500+ performances each year and these performances are attended by 1.2 million people per year. The opera house is surrounded by Sydney Harbor on 3 sides and is situated on Bennelong Point. The Royal Botanical Gardens are situated on the 4th side of the opera house site. Over 7 million people visit the opera house each year and over 300,000 people take the walking tour each year as well.

The opera house is modern expressionist design; a large series of precast concrete shells give the building its distinctive design. The site covers 4.4 acres of land and the building is 600 feet long by 246+ feet wide. The building is supported by 588 concrete piers.

The opera house consists of multiple venues, including: Concert Hall with 2679 seats; Opera Theater with 1507 seats; Drama theater, 544 seats; the Playhouse with 398 seats; the Studio with 400 seats; the Utzon Room with 210 seats; the Forecourt an outdoor venue with a wide array of configuration options. The opera house also has recording studios, cafes, restaurants, bars, and retail outlets. This unique location and building complex offers multiple revenue streams to keep your investment dollars coming in. This investment would pay for itself in as little as 5 years!

Planning for the opera house began in the 1940's. A design competition was held in 1955, and Jorn Utzon was announced as the winner in 1957. After numerous delays and cost overruns, the structure was completed in 1973 at a cost of $102 million dollars--1400% of the original budget of $7 million dollars. The opening was televised and included Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Utzon's name was not mentioned nor was he invited to the opening.

The opera house is administered by the Sydney Opera House Trust under the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts..

The facility would cost well over $1 billion dollars to build today. Annual revenues run over $200 million dollars per year. You do the math, but this one-of-a-kind landmark location wont last forever! Expand your business empire and your horizons with this UNESCO world-class real estate. Only serious buyers need inquire.

[MattiWacklin]

What animals can jump higher than SYdney Harbour bridge?

All animals as bridges can't jump....

[TX AG 90]

Sydney Harbor Bridge – Commercial List #21344100976

Are you looking for that ONE OF A KIND Real Estate Purchase?

Then look no further!



This nice piece of realty not only has great potential, but it is ready for you to take ownership now!

From the Sydney Harbor Bridge, affectionately know as The Coathanger, you have views of Sydney's beautiful Harbor, The Sydney Opera House, and on a clear day, you can see the beautiful Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are home to one of the most primitive Eco-sytems in the world and home to the Jurassic Tree.

http://www.wollemipine.com/news/The_Jur ... Valley.php

Not only does the Sydney Harbor Bridge offer a spectacular view, but it is a money maker. You will be able to pay for your investment within 4 short years!

Your revenue will come in 2 ways. Cars can be required to pay tolls as they cross. Current rates range from $2.50 - $4.00 AUS. The second way is tourism. Climbers currently pay $128-$298 to climb the bridge. The price depends on the length of the time and the time of day.

The seller is ready to move this property now. In addition to the Harbor Bridge, the buyer will receive a 5-Year Family Pass to both the Taronga Zoo and the Sydney Aquarium, 1 meal for 12 at Tetsuya’s http://www.tetsuyas.com/index.html every month of the year, and $90,000 AUS Free Play at Star City Casino.

Please call my office at 61 2 1344 1226

[TX AG 90]

Australian History Joke

A pom (Brit), fresh off the plane at Sydney airport, is trying to negotiate Australian customs. Finally, when it's his turn to get his passport stamped, the customs officer starts rattling off the usual questions:
C.O. - How long do you intend to stay?
POM - 1 week.
C.O. - What is the nature of this trip?
POM - Business.
C.O. - Do you have any past criminal convictions?
POM - I didn't think we still needed to!