Soliciting suggestions (and an assistant) for the next Virtual coin collecting game (Darkside editio
lordmarcovan
Posts: 43,530 ✭✭✭✭✭
I had fun with the Virtual Type Set, but also learned a few things. The next game will need to be a little better planned in advance, with me doing less "winging it" on the rules as I go along.
Those of you who played in the last game, or those of you who were on the sidelines and might want to participate in the future "Darkside" (world coin) spinoff of the game are cordially invited to have a sneak peek at the planning process here, and put in your 2 cents (or in this case, your 2 centavos, centimes, centesimi, pence, pfennigs, etc.)
Here is the basic idea: most of you know that my eBay merchandise is primarily less-expensive (yet still interesting and old) world coins. (A true world coin collector does not use the term "foreign", as that is a matter of perspective). Generally the coins I sell are in the $2-50 price range, sometimes a little higher. Long before I ever came up with the Virtual Type Set game concept, I was working on scanning and uploading the pictures for my next eBay wave, which was supposed to be in late June, and then got pushed back to mid-July due to my other commitments. Those of you who have done business with me on eBay know that I go through a lot of time and trouble to add plenty of textual information within my images. Here is the idea that was spawned by the last game:
Suppose I were to:
1) Upload 50-100 images for future auctions. These are numbered with my 3-digit "LM" stock numbers, so the list would be something like LM250 through LM300, for example.
2) I would make everyone guess what is in the entire list, like last time. You wouldn't know the types in advance, but you would match the LM number with a coin description: country, denomination, date, and grade. Any additional info in the pictures would not be needed, but is there for informative and educational purposes. These are all raw (uncertified) coins.
3) The first person to complete the list would get first pick from that very list, to choose his or her own prize coin. There would also be a second-place prize- second pick. Third pick (but not the third prize) would go to my assistant, for his or her help in moderating the game. The remaining coins would go to eBay. The third prize for the third person to complete the "collection" of "virtual coins" would be a $10 auction credit ("gift certificate") towards any of the real coins, should that person win any of of the subsequent auctions for those coins.
* Two daily picture clues would be sent to each player via PM, by me or my assistant. I am thinking these should be randomly selected and not chosen by number. Trying to keep track of who had what the last time (not to mention honoring specific requests) was difficult, and pointless for me in the end. The players would still need to request the two daily clues to be given them, and then I (or my assistant) would post on the thread that so-and-so had received the clues. I have not yet decided if we should say "so-and-so received such-and-such numbers", or just say, "so-and-so got their daily clues", and leave it at that. Suggestions? Random clues would be less headaches for the game moderators, but might leave less opportunity for strategic playing by participants.
* On a player's first day of joining the game, that new player (including the intitial players at the start of the game) would receive four clues instead of two.
*There would not be any recruitment bonus as in the last game. In the last game I tried to induce new players to come in, but the two-clue referral bonus for people who brought in new players was a flawed idea, perhaps. Too many "new players" came in as a favor for someone, with no intention of really playing. I want lots of participation, and a contest that will run for three or four days, maybe, but I want it to be fair, and I want serious players. Too many said I gave the newbies an edge last time; perhaps this is a valid criticism. So new players would get four clues to start, but then two a day like everyone else. I would only award extra clues in very special circumstances, and the reasons for them would be explained in the open.
*I would discourage people from openly publishing the pictures on the forums, unlike last game. They should perhaps only trade clues via PM or email, though my assistant and I might scatter a few random picture clues around the forums (or have secretly-recruited nonplayers do so, to challenge any would-be keyword searchers from searching out every post made by my assistant and I). I would want to partially control the flow or pace of the game a little more, if possible, and keep it challenging for the players. Less free clues, more (private) clue-swapping between players. Remember, this game would conceivably have a second and third prize, so the first person to get the prize would agree to keep his or her mouth shut until the the second and third place winners achieve their goals. I would ask each winner to not exchange any more info with other players after they claim first or second place. You would clam up immediately after being verified as a winner. The game would end after the third place was taken, and the prize selection for first and second place, plus my assistant's third pick, would then be done in the open on the thread.
* I will take (small) measures to insure that I don't get hacked; maybe I will upload a few coins on a secondary site or withold them until near the end. However, I wish to continue using my current server, which ClarkOfKent cracked toward the end of the last game, through some ingenious wizardry (which he later explained- I understood about 2/3 of the explanation). Fortunately ClarkOfKent was sportsman enough to remove himself from competition in the last game, and he says he did not share any of the "hacked" clues with others. Still, the timing of his hack threw some of the end of the last game into doubt, briefly. I would appeal to him (and you other tech-savvy types) to please not hack the game, be good sportsmen, and if you must hack it, excuse yourself from competition as Clark did, and clam up until after the game ends. This is all about fun for everyone, and everyone who played in the last one played well and fairly, I think.
* As you have read, I will recruit an assistant for the next game, the primary requirements being basic image posting ability and time to play "moderator" in the mornings and early afternoons when I am not around. This person would have all but a few of the clues, and would be in charge of moderating the game and awarding clues when I am offline. This way the game doesn't stall if I get busy at work, or stay up all night with a cranky, teething baby daughter. My assistant would be awarded third pick of the coins, after the first and second prize winners chose theirs. This is not a highly-paid position, but it would carry some power and prestige, heheh. (You could make players say "Sir" or "Ma'am" to get their clues, LOL). Seriously, though, I need someone with a little time to burn in the mornings. Not a strict schedule, but generally around 9 AM to noon or 2 PM Eastern time, whenever possible, for the duration of the contest (2-4 days). I am an evening and late night person, not a morning person. ClarkOfKent, the person who hacked the last game, would be the natural choice, but he has Private Message glitches, so I might just retain him as an "advisor", or let him play if everyone agrees to it, and he publicly promises not to peek at my image server. The following persons would be fine canditates for assistant, if their schedule allows: Hookedoncoins (if he does mornings), Darkhorse (ditto), ajaan (ditto, now that he knows how to paste pictures), RGL (my hastily-recruited but competent deputy from the last game), Aethelred (my best friend but not a morning person, either), WWBillman (one of the best players from the last game, but I would sort of like to see him as a player in this one- had there been a second place in the last game, he might have had it), Severo (on the other side of the world, in Moscow, so his schedule might mesh with mine). This is by no means a complete list- I will consider volunteers for the position. I am generally off work on Sundays/Mondays/Tuesdays but keep our 10-month-old daughter on those days, while my wife works. (My "Mr. Mom" days). Maybe I could start the next game at midnight on a Saturday, and we could be rolling on Sunday morning, and have a winner Monday or Tuesday. Tuesdays are my post office days, so maybe I could mail prizes then.
Suggestions? I had fun with the last game- let's do it again, but improve on it! "Lightsiders": I'm sorry that the coins pictured in the new game will be inexpensive world coins instead of high-end certified United States ones. I only had one type set to display. I can potentially do the "Darkside" version of this game with every future eBay wave, though. And some Lightside coins may creep into the mixture. I think the "pick-your-own-prize" feature is an improvement, no? And it works to my advantage, in that my eBay auctions will be heralded in advance. I get double duty from my images this way; they can be used both for the game and then for eBay.
Do take a moment to let me know what you think. If you read all this drivel, you are a patient soul. Thanks.
Those of you who played in the last game, or those of you who were on the sidelines and might want to participate in the future "Darkside" (world coin) spinoff of the game are cordially invited to have a sneak peek at the planning process here, and put in your 2 cents (or in this case, your 2 centavos, centimes, centesimi, pence, pfennigs, etc.)
Here is the basic idea: most of you know that my eBay merchandise is primarily less-expensive (yet still interesting and old) world coins. (A true world coin collector does not use the term "foreign", as that is a matter of perspective). Generally the coins I sell are in the $2-50 price range, sometimes a little higher. Long before I ever came up with the Virtual Type Set game concept, I was working on scanning and uploading the pictures for my next eBay wave, which was supposed to be in late June, and then got pushed back to mid-July due to my other commitments. Those of you who have done business with me on eBay know that I go through a lot of time and trouble to add plenty of textual information within my images. Here is the idea that was spawned by the last game:
Suppose I were to:
1) Upload 50-100 images for future auctions. These are numbered with my 3-digit "LM" stock numbers, so the list would be something like LM250 through LM300, for example.
2) I would make everyone guess what is in the entire list, like last time. You wouldn't know the types in advance, but you would match the LM number with a coin description: country, denomination, date, and grade. Any additional info in the pictures would not be needed, but is there for informative and educational purposes. These are all raw (uncertified) coins.
3) The first person to complete the list would get first pick from that very list, to choose his or her own prize coin. There would also be a second-place prize- second pick. Third pick (but not the third prize) would go to my assistant, for his or her help in moderating the game. The remaining coins would go to eBay. The third prize for the third person to complete the "collection" of "virtual coins" would be a $10 auction credit ("gift certificate") towards any of the real coins, should that person win any of of the subsequent auctions for those coins.
* Two daily picture clues would be sent to each player via PM, by me or my assistant. I am thinking these should be randomly selected and not chosen by number. Trying to keep track of who had what the last time (not to mention honoring specific requests) was difficult, and pointless for me in the end. The players would still need to request the two daily clues to be given them, and then I (or my assistant) would post on the thread that so-and-so had received the clues. I have not yet decided if we should say "so-and-so received such-and-such numbers", or just say, "so-and-so got their daily clues", and leave it at that. Suggestions? Random clues would be less headaches for the game moderators, but might leave less opportunity for strategic playing by participants.
* On a player's first day of joining the game, that new player (including the intitial players at the start of the game) would receive four clues instead of two.
*There would not be any recruitment bonus as in the last game. In the last game I tried to induce new players to come in, but the two-clue referral bonus for people who brought in new players was a flawed idea, perhaps. Too many "new players" came in as a favor for someone, with no intention of really playing. I want lots of participation, and a contest that will run for three or four days, maybe, but I want it to be fair, and I want serious players. Too many said I gave the newbies an edge last time; perhaps this is a valid criticism. So new players would get four clues to start, but then two a day like everyone else. I would only award extra clues in very special circumstances, and the reasons for them would be explained in the open.
*I would discourage people from openly publishing the pictures on the forums, unlike last game. They should perhaps only trade clues via PM or email, though my assistant and I might scatter a few random picture clues around the forums (or have secretly-recruited nonplayers do so, to challenge any would-be keyword searchers from searching out every post made by my assistant and I). I would want to partially control the flow or pace of the game a little more, if possible, and keep it challenging for the players. Less free clues, more (private) clue-swapping between players. Remember, this game would conceivably have a second and third prize, so the first person to get the prize would agree to keep his or her mouth shut until the the second and third place winners achieve their goals. I would ask each winner to not exchange any more info with other players after they claim first or second place. You would clam up immediately after being verified as a winner. The game would end after the third place was taken, and the prize selection for first and second place, plus my assistant's third pick, would then be done in the open on the thread.
* I will take (small) measures to insure that I don't get hacked; maybe I will upload a few coins on a secondary site or withold them until near the end. However, I wish to continue using my current server, which ClarkOfKent cracked toward the end of the last game, through some ingenious wizardry (which he later explained- I understood about 2/3 of the explanation). Fortunately ClarkOfKent was sportsman enough to remove himself from competition in the last game, and he says he did not share any of the "hacked" clues with others. Still, the timing of his hack threw some of the end of the last game into doubt, briefly. I would appeal to him (and you other tech-savvy types) to please not hack the game, be good sportsmen, and if you must hack it, excuse yourself from competition as Clark did, and clam up until after the game ends. This is all about fun for everyone, and everyone who played in the last one played well and fairly, I think.
* As you have read, I will recruit an assistant for the next game, the primary requirements being basic image posting ability and time to play "moderator" in the mornings and early afternoons when I am not around. This person would have all but a few of the clues, and would be in charge of moderating the game and awarding clues when I am offline. This way the game doesn't stall if I get busy at work, or stay up all night with a cranky, teething baby daughter. My assistant would be awarded third pick of the coins, after the first and second prize winners chose theirs. This is not a highly-paid position, but it would carry some power and prestige, heheh. (You could make players say "Sir" or "Ma'am" to get their clues, LOL). Seriously, though, I need someone with a little time to burn in the mornings. Not a strict schedule, but generally around 9 AM to noon or 2 PM Eastern time, whenever possible, for the duration of the contest (2-4 days). I am an evening and late night person, not a morning person. ClarkOfKent, the person who hacked the last game, would be the natural choice, but he has Private Message glitches, so I might just retain him as an "advisor", or let him play if everyone agrees to it, and he publicly promises not to peek at my image server. The following persons would be fine canditates for assistant, if their schedule allows: Hookedoncoins (if he does mornings), Darkhorse (ditto), ajaan (ditto, now that he knows how to paste pictures), RGL (my hastily-recruited but competent deputy from the last game), Aethelred (my best friend but not a morning person, either), WWBillman (one of the best players from the last game, but I would sort of like to see him as a player in this one- had there been a second place in the last game, he might have had it), Severo (on the other side of the world, in Moscow, so his schedule might mesh with mine). This is by no means a complete list- I will consider volunteers for the position. I am generally off work on Sundays/Mondays/Tuesdays but keep our 10-month-old daughter on those days, while my wife works. (My "Mr. Mom" days). Maybe I could start the next game at midnight on a Saturday, and we could be rolling on Sunday morning, and have a winner Monday or Tuesday. Tuesdays are my post office days, so maybe I could mail prizes then.
Suggestions? I had fun with the last game- let's do it again, but improve on it! "Lightsiders": I'm sorry that the coins pictured in the new game will be inexpensive world coins instead of high-end certified United States ones. I only had one type set to display. I can potentially do the "Darkside" version of this game with every future eBay wave, though. And some Lightside coins may creep into the mixture. I think the "pick-your-own-prize" feature is an improvement, no? And it works to my advantage, in that my eBay auctions will be heralded in advance. I get double duty from my images this way; they can be used both for the game and then for eBay.
Do take a moment to let me know what you think. If you read all this drivel, you are a patient soul. Thanks.
0
Comments
As for the clues........I think the players should request em via PM only, but you(or your assistant) shouldn't post who has what or who requested what........this would make for more legwork for the players..........if the players wanted to post what they had etc.....that would be kosher, but let them do that work.
My 2 Pence worth.
Edited to add another Pennys worth.........
I think either method for dissemination of the coins would work, let the players be the ones to remember what they have, they accidently request something they have, too bad, or for the random idea....if they get sent something they already have...again, too bad. Actually, now that I think on it, the random idea does sound better....
The sequel idea will be a while in planning, yet. I thought I had 40-50 images uploaded, but in fact there are only about 20. And my scanner is acting up.
So no new pictures or eBay auctions within the next little while. I am overdue on shipping a lot of giveaways (and two purchases), so I will catch up a bit, recuperate, etc.
Being the winner of the last contest, I can assure you it was not easy. For one reason is that the clues came out at any time in the day. So I just hung around all day and was waiting for you to complete your chores. During that time, I searched and searched unlessly for other clues.
Perhaps clues should be PM'd (to all players who have signed up with the game) at one or 2 specific times of the date. Say noon and midnight. This way it fits into the working man's life and everyone knows when their clues are coming. The people that were around when the clues came out, had a major advantage. This way they are released at the same time for everyone.
Keeping them private is great, but the game with drag on for many days that way (depending on the amount of coins). As a player, you would end up having to cut deals or partnertship up with someone (to get first and second place). That's an intersting idea -- TEAMS. Inevitably, alliances would be formed as the game went along. The team members would get first and second prize.
Edited to include the following: I also believe the clues should be requested by number rather than sent randomly. It would certainly cut down on the length of the game. (the sequel would be much longer than the last game because of the limited number of freebies). People may lose interest as the game goes on.
Unless, you could assure people they woul dnot get the same clues, which can be controlled by referring back to PM's. If this is not clear, I can explain furtherEnd edit
As the winner of the last contest, perhaps I would consider being your back and help out instead of participating.
I really enjoyed the game and cant wait to get the prize. it was well worth the hard work!!
'Whitewashqtr'
As a logistical matter, if you are going to give clues randomly, there is a good way to get close to true randomness in number selection: Use something preset to pick random clue numbers. This is important because you don't want any bias creeping in to the determination of who gets what clues.
Here's an example:
Take the white pages of your local phone book. Open it to whatever page. Start with the first phone number published on that page. If its last 2 digits are a clue number, that clue is given to the first player who will be getting a clue. Repeat the process with succeeding phone numbers. If it doesn't end in a clue number, move on to the next phone number and repeat the process. Once each player has gotten his allotment of clues for the day, you can either leave the phone book open and marked at that point to pick up the next time or you can close it and start from scratch the next time.
Let me know if this doesn't make sense, and I'll give a detailed example.
Nick
Reap the whirlwind.
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