Geography Challenge III: A-Team vs Z-Team
 

I did a search and realized we haven't had a challenge of this sort in a couple of years, so I'm exhuming the game and running it. The rules are as follows (from GC II, with slight modifications):

Game Format:

NOTE THE CHANGE!
> This is a user ID game. If your user name starts with the letters A-K, you are on the A-Team. All other letters, numbers, and punctuation puts you on the Z-Team.

> Destination categories are pre-selected. You will get the upcoming category one destination ahead of time. In other words, you will choose your current destination knowing what your next category is going to be.

> When a category is posted, both teams will post an answer, striving to travel the shortest distance (as the crow flies) from their present location to a place that fits the category. The team that selects the closer destination wins that round (gets +1.0 to their score).

> Teams may not select the same destination. However, if one team overrides it's initial choice, it then becomes available to the other team (subject to the other rules of the game).

> The round ends when both teams have posted an answer. But see about “overrides” below.

> The first team to post their answer gets a +0.2 bonus.

> A time bonus of +0.2 will be awarded for every ten minutes that one team’s final answer is posted ahead of the other team’s final answer, regardless of who wins the round. Speed is important!
MODIFICATION: To keep things moving along and to prevent teams gaining points just because they have someone up at 1 AM while everyone else is asleep until 8 AM, I'm going to cap the time at 2.5 hours (3 points), so the maximum to be gained is 4.2 points by any team in any given round.

> Ordinarily, the first post by each team will count as their answer. However, you may override a previous answer by your team (including your own) by posting OVERRIDE at the beginning of your answer post. The later time of the override post will be used to determine the timing bonus, so plan your tactics accordingly. Each team gets one override regardless of what the other team does, but you can only override within ONE HOUR of your team’s first answer or the first answer is locked.

> No editing of answer posts! An answer post that has been edited may result in a penalty at the discretion of the referee.

> Team discussion is allowed and encouraged. This version of the game will require a bit more strategy than the speed-oriented first version.

> The first team to get +20 wins the challenge.

A host city to start the affair has been chosen completely and utterly at random. It shall be revealed shortly and the game will begin.

:)

Starting point is the city of...Clarksville, Texas.

The initial category is: A city or town in a state adjacent to Texas

The next category is: Any city with a franchise in the NBA's Northwest Division

um...do we still have member numbers? I don't see them

Damn, I don't think we do. Too bad, I loved it the last time we played this...

If you view your public profile you will see your ID#.

Rats...okay...new change is alphabet letters. If you have a screen name starting with A-M or 0-4, that's one team. N-Z and 5-9 are on the other. Sound good? Have at it.

Edit to add, the two teams shall henceforth be known as the A-Team and the Z-Team. (Slightly corny, but it's easy to remember.)

You can get at them by pulling up your profile and looking at the address, I think.

Dola, that gives me a userid of 2935.

...going to control panel to see if I can display member ID on messages...

Alright, the game is on hold. I'll restart (and replace the categories) when we've come to a consensus on whether we should use ID # or name for dividing things up.

Are we allowed to use Mapquest for this?

Any resource is allowable. You just have to meet the category's requirement. Like WSU did, I have a specific site I go to to get the distances the game will be scored by. You can even use that if you like. You just have to find it. :)

BTW, I'll be out for the next while, so people can discuss what they want to do about teams.

Sorry, can't find a member ID display option.

Well, would you mind turning the QOTM back on while you're up?

SkyDog, you would have to manipulate the postbit. Fairly easy.

Yeah I was thinking it was in postbit I couldn't remember and was too lazy to check my website.

Okay, having seen no successful outcome to the User ID attempt, we'll just go with A-Team vs. Z-Team, though I am changing the membership a little:

A-Team is now all players with user names starting A-K
Z-Team is everyone else (L-Z, all names starting with numbers or punctuation)

That should split the board in half, nearly. A-Team still has slightly more members, I think.

At any rate, I'll restart the contest with new origin and new categories momentarily.

The re-start isn't too far away from the original starting point: Pea Ridge, Arkansas

The starting category is similar: Any city or town in a state adjacent to Arkansas.
The next category is somewhat similar: Any MLB city in California

Begin! :)

Make sure to wave to me on the way by.

A-Team travels to Jacket, Missouri.

Hmm, Jacket seems to be the closest out of state city to Pea Ridge. I would suggest Z-Team picks a city furthest from Pea Ridge but closest to an Cali MLB city (something in Texas).

For the sake of speed I'll say El Paso, TX for Z-Team.

Shoulda gone for Anthony, Coug. Coulda saved an extra ten miles... ;)

Well, as you know, we Cougs are drawn to El Paso, like the swallows to Capestrano. :D

Heh. Was wondering if anyone was going to play. Will give the full hour for anyone to override, so that means 4:25 PM EDT for A-Team and 4:41 PM for Z-Team.

That reminds me, I got to meet Coach Price last night (along with Eric and Aaron Price and a bunch of the rest of the Miners staff). He seems like a really great guy...we're very lucky to have him. :)

I'll go on the assumption that Team-Z will not want to further penalize themselves.

A-Team:
*Pea Ridge, Arkansas to Jacket, Missouri = 4 miles
*Posted at 3:25 PM EDT

Z-Team:
*Pea Ridge, Arkansas to El Paso, Texas = 773 miles
*Posted at 3:41 PM EDT

A-Team wins distance points (+1.0 pts)
A-Team wins post time points(+0.2 pts)
A-Team time bonus is +0.2 pts (16 minutes, rounded down)

Scoreboard:
A-Team 1.4, Z-Team 0.0

Round 2:
A-Team is in Jacket, Missouri
Z-Team is in El Paso, Texas

Current destination: a city in California with an MLB team (in spite of the name, Anaheim is separate from LA for this category)

Next destination: a city on the Mississippi River

A-Team goes to Anaheim, CA

Z-Team goes to Los Angeles, CA

A-Team:
*Jacket, Missouri to Anaheim, California = 1354 miles
*Posted at 4:50 PM

Z-Team:
*El Paso, Texas to Los Angeles, California = 712 miles
*Posted at 5:25 PM EDT

Z-Team wins distance points (+1.0 pts)
A-Team wins post time points(+0.2 pts)
A-Team time bonus is +0.6 pts (35 minutes)

Scoreboard:
A-Team 2.2, Z-Team 1.0

Round 3:
A-Team is in Anaheim, California
Z-Team is in Los Angeles, California

Current destination: a city on the Mississippi River
Next destination: a Canadian provincial capital in the Atlantic Time Zone

Z-Team goes to La Crosse, WI

A-Team travels to Prairie du Chen, WI

A-Team:
*Anaheim, California to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin = 1574 miles
*Posted at 6:49 PM

Z-Team:
*Los Angeles, California to La Crosse, Wisconsin = 1600 miles
*Posted at 6:32 PM

A-Team wins distance points (+1.0 pts)
Z-Team wins post time points(+0.2 pts)
Z-Team time bonus is +0.2 pts (17 minutes)

Scoreboard:
A-Team 3.2, Z-Team 1.4

Round 4:
A-Team is in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
Z-Team is in La Crosse, Wisconsin

Current destination: a Canadian provincial capital in the Atlantic Time Zone
Next destination: Any current or former Canadian NHL city

Um... Mr. Wednesday, you are on the Z-Team ;).

Poster name begins with M, so I should be on the A-Team.

From the First post:


Unless you are asserting that M comes before K ;).

Dang.

OK, Z-team goes to Fredericton, NB. Post attributing myself incorrectly deleted.

Dola, sorry about the valuable minutes lost due to my ineptitude at figuring out what team I was on. I actually did originally post it as Z-team. :p

Heh... well I know my fellow A-Teamers (well, if I have to be on a team ;)) aren't happy with me now :D.

Well, I should help the A-Team out because of that, I guess :D. To prevent losing a ton of time points:

A-Team flys to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

'Tis okay about the mix-up. It's not as simple as it was with the Even/Odd ID number thing, so I'm not going to be strict about it as long as people catch their own mistakes. At any rate, here's the updated tote board:

A-Team:
*Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin to Halifax, Nova Scotia = 1375 miles
*Posted at 1:29 AM

Z-Team:
*La Crosse, Wisconsin to Fredericton, New Brunswick = 1222 miles
*Posted at 1:17 AM

Z-Team wins distance points (+1.0 pts)
Z-Team wins post time points (+0.2 pts)
Z-Team time bonus is +0.2 pts (12 minutes)

Scoreboard:
A-Team 3.2, Z-Team 2.8

We got a game now... :)

Round 5:
A-Team is in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Z-Team is in Fredericton, New Brunswick

Current destination: Any current or former Canadian NHL city
Next destination: Any city of over one million population (2000 census) in the US

A-Team goes to Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Z-Team goes to Quebec City, Quebec

Scratch that, Z-Team goes to Hamilton, Ontario

Never mind...

I should add that won't count as an override because the original destination was in error.

Hamilton? Unless that's setup for the next one, wouldn't Ottawa or Montreal make more sense?