3.14 "A War of Gods"

[baumer]

I don't get it. So what did this weekend do for us?

[baumer]

When do we find out who got what and what that means?

[The Creator]

"A War of Gods" - cont.

 

And we're back. Our three finalists must be anxious to see what is in store for them this week.Well, here it is.

 

The three finalists are competiting against each other, as always. This week, the winner gets some leway...but what's important here is winning their competitions against three very unexpected foes. These are three players who have never participated in the game, but now they hold the fate of our finalists in their hands. But unlike last week, where each player was matched with one of these competitors...this week, each player is matched with all three.

 

There are three rounds. In the first round, each player will compete against a soon-to-be-revealed foe. This legendary player will be the first of the three competitors the trio must overcome. It may not be easy, as this player is a very great predictor.

 

Should any player make it past Round 1, he (or they) will go on to face a second competitor...one of equal skill as the first, perhaps more even...and if they top him, they will go up against...a surprise champion.

 

The player who makes it the farthest in these rounds will move on to the Finale. From there, we will reveal who will join him.

 

Three players. Three rounds. They start NOW!

[baumer]

You've lost me here dude. Why do this weekends scores not mean anything now?

[The Creator]

ROUND ONE

 

The first foe is one of the forum's most respected members. He is a very wise, educated, and powerfully persuasive member of the boards. He has never participated in Box Office Alliance, although I have tried effortlessly to recruit him...but he has been a valuable asset to the forums, and in the predicting realm, he placed fairly high in Season 1 of Box Office Survivor. He has been largely absent from predicting games since, but now he ventures into the world of Box Office Alliance, to join us for a tremendous competition. This foe is a magnificent, well-rounded member...and if you can beat him, then you must be tremendously skilled indeed.

 

So who are the three finalists facing in this first round?

 

4815162342 (a.k.a. NUMBERS)

 

It is an honor to have some a great member join us for this competition. Now, how will our three finalists compare against the strength of a behemoth? We saw how they were slain last week by the Summer Game crowd, but we have not witnessed how they'll fare against someone who has been absent for so long in this type of competition, and yet who made a huge scene while he was in one much like this. There is a disturbance in the force.

 

The first player who will go up against him is...

 

JackO

 

JackO faltered on a question. This may cost him. There is a grave risk here in facing someone as skilled as this, so one mistake will end you.

 

Let's see how this competition unfolds.

 

JackO:

JackO scored fairly well. He managed to score over 90% on all but one question.

 

Numbers:

Numbers scored well, too. He scored over a 90% on all questions...considering, well  we'll get to that.

 

JackO:

JackO's highest score was a 97.36%.

 

Numbers:

Numbers' highest score was a 98.37%. So far, he looks like he has the upper hand here.

 

JackO:

*JackO's lowest score was an 81.32%.

 

Numbers:

*Numbers' lowest score was a 93.52%. This big difference is too much for JackO to overcome...it does not seem likely he could have beaten Numbers, when neither his highest nor lowest score topped Numbers' respectively.

 

JackO:

**JackO's final score is 92.02%.

 

Numbers:

**Numbers' final score is...

96.26%

 

 

We now see the benchmark to meet in this first Challenge is a 96.26%. JackO failed to reach this, so he will not advance to the next round. His only shot at redemption will be if either Riczhang or Baumer fail to make it through all three rounds.

*/** will be revealed.

Edited January 29, 2013 by The Creator

[The Creator]

You've lost me here dude. Why do this weekends scores not mean anything now?

 

What? Yes they do. How did you get that? This weekend's score determines who will go on to the Finale. Your score must help you get through 3 rounds of challenges. The first of it is being posted now.

'

Hopefully my most recent post clarifies that for you, and my next two as well.

Edited January 29, 2013 by The Creator

[The Creator]

ROUND ONE cont.

 

We have just witnessed the defeat of one player. The nemesis Numbers is unrelenting. But how will he manage against his next competitor. This finalist won last week and is the current frontrunner. Now, he must brace himself against a different set of competitors. This will not be an easy match. I am speaking, of course, of Riczhang.

 

Riczhang is competing against a different type of beast here. How will he fair against someone as skilled Numbers? Well, we have clearly seen Riczhang's skill this season, and we know he is not easily trumped...in fact, he has won the poll for the strongest player of the season. Should he make it to the finale, he stands the best chance of winning. But that depends on his skill here, against Numbers. Let's see how they did.

 

Riczhang:

*Riczhang scored over 90% on all his questions.

 

Numbers:

*Numbers scored over 93.5% on all questions. All but that question were at or over 96% as well.

 

Riczhang:

*Riczhang scored over 96% on all questions. His lowest score was a 96.72%.

 

Numbers:

Numbers scored 98.37% on Question 2...this was his highest individual score.

 

Riczhang:

Riczhang scored 99.99% on Question 2...this was his highest individual score.

 

Numbers:

**We already know Numbers' final score is a 96.26%.

 

Riczhang:

**It is impossible for Riczhang to place lower than Numbers, for his lowest socre overall was a 96.72%...higher than Numbers' average. Riczhang's final average is

98.12%

 

 

A tense match...but Riczhang pulled out the stops. He once more defeated his secret competitor. Now, he will move on to Round 2. Will he make it past his next foe?

 

Coming up: "How will Baumer do in a competition against Numbers?"

Edited January 29, 2013 by The Creator

[riczhang]

I must've been doing all my calculations wrong...

[The Creator]

ROUND ONE cont.

 

And now, as one moves on to the next round, we must find out how our final of the three finalists will do in Round One. This is the underdog of the season, and the only rookie player to make it to the semi-final. He goes up against greatness, but he himself is great. He is an underestimated foe, and he has a very legitimate shot at stealing glory. He is Baumer...one of the game's most respected players, and yet, one of the most overlooked. Perhaps that is why he managed to make it this far. But will he make it further?

 

Today, he goes up against Numbers, who has already taken out JackO. On a seasonal basis, JackO has been a stronger performer than Baumer. Riczhang has been stronger than both. Given this, one would predict that if Numbers could slay JackO, he could slay Baumer as well. Baumer has to climb a great wall here...will he succeed?

 

Baumer:

Baumer scored upwards of 98% on three questions.

 

Numbers:

All of Numbers's scores fell between 93-98.5%.

 

Baumer:

Baumer's one extraneous score is an 82.73%. This blunder may cost him.

 

Numbers:

We have seen that Numbers' final average is a 96.26%.

 

Baumer:

Baumer seems to have slipped in the same manner JackO did. He scored remarkable on all but one question. That one will cost him. His final average is a

94.77%

 

Numbers made short work of Baumer. Baumer has been defeated in the first round. Now...only Riczhang stands to make it through the next round? Will he be the first to reach the finale? To do this, Riczhang must defeat his next two competitors...or face a Challenge like Baumer and JackO.

 

Coming up: "Round Two begins. Riczhang finds himself against a skilled competitor...who has a vengeance. Stay tuned!"

[The Creator]

I must've been doing all my calculations wrong...

 

Perhaps. There's something tricky yet to be told. You shall see. Soon.

[baumer]

How did u do that well on a question u thought u had 0 on? I think im doing my scores wrong too.

[The Creator]

How did u do that well on a question u thought u had 0 on? I think im doing my scores wrong too.

 

There's a tricky little thing about these scores, and my scoring process...something that, should you catch on to it...I ask you keep quiet until the time is right. You will know. Everything will be revealed.

Edited January 29, 2013 by The Creator

[riczhang]

How did u do that well on a question u thought u had 0 on? I think im doing my scores wrong too.

I thought I zeroed on 3..... #2 I knew I hit 100%.

[baumer]

So numbers scall ZDT AND SLP to be within 120 k of each other on Satutday? I didnt think anyone would get that.

[baumer]

I thought I zeroed on 3..... #2 I knew I hit 100%.

So then how did you get a better score than me and Jack?

[The Creator]

Guys...it shall all be revealed. There is a hidden truth...and a reason for ambiguity.

Edited January 29, 2013 by The Creator

[baumer]

Ok

[4815162342]

So I slew baumer and JackO but not Ric.

 

Oh well...

 

[The Creator]

ROUND TWO

 

Only Riczhang has made it this far. He has outlasted his two fellow finalists, has defeated Tower and now Numbers...and now he goes up against the competitor of Round 2. Like Numbers, this competitor has never played Box Office Alliance. He has been rather quiet recently in the games' forums, but he has previously made big splashes. He is a potent threat, a foe with a vengeance, now that his comrade Numbers has been defeated by Riczhang. Oh, this foe will likely stop at nothing to ensure Riczhang's defeat and his inability to make it to the epic Round Three. This is an uncertain moment for Riczhang, as now he faces a great competitor, one whose skills rival Numbers', perhaps trumps Tower's, and equals, if not surpasses, Riczhang's owns. This is...

 

BED005

 

Riczhang has a lot of experience in "Box Office Alliance". That gives him a good playing field advantage. He should have the upper hand. But Bed is a skilled rival, an untouched force whose skill has never been tested on the Alliance field. We have some concept of Riczhang's limits (they are very few, and when they are there, they exist at a very high level)...but we don't know Bed's limits. Bed may be an ace, is an ace, and may be the end-all to Riczhang. But only this Challenge can tell that. Below, we delve into a closer, tighter, and more explosive second round...as Riczhang faces Bed005.

 

Part I

 

This section evaluates the players' high points. Here, we see how their top scores compare, giving us a basic understanding of how their perofmrances relate. We will see how their highest scores reflect on them, and this will begin our understanding of Bed's skill.

 

Riczhang:

Riczhang has perfected Question 2, dominating at 99.99% (100%?). This is an unbeatable target for Bed, but perhaps Bed matched it with one (or more) of his scores.

 

Bed005:

Not quite, but Bed showed tremendous power nonetheless. He averaged near 99% on two questions, a clear advantage over Riczhang, whose second highest score was just over 98.5%. Bed's highest score was 98.91%...also on Question 2.

 

For Part I, it looks like Riczhang has the early lead, having placed a higher individual high score...but Bed is a close competitor, and this race is far from over.

 

 

Part II

 

This section evaluates the highest range of the players' scores...the range where most their scores fall. This better indicates a typical average score for each player, and may further indicate who stands out as the top dog of this competition.

 

Riczhang:

Riczhang had no definitive high range. While his highest score was a 100%, his second highest was 98.5%. Below that, he couldn't break 98% again. We would argue his range aims for 98%.

 

Bed005:

Bed's average range of highness is more defined. His questions indicate that, on the upper level, he is targetting 99%...yet on a lower level he aims for 97%. His typical range aims at 98%, matching Riczhang's.

 

They're about tied up now. What does this really mean here? Part II indicates a basic idea of where the players scores were mixed around, with scores in the 98's, 97's, 99's, etc, and what each player's score trends toward, on average.

 

 

Part III

 

This section evaluates each player's lowest individual score. This one is close, so it will be the one that defines where the players land.

 

Riczhang:

Riczhang's lowest was a 96.73%...on Question 1.

 

Bed005:

Bed's lowest was close to Riczhang's, but slightly lower, with 96.67% earned on Question 4.

 

Riczhang lowest is higher than Bed's lowest, their average ranges trend toward the same, and Riczhang's highest is higher. So Riczhang has 2 out of 3 here...which means, Riczhang has the best chance of winning.

 

 

Part IV

 

This section reveals both players' final overall scores in this competition.

 

Riczhang:

Riczhang retains his score of 98.12%, which was revealed in Round One.

 

Bed005:

Bed005 had to top Riczhang's high score to prevent Riczhang from advancing to the epic Round Three. Was he able to top 98.12%? His final score was

97.83%

 

 

It was a brutally close match. Riczhang had to face an equal competitor here, one whose skill clearly matches his own. But in the end, Riczhang won this challenge as well, and so he will be moving on to Round Three...where all hell will break loose.

 

 

 

"Coming up: Can our frontrunner survive Round Three - or will he lose himself against the most unexpected foe? Find out soon!"

[The Creator]

ROUND THREE

 

Riczhang, you have made it far. You, above all others, have stood out as the greatest warrior this season. I knew from your inception in the game in Season 2, that you were going to be one of the biggest stars of Box Office Alliance. Your performance that season was astounding, your elimination unexpected, and your skill unrivaled. So it does not surprise me that you have made it here this season. You are easily one of the most skilled predictors this game has ever offered. You could probabl take on Totem, or CEDAR, or Acsc1312. This season, you've outlasted all three, and many other greats - Goffe and DoctorWho, Alfred and Xeno. Riczhang, you are surely one of the greats, and when I think of Box Office Alliance, your name stands right up there with Acsc and CEDAR, Alfred and Fake, as an Alliance Legend.

 

But now you will meet your match. You have made it far, have blossomed into a masterful predictor, but your strings have been cut. The puppet must face a most unexpected challenger in this third and final round of the semi-final. Riczhang, you have done well, have been a very powerful opponent, but you are only a player on the board, a prawn that can become a king. But there is a force in this game that has always been there, a person who has always watched, waited, and eagerly anticipated the challenges. This player has ocassionally played his hand, has been featured in two surprise Challenges, has won both, and has participated in one game this season as a player. But in all else, he has been there since the very beginning, the pilot episode of Season 1.

 

Riczhang, tonight, you quite literally meet your maker. You will not be facing Totem, or CEDAR, nor any old Alliance stars like Fake or Townzy. You're not competing against Tower or Numbers, nor do you face Bed or one of your two fellow Alliance members left standing. Tonight...you face a participant who has rarely played the game, but who has run it for so long, that his ability in the game has often been a point of debate. Oh, I believe you can imagine who I've been hyping up...I believe you all can, and I must say, this is one of the most interesting ideas I have ever composed in Box Office Alliance. The execution of this has played out perfectly, and now Riczhang, you must face your challenger, your maker, your...

 

 

C R E A T O R

 

 

 

Dun dun dun dun...