Worldwide Flight Race - Game Over

[ShadowLurker]

arrived aorund 9am

[pablito]

Results to be posted later tonight.

Next leg won't begin til after the weekend probably because I'll be busy.

[pablito]

The final five contestants headed off from the Kremlin in Moscow, which was the fifth pitstop of the race. ShadowLurker had a heavy lead and made his way quickly off to Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics to complete a task about learning the cyrillic alphabet. He made quick work of the task and managed to leave the task before most people had left. Rhinox happened to arrive at the academy before SL left, and Rhinox tried his damnedest to make sure that he could catch up with SL to ensure that the lead would not be too excessive.

When ShadowLurker got to the airport, he was dismayed to find out that his flight would not get him to Athens until next morning, even though he could leave right away. In the meanwhile all the other players finished the task in due time and were able to book early morning flights to arrive in Athens in the early morning. The race, as it has been so far, was decided in how much the players were willing to risk taking an earlier flight rather than waiting for an alliance flight.

pickemgenius took the biggest risk and arrived in Athens first. But at the same time, when he got to Athens and saw that the task was to head to Omonia Square, he realized that it was not worth it to rush because he had a few hour lead over the others. He managed to waste time but still got back to the airport before anyone else had landed.

All the others arrived within an hour of each other and the only one who really tried to find the mysterious hidden vendor was chavo. While it got him to the airport quicker, everyone else caught up to him at the airport. Once again, it was a race of who caught the best air flights. Everyone chose a different flight and no one was on the same flight. Each flight managed to arrive in Delhi, India at different times.

Will the flights make the difference? Or will there be a bunching points in India to equalize the times? Surprisingly, first to arrive was chavo who was shortly followed by ShadowLurker. Both made their way to the Secretariat Building on Raisina Hill where they had to make a model of the India Gate. Players had to be very careful in building the model, because if they tried to build it too quickly, it would fall apart and they may have to restart and waste valuable time. However, both chavo and ShadowLurker were able to get the model done on their first try and they went onward to the next task. PHANTOM came along next and also got the model on his first try as well. All the top three left before pickemgenius and Rhinox even got on the scene.

Over at Rashtrapati Bhavan, it was mostly a race between chavo and ShadowLurker. It was clear that ShadowLurker had more energy, but would chavo's lead maintain? It appeared so and chavo was the first to check in. Later, ShadowLurker, then PHANTOM checked in. However, back at Raisina hill, pickemgenius had arrived and was working on his model. However, he kept trying to built it too hastily and had to try again. Even though Rhinox was last to arrive in Delhi, it appeared that he managed to get to working on his model as pickemgenius was still working on his.

Who would arrive at Rashtrapati Bhavan first? It was actually Rhinox first who managed to finish his model on his first try as well. But pickemgenius was only shortly behind. The red elephant was elusive.

However, Rhinox found it first. pickemgenius found the red elephant last and was the last to the pitstop.

Pit Stop Times

8:06 chavo
8:56 ShadowLurker
10:05 PHANTOM
11:51 Rhinox
12:36 pickemgenius

However, this was a predetermined non-elimination leg. pickemgenius is still in the race! Rhinox has incurred two penalties in this leg. pickemgenius' penalty for arriving last on a non-elimination leg will be 15 minute delay for starting the leg plus he only starts with 85 effort points.

[pablito]

After a rough week, I finally got back on working on the leg. Expect it up before weekend ends if not earlier.

[pablito]

Leg seven has been sent out. Only five teams remain! We're getting close to the end, folks.

[chavo]

yay

[pablito]

Please PM me ASAP if you're still waiting for a response PM. I think my PMs have been messing up a few days ago.

[pablito]

only one more to go

[pablito]

The final five teams set off from Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi, which was the sixth pitstop of the race. Leaving first was chavo who quickly set off for Akshardham, the largest Hindu temple in Delhi to find the guard with a white moustache. In the meanwhile, ShadowLurker began to head to Akshardham after his mandatory twelve hour rest. chavo actually was trying and was searching strategically around the temple and almost left the temple before ShadowLurker arrived. chavo then headed off to the airport where had the huge task of trying to find the shortest flight to Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul.

PHANTOM then left the pitstop and just like with ShadowLurker and chavo before, ShadowLurker's effort lead him to almost leave before PHANTOM even arrived. PHANTOM took a different approach and he knew that there had to be a long flight leaving out of Delhi, so he didn't want to waste much energy and took a leisurely stroll around the temple. This allowed Rhinox to catch up at the temple. However, Rhinox too did not try hard at the temple knowing that it was already late at night. And finally pickemgenius arrived and he followed suit as the previous two had.

At the airport chavo and ShadowLurker must've been feeling good about their efforts earlier, because both were able to just make it on the same last flight of the night to Incheon and were guaranteed to arrive in Seoul next morning. However, when the other three arrived at the airport, they found out that no other flights would leave until mid morning. So they all boarded the same flight that would put them in three hours behind the leaders.

Over in Seoul, chavo and ShadowLurker were off to head to Insadong, where they had to try their chances at selling local exotic fruits. The tricky part of the challenge was figuring out how to price the fruit to maximize their profits and leave the challenge quicker than the rest. This would prove to be the most important part of this leg. chavo chose to price a little more aggressively than ShadowLurker and as a result he left the market much earlier and headed off to the airport before it would close for the night. ShadowLurker was struggling for the last hour trying to make it out before the others all arrived at the market, but he did just as he saw all the others arrive in taxi.

For the other three, PHANTOM took a huge risk and sold with high prices, while pickemgenius went for moderate and Rhinox sold the fruit for mere pennies. Would PHANTOM be lucky and get a lot of buyers or did he overprice his merchandise? It made all the difference because PHANTOM left first. pickemgenius an hour later and PHANTOM followed last.

At the airport ShadowLurker caught up to chavo and both took flights to Narita Airport in Tokyo that landed within a half hour of each other. In fact, when they did the task of trying to eat wasabi filled sushi rolls, both of them stared each other down afraid to see who would break down first, but it turns out they were equally matched! However, since ShadowLurker had had the earlier flight, he headed out a bit earlier. But what's this?

PHANTOM caught up with chavo at the restaurant because he had caught the final flight of the day from Seoul to Tokyo. However, chavo still had too much of a lead and had left the restaurant before PHANTOM did. ShadowLurker had no competition for the cab race and checked into the pit stop first. chavo easily took second and with no other flights coming in that night, PHANTOM took third.

Back in Seoul, each one took a different strategy. pickemgenius decided to take a roundabout way to get to Tokyo via a different city that left just as he left the airport. This left Rhinox all alone sleeping in the airport until his direct flight to Tokyo the next morning. The flights would make all the difference as one would check in before the other started eating sushi.

and in fourth place, despite having fewer EP overall in this leg was pickemgenius! His flight managed to arrive two hours earlier which leaves Rhinox in last. And I'm afraid that this is an elimination leg and Rhinox has been eliminated from the race.

Pit Stop Times

23:12 ShadowLurker
0:02 chavo
0:58 PHANTOM
13:17 pickemgenius
14:27 Rhinox

[pablito]

Next leg going on now

[pickemgenius]

woo 13 hours back

[pablito]

Waiting one player now.

[pablito]

Disappointing. So I'll try to have final leg up sometime. But last leg's done.

[pablito]

The final four teams set off from Tokyo's Hotel Green Plaza Hamanako - the seventh pitstop of the race. The first three players were able to continue onward and make easy progress through the first task at the Imperial Palace folding paper cranes. pickemgenius followed behind and found out that for the most part planes heading to Seattle were next on the list and most flights would be leaving in afternoon, therefore ensuring that he'd be a day behind the leaders.

And this is what happened. pickemgenius could only try his best to follow the rest one day behind and hope for the best. In Seattle he tried his best but unfortunately tried too hard to grip fish and it made him take extra time at the Pike Fish Company task. Then he found out that he had to find his way to San Francisco afterward. Unlike the others who had been able to find flights leaving immediately, pickemgenius had to wait a few hours first. Then pickemgenius found himself at Lombard Street needing to carry books up the hill. Unfortunately the task in Seattle took its toll as he couldn't work as fast as the others had, therefore compounding his delays. And then pickemgenius found his way toward the pitstop at Fisherman's Wharf via trolleyline.

But what pickemgenius found out was that he was actually third to arrive! PHANTOM failed to complete the leg and was eliminated.

Pit Stop

16:30 ShadowLurker
18:19 chavo
21:43 (+1) pickemgenius
DNF PHANTOM

[ShadowLurker]

LoL.

[pickemgenius]

lol

I'm so like Dandrew

[pablito]

Sorry, it'll be a delay for final leg. My birthday and mafiascum celebrations will probably take your time (and bandwith) anyway. So we'll do it afterward.

[ShadowLurker]

Bump

[pablito]

Okay, finally done.

Sending out final leg.

[pablito]

Okay chavo and ShadowLurker have finished the leg, but pickemgenius lags behind. I'll wait til peg finishes to announce.

[pablito]

Results announced tonight when I get home.

[pablito]

Guess I got busy.

Let's start with the easy part, Dandrew kept marching away in Soviet Russia even though we were already in America. Did not finish.

ShadowLurker starts the leg at 4:30. Gets to airport at a slow pace. In the meanwhile chavo starts at 6:19 and rushes to the airport as soon as possible to catch a preferable flight and hopes that ShadowLurker is delayed for a flight, unfortunately ShadowLurker boards a flight with seconds to spare. chavo then waits a little for the next available flight in one of his alliances.

Over in LA, ShadowLurker lands first and heads to Janice Dickinson's. He decides to take it slowly but steadily knowing that he has to save his energy for the last spurt of energy at the finish line. Meanwhile chavo meets up at the modeling agency and took a different strategy. chavo seemed to be working more efficiently and faster and it showed. As such, the competitors left within a half hour of each other for the airport.

However at LAX, air alliances determined who would leave first yet again. ShadowLurker lands first in NYC but landed in Newark. Would chavo catch a break due to arriving in a more central airport? Unfortunately the break wasn't there. ShadowLurker managed to get to the Majestic quicker and then later on finished the final task at a quicker pace.

ShadowLurker is the winner of Worldwide Flight Race!!!!

chavo finishes a respectable second.

Pit Stop

22:19 ShadowLurker
2:11 chavo
DNF pickemgenius

The game is over - thanks to all for participating. Unfortunately lots of drop outs, but I think the result would've been similar no matter what.

Lots of different strategies but I'd say that those who are really good at finding flights made it to the end no doubt.

[ShadowLurker]

Can we see some of the formulas involved? Particularly the too much effort = fail ones

[pablito]

I'll use the final leg for an example of all the formulas involved.

As the race went along, it became more standardized. The first two were different than third onwards. Once the too much=fail came into play, there were always two percentages, one taxicab stepwise, one too much=fail.

Final leg:

A (cabs) 0+ 1:30 13+ 1:10 20+ 0:50 27+ 0:30
It's stepwise so whether you used 0 or 12 EP, you go for 1:30, 13-19=1:10 and so forth.

These numbers often changed but there was always a set max and min. And equal intervals in between.

B (midpoint) 0+ 4:00 23+ 1:20:00
3+ 3:35 24+ 1:45:00
6+ 3:10 25+ 2:00:00
10+ 2:45 27+ 2:20:00
13+ 2:20 29+ 2:40:00
16+ 1:55 32+ 3:00:00
19+ 1:30 35+ 3:20:00
21+ 1:05 38+ 3:40:00
22+ 1:00 39+ 4:00:00

The formula changed every time. Usually the midpoint was somewhere from 15-25. Always equal intervals leading up to the midpoint. Afterwards, I tried to do more logarithmic, but was more to my whim. I think this type of challenge screwed over the most people (farside, pickemgenius) and most people chose to do 0s instead knowing the max.

C - 1st percentage

=((39-T2)/39)*180+60

The set number was usually 36 or 39. 180 would be the range of mins I allowed. add in the constant so that I have a set max or min. Yes, I realized that meant that negative minutes could (and did happen), but the set number of 39 was usually so wasteful that it didn't matter. Negative minutes always ended up being the set minimum anyway.

D- 2nd percentage

=((46-W2)/46)*120+120

The final percentage was always 46 because most players hoarded points at the end. Same thing.


The wording in clues tried to tell you what was going on. More EP may lead to a faster taxi meant that there was no certainty (ie stepwise). More EP will lead to more efficient searching (ie percentage) meant each point counted. More EP may mean you have to do it over (ie midpoint) meant going over = fail.

I have the whole thing in a google doc pretty much. Tried to incorporate operation hours only when needed and when I remembered. For most part I tried to plan the legs out well enough where it wasn't needed. And the design of legs was almost always beneficial to do A=0, B=0, C=50, D=50. So that's why I changed things up in Korea and chose to have B be the big focal point. I knew flights were going to make or break everyone in the end (as it did for pickemgenius) and not getting to airport quick enough and spreading around points was gonna be a killer.

If someone wants to run a future version themselves, let me know and I can fork over more info. But I don't have time to stick around on MS anymore.

[chavo]

yay. Thanks for good game pablito