[CQ-Contest] Realtime score sharing

[Eric Scace]

   I've thought about this on and off over the years.  "Giving away information to opponents who might not reciprocate" could be
partially mitigated at the score sharing site.  The site could embargo distribution to each participant.  "Embargo" here means
participant's computer must provide a timestamped score before it can receive any scores which were current as of that same
timestamp.  Thus, K3NA did not provide any score information after 1300z, he wouldn't receive any score information that was
timestamped 1300z or later.

   I agree that stations who share scores view the contest, and will take decisions, from a slightly different perspective.  That's
OK with me -- there are many forms of contesting and each is fun for some people.

   Another variation is for the site to ONLY provide scores to you of people who are AHEAD of you.  If you are ahead of someone
else, you will not know by how much -- nor will you know if they are gaining on you or falling further behind.  The top person (who
shares) will be flying blind until someone sneaks up on him & gives him a surprise!

   Of course, little can be done about the cheater who logs in with a bogus computer.  But that, in my opinion, is a small aspect
that won't detract from the fun of real-time score sharing.

   Contesting historically has been like a sailboat race in heavy fog, with everyone blind to what else is happening.  Nothing wrong
with that -- it's been fun for decades.  Score sharing is fun, too.

   I don't know how Gerry W1VE's site actually works on the above points.  Maybe W1VE can comment.

-- Eric K3NA

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-cq-contest at contesting.com
[mailto:owner-cq-contest at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Leigh S. Jones
Sent: 2001 November 9 Fri 05:00
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Realtime Scoring Site



There are some good things about this concept and some bad.

One problem is that giving away your score in real time helps
others to overtake you, if needed, or helps others to stay ahead
of you if already ahead.  This actually works -- although you
operate the entire contest with the intention of maximizing your
score, you will always be better prepared to make good
decisions as to contest strategy if you know whether you are
presently ahead or behind, and by how much.  In the last
minutes of the contest you could make a decision whether to
make a band change or stay put, etc., based on the knowledge
that you needed a given level of performance to win.

Giving away this information to opponents who might not
reciprocate could potentially cost you a victory.  Drawing a
parallel with auto racing, under the present system, without
realtime scoring information, each entrant competes on a
different racetrack with no view of his competitors position
relative to his own.  If he's right behind, then he knows he
must push it a little bit harder in the turns in order to overtake
the leader.  If he has a 3 lap advantage, he knows he must
take a long pit stop several laps before the end to change
tires and fill up on gas.  If he has a 3 carlength advantage, he
knows he must not take the long pit stop -- until he sees his
opponent take to the pits -- instead he must risk running out
of gas to keep his lead.

If one has the information and the other does not, then the
informed competitor has a very practical advantage.  Entry
into such a contest would then require either a certainty
regarding your chances of victory, or a mechanism that
assures that all competitors would correctly report their
competitive position.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rich Dailey, KA8OKH" <okh.npi at gte.net>
To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2001 10:49 PM
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Realtime Scoring Site


>
> I'm really keen on the real time scoring website concept.  I hope
> we see all the major logging software adopt some standard way
> of providing output of score/rate... whatever it takes.  I can see
> the security/bootleg/believability issue,  but wouldn't it be a
great
> draw to the sport to have a real time score board?  Rate graphs,
> history, etc... and at the end there would be an instant online
> "3830 scores" file to look at.  Discussion?
>
> Rich, KA8OKH
>
>
>
>
> -------------
> Rich Dailey, KA8OKH - Phyllis Dailey, KB4NPI
> <http://home1.gte.net/web22jfw/>
> -------------
>
>
> --
> CQ-Contest on WWW: http://lists.contesting.com/_cq-contest/
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>


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