Track this topic | Email this topic | Print this topic

Short version: Come play at the CoN World Cup App. (Yep, definitely stole this from an old post, again.)

You might have seen me post about this on Facebook and Twitter, or maybe mention it in chat, or maybe even remember it from previous iterations like the European Championship of 2012, the last World Cup in 2010, or even from way back at Euro 2008 when we didn't even have a webpage dedicated to it. I hope so!

I know the majority of readers out there are Americans, and therefore, you probably think that the only correct response is to hate soccer and anyone who calls it "football." This is why the rest of the world hates us. The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, and you're going to see a lot of us going crazy for it in the next month, starting Thursday, June 12. That said, it's worth playing our game here at CoN so you can experience soccer, even a little bit, and it's easy.

To play, all you have to do is come to the CoN World Cup App, and pick the overall champion. You could start picking individual matches, but I wouldn't recommend it until all the rosters are final - they're announced on June 2 at the latest, and then I'll add them to the game sometime soon after that. Just get signed up for now, peruse the rules, jabber about the game, whatever. I'll update everyone again soon.

Here are some links to educate you a bit in the meantime!

The FIFA Homepage
BBC Sport's World Cup Homepage
Wikipedia's World Cup 2014 Page
ESPN's World Cup Homepage
ESPN Power Rankings
Oddsmakers' Odds


--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Speaking as Someone from the rest of the world, we don't hate America for calling Football Soccer. We hate you for calling Handegg Football, and hoarding all the freakin' lucky charms.

EDIT: Also, a couple of the matches arn't displaying player lists for first goal.

This post has been edited by Cazboab on 1st June 2014 18:20

--------------------

Failure is not an option. its an art form

I think I haven't been online on CoN for over a year... But I got a PM about the world cup, and I'm in

Quote (Cazboab @ 1st June 2014 14:14)

Speaking as Someone from the rest of the world, we don't hate America for calling Football Soccer. We hate you for calling Handegg Football, and hoarding all the freakin' lucky charms.

EDIT: Also, a couple of the matches arn't displaying player lists for first goal.

All of those grievances are valid.

With regards to the edit, I called that out in the first post - can't have rosters until the rosters are official. They are now official, so assuming that every nation has made them public I'll have them all in sometime today or tomorrow (if anyone chose to not make them public, I'll have to wait another two days for FIFA to make them so).

Edit

Rosters are now available for every team. I'll be keeping an eye out for injury-based roster changes, but post in this thread if I miss them.

This post has been edited by Rangers51 on 3rd June 2014 00:57

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Hell hath no fury like Jav during World Cup season.
Forza Azzurri!

--------------------

Okay, but there was a goat!

Here are some more details, now that picks are fully open

Once you sign up, choose who you think will win the whole tournament. Then for every game played in the Cup (there are 64 total), you pick the scores of both teams, who wins, and who will score first. You get points based on how many of your picks you get right. "But I don't know these teams, and I definitely don't know the players," you say, in a whiny voice. "That's okay," I reply, "because we're willing to help you!" For this tournament, we're providing a random pick generator, so even if you know nothing but still want to play, you can click a button and the system will make a guess for you. I'm not going to guarantee that it will be a great guess, but you can play without knowing the first thing about soccer if you want.

To play, all you have to do is come to the CoN World Cup App, pick the overall champion, and then start making picks for individual matches. You can pick all of the first 48 right now, if you want, or pick them all individually. The remaining sixteen will become available as the teams are determined, which will start to happen after each team has played two games, depending on results. Once you have your picks in, you can sit back and watch each match to see how you did - you can pick all the matches at once, or if you're really into it you can keep tabs on who's playing well to inform picks for that country's later games. You can also edit picks until they're locked in; the requirement is that you have to have a pick in no later than five minutes before kickoff if you want it to count.

The top three players at the end all get forum awards to show off, of course. There will also be a thread to discuss the matches and brag about correct predictions, so you can remember to get your predictions in on time. This is open to everyone. It's time to start learning about soccer if you don't already know, because your future children are going to require it of you.

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Unlike almost every single other year, I actually have a marginal amount of soccer knowledge this time around. Will this make for a significant change in my final result? Surely no. But it will make me feel less silly when I fill things out. And that's some sort of victory anyhow

--------------------

Currently Playing : Final Fantasy V
Most Recently Beat : Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Favorite Game : Final Fantasy X

The newest CoNcast is up! Have a listen!

Franck Ribery of France has been ruled out of the World Cup, quite a big loss for them.

By the way, people might find this site useful for injury updates:

http://www.physioroom.com/news/worldcup_20...fs56jr3sufnupb4

What that link teaches me is that I have no hope of keeping up with the dozens of people who have collapsed into quivering piles of jelly before the matches start.

Wikipedia seems to have an easier to parse list of updates and I'll look through them again tonight or from the office tomorrow. The way I tend to do it is to just plop one name in where the other needs to be removed - sometimes that results in people having picks they don't like (nobody is going to think Ribery's replacement will be a first scorer), but at least there will be a pick there that you can go back to and fix.

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Quote (Rangers51 @ 8th June 2014 12:24)

What that link teaches me is that I have no hope of keeping up with the dozens of people who have collapsed into quivering piles of jelly before the matches start.

I think it'll be useful once the tournament's started though, it has injury doubts as well as full blown injuries listed.

In other news, the Cameroonian football team are currently refusing to get on their plane to Brazil in a row over their world cup bonuses.

I know next to nothing about the current state of international football, and even less about which players are good, bad, healthy, or injured. But I submitted 48 match results in about 20 minutes and so can you. Dey ya go.

--------------------

this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

Quote (Cefca @ 8th June 2014 12:48)

I think it'll be useful once the tournament's started though, it has injury doubts as well as full blown injuries listed.

Yeah, fair! In any event, I think I got all replacements in the database today. So, if you wanted Marco Reus to score a lot, you now have his replacement.

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Quote (Dragon_Fire @ 4th June 2014 19:05)

Forza Azzurri!

Agreed!

With a little over two hours left to go before kickoff, we're up to 21 players. Not bad! Make sure your picks are in!

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Sorry for the delay in posting the first scores. I actually had to miss the first game due to a family engagement, but as soon as I get home I will make sure the leaderboard gets updated!

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

So who had Marcelo as the scorer of the first goal? Anyone? Didn't think so.

--------------------

this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

Now that teams are starting to get knocked out, I decided to look at the aggregation of choices for the winners:

Brazil 8
Italy 3
Argentina, Portugal, No Winner 2
South Korea, Germany, Ivory Coast, England 1

Looks like with a distribution that narrow, you're likely going to need to rack up lots of points in the individual picks and not rely on the bonus to push you over the top. And just one person took Germany? Really? (It wasn't me!)

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Quote (Rangers51 @ 23rd June 2014 19:33)

Now that teams are starting to get knocked out, I decided to look at the aggregation of choices for the winners:

Brazil 8
Italy 3
Argentina, Portugal, No Winner 2
South Korea, Germany, Ivory Coast, England 1

Looks like with a distribution that narrow, you're likely going to need to rack up lots of points in the individual picks and not rely on the bonus to push you over the top. And just one person took Germany? Really? (It wasn't me!)

Well, No Winner is likely to get through the group stage, but are they really aiming for the gold?

Quote (Gigantuar @ 23rd June 2014 18:12)

Quote (Rangers51 @ 23rd June 2014 19:33)

Now that teams are starting to get knocked out, I decided to look at the aggregation of choices for the winners:

Brazil 8
Italy 3
Argentina, Portugal, No Winner 2
South Korea, Germany, Ivory Coast, England 1

Looks like with a distribution that narrow, you're likely going to need to rack up lots of points in the individual picks and not rely on the bonus to push you over the top. And just one person took Germany? Really? (It wasn't me!)

Well, No Winner is likely to get through the group stage, but are they really aiming for the gold?

Nailed it.

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

... Suarez...

All eight Quarterfinal matches are now available to predict. There are two matches on each of the next four days after today - Saturday through Tuesday. To my earlier post, we now have ten players who will get no bonus points due to their champions being eliminated in group play. Yikes.

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

I forgot to mention - these matches starting today begin the scoring changes. All points earned now double, and you can no longer pick teams to draw. Also, you should pick your scores based only on the score at the final whistle; any penalty shootouts do not count for the score, only the winner.

This means one thing in sum: don't forget to make your picks!

This post has been edited by Rangers51 on 28th June 2014 13:18

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Both semifinals are now available and under the correct times. Sorry about that! I haven't looked at previous iterations too closely, but this one is looking like it's going to be shockingly close in the end. There are four matches left to predict for a total of forty possible points (plus bonuses for the pre-tournament picks), and right now there are ten players not mathematically eliminated, pending the final champion. Even more so, the top six players are all within ten points heading into the semifinals.

The matches themselves might have become a little less exciting recently, at least in my opinion, but the competition here at CoN is still solid!

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Ugh. I was doing pretty well until I guessed just one out of four quarterfinals correctly. (soccer) Balls.

--------------------

this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

My success depends on finding a way past Neal, as we both (and only us two) have the same winner picked for the bonus points at the end.

--------------------

We apologise for the inconvenience

After beginning my run by neglecting to pick an overall winner (niiiiice), I proceeded in my prestigious run to pick many incorrect things. Sportsbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalls! Pretty sure it's an improvement over four years ago, so at this rate of progression I should be winning in about 2070.

--------------------

Currently Playing : Final Fantasy V
Most Recently Beat : Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Favorite Game : Final Fantasy X

The newest CoNcast is up! Have a listen!

MY ULTIMATE FORM HAS BEEN REACHED.

--------------------

Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me

Quote (Neal @ 15th July 2014 04:07)

MY ULTIMATE FORM HAS BEEN REACHED.

bloop bloop blop blop bloop! Neal digivolved into MetalGreyNeal!

Looking back, had I not had some last minute and foolish changes-of-heart 5mins before kick-off, I might have made up the 10pt deficit and stolen the crown. Moral of the story is definitely go with your gut.

All that said, I'm very chuffed with 2nd, especially given a dip in form leading into the finals giving me cause to doubt even a podium finish!

--------------------

We apologise for the inconvenience

That was really a pretty tight matchup overall, especially once you get to places 2-5 and again in the 6-9 group. Nicely competitive!

If you haven't looked, Neal won, followed ten points back by Stiltzkin and then me, two points behind Stiltz. I haven't done awards yet because apparently the images were never made. Oops! I'll take care of that soonish.

Special shoutout to both AltheaValara and ChickenFriedChocobo; both missed some matches but came out averaging around a one point per match predicted, which is pretty good for first-timers, if you ask me.

Thanks a lot for playing, everyone. If we're all still here, we will probably do this again for Euro 2016!

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Quote (Rangers51 @ 17th July 2014 16:32)

Thanks a lot for playing, everyone. If we're all still here, we will probably do this again for Euro 2016!

And there's always the EPL fantasy football which we can run in the meantime!

--------------------

We apologise for the inconvenience