win a ball from Bowling.com
« previous next »
Pages: [1]

Author Topic: Prize fund  (Read 2256 times)

burly

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 327
Prize fund
« on: November 05, 2006, 05:13:18 AM »
What formula would you guys implement in creating a prize fund?

--------------------
###############################################
 check my profile for my stats
Logged

 

shelley

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9655
Re: Prize fund
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2006, 07:49:27 PM »
I have a spreadsheet and small program that I wrote that calculates prize distributions given the initial prize fund, any side prizes (high game awards,...), and the number of teams.  It is tunable to balance the distribution or provide emphasis to the higher-placed teams.  

The spreadsheet is in OpenOffice.org format, though another user here converted it to Excel.  The program, which does essentially the same thing, but is slightly more flexible, was written on a Mac.  If you have one, I can send you the executable.  If you're on a Windows or Linux machine, you'll have to find some kind soul to compile it for you.

SH
Logged

shelley

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9655
Re: Prize fund
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2006, 07:52:49 PM »
To give some specifics, I computed a function that tapers off like 1/(x^2).  I included a weight parameter to smooth it out or bias it to the top teams.  I compute this function for x from 1 to the number of teams.  Normalize those values so that they sum to 1.0, multiply by 100, and those are the percentages of the prize fund that each team gets.  The function is not quite 1/x^2, but has a similar behavior.

SH
Logged

Aloarjr810

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2149
  • Alley Katz Strike!
Re: Prize fund
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2006, 10:47:46 AM »
quote:
What formula would you guys implement in creating a prize fund?

--------------------
###############################################
 check my profile for my stats


A prize fund for a league or a tournament?

I have a league prizelist generator spreadsheet here-

http://home.earthlink.net/~litefrozen/bowling/index.htm

For a tournament it depends on how many are in it, is there scratch andor handicap payouts etc.
Logged
Aloarjr810
----------
Click For My Grip

qstick777

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5188
Re: Prize fund
« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2006, 10:49:07 AM »
I compiled Shelley's program for windows, but I'm not sure how to get it to anybody.  I'm finding it difficult to e-mail as an .exe or even zipping the .exe.  

I believe I e-mailed it back to Shelley as a .ex?  file, but I don't know if that ends up corrupting the file, and I'm even sure that Shelley got the e-mail.


--------------------
Best post ever:http://www.ballreviews.com/Forum/Replies.asp?TopicID=74110&ForumID=16&CategoryID=5

Search Ballreviews entire database here: http://www.bowling-info.com/Search.html
Logged

shelley

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9655
Re: Prize fund
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2006, 10:54:57 AM »
quote:
I compiled Shelley's program for windows, but I'm not sure how to get it to anybody.  I'm finding it difficult to e-mail as an .exe or even zipping the .exe.  

I believe I e-mailed it back to Shelley as a .ex?  file, but I don't know if that ends up corrupting the file, and I'm even sure that Shelley got the e-mail.


I don't remember getting anything back from you.  You could rename it to .ex?, but msot virus scanners will pick up on that and realize it's an executable anyway.  You can try sending it again, with whatever name, and I'll post it on a website for anyone that wants to download it.

Did it compile and run ok?  I tried to make it fairly platform-independent, but I'm used to writing on Unix-ish systems, and it's easy to blur the lines between "standard" and "unix-y".

SH
Logged

shelley

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9655
Re: Prize fund
« Reply #6 on: November 06, 2006, 02:08:40 PM »
quote:
Couldn't you just change the file extension to something that virus scanners approve of, like .jpg or .txt?  The recipient would just need to change it back to .exe to run it.


Most virus scanners, especially those that process e-mail, know what type of file it is outside of the extension.  Windows executables have a specific format and header information that identifies them as executables.  JPGs have specific formats and headers that identify them as JPGs.  The virus scanner would simply read the header to figure out what kind of file it is.

SH
Logged

qstick777

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5188
Re: Prize fund
« Reply #7 on: November 06, 2006, 03:09:20 PM »
Exactly.  This is what I get back:

 
quote:
Hi. This is the qmail-send program at yahoo.com.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following
addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.

<shelley****@gmail.com>:
64.233.185.27 failed after I sent the message.
Remote host said: 552 5.7.0 Illegal Attachment 34si6262605wra


I'll see if I can rename it and try to send it again.  It compiled fine - I couldn't get our programmers to do it, but I was able to download a free version of C++ from Microsoft (Visual C++ 2005 Express) and figure out how to compile and create the executable.
--------------------
Best post ever:http://www.ballreviews.com/Forum/Replies.asp?TopicID=74110&ForumID=16&CategoryID=5

Search Ballreviews entire database here: http://www.bowling-info.com/Search.html
Logged

burly

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 327
Re: Prize fund
« Reply #8 on: November 07, 2006, 02:01:59 AM »
ttt

i am looking to create a prize fund for a league

and exe would be nice

--------------------
###############################################
 check my profile for my stats

Edited on 11/7/2006 2:53 AM
Logged

shelley

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9655
Re: Prize fund
« Reply #9 on: November 07, 2006, 08:23:01 AM »
quote:
ttt

i am looking to create a prize fund for a league

and exe would be nice


I will send you the executable.  It's untested by me, but I would guess that qstick tried it out.

SH
Logged

burly

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 327
Re: Prize fund
« Reply #10 on: November 07, 2006, 11:30:49 AM »
thank you very much

--------------------
###############################################
 check my profile for my stats
Logged

burly

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 327
Re: Prize fund
« Reply #11 on: November 07, 2006, 07:03:02 PM »
the file works great.
now i need to raise some extra cash.


quote:
quote:
ttt

i am looking to create a prize fund for a league

and exe would be nice


I will send you the executable.  It's untested by me, but I would guess that qstick tried it out.

SH

--------------------
###############################################
 check my profile for my stats
Logged
Pages: [1]
« previous next »