QUOTE (chris99 @ 7 Aug 2012, 18:37)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Why on earth don't they do something more creative with a strategy element rather than a moronic small movement per tweet if I understand correctly.
We tried to tackle the problem of having a trickle of tweets resulting in a very fractured, stop-start race. To try and combat it, we're tallying up tweets for a lead-up week prior to the live race, so we can calculate how far each tweet will actually move the car (based on the amount of tweets we've received). It was certainly a problem we wanted to try and avoid!
QUOTE (chris99 @ 7 Aug 2012, 18:37)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I would add that hardly any of my students (18 to 22 years old) use Twitter apart from the odd one who uses it for job searches. So who is a typical user - must be more than just geeks but I haven't found one yet
We tend to find that short, engaging competitions like this generate interest from a wide range of Twitter users...and frankly if they want to be part of the race we're happy to welcome them, it's a bit of fun after all!
QUOTE (chris99 @ 7 Aug 2012, 18:37)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Anyway I have my bot network ready to send a million tweets in the first second of the competition, so put your money on the blue car (only joking)
Ha! Nice try
Obviously if we had a bot doing that, it would be great for the race...but none of the Tweets would enter you in the draw to win a Scalextric kit as you need to be register on Facebook for your tweets to count. You'll end up just getting a million tweets back saying thanks for your tweet, register on Facebook to be in the draw!
QUOTE (chris99 @ 7 Aug 2012, 18:37)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>PS Whilst I'm here, maybe RS might deign to divert some of their work experience people to deliver my Raspberry Pi for which they relieved me of my pennies 7 weeks ago
(yes I know the order said despatch might take 9 weeks but why take my money if you knew that?)
As a lowly work experience boy (
), I'm not sure if there's anything I can do. However, I'll put a word in with the head of e-commerce and see what I can do. Hope that's ok!
QUOTE (Erik M @ 7 Aug 2012, 18:56)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Chrisalmostfull ~ Bots are cheating...
Thanks Erik!
QUOTE (RichG @ 7 Aug 2012, 20:00)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>OK nothing new here, at least two other Tweet based Scalextric races have been run.
Capespeed
BBC
Both of these came to our attention after we'd done a lot of work - the Capespeed one was only recent from memory and it does differ from the competition we're running
As for the Radio 1 bit, as I'm not an avid R1 fan I unfortunately had missed it. Again though, it does differ to ours.
By recommendation of Doug I did actually get in touch with my contact at Guinness World Records to see whether ours will qualify as the largest race of scalextric (in terms of participants). Hopefully it would qualify and I'll be sure to drop by to let you all know if it does
QUOTE (RichG @ 7 Aug 2012, 20:00)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I was told it was digital which at least would make it different, open up some slightly more interesting options and raise the bar on the code needed to compete.
I suggest a technical time out and restart with Digital being mandatory and move it on from a Red and Blue car Analog race to a Gold, Silver & Bronze Digital Race.
I have to confess, until I started chatting with some of you guys I didn't quite realise the huge range of different ways Slot Cars can be controlled - not least the difference between digital and analogue.
I'm actually hugely grateful for everyone's help/advice/tips etc, it's been an eye opener to the world of slot car racing. I'm really kinda getting into it now!
Just as a quite note, Scalextric have been kind enough to provide 10 kits to us to supplement the competition...I'll speak with Doug and see if we can spare one to be won on this forum
Again guys, thank you!
Sam
