The Challenge

For each match in the GameFAQs Summer Contest you need to predict the percentage of the vote that each contestant will receive. New participants are always accepted - please indicate that you are new and predict at least three matches.

Post your predictions in this topic, one prediction per line. This means you need four predictions and four lines per match. Your predictions must start with the name of the character and end with your predicted percentage. Examples:

Strider Hiryu - 45%
Tina Armstrong - 24%
Bub 27%
Chop Chop Master Onion with 4%

Please use one of these formats, and always remember to include the % sign. Predictions are entered into our database by a script, which may miss your predictions if you use a weird format. Your predictions don't have to add up to 100%, but it is recommended. =)

The Scoring

For each match you will earn points based on how close your guess was to the actual outcome. The winner of the Oracle Challenge will be the person with the most total points at the end of the contest. For each match you can score between 0 and 50 points, depending on how close your guesses were to the actual results. The scoring system works as follows:

You will earn 50-(w+x+y+z)/4 points
(Where w,x,y and z are the differences between your guesses and the characters' actual percentages.)
You can also think of this as 50 - the average difference between your guesses and the actual results.

Example:

Your guess:
Strider Hiryu - 65%
Tina Armstrong - 15%
Bub - 10%
Chop Chop Master Onion - 10%

My guess:
Strider Hiryu - 50%
Tina Armstrong - 20%
Bub - 17%
Chop Chop Master Onion - 13%

Actual result:
Strider Hiryu 60%, Tina Armstrong 22%, Chop Chop Master Onion 11%, Bub 7%

Your points: 50 - [(65-60) + (22-15) + (10-7) + (11-10)]/4 = 46 points
My points: 50 - [(60-50) + (22-20) + (17-7) + (13-11)]/4 = 44 points

The Rules

It is necessary to have a few rules to keep the challenge running smoothly. They are:

1) A valid entry consists of four clear predictions per match. The sum of your predictions in a match does not need to be equal to 100.00%.
2) Your prediction does not need to be different from everybody else's. However, intentional and continuous prediction mimicry will not be allowed.
3) All predictions must be made five minutes before the usual start time of that match's poll (approx. 11:55pm EST, 10:55am CST, 8:55pm PST). Predictions submitted after this time will not be counted or may be subject to penalty. No predictions will be accepted after a poll has started, regardless of the start time.
4) You may change your prediction for any match at any time, subject to the rules above.
5) You may not delete any post in a prediction topic (if you do, please post immediately after to explain the deletion). This is to prevent cheating and to reduce confusion.
6) If you post with an alt, you must clearly state the name of your main account. (Exception: if the alt is listed on your user profile page http://oraclechallenge.com/profiles.php?type=users, I already know about it).
7) You may predict matches in advance if you need to. Please tell me beforehand so we can arrange this.
8) I reserve the right to disqualify a pick for any justifiable reason.

Prizes

Given the difficulty of predicting four different characters, King Morgoth and I have decided to offer a special prize this contest. Anyone who gets a perfect score of 50.00 for a match will get a free new game of their choice! (Maximum cost of $60 USD). The overall contest winner also gets a free game, courtesy of solarshadow, creator of the Oracle Challenge!
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I made a living on time trial blowing myself off to cross the finish line at ludicrous speed. -transience