Hey, can someone help me with the Italian thing?

[Shrykespeare]

If you buy Case 39 for $5 (or $8, or $10, or whatever we set the price at), consider this: you'll get great PTA, but you'll also get probably zero Top 5 points, very little cash and a HORRIBLE User Rating. If that's a trade-off you want to make, go for it.

[numbersix]

That's really weird, because I certainly don't remember FM ver using that PTA system. Maybe in the draft days? Donnie, I'd like to see that screen grab out of curiosity

[Geezer]

This is actually SUCH a bad thing that I am reconsidering whether I want to play or not. Its absolutely ridiculous.

[W]

I'm glad that I'm a better box office player than ultimate.

[donnie]

This is actually SUCH a bad thing that I am reconsidering whether I want to play or not. Its absolutely ridiculous.

It may be ridiculus or not, but it is the FM system. The system with which you always played, even if now you don't remember.

That's really weird, because I certainly don't remember FM ver using that PTA system. Maybe in the draft days? Donnie, I'd like to see that screen grab out of curiosity

Ok: I past from the email that I sent to Shryke:

We kept the original images and the standings of the old leagues that we played on FM because, in our MMG forum, there is the topic "Past Winners" (a kind of Hall of Fame of past winners). This is the winner slate in the Dec-Feb 2008 League



and this is the final standing



Now, we’ll focus on PTA.

We see that the winner (DOM), got 18 PTA points.
His movies were:

Alvin and the Chipmunks
I am legend
AvP2
One missed call
Rambo
How she move
Step up 2
Charlie Bartlett

Now, I tried to remember all movies included in the initial list of the league, but it's possible that I may confuse someone. Anyway, what I may demonstrate without mistake with following numbers is that DOM would gain 18 PTA points ONLY IF the movies not in the list when the league started did not count for PTA (ie movies released in the previous month [as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Savages], movies released surprisingly after the league started [Summer Palace and Still Life, etc..], re-issues and IMAX movies) What I'm talking about? Let me show to you.

These points were made as follows:

1° w.e. (7 dec) the situation was
No points

2° w.e. (14 dec) the situation was
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/ch ... ESC&p=.htm

Note that: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was released in November and, as I affirm, FM didn’t count it for PTA points in a December league, in addition, FM also didn’t count The Kite Runner because it wasn’t in the initial list of movies. So:
I am Legend: 4 pta
Alvin: 2 pta

3° w.e. (21 dec) the situation was
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/ch ... ESC&p=.htm

Note that Polar Express re-issue didn’t count
I am legend: 3 pta
Alvin: 2 pta

4° w.e. (28 dec)
No points

5° w.e. (4 Jan)
No points

6° w.e. (11 Jan)
No points

7° w.e. (18 Jan)
No points

8° w.e. (25 Jan) the situation was
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/ch ... ESC&p=.htm
note that: Still life, U2 3D and Last year at Marienbad re-issue didn’t count for pta
Meet the Spartans: 4 pta
Rambo: 3 pta

9° w.e. (1 Feb)
No points

10° w.e. (8 Feb)
No points

11° w.e. (15 Feb) the situation was
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/ch ... ESC&p=.htm

note that: U2 3D, the Band’s visit and Jodhaa Akbar didn’t count for pta
Step up 2: 3 pta

12° w.e. (22 Feb) the situation was:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/ch ... ESC&p=.htm

note that: all 3D and IMAX movies, the Band’s visit, Jodhaa Akbar and The Counterfeiters didn’t count for pta
Step up 2: 1 pta

13° w.e. (29 Feb)
no points

Summarizing: DOM has got these points:

Alvin and the Chipmunks = 2+2 = 4
I am legend = 4+3 = 7
AvP2 = 0
One missed call = 0
Rambo = 3
How she move = 0
Step up 2 = 3+1 = 4
Charlie Bartlett = 0
TOT = 18

This is the slate of another player, in the same league. Gigiogigi has gained 41 PTA points, but you can easily control that this would been impossible if ALL movies were considered for pta.



In particular, in the first week (7 dec) the situation was
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/ch ... ESC&p=.htm

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and The savages were released in November and FM don't counted them for the pta rank in the December league: so, The Golden Compass has gained at least 1 pta.


Now we’ll focus on TOP5

This is the winner slate of the FM league March-May 2008


and this is and this is the final standing



We see that the winner (DOM, again, LOL), has gained 54 top5 points.
His movies (and top5 points) were:

The Bank Job: 2 points (NOT 3, because Vantage Point was above and it has been considered by FM for top5 even though he was released in the previous league)
Horton Hears a Who: 16
Shutter: 3
The ruins: 1
Street kings: 4
Deception: 0
Iron Man: 19
What happens in Vegas: 9
TOT = 54

(see BOM: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/ch ... =10&p=.htm)

Then, I just demonstrate that regarding top5, the old FM counted ALL movies, even if they were from previous months (differently from the pta concerning, where FM counted ONLY movies in the list at the beginning of the league)

What seems something unfair to you, is much more fair of the circumstance in which a movie appears suddenly in a league and "steals" PTA points to movies that a player has chosen at the beginning of the League. It's a "common knowledge" issue: players must have all the information at the beginning, when they choose a roster and don't have to suffer consequences for things that they could not know. That's why we (and FM) count for Top5 points all movies of the previous month (I know that The Blind Side could be in Top5 in December - because it's common knowledge- and I may choose my movies accordingly) but not for PTA points (I can also know that Broken Embraces will win in pta, ok, but how do I know if some other "champion" will be released in a few weeks? An automated system works with the only solution of limit the score PTA to the movies in the list. A MANUAL system can do as he wishes, but then, we return to play via email and a new site is almost useless).

[Donte77]

Hard to argue with 3 pages of screenshots and explanations. LOL

[W]

I think Mr. Horse sums every thing up for all of us in this clip



It doesn't mean that we don't appreciate everything, Italians, just that we agree to disagree.

[undeadmonkey]

so it isn't exactly like we've been playing, i dont see what the big deal is.

[Shrykespeare]

I'm sure a lot of us may not like it, but there is an easy way to counter this: simply price the movies in the first week or two higher.

Under our old mindset, we probalby would price Case 39 at around $5, given its limited prospects. But now, given that it will probably get a good amount of PTA, we could increase that to $13 or $14. We would also increase the prices for the second-week movies, though maybe by not as radical a degree. I can be flexible.

Even if Case 39 was $10, and it ends up with 10 PTA, would you still want it, given that it will make around $20 million and have a User Rating of 4.5? What would be the most you'd pay for it under the "new" pricing system?

[Geezer]

I just don't understand why this wasn't "fixed." I mean, wasn't the whole point of us controlling this thing to do it our way, to make it better than FM, not to make it exactly their way? Its a flaw in the system that should be corrected.

[becs]

I'm still having trouble understand how this could be, I mean the top 5 of PTA were right there for all to see in a list on the old site, completely unassociated with the seasons... I dunno, maybe its been so long I'm thinking they had that and it was really only there for T5?

[numbersix]

Thanks for the link Donnie. I have to say it's very strange that no one seems to remember the PTA system of the old FM game to work like that, even though your evidence proves otherwise.

You don't happen to have any grabs of the FM league that started Jan 08 by any chance? Because that would show that One Missed Call would have 5 PTA points by default in its opening week, and maybe more, and I certainly don't remember that happening. But maybe I'm wrong!

Anyway, I think Geez has a point. I just think it's strange to ignore previous months' movies in PTA and not in Top 5. It just seems strange for example to see a film like One Missed Call get 5 PTA points in its opening week (for leagues starting in Jan) when its PTA is only 5000, and there are other films getting 5 times that figure that are being discounted!

I understand Donnie's point about it being unfair to someone starting their league and a film from the previous month "stealing" PTA points, but surely you can say the same about Top 5 points also, and no one wants to change that.

I just think its worth reconsidering how PTA points are evaluated, but it's not a deal-breaker for me, and I'm really excited about the site!

[Shrykespeare]

Well, it's starting to look like the admin panel will not be ready by tomorrow, so I'm going to have to send donnie our pricing scheme. (Only six people turned in schemes, I'm quite disappointed.)

Case 39 will not be on the list, as it is not listed on BOM. Therefore, the "first" week of movies will be the films of 1/8. I have adjusted the prices of these movies slightly "for inflation", due to this new wrinkle.

Most expensive movie (by far)? Alice in Wonderland.