ABSOLUTLELY SPECTACULAR NEWS REGARDING THE NEW FANTASY GAME!!

Guys,

Here is the latest news on the development of a full-fledged all-in-one Fantasy Movie game, to take the place of our dear departed FM.

I got this e-mail from donnie earlier today.



Hi Shryke, how are you?

Saturday, finally, the MMG WAR team met in Rome for the first time and I must say that, after 7 hours of "meeting" and talking, we managed to deal with a lot of problems. We were so concentrated that, when George Clooney (on the red carpet of the Rome Film Festival, where we met) passed behind us, we didn't realize!


Now I want to report to you our proposals for your requests:

Our guys are disposed to say "yes" to:

- Monthly Leagues
- Boxoffice Leagues
- Superleagues
- Game "over / under"
- Other game similar to "box office weekly" (every player makes his estimate on the box office weekend, or makes his estimate on the top5 for each weekend).

In addition, by the next "round" we'll make possible:

- Anyone can create a private league and decide the password, the name and the dimension (how much players allowed)
- There will be a public league in the English version and a public league in the Italian version (for sake of simplicity, we prefer to make available a public league at a time, with 50 places max available. When this public league is full, the system will automatically open a new public league. This is to avoid that anyone may open a public leagues with only 5-6 players);
- Each league admin will have a space to publish news about the league or to make remarks about his weekly league or estimates, for example.
- Each player will have the page with his personal statistics of the results obtained from its studios in the past leagues.
- Each movie will have its own page with the statistics of points, scores on imdb, and the box office made in time (depending on the time of game reference).

So, to sum up, soon you will see:

- Monthly Private and public leagues (both Ultimate and Boxoffice)
- Superleagues
- upgrades in the movie panel and in the user panel

Clearly, to achieve this result, we need your cooperation, because, quite frankly, italian players have expressed their interest in playing only a quarterly league (Ultimate) and a game of the kind "Over / Under".

This means that, if it was just for the Italians, we'll not build boxoffice leagues, superleagues or monthly leagues.

But we are glad to do so, if our american friends are interested in this.

This means that our tech-guys will prepare all the technical plant for what I just listed but that the management of your leagues will be entirely up to you.

We will give you access to an administration panel of our website and one of you (you or one of the guys you trust) will do all that I and Filippo actually do for the standard MMGWAR: we extract upcoming movies in the database, we set prices, we open the leagues, we set the duration and we make some control for changes in the releases, and for posters and news of movies.
In other words, you'll may play the games you want, with the prices that you want (prices may be different from ours) as long as you're managing everything.


As soon as everything will be ready (January is an achievable goal) we will explain you how the administration panel works and what you must do to in order to create and manage your leagues.

I assure you that the panel is really simple and that the operations are widely automated so, I'm sure it will save time for you, compared to the time that (I suppose) you now deserve to create and manage all leagues in your forum.

The update of the scores and the ranks, every week, will be centralized and automated, so you never have to worry about this aspect.

If you're wondering why our guys will work to upgrade and implement the changes you have request us, instead of, for example, give you the codes and let you create yourself the features that you need, the reason is very simple: we need (and we want) that you play "at our home", that is on our site.

That's because the game, as I told you, is a part of an Experimental Economics research that The Experimental Lab of the University of Parma has designed. We cannot lose data and, for this, we want collect data from the greatest possible number of active players.

(Don't worry: data are about slates, movies and estimates, not about players, so there isn't privacy violation).

Play "at our home", then, is the only thing we ask you in exchange for the work we do to make MMGWAR as same as the old Fantasymoguls.
When your site will be ready, then, instead of the game hosted on your server, you should link directly to our site. This may be fine for you?

I think I've said almost everything: the guys will make it possible by January and now they just start with all the improvements possible, as early as next league.

If, on your part, is there any other request, the time to say is this. After January, of course, there will be time to include other types of games, fun things etc., but meanwhile we need to focus on the most important changes.




And for those of you worried about the permanent-ness of the server on which our Italian friends store their data, rest assured, it won't just disappear into the ether like FM did. This game is here to stay, regardless of what happens.

There is a lot of details to work about between now and New Year's, but things are in good shape!

awesome! cant wait

One thing I'm a little confused about is weather the Italians site will be incorporated into our new site, or weather we are going to have our own game entirely. If we are to have our own game, then despite the Italians achieving what we have been striving for all along, it is unlikely I will be participating in their leagues. My main ambition has always been for us to run our own site with our own game comparable to the old FM game. If we can achieve this then I'm unlikely to be interested in this site long term, but if we are to incorporate what the Italians have already achieved I'm sure we will have a great site when it's up and running.

This is outstanding. I'm thrilled.

Surfer, I'm pretty sure they are very interested in keeping the game at their site. We will have complete control how the game is played, just the location will not be here or at Shryke's site. I have to say that is pretty damn good considering what we have now, and our overall lack of computer programming skills. I think we are running the show in every way other than the URL.

i see your point, Surfer.. but let's work within the confines of reality here.. the movie game (Film Projector?) won't survive if we don't automate the scoring and allow players to change their slates online.. we need to move beyond our current "manual" e-mail/forum-based version of the game..

unfortunately, none of us appear to have the skills to write the necessary code.. so, unless somebody wants to cough up the cash to pay a third-party developer to do all that for us--i think the Italians are providing a pretty amazing opportunity..

so here's what I'm thinking: I wonder if they would mind if ReelSociety only linked to the game within an html frame--while we maintain a navigation bar and logo above it at all times.. technically, the game would remain off-site, but ReelSociety would act as the portal/mediary/starting-point for anyone interested.. at no point in playing the game should a ReelSociety user be forced completely off our site.. the columns, articles, forum, etc would always be just a click away..

Exactly, geezer.

Surfer, make no mistake... we will have full control of what movies we put on our list and what they are priced at. They'll have their version (in Italian), we'll have ours (in English). Other than the fact that we'll be occupying their server space, it is OUR website.

FANTASTIC news. Kudos to you, Shrykey, and Hammie, and Herald, and to everyone else who've been working so diligently and creatively lo, these many months to keep the community together, keep the game running, and keep the spirit alive and kicking during this period. And props as well to our friends across the pond... This is by far the greatest development to come out of Italy since Chef Boy-ar-dee!

Thanks for kind of confirming what I had originally thought. So we will access the game from our site which will then transport us to their site? I had thought at first that we would have our own all encompassing site and that the Italians had kindly given us the code to create our own game, but I see that would not be for their benefit. I'm happy with how the game will work, though, hopefully we can have our own website up soon and we can get this thing all brought together nicely.

What will happen with the over/under game and the box office predictions games that the likes of W have created? Will we run it on our own site or will the Italians take that over? As that is what seems to have been suggested by Donnie.

We will probably have control of that as well, since the Italians are creating it for us and not for themselves.

Another thing I'm really hoping for is that this will bring back to the fold the tens of former FM'ers who left our shores when the game folded, or decided over time that a manual/e-mail game was not to their liking. A still have a whole list of e-mails for a lot of those players, and hopefully we can start rebuilding our numbers.

But at some point, we are going to have to advertise. Like, a lot. On IMDb, Facebook, wherever we can. We've come too far and worked too hard. We can't build a palace only big enough for us, we have to share it with the world! (If only to show off just how fuckin' brilliant we all are...)

That is Absolutely Spectacular!

I'm assuming what NSpan said will be done, or will be agreeable considering they're only after the data. I can now run my H.O.R.S.E. championship league that I wanted to start up right before FM went down, so that may be what makes me the happiest. We can play all sorts of Hobo, odd/even, bankrupts, etc. leagues now!

Even though they are only after the data we still don't know how things will go down. There is no timetable for the experiment nor is there a guarantee that once the experiment is over they will hand us the codes (I doubt it).

Me and Patrick will be setting up a meeting with them....

W wrote:That is Absolutely Spectacular!

I'm assuming what NSpan said will be done, or will be agreeable considering they're only after the data. I can now run my H.O.R.S.E. championship league that I wanted to start up right before FM went down, so that may be what makes me the happiest. We can play all sorts of Hobo, odd/even, bankrupts, etc. leagues now!

Ahhh... my beloved Bankrupts. The only leagues I have ever had success in.... I wish them a speedy return.

I forgot all about those Hobo leagues...

MrHam wrote:Even though they are only after the data we still don't know how things will go down. There is no timetable for the experiment nor is there a guarantee that once the experiment is over they will hand us the codes (I doubt it).

Me and Patrick will be setting up a meeting with them....

And you need travel expenses from all of us?

W wrote:

MrHam wrote:Even though they are only after the data we still don't know how things will go down. There is no timetable for the experiment nor is there a guarantee that once the experiment is over they will hand us the codes (I doubt it).

Me and Patrick will be setting up a meeting with them....

And you need travel expenses from all of us?

Yes. You want Patrick and myself sitting in first class right? We don't want to misrepresent the fantaverse.

MrHam wrote:Even though they are only after the data we still don't know how things will go down. There is no timetable for the experiment nor is there a guarantee that once the experiment is over they will hand us the codes (I doubt it).

Me and Patrick will be setting up a meeting with them....

Just to set everyone's mind at ease, when donnie sent me the e-mail I posted above, I responded with an e-mail that included the following question:

You said that your version of the game was “part of an Experimental Economics research that the Experimental Lab of the University of arma has designed.” Question… how solid and permanent is this arrangement? Is this something that may be in place for years, or it is conceivable that the plug could be pulled tomorrow, necessitating a mad scramble to set it up from scratch somewhere else? (After the terrifyingly abrupt way FM folded its tents, I’m sure you’ll understand why I’m asking this question, a question that I’m sure will be on the minds of every other person in the Fantaverse.)

Here was the response:

...I'll explain better about the academic experiment. The MMGWAR comes first than the research, in the sense that the MMGWAR was created by the will of our group of enthusiasts, with the only purpose to play. By chance, I am an experimental economist and I have seen a possible experimental application in the game. So, the game has also become the basis for an economic experiment at my University. However is not the Lab who created it, but the MMG guys and therefore, even when the research project will end, the game will remain active. In other words, you do not worry this time: even if the Italian University system will collapse, even if a civil war will keep away all funds to Research, we may assure you that the game will continue to exist (at least until one of us will be alive, and we are strongly convinced to live for a very long time yet).

So I hope this will convince everyone that the game is protected from erratic and variable shenanigans, such as economic fluctuations, locusts or Lindsay Lohan. Just the fact that our Italian friends are building for us the best mousetrap that we can envision should be enough. If the one consignment WE must make is that we keep the data in their house, well, I say that's a negligible price to pay. We will have links to their site on ours, and they will have ours on theirs. (Damn, that's a buttload of pronouns...)

silversurfer19 wrote:

W wrote:That is Absolutely Spectacular!

I'm assuming what NSpan said will be done, or will be agreeable considering they're only after the data. I can now run my H.O.R.S.E. championship league that I wanted to start up right before FM went down, so that may be what makes me the happiest. We can play all sorts of Hobo, odd/even, bankrupts, etc. leagues now!

Ahhh... my beloved Bankrupts. The only leagues I have ever had success in.... I wish them a speedy return.

i'm also very excited for the bankrupts league, i always thought aroode was one clever guy for coming up with that one

undeadmonkey wrote:

silversurfer19 wrote:

W wrote:That is Absolutely Spectacular!

I'm assuming what NSpan said will be done, or will be agreeable considering they're only after the data. I can now run my H.O.R.S.E. championship league that I wanted to start up right before FM went down, so that may be what makes me the happiest. We can play all sorts of Hobo, odd/even, bankrupts, etc. leagues now!

Ahhh... my beloved Bankrupts. The only leagues I have ever had success in.... I wish them a speedy return.

i'm also very excited for the bankrupts league, i always thought aroode was one clever guy for coming up with that one

Oh stop you're making me blush, *lol*

Maybe this site will be the tonic to get me interested in playing the game again. I've been slowly drifting away from our community for months. Maybe this will reinvigorate me and others like me.

I think the old system will bring back a lot of people. The email system was neccessary, but I can see why people would not be interested in that. I know, personally, now I just usually forget about my slates right after I send them to Shryke. It's a lot easier to be competitive when we can drop and add at the push of a button.

I think it is very good news. As N-Span said we can simply have a link from our website to their site for the game and it would not make you leave our site. Win Win since the italian guys do the code and the work to make the game easier to play and we handle the forums, the reviews and the fantastic conversations.

We do need to start getting people here through viral advertising somehow. FB, myspace, mention the site all over to get our google rating up.

Technically when someone plays the game on their server they would be leaving our site. Thats the whole idea the game is remaining on their server. It's complicated but will be discussed in a meeting with them hopefully.

Very good news! Let the Party startin' ! Count me IN!

Shrykespeare wrote:

I got this e-mail from donnie earlier today.

etc. etc...

Hi guys,
your enthusiasm makes us very happy. Now, your points:

We have made our promise and we’ll keep this promise (not all Italians are Silvio Berlusconi, thanks to God…): one of you may manage your “section” through a specific administration panel. You can have your prices, for example, and create your leagues. Italian players never asked anything of these features, they are just "Ultimate maniacs". So, our tech-guys will do all that just for you: I think that you should take into consideration whether to urge to the Pope for their sanctification (they are Devis and Giacomo, but you may call them Bebo and Jack).

silversurfer19 wrote:I had thought at first that we would have our own all encompassing site and that the Italians had kindly given us the code to create our own game, but I see that would not be for their benefit. I'm happy with how the game will work, though, hopefully we can have our own website up soon and we can get this thing all brought together nicely.

geezer9687 wrote:
Surfer, I'm pretty sure they are very interested in keeping the game at their site. We will have complete control how the game is played, just the location will not be here or at Shryke's site. I have to say that is pretty damn good considering what we have now, and our overall lack of computer programming skills. I think we are running the show in every way other than the URL.

Yes geezer, that's the point.
The game (and thus the hosting site) will have a name chosen by the MMG team. In addition to players of the MMG forum, we'll virtually open to all the Italian players who wish to participate and we must be recognizable. The game will be linked and promoted also by an Italian institution of Cinema, so it must be a "showcase" rigorous, showing as references the MMG (Morelli's Movie Guide, and "Morelli" is Filippo), and the Labexp. We must plan a "mogul" for the Italian context, with only Italian releases (Italian and international releases IN Italy) and we are interested in some cross-country analysis (about dynamics of the game, of course). Thus, the greater the number of accesses at the game, the greater the success of the experiment.
Keep the site at "our home" is really important and necessary to realize our project efficiently (is not for "the codes are ours and we don’t want share them ").
Moreover, I would remark you that Bebo, Jack, Filippo, Mario and I, have resurrected the game in our spare time (a lot of our free time, often at night) and now it is right that we receive reward through our project realized. The lack of full control over the game could affect the data and the experiment itself and, then, our reward: this is something absolutely unacceptable to me. I'm sure you will agree with me.

W wrote:That is Absolutely Spectacular!

I'm assuming what NSpan said will be done, or will be agreeable considering they're only after the data. I can now run my H.O.R.S.E. championship league that I wanted to start up right before FM went down, so that may be what makes me the happiest. We can play all sorts of Hobo, odd/even, bankrupts, etc. leagues now!

MrHam wrote:Even though they are only after the data we still don't know how things will go down. There is no timetable for the experiment nor is there a guarantee that once the experiment is over they will hand us the codes (I doubt it).

Me and Patrick will be setting up a meeting with them....

About the question "the game may survive after the experiment?" I have already reassured Shryke. I just wish some of you know the Italian language, in order to appreciate the passion (or madness) we have for this game: there is a topic on MMG forum, completely dedicated to this game since the days of the old FM. This topic has passed the 10000 posts and the 100000 visits and represents the "history of the game". It’s practically epic. Yes, epic is the right word.

Maybe I do not quite understand what you mean, but, to me, our solution seems very simple:
- A website: our website
- A global name of the project: MMGWAR (or similar)
- The Italian section of the game: MMGWAR (on our homepage)
- The American section of the game: Filmproject (?) (Also this name on our homepage)

You keep your name on your new website and from this link you go to our site (directly on your section). I do not think that's a drama.

Shrykespeare wrote:But at some point, we are going to have to advertise. Like, a lot. On IMDb, Facebook, wherever we can. We've come too far and worked too hard. We can't build a palace only big enough for us, we have to share it with the world! (If only to show off just how fuckin' brilliant we all are...)

Promotion and advertising: we think it's an important thing and we really appreciate if many people from the old FM will sign up and play again. But we would ask you to wait a bit before to promote the project on large-scale (facebook, imdb and other things): when we'll be ready on advances and when the majority of the changes are completed, we'll feel more confident. Then will be the time to let the world know the our game; now is the time to work.

silversurfer19 wrote:
Ahhh... my beloved Bankrupts. The only leagues I have ever had success in.... I wish them a speedy return.

What are Bankrupts? This is the right time to ask features and additions (if possible). Something like the formula "...If anyone here knows, ... speak now or forever hold your peace”.

Shrykespeare by email wrote: Question:

Would it be possible to give people the OPTION of not having their slates made known to the rest of the league? MrHam's main point of contention on FM was that anyone could see his slates. Would it be possible to have a person's picks hidden until their movies are released?

Yes, we can. But, certainly, if you want this feature, it would be better applied to the whole league and not to individual rosters. Take a poll, then we'll see what we can do.

MrHam wrote:

W wrote:And you need travel expenses from all of us?

Yes. You want Patrick and myself sitting in first class right? We don't want to misrepresent the fantaverse.

I think this could be convenient for you: Let me make it clear from now on that, if we were to come to you, at a minimum, Filippo said he wants the brass band and the red carpet at the airport. MrHam, Shryke, you are welcome. Rome is beautiful in these days.

At your disposal for further information.

donnie wrote:

What are Bankrupts? This is the right time to ask features and additions (if possible). Something like the formula "...If anyone here knows, ... speak now or forever hold your peace”.

Donnie,

Bankrupts is an inversion of the Ultimate Game. The goal is to put together the worst possible perfoming slate that you can come up with: the lowest total box office, PTA, Top 5 and imdb scores. The stipulations are that you must maintain a full slate (8 films) and you must spend at least $95 of the $100 budget. This generally forces you to choose at least one potential blockbuster and keeps things interesting. In the past we simply took the price list for Ultimate and set up our league to play for a three month season at a time (I didn't want to burn out the gimmick). It occurs to me though that if your interests are Theoretical or Experimental Economics and -- I'll take a leap here -- Game Theory, Bankrupts may be an interesting tie-in to your current studies.

I was always the best at bankrupts. 3 wins in a row I had in that one. (yes i'm bragging.)