Zwangzug World Cup Organisation Software
The Zwangzug World Cup Organisation Software (ZWCOS) was designed for Ariddia and Alasdair I Frosticus's successful bid for World Cup 34, its first international usage. A slight variant of it (with RP-bonus being directly added to KPB points), is being used in World Cup 35.
Formula
As a scorinator, it was designed in Microsoft Works, but can also work in Microsoft Excel. It functions by operating on various input values to produce scores for individual teams in individual matchups.
- =ROUND(A*(2*(B)+(C*D))*E*F,0)
gives the score for the team with more KPB points. The values of the letters A-F are as follows (parenthetical comments denote notes specific to World Cup 34):
- A: a random number from zero to one
- B: a constant that can be adjusted by the hosts (1.1)
- C: the combined style modifiers of the teams (a scale of -3 to 3)
- D: another constant at the hosts' discretion (.125)
- E: an RP-bonus, with the default being 1. Because it multiplies the score, there is no theoretical maximum.
- F: 1 plus the natural logarithm of 1 plus the natural logarithm of the ratio of 1 plus each team's KPB points.
- 1+ln(1+ln((1+KPBA)/(1+KPBB)))
where A is the team with the more points.
The score for the other team is
- =ROUND(G*(2*(B)+(C*D))*H,0), where G is another random number from zero to one, H is their RP-bonus, and B, C, and D are as above.
Modifications to this include not iterating the 1+ln() function for team A, in which case F is "simply" 1+ln((1+KPBA)/(1+KPBB)). This, the older version of the formula, raises scores to unhealthy levels. (Zwangzug erroneously sent this to Bazalonia, and it was used throughout the first half of World Cup 35 qualifiers before the mistake was realized.) Using two 1+ln() functions some of the time and only one at other times (depending on the KPB ratios) was considered as the default at one point, but ultimately rejected after a Unified Capitalizt States reminder that it would penalize highly-ranked teams.
IC History
The "organisation software" was developed by Alan Babbage and Charles Turing, and went through numerous debuggings, barely ready in time for the World Cup 34 qualification draw. It functioned without incident until the draw for the proper, in which Fmjphoenix was listed in Milchama's rightful spot as well as its own. Zwangzug received mock blame for the malfunction.
Charles then entrusted Alan with the apparently simple responsibility of sending it to Bazalonia. A worm from Jeruselem (named the WC35-Dazza-ZWCOS-Swing Worm after Dazza Dallas and her tendency to exaggerate) infected the software at that point, causing it revert to its pre-alpha version (which displayed extreme scores). Alan did not notice (perhaps due to Anna Comneno distracting him), and it arrived in Bazalonia without incident.
At the halfway point of the qualifiers, the unstable system was overloaded. (Elves Security Forces' 11-0 victory over Keyne Island may have been the last straw.) Dallas is credited with programming a patch for Jeruselem's computers. A functional version of the software replaced the pre-alpha version for Bazalonia and the Lowland Clans, though not without the controversy that is quickly becoming an integral part of ZWCOS usage.
