Frequently Asked Questions
Team League Challenge
League A: Competitive, High Scoring Teams League B: Semi-Competitive Teams League C: Casual Teams League D: Very Casual Teams Each month a team competes against - and is ranked against - only the other teams in its league. On the first of each month, a mix of between 5 and 8 daily and hourly FunTrivia games (the "scoring games") are chosen for each league. These change each month, and are displayed on the Team Challenge league scoreboards. Each team's Team Info page will also display the team league's scoreboard and a list of the current month's scoring games. So, for example, all teams in League C for September may be competing in "Team Heroes, Who's Smartest?, Who Am I?, Obscurity, The Easy Game, and Mind Melt". For the month of September the League C teams will fight it out for supremacy in those games. Team members play these scoring games throughout the day and at midnight a team score is calculated for each scoring game. Teams earn points each day in each scoring game based on how well their team's top scoring players do vs the top scoring players on other teams in that league. What we are effectively doing is using the same scoring idea from Team Heroes, but for each individual game on the site. This lets us rank the teams in a league against one another for each game. Each day teams increase their running total of points in each scoring game, and attempt to rise up in the rankings for each game. The teams with the best ranks over all of the scoring games for the month will rise to the top of their league and towards glory! Teams can move up (promotion) and down (relegation) to other leagues based on their performance. This is explained later in this FAQ. |
What is the Team League Challenge?
1. Know what games your team is competing in this month. A new set of games for your team's league is chosen on the first of each month. You can find this list on your Team Info page, or on the League Scoreboards page. 2. Play the games on that list each day. You can play hourly games on the list more than once if you like, but only your best hourly score for the day counts. Other than bettering your "high score", playing hourly games more than once does not help your team. Daily game requires "timed" play to count. Mind Melt requires "timed" play to count. Who Am I requires "difficult" play to count. Fifty-Fifty requires "intermediate" or "difficult" games to count. 3. Check back each day to see how your team is doing! We calculate all team vs team statistics for the prior day at midnight, and update team ranks then too. Most importantly: You cannot hurt your team in any way by participating in this TVT challenge or playing games. The worst case is you score poorly and your score is ignored. It is not possible under the new system to drag your team's results down with poor scores. |
League ranks are based on the aggregate performance of each team's daily scoring players in the month's featured games. This is best explained using the following flow chart which illustrates TVT ranks for the game Team Heroes (click to open it in a new window):
Step 2: Each rank on this table is worth a specific amount of points. As a few examples, the top player earns 120 points, the second 117 points, the 11th 90 points and everyone from 100th onward 1 point. You can find the exact point distribution a few questions down. Step 3: (green arrows and top right) The point contributions by all scoring players from the team are added up to determine the team's daily score for that game. Step 4: (yellow arrow and mid right) The daily team scores are added up throughout the month. This produces a monthly rank for each individual game. Step 5: (blue arrow and red signs) The monthly ranks for each of the monthly featured games are tabulated and added up to yield the team's league points. Lower is obviously better and the lowest total at the end wins. There are a few more details, such as how to break ties, but this is essentially how it works. You can find all those details in the questions below. |
One of our goals in designing this system was to lessen the effect of large teams on standings. Now, large teams still do have AN advantage, because more people means more chances to get better scores, but ultimately skill and ability is the focus of this challenge. In League A, for example, since only the top 8 team scores count in each game, it is theoretically possible for an 8 player team to beat 300 player teams and rank #1 in League A. Likewise, in League D, since the top 4 team scores count in each game, a team of 4 players can take on and beat a team of 200. It all comes down to which team can post the best 4 scores. Teams that want to be able to theoretically compete against all other teams in any league are encouraged to reach at least 8 active, participating players. |
In League A, 8 different FunTrivia hourly & daily "scoring games" are chosen each month. The top 8 scoring players in each "scoring game" will earn points for their team each day.
In League B, 7 different FunTrivia hourly & daily "scoring games" are chosen each month. The top 6 scoring players in each "scoring game" will earn points for their team each day. League C: Casual Teams
In League C, 6 different FunTrivia hourly & daily "scoring games" are chosen each month. The top 5 scoring players in each "scoring game" will earn points for their team each day. League D: All Other Teams
The top 4 scoring players in each "scoring game" will earn points for their team each day. |
The other selected games each month are a random mix of hourly and daily games, with certain games appearing more often in some leagues than others. One Gold Member game will be chosen each month for Leagues A, B, and C. For example, League A is more likely to see more difficult / fringe games like "Fill Me In", and "Who's the Expert?". League D is more likely to see some of the more standard hourly games like "The Easy Game" and "The Mixed Game". You never know though... we may throw a curve-ball now and then and increase or decrease the number or types of games for a special month here and there! |
Mind Melt and The Daily Game will only yield a score in timed mode. (Untimed scores are much lower and even if they were allowed, even a very slow timed score would outperform them anyway). Who am I only counts scores achieved in hard or champion mode. Easy will not count. Fifty Fifty requires an intermediate or difficult game - easy will not count. Regular members are advised to choose an intermediate set for their daily play to get best scoring chances. |
1st - 120 points 2nd - 117 points 3rd - 114 points 4th - 111 points 5th - 108 points 6th - 105 points 7th - 102 points 8th - 99 points 9th - 96 points 10th - 93 points 11th - 90 points 12th - 89 points ... In this area, the scores will decrease linearly, 1 point per rank. ... 98th - 3 points 99th - 2 points 100th and beyond - 1 point each |
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If a team fails to post a score for a game, its rank will be assumed to be last within its division. That means a "no score" is 20 league points in league A, 25 points in league B, and 33 points in league C. In league D, the maximum league points for any game is 50. If your team is not in the top 50 for that game or has no score at all, that game will add 50 points to the team's score. |
"Team Heroes" game rankings breaks all scoreboard ties. Tied monthly standings within any individual game will be resolved in favor of the team with fewer active members. |
To be listed in League Division D, a team must meet two criteria: - It must have at least two active members and - It must rank within the top 50 for its league for at least one game. If either part is missing, your team will not be listed. Grab a friend and start playing! |
Since teams can be established or removed during a month, a few corner case rules will apply when this happens. You don't really need to read this section - it's mostly for the curious and as guidance for a team leader wishing to make a major change. Renaming a team will not have any impact on the system. The new name will show up immediately and all league standings are kept. Creating a new team will place that team in the "D" league, ready to score from its day of creation. It may take some days to get listed especially if the team is formed later in the month, as only teams who rank in the top 50 for at least one game get listed. Disbanded teams will just disappear, but there will not be any immediate action. The affected league will finish the season with one fewer team. At the end of the month, the league strengths will be restored by reducing the number of demotions accordingly. Merged teams will inherit the league standing of the team that receives the members. Thus, if you plan a merger, you may wish to move your members into the team that currently has the better standing. |
Only the best scores for each team earn points for your team each day. What we've effectively done is made EVERY game act like the original "Team Heroes" game. Go ahead and play, play, play! Your score just might get your team some points. |
Ties in HOURLY games are broken by the total # of points the players have earned in that game that day over all hours. |