NationStates

The World Cup has a storied past, with teams and players even transcending history and becoming legends. Some legends continue to grow, while others remain to be written. With another chapter now concluded, the rest of the world turns its attention to preparing for World Cup 49, for with the start of a new tournament comes the rebirth of hopes and dreams. The dream of Dancougar and The Macabees has an additional wrinkle - we wish to provide the stage for those new tales of triumph and defeat. Our bid's logo reveals everything that it stands for - respect for those who oversee the game, a tribute to the newest and defending champion, but most of all the flame that burns in all nations who wish to follow in that tradition. Dancougar and The Macabees seek to become pillars upon which a strong foundation can be built for this tournament and those to come, for the World Cup is football... and more.

Scorination

Matches will be scorinated using NSFS 2.0.7 between the hours of 12:00 AM and 2:00 AM Eastern time (0400-0600 UTC, 0500-0700 after daylight savings ends). Each team's strength on a given matchday will be the sum of their pre-tournament KPB ranking and their accrued RP bonus, described later. Dancougar will scorinate one half of the qualification matches and The Macabees the other; during the final tournament, duties will be shared, with each nation's user taking responsibilities for the other nation's groups and bracket. In case of a final or third-place game involving one of the hosts, a third party will be requested to score the match.

RP Bonus

An RP is taken to be the set of in-character posts made by a nation made between one matchday and the next. These will be reviewed by the host for that matchday and assigned a score from 0 to 4 points based on quality. There are many factors that go into receiving a favorable RP score, which include, but are not limited to, attention to detail, creativity, interaction between players, and spelling/grammar.

The cumulative RP bonus for a nation is given by the recursive formula B(t) = B(t-1) (.875^[t^(48/41)]), where t is the matchday and B(t) is the bonus on matchday t. This formula was originally conceived by Daehanjeiguk for the aborted Daehanjeiguk/Dancougar bid for World Cup 48, and has a theoretical limit of 23.18. This offers nations a substantial opportunity to boost their ranking provided frequent, quality participation, but does not balance things too heavily in their favor when compared against the current KPB leaders.

It should be noted that even though off-days are set aside for international friendlies, these do not count as matchdays. Therefore, nations which do not schedule friendlies are not penalized by not having games to RP, but nations which do have a chance to produce a higher-quality RP as a boost for the next official match.

RP bonus will not be reset after qualifying is done. Nations which qualify for the finals will still have pre-qualifying rank plus RP bonus as their strength. This includes the hosts, who will have a cumulative RP bonus of 0 at that time.

Style Modifiers

In addition to boosting their team's strength by RPing, teams may modify their style of play by using style modifiers. Each team may specify a real number between -3 and +3, with more negative values corresponding to a defensive strategy and a more positive weight tending to offense. All teams will default to 0 if no style is specified.

A team's style is normally set before qualifiers and used throughout qualification and the finals. However, our bid permits teams to change their modifier up to two times during the tournament. This change is allowed during friendly matchdays and will affect all subsequent matches, although the change must be accompanied by an RP rationalizing the switch.

Friendlies

As for the aforementioned friendlies, Dancougar and The Macabees will leave three days open for these - one before qualification begins, one at the halfway point, and one immediately after qualification ends. Each nation may schedule up to two friendlies per day to be scorinated by the hosts, who should be notified by telegram. Nations who wish to play additional friendlies will have to schedule and scorinate themselves.

However, since neither Dancougar and The Macabees will be participating in qualifiers, their warm-up for the final tournament may only consist of a diet of friendlies. Therefore, each host is willing to scorinate one friendly per official matchday involving themselves and another team. Note that these matches are not in place of the team's scheduled qualifier for that day, but rather, in addition to, much like the Eternal Flame competition hosted during the last two World Cups. These challenges should be scheduled ahead of time in the same manner as any other friendly.

Format

As other host bids have already pointed out, we have crossed 122 signups, giving us a minimum of 15 groups of 8 teams. Groups which are any larger are undesirable since that will make qualification too long, and to get 30 teams from N groups, reasonable values of N which provide an even number of direct qualifiers or a reasonable number of direct qualifiers plus playoff teams are 10, 12, 15, and 20. Given this, the current 15x8 seems optimal.

Following double round-robin play, the top two teams in each group qualify directly for the World Cup. Those 30 nations plus the two hosts give 32, and all will be placed in four pots by post-qualifying rank to create eight groups of four. (Note, however, that the post-qualifying rank is not used for results, as described above.) The host nations will both be placed in Pot A. Following single round-robin play, the top two teams from each group will proceed to knockout play.

The tiebreakers used in group phases will be points, head-to-head, wins, goal differential, goals scored, and finally a playoff match.

We expect some nations to trickle in at the last minute, and others who have signed up to cease-to-exist. Therefore, we will balk on cutting off signups just yet. Nations which cease-to-exist will be replaced by nations who signed up after the 122-team line. After that, in the spirit of broadening participation, we will drop puppet nations from the signup list in order to make room, in the reverse order of signup. This policy is keeping with our theme of expanding the horizons of the football world and potentially nursing the flame of future champions. However, should new slots open up due to CtE nations, the puppets will be allowed back in in original signup order. We propose the latest signup cutoff to be the start of the Baptism of Fire.

ADDENDUM: Given the continued rise of signups over 122 teams, we're approaching a point where 137 (15x9 + 2) and 142 (20x7 + 2) would also work. While each has some undesirable properties from one point of view - outlined in discussion below - it seems prudent at this point to accept that accommodating the masses may require a larger qualification stage. Therefore, we will accept signups up to a maximum of 142 teams and then proceed with puppet elimination.

Credentials

While neither Dancougar nor The Macabees have ever hosted a World Cup, both have hosted other tournaments in both football and in other sporting disciplines.

Dancougar is everybody's favorite nation of interns and giant robots and has been an active participant in world football since World Cup 39, a run which started with a victory in Baptism of Fire 26. Since then, Dancougar has placed third in World Cups 43 and 48 and was victorious in World Cup 46, resulting in its current Top-10 ranking. In that time, Dancougar co-hosted Cup of Harmony 36 with Cafundeu and solo-hosted Cup of Harmony 38. As many will remember, the Queer Poco Affair threatened to derail the latter tournament, but diplomacy smoothed out the initial bumps and the tournament was concluded successfully, illustrating Dancougar's growth as a hosting nation and its willingness to cooperate with tournament officials to ensure the best possible experience for the participants. Outside of football, Dancougar has been most active in American football and basketball. Dancougar has hosted all four International Basketball Championships using basketsim, a self-authored python program which has also been used to successfully host a college tournament, the NSCAA by Newmanistan. Dancougar also modified NSFS to scorinate American football and rugby matches and has seen it used in several World Bowls, included the Dancougar-hosted World Bowl 7. Dancougar is also the sitting president of the World Bowl Committee.

The Macabees have recently become more active participants in the world of international football and already have several tournaments to their hosting credit. Currently, they are the co-hosts of the Cup of Harmony and have run into no major issues. They were the standard-barers of football in the Dienstad region, hosting the first Dienstad Cup, and also ran the Kings' Cup, a tournament which boasted the participation of eight regional and world champions. Finally, The Macabees have been leaders in the world of futsal, having hosted two Golden Cup tournaments as well as the first Futsal World Cup. Their commitment to a successful World Cup reaches all sectors of their society and economy, with plans in place to cater as much to visiting fans as possible. As seen in the 40th Cup of Harmony, Macabee businesses are willing to slash prices on travel, accommodations, and even match tickets in order to ensure the most lively atmosphere possible for all matches hosted there.

Miscellany

Both Dancougar and The Macabees wish for a smooth, competitive tournament. As such, both hosts will do their best to notify participants of any delays, schedules, or format changes as early as possible. Additionally, participating nations may lodge formal complaints with the hosts via telegram or RP. We don't anticipate the need for a serious issue to be resolved, but should it arise, the organizers are dedicated to correcting legitimate concerns.

We are also prepared to field questions and comments on the content of the bid, which may be posted here.

The logo embodies much of what both Dancougar and the Second Empire are aiming for in terms, and so it would be proper to explain the significance of the coat of arms (and, I think, it would be interesting to tell and some people may be interested in knowing). The double headed eagle represents the Second Empire of the Golden Throne and the Kingdom of Dancougar (in lieu of a mecha for the latter, of course). It sits behind the coat of arms as a symbol of them presiding (or hoping to, at least) over World Cup 49. The coat of arms has a history within itself:

[OOC: Yes, the coat of arms is based on the coat of arms of Spain.]

Crown: The crown represents the World Cup itself, and the ultimate prize (the cup).
Pillars of Hercules: These symbolize the strength and resolution of the two hosts to provide a historic and smooth tournament. They also symbolize the gates by which a multitude of new countries will enter the world of international football, and the gates by which nations will either move up or down in rank.
Motto: "Plus ultra" or "further beyond" is meant to suggest that while World Cup 49 is within itself an important tournament (for some, perhaps, there most important), but there is always more glory in the future. World Cup 49 will be but one stepping stone in the football history of most participating nations. (OOC: Yes, it is also the national motto of Spain).
Top left square: Represents the World Cup Committee.
Top right square: Represents Starblaydia, who is our World Cup Committee president (currently) and also five time winner of the tournament (most of any nation).
Bottom left square: The crosses represent The Holy Empire, or the champion of World Cup 48 and the incumbent during World Cup 49.
Bottom right square: Represents the flame which powers any world cup, and that is the youth teams (or the new international squads which take part). In that sense, it can also mean to represent the importance of the Baptism of Fire.
Ball: Well, this represents the sport of football, of course!

The Macabees wrote:[align=center]Notes of the "coat of arms" and the logo
Bottom left square: The crosses represent The Holy Empire, or the champion of World Cup 48 and the incumbent during World Cup 49.

I'm genuinely grateful for the gesture - but don't you think they ought to be Orthodox crosses?

Try the following, which ought to be large enough for playing around with:

True enough. They have all been changed. The new logo is:

Alasdair I Frosticus wrote:

The Macabees wrote:[align=center]Notes of the "coat of arms" and the logo
Bottom left square: The crosses represent The Holy Empire, or the champion of World Cup 48 and the incumbent during World Cup 49.

I'm genuinely grateful for the gesture - but don't you think they ought to be Orthodox crosses?

Try the following, which ought to be large enough for playing around with:

<insert image here>

I knew it! IknewitIknewitIknewit!

Got to say that I love the idea behind the logo there. What I did for Pasarga / Logria was basically just creating a random logo ^_^

Dancougar wrote:RP bonus will not be reset after qualifying is done. Nations which qualify for the finals will still have pre-qualifying rank plus RP bonus as their strength. This includes the hosts, who will have a cumulative RP bonus of 0 at that time.

So there will be no new KBB ranking after the qualifiers?

I support this bid, as it would mean I won't have to face Dancougar until the Cup itself!

Akbarabad wrote:

Dancougar wrote:RP bonus will not be reset after qualifying is done. Nations which qualify for the finals will still have pre-qualifying rank plus RP bonus as their strength. This includes the hosts, who will have a cumulative RP bonus of 0 at that time.

So there will be no new KBB ranking after the qualifiers?

No. If post-qualifying ranks are calculated, they'll only be used to seed teams for the finals draw.

To specify why, there were concerns raised during World Cup 48 that using both updated ranks and cumulative RP bonuses gave too big of an advantage towards smaller, yet more active nations, against larger (and by smaller and larger I mean lower and higher in rank), less active nations. Cumulative RPs tend to give higher advantage than updated scores, so it would be proper to go with that. It offers a big advantage, but not too big of an advantage.

From the sign-up thread....

Dancougar wrote:Dancougar-Macabees would make room for entries over 122 by first dropping CtEs and then dropping puppets in reverse order of signup.

Would that include the current defending WC champions if the requisite number of puppet-drops were required?

I'll assume my personal bias over the issue is obvious.

I think the proper response is that yes, if that is the case then that's what will happen. It's up to you whether or not you want to sacrifice your main nation in order to allow The Holy Empire to defend its title. Otherwise, I don't think it would be fair (true, they are defending champions, but they are puppets nonetheless). I'll defer to Dancougar though, in case his opines otherwise.

The Archregimancy wrote:Would that include the current defending WC champions if the requisite number of puppet-drops were required?

I'll assume my personal bias over the issue is obvious.

The Macabees wrote:I think the proper response is that yes, if that is the case then that's what will happen. It's up to you whether or not you want to sacrifice your main nation in order to allow The Holy Empire to defend its title. Otherwise, I don't think it would be fair (true, they are defending champions, but they are puppets nonetheless). I'll defer to Dancougar though, in case his opines otherwise.

I figured this would be one of the more questionable parts of the bid, and biased or not, the point is a fair one. There are several high-ranking puppets and I doubt their main nations would want to see them sacrificed for any reason. I believe they were originally allowed in an attempt to boost numbers in the face of sagging participation, which has been a less serious problem - if at all - in recent cups.

Mac's response is more or less what I was going to say. We could add a provision stating that nations who have their puppets dropped may opt to replace their main nation with the dropped puppet, but as one of the themes of this bid is increasing individual participation in the World Cup, there are no plans to differentiate between puppets.

The Macabees wrote:Top right square: Represents Starblaydia, who is our World Cup Committee president (currently) and also five time winner of the tournament (most of any nation).

Way to forgot ole vicey, Mac.

I actually love this bid. I love nearly everything about the bid (even though I personally despise cumulative RP over new ranks since I don't really RP *ever*, I have to admit it's the fairest way). I love Danny and Mac as hosts. I don't "endorse" bids (and I only vote when a bid moves me enough to get my vote - or if there's someone I don't want hosting. Which means I basically end up voting every time. Huh. I thought I was a non-conformist), but I will certainly campaign for this bid, and vote if I'm still a WCC member.

~Yaf', wholly opinion, not office-based~

Dancougar wrote: I figured this would be one of the more questionable parts of the bid, and biased or not, the point is a fair one. There are several high-ranking puppets and I doubt their main nations would want to see them sacrificed for any reason. I believe they were originally allowed in an attempt to boost numbers in the face of sagging participation, which has been a less serious problem - if at all - in recent cups.

Mac's response is more or less what I was going to say. We could add a provision stating that nations who have their puppets dropped may opt to replace their main nation with the dropped puppet, but as one of the themes of this bid is increasing individual participation in the World Cup, there are no plans to differentiate between puppets.

The bolded part is inaccurate; puppets have a long history in the WC, and their original entry had little to do with any attempt to boost participation; they were already flourishing at the previous peak of participation (numbers-wise) in the mid to late 20s.

Nonetheless, I thank you for explaining your policy openly and honestly.

If there are enough nations, then the next step after 122 would be 148, of course. At this point, it is less likely that any puppets would need to be cut out.

The Macabees wrote:If there are enough nations, then the next step after 122 would be 148, of course. At this point, it is less likely that any puppets would need to be cut out.

Huh? wouldn't like 152 be a better number?

Taeshan wrote:
Huh? wouldn't like 152 be a better number?

That would work as well.

The Macabees wrote:

Taeshan wrote:
Huh? wouldn't like 152 be a better number?

That would work as well.

148, nor 146 added up in my mind.

My problem with having 150, or even 135, is that we'd have more than eight teams in a group, which I feel would produce too many qualifying matches. And I think six teams in the minimum you'd need for a meaningful round, which sets some basic parameters on what numbers do and don't work. Given that, there's no number of groups containing 6, 7, or 8 teams between 120 and 140 signups (122 and 142, since hosts are excluded) that produce an even number of qualifiers or qualifiers plus playoff teams. In the case of 140, you'd have 20 groups of 7 for one direct qualifier per group and one playoff team per group.

Sure, we could have weird numbers in between (for instance, 128 signups for 126 teams = 18x7 or 21x6), but then we have to do cross-group comparisons and do things like "N best second place teams" or come up with something even more convoluted. But this seems less fair in my mind, because of the cross-group comparison. (Ignore, for a moment, that second place in some groups may win other groups... that'll just complicate things more!) Of course, we could try to make it work by having the finals be more than 32 teams, but that's not going to happen.

148 would not work, because once the hosts are removed, that's 146, which has a highly unfriendly prime factorization of 2^1 * 73^1.

Dancougar wrote:

The Archregimancy wrote:Would that include the current defending WC champions if the requisite number of puppet-drops were required?

I'll assume my personal bias over the issue is obvious.

The Macabees wrote:I think the proper response is that yes, if that is the case then that's what will happen. It's up to you whether or not you want to sacrifice your main nation in order to allow The Holy Empire to defend its title. Otherwise, I don't think it would be fair (true, they are defending champions, but they are puppets nonetheless). I'll defer to Dancougar though, in case his opines otherwise.

I figured this would be one of the more questionable parts of the bid, and biased or not, the point is a fair one. There are several high-ranking puppets and I doubt their main nations would want to see them sacrificed for any reason. I believe they were originally allowed in an attempt to boost numbers in the face of sagging participation, which has been a less serious problem - if at all - in recent cups.

Mac's response is more or less what I was going to say. We could add a provision stating that nations who have their puppets dropped may opt to replace their main nation with the dropped puppet, but as one of the themes of this bid is increasing individual participation in the World Cup, there are no plans to differentiate between puppets.

If it becomes necessary to drop one (or the other) of my teams then, considering domestic political & sporting arrangements, I think that they'd have to have a play-off match to see which of them went through...

One that you would scorinate, or one that you would prefer the hosts scorinate? If the latter, I don't mind doing it (in the new international friendlies thread, even... although, technically it wouldn't be a friendly). In any case, before we start to automatically drop puppets in reverse order, we will of course ask for volunteers to drop their puppets first..

I'd like to add my formal support to this bid, mainly because it echoes my sentiments on how the ns World Cup should be run more than the other bids. Er, I'm off to bed, may add to this later.

The Macabees wrote:One that you would scorinate, or one that you would prefer the hosts scorinate? If the latter, I don't mind doing it (in the new international friendlies thread, even... although, technically it wouldn't be a friendly). In any case, before we start to automatically drop puppets in reverse order, we will of course ask for volunteers to drop their puppets first..

One that I would prefer the hosts (or somebody else, rather than myself) scorinate.
Although I'm not actually volunteering to have one of my teams dropped before any other puppets that were signed-up after them, I suppose from an IC viewpoint holding a play-off like this makes more sense than dropping a "puppet" that isn't so closely linked to its "master" would do... so if the hosts decide to do it this way around, I wouldn't actually object.

"Pillars of Hercules: These symbolize the strength and resolution of the two hosts to provide a historic and smooth tournament. They also symbolize the gates by which a multitude of new countries will enter the world of international football, and the gates by which nations will either move up or down in rank."

Will mentions of Gibraltar suffer a KPB loss or an instant 3 - 0 defeat?.. sorry.

I'm supporting this bed. Huzzah! (That's right Dan, I don't dislike you as much as I i/c'ly did )

Bostopia wrote:Will mentions of Gibraltar suffer a KPB loss or an instant 3 - 0 defeat?.. sorry.

I've looked through the NSFS code and there is no such provision; you should be safe. I thought it might be next to the secret code that keeps Qazox out of the knockout s, but that seems to have vanished as well.

This is also a good time to additionally point out that RP references to anime or giant robots will not guarantee an insta-win on days when Dancougar scorinates.