World Cup Quiz 2010
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Publisher : JPM
Platform : Ladbrokes, 32Red Remote Gaming System : JPM Gameology Language : Flash AS2, c Resolution : 750 x 550 Year : 2010 |
World Cup Quiz 2010
World Cup Quiz 2010 is a football-themed quiz game with instant cash prizes. It is an online multiple choice question and answer game in the style of a standard SWP pub quiz machine.
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The game is played on a football pitch which scrolls from left to right, depending on the position of the ball. The player's team is selected at random by the computer. The player's team always plays from left to right (the direction of the GOAL is indicated by the large arrow on the pitch). At the start of the game, the player has 3 lives, and 3 bonuses:
Three of the player's footballers are highlighted with letters: A, B and C. Each letter corresponds to one of 3 panels at the bottom of the screen. Each panel has a question category and a number of points. Occasionally, one of the panels will also have a World Cup trophy on it. The player selects one of the 3 panels by clicking it.
The question categories used in the game are:
*The World Cup History and World Cup 2010 questions were specially commissioned for World Cup Quiz 2010.
- SUB - substitutes a new question for one that the player finds too tricky
- LONG PASS - changes one of the players on offer when selecting a category - a player further up the pitch will be made available
- TACKLE - returns possession of the ball to the player's team
Three of the player's footballers are highlighted with letters: A, B and C. Each letter corresponds to one of 3 panels at the bottom of the screen. Each panel has a question category and a number of points. Occasionally, one of the panels will also have a World Cup trophy on it. The player selects one of the 3 panels by clicking it.
The question categories used in the game are:
- A to Z
- People and Places
- Pop Music
- Pot Luck
- Science and Nature
- Showbiz
- Sport
- World Cup History *
- World Cup 2010 *
*The World Cup History and World Cup 2010 questions were specially commissioned for World Cup Quiz 2010.
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The player is asked a question, and shown 4 possible answers. One of the 4 answers must be selected within the time allowed.
If the player's answer is CORRECT:
If the player's answer is INCORRECT, a life is lost, and:
If the player's points total passes a prize on the points trail for the first time, the player is asked if they wish to COLLECT or CONTINUE:
If the player's points total passes the top prize on the points trail, the player is automatically awarded the top prize and the game ends.
If the player's answer is CORRECT:
- if the player is in possession of the ball, the ball is passed to the previously selected player
- if the player is not in possession of the ball, one of the player's footballers performs a tackle and re-gains possession
- if the question was a CUP question, the cup is added to the cups total - accumulating 5 cups awards a jackpot!
If the player's answer is INCORRECT, a life is lost, and:
- if the player's team is in possession of the ball, the opposing team gains possession
- if the opposing team is already in possession of the ball, the opposing team advances the ball towards the player's goal
- if the number of lives is zero, the opposing team scores, and the game ends
If the player's points total passes a prize on the points trail for the first time, the player is asked if they wish to COLLECT or CONTINUE:
- pressing COLLECT awards the cash prize to the player and ends the game
- pressing CONTINUE allows the game to continue
If the player's points total passes the top prize on the points trail, the player is automatically awarded the top prize and the game ends.
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If 5 cups have been collected, one of the linked jackpot prizes is awarded. There are 4 separate progressive linked jackpots:
Then:
- Mini Pot - always available
- Minor Pot - only available if the game is played with a higher stake
- Major Pot - only available if the game is played with a higher stake
- Grand Pot - only available if the game is played with a higher stake
Then:
- if the player's team is not in possession of the ball, a question from a randomly selected category is asked
- if the player's team is in possession of the ball, the player is returned to the question category selection stage, and the game continues
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When the player's team scores a goal, the GOAL BONUS is activated.
In the GOAL BONUS, the player shoots a penalty past the goalkeeper. The goal bonus is essentially a scatter stop feature. Balls with various prizes on them are shown, one at a time, in a random sequence. When the player presses SHOOT, the points on the ball currently visible are awarded.
In the GOAL BONUS, the player shoots a penalty past the goalkeeper. The goal bonus is essentially a scatter stop feature. Balls with various prizes on them are shown, one at a time, in a random sequence. When the player presses SHOOT, the points on the ball currently visible are awarded.
Development
For World Cup Quiz 2010, Martin developed both the AS2 Flash client, and the game's JPM Gameology server control program. Development commenced in February 2010.
In JPM's Gameology system, the game's server control program is called the clerver. The clerver was written in c. The clerver handles the fetching of questions from the question database, authorises changes to the player's credit balance, and handles all the other game specific interactions with the Flash game client.
The World Cup Quiz 2010 clerver was an enhanced version of Martin's original 2006 World Cup Quiz clerver.
Enhancements to the game include:
Martin was also responsible for maintaining the game's question database. Prior to the release of World Cup Quiz 2010, Martin implemented an additional source of questions for the JPM Gameology system - namely an algorithm that generates random questions from large sets of quantified facts. Questions generated using this algorithm retain the look of being written by human question writers. More importantly, they are not easy to answer using online search engines within the time allowed for the question.
In JPM's Gameology system, the game's server control program is called the clerver. The clerver was written in c. The clerver handles the fetching of questions from the question database, authorises changes to the player's credit balance, and handles all the other game specific interactions with the Flash game client.
The World Cup Quiz 2010 clerver was an enhanced version of Martin's original 2006 World Cup Quiz clerver.
Enhancements to the game include:
- the graphics were completely re-worked and improved
- the pitch is presented in a horizontally-scrolling TV-view
- the number of progressive linked jackpots was increased from 1 to 4
Martin was also responsible for maintaining the game's question database. Prior to the release of World Cup Quiz 2010, Martin implemented an additional source of questions for the JPM Gameology system - namely an algorithm that generates random questions from large sets of quantified facts. Questions generated using this algorithm retain the look of being written by human question writers. More importantly, they are not easy to answer using online search engines within the time allowed for the question.
Release
World Cup Quiz 2010 was launched on Ladbrokes in May 2010, coinciding with the run up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The 2010 World Cup tournament ran from 11 June to 11 July 2010. Every few days during the tournament, fresh questions, about matches that had just been played, were added to the game's database. This gave World Cup Quiz 2010 a unique appeal - instant cash prizes from an online quiz game with questions from a major live sporting event.
World Cup Quiz 2010 was only ever expected to remain live for the duration of the World Cup in South Africa, and for a short time afterwards. However, the game continued to perform well, and its distinctiveness, as one of only a handful of online SWP quiz games in existence, made it a valuable feature in Ladbrokes' online games portfolio. World Cup Quiz 2010 remained live on Ladbrokes for another 4 years.
The 2010 World Cup tournament ran from 11 June to 11 July 2010. Every few days during the tournament, fresh questions, about matches that had just been played, were added to the game's database. This gave World Cup Quiz 2010 a unique appeal - instant cash prizes from an online quiz game with questions from a major live sporting event.
World Cup Quiz 2010 was only ever expected to remain live for the duration of the World Cup in South Africa, and for a short time afterwards. However, the game continued to perform well, and its distinctiveness, as one of only a handful of online SWP quiz games in existence, made it a valuable feature in Ladbrokes' online games portfolio. World Cup Quiz 2010 remained live on Ladbrokes for another 4 years.