[Contest] Community Event: Football World Championship Prediction League

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Predict match results of this year's Football World Championship in Brazil and win nice prizes for your game account...

Dear Settlers,

Do you know anything about football? Actually, it does not matter! You can still participate in a special Community Event,
have fun guessing the results, compete with others and win awesome rewards, even a gem pit!
More than 125 rewards are up for grabs. Details can be found below.

How to win rewards?
Brief summary of the Community Event

1. Time span of the Community Event: 10th of June - 13th of July
   
   
2. Visit the special event website http://brasil2014.thesettlersonline.com/ for all the rules and details (until the end of July)
   
   
3. A kicktipp account is needed as all calculations etc. will be processed by kicktipp (see FAQ)
   
   
4. Predict match results. This way you get a chance to win rewards for your game account
   
   
5. FAQ and some hints are summed up for you > right here <
   
   
6. You can provide your feedback > here <

The Community Event is related to football and the main objective is to predict the results
of the matches. Will the game end up with 2:1, 3:0, a draw, or maybe some other result?

Depending on the accuracy of your predictions, you gain points that improve your place in the ranking.
Of course the higher you are in the ranking, the better! But on top there is a chance to win prizes
just by participation, no matter what your ranking is...

There are also a few special questions. You need to answer them before the first match starts,
otherwise you may lose the chance to gain additional points.
These questions can be viewed here (at the bottom of the page).

1. Visit http://brasil2014.thesettlersonline.com/, check the rules to join the prediction league.
   In case you do not have a kicktipp account, you can easily create one on the event website:
   
   
   
   
   Important #1: If possible, please use the e-mail address that is assigned to your The Settlers Online profile.
   Important #2: If possible, please use the same nickname you're using in The Settlers Online (e.g. with a prefix "FR_").
   
   
   
2. In case of kicktipp account creation, a verification mail will be sent to you.
   After the account has been activated, you can choose a nickname after login.
   From this moment on you're a member of the prediction league.
   
   
   
3. When steps mentioned above are completed, click here, but make sure that you're logged in
   Now you can start to predict match results and to answer bonus questions (e.g. "Which team will win group C?").
   You should see something like that:
   
   
   
   Part indicated in black: Switching between match-days,
   Part indicated in blue: Results (forecast) goes there.
   
   After providing answers, make sure to submit them.

GOOD LUCK!

Happy Settling!
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This FAQ shall provide additional help.
The game rules on the official event website are not replaced by this FAQ.

What is kicktipp?

kicktipp is an external service that offers a solution for football prediction leagues.
Their concept is used by a couple of companies and even by some football clubs.

kicktipp doesn't support my language, what shall I do?

kicktipp supports a couple of languages, but apparently not all languages of "The Settlers Online" instances.
In order to help all players who don't understand Dutch, English, French, German, Italian or Spanish,
Community Managers provided a forum post including translations for all languages not supported by kicktipp.

Why is a kicktipp account needed?

kicktipp enables us to offer a prediction league to all "The Settlers Online" players during Football World Championship.
The site calculates results even while matches are ongoing. This means you can even see your intermediary results.
But as this is an external site that is (technically) processing everything, you need to register at kicktipp (it's free).
The kicktipp account creation can be done on the special event website: > here <

I already have a kicktipp account. Do I need to create a new one?

If your kicktipp account is connected to the same e-mail address you're using for "The Settlers Online", you can use it.
Otherwise please create a new kicktipp account, using the same e-mail address connected to your TSO account.
In case of Facebook connection, please try to use the same nickname for "The Settlers Online" and prediction league.
After the event -after all prizes have been awarded- you can delete the kicktipp account easily if you want to (see below).

I am not able create a kicktipp account.

Make sure that you created a kicktipp account. You can do it here > here <
A mandatory aspect of kicktipp registration is the verification of your e-mail address (a verification mail will be sent by kicktipp).
Afterwards you can login and choose your nickname for our prediction league.
Your credentials from "The Settlers Online" do not work on this site!

My nickname is already taken. What shall I do?

This might happen as all language versions of "The Settlers Online" are part of this event.
The same nickname can be used in different language versions (instances).
Just use the prefix that indicates your language version, for example RU_Anton instead of Anton.

What if I play on more than 1 language version of "The Settlers Online":
Am I allowed to join with more than 1 kicktipp account?

No.
In terms of fairness each individual player may only participate once. For more details, please read the contest rules.
Choose one account that shall get the reward in case you win. Multi accounters will be disqualified.

How to leave the prediction league // how to delete a kicktipp account?

It's quite easy to leave a prediction league. Same goes for deletion of kicktipp accounts.
Just go to "My Profile" on the prediction event website (or on kicktipp.com).
You can select all prediction leagues you want to leave. In case there is not even one league participation left, your entire kicktipp account will be deleted (click screenshot to enlarge).

I don't want to create a kicktipp account. Can I participate anyway?

We're sorry, but this is not possible.
As mentioned before, kicktipp is providing the prediction league system and kicktipp is processing everything. Therefore a kicktipp account is mandatory for participation and leader board calculation. Please read the official contest rules if you want to know more details.

I don't get how points are calculated. How does it work?

Basically, it's quite easy. You gain points for correct results, for correct tendencies and for correct goal difference.
For one match, points are not summed up -> you can get a maximum of 4 points per match prediction.

• Correct result = 4 points
  A correct result means that you predicted the result exactly.
  Example: You predict 4:2, the final result is 4:2.
  Same goes for ties. Example: You predict 3:3, the final result is 3:3.

• Correct goal difference = 3 points
  A correct goal difference means that you were right about the winner.
  You don't match the exact result, but the discrepancy of goals is correct.
  Example: You predict 4:2, but the final result is 2:0 (Team A shot 2 goals more than Team B).
  Tie: Not counted here as a tie always has a difference of zero (1:1 or 4:4 or 7:7, ...).

• Correct tendency = 2 points
  This means you are right about the winner // you are right it would be a tie, but you do not match the exact result.
  Example: You predict 4:2, but the final result is 3:2.
  Example for tie: You predict 3:3, but the final result is 0:0.
  As this is a World Championship, football league rules, like winning at home or away, do not comply here.

• Correct answer to a bonus question = 4 points
  In addition there a couple of special bonus questions. For each correct answer you have the chance to get 4 extra points.
  Important: All the answers to the bonus questions must be provided before the kickoff of the first match on Thursday, 17:00 21.00 BST.

What happens if there is extra time or even penalty shootout: Which result is relevant?

The final results that define the end of the match apply.
Example (knockout stage after group stage): standard time = 1:1 // extra time = 3:3 // penalty shootout = 6:5
6:5 is the relevant final result for score calculations.

I was late and cannot predict some results anymore. What shall I do?

You can only predict results before a match starts, otherwise there would be a strategical advantage.
A similar rule applies to the bonus questions. Answers must be provided before the first match started.
If you are late, you cannot predict results anymore and you cannot gain the particular points anymore.
But this is not a problem as all players have a chance to win something just by participation.
Read more about > prizes here <

1. Predict results before the respective matches start!
   You can already add all match result predictions before the first match day.
   You can still modify result predictions of all fixtures that haven't started yet.
   
   
2. Don’t forget to answer bonus questions before the first match starts!
   All bonus questions must be answered, before the World Championship starts.
   
   
3. You can modify your time zone in "My Profile" to see the correct match schedules.
   
   
4. You can activate an e-mail reminder functionality in "My Profile".
   
   
5. There is also a free kicktipp smartphone app you can use.
   
   
6. You can easily check if you predicted matches (click screenshot to enlarge).
   - Match predictions are indicated by placeholder lines (see blue frame).
   - Useful: Your account is highlighted in yellow when logged in.
   

• You can check the prizes > here <
  
  
• The announcement of winners might be delayed a couple of days for checks and item transfers.
  

Please feel free to leave your feedback here.

Happy Settling!
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UPDATE: The deadline for providing answers to bonus questions was extended until 21.00 BST.
The date remains the same: Thursday, the 12th of June.

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And the winners are...


The winners will be presented in this thread.
But first, a brief summary about the two reward groups (click picture to enlarge):

Main prizes for total winners of the prediction league

You gain points by making good match predictions and by providing correct answers to the additional bonus questions. More details about the point system are explained in the game rules of the official event site. At the end of the WC, players with the highest score win. Ranks 1-3 are rewarded with main prizes. In case there are more players with the same score, each winner will get the respective reward.

1. Gem pit + 180 days premium
2. Endless coppermine + 90 days premium
3. 180 days premium

Main prizes for total winners of the prediction league

On top of the main rewards, each match day, 5 participants will get nice prizes. They will be chosen randomly. The announcement of winners might be delayed for a few days, but the lottery will be done 25 times. In order to participate in this free lottery there is only one requirement: Predictions for this particular match day must have been provided. The current ranking doesn't matter.

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Gooooaaaaal!

The World Championship in Brasil is over. A big "Thank you!" to all the participants of our prediction league event.
The special event website will be deactivated mid August.

Some final facts:

• Biggest kicktipp league ever
  With more than 40,000 users, the worldwide " The Settlers Online" Community
  created the biggest prediction league kicktipp ever had in its entire history so far.
  
  
• 128 prizes
  - 125 players received participation rewards
  - 3 players were the recipients of the main prizes for topping the ranking system
  
  
• Forum Spotlight donation
  One user donated her Forum Spotlight reward to be used as a random participation gift for this Community Event.
  Congratulations to "GreaseBall", you are the lucky winner of 500 gems!
  Thanks to the donor for this nice gesture!
  
  
• Rank 1: Overall winner
  Congratulations to the winners of the main prizes!
  In the end it was very close, but with 171 points the prediction league Champion comes from France: "Al_Chapone".
  - In 20% of all matches he predicted the precise result (4 points).
  - In 20% of all matches he predicted the correct goal difference (3 points).
  - In nearly 30% of all matches he predicted at least the correct tendency (2 points).

The winner of the donated Forum Spotlight gems.

Happy Settling!
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