I know I don't speak up often, and I am definitely one who underestimated their PPD, but I just have this to say.
 
Its all about the research not who wins a contest. 
 
In my case, my PPD was underestimated because I was one of the first to sign up and I did sign up with the PPD that I had at the time.  Since then, I have added on several i5 and i3 systems that my job purchased for night time folding.  I have also just added a server with dual E5s for weekend and night time folding.  I have 2 more i5 systems that are arriving today that I plan on bringing online.  These are replacing aging AMD Athlon x2 systems that barely pump out 1k PPD when they fold full time over the weekend.  Now the new systems pump out between 5 and 15k depending on the WU.  Yes that is going to affect my PPD, but isn't that the point.  More and better WUs means the more and faster research is done.
 
I participate in these contests because I see it as a way to drum up support for a cause that I believe in. These contests are supposed to be about having fun and expanding our membership and output.  Not about who wins and who loses.  I myself have participated in several contests over the last 2 years that I have been an active member and have never been a part of a "winning team".  But I am a part of a winning team.  I am a part of the human race that we are all helping.
 
I fold for the research.  My grandfather had parkinson's and before he passed from other ailments.  I watched as he sunk a lot of his hard earned money into different experimental treatments using himself as the guinea pig.  He was not a well off man.  He worked to carpenter and moved to LA from Canada in the late 50s with just the clothes on his back, his wife and 5 young kids.  He worked every day of his life including being back on his feet, hard at working in half the time prescribed after having triple bypass surgery in the late 90s. 
 
Do members have a point related to balancing of the teams, sure.  But if it bothers you that much, bring some more people into the fold (pun intended) so that we can have larger teams.  We have 8 teams in this contest and 129 people participating.  Yet we have 937 active folders on the EVGA team.  That's not even 15% participation.
 
Now that this is said, I am not going to engage again related to these concerns.  I hope we can all just get back to having fun and find more hardware to fold on.

I agree as well pcmaster, but I'm pretty easy to please.

Troy, you mean having 2 winners?  Top production and Top contest points?

I feel if we change the way the contest is set up it would be a bad thing. If we readjust the points each team already has it would only help to maximize the way each team folds. It would also help team that might have person missing or someone that is very far off on the ppd. I dont like taking away all of the rules that do make the contest more fair.

I remember last year's debacle...Id like to forget it
 
I don't care what road we take
I'll be happy even in last pushing with all I got
 
I don't want us to chase away members again
last year we had the same thing complaints -threats of decreased folding because it seems senseless with the formula or people leaving ...and accusations 
 
rule changes and then more complaints and fighting
like changing the rules of monopoly midstream thus changing or reversing the order the teams are placing
people will squak "unfair" a group got the rules change for their benefit
 
 
this has to stop - [H] went down this road and quit having contests
 
Last year taught me a lesson - id rather not have the contest than lose people or fight among ourselves
 
again the format has to have some mechanism 1 week of folding all out to get a PPD from everyone in the contest - then team distribution of players then run the contest
or base it on an avg of max PPD and this pre qualifier - like nascar
(next year - this might be a solution)

 otherwise people will look at estimates as questionable
 
then their would no need to cap - because a baseline was established  
 
to me I don't care anymore about any rules - Id be ok with none again...( I don't know if members on my team would be that's for them to chime in)
 
 
it's bad enough I see people not folding all out again or wanting to drop out because of the formula
this reminds me on how we as a team performed last year during the CC ..
ie not showing up - people not participating because of the rules or formula (they perceive as unfair)

 
 the complaints, the loss of folders, or not wanting to fold, or not doing your best is killing any fun
 
I want everyone to do their best no matter what..no holding back
 
if it means my team drops to last(with changes)  or near last so be it...
Id rather have that and have some fun than what we are seeing again
 
 
 
just fold fold fold 
have FUN FUN FUN
and SLAG SLAG SLAG in chat
 
and just maybe your team gets lucky or a few teams get a bad run or MAYHEM or MAD
heaven knows you might be surprised and win

 

Has anybody seen the revamp to the Stanford main folding site? Looks a lot more fancy now.
http://folding.stanford.edu/

Totally agree with you there, Viper.
Why fix something that isn't broken? We all know how unpredictable folding WUs are. Changing how people gets points (after the contest has started) is going to throw off the point system.

Wow, what a response. Can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not

I'd go for a substitute player approach.  I think that would be fair, someone we can pull from the ballpen. 
 
I don't think the no-shows on a team should be allowed to sign up for at least one contest (the next one say for March Folding Madness) giving them a two year haitus to rethink their commitment.

If someone signs up to a contest, for all intents and purposes they are commiting themselves to that contest.  Failure to notify anyone of a potential conflict means one of two things... either they are not in a position to assist due to finances, hardware, health etc. or they were trolling.
 
I prefer not to believe someone would intentionally sign up and walk away knowing full well they were trolling.  Although this is possible.
 
Since this particular folder signed up but has not for some reason been in contact with his team to let them know to remove them from the contest, I have to either believe it is health related or trolling.
 
I see that as a reason to call in a pinch hitter.
 
However, I also see a need to make sure this is not going to happen again.  Sort of my take on fool me once, shame on you etc.
 
Does this cause people to fold less?  No, I don't see how, those that fold do so for a reason, whether it is personal and relatable to a specific search for a cure or simply because they want to help.
 
A contest rule that would prohibit them from folding in a contest for a year isn't saying no folding for you.  (Slaps the laundry out of the ladies hand!)  It merely says we want  you to be totally commited to it when you sign up so think it over for a bit. 
  
 
***Edited for completion and because this machine I'm on is weird! 

I agree with viper. We don't want to discourage folding in anyway, but it really sucks when someone that estimated 110K PPD doesn't fold any for your team. Its understandable if something happens that you cant fold. It would just be nice to know. the contest specifically states that if you cannot commit to 100% folding for 4 to 5 weeks don't sign up. I like the idea of adding another folder to the team. 

Viper97
I don't think the no-shows on a team should be allowed to sign up for at least one contest (the next one say for March Folding Madness) giving them a two year haitus to rethink their commitment.

one member went away for a week or two because they had to go adopt a chlld (a phone call came and had to go to another state at the onset of the contest)
 
same could go for any member - one could get in a fire or go to the hospital - Im not gonna kick someone out for awhile for it
 
we don't know the circumstances of an individual's inability to fold
that's luck of the draw - much like a hurricane or tornado taking out power for a week
 
low production  from estimates
would you kick out people that are 80% below what they estimated?
would it matter a fold 1 day out 5 or 2 out of 14(due to illness or storm) and produce the same results
 
so lets say a person is out for a week at the onset but makes it up on the last week
 
what troy can do is Peg the lost production of a No-Show for the duration of the contest to their estimate or a slight drop from the estimate (to account problems and leave a little for the team to overcome - rather than the full amount)
 

I under estamated only cos i loaned a 570 to drop in my rig for the contest (and as long as I forget to take it back maybe) but the winner has to be folding not just the team, a bit of fudging seems a good idea after 7 days imho
 
I think giving the Capt's some extra ppd to splash out and as long as it's a max of 10 %of a persons declared ppd I'd be happy with that + allow the re allocation of over declared ppd again a 10% max over declared
 
my 2c's

This person has not just been gone for a few days. i just looked at their stats and they have not folded at all since the first week of February. I don't really care what happens. It is all for the evga team in general and for science. I plan to do everything can to increase my folding. I would just really like to know what is going on that this folder hasnt been folding for so long, yet is signed up for this contest.

Afterburner

I have an idea...

Keep the formula "Exactly" as it is now for the month... Just add another column in each teams tracker that says "Overachievers" that collects all the overage for that team.

That "Overachievers" columns' purpose is to maintain focus on the big picture while the "Calculations" do what they do.

Same thing with the main contest page. Make it a secondary race. This way all types of enthusiasm is captured/satisfied. 

The prize could simply just be a simple signature pin.

Bottom line... Two races... One as we are running now, the other aiming right at the 1 Billion goal. Promoting "Both" the winning team and the winning spirit of EVGA...

 
I like this idea!  It shall be my goal to be the second or third biggest overachiever on the Insaniacs Team.