If you want to have a true competition, you may want to try competing by hardware class.  To use a sail boat racing analogy.  (Hear me out it's a long explanation) Sailing uses a system where you compete against boats around your same speed and size.  In the big races you have multiple divisions.  The 2 major divisions are racing and cruising boats  (Racing boats: typically light weight,  (unstable) more tippy, minimal accommodations below deck, usually no bunks for sleeping, Cruising boats: heavier, who tip less/slower (big lead bulbs on bottom of keel), full kitchens, dining tables, bunks, cabins, etc)
 
Within the racing division there is a Turbo class. In this division almost anything goes.  (You can see 30 ft boats competing with 70+ ft boats) .   And the rest of the divisions are broken up by size of boats (it is more complicated, but I simplified it for understandibility)
 
Our contests could be similiarly broken up:
Two Major Divisions:   24/7 vs part time folders
Within 24/7 you could have a MaxServer division (the 12 account HPCS guys, or the person who has a server farm, or anyone with > 10 systems)  in other words: anything goes. 
You then would have 5-10 PCs, a 2-5 PC and a single PC division.
 
It's a completely different way to run the competition, and it turns into individual competition against people with the same size system as you with similar capabilities.  
 
IF you wanted to have teams, each team could have divisions and each division would contribute a fixed percentage of the total score.  
For a simple example:  break a team down 3 divisions:  a 2-3 MaxServer members,4-8 member MultiSystem and 10 single PC members.   The MaxServer members would compete with the MaxServer members on other teams.  The Maxserver Team with the most points would contribute 8 to the team score, the 2nd most 7, 3rd: 6, etc.
THe other two division in the team would compete against other teams in the same way.   The team score then becomes the total of the 3 division.  
 
This approach encourages point production by everybody,  prevents one member from dominating any team and allows people who don't have the massive resources to compete and contribute to the team.
 

latenitec1

If you want to have a true competition, you may want to try competing by hardware class.  To use a sail boat racing analogy.  (Hear me out it's a long explanation) Sailing uses a system where you compete against boats around your same speed and size.  In the big races you have multiple divisions.  The 2 major divisions are racing and cruising boats  (Racing boats: typically light weight,  (unstable) more tippy, minimal accommodations below deck, usually no bunks for sleeping, Cruising boats: heavier, who tip less/slower (big lead bulbs on bottom of keel), full kitchens, dining tables, bunks, cabins, etc)

Within the racing division there is a Turbo class. In this division almost anything goes.  (You can see 30 ft boats competing with 70+ ft boats) .   And the rest of the divisions are broken up by size of boats (it is more complicated, but I simplified it for understandibility)

Our contests could be similiarly broken up:
Two Major Divisions:   24/7 vs part time folders
Within 24/7 you could have a MaxServer division (the 12 account HPCS guys, or the person who has a server farm, or anyone with > 10 systems)  in other words: anything goes. 
You then would have 5-10 PCs, a 2-5 PC and a single PC division.

It's a completely different way to run the competition, and it turns into individual competition against people with the same size system as you with similar capabilities.  

IF you wanted to have teams, each team could have divisions and each division would contribute a fixed percentage of the total score.  
For a simple example:  break a team down 3 divisions:  a 2-3 MaxServer members,4-8 member MultiSystem and 10 single PC members.   The MaxServer members would compete with the MaxServer members on other teams.  The Maxserver Team with the most points would contribute 8 to the team score, the 2nd most 7, 3rd: 6, etc.
THe other two division in the team would compete against other teams in the same way.   The team score then becomes the total of the 3 division.  

This approach encourages point production by everybody,  prevents one member from dominating any team and allows people who don't have the massive resources to compete and contribute to the team.

there is a team system in OCN as well that consists of a hardware cap
fixed amount of  17 class, legacy class and gpu sets
and fold all year
 

In Fact... I think this is what we will do...
 
Let's keep these ideas going for a few more weeks, pro/con them. And then I will make a "Pole" MUHahaha... OK... "Poll" for us to vote with.
 
My thinking... We can refer to this thread for that poll. Meaning...
 
Say post #1 and post #15 are for the same proposal. It would be a poll item.
 
Then say another idea was four other posts in this thread. 
 
It would look like this....

• Post(s) #1 and #15
• Post(s)#3,#5#22#27
• Post(s) ETC
• Post(s) ""
• Post(s)""
• Post(s)""

And then top two voted ideas would then get their own thread to debate, make rules and setup. We would go over this for a few weeks or until that person who's idea it is feels there is sufficient info to run a trial contest.
 
We would then run each idea in a trial contest format for "Five" days. I propose Tuesday thru Saturday. Giving us Sunday and Monday to start the analyzing before the next contest idea is started.
 
One contest one week then the other one the next. Alternating weeks.
 
Or,
 
We run the trial contest for Seven days... Analyze for a week, then run the next one for a week, rinse and repeat.

Xavier Zepherious
there is a team system in OCN as well that consists of a hardware cap
fixed amount of  17 class, legacy class and gpu sets
and fold all year

 
I have considered something similar to what OCN runs at various times, but at the moment it would require much more than just myself to run it.

Just an FYI. I deliberately have not kept this topic up top for a reason. I did not want to take away for our current efforts with our current contest, but I would like us to start thinking about it again so we can look back and ahead later over the next few weeks 

hot dogs, Burgers, and BBQ Spareribs
(and please someone don't forget the beer)
 
lets see who brings it when the heat is on
(the question will be weather, heat, power,system uptime)
 
 
Hot Dogs(top dogs), folders in head to head (5 days - could be switched to 7)
either matchout - or all out
(handicapped by their best monthly stats)
 
 
burgers(flip-out) teams: qualify stats set by hot dog race
teams assigned by either contest runner or random selection
 
1/4 way thru there is the burger flip where the top team/lowest team swaps (and so forth) stats
so the leading team has to make up the deficit of the weakest team (will make for a close finish)
 
we do this 4 times - switching stats  gets rid of strategies to under produce 
approx 2 weeks -16 days (every 4 days a switch)
 
BBQ spareribs(bring the heat) - all out roast to beat each personal bests and teams best
and evened out teams based on overall performance from earlier race(s)
could be run at same time as the other race
 
 

How about using a point system based on that folders past point production.  Take the folders past 3 month points and divide it by 3.  Giving you an recent average of production to estimate by to sort the teams out.  This way you don't have to worry about under or over estimates that usually mess up the sorting

Xavier Zepherious

that would work if everyone was consistant

lets say I only fold 1 month or 1 week out of the three months
(away, heat, sick) and I bring on several rigs and blow the production away... like 10x or more

hence the reason I don't like using past performance 
id rather have a a series of races - one of which is the benchmark for others

Good point.  Would work best for 24/7 folders, but not the part-timers.

@ tanner2
 
I wanted to do something similar with the EVGA vs [H] Challenge, but haven't got the individual stats portion up and running yet.  Certainly a new idea or two from your post at well .  I've been away a bit the past month and haven't had the time to get it up and running.  Haven't heard back from XZ if he is willing to help out, so at the moment that is a no.
 
Drougnor already has the stats tracking for everyone that has signed up, they're just not up on the page yet....maybe with a little free time this weekend I might be able to get something up and tracking... 

Im actually considering getting some stuff done troy...
sorry for any delays....but just like you troy ...things pop up
 
I'll have to get something done before my parts come...
bad enough I keep looking at my parts order
 
once they come in I'll be engrossed in that.
I need to boost my production
 
So.... I'll need to go thru the contest ideas thread
maybe get some more ideas from users before I make a decision
 
and setup the basic pages 
 
lets see if we can get something together for next month