Tomorrow (or today, if you're reading this on Saturday) there's a lot going on in the sport world! At least, in the sports I have so-far covered. Germany play Uruguay in the third-place playoff in the World Cup, and my bet's on Germany. And we have the tenth race qualifiers of the Formula One circuit – Silverstone, in Britain.
Silverstone is just one of many race tracks in the UK, and it was almost knocked out of the tracks used in Formula One. However, it's still here, and will be for years to come! The track has been reworked a bit this year: here is the 2009 track, and here is the 2010 track. As you can see, the track curves in on itself at turn 11 (see 2010 diagram) where before it just twisted a little before coming to what is now turn 16. It remains to be seen how the experienced drivers will cope with the new layout.
I expect that I will be watching both the qualifying and the race, as well as the F1
09/07/2010
07/07/2010
Simtistics
Branching out of sports
There have been 3 Sims games, each with many expansion packs. It was originally part of the Sim X (eg: town, city) genre, but since the original game's release, only Sim City has continued. Sim City was the original 'Sim' game, created by Will Wright and released by Maxis. Maxis were bought by EA Games in 1997 (hence why no recent Sim games say Maxis any more when you load them).
The original games were more scientific and about general simulation than playing. For example: Sim Earth, Sim Ant, Sim Life. However, Sim City had appeal, so Maxis continued that idea into a sequel!
The first Sim Game that I can remember playing is Sim Town (1995). It's more-or-less a junior version of Sim City: you create a town with roads, paths, houses, jobs etc. Sims move into houses. You can even select a Sim to follow. I think this may have been part of the inspiration for the Sims.
The next game I can remember is Sim Copter (1996). You play a rescue helicopter pilot in a city, and you earn money by putting out fires, rescuing people from drowning, carrying people to hospital etc. I loved this game – me and my brothers played it – and after we'd managed to get the best helicopter in the game, we earned even more money to buy all the rest back. In the end, however, we got stuck because a fire broke out where the helicopter couldn't reach. This is one of my favourite Sim games ever, and I wouldn't mind if a sequel came out.
I think I also remember playing Sim Park (1996), and learning what a gazebo was, but I can't be sure.
After that, it was a while to wait until the Sims came out in 2000. Since being bought by EA, Maxis no longer produced a lot of Sim X games, but instead went for the popular genres.
Total number of Sim games: 26 (excluding 'Spore')
Total number of 'Sim City' games: 6
Total number of 'the Sims' games: 6
Sims (1) expansion packs: 7
Sims 2 expansion packs: 8 (not including stuff packs)
Sims 3 expansion packs: 2 so far (not including stuff packs)
Of course, the Sims has branched out onto the Internet now. You can buy extra items for your Sims from the online store (the original Sims 3 game and its first expansion pack came with 1000 free points to spend in the store). The new game has some similarity to the original one, but an awful lot of other things have changed – for the better! Slowly it is becoming more playable and realistic, and EA are listening to their audience.
There have been 3 Sims games, each with many expansion packs. It was originally part of the Sim X (eg: town, city) genre, but since the original game's release, only Sim City has continued. Sim City was the original 'Sim' game, created by Will Wright and released by Maxis. Maxis were bought by EA Games in 1997 (hence why no recent Sim games say Maxis any more when you load them).
The original games were more scientific and about general simulation than playing. For example: Sim Earth, Sim Ant, Sim Life. However, Sim City had appeal, so Maxis continued that idea into a sequel!
The first Sim Game that I can remember playing is Sim Town (1995). It's more-or-less a junior version of Sim City: you create a town with roads, paths, houses, jobs etc. Sims move into houses. You can even select a Sim to follow. I think this may have been part of the inspiration for the Sims.
The next game I can remember is Sim Copter (1996). You play a rescue helicopter pilot in a city, and you earn money by putting out fires, rescuing people from drowning, carrying people to hospital etc. I loved this game – me and my brothers played it – and after we'd managed to get the best helicopter in the game, we earned even more money to buy all the rest back. In the end, however, we got stuck because a fire broke out where the helicopter couldn't reach. This is one of my favourite Sim games ever, and I wouldn't mind if a sequel came out.
I think I also remember playing Sim Park (1996), and learning what a gazebo was, but I can't be sure.
After that, it was a while to wait until the Sims came out in 2000. Since being bought by EA, Maxis no longer produced a lot of Sim X games, but instead went for the popular genres.
Total number of Sim games: 26 (excluding 'Spore')
Total number of 'Sim City' games: 6
Total number of 'the Sims' games: 6
Sims (1) expansion packs: 7
Sims 2 expansion packs: 8 (not including stuff packs)
Sims 3 expansion packs: 2 so far (not including stuff packs)
Of course, the Sims has branched out onto the Internet now. You can buy extra items for your Sims from the online store (the original Sims 3 game and its first expansion pack came with 1000 free points to spend in the store). The new game has some similarity to the original one, but an awful lot of other things have changed – for the better! Slowly it is becoming more playable and realistic, and EA are listening to their audience.
Day Twenty-seven preview: 7/7/2010
Sorry for the lateness!
Today's the anniversary of the London bombings five years ago, when several terrorists tried to cause chaos in Britain's capital. It came the day after London won the right to host the 2012 Olympics: two days next to each other but with completely different feelings.
As for why this is late: I just got my copy of the Sims 3: Ambitions expansion pack and was trying it out. Good: you get to take over your sim's working life. Bad: laundry! I give it 4 out of 5.
Today's match, which is about to start (aaah!) is Germany vs Spain. This is a close one! Yesterday's match also turned out close as Uruguay played well, but Netherlands eventually won. Here's the stats for today:
1 – FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings: Germany are 6th, Spain are 2nd.
2 – Previous matches: of the 20 games, Germany have won 8, drawn 6 and lost 6. Too close to call.
3 – 1994-2006 World Cup ability: Germany have always made the quarter-finals at least, coming second in 2002, and third in 2006. Spain made it to the final 16 in 2006, the quarter-finals in 2002 and 1994, and didn't escape the group stages in 1998.
4 – 1992-2008 Euro Cup ability: Germany won in 1992, and were runners up in 1996 and 2008, but only made the group stages in 2000 and 2004. But Spain won in 2008, although they didn't qualify in 1992, and made the quarter-finals in 1996 and 2000, but only the group stages in 2004. For having beaten Germany in the 2008 final, Spain win here.
5 – 2020 Group stages: Germany and Spain both have 2-0-1 records.
6 – Odds: (as of 4/7/2010 at bet365.com) Spain are 15-8, Germany 2-1.
The teams are so close, it's impossible to guess from the stats who will win.
Today's the anniversary of the London bombings five years ago, when several terrorists tried to cause chaos in Britain's capital. It came the day after London won the right to host the 2012 Olympics: two days next to each other but with completely different feelings.
As for why this is late: I just got my copy of the Sims 3: Ambitions expansion pack and was trying it out. Good: you get to take over your sim's working life. Bad: laundry! I give it 4 out of 5.
Today's match, which is about to start (aaah!) is Germany vs Spain. This is a close one! Yesterday's match also turned out close as Uruguay played well, but Netherlands eventually won. Here's the stats for today:
1 – FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings: Germany are 6th, Spain are 2nd.
2 – Previous matches: of the 20 games, Germany have won 8, drawn 6 and lost 6. Too close to call.
3 – 1994-2006 World Cup ability: Germany have always made the quarter-finals at least, coming second in 2002, and third in 2006. Spain made it to the final 16 in 2006, the quarter-finals in 2002 and 1994, and didn't escape the group stages in 1998.
4 – 1992-2008 Euro Cup ability: Germany won in 1992, and were runners up in 1996 and 2008, but only made the group stages in 2000 and 2004. But Spain won in 2008, although they didn't qualify in 1992, and made the quarter-finals in 1996 and 2000, but only the group stages in 2004. For having beaten Germany in the 2008 final, Spain win here.
5 – 2020 Group stages: Germany and Spain both have 2-0-1 records.
6 – Odds: (as of 4/7/2010 at bet365.com) Spain are 15-8, Germany 2-1.
The teams are so close, it's impossible to guess from the stats who will win.
06/07/2010
Day Twenty-six preview: 6/7/2010
Semi Final One: Netherlands vs Uruguay
1- FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings: Netherlands are 4th, Uruguay are 16th and the worst-ranked team left in the competition.
2 – Previous matches: Only three. One draw, and each team has won one.
3 – 1994-2006 World Cup ability: Netherlands failed to qualify in 2002, but made the final 16 in 2006, the quarter-finals in 1994, and came third in 1998. Uruguay only qualified in 2002, and didn't make it past the group stages.
4 – 2010 Group Stages: Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record, Uruguay a 2-1-0 record.
5 – Odds: (as of 4/7/2010 at bet365.com) Netherlands are 21-10, Uruguay 10-1.
So with Uruguay the outsiders, and all the stats against them, Netherlands have every chance of winning this game and getting into the final. My prediction is for the Brazil-beating team to win!
1- FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings: Netherlands are 4th, Uruguay are 16th and the worst-ranked team left in the competition.
2 – Previous matches: Only three. One draw, and each team has won one.
3 – 1994-2006 World Cup ability: Netherlands failed to qualify in 2002, but made the final 16 in 2006, the quarter-finals in 1994, and came third in 1998. Uruguay only qualified in 2002, and didn't make it past the group stages.
4 – 2010 Group Stages: Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record, Uruguay a 2-1-0 record.
5 – Odds: (as of 4/7/2010 at bet365.com) Netherlands are 21-10, Uruguay 10-1.
So with Uruguay the outsiders, and all the stats against them, Netherlands have every chance of winning this game and getting into the final. My prediction is for the Brazil-beating team to win!
Semi-Finals: Golden Boot Competition
There are four teams left in the competition, including the one with the top goalscorer. So we only need to look at the players in the top four teams to ask ourselves: who will win the Adidas golden boot? Let's look at who the goalscorers are, and what the odds are from bet365.com:
David Villa (Spain): 5 goals. 1-2 odds. You'd lose money on this guy!
Thomas Müller (Germany): 4 goal. 18-1 odds. Remember that he's not playing in the next game!
Miroslav Klose (Germany): 3 goals. 7-2.
Diego Forlan (Uruguay): 3 goals. 22-1.
Wesley Sneidjer (Netherlands): 3 goals. 10-1.
Luis Suarez (Uruguay): 3 goals. He hasn't scored for a while, but he's had a lot of chances! 80-1.
Lukas Podolski (Germany): 2 goals. 80-1.
Other scorers (who would have to score a lot to win): Cacau (Germany), Kyut (Netherlands), Pereira (Uruguay), Ozil (Germany), Van Persie (Netherlands), Huntelaar (Netherlands), Iniesta (Spain), Robben (Netherlands), Freidrich (Germany).
David Villa (Spain): 5 goals. 1-2 odds. You'd lose money on this guy!
Thomas Müller (Germany): 4 goal. 18-1 odds. Remember that he's not playing in the next game!
Miroslav Klose (Germany): 3 goals. 7-2.
Diego Forlan (Uruguay): 3 goals. 22-1.
Wesley Sneidjer (Netherlands): 3 goals. 10-1.
Luis Suarez (Uruguay): 3 goals. He hasn't scored for a while, but he's had a lot of chances! 80-1.
Lukas Podolski (Germany): 2 goals. 80-1.
Other scorers (who would have to score a lot to win): Cacau (Germany), Kyut (Netherlands), Pereira (Uruguay), Ozil (Germany), Van Persie (Netherlands), Huntelaar (Netherlands), Iniesta (Spain), Robben (Netherlands), Freidrich (Germany).
05/07/2010
Semi-Finals: The Players
Let's take a look at the teams remaining in the competition. Most of them have players who play all over the world, except for Germany, whose players all work in their home nation.
In descending order, here are the most popular countries to play in for World Cup finalists:
Germany – 28 players The whole German team plus five Dutchmen.
Spain – 24 players Most of the Spanish team plus one Dutchman and three Uruguayans.
Netherlands – 11 players Nine Dutchmen and two Uruguayans.
England – 8 players Three Spaniards and five Dutchmen.
Italy – 6 players Four Uruguayans and two Dutchmen.
Portugal and Chile – 3 players each All Uruguayans.
Uruguay – 2 players Two Uruguayans.
Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, France, Scotland, Sweden, Turkey – 1 player each Apart from one Dutchman (Scotland), all Uruguayans.
This shows the immense popularity of the European leagues. The first three countries are all finalists, but Uruguay come far down. All of these leagues are either European or South American – the dominance of the sport in these countries is obvious, not just here, but also in the three Europeans and one South American in the final.
In descending order, here are the most popular countries to play in for World Cup finalists:
Germany – 28 players The whole German team plus five Dutchmen.
Spain – 24 players Most of the Spanish team plus one Dutchman and three Uruguayans.
Netherlands – 11 players Nine Dutchmen and two Uruguayans.
England – 8 players Three Spaniards and five Dutchmen.
Italy – 6 players Four Uruguayans and two Dutchmen.
Portugal and Chile – 3 players each All Uruguayans.
Uruguay – 2 players Two Uruguayans.
Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, France, Scotland, Sweden, Turkey – 1 player each Apart from one Dutchman (Scotland), all Uruguayans.
This shows the immense popularity of the European leagues. The first three countries are all finalists, but Uruguay come far down. All of these leagues are either European or South American – the dominance of the sport in these countries is obvious, not just here, but also in the three Europeans and one South American in the final.
04/07/2010
Quarter-Finals Summary: 4/7/2010
Sorry that I've completely failed to post the last few days. It's been busy here. Anyway, Brazil were defeated by the Netherlands, and Uruguay beat Ghana in penalties after Gyan failed to get an in-game penalty at the end that would have put his team through. Oops!
Yesterday, there was an awesome victory for Germany over Argentina, and Spain beat Paraguay. So now the European dominance returns, with three of the four finalists in this continent. Two of the four haven't won a World Cup before, so it's quite possible that we could see a new country winning the cup. Personally, I'm with Spain.
Despite being a low-scoring team (in their five matches they have only had 6 goals), Spain also has the tournament's top goalscorer so far – David Villa, who has scored five of those goals. That's an average of one per game.
Germany's Mueller is also a top scorer with four goals, despite his young age (19). However, he will miss out on their next match – against Spain – because of the yellow card he got in yesterday's game. For all the other players, there is now a yellow card amnesty. This is so that people who get a yellow card in their semi-final game won't miss out on the final/third-place playoff. It's probably also because otherwise, so many people would have one yellow card that the teams might struggle to get enough people together for the final!
Anyway, no more stats on goals per game/cards per game. I'm a little behind on working these things out. I might have them later in the week.
Yesterday, there was an awesome victory for Germany over Argentina, and Spain beat Paraguay. So now the European dominance returns, with three of the four finalists in this continent. Two of the four haven't won a World Cup before, so it's quite possible that we could see a new country winning the cup. Personally, I'm with Spain.
Despite being a low-scoring team (in their five matches they have only had 6 goals), Spain also has the tournament's top goalscorer so far – David Villa, who has scored five of those goals. That's an average of one per game.
Germany's Mueller is also a top scorer with four goals, despite his young age (19). However, he will miss out on their next match – against Spain – because of the yellow card he got in yesterday's game. For all the other players, there is now a yellow card amnesty. This is so that people who get a yellow card in their semi-final game won't miss out on the final/third-place playoff. It's probably also because otherwise, so many people would have one yellow card that the teams might struggle to get enough people together for the final!
Anyway, no more stats on goals per game/cards per game. I'm a little behind on working these things out. I might have them later in the week.
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