Using a quiz question database

fruitquiz · Post by **fruitquiz** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 9:28 pm

Has anyone tried something similar to this to find answers while playing? Or google etc?

When and why does it fail? Are there usually questions that you'd be unlikely to find the answer to on the internet? Getting barred, etc, isn't a problem.

Which machines and games would be suitable? Are there other games like scrabble and wordsearches that would be winnable with the right tools?

I'm a programmer so can write software to automate what you would usually do to find answers within the time limit.

Istenem · Post by **Istenem** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 10:44 pm

if the brain counts as a memory stick, then yes. human processors are quicker than typing stuff into google. but it is an enviable skill to hone; not everyone could, can or wlll do it.

cerebral acrobatics is one thing; not sure there are any cyborgs on the scene yet. certainly none which can do it quicker.

imo finity is the issue here. a computer with all the answers would win but a bloke needs the synapses to press the screen in the right places. unless SWP embraces odds (which negates the S), it gives the very good player an edge.

otherwise we'd be playing roulette

Northern Monkey · Post by **Northern Monkey** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:25 pm

Hmm not sure I totally undertand Isty's profound take on it but you might as well go and start pissing in the wind mate

fruitquiz · Post by **fruitquiz** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:45 pm

To clarify, I'm talking about using the internet and databases to aid human play. I want to know why it doesn't work since I have little experience myself with the different games.

Are there usually ambiguous questions or questions with answers that could not be found on the internet before prizes are awarded?

HornyNick · Post by **HornyNick** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:36 am

i think you are high. any question (quiz machine or not) can be answered via the net. Wether its the answer u want or not is a different story.
Why dont u stop treating us like idiots and come clean with us?

QuizMaster · Post by **QuizMaster** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:38 am

The internet doesn't hold the answers to everything.

e.g Which of these teams is the odd one out:

Man Utd
Chelsea
Nottm Forest

And it cetrainly doesn't hold the answer in 10 seconds, which is about how long you've got to answer correctly.

WaterGate · Post by **WaterGate** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:44 am

I would have to agree sightly with HornyNick there. Joined on the 7th Dec and asking very leading questions about internet and questions 2 days later?
AND you're a programmer? Blimey, it all come at once for you 2 days ago.

If you search the internet for an answer to a question on a quizzer, you'll fidn the answer. As Istenem said, you won't be as fast doing that as the mind knowing the answer! The more you play, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you'll remember. The more you remember, the better you'll get! These thibngs have alot of questions. You won't just stumble across all the question and answer databases on a single site! Or perhaps try...

http://www.allthequestionsandanswerstoa ... ines.co.uk

Failing that working, I can't say I could help in this one.

grecian · Post by **grecian** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:57 am

What everyone else said. A real-time answering device would never work as it just wouldn't be possible to find the answer to a fair percentage of the questions within the often pretty short timeframes required. Feel free to have a go though, and if you prove me wrong I doubt we'll see many SWPs about in the future!

It might be useful for someone to spend hours playing SWPs and transcribing questions and correct answers (or at least the various multiple choice options) which people could then go away and learn at their leisure, but what would be in it for the compiler I'm not sure, unless he could charge decent sums for the end products. I'd also expect manufacturers to take a very dim view of such activity.

cp999 · Post by **cp999** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 10:35 am

It simply won't work. Even if the process was automated to the point at which you had a character-recognition device scanning the screen and putting the info into Google, the odds are even if the question is answerable by Google, a user might still have to scan through the various results until an appropriate one is found.

And there are plenty questions on machines which are not Google-answerable:

"Which of these words comes first in the alphabet?" to give a really basic example.

Then there's questions which have either been compiled or transcribed by morons:

"Who recorded the album 'Pinnocks'?"
"How many ounces has an octahedron?"
"Who was the first man on the moon in 1961?"

to give just a few examples from many.

(Answers: David Bowie, 12, Yuri Gregarin (sic)).