How should we decide the winner of the difficulty and barbarian polls?

[civman2000]

To average or not to average, that is the question?

Mean means giving a number (chieftain=1, warlord=2, etc) and averagng hte results.

Median means taking the votes in order and fining the middle one.
Example: Currently:
Chieftain=1
Warlord=2
Regent=9
Monarch=11
Emperor=5
Deity=11
Total=39
The middle of 39 is the 20th vote. The first monarch vote counts as the 13th vote, because there are 12 votes for earlier levels. Therefore monarch has the 13th-23rd votes, which includes the 20th, so monarch is the median.

[Jon Shafer]

I disagree with that system (as I've said ) mainly due to the fact that the middle options nearly always win. I will re-post my example of why I fear this is a bad choice.

Averaging the votes would be more like having 5 different canidates for a political office; 1 on the far left, 1 somewhat left, 1 in the middle, 1 somewhat right, and 1 far right. If you average up the votes for all of them, and whereever the most lies (nearly always the middle) wins. That's not the best way to do things, IMO. Why should the middle (or in some cases, median rather) canidate be the one that wins, even though it didn't get the most votes?

[Space05us]

I say we play on emperor as it is the one right inbetween the two winners.

[Gramphos]

I think what Trip says is true. However, I still think they shall be weighted in some way, bau maybe put in a slightly higher weight for that an option has the most votes. (To avoid the everything goes to the middle trend we can see.)

[Franses]

I agree with Trip but I do not see an alternative. I have been thinking about a revote between the two options that have the most votes but the expected result would probably be ...... Monarch ... unless people completely change their minds. Perhaps in other cases we could go for a more subtle solution. In this particulare case I think we will end up with Monarchy no matter what we do.

Trip: do you have a better alternative?

[Eli]

I agree with Space05us.

[MrWhereItsAt]

Originally posted by Space05us
I say we play on emperor as it is the one right inbetween the two winners.

But that suits the minority who voted for it!

Simplicity: the one with most votes wins. That is how I believed the poll to be decided when I voted, and no doubt many others did too. Perhaps even a repoll with the two or three top options would be less unfair? Else my vote (in a majority category) counts for naught.

[Jon Shafer]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt
But that suits the minority who voted for it!

Simplicity: the one with most votes wins. That is how I believed the poll to be decided when I voted, and no doubt many others did too. Perhaps even a repoll with the two or three top options would be less unfair? Else my vote (in a majority category) counts for naught.

I would have to agree here.

You can't reconstruct the rules of the poll... you vote on something, and whatever has the most votes wins. Why should it be any different from usual?

Even the slight-weighting of going for Emperor I would support, however that's not how the poll should be conducted. Winner takes all. If Monarch and Diety tie, then make another poll. But don't start fudging the rules like this... :

The 'weighting' system I also disagree with. If things are slightly weighted, then things will get naturally shoved to either high-Monarch, or low-Emperor. Why should that be the case either? I'm sorry if people see me as brash, but I'm adamant on the issue that things should remain consistant for each poll. The most votes should win.

[Adagio]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt
But that suits the minority who voted for it!

Simplicity: the one with most votes wins. That is how I believed the poll to be decided when I voted, and no doubt many others did too. Perhaps even a repoll with the two or three top options would be less unfair? Else my vote (in a majority category) counts for naught.

Yeah, we simply just need a repoll between those two close up, and then see what happens, who gets the most voters...

[Jon Shafer]

Originally posted by ADG
Yeah, we simply just need a repoll between those two close up, and then see what happens, who gets the most voters...

The problem is that if Monarch and Diety win, then everyone will flock to Monarch and it will easily win. If a new poll is created between Monarch and Emperor, the supporters of both Emperor and Diety will go to that one, and it will most likely win, due to the fact that it provides a sense of difficulty, without the extreme feel of Diety. A poll between Diety and Monarch will be a joke.

[Spiffor]

I think Gramphos' idea is good, because it takes into account the wishes of everyone, not of the only minority who voted for the winner.
Currently, deity only has 13 votes, and I suppose most other voters don't want the extreme feel of deity. If deity made it by one or 2 votes, it will heavily frustrate everyone else.
Gramphos' calculation is the best (or rather the least bad) way then.

[Pythagoras]

Hold a new poll between the tieing options.

[Kuciwalker]

Averaging any of these has the effect of establishing a compromise between two sides, which is good. It ends up causing the least overall displeasure.

[Captain]

repoll if it's close.
different solution but for same reasons as spiffor mentioned.

[Moral Hazard]

Nah compromise is something that pisses everyone off and satisfies no one