AoPS For the Win! Instructions

AoPS For the Win! (FTW) is a fun way to practice your math skills while competing with other players. In cooperation with MATHCOUNTS^®, many of the problems in FTW are drawn from past MATHCOUNTS^® contests. There are currently about 15500 problems in FTW.

Lobby

When you first sign in, you will be placed in the lobby where you can start new games and join games that are about to start.

The lobby is divided into several areas. The "Games in Progress" window is a large area which displays games that are being started and games that are soon to start. Green bars indicate the game has already started, and these games will display the text "Spectate" or "Can't spectate" when you hover your mouse over the game. You can spectate a game by clicking on the Spectate link wherever it appears. Light blue bars indicate the game is forming, and these games will display the text "Join" when you hover your mouse over the game. You can join the game, if the limit of the number of players has not been reached, by clicking on Join Game.

At the top right you will find information about your account, including the number of games you have played on the current day, and your current rating (if you have played enough games), which updates after each rated game.

Below your user information is a list of users in the lobby. Clicking on your own name in the user list will allow you to see your game statistics and give you the option to make your profile visible to others. You can find more information about a user by double-clicking on the user's name. Names with gray avatars mean they are away (idle for at least 15 minutes).

Below the user list is a Notifications block where administrators will occasionally post messages and you will be informed of changes to your current game. This will usually be blank in the lobby.

Game

Starting a new game

All registered users can create a new game. Click the + button to get started. You will be provided with several options, as shown below.

Select the number of players, number of problems, time allowed per problem, scoring method, whether you wish to allow spectators, and whether you wish the game to be rated.

Games can be made private by specifying a password for the game. Only users who know your game's password may play. This is particularly useful if you want to play a game with your friends.

Scoring methods:

Ranking: Gives you points based on the number of players and how fast you answered. The first person to answer correctly gets points equal to the number of players who answered. The second person to answer correctly gets points equal to the number of players minus one, and so on.
Time: This is a racing type of scoring method. Points will be given to players who answer correctly based on the amount of time remaining to answer the problem. A player who answers quickly will obtain many more points than a player who takes longer to answer the problem.
Responses: Points are awarded based on the number of players who answered correctly and the total number of players that answered the question. If all who answered the problem were correct, 100 points would be given to each person. However, the more people who answer incorrectly, the higher the number of points that is given to those who answered correctly.
Composite: Points are awarded based on a combination of time, ranking, and response methods.

Playing the Game

The game will start automatically when the maximum number of players has been reached. The host of the game (initially the user who created it) may also start the game manually by pressing the Start Game button at the top of the screen. If the host of the game leaves, then a different player in the game room will become the new game host and can start the game.

Answer all questions in the response box. Reduce all fractions to lowest terms. For a problem that expects an answer of 1/2, the response of 2/4 would be considered incorrect. Please see the Answering Problems section below to learn how to properly submit your answers. After you have answered a problem you will see a scoreboard indicating whether your response was correct, and the time it took to answer the problem. The scoreboard will be visible until all players have answered or time has expired.

At the end of a game you will be rated against other registered players. Your rating will not be compared against guests and other players on the same IP address (to discourage cheating). You will be rated even if you leave a game early, so we suggest playing the entire game, even if you are losing, so that you can gain as many points in the game as possible.

Player Colors

The in-game user list uses colors to denote the host, players, and spectators for a game. The host is orange, players are blue, spectators are yellow, and the current user (you) will show as green (even if you are the host). Scores are shown to the right of each username. Spectators will have an S next to their username instead of a score.

Answering Problems

To input a square root with x as the radicand, type

\sqrt{x}

To input , type

\pi

A coordinate pair should be entered as (x,y).

(4.2,5.2)

Fractions should always be reduced. A fraction should be entered as x/y.

1/2

A mixed fraction should only be used when the problem specifically asks for a mixed fraction. These should be entered as X y/z.

5 1/3

Coefficients of variables should be written without the multiplication sign.

3x

Multipliers with square roots should be written without the multiplication sign, such as 3 times the square root of 5 .

3\sqrt{5}

Powers should be entered with the caret (^) symbol.

x^2

Reviewing a Game

After a game has ended, you can review the problems from the game. The game review will display the problems one at a time. The correct answer and the answer you provided can be found under the problem statement.

Use the left and right arrows to navigate the problems. To close the review window and exit the game, click the Leave Game button in the upper right corner.