Instructions for Players
Please read about the format here so that you will have an understanding of how this game is played. In the beginning of every game-week, you will be matched with three other players and will receive a single email containing addressed to the four of you, which includes player seat numbers, time zones, and time zone conversions to UTC - Coordinated Universal Time (we are no longer using GMT since UTC is the standard), so that you can discuss and schedule your games according to your free time.
You can respond to the email thread by saying something like “My availability for this game-week is as follows: Tuesday: , Wednesday: Thursday: , Friday: , Saturday: , Sunday: , Monday: . I do/do not have a premium Zoom account”. Include all the time periods you're free at, rather than your most preferred timings, since there are people from multiple time zones who are participating.
Alternately, you use the following free online software for easy scheduling:
Watch this tutorial for beginners to learn how to use the scheduling app.
When is Good (Doesn’t require login)
Watch this tutorial for beginners to learn how to use the scheduling app.
If someone knows that they will be unavailable to respond within two days (48 hours) in any week, they should inform us beforehand by writing an email to eemuquiz@gmail.com.
After this step, the following is the standard protocol for scheduling games, for a faster and smoother scheduling experience:
Wait for 36 hours for everyone to respond.
If one or more player(s) don’t respond within 36 hours, please tag us in the scheduling email thread using @ or drop in to the EMU external readers WhatsApp group. We will contact you directly when we see a join request in the WhatsApp group.
Once we know who has not responded, we will (if possible) contact them immediately and ask them to respond. If you don’t get a response from them within the next 12 hours, then you can go ahead and schedule, irrespective of whether you only have two or three players in the game.
Once all four have decided on a time, the last person to respond should schedule the game immediately in the Matches Scheduling Form . Once it is done, the scheduled game will appear in the Scheduled Games/Sign Up to Read sheet. A reader will pick it up before your game. If you are unable to find a reader with 5 hours to go, please send an email to us or quickly drop a request join access for the EMU external readers WhatsApp group, and we will contact you directly.
Once a reader has picked up the game by inputting their name in the sheet, and they confirm it, an automated email will be sent to the four players and the reader so that players don’t have to add the reader to the original thread, making the process hassle free.
Since most people are familiar with Zoom for teleconferencing, Zoom is preferred over other platforms for these games. So, if any player has a premium account which doesn’t have a time-limit, they should inform the other players while scheduling and add it the Matches Scheduling form. If not, the reader will SCHEDULE and meeting link (either free or premium) and send it at least 5 minutes prior to the game. We do not recommend Google Meets as it still has an echo issue even though it provides free meetings with one hour limit.
The game can be played competitively or casually, depending on your preferences. A public scoreboard will be made available at the end of every game-week here that you can check your rank and other stats if you choose to. The scoreboard will be public and you can share it with anyone you want.
Duration of the game will usually be between 50-55 depending on the reader speed and conversations between the players (giving out any extra trivia regarding the questions although not restricted, is highly discouraged since they might turn up in another question and you may end up giving your opponents more points). An additional 2-3 minutes may be required for reading spares.
At any point, if you have any issues with any of the readers, such as incomprehensible or fast reading, not following the reader instructions for EMU, unprofessional behaviour etc., give us a feedback, and we will inform the reader to better their reading or re-evaluate the reader suitability for our League (and not allow the reader to continue if unsuitable).
It is important that:
you have a stable internet connection.
your video and audio is switched on at all times (except where your background audio is creating disturbance, in which case the reader will ask you to mute yourself when it’s not your turn). But repeated cases of this will be considered suspicious.
your hands and face are visible on the screen at all times.
you are alone wherever you are (eg: a room or a silent spot in a park or a cubicle). This is to avoid any chances of cheating. If you’re living in a dorm or you are in some other place where there is definitely going to be people around, inform us before, and your video may be recorded by the reader (to check, in case of any accusations from other players).
Always follow the code of conduct when playing.