High Score Club Week 7: Missile Command!

[Goochman]

I'm still unsure as to a solution for the whole "rolling the score problem"...

 

I don't want to resort to choosing only extremely hard challenges, because there are plenty of people who have a hard enough time keeping up as it is.

 

Perhaps the first person who manages to roll the score could propose some sort of "elite" challenge (specifically something that would never be able to turn into an endurance match), and everyone who manages to roll the score would then take on that challenge to fight for a "true #1" spot. For example, an appropriate challenge for Missile Command might be to see how many points you can get doing only the first round (Does this ever reach a maximum?). This extra challenge would likely not lead to any higher rankings or extra Fuji's or anything like that... probably just for bragging rights, breaking ties, or deciding who gets the patch in the end. What do you guys think?

 

--Zero

 

I think you should propose the Elite challenge once 2 players have rolled the score - That way the first to do so cant pick a challege they are espcially adept at.

[Jeffy Arensmeyer]

 But how will points be awarded? Or do they get awarded at all unless there's a playoff?

 So if you're one of the players that max the game, then your points are held in limbo until you commit more time into an already very short period (one week) for playing a new game?

 It's the simplicity of the HSC that makes it fun. Playoffs and additional rounds don't seem to fit the mold.

 

ò¿ó   

 

[sku_u]

I have a suggestion....  

 

If more than 2 people max out or flip a score, then no patches will be awarded. The reason being, that I believe the game (or game variation) will be considered too easy and not worthy of a merit patch. I think this will solve some of our patch probelms and make it more rewarding for those who do earn one.

However, I will still make the patch design and post it, and give credit to those who reach the score for the sake of the club.  

 

Sounds good to me

[GrizzLee]

If I understand Lee correctly, this is not a money problem but a time problem.

 

That is correct....

 

BTW: Thomas, i expected a better showing in the weeklys by you.

 

-Lee

[Thomas Jentzsch]

It takes long enough now just getting a score and posting it.  Any additional time required, especially for "more kudos" would be a deal breaker.  

IMO the tie breaker should be a variant of the same game which doesn't require to play very long at all.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

BTW: Thomas, i expected a better showing in the weeklys by you.  

I have a job to do and am currently working on the third minigame (I'll post some WIP soon).

 

But maybe you'd prefer me to play instead of programming?

[Dan Iacovelli]

new score:

5520

(I managed to save a city that pushed me to the next level)

If time allows me before I pack up for MGC I might be able to squezze another game in

[GrizzLee]

I have a job to do and am currently working on the third minigame (I'll post some WIP soon).  

 

But maybe you'd prefer me to play instead of programming?

 

For you... is there a distinction?

 

-Lee

[homerwannabee]

Am I missing something here. The name of the club is "High Score Club" as in the highest score. If you stop at maxing the score you lose the whole meaning of what a competition is. I am sorry but I think quiting a game is not a good precedent to start, and that's exactly what a person does when they stop playing right before the score maxes out. Think about it this way, should we give the gold medal for every person who finishes under 10 seconds in the 100 meters because after all that is an amazing score and everyone should be awarded for their efforts for doing so. Or better yet give all golds too people who can finish the Marathon in less than two and a half hours. And why not make it so that if both teams play good in the Superbowl, world series, And the NBA finals to give them the title of world champs even if their oponents did better than them. Also if you stop at playing when you flip the score than you are not excepting the best of yourself. Some might say that you have already done your best by flipping the score, but that would be like a great artist walking away from his painting because he feels that it is already better than 99 percent of other people so why spend the extra time to make it the best. One thing I thought was cool was it seemed that almost every week there was someone who was destroying the curent world record at Twin Galaxies. I believe this club has so much potential to be admired for many great acheivments. This acheivments can not happen if people quit their game and not go for the world record because they have already flipped the score. I am suprised that someone of the stature of Todd Rogers would endorse something like this. Your endurance Todd was one of the big reason's that you became famous. Once again if I am able to flip a game I would not stop playing unless I was esentially forced too, whether that be school,work, bathroom, or exaustion. It looks like people are definetly towards not having scores counted once the score flips. If this happens, I for one will miss all the records that could of been broken by this great club.

[Dan Iacovelli]

new score:

5520

(I managed to save a city that pushed me to the next level)

If time allows me before I pack up for MGC I might be able to squezze another game in

as it turns out this will be my last score for this week. I packed up my power strips for MGC.

[ToddRogers]

Ok let me get this correct , you say that you want me to play the selected game of the week till i cannot play anymore ...RIGHT..... Your meaning of High Score Club, if thats the case then a LOT of players here will be slightly mad at me for taking 1st place on the highscores every week on games that i excell at. Mind you not every game but a whole bunch. If this is the case then as i mentioned in private to other gamers on this forum it will be no better then my childhood when i played against the neighborhood kids. When they got tired of me playing ALL the time and not getting their turn they went home and i was alone. I DONT want to discourage ANY player from making great strives in their efforts on their gaming skills. Yes i do ENDORSE the High Score Club for their intentions and motivations for the newer gamers so that they CAN learn new methods to better their own personal scores. I am saddened to think that you believe that i am pulling punches all i wanted to do was make a fair and comfortable attempt at a ranking and in the mean time have fun in doing so. Im think on another note maybe the players aught to concider selecting games that are not maxed or flipped games that ARE harder like Stampede or Cosmic Ark or Gopher. The Twin Galaxies rankings are quite low in compairison and i do know that they are challenging games. Pressure Cooker , Enduro, or Infiltrate will give someone a real tug too to novice players. So now that ive rambled on let the public decide.

 

 

Todd Mr Activision Rogers

[stayrunner]

Homerwannabee, I couldn't have said it better!

 

I just don't understand all the crying about continuing after flipping the score. If you want to stop then stop, but you shouldn't automatically get 12 points just for flipping the score. If Todd Rogers is #1 every week then so be it.

 

One winner. No sharing. Highest score wins.

[sku_u]

Homerwannabee, I couldn't have said it better!    

 

I just don't understand all the crying about continuing after flipping the score. If you want to stop then stop, but you shouldn't automatically get 12 points just for flipping the score. If Todd Rogers is #1 every week then so be it.  

 

One winner. No sharing. Highest score wins.

 

What do you do on games that have a maximum score, then? There were three people tied for first in Megamania a few weeks back.

[Jeffy Arensmeyer]

 What to do? All this is definitely putting Ze_ro on the hot seat. And the dude is just trying to have some fun with other other avid gamers.

 

 Endurance is not just a matter of doing the time but also having the time. So does being "the best player" at a game mean that you not only have to be good at the game, but also have a lifestyle that supports 4, 5, 6 or more straight hours of gaming per session or day? Essentially the definition of the best gamer means calling in late to work or skipping homework with your kids or postponing dinner with your wife so you can flip a score three times in a row? For as leveled as the rules should be about scoring methods, they should also be leveled about the cross-section of people in here. We all aren't single people with 40-hour work weeks, but everyone should get a fair chance based more upon skill instead of opportunity.

 

 Sorry, but this competition shouldn't require a lifestyle change just to be a winner. It's for fun. There's been squabbles, and there will be more, but damn it all if this boils down into a Night Owl High Score Club with bleary eyed people playing for 16 hours straight.

 

 I was proud of my 4 hour stint, but anything longer is out of the question for me. Others here may be ready to go for 10 hours, but others here want a brief distraction instead of a daily obsession.

 

 Choose games that have an end, like timed games, or games that run for a finite amount of time. We all control the games we play, so instead of backing ourselves into a corner, let's think about our choices well before we make them.

 

ò¿ó   

[stayrunner]

Ties should go to the first person to post his or her score.

[Ze_ro]

Am I missing something here.  The name of the club is "High Score Club" as in the highest score.  If you stop at maxing the score you lose the whole meaning of what a competition is.

 

I understand what you mean, but keep in mind that in the case of some of these games, some of the people here have completely mastered them. I'm all in favor of seeing who is best at a game, but we're at the point here where being the best isn't as important as having the most free time. Both Todd and sku_u (and probably Jeffy, 5th ghost, and a few others) could probably play for a full week straight if it wasn't for things like eating, sleeping, working and bathroom brakes.

 

When you really think of it... improving your score in this game from 5000 points to 20,000 points probably takes a LOT more work than improving your score from 600,000 to 10,000,000. Eventually, your score in the game isn't really a good indication of skill anymore.

 

--Zero

[Saldo]

89,520.....I just realized I was playing games 16, but with the left difficulty set to A!!!! LOL. Switching to B helped a little bit!!!

 

- Sal

[Shannon]

I think people are getting a little sidetracked here.

 

The problem seems to be two fold.

 

Lee cannot create a patch for everyone.

The lesser capable players would like to feel like they are making some kind of difference. (as well as improving their skills from listening to the masters).

 

I think both can be resolved.

 

If a player really feels they are good enough to roll a score for to the nth degree then what they should really be doing is recording it and sending it to twin galaxies.

 

As for the HSC I feel things should be different. If your about to roll the score, grab a camera take a snap, submit it here. Continue to play, submit your super duper score to twin galaxies.

 

As for the patches. I think the idea here is to come up with a system whereas less can be passed out, but in a fair manner.

 

Keep in mind people that this is not some contest where everyone meets at a one place, at a set time (where they can plan ahead), compete for a specific period and stop. People have schedules and real life they have to work around to squeeze these games in.

 

Two examples.

 

Me. I work night shifts 12 hrs, 3 days on week, 4 days the next. Weekends one month, Weekdays the next. When I'm working week days my playing tends to end up occuring towards the end of the week. When working weekends most likely my playing will end up somewhere near the beginning to the middle of the week.

 

Some people are in different time zones.

 

The point being, this is not exactly equal ground here (a set time and place). So some type of accomodations have to be made to make it as interesting as possible.

[Saldo]

Here are my thoughts on the whole flipping thing.

 

I have no problem if someone wants to do a marathon to see how far they can get, more power to them. If it ends up with Todd always coming in 1st every week, well that's life (I think there are some people here that could give him a run for his money though!!). On games that max out, if more than one person achieves that level than they should each get the 12 points for the week and that's that. I don't think there is a need to prove that you can flip a game X amount of times. Chances are if you can get to that level you should be video taping the session to validate the flips and send the tape to Twin Galaxies!!!

 

Also, remember this weekly contest was conceived for fun and to get people to take out those old games and rediscover them again (I know thats what this friendly contest has done for me). I've played games that I've never played before, or haven't touched in 20+ years!! I even dragged out my original heavy sixers from my parents house so I could actually play these games on some real hardware (my collector units are packed away ).

 

I think it's a great honor to play with the likes of Todd Rogers, 5th Ghost

JediJeff, sku_u, and the others who consistantly blow the doors off everyone week after week. If you don't have people like this to play against then you never push yourself and you never get any better. I know when I'm playing I always say to myself "this is the game that I beat Todd Rogers on"....of course I never even come close!!!

 

 

-Sal

[Saldo]

If a player really feels they are good enough to roll a score for to the nth degree then what they should really be doing is recording it and sending it to twin galaxies.

 

As for the HSC I feel things should be different.  If your about to roll the score, grab a camera take a snap, submit it here.  Continue to play, submit your super duper score to twin galaxies.

 

 

Shannon said it better than I did....this is the point I was trying to make!!!

 

- Sal

[Saldo]

Damn...one more thought. The patch issue. Since this is turning out to be such a big time consumer for Lee and his wife, maybe it's time to just STOP with the patches!!!

 

Now I don't know Lee, but the guy seems pretty straight up since he volunteered to design the patches and have his WIFE sew these up. While they have all looked fantastic, do we really need need to pat ourselves on the backs so badly??

 

Maybe a solution would be to forget the patch and just take Lee's designs and put them into a certificate that can easily be PM'd or e:mailed to the the winners and they can print them out. This way this sets Lee's wife free, Lee can still do the designs if he wants to, and there is no postage to worry and delivery issues for him to worry about.

 

Ok that's it, I've posted three messages in a row, that's all I'm saying for tonight!!! Good night!!

 

- Sal

[Jeffy Arensmeyer]

Ties should go to the first person to post his or her score.

And anyone that can linger around until midnight, find out what the next game is, then play until dawn or longer should be the winner!    bfs

 

That's not what getting the patch is about. Skill verus Opportunity...? It's up to the collective us to decide the contest criteria. Please just decide; no more black or gray areas.

 

ò¿ó   

[Thomas Jentzsch]

That's not what getting the patch is about.  Skill verus Opportunity...? It's up to the collective us to decide the contest criteria.  Please just decide; no  more black or gray areas.   ]

I agree.

 

Anyway, what is your sugesstion for the patch problem?

[homerwannabee]

I feel the patch and the number 1 score are things that give people incentive to play better. I do have an idea that might work for both parties, for those who flip the high score than they can have their 12 points, for those who get the highest score they can have their patch. It is obvious the patch can not be given out to everyone so how bout the highest score still getting the patch. This way the people who want to get their high score the easy way can be happy and those want to get something for their insanely high score can be happy. This is more an appeal to Lee Krueger since he is the one who make's the patches.

[Ze_ro]

If a player really feels they are good enough to roll a score for to the nth degree then what they should really be doing is recording it and sending it to twin galaxies.

 

As for the HSC I feel things should be different.  If your about to roll the score, grab a camera take a snap, submit it here.  Continue to play, submit your super duper score to twin galaxies.

 

I've been reading everything that's been posted so far, and I'm still not 100% sure what to do in the end... I actually rather agree with Shannon though. The High Score Club isn't meant as some authority on high scores... that's what TwinGalaxies is for. If you're managed to roll the score three times, then you've obviously mastered the game... but there isn't a lot of point in handing out less points to someone just because they had to stop the game after rolling it twice so they could go to work or something.

 

Unfortunately, that doesn't solve the problem of who gets a patch at the end... However, I probably shouldn't be making any decisions about that anyways. Lee is the one who was kind enough to do this in the first place, so I think his decision about that should be final. If he decides the score-rollers should go through a "bonus round" or would rather just go with whoever was first to roll it, then so be it.

 

Also, I finally managed to get 22,980... woo! Maybe I haven't completely lost my knack after all The rest of you are still playing Missile Command despite all the recent drama, right?

 

Oh, and if anyone happens to find a smiley that's doing backflips, I think it would be very appropriate in some of these threads...

 

--Zero