High Score Club: What to do

[Christophero Sly]

I'm not following the five person format for picking games. Is it five people are asked for five games and then everyone votes for one of those games? Or is it something different?

[sku_u]

Todd gets 1st place every time, yeah, but that presents us all with a challenge. Besides, if you're good with tips, and get 2nd place, you are above him by 3 points  

 

At first, I thought this was true, but after a while the HSC turned into "let's see how many more records 'Mr. Activision' can set" competition and made the entire tournament boring. I don't think having him in this as a regular competitor is a good thing. The only times he didn't finish 1st were the few weeks when he was away. The only score of mine that matters to me is my score in Subterranea because it was the only week I was first solo, which is something I'm sure Todd can come in and take away if he really wants to. :wink: My favorite part of the HSC was the olympic special tournament. I'd like to see more team events, possibly quarterly. It made things a lot more interesting because people had to pool their talents.

 

As an aside, me and my wife wanted to put together a PDF with all the tips/tricks, some graphics and a place to put your scores as something you can download and keep for yourselves. This would include all the titles from season 1. The booklet would be the same size as a standard instruction manual and would be a free download for anyone interested. Would there be any ineterst in such a creation?

[+KaeruYojimbo]

Regarding Todd: No one told Babe Ruth or Wayne Gretzky they couldn't play any more just because they were so much better than everyone else. If Todd wants to be part of the HSC, I say let him. No special rules.

 

I like the 1 point intervals for scoring and the lower bonus for tips. After all, this is the High Score Club, not the Best Tips Club.

 

Bonus points for reaching certain scores will just make things too complicated, but maybe there could be other ways to earn bonuses?

 

Enduro is a great choice for Week 1, I'm all for it.

[keilbaca]

sku_u has a point about Todd being the "how many records can I get" as he just got one for this past game, Adventures of Tron. If we have any special bonuses, it'll be if we can set up the "Todd's Challenge" score, and that's for double points, being his scores are so astronamically high.

[pitfallaimee]

Regarding Todd: No one told Babe Ruth or Wayne Gretzky they couldn't play any more just because they were so much better than everyone else. If Todd wants to be part of the HSC, I say let him. No special rules.

 

Babe Ruth and Wayne Gretzky played in professional leagues.

 

For a painfully modern analogy, that's why there are no professional singers in the American Idol competition. It would not be as fun to say "Here's someone who's done this all before better than you, see if you can beat him." The idea is that any person could theoretically make it.

 

I am in favor of not scoring Todd, but having him be an "aspire to this" feature of each week, or having a special, "If you beat Todd, you get extra points" feature. That way he can participate and display his scores, but it leaves the rest of us to rank up with any one of us able to get 1st place. If Babe Ruth shows up at my local pick-up Home-Run Derby and says "Let me compete, too," procedes to beat the hell out of all us amatuer saps, takes first place and then goes home, I'm going to feel cheated. If Babe Ruth shows up, says "Let me hit a few for you guys", lets us marvel at his re-animated corpse smacking a few dingers, and then bows out to let us finish our competition, I'm going to feel 1. Like I have a shot at winning 2. Awed at having seen a master at work and 3. Creeped completely out at having seen a dead man walk into a pick-up game.

 

The same applies to Todd. We all know he's the best. So let's move him up to "Inspiration" and let the rest of us have a shot at 1st.

 

I'm not the best game player out there, but I could occasionally have a legitimate shot at first if I'm playing among people who haven't completely mastered every game there is--most of the people here. And that's what this is about--a friendly community game where anyone could be the Champ. If I wanted to beat Todd, I'd go after his TG scores and if I wanted to beat my own scores, I'd just keep doing what I'm already doing. HSC should, at its heart, be a competition between us amateurs.

 

Cheers,

Aimee

[Gateway]

Though I've been too busy to join in most weeks, I have gotten some play time in( Midnight Magic and the Olympics ).

 

I've been waiting patiently, as some others have mentioned, for the chance to choose the game of the week. Now I'm only a few weeks away from my turn. Don't take that away!

 

And I agree there are still plenty of game titles to choose from instead of starting over with playing some of the same games. Speaking of this, is there a list somewhere of all the HSC games for each week played so far, so that when I choose, I don't pick a game that has already been played

 

I believe Ze_ro was the first to pick a game, so everybody listed before him who hasn't chosen a game( and who is still at least somewhat active here in the forums ) should get to pick a game. Once you get to Ze-ro, you can start over with a new system for choosing a game and count from there: 1,2,3...

 

Just my 2 yen.

[chubsta]

if Todds scores are excluded, then what happens to the next person who dominates the HSC? Do we get rid of them until we are left with nothing but below average players like me?

 

i vote for double points for anyone who beats Todds score, but the same number of points also get deducted from Todds score too!

[Dan Iacovelli]

I agree that we should have a some sort scoring for beating or tieing Todds score. ie Beat the champ and get double points.

Also Todds score shouldn't be included with the regular scores but in a seperate section ie HSC hall of fame.

[sku_u]

if Todds scores are excluded, then what happens to the next person who dominates the HSC? Do we get rid of them until we are left with nothing but below average players like me?

 

That's just the thing. It won't happen. If someone else comes along and dominates like Todd did, then that person should be entering all the cash prize TG challenges. Not playing against a bunch of amateurs who like playing the games and learning some more about them. If you go back about 10 weeks or so, there were about 7 or 8 people who were very close in score with Todd at over double what anyone else had. Having Todd in these every week as a regular competitor is like having Michael Jordan entering a local pick up basketball game. Who would want to actually try and compete against him?

[128bytes]

How about a "Pro/Am" format?

 

Only slightly more work for Keilbaca.

 

 

Here's my idea:

 

There are 2 sets of standings - Pro and Amateur.

 

Everyone is automatically in the Amateur category, except for Todd Rogers, who is automatically in the Pro category.

 

Anyone who has ever earned (or earns in the future) a top 5 score in any week's event (The 5th ghost? D. Yancey?...) can switch to Pro status by posting their desire to the board.

 

If there is someone who the Amateurs think should move to the Pro ranks (because they are clearly a ringer), and ten (10) HSC members agree, than that person will be moved to the Pro category.

 

--------------

I actually agree with both sides of this argument. Anyone like my suggestion? BTW, welcome back to posting, Pitfall Aimee!

[128bytes]

One more thought -

 

To keep the Atari theme going -

 

We can call the Pro division "Difficulty A", and the Amateur division "Difficulty B" . The "Difficulty A" and "Difficulty B" divisions would also take away the idea that the "pros" are doing this for money, since the HSC is clearly all about the love of the games.

[+KaeruYojimbo]

The Pro-Am idea is great.

[Gamemaster_ca_2003]

Humm Pro/Am I'll Aggre to that.

[Malc74]

Okay, here are my thoughts on the Todd issue.

 

As far as I'm concerned, Todd can play every week with no special rules - I play the HSC to improve my scores and to at least try and get a decent position in the top 10. Finishing first would be nice but I don't particularly care if I come second, fifth, nineteenth or whatever, as long as I've had fun in the process. Looking through this thread it seems that a lot of the HSC regulars feel the same way, with most of the complaints coming from people who have rarely (or never) played in the HSC.

 

Can I just ask those people (and anyone else who feels the same way but hasn't posted) - if some new rules are brought in to handicap or disregard Todd's scores, do we have your guaranteed participation in future weeks of the HSC, otherwise why are we even bothering to discuss this? Don't get me wrong - the points you're bringing up (especially Aimee, Stan and Sku_u's arguments) are fair and valid, but what's the point of changing the rules if you're still never going to play?

 

If Stan, Aimee, Stingray and everyone else could confirm that they'll at least try to compete every now and again if the rules are changed, that would be great. After all, the more people we have playing each week the better, and if Todd is in a 'Pro' category on his own or posts a 'Ghost Score' for us to (try to) beat each week it's a different sort of challenge for us mere mortals, while still giving us the chance to grab first place. However, if you guys are still not going to play then I say just let Todd compete with everyone else as before.

[Goochman]

I think we are going overboard a bit here - this is for fun, period. No awards, just the hope it will rekindle your interest in playing the 2600 and introduce you to some classics you never played.

 

Todd doesnt play every week - and if he maxes a game out who cares - worry about your score not others.

 

There arent enough 'pro' players out there that will play consistently - and how many of them can match Todd on most of these games?

 

Lets keep it simple and enjoy playing.

 

Just my $0.02

[Keir]

Can I just ask those people (and anyone else who feels the same way but hasn't posted) - if some new rules are brought in to handicap or disregard Todd's scores, do we have your guaranteed participation in future weeks of the HSC, otherwise why are we even bothering to discuss this?  Don't get me wrong - the points you're bringing up (especially Aimee, Stan and Sku_u's arguments) are fair and valid, but what's the point of changing the rules if you're still never going to play?

Honestly I would probably stop participating. When people start taking it so seriously that other people are excluded because they are deemed to be “too good”, it’s no longer fun. I simply can’t fathom the concept of not wanting to play just because you know you can’t win. I hope that the people who feel this way don’t carry that logic into other parts of their lives because that’s just sad.

[sku_u]

Honestly I would probably stop participating. When people start taking it so seriously that other people are excluded because they are deemed to be “too good”, it’s no longer fun. I simply can’t fathom the concept of not wanting to play just because you know you can’t win. I hope that the people who feel this way don’t carry that logic into other parts of their lives because that’s just sad.

 

That's the main problem IMHO. Some people are taking it way too seriously each week and it is scaring off a lot of people.

[sku_u]

Just out of curiosity, what is the point in having a points or scoring system? I'd be much more interested if the games were featured and people were simply encouraged to play the game, post their scores and write some tips.

[Sauza12]

So I'm pretty new and I wasn't in the last edition of the HSC, but here's what I think anyways:

 

I like the idea of Todd competeing every week. Sure he is going to be number most every week, but the possibility of beating him on any given week would drive me and give me an even bigger incentive to play every week. I like playing people who are that much better than me because it means that I have to step up my own abilities.

[+KaeruYojimbo]

I think this further supports the Pro-Am idea. People who don't like the idea of competing against Todd can stay amateur. Others can earn the chance to go "pro."

 

My suggestion: Any player who wins a week then gets the option of going pro. Any points they had earned to that point would be carried over to the pro side. However, once you go pro, you stay pro until the end of the season. Anyone who wins a week while a pro would have to stay pro for the next season, others would get the coice to return to amateur.

 

I admit it could get a little complicated (I'll help in any way I can to keep things straight as to who's where and such), but it could be a good way to keep everything fair for everyone.

[Dan Iacovelli]

Still think that a hall of fame would be best for Todds score

this way wee keep the regular scoring, and any body who matches or beats(you have to remember most of the games have a limit of on the scoring) Todd will be inducted in to HOF.

you know some how simlar to the normal HOFs (baseball,football....)

[pitfallaimee]

If Stan, Aimee, Stingray and everyone else could confirm that they'll at least try to compete every now and again if the rules are changed, that would be great.  After all, the more people we have playing each week the better, and if Todd is in a 'Pro' category on his own or posts a 'Ghost Score' for us to (try to) beat each week it's a different sort of challenge for us mere mortals, while still giving us the chance to grab first place.   However, if you guys are still not going to play then I say just let Todd compete with everyone else as before.

 

I started in the HSC very close to its beginning, but left do to my objections to Todd's actual competition--it's not fun knowing you can't win, I know some people disagree, but it's the truth (for me). If Todd were elevated to "Pro" I would probably play again when time allows me and Stan might too. We both love competing for scores and both keep records of our high scores for our Atari and NES games. What we already do is compete against ourselves, so the allure of the HSC would be to compete against other people of similar skill level. As I have stated before, if I want to make a run at Todd's records, I'll do it through Twin Galaxies and not through the HSC.

 

Let Todd play, post his score, let people aspire to it, and if someone happens to play the game of their life one week, give them extra points our a special stat or something. That way we all get to marvel at Todd's scores, but we can all have a realistic shot at winning.

 

Once I suggested a game of Soul Calibur 2 be played with my best friend. She'd never played it before, had never really been a gamer, and in all truth was pretty lousy at it. I was able to beat her reliably every time, despite trying to let her win at least 8 out of 10 fights. It wasn't fun for me, it couldn't possibly have been fun for her, and the whole thing was unsatisfying. She couldn't win, and I was shooting fish in a barrel.

 

Let me reiterate that I absolutely hope the HSC continues to be fun for everyone. I just know that having 1st place off-limits most of the time is discouraging, and it is what keeps me from joining in. I may never get 1st place, but I'd know it's attainable.

 

Cheers,

Aimee

[+KaeruYojimbo]

Maybe it's just me, but I still manage to have a good time even knowing that the best I can hope for is a tie for first, and even that's a pretty distant hope.

 

If you're unable to enjoy yourself without winning, then you probably shouldn't participate.

[chubsta]

i dont agree that its no fun knowing that you cant win - ok, im a newbie and have only been in for two weeks, but i played and played AoT because i really wanted to get myself some points - as it was i managed a couple but i was pretty much at the bottom of the scoretable. to me this was a fantastic acheivement, and i learned to enjoy a game that had i just tried once with no purpose i would have never played again.

 

i think there is great satisfaction in beating SOMEONE - to know that you may be rubbish, as i freely admit i am, but what the hell, there was someone even worse!

 

this HSC is the best thing i have found online in years - if you look at my join date for this forum you will see i have been around a relatively long time (since it was atari2600nexus), but nothing has sparked my interest in the VCS since i first played one in 1980 like this has.

Im here for the long run, and if i can get a couple of points every few weeks then i will be happy, i just hope that other people can understand my feeling that winning isnt the be-all and end-all, that sometimes the game is the thing!

[ToddRogers]

Greetings all,

 

Ive sort have been under the weather so to speak i just had a tooth pulled and i have an encapsulated abcess, so sorry for the dealay on this topic but we all know how dental matters can be.

 

First off i would like to say is that the only reason that i had entered the HSC in the first place was the prodding of the 5th Ghost saying that no one would mind my entering because after all its about gaming ...and so it is but i was hesitant about entering because of my past involvement with making high scores for fear of driving other gamers away and surely that wasnt my intent.

 

Secondly i appreciate all the compliments and comments that were made from all my fellow gamers positive or negative as they may be perceved, it also puts into context how a player is judged by his peers.

 

The HSC should be judged and perspected by all the competing players for the basis of setting rules and who plays and who doesnt for various reasons and so on.

If players dont want me to compete im good with that and no ill feelings and if they do want me to compete thats cool to. If you want to impliment a point value if you beat one of my scores if i am still competing weekly it sounds like a good idea and a great initiative. If you want to use me as a Ghost Player that too sounds like a great idea im all for the Ghost idea as i dont want to see "ANY" player get discouraged from my participation.

I was also thinking that in leiu of the double point values that i would consider throwing in a cash bonus every week for "ALL" participating players who beat me in that week thats right i said "ALL" but they must be competing on a regular basis meaning not skipping weeks at a time. I also may perpose this idea to ties as well in case of a 999,999 game on certain titles. Give these ideas some thought and i hope all are happy with my perposals after all its about having fun.

 

Todd Mr Activision Rogers