"I'm happy to accept whatever the majority decides, it's just that if we take away the ability to find points here and there and these games that have endings then we will lose something of the essence of MARP as well. What essence? Watching a true master of a game wringing every last possible point out of their game."(posted 9382 days ago)Bravo, BeeJay. I couldn't have said it better myself.
I just watched your Yam Yam recording with the alleged "points leeching" on Round 22. I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. I DID notice that there are two extra lives that can be earned in the game through score, but you had that last extra before you reached 930k - meaning that this 120k figure that you got docked would have made no difference.
In a game with a forced ending and limited extra lives, point leeching should never be an issue. Period. If you're given no end-of-game bonus for remaining lives, then of course it's wisest to sacrifice those lives in the area where you can earn as many points as possible before dying. Figuring out the best area[s] to use those lives is another element that separates the masters of the game from everyone else that plays it. Besides, if you DID speed through the game, what's to keep someone else from doing what you did, sacrificing lives on a high-scoring level? When someone beats your score on a game with a forced ending, you have to figure out ways to squeeze every last point you can find out of the game.
IMO the only leeching that should ever be banned are ones like GNG where you can earn enough points for a free life on the current life evey time. On the other hand, if you're maximizing points by not making forward progress (like the ones that got penalized in Kung-Fu Master on T2), so what? Again, what's to keep someone else from doing the same thing? A skilled player could spend his lives increasing score there, and then having to risk playing through the rest of the game on that last life. (although Kung-Fu Master loops after completion) I really think some people (*cough*) have gotten too carried away in penalizing people for the remotest possiblity of "leeching".
If this keeps up, eventually so many people will be pissed off over getting their scores lowered that soon there won't be any new recordings to criticize anymore. I say give BeeJay back his 1 million+ scores and let's get a true definition of point leeching.
-BBH