Firstly, when you talk about flaws: GPL is the main flaw. Mame is not under GPL, but it's license is de facto the same. We can't publish binaries without source. So MARP uses TG Mame, HCC Cup uses it too. We in addition have our own system (SA codes), which is (and will be) implemented in several software. It is partially available for Mame already. (not publicly, of course) Although I look forward to have own Mame version with encrypted .inp files and full support of SA codes, I currently work on ZX Spectrum emulation which is wanted by other people for another game tournament too.(posted 9004 days ago)You also don't know two news: 1. Mame TG is now required for all games at HCC Cup. 2. On-line gaming is required. Player get activation codes, plays the game and sends the result IMMEDIATELY back to server. Downlaod and upload times are logged and they are compared to the duration of submitted .inp. This prevents players from slowing down the emulator.
We also plan to get rid of these .inp files, and start the real on- line system, where .inp files will be compressed and send over network in real time. This way the users neither get any complicated activation codes, nor they can fiddle with them and try to cheat.
> Actually, there is one more reason I replied... > > Someone alerted me that my favourite game, Pnickies, is part of your > tournament. Here is what you wrote on your pages: > > "This game requires a really fast computer. Use any settings." > > Use any settings? Err... are you aware that there are 8 difficulty > levels in Pnickies? Aren't tournaments supposed to have well-defined > rules as to settings, allowed techniques, etc. etc.? Or were you > trying to hide the fact that you (unlike MARP) don't have a way to > check which settings were used in an .inp?
I am really happy that you read the rules before you wrote this. I think our rules are exact. We really preffer playing at the easiest settings. All Mame games. Period. Since somebody might be interested in playing a game with different settings, it is also accepted. I don't hide that *I* personally don't know how to check which DIP switches were used to record .inp. You are right, I am absolutely unable to check it. But I don't understand what you mean when you say it? If you consider that 1. only a few players in HCC Cup uses .inp files!!! The others use classic judging. 2. I am experienced programmer and I can anytime do the software to check .inp files, if I will want it, it is not a problem.
If you don't believe, please go to http://hidden-and-dangerous.com and see what I do. Or you can see my emulators at http://get.to/aley.
> I might actually have joined your tournament, but recording 10 games > of Pnickies into one .inp would require me to play for almost 2.5 > hours, which shows another flaw of your system: Some people can play > some games for a long time (and much longer than the 13-14 minutes per > Pnickies game). There are plenty of games in which a good player can > play 45 minutes per credit. If that player were really serious about > trying to get a good score, and so use all 10 attempts, that would > require 7.5 hours of playing. In some cases, the cure can be worse > than the illness...
You are right that some gurus can play Mame games very long, but if this is the only reason why you don't want to compete in HCC Cup, there is no problem. The rules neither say that you must play all ten attempts at once, nor that you must play all 10 attempts. Actually you can play as little as one single attempt. Usually players play two or more attempts at once, and then they are forced to record all attempts into one .inp file. This way we (the judges) have easier life. That's all. Since we perform some extra checking of playtime (which you don't know, since you don't have access to our FTP sever, where more information on on-line gaming can be found), we preffer playing three or five attempts at once. But it is absolutely NOT REQUIRED. Again: not required.
So it seems you probably misunderstood some part(s?) of the rules of HCC Cup. If you think there are some wrong formulations (I am not Englishman), which prevent people from understanding the rules well, fell free to write me (outside this forum). You know some people don't understand MARP rules as well, so that's nothing special with our tournament.
And please don't think HCC Cup is something against MARP. It's just something different which may interest MARP memebers. So I am here with the invitation.
------------------------------------------------------------------ Bc.Aley [eili] Keprt - games & multimedia programmer ICQ: 82357182 (evenings) *** phone: +420-68-5387035 (weekends) private e-mail: AleyKeprt@bigfoot.com *** http://get.to/aley office: Illusion Softworks, Brno, CZ - keprt@illusionsoftworks.com ------------------------------------------------------------------