In hopes to clean the site up in the times of memory requirements - and to perhaps help people remember that they are uploading for people to download not only to get more "points" - I want to pose a question up for everyone to vote on.

Should marp have a system where uploaded .inp files could be banned from leaderboard points because they are:

(1) using techniques from the banned technique list of Angry? (gng, rastan, trackfld)

or

(2) recorded from freebie games that do not require more than a few joystick movements or button presses to get the maximum score? (battlane, dominos, comotion)

or

(3) recorded from games that are known not to playback before a certain mame version? (flipshot, lastbld2, breakers)

By banning from leaderboard points these games could still be uploaded and would still be viewable (perhaps sorted below the lowest non banned score of that game), but they would be excluded from the leaderboard point privaledge. In (1) there is a posted list of games to be considered to ban. With (2)+(3) since there is no list, there would be a vote (like Angry's voting scheme) before they were considered games to ban.

-- Chad (churritz@cts.com), September 05, 1999

Answers

My response are as follows:

1) I will concur with the suggestion and ban those recordings

2) Yeah... get rid of those free games - it would make the leaderboard a bit more accurate.

3) I don't know about this one... if a game isn't playbackable at all, then I don't think we should ban it... provided they take a screenshot. If a game was recordable at any point(e.g. sega's old games, on m33b4), then we should ban those that aren't playing back right.

Last Paragraph: Not only is that a good idea - but I think there should be a new color key system.

Confirmed: Green UnConfirmed, but so far legal: Yellow Illegal Recording: Red

Another thing on a side note: I think along with the "edit" function with each recording that a player makes, I think there should be a "delete" function, to erase those recordings that the player doesn't want anymore.

-- Gameboy9 (goldengameboy@yahoo.com), September 05, 1999.

3) recorded to an inp which does not playback properly using options and version used by recorder. (flipshot, lastbld2, carnvckt, carnival)

I meant to say something like that other than ban all game recordings which are from a game that was not recordable at one time :)

-- Chad (churritz@cts.com), September 05, 1999.

This is my point of view:

1) OK....let's ban all the recordings in which an illegal technique (points leeching or other) is used......but DO that !!! Months ago we voted, but those .inps (e.g. 1,5M points in Time Pilot, just to name one) are still there. If Zwaxy has no time (and I believe that!!!), let's vote for one or more judges.

2) If we ban a game with a maximum score reachable, we shold ban miexchng, or even PacMan ... I think they have to be kept.

3) It's not very clear to me, but the simple rule of playing back a single inp to check the score is enough.

I'm gonna start a new voting thread to set a rule for submitting "lame scores"....check it out!

Cicca

-- Cicca (cicca@writeme.com), September 06, 1999.

My opinion: 1) Games that do not have the computer as an opponent should be banned. If I remember correctly these are games like comotion which is a 2 player game. 2) Games like battlane should be banned. The game is not working and the score of 10 points is for free.

-- MvdV (cypr135@knoware.nl), September 06, 1999.

In responce...

1. Yes. Scores should be removed. I did not vote on the techniques used, but they where voted as not being legal play. The scores should not be there. They should be in the Oddities/Cheats inp file section.

PS: I played back JSW's timepilot recording and it was a legit recording. I can neither confirm nor deny if he used autofire though, I did get a cramped finger just watching. :-)

2. I beleive some of these games should not be considered for submission any longer. Each game should be looked at individualy and then voted on for removal, much like the banned techigues section. battlane, dominos and comotion are the most obvious for removal. If not, just put up a banner to submit scores for these games when you first join MARP.

3. Chad, I'm still not sure what you meant by this one even with your clarifaction. :)

I guess I should look at the scores.

-- Dave Kaupp (info@kaupp.cx), September 06, 1999.

more clarification from a communicationally challenged me.

2) ban uploads where it is "easy" to get the maximum score, easy being an issue to be voted on and obviously it is not easy to get a pacman or miexchg high score.

3) ban uploads that do not -playback with the mame.exe version and options submited by the uploader. screenshots are for TG sites, this is an "action" replay site. When you record an inp and fail to play it back it there is no use to upload it other than to get points. Even for games which may playback once and then fail to playback again, if they can't be playedback by others with the same platform options, mame version it's not worth it to be posted. (IMHO anyway, this is a vote.)

-- Chad (churritz@cts.com), September 06, 1999.

1. Yes. The last I think we heard from Angry, he didn't really have time to handle updates right now. If that's right do we need someone to cover new technique issues until he can?

2. Yes. Some games pointlessness is indisputable (Dominos, Comotion) and should be permanently removed without an individual vote. Pac- Man, MIE, and the like don't need an individual vote either as thier difficulty is also indisputable. Other games (such as the bowling scores) need a vote, or a a perfect score limit (ie. 10 players in 1st disqualifies the game), because they may or may not be too easy.

3. If any version records/playbacks properly, you should have to use a version that plays back. One confirmable recording on a game would disqualify all existing & future screenshots.

Aqua

-- Aquatarkus (aquatarkus@digicron.com), September 06, 1999.

1. If the game utilizes a banned technique, then hell yes it should be banned from getting points.

2. Freebie games like Battle Lane have got to go. A lot of the rest are questionable in the amount of skill it takes to get the maximum possible score, but most are pretty easy. To the one who posted: 64 on Solo Play of Money Puzzle Exchanger is very, VERY difficult to do. This is NOT a freebie game. The only one who's gotten this perfect score is MvdV, although Donut has come close.

3. If it don't play back, it don't count. Period. I've already said that I'd like to see those Breakers recordings go, among others :P

BTW, has there ever been a general consensus on autofire? I ask this because I'm losing scores to someone (heh) who is obviously using a turbo-fire pad or something to play. If anyone doesn't believe me, I can explain why.

-BBH

-- BBH (lordbbh@aol.com), September 06, 1999.

1. Yes, the banned technique list was a good idea that was never implemented properly. Since Angry isn't around MARP much these days, maybe someone could contact him to take over as the list maintainer.

2. Kill the freebie points scabbing :)

3. I'm with BBH on this one

On the subject of autofire, no I didn't use it and never have in any recording. My index finger is used to such prolonged vigorous action after years of.. ummm.. playing video games of course.

-- JSW (usagi@dingoblue.net.au), September 07, 1999.

3. OK, now I get it. :) Yes, if the playback feature of a game is not working, it should not be included. I tried recording Depth Charge on this NT machine and it does not playback in the W32 version, nor my previously recorded Xmame version.

BTW: Who takes care of removing bogus scores?

-- Dave Kaupp (info@kaupp.cx), September 07, 1999.