BeaIank

1 hour ago, RH said:

I have a couple of ideas that might squeeze out a couple extra 1ks but my problem is I can never align a perfect run for me.  I either miss a pole jump or lose my Fire Power in 1-4.  But, 108k feels within the realm of possible if I could ever find more than 10 minute sessions to play.

This' why I am focusing on rules set like this this year for most games. Even if you are short on time, you can put in a quick run for a score.

You can hop the turtle two, three times without a worry. You can't stop there and keep hoping on the poor thing.

3 hours ago, guillavoie said:

For the sake of not burdening you with a turtle hopping technique contest, we're going to forbid continuous turtle hopping, so what is shown in the video posted by link would be forbidden.

You can use a turtle or beetle to make extra points throughout your run as you wish while advancing in the level (even if you actually hop on a same turtle twice or thrice), but you can't take a single turtle in order to hop on it numerous times while killing the clock.

@BeaIank can you second me on this please?

 

This is correct. You can't hop on a turtle or beetle continuously. Doing it twice or thrice is fine, but you can't keep killing the clock while racking points with the hop.
Without that ruling, this week would become a hop bore fest.

1 hour ago, Abner Stomps said:

Can anybody post a score?  Was there a sign-up?

82000

Always great to have new blood join us here.
Welcome aboard and have fun!

5 minutes ago, RH said:

@BeaIank I assume this behavior is what you're trying to ban?  I just wanted clarification.  Technically, this WR holder for most points in 1-1 isn't doing the 1-up trick but it's close and the same general idea.  (Sorry, I couldn't find a YouTube video.  Skip to about 30 seconds to see what this guy does.)

https://recordsetter.com/world-record/highest-score-level-1-1-super-mario-bros-nes/33194

If I don't ban the turtle hoping loop, then this week will become a bore fest of turtle hoping instead of level optimization that tries to achieve lightning fast completion while maximizing point scoring opportunities.

11 minutes ago, RH said:

 

And @BeaIank, just to be clear, we play stages 1-1 to 1-4, no death allowed.

I assume if we die we can take a photo from the stage we are on when it resets?

Nay.

If you die your run is invalid. You MUST make it to 2-1 for your score to be valid.

Ladies and gentlemen, @guillavoie and proudly present the 2023 VGS NES Weekly contest, continuing with the tradition that is over a decade long!

We will have a shorter season this year to not burn out our players with games usually focusing on fast and furious rulesets to allow our competitors to quickly try again and again to get that winning score!
Expect too see fierce competition, drama, epic rivalries and great scores all through the season! Our skilled players will put the best of their skills to the test!

And what a better game to start this season than the classic of all classics SUPER MARIO BROS? DO THE MARIO!!!
 

 Without further ado, here are the rules for Super Mario Bros:

• Beat World 1 in one life and take your picture at the start of World 2-1
• You are only allowed one loop of turtle hoping. You must hop the turtle or beetle till you get the 1up then stop and not repeat it. Anyone caught doing more than one loop of turtle hoping will have their score disqualified.
• Highest score wins.
• In case of a score tie, highest amount of coins wins. 

It is good to be back! Let's have a grand season!
"Faster than a vanishing clog! More powerful than an electric drainsnake! It's Super Mario!"

The contest ends Sunday, 02/04/23 at 11 PM VGS time.  Your user name MUST be written or typed on a piece of paper and be in the picture for your score to be valid.  The entire TV screen, or computer monitor if you are playing on an emulator, MUST be in the picture for the score to be valid.  No partial screenshots will be considered or accepted.  No screenshots by hitting "print screen" on a computer will be allowed.  You must take a picture of your computer monitor.  There may be instances where this will be acceptable, but it will be at the discretion of myself and the contest organizers.  Also, the use of turbo controllers is forbidden, as well as any cheat codes, Game Genies, slow motion functions, or save states if playing on an emulator.  Also, we will only be using NTSC systems for the contests.  The use of PAL systems will NOT be allowed.  Good luck everyone and have fun.

Thank you @spacepup

Thank you @Jeevan

1 hour ago, SuperJimtendo said:

Today's question is what do you plan to accomplish in the year ahead? Contest related or otherwise?

If I make to the end of March in one piece or alive, it will be already great.
Things are... complicated here.

21 hours ago, NESfiend said:

I also had a kid in 2022

Why would you make such a mistake?

Congratulations @docile tapeworm

GERAL SCOREBOARD

GENRE SCOREBOARD

PUZZLE

ACTION

SHOOTER

BEAT'EM UP

ARCADE

SPORTS

Welcome to the 2023 VideoGameSage NES Weekly Contests! 

Weekly Contest Moderators
@BeaIank
@guillavoie

GENERAL CONTEST RULES

Please read these rules carefully before you submit a score.  Failure to comply with the rules may result in your score being disqualified.  If you're new to the contests, please take a few minutes to read over the rules to make sure you submit your scores correctly.

Posting Scores

- In order to submit a score for the contest, take a picture of your score with your VGS user name written or typed on a piece of paper, which must be present in the picture. Your VGS user name MUST be in the picture or the score will be invalid and not accepted or considered.
- The entire TV screen, or computer monitor if you are playing on an emulator, MUST be in the picture for the score to be valid.  No partial screenshots will be considered or accepted.  No screenshots by hitting "print screen" on a computer will be allowed.  You must take a picture of your computer monitor.  There may be instances where this will be acceptable, but it will be at the discretion of the contest organizers.
- Old scores from past contests are not acceptable as submissions.  You must play the game during the week it has been selected for the contests.  Anyone suspected as passing off an old score as a new one will have their score disqualified and asked to resubmit a new one.
- When posting a new score, please begin your post by typing out your score.  Larger font (18pt) is preferred.
- If you are posting an updated score, please edit your initial post with the new photo and score. You can still create a separate new post as a bump to notify you edited your score if desired.  Editing your original post makes it much easier for the contest organizers to tally up the scores at the end of the week and also ensures that we don't make a mistake and credit you for the wrong score.
- For speed runs contests, we will be requiring video to show your progress time, baring cases were a speed run may take over 1 hour of recording time.

Systems

- NTSC systems will be the only consoles allowed for the contests.  PAL systems and games will not be allowed.  There are some PAL games that are optimized to run at the same speed and difficulty as NTSC games.  These will be allowed for use in the contests, but you MUST contact contest organizers first before using such a game so that we can investigate it.  Failure to contact us first could result in your score being disqualified.

Emulators

- Emulators ARE allowed to be used in the weekly contests. However, anything that may give a player an advantage with an emulator over playing on the system is NOT allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, save states, Game Genie codes, altered ROMS, and turbo controls.  It is preferred if everyone plays on a console.
- There may be some weeks where emulator use will not be allowed.  If we choose not to use emulators for a specific week, it will be noted in the rules.  This means NO emulators can be used whatsoever and the game MUST be played on a console.  If we play a game and emulators are forbidden and someone still submits a score using an emulator, the score will be ignored..

PowerPak

- A PowerPak IS allowed to be used in the competition with the same regulations as with emulators. You may not use save states, Game Genies codes, altered ROMs or anything else that would give you an advantage over playing with the regular cartridge.

Points and Leaderboards

- Each week the top 8 players who submitted scores will earn points as follows:

1st - 10 points
2nd - 7 points
3rd - 6 points
4th - 4 points
5th - 2 points
Participation -  1

- Anyone who finishes below 5th place will earn 1 participation point.
- There will only be 1 regular leaderboard throughout the year, which will lead right up to the tournament.  The leaderboard style will be the same as 2022 and all points on the leaderboard will be cumulative.
- There will still be genre leaderboards for 2023. The genre for the 2023 contest will be:
     Action
     Arcade
     Beat 'Em Up
     Puzzle
     Shooter/Shoot 'Em Up
     Sports

- All games played in the 2023 contests will be reflective of those genres.  The genre leaderboards will use the same point system as the regular leaderboard, and whoever finishes atop each leaderboard prior to the start of the year-end tournament will win that genre and will be rewarded with a VGS Charms.
- The genre leaderboards are just for fun and will not impact anyone's standing in the tournaments.  So, if you feel you excel at Beat 'Em Ups, go for the Beat 'Em Up Charms.
- For 2023, we reduced the number of rounds from 5 to 4 to not burnout our players too much. Rules for the games will also focus more on shorter, faster to do runs.

Participation Score

- There may be instances where the rules of a game will require you to attain a minimum number of points in order to earn participation points for that week.  For example, if we play Double Dragon, you may be required to score at least 50,000 to earn participation points toward the leaderboard.  Participation scores will be noted in the rules if they will be used for a specific week.  In the event we set a participation score, any scores submitted that do not meet the minimum amount of points will be ignored.

Controllers

- Turbo Controllers are NOT allowed to be used. Neither are any controllers that give you any advantage over regular controllers, such as slow motion or turbo ability.
- If anyone is suspected of using turbo functions, slow motion abilities, etc from a controller, your score will be disqualified and you will be banned from further competition.

Cheating

- Cheating will NOT be tolerated in any form. This contest is based on trust and honor. Anyone found cheating will be banned from further competition.
- The use of point glitches to intentionally increase (or in the case of a low score contest, decrease) your score are frowned upon and not allowed in the contests.  If a point glitch is discovered that can create an unfair advantage, the rules for the game will be altered to ban the glitch.  Anyone suspected of using point glitches will have their score disqualified.
- If there is suspicion of a participant cheating, the contest moderators will review the case and the member may be asked to present further evidence of their score.  Further evidence includes, but is not limited to, video recordings and/or extra pictures.
- If you suspect another participant of cheating, do NOT call them out in the contest threads.  Please send a PM to the contest organizers and we will review the score.  Posting accusations in the contest threads creates unnecessary drama and stress for all involved and will NOT be tolerated.

Sportsmanship and Overall Conduct

- Please be a good sport while playing in the weekly contests.  While smack talk and the occasional vent are fine, please do not get carried away with it.  This includes, but is not limited to, name calling, excessive venting/complaining/whining, excessive profanity, cocky attitudes, arguing with contest moderators, accusations of cheating, cluttering threads with nonsense posts, etc.  Participants who cannot be good sports will receive a warning from me.  If your overall conduct is still considered to be in poor taste, you will be banned from the contests.
- Disrupting of the weekly contests in any way will NOT be tolerated.  This includes, but is not limited to, trolling, name calling, unauthorized prize giveaways, unnecessary drama, etc.  Anyone who disrupts the weekly contests in any form will be reported to a site moderator.

Tournament

- There will be one tournament played this year and that will be hosted in a matter of weeks after the end of the regular season. 
- The number of competitors will be based on how many people participate and will be announced prior to the start of the tournament.
- Anyone who earns a spot in the tournament will receive a PM asking for them to confirm their tournament spot prior to the start of the competition.  Those who can't or are unwilling to participate will have their spot forfeited to the next available person.

RANDOM PRIZES

- Random prizes will be given out throughout the year whenever we have a prize to offer.  These will be announced at random with no particular dates set in stone.  More than likely, anyone who participates in a particular contest will entered into a drawing for a chance to win a prize.  These prizes will be video game related in some way.
- To make it fair for everyone who plays in the contests, you can only win one random prize for the year.
- If anyone is interested in donating prizes to the weekly contests, please contact contest organizers first so arrangements can be made.  Do not feel compelled to have to donate to the weekly contests, but if you really want to, feel free to do it.
- If anyone wants to give away a prize on their own time for a particular contest, you must contact the contest organizers first to get authorization to do so.  Any unauthorized giveaways will NOT be allowed.
- In the event you win a prize, whether it be a random drawing or a tournament prize, we will send you a PM requesting your mailing address.  When giving your mailing address, please give your full name (first and last name) and not just your first name or VGS user name.  We want to ensure you receive your prize quickly and safely. .Once your package leaves our hands and is submitted to the post office, we will be not responsible for any lost, late, misdirected, mutilated, or returned packages.  If you are afraid something may happen to your prize, please request insurance.

  
UPCOMING GAMES FOR 2023

NOTE: This list may be revised with or without notice.  In the event we are not playing a game for a specific week, it will be noted as such on the schedule. The genre for each game is listed after the game title.  

Games per Genre:

Action

Arcade

Shooter

Beat'em up

Puzzle

Sports

For an example of how the rules will usually go and to allow our players to start practicing, here's the rules for our very first game, Super Mario Bros:

• Beat World 1 in one life and take your picture at the start of World 2-1
• You are only allowed one loop of turtle hoping. You must hop the turtle or beetle till you get the 1up then stop and not repeat it. Anyone caught doing more than one loop of turtle hoping will have their score disqualified.
• Highest score wins.
• In case of a score tie, highest amount of coins wins. 

May this be a grand year of competition and fun!

Sent a line up suggestion to @guillavoie and I am waiting on his input so we settle on it.
We will have news for y'all soon.
Point distribution will also change due to the participation numbers seen last year.

Sorry for the lack of updates.

The mid to the end of January was full of family medical emergencies and I couldn't coordinate everything with @guillavoie

We will be starting on March, 26th and this season will only have 4 rounds instead of 5.

The list of games will be released in the next week or so.

2 minutes ago, PII said:

...So, everyone's going to have ~ a month and a half to practice before we actually start?

Maybe more. The 2023 contest will be shorter.

We will announce the schedule till the 30th of January.

1 hour ago, Dr. Morbis said:

Heh, "Excitement Bike" ... Actually, Excitebike would pretty cool for the weeklies because you could pick one of the really hard tracks and just make it best time.  Each attempt would only take a couple of minutes, but trying to improve your best time would be fun...

Absolutely. This would make it fast and very fun to do.

The scoring system will definitely be revised. I formulated it with a participation of 10+ people every week, but with the lower average we had, I will revisit it and change it to better suit our number of players.

Fact is, I will put more known games in the schedule, but I will spare some slots for obscure, fun famicom and less known NES games too.
Can't run this without those at all.
But another option is also passing the torch of the contest if people think that will be for the best of it's future.

Yeah, those were fun times. I no longer have the free time to beat them like that anymore.

9 hours ago, PII said:

If people don't have the time then there is little that can be done.  If people don't wish to expend the time then there is a little more that can be done, but avoiding the inevitable is unlikely unless....?

There is something that can be done.
Adjust rules so that runs take no more than 15, 20 minutes to do for the vast majority of the games.

Most of us aren't in their 20s or even 30s anymore. Players free time is a concern I have to keep in mind going forward with this.

Bringing in new players will also prove difficult because the influx of new blood in the forums itself is being low due to the state of NES collecting and because the people in their early 20s now have nostalgia for their childhood PS2s, not their NES, Gameboys or SNESes.
We are an aging lot and there won't be many new people dying to come here and prove their NES game skills.