francoisadt1 wrote: ↑Wed May 06, 2020 4:31 pm
Using nr.60 Gauntlet as an example. How will one go about get the information for Top3 of the LOV list.
Pac-Man, Galaga and Donkey Kong?
Let's tackle the Asian score boards.
What are the process you did follow (and one of us need to follow) to gather:
- where the game score are kept (links to sites)
- who the custodian is of the information
- Get the Game information
- Get the score of the applicable game
- Settings of a game played
- Strategies used to play the game from the gamer or witnesses?
How do you get hold of the person(s)? What are the sites links you have used?
I paste a part of the text of the Arca which is important to underline:
"Japanese score monitoring system - The Japanese method of gathering hi-scores is much different from the American one and can be considered as the most accurate ever conceived, although it's not exempt from flaws. At first, only Japanese original versions are used, as we said they often differ in the score system from US or World. It's opportune to underline that on the Nipponese market no other version has ever been present, only in the last years some MAMEcabs appeared, on which anyhow eventual new records are not accepted. For the realization of records, the default conditions are adopted for all games, exception made for some few special cases which request particular variations (see Meikyu Jima); this regulations or eventual following modifies on the score monitoring are from time to time proclaimed on the Arcadia magazine. All rankings are intended to be for single player, although in rare occasions a ranking for two players in cooperation has been considered (Tough Turf, 1941, 1943, Kyukyoku Tiger 2 etc.). The rules have been meticolously estabilished by the conduct of the magazines Gamest (1986~1999) and Arcadia (1999~present) with an apposite professional staff designated for the occasion, that possesses all the information related to games obtained directly from the software houses. This fact doesn't though prevent the discovery of possible invalidating patterns even after many many years after the launch of a game, such to make necessary the exclusion of the title from the score gathering. Games affected by these problems are in fact excluded from the gathering. This may happen with the launch of the game or in the moment of the identification of an infinite pattern (similar cases have been registered even after twenty years like for Daioh or Battle Garegga). There are specific regulations for some titles that present minor troubles, at times of casual nature (like Sengoku). As Japan is the birthplace where arcade games are produced, the knowledge of the software can be considered almost absolute, and this allows to manage at best any sort of problem that, incidentally, usually seem to be unknown to the rest of the globe and still today, in many cases, are not known. The only really negative aspect of the score monitoring system in Japan is instead represented by control panels. These turn out to be heavily modified, with autofire, synchronizer or multi-frequency devices, mapped buttons, macros etc., that helps the player in obtaining scores optimized to the highest skill. This process of panels manipulation developed since the end of the 80s and it deepened year after year, until our time. Not all the records use or need such manipulations. Usually, but of course not always, the application of these methods doesn't lead to an effective increase of the score but simply guarantees an energy saving for the player, so to allow to execute several consecutive tries in the same day without decreasing in quality of performances. The phenomenon is so widespread and well-estabilished that there's no way to identify who makes use of it or not, except when that is specified in the comment associated with the score. The scores generated with these devices often are not separated, but in rare occasions distinguished rankings have been instituted. This practice, furthermore widespread in China and adjacent countries, is the only thing that makes the Nipponese score gathering system imperfect. It must be said that often the same player asks for determined modifies or frequency of the control panel directly to the game center manager. These are requests that managers easily accept, as keener players are considered a real investment, because for the realization of a record they are disposed to invest capitals in a range of 100.000~1.000.000 yen (a single game costs 100 yen). Then, it is necessary to complete the game, or better said, if in the database an all clear score is already present, next record must be necessarily superior and including the completion of the game. Only titles considered are the ones distributed in the Japanese territory from 1985/86, that is when Gamest began to operate. Games conceived in Japan, but distributed only in foreign countries, are not considered. For marathonable or subject to infinite loops titles, the first player only that reaches ten milion points is registered, it isn't considered as well the sum of points in dynamic counter stop (games in which counter resets after reaching its maximum). All records published on the magazines are identified as top of Japan and never claimed as world records, also there aren't comparisons with (or mentions to) scores outside of the Nipponese territory. The huge number of players involved (dozens of thousands), together with the number of game centers present in the country (the highest in the world) and the greatest level of competition matured since the beginnings of arcade era, makes the quality of Japanese records so elevated than in any other country of the world. Obviously this doesn't make it impossible to beat Japanese records, especially with the possibility of studying the games through advanced featured of emulators, that nowadays allow studies which are even more analyzed of what could be done in a game center. The Nipponese system for the monitoring of scores is the one that most of all reaches the concept of world record, exception made for the input boards manipulation context, that alter, in a soft or less soft way, depending on the game, the player's performances, compared to a title traditionally played. A negative aspect of the Japanese database is about its capacity of being consulted. We're talking in fact of a data archive that can not be consulted, as it's transcribed exclusively in Japanese language and not published via Web. Also, it can be of use only by possessing all the number of Gamest, Arcadia magazines, JHA (208 issues + 168 issues + 49 issues for now), there isn't in fact any special summarize of the entire archive. A closed database, then, to the only Nipponese enthusiasts of the record, that makes the archive, like it always have been, precluded to the users of the rest of the world. A last note is about records that can be recovered through the web. The database of Arcadia considers only the gathering of scores that took place in game centers. Any result, even if real and visionable, but made in private or with an emulator, won't be considered. Players who realize scores registered with emulators are not compelled to submit to Arcadia rules, so eventual scores regained from the web that should beat those of Arcadia must be evaluated with extreme care. To move yourself through the world of arcade records is not easy at all. Everybody can confirm a final score by watching a MAME replay or a video, but you must have a deepened knowledge of regulations and specific games in order to determine if the used techniques are or aren't legit or anyhow comparable with other releavant known results. Without the confirmation of a presence really expert in the theme, it may happen to claim scores as valid when instead they are not. Without a person who confirms these data and who is an expert in this stuff, you could make important mistakes. Some scores might be listed as real, whereas they are not. Several case studies of this type were discussed on Marp, as well as the supposed world record of 988.000 points in Legend of Hero Tonma, made by Pac, a spanish player. This record was then declared as incomparable with the previous japanese score of 977.400 points. In fact the spanish player (Pac) consciously made a leeching till to the end of the time, and he didn't finished the game."
All my work is based on japanese arcade official database. We know well that conceptually the "world record" does not exist, because each country uses different rules and above all there are different versions of the games. The Italian community has chosen to follow the Japanese database because we share a large part of its philosophy.
- where the game score are kept (links to sites)
To know all Gamest / Arcadia high score database, you must know japanese language and have the physical copies of the magazines (376 issues). For JHA you can follow them:
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https://wiki.denfaminicogamer.jp/highscore/
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http://www.jha-arcade.com/
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https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... 2114507025
- who the custodian is of the information
Gamest, Arcadia, JHA staff. I study Gamest magazine from 1997. During my long experience I understand many rules. I want to specify that I am Italian, I speak lousy English, and Japan is very distant both geographically and as a language barrier. I spent many years understanding the rules of the record publishing system, but certainly a Japanese user would be able to explain it better than me.
- Settings of a game played
99.9% of the games are played with default settings, but attention, default in japanese version which is often different from others (US or European versions). To discover the settings, you must find the dip switch sheet of the original jap PCB.
- Strategies used to play the game from the gamer or witnesses?
Few informations publicly filters from players. Personally, since 2002 I started looking for Japanese players through social networks (mixi, twitter, discord, site etc.), by contacting them directly and asking them for informations. With great patience you can capture photos and videos.