Hello NintendoAge and welcome to the 2018 NintendoAge Weekly Contests! For the ninth straight year, guillavoie and myself will be managing and moderating the weekly NES game contests, so please feel free to send us a PM if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about anything related to the contests. Also, I want to welcome a newcomer to the Weekly Contest moderator team. Bea_Iank will be helping moderate the contests and handling the leaderboards this year, so if anyone has any questions or concerns about the contests, please feel free to send her a PM. There will be a tournament at the end of year that will likely use the same format as last year. The addition of more icons is still up in the air, so at this time, the creation of new icons is on hold (the Game Participant icon can still be earned by first-time participants to the contests). Good luck to everyone who participates!
Weekly Contest Moderators
bimmy_lee
guillavoie
Bea_Iank
Weekly Contest Helpers
Bea_Iank (leaderboards)
WEEKLY CONTEST ARCHIVES
Interested in reading up on the history of the Weekly Contests? Check out Brock Landers awesome Weekly Contest history thread here (thanks Brock for taking the time to compile all the info):
for "vintage" NA users:
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=3...
for normal NA users:
http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=31&th...
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 NA user name written or typed on a piece of paper, which must be present in the picture. Your NA 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 myself and 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.
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 me or guillavoie 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 I 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 and you will receive a warning from me.
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 – 11 points
2nd – 10 points
3rd – 9 points
4th – 8 points
5th – 7 points
6th – 6 points
7th – 5 points
8th – 4 points
Participation – 3 points
- Anyone who finishes below 8th place will earn 3 participation points.
- 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 2017 and all points on the leaderboard will be cumulative.
- Even if you feel you can't finish in the top 8 one week because the game selected is too hard for you, still go for those participation points. It can go a long way on the leaderboard and can help people squeeze into the lower seeds in the tournament. Remember, even if you only score 10 points on the leaderboard, it could still get you into the tournament.
- There will still be genre leaderboards for 2018. The six genres are:
Action/Platformer
Arcade
Beat 'Em Up
Puzzle
Shooter/Shoot 'Em Up
Sports
- All games played in the 2018 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.
- 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 icon.
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. A lot of time is spent on these contests, from selecting games to choosing the perfect rules that fit each game to playtesting the rules, as well as many other things. If you cheat, you are wasting my time and the time of everyone else competing in these contests. If you feel the need to cheat, do not participate in the contests and cheat on your own time.
- 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 guillavoie or myself a PM 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.
Tournaments
- There will be only one tournament played this year and that will be hosted in late October/early November. The official start date for the tournament is set for October 21, 2018. See the below schedule for the start date for each round.
- The format for the 2018 tournament will likely be the same as 2017 with a seeded system that placed the top 16 participants from the leaderboard into four separate groups. While this format worked very well, we always look for new and more exciting ways to host a tournament. The tournament format and the number of participants will be announced prior to the start of the tournament.
- It will be an elimination-style competition for prizes.
- 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 from me 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.
- Anyone who plays in the weekly contests will have a chance to participate in the tournament and a chance to win a prize
RANDOM PRIZES
- Random prizes will be given out again throughout the year, but will be at my discretion. 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.
- For contests that have a random prize, cheating will NOT be tolerated. Anyone suspected of cheating will be disqualified from winning the prize and banned from further contests. Random prizes will be stopped entirely if problems begin to arise. Let's make this a fun thing to do.
- If anyone is interested in donating prizes to the weekly contests, please contact me 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 talk to me about it.
- If anyone wants to give away a prize on their own time for a particular contest, you must contact me 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, I will send you a PM requesting your mailing address. When giving me your mailing address, please give me your full name (first and last name) and not just your first name or NA user name. I want to ensure you receive your prize quickly and safely. I don't want to have any packages returned to me by the post office because "MoofMilker69" isn't a real name. Once your package leaves my hands and is submitted to the post office, I am not responsible for any lost, late, misdirected, mutilated, or returned packages. If you are afraid something may happen to your prize, please request insurance.
GAMES FOR 2018
Here is the list of all games that will be played in the weekly contests for 2018. This list may be revised with or without notice, but I will make sure I announce to everyone if a game is going to be changed.
THIS WEEK'S GAME: SKI OR DIE
Rules
- Play in Compete Mode (Register your name on the clipboard)
- You must play Downhill Blitz, Snowboard Half-Pipe, Snowball Blast, and Inner-Tube Thrash
- Add all four scores together to get your final score
- Take a picture of all four scores on the High Scores menu
- Highest score wins
- Participation: 10,000
- GENRE: Sports
UPCOMING GAMES FOR 2018
NOTE: This list may be revised with or without notice. The genre for each game is listed after the game title. If we are playing a game for the first time in the history of the Weekly Contests, the note "1st Time" will listed after the genre. We will be taking several breaks this year to prevent burnout amongst the contest organizers and participants and to better prepare rules for future contests. In the event we are not playing a game for a specific week, it will be noted as such on the schedule.
2/11/18 – 2/18/18: Dr. Mario (Puzzle)
2/18/18 – 2/25/18: Super C (Action/Platformer)
2/25/18 – 3/4/18: Jackal (Shooter/Shoot 'Em Up)
3/4/18 – 3/11/18: Double Dragon (Beat 'Em Up)
3/11/18 – 3/18/18: Cobra Triangle (Arcade)
3/18/18 – 3/25/18: R.B.I. Baseball (Sports)
3/25/18 – 4/1/18: no contest (break week)
4/1/18 – 4/8/18: Palamedes (Puzzle)
4/8/18 – 4/15/18: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 (Beat 'Em Up)
4/15/18 – 4/22/18: Blades of Steel (Sports)
4/22/18 – 4/29/18: Mega Man (Action/Platformer)
4/29/18 – 5/6/18: Ikari Warriors (Shooter/Shoot 'Em Up) (1st Time)
5/6/18 – 5/13/18: Rollerball (Arcade)
5/13/18 – 5/20/18: no contest (break week)
5/20/18 – 5/27/18: Ninja Gaiden 2 (Action/Platformer)
5/27/18 – 6/3/18: NARC (Arcade)
6/3/18 – 6/10/18: Trojan (Beat 'Em Up)
6/10/18 – 6/17/18: Operation Wolf (Shooter/Shoot 'Em Up) (1st Time)
6/17/18 – 6/24/18: Ski or Die (Sports)
6/24/18 – 7/1/18: Loopz (Puzzle) (1st Time)
7/1/18 – 7/8/18: no contest (break week)
7/8/18 – 7/15/18: Mach Rider (Arcade) (1st Time)
7/15/18 – 7/22/18: Kung Fu Heroes (Beat 'Em Up)
7/22/18 – 7/29/18: Astyanax (Action/Platformer) (1st Time)
7/29/18 – 8/5/18: Sky Shark (Shooter/Shoot 'Em Up) (1st Time)
8/5/18 – 8/12/18: Mutant Virus (Puzzle) (1st Time)
8/12/18 – 8/19/18: Bandai Golf: Challenge Pebble Beach (Sports) (1st Time)
8/19/18 – 8/26/18: no contest (break week)
8/26/18 – 9/2/18: Soccer (Sports) (1st Time)
9/2/18 – 9/9/18: Batman Returns (Beat 'Em Up)
9/9/18 – 9/16/18: S.C.A.T. (Shooter/Shoot 'Em Up) (1st Time)
9/16/18 – 9/23/18: Super Pitfall (Action/Platformer) (1st Time)
9/23/18 – 9/30/18: Hatris (Puzzle) (1st Time)
9/30/18 – 10/7/18: Qix (Arcade)
10/7/18 – 10/14/18: no contest (break week/tournament preparation)
10/14/18 – 10/21/18: no contest (break week/tournament preparation)
10/21/18 – 10/28/18: Tournament round 1
10/28/18 – 11/4/18: Tournament round 2
11/4/18 – 11/11/18: Tournament round 3
11/11/18 – 11/18/18: Tournament round 4 - Finals
Games by Genre
Action/Platformer
1. Super C
2. Mega Man
3. Ninja Gaiden 2
4. Astyanax (1st Time)
5. Super Pitfall (1st Time)
Arcade
1. Cobra Triangle
2. Rollerball
3. NARC
4. Mach Rider (1st Time)
5. Qix
Beat 'Em Up
1. Double Dragon
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2
3. Trojan
4. Kung Fu Heroes
5. Batman Returns
Puzzle
1. Dr. Mario
2. Palamedes
3. Loopz (1st Time)
4. Mutant Virus (1st Time)
5. Hatris (1st Time)
Shooter/Shoot 'Em Up
1. Jackal
2. Ikari Warriors (1st Time)
3. Operation Wolf (1st Time)
4. Sky Shark (1st Time)
5. S.C.A.T. (1st Time)
Sports
1. R.B.I. Baseball
2. Blades of Steel
3. Ski or Die
4. Bandai Golf: Challenge Pebble Beach (1st Time)
5. Soccer (1st Time)
**AWARDS ICONS**
***NOTE***
We are in the process of revising the icon system so there are not so many contest icons in the NA database. Once more information becomes available, it will be posted here.
As many of you may have noticed, many users on the site have awards icons listed below their profile information on the forums. "How do I earn one of these icons" you say? Here are the different icons you can win at the moment:
Game Contest Participant: Play in any contest to earn this icon (Some of you may already have this icon from playing in past contests)
Good luck everyone and have fun!!
