Hello everyone and welcome to the 2014 Weekly Contests!  The 2013 contests featured some great games and awesome competition and 2014 looks to be even better.  Let's make 2014 the biggest year and best year for the Weekly Contests!  Before we get started, I want to draw your attention to the end time for the contest.  For years, we ended the contests at 10 PM NA time, but due to a change in my work schedule for 2014, the contests will now end at 11 PM NA time.  Also look for me to start contests on Sunday afternoons as opposed to Sunday evenings so guys can get even more play time!  As a result, two contests will be running at the same time for several hours on Sundays starting on 2/9.  With this format, you can continue to try to go for that first place score with the current contest or hone your skills with the new game or even both!  The choice is yours!  Now onto this week's contest.  It's a new year with a new list of games, so why not start with a classic.  The first contest of 2014 is going to be Super Mario Bros.  Here are the rules:

• 1 life only
• One playthrough of the game only.  If you beat the game, take your picture when you rescue the princess
• No emulators allowed.  This will be a console only contest.  Everyone should have Super Mario Bros. in their collection.  Any scores submitted with an emulator will be disregarded
• No turtle or beetle hopping tricks to intentionally rack up points are allowed (specifically, no continuous hopping on one turtle or beetle in any way to earn points.  Not everyone is skilled enough to pull this off).  Anyone suspected of doing this will have their score disqualified
• Highest score wins
• GENRE: Action/Platformer

The contest ends Sunday, 2/9/14 at 11 PM NA time.  Your user name MUST 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, 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

Oh boy!

why no pal

Cool! I might be able to get a run in for this

Some PAL games run at slower speeds than NTSC games or are easier or harder than their NTSC counterparts.  So no one has an unfair advantage over anyone in the contests, we don't allow them.

Maybe I'll make a run and post for spirit only. I enjoy this game

We do allow PAL games that are optimized to run at NTSC speeds to be played in the contests, so if PAL Super Mario is optimized to run at the same speed as its NTSC counterpart, it will be allowed. However, we must confirm this before it can be allowed and nothing else in the game can be different front the NTSC version.

I'll be participating with my Wii VC version of this. Sounds like fun.

can someone use the version downloaded to a virtual console?

I am sure one of the contest mods will clear that up quickly.

I vote for no wii. The only way to really play smb is on original nes

I appreciate how it's a one life - high score run. That means it'll make sense to play every stage instead of level skipping. I'm all smiles here

Well, guess I'm not participating. Being in the desert means I don't have my NES handy. Which means it's emulator or bust for me.

Progression trumps score I presume?

Hmmm, I think I'll throw my hat back in the ring!

UPDATE: What about consoles hooked up to a computer monitor via capture device?

Bummer. I really want to participate in this one, but I'm away from home and all I have is an emulator. Good luck to the other competitors!

I'd like some clarifications about this. Is it forbidding what we usually call the 1up trick?



If yes, is it the only thing that is actually forbidden?

Here's my NES Setup to my computer, via capture device:


And here's my score entry, both in screenshot form taken with the capture device, and a picture of the computer screen:




The Score is 376850!

That is fucking brilliant.

Update.

I already asked the VC question in the original thread and they responded with a "yes" so long as the VC version doesn't alter the game at all or much from its original incarnation.

I would assume that is the "turtle hopping trick" since it is the only real score-racking technique in the game.

Though it may extend to repeatedly kicking a turtle or beetle that gets trapped between two pipes.

Okay, so now with the clarification of the rules my score is a pitiful...

146150 

I worry that some may find this restriction rediculous and ignore it, while others will begrudgingly follow the rule.
And I have a question of my own about the "1 life" rule. Does this mean that we must intentionally kill ourselves twice before we may begin scoring points? Also does that mean we are not allowed to collect 1-up mushrooms? And about the "one playthrough" rule, Does that mean that if we are able to beat the game, we must pause before the game begins again. And we have to submit the score then, and not continue the game that would then play at a higher difficulty?

Unless you abuse it "just enough" and the don't over-score for the rest of the game, it is pretty obvious whether it was used.

There is a finite number of coins, enemies, and fireworks that you can score from in the game.

If we are really worried about cheaters, we can all log our end-level scores to build up a rough curve of what is plausible.

NEW SCORE: 443100