The 2010 Classic Arcade Gaming (dot com) Tournament   March 2010, Flemington, New Jersey

Introduction    (click here to skip to table of contents)

     The historical fifth annual edition of The Classic Arcade Gaming (dot com) Tournament is again being held at the Richie Knucklez' Arcade, which is one of the world's foremost classic arcades.  Located in Flemington, New Jersey, the four-day event (three days for the tournament) will take place from Thursday March 18th through Sunday March 21st, 2010.  Thursday will be a 'practice' day for entrants, and the actual tournament will begin on Friday.  And, the addition this year of marathoning is what will make history; no other classic arcade event, before now, has included a tournament, contests (individuals pursuing world records on a game title), and marathoning, all going on simultaneously !

    As was the case for the last tourney, players (or, anyone for that matter, tourney entrant or not) may come out and practice on Thursday (the 18th), from 4 to 10 PM.  Note that no scores for the tourney will be taken on Thursday; that day is for practice only.  The fee for this special 'Flashback Thursday' is $10, and this applies to everyone.

    Like the first three editions of the event, it is being co-organized by myself (Mark Alpiger, administrator of this CAGDC web site), and my location partner, which is the arcade's owner - Richie Knucklez.  He and I will both make this an event to remember, from having all the games working at the top of their form, to making sure all the players have a great time.

    As always, there's no change with all of the great features of previous years, which will, of course, be carried over for this event.  More details on those features appear later on this page, but here's a taste of the most important ones - the prizes !  Now, as noted above, history will be made from the concurrent arcade-related happenings going on, but another historical precedent will be set from the prize money offerings, which will be the largest money total (by far) at a classic arcade event in history.  Specifically, in addition to a record $425 guaranteed payout for the tournament, I made the offer of a top prize of $10,000 for any one player who could marathon an approved game title for 100 hours or more, or $5,000 if one player could just reach the 72 hour 'barrier', instead.

Who will be there    (click here to go to table of contents)

    Currently, 40 players (listed below) have signed up, with 20 of them taking advantage of the game pick option.  Thus, all of the game pick options have been taken, and in record time !  Now, let's keep filling up the spots for entry into the tournament (there are only 10 left !), and if anyone wants to do a mini-marathon demo (12 hours or so), be sure to let me know as soon as possible.  The deadline for multi-day marathon attempts (where I offered $5,000 and $10,000 as the top prizes) has expired, and unfortunately, no one took advantage of the opportunity.  I suppose that, unlike in the 80's, when teens dominated in marathoning, the gamers today are perhaps 'too old', too busy with commitments to work and family, and also, most players know that the chance of getting to the 72 hour mark (much less 100 hours !) is very unlikely.  Nonetheless, contestant Ken House has committed to doing a 12 hour marathon 'demo', on Friday, March 19th.  Interested spectators can arrive as early as 3:30 PM that day, and watch him be a part of  a historical first - Ken will complete a 'triple-play' in a classic arcade event, where there's a tournament, contests, and marathoning, going on simultaneously, which has never happened before in the history of our hobby.  Well, Mark Alpiger, Richie Knucklez, and CAGDC are going to make it happen, along with the dozens of incredible gamers that will attend this unprecedented event.

    In the sign-up listing below, underneath the players who have already entered the event are potential entrants, for both myself and Richie.  We will be capping the total entries at 50 this year, so be sure to sign up early, as Richie and I expect a sell-out well before the event (and, possibly within a month or so after sign-ups began, on January 1st).

    Titles that are listed in green indicate that the player has chosen that title to appear in the event (this is one of many unique, and desirable, tourney features).  Click here to go to the sign-up area of the page, and enter the event before it sells out !

    Thanks in advance to everyone, for entering, and picking out your game choices, and thereby making this your event !

    Wow - that's some list !  So, be sure to sign up ASAP, and you can be part of an elite group of top gamers, and meet co-stars of The King of Kong movie (specifically, Bryan Wagner, Pat Laffaye, and Donald Hayes, plus organizer Mark Alpiger).  Note that Richie and I have allowed 20 of the tourney titles to be chosen by entrants (an exclusive benefit that no other event offers !), and then he and I will pick the remaining number of approximately five (two or so of which will likely be Mystery Titles, which will be revealed the day before the event, so, look for that news on March 18th).  Thus, about 25 games will be the total count of titles that will appear in the tournament.

Reasons to attend    (click here to go to table of contents)

    For newcomers, what makes this a 'must-attend' gaming event ?  Well, Richie Knucklez' Arcade is one of the biggest cag arcades in the nation, with more than 40 classic titles.  Check out the list, along with full info on the location, here (for Richie's dedicated website, click here).  Out of all of these great classic games, a selection will be picked out that includes popular titles that are specifically designed for gamers that have attended various events in recent years.  Also, while organizing this tournament (and past ones), I consulted with quite a few classic gaming aficionados to find out what they most wanted in a tournament, and what they would like to see addressed or perhaps improved upon (whether in regards to previous CAGDC events, or other events they've attended in the past).  So, based on that, contestants at this tournament can rely on the following things to be in place:

    .  the tournament games will be working properly

    .  the tourney results will be updated multiple times daily over the three-day event

    .  there will be a time limit (per my CAGDC event rules) of one hour of play, maximum, to avoid titles being tied up for
       extended time periods; fortunately, most titles in the tourney can only be played for a period of less than an hour; also,
       all games will be set at the factory / default difficulty / lives settings, as is the case in all CAGDC tournaments and events

    .  an information display will be available, with pertinent tourney info and updates that all contestants need to know, or be
       aware of

    .  there will be five prize levels (totaling a record amount of $425 !!), which comprise first, second, third, and fourth place
       levels; the fifth place level is actually five prizes in one, and is detailed more later on this page

    .  transportation to and from motels, and airports, will be coordinated with other players, so that we can best combine our
       resources

    .  and last, but far from least, there will be incredible choice as far as which games each player can play, along with there
       being popular, well-known titles, in the pool of tournament games

Tournament format, and the results ranking system    (click here to go to table of contents)

    What exactly is meant by a 'pool' of games, as denoted above ?  Well, in a historic precedent that was first implemented by this event in 2006, this tournament will actually let the players pick the games that they will play !  Each gamer (to be ranked, and to qualify for prizes) must play and submit a score on at least 7 titles, from a pool of (approximately) 25 tourney games (the 25 will come from the current set of 36 'potential' titles, which are shown in a list below, in the first table).  In addition, the set of tourney games will likely include a count of two more 'Mystery Titles', which may or may not appear in the list shown.  The Mystery Titles will be revealed on Thursday, the day before the tournament part of the event begins.

    Now, contestants can actually choose to play more than seven of the tourney games (including all of them, if they wish); but naturally, only their best 7 results will count.  In this case, the best seven results will be determined by their highest seven percentages, as determined by the tourney calculation and comparison system (see below).  Because each player will likely have a different set of seven games that will comprise their tournament games (tho it does not matter if this is the case or not), instead of playing against all other players on all the tournament titles (which is the method for all past gaming tourneys), you will actually only be playing against other players (for the best result, as determined by the tourney calculation system) on the specific titles that you pick.  This ingenious method allows players to have optimal flexibility, and choice.  Oh, and just to make it clear, as one player asked about this; you may (of course) play each title as many times as you wish during the tournament's listed hours, so that you will have the best possible results.  One final note: since the pool of games is so large, there must be a contingency in place, for the unforeseeable situation where one or more games becomes non-functional, or unavailable, at contest time.  This is unlikely, and will be avoided at all costs, but it can happen, and there will be a reserved set of substitute titles in place, in case any are needed (the substitute titles may be announced later).  In any event, up-to-the-day information can always be found on this page, and likely also on the CAGDC forums.

    As mentioned earlier, another welcome situation is that there will be well-known, and popular, titles in the contest (see the official game listing in the first table below).  One reason that some events may have avoided putting in major titles is that there's the chance of one or two players 'clocking' the field (like Don Hayes, and others), since they are so good at so many common classic titles.  The ability to choose your own game titles to play in this tourney is a big help in avoiding this from being much of an issue (yet, it is still fair to the elite video athletes).  In addition, I'll likely be employing a scoring method (originally suggested by Donald Hayes, later 'tweaked' by Pat Laffaye, and used last time, with great results) which uses logarithmic math to lend more accuracy to the deserved finishing places of all (qualifying) contestants than any other method I've seen.  After dropping non-qualifying player's scores (meaning, they turned in less than 7 scores) from any and all qualifying player calculations, each qualifying player's best seven results (as determined by the seven highest percentages for each, when comparing all of their best submitted scores for each game against the entire qualifying field's entire number of submitted scores) will be averaged to show their average percentile for the event.  Then, the ranking (from highest to lowest) will, of course, show the results of the tourney for the entire qualifying field.  OK - it sounds complex, but really isn't when it comes to calculating it on a computer !

    A final note is about the scores allowed to be turned in at the event.  As shown in the game listing table below, a minimum score must be made on each tourney game in order to turn in the score.  This is to minimize people playing titles that they really shouldn't be (because of too low a skill level), and it also keeps the difficulty of the score tabulation to a reasonable level for the tourney organizers.  As an example, the game Crystal Castles has a minimum (or, 'threshold') score of 150,000 listed.  Players scoring lower are not allowed to turn in their score, until they have raised it to at least 150,000 points, or more.

Contact info for the organizers    (click here to go to table of contents)

    For information on the regular, and the contest (for contestants only) arcade hours, click here to see the listing table below.  For any questions on arcade-related matters, you may contact Richie Knucklez via phone; the number at the arcade is 908-806-2400, and the best time to try is Friday through Sunday, from about 4 PM to 6 PM ET.  To contact me (Mark Alpiger) about contest matters, go to the e-mail link in the next-to-last paragraph below.

Information for travelers    (click here to go to table of contents)

    Now, lets get to an important issue to most contestants (especially those traveling into the Flemington area) - the local amenities.  The arcade is located about 3 miles west of the center of Flemington, which has lots of restaurants along the main 'strip' of town.  Specifically, there's a Perkins (neat bakery goods there), a Chili's (I personally hate this place - average food, yet expensive), and quite a few pizza joints, especially near the 'official' hotel for the event - Ramada.

    Speaking of places to stay, there are a number of hotels in this same area, including a Ramada, plus Hampton Inn.  Current pricing / contact information for these two is as follows:

Ramada  -   2 occupants / 2 beds 'standard' room, discounted to $76 + tax if prepaid (per night, Friday / Saturday)
                     This is the 'official' tourney hotel location, and a ride will be provided, as we can, for those who need one.
                     Be sure to book using the Ramada website.

Hampton Inn  -   2 occupants / 2 queen beds room, discounted to $111 + tax with prepayment (per night, Fri. / Sat.)
                            Book using Hampton Inn website.

    As far as airports go, the least expensive location to fly into, for most, would be Philadelphia.  The airport there (code: PHL) is located about an hour from the arcade.  Naturally, feel free to check out alternate locations, including New York City airports.  However, in addition to more traffic issues coming from NYC, I have been told that renting a car is much more expensive than in Philly.

    Now, what about those who may need a ride, versus a car rental ?  Well, so that contestants may coordinate with each other, for cost savings, and / or convenience, I'll have a 'traveler's posting' on my forums in the coming weeks.  If you need (or can offer) a ride from your location, or from the airport, or if you desire (or are willing) to share a room, e-mail me at the link three paragraphs below, and I'll post this info on the forums.  That way, all out-of-town contestants can benefit.  Note that I will be able to give a ride each day to 2 or 3 gamers, both when I leave in the morning for the arcade, and when I leave the arcade to go back to where I'm staying at the end of each day.  No doubt others will be able to offer rides too.  Of course, these rides are first-come, first-served each day, as allowed by room in the car, and only one trip will likely be made each way.

    A final note about rides concerns those who may need to travel in from New York City via public transport.  Click here for info from Trans-Bridge Bus Lines, and look for Flemington and the entry just below that.  The stop is at a place called Liberty Village Shoppers, which is just 4 miles from the arcade.   According to one person who checked into it, the cost is about $37 for a round trip, or about $20 for one-way.

Prize purse and entry fee info    (click here to go to table of contents)

    OK, let's get back to the 'nuts and bolts' of the event, and, specifically, the money matters.  The monetary prizes for the winners are the largest ever offered at the CAGDC Tournament !  Specifically, first place will receive $200, second earns $100, third garners $50, and fourth place (newly added over the last tourney) will be $25.  Another $50, in the form of five $10 prizes, will be offered to the top-place finishers on five games that will be randomly picked.  If the top finisher already won a prize in the event, then the next-highest (non-prize winning) finisher on the game will get the $10 prize.  Also, Richie and I will likely have a bit of 'swag' on hand from various sponsors, so there's another benefit for tourney entrants.

    Well, now that the prizes are known, what is the entry fee ?  The good news is that it includes both arcade admission (normally $10 a 'day'), and free play on all of the games !  That's right - play as much as you want, with no quarters or tokens needed !!  All of this, for all three days, is just $40, which is the 'adult' fee; children under 13 years of age have an entry fee of just $30.  These entry fees (other than those paying 'at the door', which is discouraged) must be sent via PayPal (credit cards are accepted if you don't have a PayPal account), with the final deadline day for receipt being on Thursday, March 18th.  The entry fee cannot be paid at the arcade, unless you pay during the event (meaning, Thursday, or Friday / Saturday / Sunday); again this is discouraged, and you should pay beforehand, if at all possible.  Payments made at the arcade location, during the tournament, must be in cash.  Note that entrants that are 'locals', who play at the arcade during the Friday evening 'Flashback', may pay Richie at that time, anytime before the event weekend.

    Other optional fees include those who wish to come to the arcade on Thursday, for practice only (no scores will be taken for the tourney); in this case, there is a $10 fee (which is the regular fee for a 'Flashback Friday' type of day).  Also, anyone wishing to come and watch the tourney (and, play non-tourney games) may do so.  Richie will determine the fee involved, which will likely be $10 for any given day (and possibly more on the longer day of Saturday).

Final notes    (click here to go to table of contents)

    As was the case at the last two CAGDC Tournaments, there will likely be media coverage in place at various stages of the event.  In addition, Richie and I will likely be covering the event via video, and we may also have partners / associates doing the same.  Notification will be clearly posted at the event, so everyone is aware that they, and their gaming, may be recorded and utilized for news, promotion, and other purposes.  In other words... you may be spotted by friends on tv, the Internet, and elsewhere, so prepare to be famous !

    Well, everything above sums up the contest parameters, and should address most questions or issues regarding the event.  Continue reading the information in the tables below, and if you feel there is something that I haven't covered on this page, then you may with your question, or even send a suggestion.

    The date of this page's last update was March 18th, 2010.  Keep checking back for further updates, and, most of all, come out and support both the event, and classic arcade gaming !

Potential game listing table    (click here to go to table of contents)

Arcade and event hours listing    (click here to go to table of contents)

Online entry fee payment links    (click here to go to table of contents)

Tournament entry options   Adult entry fee $40.00 Child entry fee $30.00

Click the 'Buy Now' button at left to pay the $40 adult (13 or older), or $30 child (under 13), entry fee for the 2010 Classic Arcade Gaming (dot com) Tournament via PayPal (using a credit card, or a PayPal account).  Pick the correct choice from the drop-down menu, then click the Buy Now button.  After March 18th, you must pay all fees in person, in cash, at the contest location. Note that all payments are non-refundable (other than a game chosen by an entrant being unable to be utilized in the event garnering a 'refund') - no exceptions, unless the event is cancelled.

A view of the arcade    (click here to go to table of contents)

Sponsors of the event    (click here to go to table of contents)

	www.thisoldgame.com Rich Lint is a dedicated artist who has quite a few pieces of unique reproduction artwork for classic arcade coin-op machines.  In addition to that, he offers custom printing services, silk screening for t-shirts, and a whole lot more !  Be sure to check out his online store, and get what you need to make your games look as good as they play !
	www.homeactionreplay.org Chad Hurritz is a big supporter of MAME, and is a large part of the origin of the fantastic MARP site.  A few years back, he added his efforts to the creation of the HARP site, which does for home console (and computer) games what MARP does for arcade titles !  Thus, players can submit game play recordings using the program MESS (similar to MAME), for a multitude of the older home console machines / computers, and others can play back their efforts, and learn to better their game play, as a result.