The 2010 Classic Arcade Gaming (dot com) World Record Tournament   September 2010, Flemington, New Jersey

Introduction    (click here to skip to table of contents)

     The first-ever Classic Arcade Gaming (dot com) World Record Tournament is being held at the top classic games arcade in the entire New Jersey multi-state area - Richie Knucklez' Arcade, which is located in Flemington, New Jersey.  The one day event will take place on Saturday, September 25th, and features almost $200 in cash and prize awards for those coming in from first through fourth place.  As always, the arcade will be open on Friday evening (the 24th), and interested players may come out and play from 6 to 10 PM for the regular $10 cover charge (note that no scores made on Friday will count for the tournament).  Like the huge yearly CAGDC Tourney, it is being co-organized by myself (Mark Alpiger, administrator of this web site), and my location partner, which is the arcade's owner - Richie Knucklez.

    In a nutshell, this event is being called the World Record Tournament because all player's scores will be compared against the current tournament world records for each game (which are listed in gold on the game listing table, below).  Because of this, it's possible for players to achieve a percentile score for a game that's above 100% !  Note that there is an upper limit on the percentage (namely, 115%), however, in order to keep things fair.

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

    Currently, sign-ups have just begun, and we already have 18 players onboard !  While there is currently no 'hard' limit to the number, realistically, we will likely limit the total number of contestants to around 25.  Included with this year's entry fee is one free game pick (which is guaranteed for the first 20 entrants; after that, there's no guarantee that there will be room to add another game, so sign up early !); when you sign up, you will have a chance to pick a game from the tentative game list that will appear in the finalized set of tourney games (which will number approximately 20 or so).

    In the sign-up listing below, underneath the players who have already entered the event (or, soon will, since sign-ups just began) are potential entrants, for both myself and Richie.  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 !  Unlike the March tourney, there will be a much lower limit on the number of entrants, so sign up early !

    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, Pat Laffaye and Donald Hayes, plus organizer Mark Alpiger).  Note that Richie and I will allow 20 (and possibly more) of the tourney titles to be chosen by entrants (an exclusive benefit that no other event offers !), and then (if needed) he and I will pick the remaining number of titles needed to round out the number so it's in the 20 to 25 range.  For this tournament, we will likely have no Mystery Titles, so everyone will go in knowing what to practice !

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 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 four prize levels (totaling almost $200 !!), which comprise first, second, third, and fourth place
       levels; the fourth place level will consist of a non-monetary prize that is cag-related (and, will be revealed at the awards
       ceremony).

    .  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 5 titles, from a pool of (approximately) 20 to 25 tourney games (and, that set will come from the current listing of 34 'potential' titles, which are shown in a list below, in the first table).

    Now, contestants can actually choose to play more than five of the tourney games (including all of them, if they wish); but naturally, only their best 5 results will count.  In this case, the best five results will be determined by their highest five percentages, as determined by the tourney calculation and comparison system (see below).  Because each player will likely have a different set of five 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 for the best score on the specific titles that you pick.  This ingenious method allows players to have optimal flexibility, and choice.  Note too that, unlike past CAGDC events, you won't have your score compared to the top player on each title you submit a qualifying score on; because this is the World Record Tournament, your score will be compared to the current world record (generally, those listed are culled from CAGDC tourney play rules, and listed in the table below) for each game.  Thus, if you make a new world record, you can actually have a percentile score that's higher than 100% !  How's that for an advantage in the event !!  Note that, for fairness, the upper limit on the percentage will be 115% (which corresponds to almost exactly double the current record).  Another notation is that most of these wr scores have been made during CAGDC tournaments and events, though a few are from the Twin Galaxies scoreboard.  Keep in mind that all games (and the world record scores shown) are games that have taken an hour or less of time to play.  A few games may have a seemingly low score listed, but higher scores (listed at TG) are either not confirmed as realistic (720° is an example), or there's no surety that the wr was done within an hour's time (1943 and Sinistar are two examples).  Also, if the scores were not reasonably known to be done on factory settings (which is the CAGDC standard).

    Another thing to make clear, since one player asked, is regarding the number of 'tries' that you get; 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).  Note that we may choose to not substitute a game in for a malfunctioning title, and scores already submitted may be declared null and void for tourney purposes, depending on how long the game remained available for play.  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 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 5 scores) from any and all qualifying player calculations, each qualifying player's best five results (as determined by the five 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 5 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.

    Speaking of places to stay, there are a number of hotels in the area, though the nearby Ramada shows that no rooms are available for either Friday or Saturday night.  The Hampton Inn shows availability, but at a high price ($114 prepaid for a double-occupancy two-bed room).

    Because of the above situation, the 'official' motel for the event is a new location (and, be forewarned, one I've never been to): the Super 8 in Raritan, which is 18 miles from the arcade.  Because of the distance, a ride on Saturday morning will be provided for those who need one, but it's a must to pre-arrange this well in advance (through Mark Alpiger).  Now, this location is the 'official' one because of the terrific price - just $55.25 + tax if prepaid !  And, if you want to 'take a chance' (like me), enter 67243 on the Corporate Code line in the 'Check Rates' portion of the page, and you will not only be offered a $52 + tax rate, but no prepayment is necessary.  Again, this is a special corporate volume rate that may be 'questioned' upon check-in, but my experience with such codes is that the desk personnel never question guests about them.

    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 for a non-regular CAGDC Tournament !  Specifically, first place will receive $100, second earns $50, third garners $25, and fourth place will receive a nice cag-related non-monetary prize (to be revealed at the awards ceremony).  Richie and I may also have a bit of 'swag' on hand from various sponsors, so there's another potential benefit for tourney entrants.

    Well, now that the prizes are known, what is the entry fee ?  The great news is that it includes both arcade admission (normally $10 a 'day'), and free play on all of the games, plus the right to choose a game to appear in the tournament !  All of this, for the entire 10 hour day (10 AM to 8 PM), is just $25.  The 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, September 23rd.  The entry fee cannot be paid at the arcade, unless you pay during the event (meaning, Friday evening, or Saturday); 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 Friday (normal 'Flashback' hours apply), 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), which is only payable in person at the arcade (and not via PayPal).  Also, anyone wishing to come and watch the tourney (and, play non-tourney games) may do so.  The fee will be $20, with Richie determining if any discount will apply (say, after 3 PM, and / or, for younger children, families with multiple attendees / spectators, etc.).  This 'attendee' option is covered via a PayPal payment (click here for that).  Finally, a spectator-only fee of $10 will apply to those who wish to watch, but play no games.  This option is only payable in person, at the arcade (and not via PayPal).

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 August 31st, 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 / event options Tourney entry fee $25.00 Event attendee fee $20.00 2 tourney entry fees $50.00 1 tourney, 1 attendee fee $45.00 Enter game choice here

After picking the correct choice from the drop-down menu, and entering a game title choice if you are entering the tournament, click the 'Buy Now' button at left to pay the appropriate fee for the 2010 Classic Arcade Gaming (dot com) World Record Tournament, via PayPal (using a credit card, or a PayPal account).  After Thursday, September 23rd, you must pay all fees in person, in cash, at the contest location. There are four payment choices for the 10 hour event: tourney 'contestants' will enter and play in the tournament, and can play any game in the arcade, for $25; event 'attendees' will attend the event, and can play all non-tourney games, but not play in the tournament, for a fee of $20; if you and a companion will attend, and will both take part in the tourney, there's a '2 tourney fees' option; and finally, if two will attend, but one will be in the tourney, and one won't, the final drop-down choice covers that combination.  Remember, if you are entering the tourney, you get to choose one title from the potential game list in the table above, but don't forget to list that title in the box above the Buy Now button (if paying for two tourney fees, enter two game titles).  This title will appear in the tournament as one of the games, but keep in mind that someone else may also pick that same title at around the same time; no repicks will be given if this is the case, however, since it is just a happenstance occurrence.  Also, note that the number of games picked may be limited to 20, and if you are not one of the first twenty tourney entrants, then your choice (if you make one) will probably not apply.  Finally, note that if you do not fill out the game choice at the time of purchase, it will be assumed that you are waiving your right to a choice. Note that all payments are non-refundable (other than a game chosen by an entrant, who was one of the first twenty or so eligible to choose a game, being unable to be utilized in the event, garnering a $5 '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.4theloveofdog.org www.mountainrottierescue.org Andy O'Neal is a supporter of these two great web sites that are for organizations that help out our canine friends in need.  As part of spreading the word about the good work that they both do, Andy is going to offer everyone at this tournament that places higher than Richie Knucklez a free one year subscription to Gameroom magazine !  Wow, that's an incredible offer, and thanks to Andy for his incredible sponsorship !
	Your business or organization's name can go HERE !