Arcadia High Score Rankings Moving to New Home-page Format

[adversity1]

You may remember that the Arcadia High Score rankings died with the last issue of the magazine in February of this year. Arcadia's editors had mentioned that it would be continued but details were scant for a few months. Today, Arcadia updated their website with more information:

http://www.arcadiamagazine.com/cgi-bin/ ... cgi?id=589

A company called Re-enforce is going to be taking over the rankings, and it's staffed by former Gamest/Arcadia employees, assuredly those who supported the rankings for so many years. It looks like it will be an home-page based national ranking site. More info to come apparently.

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Kinda hope they consider console titles for the rankings as well, but their current record proof system may not work well with that.

[Gamer707b]

This is good news! Im happy they've found a new home. I would love for them to include console shooters.

[Gemant]

Excellent news!!!

[Dave_K.]

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Kinda hope they consider console titles for the rankings as well, but their current record proof system may not work well with that.

What exactly is their current record proof system? Is it simply captures of the highscores submitted by trusted arcade operators?

[Icarus]

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Kinda hope they consider console titles for the rankings as well, but their current record proof system may not work well with that.

If you remember when we were talking about it last November, we figured an online format would be the best way to continue on their record-keeping while bringing it into more modern technologies. I'm glad to see that they've gone ahead with it - hopefully it'll be much more accessible and more widely-used by the Japanese players.
Hopefully they won't IP-lock it like some content sites tend to do, and allow anyone around the world to view the database.

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Kinda hope they consider console titles for the rankings as well, but their current record proof system may not work well with that.

What exactly is their current record proof system? Is it simply captures of the highscores submitted by trusted arcade operators?

Precisely that.

[Strikers1945guy]

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Kinda hope they consider console titles for the rankings as well, but their current record proof system may not work well with that.

What exactly is their current record proof system? Is it simply captures of the highscores submitted by trusted arcade operators?

Precisely that.

So no way for anyone outside a trusted arcade operator could submit a score, even with a fully recorded run? ?

[zlk]

Can you imagine some of the trouble the scoreboard would have if they had to review each submitted run? Arcadia had a set of rules and they are probably going to stick with those rules simply because they are easier to manage.

TG is doing peer reviewed runs on their forum where people can comment and vote to see if the score gets approved but I don't think Arcadia would have any interest doing that. You would have to go to Japan and play in an approved arcade to get an official Arcadia high score.

[Strikers1945guy]

Well that kinda sucks for everyone on the planet.

[sikraiken]

Well that kinda sucks for everyone on the planet.

The Arcadia website uses 全国 as part of the description for the high score collection. 全国 means nationwide. They don't call their records world records. I don't think Arcadia ever had the intention of collecting scores from around the world.

[Gemant]

Arcadia, from the beginning, speak about national record (only played in Japan), and only from game center. Score played in home are not considered.

[Strikers1945guy]

Arcadia, from the beginning, speak about national record (only played in Japan), and only from game center. Score played in home are not considered.

Wasn't aware of that. So it seems not only do you have to get the record, you have to do it in a game center surrounded by people staring and talking and a cloud of cigarette smoke. Hardcore.

[Icarus]

Wasn't aware of that. So it seems not only do you have to get the record, you have to do it in a game center surrounded by people staring and talking and a cloud of cigarette smoke. Hardcore.

Think of it this way: it ensures that the general conditions for all players with regards to equipment - cabs, boards, control setups, option settings etc - are the same (where possible), while giving the players a way to officially verify and submit their score posts to Arcadia (and before that, Gamest) through registered channels for tracking. Sure, you could argue that there are people at home with exactly the same setup vis-a-vis hardware etc, but without an arcade op to sign-off a score submission, anyone at home could play on non-standard settings and pass it off as a legal score otherwise. Standardisation of the format helps provide the players with a comfortable way to compete without any external issues such as worrying about submission formats etc.

In the context of your response, you're a fool if you think it has anything to do with being "hardcore".

[Strikers1945guy]

Wasn't aware of that. So it seems not only do you have to get the record, you have to do it in a game center surrounded by people staring and talking and a cloud of cigarette smoke. Hardcore.

In the context of your response, you're a fool if you think it has anything to do with being "hardcore".

I didn't mean they do it to be hardcore, I meant that I get nerves on a good run playing alone at home. I couldn't imagine playing in an arcade surrounded by onlookers as you try and break a world record, it must be nerve racking.

[Icarus]

I didn't mean they do it to be hardcore, I meant that I get nerves on a good run playing alone at home. I couldn't imagine playing in an arcade surrounded by onlookers as you try and break a world record, it must be nerve racking.

If the only environment you're used to playing in is on your own at home, then of course you're going to be nervous in a social gaming setting. Arcade gaming is an environment they've been playing in for years, so they're completely used to it, and as it has its own set of challenges and benefits, is something that a lot of gamers of today have missed out on.