STGT'12: The Aftermath

[shmuppyLove]

I have no idea how I ranked so highly my first STGT. Frustrating as it was, I never thought I'd manage to get as far as I did in Salamander 2.

Also, I guess we answered the question of "WWJ5D?" Answer: nothing, lol, our captain didn't submit any scores

Yeah Roo you killed it man, no doubt.

Also, I lol'd at BobbyNewmarkiii ... really? I'm sure if you had PM'd any of your teammates or posted a message here on the forum, someone would have been more than happy to answer your question. I really have to wonder how interested you really were in participating?

You did manage to post a snarky comment in this thread though, so congratulations for figuring that much out.

[CHI]

Really enjoyed this years tournament, had more of an understanding on how MAME works compared to the previous years

Beaten three of my personal best which was Salamander, V-Five and ESPgaluda... least favourite was Strikers 1999 but really liked Super Star Shooter on the final week

Thanks to everyone who got involved, until next year we do it ALL again

[Seppo Hovi]

You'd rather have played a toehoe?! Against three teams with it in their name!

Madness?

Funnily enough, most of the Touhou teams rarely scoreplay in Touhou. And from those who do some are like me and suck horribly.

[Erppo]

You'd rather have played a toehoe?! Against three teams with it in their name!

Madness?

Funnily enough, most of the Touhou teams rarely scoreplay in Touhou. And from those who do some are like me and suck horribly.

I only play easier games.

[Seppo Hovi]

I only play easier games.

Then what is your PCB normal score?!

[dsheinem]

-keep the voting
-include/improve information about ports, programs, etc. in the OP each week
-stop including a hori week

This was my third STGT. While I don't have the chops to compete for top of the heap scores, it has always been fun to watch myself (and my team) improve a little in the rankings from year to year. Thanks again for all the work you put in, dex. I will look forward to next year's installment and the inevitable drama.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

- Include more hori weeks. About 4 extra should do it.

This was actually my first STGT since joining here in 2003. Will play again - unless there arent at least 4 more hori weeks.

[dex]

So what people faked their stgt score? third_strike and ratikal, who else? Any impact on the status of their other scores? I know there was the traditional debate about sikraiken's scores but that didn't lead anywhere as always, I presume. That's the drama you refer to?

Also Esu, Gus by proxy.

STGT'12 - the year of falsificare.

On a different note, SDA used to present new awesome players year after year, but this year ShadowWratih fought much on his own. Any particular reason for this, attrition?

Real life, I'd say. Most of the 'old crew' didn't have time or interest. I personally had zero time this year, I'm amazed I was able to produce a semi-competent score for Galuda.

By the way, I liked your attitude to the whole tourney. Your posts were hilariously laid back. GJ, I guess.

[Ed Oscuro]

Man, how many beds did ebarrett fall off the wrong side of this morning? He's still bombing my inbox with crazy stuff:

I was just curious and slightly baffled at your repeated attempts at placing yourself as a major participant in all the (mostly avoidable and regrettable) drama. Your answer was more thorough than I could possibly have hoped for.

Besides, you're the king of pointless posturing, I wouldn't dare try to take that crown from you. The post-2009 crowd does respect local tradition.

Pointless posturing I can get behind, but I would like to clear up a few things for you:

1.) You instigated this PM exchange after you attached great importance to what was pretty much a throw-away comment (that was never intended to glorify myself). I think it's safe to say nobody else has even noticed that comment, and certainly nobody else thought it was so dire a threat to the peace to warrant even a second thought. Additionally, I don't see where you get off stating that I have undertaken some kind of campaign to "place [myself] as a major participant," because that was pretty much the extent of it. Your apparent ongoing fascination with this is baffling.
2.) There was a lot written this year, and my notes asking what else could have happened of course had to reference what I had seen - partly by the discussions I had taken part in (but I also mentioned some that I did not). This should have clued you in that my purpose was actually to find out more, not the strange campaign of self-glory you spun out of a single sentence. Any community issues like the verification push interest me because they potentially can change things significantly, for better or worse.
3.) The continuing debate with Hagane extended from the planning thread before STGT to a day or two ago, and I discussed this with him and others at least at those times. I would say that qualifies as being in the center of that debate. I posted an example in the thread you have been trolling of Hagane making reference to me (as the representative of the "anti") side, and moderator Ghegs has done the same in the last round.
4.) Speaking of being nonsensical, I don't see how you have accomplished anything but degrade yourself posting here. Your comment that you found it revolting to PM me should have been accompanied by some sense of pride in not feeding something you found distasteful.

As I write in the first point above, nobody else has even commented on this little discussion between us. Nobody else seems to have taken offense to what I wrote, and I haven't been challenged by anybody else (curiously, you're not really challenging the facts of what I've written besides a nebulous "well I didn't see nothin" which is a great, solid empirical ground for leaping out of your fucking gourd), at the same time that I expressed doubt that I had seen everything. If I had wanted to glorify myself I would not 'nonsensically' put in something directly contradictory.

I would like to say that I have not attempted to belittle any person who has made an input into the verification/falsificare debate, or any other issue that affects the whole community, even if their views diverge from mine.

Your ongoing fascination with this is baffling and disturbing. At the very least, what the fuck is it to you if I am self-glorifying? If you want to set the record straight, you can do it in the Forum. Your continued appearance here makes me think your only goal is to be as unhelpful and nasty as possible, without suffering any ridicule yourself for embarking on a ridiculous crusade for no purpose.

Unless you have something smart and useful to say in response, I expect not to see any more replies from you. If you put another stupid, useless comment in my inbox, I'm going to get the moderators involved.

[Zerst]

Ed, if nobody cares, as you say, why are you posting PMs? This is between you and him, stop trying to start more drama.

[Ed Oscuro]

Good point, but nothing clears out shenanigans like the cold light of day. I didn't exactly feel like letting him get his jabs in without people knowing about what he was trying to pull. I don't think it's my duty to take this in silence. Protip: Don't come to my inbox and be a jackass, because you don't get to abuse your right to privacy.

I'm also still trying to figure out if there was something else going on drama-wise here. (Ironically Ebarrett now has me wondering if he is not the puppet master's master! ) In any case it is so ridiculous I can't help but laugh at it, so maybe you can too!

But yeah: Now back to your regularly scheduled drama!

[ebarrett]

I have already said almost everything I had to say on the matter on my first pm to Ed: "why the attention whoring". It is baffling that he is threatening to "get the moderators involved" for my attitudes when I just tried to avoid even more drama, which Ed obviously craves (and besides, some of the mods love it too). I sent him a PM in the first place to avoid another thread hijack, which was guaranteed to happen if I (needlessly) confronted his glorification of drama in the thread.

Not that I particularly mind his lack of respect and his failure to admit that he is the one playing up even more unwanted drama - it is pretty much exactly what I expected from him, it's not as if he started posting on the forums today, we all know Ed very well. I obviously always consider the possibility of people publishing private messages when dealing with people like him. I imagined he'd be sensible enough to keep this out of the thread, since the whole thing reflects badly on him, but I can't complain that he wasn't - as I have already said, he just proved my point.

[DMC]

Thanks, dex! And thanks for arranging another good tournament - Good choices!

[Zengeku3]

I had decent fun in two weeks out of five, got a nice IRC channel which gave me the opportunity to talk to people i probably wouldn't have had otherwise and as such have gotten a few new good friends. In that respect, it's definitely been worth it for me to participate even if my participation was very modest and lived up to my team name splendidly.

Huge congrats to Touhou is Harder for winning this thing. You guys are really good. Now go play some Touhou you f'ing casuals.
Also nice job to Wich 2hu wud u fuk for getting such a great spot. You guys are in my eyes the best representants of the Touhou scoring community and you did a great job on this.

As for drama, yeah it was alright. I'm a bit disappointed in myself for losing my temper and posting stupid shit about V-V but shit happens. Moving on. There was also some other bad things about it that I don't want to share here so it's not all good but overall it was worth it.

[RNGmaster]

p.s. this year's falsificare production started on this page of the planning thread, starting with Hagane's post, and especially from page 12+

You're blaming the people who requested top-10 replays for verification purposes for inciting people to cheat? How logical is that?

In that thread, you and Marc pretty much said "If somebody is cheating, shame on them, but IDK why you'd do that." This STGT, I think it's been clearly proven that some people are interested in cheating for whatever reason. The best way to clamp down on this is, yes, replay verification for the top 10 players.

Anyways, blame the people who were low enough to cheat, not the people who were trying to stop cheating, k.

[Hagane]

Quickly became disinterested due to the games post Strikers, and because I realized my time would be better spent working on Sengoku Blade. At least it made me appreciate Strikers 1999 I guess; maybe I'll pick that one for serious play next.

[KAI]

HAHAHAH, Christie must be proud.
We are chasing a criminal, and we have no idea who the fuck he is but everyone's pointing their fingers.

Ten little niggers

[Ed Oscuro]

I have already said almost everything I had to say on the matter on my first pm to Ed: "why the attention whoring".

Oh, so it didn't work in PM, so now you're going to try your stunt in public too.

I'd just like to point out that, aside from what it still being none of your fucking business, you already have gotten a moderator PM (for both of us) to drop the matter. I didn't want this mess, but if you're going to try to get one over me for something as useless as this, I'll happily stick my neck out to make sure the mods put a stop to it so you don't pull the same stunt with somebody else. Just give it up already.

p.s. this year's falsificare production started on this page of the planning thread, starting with Hagane's post, and especially from page 12+

You're blaming the people who requested top-10 replays for verification purposes for inciting people to cheat? How logical is that?

A few things quickly:

First, my purpose in posting that here was only to point out where I thought the discussion of false scores started this year. There is no blaming the victim coming on here.

And it's just that - the discussion. I am making a factual statement when I talk about the "falsificare production" - I am not saying that you, Hagane, etc. don't have a real concern (I agree it is), but I am right to say that this is where it started its recent appearance. It was literally out of sight, out of mind for the rest of us until this came forward.

(dex posted days before STGT, before any of this discussion, that suspicious scores or scorers might be asked for more verification, and the top scores have always received scrutiny in the past.)

Gus's little prank at the end of SSS week also seems to suggest that some people are, as CaptainRansom said, just looking to make a big deal out of something that isn't. Did you guys incite Gus to try to fix the score? I don't know and I am not obsessed with apportioning blame. Unfortunately it is naturally easier to catch the people who are just looking to use STGT to make political points than to catch the people who keep their heads down about their cheating, but we shouldn't have had that either.

Secondly, enough with the victim complex. As I've stated before at least a few times, you aren't being victimized by fake scores. They don't make yours look bad. They don't really do anything but take up space and if they are outed then it is to the shame of that cheater. Meanwhile, the top scores - the contentious ones - have been accompanied by some kind of verification since time immemorial. It is a shame for the community that it's an issue, but you really ought to steel yourself to the reality that some people might intend bad things. Part of life.

[Tigershark]

I played less this year than the past 3 years. Mostly because I missed the first two weeks as on holiday but also because by the time I got back I did not like the games (save for Galuda) and so could not get into the spirit of the thing. Much respect for those that organize this thing and put up with the various complaints and moans. In the end it's all subjective and as it was ran by others and I didn't have to pay to join - who am I to complain! Looking forward to next year.

[ratikal]

This is my second and last STGT. I just don't think I really like the concept of grind the fuck out of a game for a week and then never play it again. After week 3, I sort of just stopped caring as real life came into the picture. I also wanted to play other games that I actually really enjoyed.

I'm not proud of my actions on V-V. It was mainly out of frustration that I practiced so long yet still couldn't make much progress. I guess my own expectations are too high for myself and when I fail to achieve them, I get mad and frustrated that I make stupid decisions like this.

I'd just like to add that I would never cheat on a game that I really enjoy. So my scores like Batsugun, DSIIX, Eschatos are all legit because those games rule.

So again, apologies to everyone. To those who worked really hard this tourney, congratulations!

[drunkninja24]

Good tournament this year, though I didn't have much of a chance to participate in Doujin week. Good times though, will definitely be back.

[Emuser]

I feel like this STGT was a step up from last year's STGT by far as we got some seriously screwed up picks last year. Voting helps to insure that we are given a choice and can brace ourselves for 3 possible games, but like someone mentioned people will probably try to pick the safest/most popular choice. A pick behind the scenes could bring light to an unpopular game but could also make for a bad week if there is a discovery that changes the way the game is played completely.

I want to thank Sapz for inviting me to TiH this year. I was shocked at the initial invitation and hopped on board and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Concerning each game in the first 3 weeks, other than V-V it was funny in that I had said that I wouldn't be able to touch the 2nd loop in these games since I'd never practiced them, but sitting down for a few hours and practicing them made me realize that they honestly aren't drastically harder in most spots. I still surprised myself with clearing them and getting a good score in V-V and S2. EspGaluda was spent getting 45M after a few plays and then failing to improve anymore than 200,000 pts through the rest of the week so that was a crap shoot, and then the last week ended on an utter failure as I couldn't play it properly. Even if I could though I doubt that I would care for very long about SSS since I think I discovered that I secretly hate caravan games this week.

Concerning drama: 10/10
I am amazed with how low of levels people could stoop to start drama. Last night after the end of SSS and gus drama elsewhere, I am dumbfounded that someone with the determination to clear Futari Ultra would start what happened last night. I understand that you don't find the idea of 1 week per game appealing, but nothing is stopping you from sitting out or playing the game later down the road. It just STGT, its not our lives, our money, our jobs on the line or anything, just getting together for some shmups and seeing what people can do.

[Chaos Phoenixma]

This is my second and last STGT. I just don't think I really like the concept of grind the fuck out of a game for a week and then never play it again. After week 3, I sort of just stopped caring as real life came into the picture. I also wanted to play other games that I actually really enjoyed.

I'm not proud of my actions on V-V. It was mainly out of frustration that I practiced so long yet still couldn't make much progress. I guess my own expectations are too high for myself and when I fail to achieve them, I get mad and frustrated that I make stupid decisions like this.

I'd just like to add that I would never cheat on a game that I really enjoy. So my scores like Batsugun, DSIIX, Eschatos are all legit because those games rule.

So again, apologies to everyone. To those who worked really hard this tourney, congratulations!

Not like there's much of a way to cheat on Eschatos or Deathsmiles II X.

[wnka]

First year playing, all in all it was a good time and I'll probably play next time. I didn't take it too seriously and that shows in my scores, but it was great way to branch out and play games I typically wouldn't play.

[Tigershark]

First year playing, all in all it was a good time and I'll probably play next time. I didn't take it too seriously and that shows in my scores, but it was great way to branch out and play games I typically wouldn't play.

Exactly - "good time" - "didn't take it too seriously" - "great way to...play games I wouldn't typically play".

This is the reason I do it.

[KennyMan666]

Definitely keep voting.

A good STGT it was, with imo one bad game, one I can't have an opinion of as I didn't play and three good games. Very satisfied with my own results, and especially the team's results. And it was perfectly timed, too, the final day of STGT was the final day before classes started here.

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm not proud of my actions on V-V. It was mainly out of frustration that I practiced so long yet still couldn't make much progress. I guess my own expectations are too high for myself and when I fail to achieve them, I get mad and frustrated that I make stupid decisions like this.

Don't beat yourself up over it. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't hurt anybody, and now you just know to focus on having fun! There's no shame in things you don't bring on yourself - like failing to submit a score. I did very poorly in V-Five also, and actually pretty much every game (possibly including the final week) but I'm not too torn up about it.

I also have to say, it takes some guts to come out and admit something like that, especially considering all the wild fanaticism that has followed this topic around!

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I guess my own expectations are too high for myself and when I fail to achieve them, I get mad and frustrated that I make stupid decisions like this.

I can understand why you would feel frustrated - it's really annoying to feel like your progress is being held back by your own stupid mistakes and know you can do better. But that's what makes success that much more enjoyable; when you finally do make that extra bit of progress you really get to savor it (lame I know, but getting to 1-6 in V-V felt huge for me when I finally did it).

I actually thought after the whole Esu thing came out and you retracted your score that maybe Gus put you up to it, too.

[Smraedis]

I'm happy I did better than last year, but my score was hit quite a bit on the first 2 weeks due to being at the Olympics.
Always happy to learn new games and improve on others. I never thought I'd break 30 million on ESPGaluda, but after staying up all night, I ended up with 41 million at the end of the week.

I find I'm better at some games than others, so I'll never be right at the top, but it was nice to finally do well on a game that I wasn't good at.

[Despatche]

I quite liked week 5 as far as getting people to play the game. I would also like to see Gradius III for next year.