- Mar 14, 2012
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Info, info, and more info!
The important things first...tournament links.
TOURNAMENT SIGN UP
http://goo.gl/forms/5vJM0lMo0m
TOURNAMENT SCORE SHEET
http://goo.gl/forms/lrVd0eZX33
These links will only be open during designated times and otherwise will not accept your info.
Now that we have that out of the way...
What is Table of the Week (TotW) and how can I join?
TotW is simply a week when people on this forum focus on one particular table to discuss, improve scores, conquer wizard goals, revisit bugs, whatever. In a lot of ways it is the same experience that happens when a new table gets dropped. Problem is, there are a lot of people who missed that due to either just recently getting into the game, being on a console and not getting it until months later, or the table itself is years old and everybody has kind of forgotten about it.
Anyone can join. Each Saturday at 10pm (PST) the table of the week is randomly selected and posted here and on Twitter @BlahCade. A thread is created and all discussions for that table happen there. The previous week's thread will remain open for an additional week, but then gets closed so the discussion can always stay focused. And that's it! Read the thread, join the discussion, play the table. Simple as that.
What happens when FarSight releases a new table?
Sometimes we will not choose a TotW when a new table is released. Since we do not know their release schedule, we just presume nothing is coming and move on like business as usual. Once there is a release, we will give it a week before announcing the next TotW.
Tell me about Tournament of the Month (TotM)
What better way to put all the new tips and tricks you've learned from the past TotW selections than by having a competition? On the last Saturday of every month, we will be having a tournament. It will be comprised of 4 TotW tables played since the previous tournament. It is a one day tournament, played within a 24 hour window, with only 2 plays per table.
Why only one day?
Anyone can grind there way to a good score. Given a long enough time period, you are bound to have a great game of pinball, even if the other 99 were horrible. Instead, think of it as when you were a kid and your parents tossed you 2 quarters. Are you going to be the kid that is off the machine in 90 seconds, or the one that draws a crowd? As for the 24 hours, let's be honest...even with 2 plays on 4 tables, you're gonna only need 2 hours tops. Unless you are a TPA pinball savant. And then screw you!
What time do we play?
As soon as the groupings are posted, the tournament is live. This should occur right around 10:30pm (PST) Friday. The tournament ends at 10pm Saturday. For those needing to do the math, Pacific Standard Time is -8 GMT. If you are still having problems figuring out the times, it's called Google and enter 'time conversion'. And before you complain that it sucks for you for whatever reason, well too bad. It's one guy running the tournament, not a computer, and he doesn't wanna spend an entire weekend doing this!
So how and when can I sign up for the tournament?
At the top of this thread there is a link. That link will be open starting the Wednesday before the final Saturday of the month. Entries will be accepted up until 10pm (PST) Friday. You will be asked for your Pinball Arcade Fans user name and whatever screen name you use withing TPA.
Will there be a way for me to know that I have successfully been added to the tournament?
There is no confirmation notice. If you are unsure, message me. A list of everyone will be posted in a new thread along with who they are playing against. If for some reason you did not sign up in time and still want to play, we will accept your scores as 'alternates' in case some that signed up do not post any scores themselves. Message me or post in the thread, making it clear you'd like to be added as an alternate.
How do I post my scores?
Also at the start of this post you will notice a link to the score sheet. All scores must be entered at the same time.
When will we see the results of the tournament?
Results will be posted in the "Groupings/Results" thread. The original post will be updated to show results. A list of how everyone placed will be shown with total points earned. You will see everyone's scores within their groupings per table. As for when this thread will appear? That all depends on how quickly I can put it together and whether I am on top of things! Worst case scenario is it not showing up until late Sunday, but I will do my best to post results within hours of the tourney finishing.
Is there a place to live chat about the tournament as it's going on?
You've finished your tables, but now you're all hopped up on excitement, aren't cha? Well head on over to the chat room! You've seen it in the tab at the top of the PAF site, you may have even clicked on it once. Well do that, enter in a name, and for the channel type in pinballarcadefans. That's it! Unwind and share in your glory or defeat. It actually does get busy during and right after the tournament.
I've heard there are rules for the tournament. What are they?
This tournament runs on the honor system. So rule one is, don't be the jerk that ruins it for everyone else. Rules are simple...
How and why do I need to be able to show proof?
Again, anybody can grind to a great score. We want to know your score came from the day of the tournament. Either take a screen shot of your score from the day of, or take a photo of your monitor with a post it featuring a word that will be announced day of.
You do not need to post screen shots unless either asked or you feel like volunteering. Let's put it this way, if your score looks too good to be true, be prepared to back it up. Consequences of posting a bogus score are that you are disqualified from current tournament.
Tell me about tournament points.
For each table, you will be placed within a group of 3 or 4. These are the people you are competing against on that table, not the entire field. Within your group, 1st place scores 13 points, 2nd 9 points, 3rd 6 points, and 4th 4 points. You will be with a different grouping for each table.
Maximum points for the tournament depends on how many tables played. So 4 tables = 52 points as the highest score possible. These points determine the overall tournament placing. In the event of a tie, the 'put up or shut up' round breaks it, even if you did not play directly against that person. Season total ties are broken a little differently. Whoever had the higher placing in the previous TotM gets wins the tie.
Wait, what do you mean by season?
Point totals for each tournament will also accumulate throughout the season. The season currently runs for 6 months. Just a little incentive to play every month. Top ten players will be known as "A" group, everyone else will "B". Don't play in a month, watch your score plummet.
Will the "A" group get special seeding?
First tournament of the season had no special groupings because a top 10 hadn't been established. For the rest of the season, no more than 1 "A" person will be put into a group (so long as there are a minimum of 10 groups per table). There will however be one table selected where whoever you are closest in points total to you will be grouped with. Call this the "put up or shut up" round. Also, if you are grouped with an "A" person and you are a "B" who happens to beat their score, you will earn an extra point.
Is there a prize for placing in the BlahCade Tournament of the Month?
Of course there is. You get a groovy new Avatar to use here on the forum. Top 3 finishers get one, and they specify which month won for. They look something like this...
Sometimes there are other prizes, such as digital downloads for games. If you feel like donating a spare steam key for a game, any game, let us know!
I heard there is to be a Super Tournament. Can you tell me more?
This idea has been scrapped. If you'd like to run one yourself and use TotM statistics, let me know in advance.
What happens when we run out of tables to play for TotW?
We have a couple of options. The first is we can just reshuffle the tables available from TPA. Another idea is to start playing through Zen Pinball. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Can I still play in the tournament if I don't own all the tables?
Absolutely! You will however only earn points for tables played.
Do I have to play on a certain platform?
Nope. Any platform is welcome. Even within the tournament, you are not restricted to one platform. Say you have some tables on iOS and others on Steam. Play where you have them! If you do have all the tables of a particular tournament on one platform available to you, we do ask you play then all there then.
The important things first...tournament links.
TOURNAMENT SIGN UP
http://goo.gl/forms/5vJM0lMo0m
TOURNAMENT SCORE SHEET
http://goo.gl/forms/lrVd0eZX33
These links will only be open during designated times and otherwise will not accept your info.
Now that we have that out of the way...
What is Table of the Week (TotW) and how can I join?
TotW is simply a week when people on this forum focus on one particular table to discuss, improve scores, conquer wizard goals, revisit bugs, whatever. In a lot of ways it is the same experience that happens when a new table gets dropped. Problem is, there are a lot of people who missed that due to either just recently getting into the game, being on a console and not getting it until months later, or the table itself is years old and everybody has kind of forgotten about it.
Anyone can join. Each Saturday at 10pm (PST) the table of the week is randomly selected and posted here and on Twitter @BlahCade. A thread is created and all discussions for that table happen there. The previous week's thread will remain open for an additional week, but then gets closed so the discussion can always stay focused. And that's it! Read the thread, join the discussion, play the table. Simple as that.
What happens when FarSight releases a new table?
Sometimes we will not choose a TotW when a new table is released. Since we do not know their release schedule, we just presume nothing is coming and move on like business as usual. Once there is a release, we will give it a week before announcing the next TotW.
Tell me about Tournament of the Month (TotM)
What better way to put all the new tips and tricks you've learned from the past TotW selections than by having a competition? On the last Saturday of every month, we will be having a tournament. It will be comprised of 4 TotW tables played since the previous tournament. It is a one day tournament, played within a 24 hour window, with only 2 plays per table.
Why only one day?
Anyone can grind there way to a good score. Given a long enough time period, you are bound to have a great game of pinball, even if the other 99 were horrible. Instead, think of it as when you were a kid and your parents tossed you 2 quarters. Are you going to be the kid that is off the machine in 90 seconds, or the one that draws a crowd? As for the 24 hours, let's be honest...even with 2 plays on 4 tables, you're gonna only need 2 hours tops. Unless you are a TPA pinball savant. And then screw you!
What time do we play?
As soon as the groupings are posted, the tournament is live. This should occur right around 10:30pm (PST) Friday. The tournament ends at 10pm Saturday. For those needing to do the math, Pacific Standard Time is -8 GMT. If you are still having problems figuring out the times, it's called Google and enter 'time conversion'. And before you complain that it sucks for you for whatever reason, well too bad. It's one guy running the tournament, not a computer, and he doesn't wanna spend an entire weekend doing this!
So how and when can I sign up for the tournament?
At the top of this thread there is a link. That link will be open starting the Wednesday before the final Saturday of the month. Entries will be accepted up until 10pm (PST) Friday. You will be asked for your Pinball Arcade Fans user name and whatever screen name you use withing TPA.
Will there be a way for me to know that I have successfully been added to the tournament?
There is no confirmation notice. If you are unsure, message me. A list of everyone will be posted in a new thread along with who they are playing against. If for some reason you did not sign up in time and still want to play, we will accept your scores as 'alternates' in case some that signed up do not post any scores themselves. Message me or post in the thread, making it clear you'd like to be added as an alternate.
How do I post my scores?
Also at the start of this post you will notice a link to the score sheet. All scores must be entered at the same time.
When will we see the results of the tournament?
Results will be posted in the "Groupings/Results" thread. The original post will be updated to show results. A list of how everyone placed will be shown with total points earned. You will see everyone's scores within their groupings per table. As for when this thread will appear? That all depends on how quickly I can put it together and whether I am on top of things! Worst case scenario is it not showing up until late Sunday, but I will do my best to post results within hours of the tourney finishing.
Is there a place to live chat about the tournament as it's going on?
You've finished your tables, but now you're all hopped up on excitement, aren't cha? Well head on over to the chat room! You've seen it in the tab at the top of the PAF site, you may have even clicked on it once. Well do that, enter in a name, and for the channel type in pinballarcadefans. That's it! Unwind and share in your glory or defeat. It actually does get busy during and right after the tournament.
I've heard there are rules for the tournament. What are they?
This tournament runs on the honor system. So rule one is, don't be the jerk that ruins it for everyone else. Rules are simple...
- Only 2 plays per table
- Extra balls are to be plunged (yes you can plunge for a skill shot!)
- No restarting a table once started
- You must be able to show proof that your score is from the day of the tourney
How and why do I need to be able to show proof?
Again, anybody can grind to a great score. We want to know your score came from the day of the tournament. Either take a screen shot of your score from the day of, or take a photo of your monitor with a post it featuring a word that will be announced day of.
You do not need to post screen shots unless either asked or you feel like volunteering. Let's put it this way, if your score looks too good to be true, be prepared to back it up. Consequences of posting a bogus score are that you are disqualified from current tournament.
Tell me about tournament points.
For each table, you will be placed within a group of 3 or 4. These are the people you are competing against on that table, not the entire field. Within your group, 1st place scores 13 points, 2nd 9 points, 3rd 6 points, and 4th 4 points. You will be with a different grouping for each table.
Maximum points for the tournament depends on how many tables played. So 4 tables = 52 points as the highest score possible. These points determine the overall tournament placing. In the event of a tie, the 'put up or shut up' round breaks it, even if you did not play directly against that person. Season total ties are broken a little differently. Whoever had the higher placing in the previous TotM gets wins the tie.
Wait, what do you mean by season?
Point totals for each tournament will also accumulate throughout the season. The season currently runs for 6 months. Just a little incentive to play every month. Top ten players will be known as "A" group, everyone else will "B". Don't play in a month, watch your score plummet.
Will the "A" group get special seeding?
First tournament of the season had no special groupings because a top 10 hadn't been established. For the rest of the season, no more than 1 "A" person will be put into a group (so long as there are a minimum of 10 groups per table). There will however be one table selected where whoever you are closest in points total to you will be grouped with. Call this the "put up or shut up" round. Also, if you are grouped with an "A" person and you are a "B" who happens to beat their score, you will earn an extra point.
Is there a prize for placing in the BlahCade Tournament of the Month?
Of course there is. You get a groovy new Avatar to use here on the forum. Top 3 finishers get one, and they specify which month won for. They look something like this...
Sometimes there are other prizes, such as digital downloads for games. If you feel like donating a spare steam key for a game, any game, let us know!
I heard there is to be a Super Tournament. Can you tell me more?
This idea has been scrapped. If you'd like to run one yourself and use TotM statistics, let me know in advance.
What happens when we run out of tables to play for TotW?
We have a couple of options. The first is we can just reshuffle the tables available from TPA. Another idea is to start playing through Zen Pinball. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Can I still play in the tournament if I don't own all the tables?
Absolutely! You will however only earn points for tables played.
Do I have to play on a certain platform?
Nope. Any platform is welcome. Even within the tournament, you are not restricted to one platform. Say you have some tables on iOS and others on Steam. Play where you have them! If you do have all the tables of a particular tournament on one platform available to you, we do ask you play then all there then.
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