tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47699182588400074402024-03-04T22:45:23.651-08:00Donkey Blog: News, Theory, and Meditations From The World of Competitive Donkey KongThe game, the contenders, the experience of competitive Donkey Kong...<br>and what it takes to climb all the way to the top.Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191198088813185030noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-67288618913743323162016-08-03T16:17:00.001-07:002016-08-04T16:51:25.988-07:00Lakeman's Revenge: Copeland Defeated In Kong Off 5's Final Round!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: -1em; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZlWF9hcvX_xT3ldzwTMb46TTrrmf7JC6UZWaVO7fUPMDtupSCWthW134BDGyzOjUtZmLcWcykHsYHq_9I2RGlfiWN3UQCvCg_w4ZQChZjkvHgaMauoo28R7m8CXoN7uNaIgGPKJw4J8/s1600/kong-off-5-final-match.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="687" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZlWF9hcvX_xT3ldzwTMb46TTrrmf7JC6UZWaVO7fUPMDtupSCWthW134BDGyzOjUtZmLcWcykHsYHq_9I2RGlfiWN3UQCvCg_w4ZQChZjkvHgaMauoo28R7m8CXoN7uNaIgGPKJw4J8/s640/kong-off-5-final-match.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lakeman and Copeland vie for the win while Dean Saglio calls the action<br />Photos: Jeff Harrist</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLD3MHdFHRzM7LiNLtQyhMrxHzHvpiinVbEOspCfXOEkZYAy8c5xsvAUEgpnJkYE6C4jjsMwWCWzS2krrkT0VW54LUlfksxo8ciair1yTZ3l2JCIh8fCB8R8b5LhUFH6bQr87sQw8-ynE/s1600/robbie-lakeman-ko5-belt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLD3MHdFHRzM7LiNLtQyhMrxHzHvpiinVbEOspCfXOEkZYAy8c5xsvAUEgpnJkYE6C4jjsMwWCWzS2krrkT0VW54LUlfksxo8ciair1yTZ3l2JCIh8fCB8R8b5LhUFH6bQr87sQw8-ynE/s320/robbie-lakeman-ko5-belt.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo: TJ Jones</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p><b>August 3rd, 2016 -</b> This past weekend, classic gaming fans watched as the second Kong Off in a row culminated in the perfect grudge match.</p>
<p>Once again, a world record holder and the champion he ousted into second place were pitted against one other for the Kong Off final. And as before, #2 in the record books walked away #1 for the day.</p>
<p>Last year it was <b>Robbie Lakeman</b> versus <b>Hank Chien</b>, with Chien taking the Kong Off title, but Lakeman still above him in the all-time standings.</p>
<p>This time around, it's Lakeman who will wear the Kong Off belt, while <b>Wes Copeland</b>'s high score remains the one to beat.</p>
<p>It couldn't have been scripted better.</p>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXIeKv8fwLQf0yyRS4llD3sLnwzgUHiOfv-Xs82o-lHuOjeyhR60fR7swUx8vZIlR3-Bni3GhbA_BTCxrw9JUfTa8_ewsKHhfqst36j8SgB4bfgtv2PvqoEP2VxrLzq7pQwBmJyNjQgM/s1600/ko5-day-2-row.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXIeKv8fwLQf0yyRS4llD3sLnwzgUHiOfv-Xs82o-lHuOjeyhR60fR7swUx8vZIlR3-Bni3GhbA_BTCxrw9JUfTa8_ewsKHhfqst36j8SgB4bfgtv2PvqoEP2VxrLzq7pQwBmJyNjQgM/s640/ko5-day-2-row.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Day 2 high score attempts<br />Photo: William McEvoy</i></td></tr>
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<p>More than a dozen players fought for supremacy over the course of the first two days, but only the eight with the highest scores could move on to the third day's bracketed head-to-head semi-finals.</p>
<p><b>Billy Mitchell</b>, who competed in the event but declined to submit any scores, emceed the Day 3 matches for the ReplayFX crowd and the camera crews gathering footage for upcoming documentaries.</p>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36Ls9h71nfRXZ-G0nzYyuaC16V90gW5WHt5iHjPJeKUmxX0vvcx0ySKHgOIru_v0MHuwFTC_bu4L_U_LOYB6pYwDWH8AI1D_oNLAlLWK5FdFzAaw_naoX6BQrhH_coCbSJG3h8-cfy_4/s1600/vader-mitchell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36Ls9h71nfRXZ-G0nzYyuaC16V90gW5WHt5iHjPJeKUmxX0vvcx0ySKHgOIru_v0MHuwFTC_bu4L_U_LOYB6pYwDWH8AI1D_oNLAlLWK5FdFzAaw_naoX6BQrhH_coCbSJG3h8-cfy_4/s640/vader-mitchell.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A surprise appearance from the Dark Lord of the Sith<br />
(joined by another of cinema history's greatest villains!)<br />Photo: William McEvoy</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpaMbragNhcLxn9MllUM-LugBrUuNyK5fJ323rsv1G5i8dOt7Fyi2-Q-WzqXf30KByW5BH4PQV4we1pNeCuaMT8USrMd6tKuzjg4eE8gkykP8xE07oQOHy6HX-oUegGIN5zmIeQzrW_M/s1600/lakeman-wolfe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpaMbragNhcLxn9MllUM-LugBrUuNyK5fJ323rsv1G5i8dOt7Fyi2-Q-WzqXf30KByW5BH4PQV4we1pNeCuaMT8USrMd6tKuzjg4eE8gkykP8xE07oQOHy6HX-oUegGIN5zmIeQzrW_M/s1600/lakeman-wolfe.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lakeman embraces Jeff Wolfe after their semi-final match<br />Photo: William McEvoy</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>Fatigue from a grueling, sleep-deprived weekend was a major factor on the last day, but one by one Copeland and Lakeman worked through their brackets (<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNZux8tJyGwXr7M4lczp3zLLiqKGSgi48EaXbkuQ2kBciAt31NCNjJi53cpo5zxdnmCrOGRZMs5HU6o_-3VK99hO0hkHZcOlSdBPviR8hat4C5MMRaPcGC9NobmpDJxOS9ExE5su51EE/s1600/kong-off-5-brackets.jpg">shown here</a>) until the stage was set for the ultimate showdown.</p>
<p><b>Dean Saglio</b> and <b>Hank Chien</b>, now relieved of their competitive duties, took to the mic to provide expert commentary for the fans watching on stream, illuminating the finer points of Donkey Kong strategy and inviting viewers inside the thought processes of high-level play.</p>
<p>While a new world record will never be the goal in a single coin head-to-head, Lakeman and Copeland forced each other to play hard. Deep in the game, Copeland was well ahead of Lakeman in pace, but behind him in spare men. Eventually fatigue got the best of Copeland and he succumbed to the Level 19 rivet board with a score of 975,900. This instantly gave the victory to Lakeman (since his score was already past Copeland's), but Lakeman opted to play out the remainder, cashing in all of his spare men on the last barrel board and treating the crowd to a kill screen with a score of 1,096,100.</p>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie27LBzsx8k4rXwzTB4D7TfU_8MWhw0ofOvWpBodH-jDLSZPRglZA4lQjmVyE089HgDft0bGvvhDM5mJKZMxk-PdA2GNGNgBC-CiB-dkrdLBWwJXcEKHWgccyeIKiG9mOSY4kqJnWRw6c/s1600/chien-saglio-commentate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie27LBzsx8k4rXwzTB4D7TfU_8MWhw0ofOvWpBodH-jDLSZPRglZA4lQjmVyE089HgDft0bGvvhDM5mJKZMxk-PdA2GNGNgBC-CiB-dkrdLBWwJXcEKHWgccyeIKiG9mOSY4kqJnWRw6c/s640/chien-saglio-commentate.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo: William McEvoy</i></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_x7P8dqsBibm6EK4qOq_w6ztUyvudNqfzPSkPlcXH9tFbKqjqh2vE5h-78DroftYFUv2rWQR4KGO-kjOGV_SPwmkKoyMehhk3hX_iynhTfjrsV2gCP7EcfRYli3hR-oQO6SJKHkbExo/s1600/polygon-link.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_x7P8dqsBibm6EK4qOq_w6ztUyvudNqfzPSkPlcXH9tFbKqjqh2vE5h-78DroftYFUv2rWQR4KGO-kjOGV_SPwmkKoyMehhk3hX_iynhTfjrsV2gCP7EcfRYli3hR-oQO6SJKHkbExo/s400/polygon-link.png" width="400" height="227" /></a></div><p>Hundreds of viewers were on hand to witness the finish, both live at the ReplayFX event, and on Twitch (thanks in no small part to <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2016/7/30/12333326/kong-off-5-livestream-video-watch">a story on Polygon</a>, which helped "boost the signal" for us.</p>
<p>#5 was, by far, the best-streamed Kong Off of them all, with almost total coverage of every minute of gameplay and three full days of commentary from top players, fans, and guests. Special appreciation must go to <b>Jeff Harrist</b>, creator of Donkey Kong Forum, and competitor <b>Daniel Desjardins</b>, who both went the extra mile to set up the live streams, which will remain archived at <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/kongoff5/profile">http://twitch.tv/kongoff5</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAOZvhyld3s1f8Jm0DJA3swHICuHBYXpJN2A6vcvMNG63aNqmHVKrd3wZ_F4Do2ZKKEf4rUBLe2bbZoD6ocY89iGs7RjACokTJpF-jip-R6VIyoujxT4kj33BdNQP9bYiA0IZ8I_d7f0/s1600/lakeman-thanks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAOZvhyld3s1f8Jm0DJA3swHICuHBYXpJN2A6vcvMNG63aNqmHVKrd3wZ_F4Do2ZKKEf4rUBLe2bbZoD6ocY89iGs7RjACokTJpF-jip-R6VIyoujxT4kj33BdNQP9bYiA0IZ8I_d7f0/s1600/lakeman-thanks.png" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeiWKUMIvcPI6qGBzckFHm9qJm_6hY3Us0ASLXs_xDT8BO-RMOJCIxs4jqBgywrqr6k7Wz1V5_pe4ZnBXCTlsfEMbWEouzwe0e_QsP1KJogh3A8JCXpVbli5CU_f38f243H8RDleN3NQ/s1600/lakeman-jumping-barrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeiWKUMIvcPI6qGBzckFHm9qJm_6hY3Us0ASLXs_xDT8BO-RMOJCIxs4jqBgywrqr6k7Wz1V5_pe4ZnBXCTlsfEMbWEouzwe0e_QsP1KJogh3A8JCXpVbli5CU_f38f243H8RDleN3NQ/s400/lakeman-jumping-barrel.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo: Ethan Daniels</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>The Kong Off 6 is still in the earliest planning stages. Certainty at this point is limited only to the understanding that it will not be held again in Pittsburgh at ReplayFX (which was always a strict two-year engagement for Kong Offs 4 and 5), nor at the 1up in Denver (Kong Offs 2 and 3). The most likely scenario will be a return to where it all began at the inaugural Kong Off: <b>Richie Knucklez</b> arcade in New Jersey.</p>
<p>As for Lakeman, while the "retirement" talk comes and goes (and comes again), he's still got a world record to reclaim, and has stated that as long as he believes it to be within his reach, he'll keep trying for it.</p>
<p>Kong on!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDFjkEoyc-U-34OD715VYmADl_O0Zp4gq6qEeyxM4005cVLpSpy2KZuOdQjjcAbZ2XwOeRnnFFn8Tp50WEQGb5LDQ9Xw89JdIXTD4JHylgc9nympMdmhrWEQc8LXI64H-233SBa4HQew/s1600/lakeman-belt-headstone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDFjkEoyc-U-34OD715VYmADl_O0Zp4gq6qEeyxM4005cVLpSpy2KZuOdQjjcAbZ2XwOeRnnFFn8Tp50WEQGb5LDQ9Xw89JdIXTD4JHylgc9nympMdmhrWEQc8LXI64H-233SBa4HQew/s1600/lakeman-belt-headstone.jpg" /></a></div>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191198088813185030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-78452879363298825402016-07-31T11:46:00.000-07:002016-07-31T14:29:19.577-07:00Kong Off 5 Final Match: Copeland vs. Lakeman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNZux8tJyGwXr7M4lczp3zLLiqKGSgi48EaXbkuQ2kBciAt31NCNjJi53cpo5zxdnmCrOGRZMs5HU6o_-3VK99hO0hkHZcOlSdBPviR8hat4C5MMRaPcGC9NobmpDJxOS9ExE5su51EE/s1600/kong-off-5-brackets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNZux8tJyGwXr7M4lczp3zLLiqKGSgi48EaXbkuQ2kBciAt31NCNjJi53cpo5zxdnmCrOGRZMs5HU6o_-3VK99hO0hkHZcOlSdBPviR8hat4C5MMRaPcGC9NobmpDJxOS9ExE5su51EE/s640/kong-off-5-brackets.jpg" width="550" height="363" /></a></div><b>July 31st, 2016, 2:30 PM EDT -</b> The preliminary matches are complete, and it's come down to none other than <b>Wes Copeland</b>, the current world record holder, versus <b>Robbie Lakeman</b>, the man he took the record from!</p>
<p>Tune in NOW to the final round at <a href="http://twitch.tv/kongoff5">http://twitch.tv/kongoff5</a>!</p>
<p><b><span style="color:red">UPDATE</span> 5:00 PM EDT</b>: It's over! Lakeman defeated Copeland 1,096,100 to 975,900 for the Kong Off 5 title in an incredibly suspenseful head-to-head. You can <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/kongoff5/v/81042678">watch the end here</a>.</p>
<p>Wrap-up coming soon.</p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-74552828575481668142016-07-30T23:55:00.000-07:002016-07-31T02:23:03.789-07:00Day 2 Recap: Saglio Takes First (By 300 Points!) On Last Quarter; Chien Will Not Repeat As Kong Off Champion<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm_Ok9vc5aZhzLE7ceodJb7WAvfZvS7YrFVn7LHYEM7l352mOKmzces_6rogoagWlq1evmHeFCDTsWrTF6LWo_SEgistDFjEj6WRnvJOWmOJctBIynH_qv_LOSnGPophC9nkL2QM-YXU/s1600/dean-with-hank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm_Ok9vc5aZhzLE7ceodJb7WAvfZvS7YrFVn7LHYEM7l352mOKmzces_6rogoagWlq1evmHeFCDTsWrTF6LWo_SEgistDFjEj6WRnvJOWmOJctBIynH_qv_LOSnGPophC9nkL2QM-YXU/s640/dean-with-hank.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dean Saglio and Hank Chien</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>July 30th, 2016 -</b> Kong Offs 1 through 4 have been a <b>Hank Chien</b> and <b>Jeff Willms</b> dynasty - with Chien winning the first and fourth, and Willms going back-to-back in the second and third.</p>
<p>We can't be sure whether or not Willms will emerge with another victory tomorrow, but he is still in contention.</p>
<p>Chien, though, is not, having finished the high score portion of the tournament outside of the top 8, and thus eliminated from Sunday's head-to-head finals.</p>
<h1>Copeland In! Lemay Survives!</h1>
<p>Early in the day, current world record holder <b>Wes Copeland</b> finally found his bearings and pushed his way from the bottom of the leaderboard into 4th place, ensuring himself a place on Sunday.</p>
<p>Then, as Day 2 drew toward "last quarter", all eyes turned to the low-hanging fruit.</p>
<p>The players in the top 7 spots were secure with scores well over a million points. But <b>Vincent Lemay</b>'s 993,500 from Day 1 (over 50,000 points below the 7th place score) was still clinging to 8th... with a bright red target on its back.</p>
<p>Players still outside of the bubble (namely Chien, <b>Ethan Daniels</b>, and <b>Daniel Desjardins</b>) all set out on a last-quarter hunt for their tournament lives, with Lemay himself alongside them mounting a defense, trying to increase the score they were trying to beat.</p>
<p>One by one they fell (Daniels coming closest about 60,000 points short), but Kong managed to stave them all off, leaving Vincent alive to fight the final day, surprised but happy.</p>
<p>Earlier, Lemay had a little Facebook fun with the situation:</p>
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<p>Nobody, including Lemay, expected his score to hold, but "Lemay math" prevailed. Let us never doubt it again.</p>
<p>That left just one last piece of business to be decided.</p>
<h1>Saglio Snatches First Place From Lakeman</h1>
<p>It's almost a rule in Donkey Kong tournaments that last-quarter will bring drama, and often a stunning upset. Dean Saglio did the honors this time. Having already secured a top 8 spot earlier in the tournament, Saglio was free to spend Day 2 playing at a higher pace in pursuit of Lakeman's Day 1 best.</p>
<p>He did it by a hair, <i>a single barrel smash</i> on the kill screen bridging the gap.</p>
<p>Saglio, who has experienced much disappointment in tournaments - Kong Offs in particular - was thrilled.</p>
<blockquote><i>"Fifth time's the charm for being at the top of the high score competition. It took until Kong Off 5 to get to the top of the leaderboard. So, psyched about that. It took every barrel to get there."</i></blockquote>
<p>In one fell swoop, Saglio earned tournament vindication, the high score first place prize money, and extracted a little payback from Lakeman, who just last month eclipsed 1.2 million and beat Saglio's personal best, pushing Saglio into third on the all-time scoreboard.</p>
<p>Tonight must have felt good.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-VGoAVVr8AKeO5_1I8YYcwKD6SHZaS6nBw5V8HpqTugJF7TWtKDQHGEs34cZhz3Nbnij02HEDBmzbgQ-71qx-d2dd0KIbxkdvkiUKIusRmvrfsEW_mgrn5vdcut3yVxk7QxpVpnGkaM/s1600/ko5-day-2-lakeman-copeland-announce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -1em; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-VGoAVVr8AKeO5_1I8YYcwKD6SHZaS6nBw5V8HpqTugJF7TWtKDQHGEs34cZhz3Nbnij02HEDBmzbgQ-71qx-d2dd0KIbxkdvkiUKIusRmvrfsEW_mgrn5vdcut3yVxk7QxpVpnGkaM/s640/ko5-day-2-lakeman-copeland-announce.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lakeman and Copeland at the announcer table</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Here are the full standings as of the end of Day 2:</p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tr><td><b>Rank</b></td><td><b>Player</b></td><td><b>Best Score</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>Dean Saglio </td><td>1,135,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>2</td><td>Robbie Lakeman </td><td>1,135,300</td></tr>
<tr><td>3</td><td>Jeff Willms </td><td>1,071,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>4</td><td>Wes Copeland </td><td>1,061,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>5</td><td>Steve Wiltshire </td><td>1,054,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>6</td><td>Jeff Wolfe </td><td>1,049,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>7</td><td>Jason Wade </td><td>1,046,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>8</td><td>Vincent Lemay </td><td>993,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>9</td><td>Ethan Daniels </td><td>933,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>10</td><td>Hank Chien </td><td>885,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>11</td><td>Tanner Fokkens </td><td>884,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>12</td><td>Mick Winzeler </td><td>778,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>13</td><td>Daniel Desjardins </td><td>727,300</td></tr>
<tr><td>14</td><td>Eric Tessler </td><td>581,200</td></tr>
</table>
<p>Meanwhile this very day, in an adjacent section of the (massive) David L. Lawrence Convention Center removed from the ReplayFX/Kong Off event, a rally was held for and presided over by none other than candidate Hillary Clinton herself!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUm8sA_mijsTeME0lbM6uAQmK66eTcLtgMoHGcB-kwkIdSTfzxJodfOPfQSE_5FCDUhGw8IXMBIjk7MXzTxihV6e0bhyKUa1JSeJHI4RpxaqfURuHtQ2dtFZXGbE8kAprnHAZZY2P4Obs/s1600/clinton-kaine-kong-off-5.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUm8sA_mijsTeME0lbM6uAQmK66eTcLtgMoHGcB-kwkIdSTfzxJodfOPfQSE_5FCDUhGw8IXMBIjk7MXzTxihV6e0bhyKUa1JSeJHI4RpxaqfURuHtQ2dtFZXGbE8kAprnHAZZY2P4Obs/s1600/clinton-kaine-kong-off-5.PNG" /></a></div>
<p>Did they stop by to check out the action at the Kong Off? We will never know, but the ReplayFX staff commented on the situation by offering up a candidate of their own:
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKy2z4GwQ7O9qd4MDvCQ7rCmXzPwlkLxMuy3J9IkeLOkSAw85FaSnczbdiY2yWc98ec-aDoZ3GzEjuqunfiO2rta8BLYPVdT7QmePnVAwNcCo5dMyJ4yHEK-yijLyO5Uqv3ApHd0KfGB8/s1600/dk-for-president.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKy2z4GwQ7O9qd4MDvCQ7rCmXzPwlkLxMuy3J9IkeLOkSAw85FaSnczbdiY2yWc98ec-aDoZ3GzEjuqunfiO2rta8BLYPVdT7QmePnVAwNcCo5dMyJ4yHEK-yijLyO5Uqv3ApHd0KfGB8/s640/dk-for-president.jpg" width="550" height="400" /></a></div>
<p>Whether you're planning to vote for Trump, Clinton, or Kong, be sure to watch the <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/kongoff5">Kong Off 5 live stream</a> starting at 9 AM Eastern for the final head-to-head matchups!</p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-28514749265475787412016-07-30T12:30:00.000-07:002016-07-30T13:06:53.942-07:00Day 1 Recap: Lakeman In Control<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdT7mv0-8to6SGL4wiz8Aa91H4qY4S6S79WO2JCob0hav5gNdaZVxbyn_RJEvYYUsHYQoAPfBAwhlhrj_hr5WYe8IFPyv-qhLDQDOi9JXG35RWJDXjlhyphenhyphen-qiBPOzCZzBLFwcfh7sqSi9M/s1600/13882190_702826255017_8040560087893241889_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdT7mv0-8to6SGL4wiz8Aa91H4qY4S6S79WO2JCob0hav5gNdaZVxbyn_RJEvYYUsHYQoAPfBAwhlhrj_hr5WYe8IFPyv-qhLDQDOi9JXG35RWJDXjlhyphenhyphen-qiBPOzCZzBLFwcfh7sqSi9M/s400/13882190_702826255017_8040560087893241889_n.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><p><b>July 30th, 2016 -</b> The phenomenal <b>Robbie Lakeman</b> wasted no time on the first day of Kong Off competition in securing his place in Sunday's bracketed finals.</p>
<p>On the very first quarter-drop of the tournament, Lakeman scored 1,135,300, not merely guaranteeing that he would make the cut (while putting heavy pressure on his world-record rival <b>Wes Copeland</b>), but in doing so, managed to pull off the highest score ever achieved at a Kong Off.</p>
<p>Mirroring the Day 1 results from last year's Kong Off 4, 2nd and 3rd place were held by the always-reliable <b>Dean Saglio</b> and <b>Jeff Willms</b>, followed by strong showings from <b>Jason Wade</b> and a focused <b>Steve Wiltshire</b>, who came determined not to repeat history. He ended up on the wrong side of the bubble in 9th place at the very end of Day 2 of the Kong Off 4. His 1,043,600 is not a lock, but is likely to hold up.</p>
<p>The million mark has yet to be breached by anyone else in the field, but rest assured, it will be. <b>Vincent Lemay</b> came the closest with 993,500.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIxfsyyCdTpiOi6wHTkBGJrJWWcqQn2j65EtDGn1dc40HDsdqy7I3TgMGFXtJeHYlbRkKDA30db2MNbfLglnwh0MzmIcvCG5G2VRzwWfqNHfus9RHe0Jmd6D_qEjqFBd6SaQJ7W2840c/s1600/billy-michell-exchange-rate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -1em; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIxfsyyCdTpiOi6wHTkBGJrJWWcqQn2j65EtDGn1dc40HDsdqy7I3TgMGFXtJeHYlbRkKDA30db2MNbfLglnwh0MzmIcvCG5G2VRzwWfqNHfus9RHe0Jmd6D_qEjqFBd6SaQJ7W2840c/s640/billy-michell-exchange-rate.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Billy "USA" Mitchell honoring his long-running tradition - taunting Canadians - while Jeff Willms (right) works to cover the exchange rate</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p><b>Tanner Fokkens</b> who became the youngest Donkey Kong kill-screener in the game's history last year at the tender age of 16, holds 7th position.</p>
<p>Ending the day in 8th place, defending Kong Off champion <b>Hank Chien</b> managed 851,000, but will have his work cut out for him if he wants to survive to Sunday.</p>
<p>Here are the full standings as of the end of Day 1:</p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tr><td><b>Rank</b></td><td><b>Player</b></td><td><b>Best Score</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>Robbie Lakeman </td><td>1,135,300</td></tr>
<tr><td>2</td><td>Dean Saglio </td><td>1,084,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>3</td><td>Jeff Willms </td><td>1,071,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>4</td><td>Jason Wade </td><td>1,046,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>5</td><td>Steve Wiltshire </td><td>1,043,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>6</td><td>Vincent Lemay </td><td>993,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>7</td><td>Tanner Fokkens </td><td>884,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>8</td><td>Hank Chien </td><td>851,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>9</td><td>Ethan Daniels </td><td>824,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>10</td><td>Wes Copeland </td><td>815,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>11</td><td>Mick Winzeler </td><td>778,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>12</td><td>Eric Tessler </td><td>581,200</td></tr>
</table>
<p>Sadly, <b>Steve Wiebe</b>, whose role in <i>The King of Kong</i> is one of the reasons we're all here in the first place, encountered a last-minute family emergency and was unable to attend this year's event. His presence is missed, but the show must go on.</p>
<p>Will Copeland pull ahead of Lakeman? Will Chien have the opportunity to defend his title? Might the great Saglio finally get a chance to walk away from a Kong Off with the belt?</p>
<p>Stay tuned to <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/kongoff5">Kong Off 5 live stream</a> and the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/kongoff5scoreboard/">official scoreboard</a> to find out, and thanks to <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2016/7/30/12333326/kong-off-5-livestream-video-watch">Polygon</a> for sending viewers our way!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbiOUFqpz7YUu37dh0DA2Wr5QIHAvKb7uFPPUnA5HNpJ9XP7epmUrpH8PDOlK6HY6rsbTjjyv2qTn9JcamT4Fq_wTDUWdSnIKSdFGpG_ozxWRk0BPn7qQNva7Qa298dg0HPTT1D2ewxQ/s1600/ko-row-5-players-assembled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbiOUFqpz7YUu37dh0DA2Wr5QIHAvKb7uFPPUnA5HNpJ9XP7epmUrpH8PDOlK6HY6rsbTjjyv2qTn9JcamT4Fq_wTDUWdSnIKSdFGpG_ozxWRk0BPn7qQNva7Qa298dg0HPTT1D2ewxQ/s640/ko-row-5-players-assembled.jpg" width="550" height="413" /></a></div>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191198088813185030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-70729146986528786902016-07-27T21:00:00.005-07:002016-07-28T22:11:27.566-07:00Countdown to Kong Off 5<p><b>July 27th, 2016 - </b>This weekend, the Donkey Kong elite will converge to do battle once again live and in person at the fifth installment of the Kong Off!</p>
<p>For the second year in a row, <a href="http://replayfx.org/">The ReplayFX Arcade & Gaming Festival</a> at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA will be hosting the tournament.</p>
<p>Play won't begin for another 48 hours, but participants are already arriving, and Kong Off Row is set.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMm3QFiHQsyJmxZY_hbj2GhrRFU3LOwr33VaPn2YAfjRSYjTyZ7Xr_vuoQzSwmFVLs6pY89y4Y15cHgbidSHW2_-4iv4JiegrZsM5Lm7TrkzFV5FSnJYUacE2fwQmEZW9DN5PiRflzqo/s1600/kong-off-5-row.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMm3QFiHQsyJmxZY_hbj2GhrRFU3LOwr33VaPn2YAfjRSYjTyZ7Xr_vuoQzSwmFVLs6pY89y4Y15cHgbidSHW2_-4iv4JiegrZsM5Lm7TrkzFV5FSnJYUacE2fwQmEZW9DN5PiRflzqo/s640/kong-off-5-row.jpg" width="550" height="301" /></a></div>
<p>The format will be identical to <a href="http://donkeykongblog.blogspot.com/p/the-kong-off-4.html">The Kong Off 4</a>, with two days of high score competition, culminating in a head-to-head bracketed elimination tournament between the 8 highest-scoring players.</p>
<p><b>Friday:</b> Start - 12 PM; Last Quarter - 7 PM<br />
<b>Saturday:</b> Start - 10 AM; Last Quarter - 9 PM<br />
<b>Sunday:</b> Head to Head Finals - 10 AM<br /></p>
<p><b>Live Streams:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.twitch.tv/kongoff5">www.twitch.tv/kongoff5</a> - Main Stream<br />
<a href="http://www.twitch.tv/kongoff5one">www.twitch.tv/kongoff5one</a> - Cabinets<br />
<a href="http://www.twitch.tv/kongoff5two">www.twitch.tv/kongoff5two</a> - Cabinets<br />
<a href="http://www.twitch.tv/kongoff5three">www.twitch.tv/kongoff5three</a> - Cabinets<br />
<a href="http://www.twitch.tv/kongoff5four">www.twitch.tv/kongoff5four</a> - Cabinets<br />
<a href="http://www.twitch.tv/kongoff5five">www.twitch.tv/kongoff5five</a> - Cabinets<br />
<a href="http://www.twitch.tv/kongoff5six">www.twitch.tv/kongoff5six</a> - Cabinets<br /></p>
<p>Stop by to watch, chat, and learn!</p>
<p>Highlights from each day's action will be posted here during the event. The Day 1 recap should appear sometime Saturday afternoon. Until then, good luck to all competitors, and cheers to our first five years!</p> Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-85410613854063275472016-05-07T19:50:00.000-07:002016-05-14T14:12:58.416-07:00Undisputed: Wes Copeland Sails Past Donkey Kong's Finish Line With A Score Worthy Of The Ages<b>May 7th, 2016 -</b> This is the one we were waiting for.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrL6dtBwcgfj4wP53acD5NnogiHMmo-PuRJ-aUqXVhoyCbvjmLj4DFU-HsQ1qhLaN6VyMfr3bJeCrPMgVPUsPL-8gffrIt15Og-Sa_iAaBVUAXpsbVZpOVhmThMHIKwyq34z9kXnbP_s/s1600/wes-copeland-1218000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrL6dtBwcgfj4wP53acD5NnogiHMmo-PuRJ-aUqXVhoyCbvjmLj4DFU-HsQ1qhLaN6VyMfr3bJeCrPMgVPUsPL-8gffrIt15Og-Sa_iAaBVUAXpsbVZpOVhmThMHIKwyq34z9kXnbP_s/s1600/wes-copeland-1218000.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>The end of the Donkey Kong world record chase has been promised, prophesied, argued about, and speculated over for years.</p>
<p>We knew that the run to do it would have to mate flawless play with exceedingly good fortune in order to birth a score that could never occur with just one of the two. A score about which we could confidently say, even if not definitively, "this will never be beaten."</p>
<p>On Thursday night, Wes Copeland gave us that score.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dCFcceg0hINi10wuFEKwhe9Se1Q5lg2RJXVzIpQI2uM4Cv9EE3Eo-xDrtOWz3D8coXrsbtjAbGMMtQ_xrdy35LnC7VDUVtY6noyc3px_v52gcT_QIVbk_UPv8cNhzZY3NyQ8v899YjM/s1600/13124897_10153481394907477_7857741909551246907_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dCFcceg0hINi10wuFEKwhe9Se1Q5lg2RJXVzIpQI2uM4Cv9EE3Eo-xDrtOWz3D8coXrsbtjAbGMMtQ_xrdy35LnC7VDUVtY6noyc3px_v52gcT_QIVbk_UPv8cNhzZY3NyQ8v899YjM/s400/13124897_10153481394907477_7857741909551246907_n.jpg" /></a></div><p>Copeland not only finally surpassed the 1.2 million threshold on an original 1981 arcade machine (a feat considered by many to be impossible until only a couple of years ago), he stormed through Donkey Kong's defensive artillery in truly spectacular fasion: <i>without the involuntary loss of a single life</i>.</p>
<p>To be exact, Copeland collected 1,173,800 points, blowing past <a href="../../2011/12/donkey-kong-world-record-history.html">24 of the preceding 28 world records</a>... before losing even one of his four men.</p>
<p>This meant that, after over three hours of <a href="../../2012/11/understanding-pace.html">maximum point pressing</a>, and upon reaching the penultimate board on his first man, Copeland was in position to execute the ultimate "cash-in" scenario—a tactic where the player intentionally sacrifices his spares (since they are unnecessary at that point) in order to replay the final round of barrels and milk them for every last drop.</p>
<p>It's rare enough to get there with <i>one</i> spare. Copeland had all three. After exchanging his lives for points and completing the final touches, Jumpman number four died as he always must, to the kill screen bug that strikes seven seconds into the first board of Level 22.</p>
<p>Those of us on hand for the stream had witnessed a just-about-perfect game of Donkey Kong.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.twitch.tv/wescopeland/v/64837485">The performance</a>, in particular the final few levels, was like seeing a poker master, already crushing the table with what he's being dealt, start to catch straights and flushes hand after consecutive hand. Or like repeatedly re-reading the happy denouement of a fairy tale. Copeland cheerfully breezed though, with everything going his way, and then some.</p>
<p>And while their back-and-forth rivalry over the record is now over, <a href="../../2014/09/new-world-record-robbie-lakeman-finally.html">former champ</a> <b>Robbie Lakeman</b> may never let Copeland hear the end of it.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vVl4S0BiAgd4BmKBrbKZ6HaAeL6Nkv1IFNwYiRq86XYMddo_V7Yvrx3pXGdB2y2-tU3_p2-Me1MinI7NaLp5Y3HaFjzodr6AhUcIxJwjLdA0lKL0k5d1ynXsYb4C-lSFdcikQKFGonQ/s1600/not-wasting-my-time.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vVl4S0BiAgd4BmKBrbKZ6HaAeL6Nkv1IFNwYiRq86XYMddo_V7Yvrx3pXGdB2y2-tU3_p2-Me1MinI7NaLp5Y3HaFjzodr6AhUcIxJwjLdA0lKL0k5d1ynXsYb4C-lSFdcikQKFGonQ/s1600/not-wasting-my-time.PNG" /></a></div>
<p>Following the game, Copeland announced that he was finished with Donkey Kong outside of tournaments. He also settled a bet between himself and a forum poster who had put $1,000 on the proposition that Copeland would not crack 1.2 million by the end of the year. Copeland asked that the money be donated to a charity of the bettor's choice, suggesting specifically <a href="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org">Doctors Without Borders</a>.</p>
<h1>Resolving The Dispute</h1>
<p>On July 8th 2009, <b>Dean Saglio</b>, playing on the MAME emulator, surpassed <b>Billy Mitchell</b>'s then-standing record score. But since he did so on a PC, he could not be declared the "official" world champion. That business was transacted between <b>Hank Chien</b>, Lakeman, and Copeland, who would go back and forth besting each other for the highest score on their arcade machines. Saglio, though, remained untouched on MAME, consistently putting himself far beyond the competition.</p>
<p>The "true" world record was an awkward situation for nearly seven years, leaving to spirited debate (and public confusion) the matter of who really held it—was it the guys on the cabinets, or the guy on the keyboard?</p>
<p>With this performance, Copeland made the question moot. His 1,218,000 surpassed Saglio's <a href="../../2013/10/1206800.html">1,206,800 best from 2013</a>, and by a rather wide margin. Copeland is now at the absolute top, and unless Saglio beats this score, the "arcade vs. MAME" issue can be put to rest... at least for the time being.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkPymc8kIOI5dxAj14AEctZVFZNa4KBtVMf3VhFfT6YZbyZbhgKm9TSx9SaVt-cIealmlZQasPZ9-IdjsP9u13VHXqS5dM9WsjLj_snyrneEOWa6yvL_tyTstusk1npoVbL_Y6dEWnFo/s1600/dean-keyboard-cabinet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkPymc8kIOI5dxAj14AEctZVFZNa4KBtVMf3VhFfT6YZbyZbhgKm9TSx9SaVt-cIealmlZQasPZ9-IdjsP9u13VHXqS5dM9WsjLj_snyrneEOWa6yvL_tyTstusk1npoVbL_Y6dEWnFo/s640/dean-keyboard-cabinet.jpg" width="520" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A practical joke dropped on Dean's cabinet at <a href="../../p/the-kong-off-3.html">Kong Off 3</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h1>Never Say Never</h1>
<p>In 2013, right after Saglio got his 1.2, <a href="../../2013/10/saglio-and-benziger-ladders-final-rung.html">I wrote:</a> <i>"All that remains now is to bring this 30-year war full circle by matching Saglio's score (or getting as close as possible) on the original arcade hardware... Can it be? And who is willing?"</i></p>
<p>At the time, we barely knew Wes, who was only just beginning to emerge. He has now completed that final task.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHQHkZ9qm-Lt4P8d0OXTiogPKY41XuSNBL24m29s-k2e8JHRDHQywnGwFF4gZHKMRv0Cs0SUSaRq4h1uNHewEr0XxBgxSFSi9Uoedjidk4i2PdZ9pzR7l8I1ytKu9mUcTJ9Vd4joFYtA/s1600/wes-copeland-piano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHQHkZ9qm-Lt4P8d0OXTiogPKY41XuSNBL24m29s-k2e8JHRDHQywnGwFF4gZHKMRv0Cs0SUSaRq4h1uNHewEr0XxBgxSFSi9Uoedjidk4i2PdZ9pzR7l8I1ytKu9mUcTJ9Vd4joFYtA/s400/wes-copeland-piano.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Will his score eventually meet the same fate?</p>
<p>Saglio has the best shot, at least on MAME. In fact, he seems to have been rekindled. I am listening to live audio from his Twitch channel even at the moment of this writing. "1.22" is the newly-posted target.</p>
<p>But Saglio may be the only player with the means and the motive, and unless he starts playing regularly on a cabinet, there is no other heir apparent. No player in the current competition pool has expressed any intention or expectation of beating Copeland with a joystick in the foreseeable future. Many of those, like Lakeman, who were not quite ready to surrender their world record aspirations before Thursday, are now conceding.</p>
<p>Having said that, if the score can be achieved once, it can, necessarily, be achieved again, and with a cherry on top. The question is, does it <i>need</i> to be? Copeland's run is, for all intents and purposes, a practical maxout. That's what we wanted to see, and it exceeded expectations. This is a world record that leaves nothing to complain about, and so much to praise. The theoretical possibility of better is one thing; summoning the insane and blazing fire of motivation it will take to realize it is another.</p>
<p>If someone, someday, surpasses his score, Copeland himself will not be the one to do it, and he has stated he will not attempt a reclamation. In his words, "this is the last personal best I will ever get." Copeland will continue to play in tournaments, but his record-hunting days are over.</p>
<h1>The Monkey Will Keep Climbing</h1>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDB1xMkdM6CBKwW0409U5X7zJf7Pf1mDJ_IDl5rMcjnYe_h_UoZso0rZqKIa5nGJkBMUW4qhBcSOuVTHu5lNtcxzmbAomtlLpTbdsi7LX7BCP2N_vPshp1YoBx4N3cs9srvEDqNuZ6_vc/s1600/scienceblogs-femgorillaskull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDB1xMkdM6CBKwW0409U5X7zJf7Pf1mDJ_IDl5rMcjnYe_h_UoZso0rZqKIa5nGJkBMUW4qhBcSOuVTHu5lNtcxzmbAomtlLpTbdsi7LX7BCP2N_vPshp1YoBx4N3cs9srvEDqNuZ6_vc/s320/scienceblogs-femgorillaskull.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>The apparent end of the world record chase does not spell the end of competitive Donkey Kong. This event alone will not cause a wholesale decline in interest. Most players have no aspirations of breaking the record and never did, so an "unbeatable" score is no threat to the viability of continued competition. There's a lot more to play for than taking down the all-time best.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, now that the long-awaited 1.2 has been achieved on an arcade cabinet, it can never again be achieved for the first time. In that sense, Donkey Kong is dead.</p>
<p>Long live Donkey Kong!</p>
<h1>Selected Coverage</h1>
<p><i>Here is a sampling of some of the media coverage about this score. The list is far from complete, and will continue to grow. Thanks to all for heping the story spread, and especially to the outlets citing Donkey Blog as a source.</i></p>
Twin Galaxies: <a href="http://www.twingalaxies.com/content.php/4177">Wes Copeland Submits The Greatest Donkey Kong Performance of All Time!</a> (First published report)<br />
Polygon: <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2016/5/8/11635188/donkey-kong-all-time-high-score-wes-copeland-perfect-game">Donkey Kong's All-Time Record Broken Again, With a 'Perfect' Game</a> (First press report, and most highly-cited)<br />
Ars Technica: <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/05/is-this-the-worlds-first-perfect-game-of-donkey-kong/">Is This The World’s First “Perfect” Game of Donkey Kong?</a> (Recommended reading, the community's top pick)<br />
IGN: <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/05/09/donkey-kong-world-champ-achieves-perfect-score">Donkey Kong World Champ Achieves Perfect Score</a><br />
Slashdot: <a href="https://games.slashdot.org/story/16/05/08/1930233/new-perfect-game-donkey-kong-record-may-be-unbeatable?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed">New "Perfect Game" Donkey Kong Record May Be Unbeatable</a><br />
Wired: <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-05/09/donkey-kong-perfect-high-score">Donkey Kong Player Sets 'Perfect Score' on Classic Game</a><br />
Huffington Post: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donkey-kong-wes-copeland_us_5731d805e4b0bc9cb047e7e9">Don’t Even Bother Trying To Beat This Guy At ‘Donkey Kong’</a><br />
Digital Trends: <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/donkey-kong-lucky-run-beats-world-record/">Donkey Kong Crown Reclaimed: World Record Score Breaks 1.2 Million</a><br />
Uproxx: <a href="http://uproxx.com/gammasquad/wes-copeland-reclaims-donkey-kong-world-record/">Wes Copeland Reclaims His ‘Donkey Kong’ World Record With A Near-Perfect Game</a><br />
Slashfilm: <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/the-king-of-kong/#disqus_thread">Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell Will Never Be ‘The King of Kong’ Again</a><br />
Bad Gamer: <a href="http://www.badgamer.org/donkey-kong-player-reckons-hes-posted-the-perfect-world-record-high-score">Donkey Kong Player Reckons He's Posted the Perfect World Record High Score</a><br />
Den of Geek: <a href="http://www.denofgeek.com/games/donkey-kong/40526/donkey-kong-player-posts-perfect-world-record-score">Donkey Kong Player Posts "Perfect" World Record Score</a><br />
GoNintendo: <a href="http://www.gonintendo.com/stories/257311-donkey-kong-new-world-record-score-achieved-by-wes-copeland">Donkey Kong - New World Record Score Achieved By Wes Copeland</a><br />
Attack of the Fanboy: <a href="http://attackofthefanboy.com/news/donkey-kong-record-regained-wes-copeland/">Donkey Kong Record Regained by Wes Copeland</a><br />
Destructoid: <a href="http://www.destructoid.com/perfect-donkey-kong-run-sets-new-world-record-score-360052.phtml">All Hail the New, Possibly Last King of Kong</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmT_v4jx6qnUznrL1ZlofmInxQIDBPK7IRiZdEOMO6gh0u3Ns-dAiDJ6Y0Fe4RZ11iqdhB1SDeZfW_xov8fdCyapgTI2DUurP2WqyrMlnF8IW3_n5fE0LnBRi1Bfx97A6BbXBuVNhczbY/s1600/wes-copeland-trending.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmT_v4jx6qnUznrL1ZlofmInxQIDBPK7IRiZdEOMO6gh0u3Ns-dAiDJ6Y0Fe4RZ11iqdhB1SDeZfW_xov8fdCyapgTI2DUurP2WqyrMlnF8IW3_n5fE0LnBRi1Bfx97A6BbXBuVNhczbY/s400/wes-copeland-trending.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5quu87yHImPVWdHHNROj_Z-L4fU4yM3lMn7Hy6QkaY8kNQHP8lMFaoL8fBRfjnjgFMFm7l7Z5ca0nhB3d4Vs6ERYMoJgQ1lCYUyVX7luxI8cr0KOLoYaZkUIWfa_7Dul36zeGivma_A/s1600/conan-obrien-donkey-kong-joke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5quu87yHImPVWdHHNROj_Z-L4fU4yM3lMn7Hy6QkaY8kNQHP8lMFaoL8fBRfjnjgFMFm7l7Z5ca0nhB3d4Vs6ERYMoJgQ1lCYUyVX7luxI8cr0KOLoYaZkUIWfa_7Dul36zeGivma_A/s400/conan-obrien-donkey-kong-joke.jpg" /></a></div>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191198088813185030noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-35522751064169395802016-04-23T23:00:00.000-07:002016-04-24T02:14:37.150-07:00Lakeman And Copeland Hit New World Records In The Race To Donkey Kong's Maximum Score<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQq4uaoenLSC-UFD4Bi1A9v0zQjEe-KmfY5DphXm_nfNPWXSD1HQMNSc0XTRtzpt2jBiUx6vTHE0EtpQrQzuyWYrygxG6cCByeEOGAKRF8mRXO0pYHK5J1rT0BhGTC4b0jGH5Ce85pro/s1600/copeland-wr-marquee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQq4uaoenLSC-UFD4Bi1A9v0zQjEe-KmfY5DphXm_nfNPWXSD1HQMNSc0XTRtzpt2jBiUx6vTHE0EtpQrQzuyWYrygxG6cCByeEOGAKRF8mRXO0pYHK5J1rT0BhGTC4b0jGH5Ce85pro/s320/copeland-wr-marquee.jpg" /></a></div><p><b>April 23rd, 2016 -</b>The month of April will (probably) end as it began, with <b>Wes Copeland</b> the reigning Donkey Kong world record holder, but not without a surprise reappearance from former champ <b>Robbie Lakeman</b>, who reclaimed the title and held it for just over a week before an unstoppable Copeland seized it right back.</p>
<p>In the dead of night on Monday April 11th, <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/lakeman421">Lakeman's Twitch.tv channel</a> sprang to life with a streamed replay of a game he had just finished. The live audience for the broadcast was sparse, due to the late hour for Stateside classic arcaders, and the replay had no sound, but it served its purpose.</p>
<p>A single 300-point barrel smash on the first board of Level 22, less than two seconds before the game's famous kill screen bug ended the run, allowed Lakeman to inch past Copeland's 1,190,000 score by a mere 200 points. It was the narrowest margin of victory in the history of record-breaking Donkey Kong games, and not a sure thing until the final point-award. One time out of four, the game's random number generator would have rolled the decisive barrel right past the ladder that Lakeman needed it to come down, leaving his hammer dry just 100 points short, but the odds were on his side, and the outcome fell in his favor.</p>
<p>Copeland awoke the next day to find himself out of a title. But being at the top of his game, and still playing nearly every day, he did not waste a moment in mounting a comeback, announcing his intentions in a Twitch chat:</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdwlddoghH2iw1S1MGgm8YhPrkZE41waFZR5e4FJSrqPScVmv91YqYKjegzSR2iLXO0JdOnPSF7VUvg9oXKhhkR75SzJwKJemfoIrRnH2M3TVZGTfRn6iUOOIylQI2DWavPojmtJvNSA/s1600/wes-copeland-entire-life.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdwlddoghH2iw1S1MGgm8YhPrkZE41waFZR5e4FJSrqPScVmv91YqYKjegzSR2iLXO0JdOnPSF7VUvg9oXKhhkR75SzJwKJemfoIrRnH2M3TVZGTfRn6iUOOIylQI2DWavPojmtJvNSA/s1600/wes-copeland-entire-life.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMMzoindgMYCgH3rkg_3gh0PDPMa0QoCyNvjm2hRiMoyHiEfDjR9gULL0GfmBbq_8_zVLGiRfVTYSAu6yWAkuPVibkRTOzxoSNBQTv2viuM67k2nUj9CAeI0wmC-C4BppMAhJC2W2yhM/s1600/wes-copeland-grind.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMMzoindgMYCgH3rkg_3gh0PDPMa0QoCyNvjm2hRiMoyHiEfDjR9gULL0GfmBbq_8_zVLGiRfVTYSAu6yWAkuPVibkRTOzxoSNBQTv2viuM67k2nUj9CAeI0wmC-C4BppMAhJC2W2yhM/s1600/wes-copeland-grind.png" /></a></div>
<p>True to his word, Copeland spent the next week in a ferocious spree of attempts, playing an average of nearly eight hours a day before <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/wescopeland/v/61658824">teh urn</a> that pushed the Donkey Kong high score up another 4,900 points to 1,195,100.</p>
<p>And so, after not even eight days had passed, Lakeman was playing from behind again. The retaliation had been swift and pitiless; Copeland's way of making Lakeman answer for beating his first world record so quickly <a href="../../2015/09/world-record-broken-twice-copeland-lakeman.html">last September</a>.</p>
<p>The joke was made on Donkey Kong Forum that the higher the record goes, the more often it seems to get broken. Indeed, while <b>Hank Chien</b> had the top spot to himself for nearly four years, the high score has been topped by either Lakeman or Copeland an unprecedented <i>nine times</i> since September of 2014.</p>
<p>The situation is counterintuitive, given that each new record requires increasingly favorable randomness, but also understandable, given the current circumstances.</p>
<p>While <b>Dean Saglio</b> scored 1.2 million points on the MAME emulator <a href="../../2013/10/saglio-and-benziger-ladders-final-rung.html">almost three years ago</a>—a virtual maxout—Copeland and Lakeman both want to be the first to achieve it on original arcade hardware. And while each may do it for himself eventually, only one can be the <i>first</i> to do it.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1b590EFv4sB_D2Xd9vrIKAcw7Il_oKRhAo-KPZBiHC8LtX5hRmVxwwoY7VkUj-0QXaLt6sWOilAxdVCYKN-9e8USqYKfNknPSl61AJZBQ1a0tRXAEzNUjseCOI15lYX73oR2Z0eouIo/s1600/lakeman-mitchell-copeland-row.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -1em;""><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1b590EFv4sB_D2Xd9vrIKAcw7Il_oKRhAo-KPZBiHC8LtX5hRmVxwwoY7VkUj-0QXaLt6sWOilAxdVCYKN-9e8USqYKfNknPSl61AJZBQ1a0tRXAEzNUjseCOI15lYX73oR2Z0eouIo/s640/lakeman-mitchell-copeland-row.jpg" width="550px" /></a></div>
<p>Lakeman has been less-than-transparent, evidently having changed his mind about his self-reported "retirement," and preferring to make attempts off-stream from what he calls "Secret Private DK Island." His approach is more low-key, almost reclusive. Lakeman is haunted with a fear of the jinx, and is convinced that bad fortune will befall him if a live audience is watching, talking about, linking to, or even thinking about a game in progress (particularly if that audience happens to include "Mr. Awestralia" <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/muscleandfitness/v/23742281">Allen Staal</a>).</p>
<p>Copeland, in contrast, is public and highly vocal, live-streaming every moment of his 1.2 attempts... but keenly aware that, behind closed doors on the Island, the cagey Lakeman could be up to anything.</p>
<p>Motivation for these two players is higher than it could ever otherwise be if they weren't pushing one another. The very next record-breaking game stands a good chance of being the <i>last</i> record-breaking game, and both of them know it.</p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-39109746744273804912016-01-04T03:44:00.000-08:002016-01-04T17:19:15.424-08:00This Time It Will Last: Wes Copeland Retakes The Donkey Kong World Record From Robbie Lakeman!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJv-q6UrL_vz5mQj55mk3dq6YrnJg3YlVr6J0LewRQLD2ZDpqVQFRMz4rmzIlLw7kxby9LIwRmB4lN2apM9FXxzclk6n9BNU36PGJfo3pfJP4baiW0Iiy7NV0Gm6mUQ5CF2mElES-x35U/s1600/wes-copeland-world-record.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJv-q6UrL_vz5mQj55mk3dq6YrnJg3YlVr6J0LewRQLD2ZDpqVQFRMz4rmzIlLw7kxby9LIwRmB4lN2apM9FXxzclk6n9BNU36PGJfo3pfJP4baiW0Iiy7NV0Gm6mUQ5CF2mElES-x35U/s400/wes-copeland-world-record.jpg" /></a></div><p><b>January 4th 2016 -</b> <b>Wes Copeland</b> has come forward in a commanding fashion to reclaim what he first held last September for only a few short hours. Once again, Copeland has taken the Donkey Kong world record from <b>Robbie Lakeman</b>... but unlike last time, he'll still have it when the sun rises.</p>
<p>The score to beat now is a neat and tidy 1,190,000. Lakeman plans to gun for it in due time, and in fact, jumped onto his Twitch livestream within minutes of Copeland's achievement to try for a repeat of his previous lightning-quick takeback. No such luck was forthcoming, but Lakeman showed the community that while he may be down, he's not necessarily out.</p>
<h1>King For Not Even A Day</h1>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyy43kdfp2J3TstKIIMStjMWomH-_IcGtOLcPX0y_18DghjKQOCSS1DOtTljJj_udNgUbzHhlNyArhve88EdpoWShE65mMmZbv4y3rrIlXeJgTT2spgvNzQF0bXRQgKWFX5tApjw0XS0/s1600/wes-copeland-robbie-lakeman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyy43kdfp2J3TstKIIMStjMWomH-_IcGtOLcPX0y_18DghjKQOCSS1DOtTljJj_udNgUbzHhlNyArhve88EdpoWShE65mMmZbv4y3rrIlXeJgTT2spgvNzQF0bXRQgKWFX5tApjw0XS0/s400/wes-copeland-robbie-lakeman.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Donkey Kong's new champion Wes Copeland (right),<br />with his predecessor Robbie Lakeman</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>"Copie" didn't get where he did tonight without some serious pain. Nobody can say that the 25 year old software engineer didn't earn what he just pulled off.</p>
<p>Consulting <i>The Guinness Book of World Records</i> to learn of history's shortest reigning monarch, one will find that distinction belonging to a King Luis II of Portugal, who, in 1908, was head of his state for just 20 minutes before dying from an assassin's wound.</p>
<p>Last September, Copeland found himself in the company of that unfortunate early 20th century ruler, by beating Lakeman's record high score and becoming the new King of Kong... only to lose the title right back to Lakeman <i>less than six hours later</i>.</p>
<p>The gut-punch hit Copeland hard, knocking off the last of the effects of the celebratory bottle of Dom Perignon that he'd cracked open so soon prior. The new champ didn't even get to sleep on his title. The almost unimaginable turn of events left Copeland, in his words, "emotionally scarred" to this day.</p>
<p>Unfazed, Copeland immediately took to Donkey Kong Forum with a declaration of intent:</p>
<blockquote><i><p>"When I first announced that I wanted to go for my first kill screen, while many were supportive, I did receive a fair share of cynicism and skepticism. I did it in a little over two months and proved the doubters wrong. When I mentioned I wanted 1 million I heard a similar chorus -- a wave of support from many and strong skepticism from a handful. I proved those folks wrong too. The exact same thing happened when I said I wanted 1.1m... and again when I said I wanted the world record. I intend to take the record back, regardless of who is holding it before I do, and at this point, I hope I've proven at the very least to those cynics and skeptics that I'm difficult to bet against.</p>
<p>That bottle of Dom Perignon was the first I'd ever had, and it was quite good. I am looking forward to opening another one."</p></i></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV3LLlkVbIxEKjmEpqE2SKRpT_679JXAMbqDYIhB3IOrpUfiIB0iiSf6hXtThWfe5tU0LHH43mUwa08-aJ51xlSdB3hEAY9Gm-f5e3vpeE28q3jzNrYqqRtDsN8ayydKp2X0JI8HYoCU/s1600/wes-copeland-ko4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV3LLlkVbIxEKjmEpqE2SKRpT_679JXAMbqDYIhB3IOrpUfiIB0iiSf6hXtThWfe5tU0LHH43mUwa08-aJ51xlSdB3hEAY9Gm-f5e3vpeE28q3jzNrYqqRtDsN8ayydKp2X0JI8HYoCU/s640/wes-copeland-ko4.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Copeland in competition at the Kong Off 4 last July<br />Photo: William McEvoy</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Some indeed called Copeland's September game "lucky," with even Wes himself surprised to have defeated Lakeman somewhat sooner than he'd expected. The two performances were subjected to deep comparative analysis on the forum. Merits were debated. Graphs were produced. Top competitor <b>Ethan Daniels</b> presented <a href="http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=1428.msg24620#msg24620">a tour de force argument</a> making the case that "luck" was not a useful metric by which to contrast the two players' abilities.</p>
<p>It was obvious, at any rate, that this brief taste of championhood only left Copeland hungrier to regain it.</p>
<h1>The Comeback</h1>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPULuz_V2M4AOPMsxfZ4UfYYmot2oRuotZmVYbX9CHm-Aet5zWo-u5G9TOtAcgQJ9wIW4jZa2F04FUSDyqpI7FcpPKge2jQ8UUvE4-dcXOg94f5Mzy-lTjVI08D-v0RZEvwqI8k6atXRo/s1600/wes-copeland-donkey-kong-world-champion.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPULuz_V2M4AOPMsxfZ4UfYYmot2oRuotZmVYbX9CHm-Aet5zWo-u5G9TOtAcgQJ9wIW4jZa2F04FUSDyqpI7FcpPKge2jQ8UUvE4-dcXOg94f5Mzy-lTjVI08D-v0RZEvwqI8k6atXRo/s320/wes-copeland-donkey-kong-world-champion.png" /></a></div><p>For the past four months, Copeland has thrown himself at Donkey Kong with as much furious determination as Lakeman, who spent much of 2014 trying to defeat <b>Hank Chien</b>.</p>
<p>Tonight's game came near the end of another Donkey Kong Online Open tournament. With a $2,000 world record bounty up for grabs through midnight, it was clearly the best of times.</p>
<p>There was no second bottle of Dom Perignon at the ready. In fact, Copeland's reaction the moment he zoomed past Lakeman's score was, to put it mildly, understated. Almost as if he hadn't even noticed. Copeland was more than ready to achieve the score, and he knew it, so any thrill may have been tempered by a heavy shadow of inevitability.</p>
<p>"I kinda feel like I've done everything I need to now." Copeland (now $2,000 richer) said after the game. "I just hope Robbie at least lets me sleep on it."</p>
<p>As before, Lakeman attempted a retaliation, but it came to an early end, at which point he congratulated Wes, and spoke for a few minutes to his viewers:</p>
<blockquote><i><p>"I'm not gonna play anymore, at least for a while. I can finally focus on things that should really matter to me at this point... Wes, definitely enjoy it, you'll have it for a while. I had the record longer than I thought I would... I just turned 29, I'm working on getting my life more in order. This was an outlet for a while, but I've gotten where I want to be with it. The torch has now been passed."</p></i></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMEwPBOc52l6BtOl80N9BME4JqdOERMlAMP-a9fAWXK-OgVQC16aVfTiNqlkdJUGnvcAKUo1D_1Frh8UVhbT8hXF7QzSJLbXF4zaa0V8giZAGrtOOxKtESPIaMEwDruxC1qlxWUkl6ps/s1600/lakeman-mitchell-copeland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMEwPBOc52l6BtOl80N9BME4JqdOERMlAMP-a9fAWXK-OgVQC16aVfTiNqlkdJUGnvcAKUo1D_1Frh8UVhbT8hXF7QzSJLbXF4zaa0V8giZAGrtOOxKtESPIaMEwDruxC1qlxWUkl6ps/s1600/lakeman-mitchell-copeland.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Three world champions: (from left) Robbie Lakeman, Billy Mitchell, and Wes Copeland<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjR5OGXgE7Y">receiving a voicemail</a> from the one and only <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKUsqDyDMzg">Allen Staal</a> (second link extremely NSFW)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h1>Is It (Finally) Over?</h1>
<p>This past August, several top players were interviewed for <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-last-kings-of-donkey-kong-high-score/">The Last Kings of Kong</a>, a feature that ran on ESPN's FiveThirtyEight.com. They explained that as long as the world record remains below "1.2," there are still points left to wrestle out of the giant ape. After Copeland's performance tonight, we're only 10,000 away. When talking about a seven-digit score, that amount seems like such a tiny fraction of the total, and indeed it is. But topping it is still possible.</p>
<p>In fact, 1,200,000 is actually a tad "conservative" (relatively speaking), but as the aforementioned Ethan Daniels put it on Donkey Kong Forum:</p>
<blockquote><i><p>"...the ceiling number in my eyes is 1.24ish with current strats, but hot diggity the work load is astronomical at this point, fighting the limits of human perseverance as well as the RNG Lotto; hypothetical-math and reality are two different beasts."</p></i></blockquote>
<p>It would seem that Copeland and Lakeman are both stepping back for a long break. That leaves the door open for competitors like Daniels, and of course <b>Dean Saglio</b>, who still holds the world record on the MAME arcade game emulator, and who many consider to be the true champion, if not for the firm and long-standing tradition that the record can only be set on original 1981 arcade hardware.</p>
<p>Those final maxout points are still sitting there.</p>
<p>Someone will come for them.</p>
<br />
<h1>Links</h1>
- <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/wescopeland/v/33493047">Stream of Copeland's world record game</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/lakeman421/v/33490311?t=5h10m20s">Stream of Lakeman's reclamation attempt</a> (link jumps directly to post-game comments)<br />
- Official <a href="http://www.twingalaxies.com/showthread.php/151118-Arcade-Donkey-Kong-Points-Hammer-Allowed-1-190-000-Wes-Copeland">Twin Galaxies score submission and adjudication</a> (still in process)<br />
- Donkey Kong Forum <a href="http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=1519">congratulations thread</a><br />
- Donkey Blog post: <a href="../../2014/09/new-world-record-robbie-lakeman-finally.html">Robbie Lakeman breaks Hank Chien's record</a> (September 2014)<br />
- Donkey Blog post: <a href="../../2015/09/world-record-broken-twice-copeland-lakeman.html">Copeland beats Lakeman, Lakeman beats Copeland</a> (September 2015)</p>
<h1>For Reference</h1>
<p>Thanks to stats hero and Donkey Kong Forum score submission referee <b>Jeremy Young</b> for getting immediately to work on the breakdown of this game.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1XbqKjJZNQCP-wWdy1ZAT0jSNvemtV16uMyQdOIjRZX6I-_m_fQoH2XZP6vIT_onfG_VGBebGQ6dKQEI7k-BOKucvVj4O-a_GMVE4WUF4TVDHYHYmcdrIm8HCCSHbk4lZLP-VFAEreU/s1600/wes-copeland-level-averages.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1XbqKjJZNQCP-wWdy1ZAT0jSNvemtV16uMyQdOIjRZX6I-_m_fQoH2XZP6vIT_onfG_VGBebGQ6dKQEI7k-BOKucvVj4O-a_GMVE4WUF4TVDHYHYmcdrIm8HCCSHbk4lZLP-VFAEreU/s400/wes-copeland-level-averages.png" /></a></div>
<p>Copeland's performance, while falling short of the point total of Dean Saglio's record on the MAME emulator, was nonetheless the highest level average ever achieved (Copeland's lower final score is due to a lower start score and fewer "death points"—see <a href="../../2012/11/understanding-pace.html">Understanding Pace</a> for background).</p>
<p>The board-by-board numbers and pace graph (click to enlarge):</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iYR2NWsSeowsfcREKicTmtQuT2Rz7V8KbeJnJrLTjYXSIdMw3K6AO_l8cTBptcDbFNZ01Rc9uhWMzAdWjhNtaXRZVHuL_nwmdGadvPmBX8A5OSu_6B7zRhxhDfkYa3St-8c9YboasGw/s1600/wes-copeland-world-record-game-statistics.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iYR2NWsSeowsfcREKicTmtQuT2Rz7V8KbeJnJrLTjYXSIdMw3K6AO_l8cTBptcDbFNZ01Rc9uhWMzAdWjhNtaXRZVHuL_nwmdGadvPmBX8A5OSu_6B7zRhxhDfkYa3St-8c9YboasGw/s400/wes-copeland-world-record-game-statistics.png" /></a></div>
Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191198088813185030noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-65733660769336409592015-09-21T22:50:00.001-07:002015-09-21T23:49:39.145-07:00TO BE UPDATED: World Record Broken Twice (and Lakeman Is Still Champ)<p><b>September 21st, 2015 -</b> Last Thursday night, during the latest Donkey Kong Online Open, <b>Wes Copeland</b> beat <b>Robbie Lakeman</b>'s world record... and six hours later, Robbie snatched it right back!</p>
<p>So where in the name of Jumpman is the post about "the story of the year?"</p>
<p>Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to get to it in a timely manner, but rest assured, a report is pending.</p>
<p>Thankfully Twin Galaxies was able to be there when I couldn't and got the news wires stirring!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twingalaxies.com/content.php/4042">http://www.twingalaxies.com/content.php/4042</a></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgru7waCwmvh5XTAzG0krgL8gICliOYz1UqYNhAsf6Aid67gr6N0DmJayoEQUb5jMw0bzBdrtwd4zjgrpVfxcIXa5XeyAunS3jvSDX2J9RQpyPR_VSrTmsK-Q1GeB3NWRFMPrlLfRlTQ/s1600/tg-frontpage-copeland-lakeman-world-record.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgru7waCwmvh5XTAzG0krgL8gICliOYz1UqYNhAsf6Aid67gr6N0DmJayoEQUb5jMw0bzBdrtwd4zjgrpVfxcIXa5XeyAunS3jvSDX2J9RQpyPR_VSrTmsK-Q1GeB3NWRFMPrlLfRlTQ/s400/tg-frontpage-copeland-lakeman-world-record.PNG" /></a></div>
<p>Next thing we knew, Wes and Robbie were hitting the front pages of (among many others) <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-09/21/donkey-kong-world-high-score-beaten-twice-in-six-hours">Wired</a>, <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com.au/donkey-kong-record-beaten-twice-one-day-1468205">The International Business Times</a>, and even <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/2276632/dk-record-broken/">MTV</a>.</p>
<p>I couldn't be happier to have been "scooped" by TG, and am pleased to see their name back in the news again in the midst of their long period of re-emergence.</p>
<p>What matters, ultimately, is that Wes and Robbie's story got out there. TG doing the deed is another great sign that they've picked up the torch for the gaming community and are running with it again.</p>
<p>As for this blog, I'll let the event marinate for a bit. Though Donkey Blog has proudly broken "world record" news in the past, it's not always a priority (and that's going to be even truer going forward). Better to think of this site more like a magazine than a newspaper.</p>
<p>More soon!</p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-35704688356594379342015-08-02T23:30:00.003-07:002015-08-12T13:00:28.986-07:00Hammering Hank Chien Wins The Kong Off 4! Lakeman Defeated In Final Round Grudge Match<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsCeXiWbfDDhc1pUrItP_p2BKOBiArwskMhIQ8Si_7tETkont6KkjaQTZcB3VRyU1CdFnmDDpdTgkD7zzWa3mgbTdH2LJ2XaiOPu2awpV6Zzg7BnGthaIQ3Yt0qjrC16khnrjdNBPKmY/s1600/hank-chien-kong-off-4-win-belt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsCeXiWbfDDhc1pUrItP_p2BKOBiArwskMhIQ8Si_7tETkont6KkjaQTZcB3VRyU1CdFnmDDpdTgkD7zzWa3mgbTdH2LJ2XaiOPu2awpV6Zzg7BnGthaIQ3Yt0qjrC16khnrjdNBPKmY/s640/hank-chien-kong-off-4-win-belt.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 90%"><i>Photo: Jeff Harrist</i></span></div><p><b>August 3rd, 2015 -</b> <b>Hank Chien</b> tasted sweet revenge on Sunday when the deposed world record holder defeated his usurper, the current King of Kong <b>Robbie Lakeman</b>, in an ultimate final round grudge match at the Kong Off 4.</p>
<p>Chien may no longer be on top of the all-time high score standings, but another Kong Off win (his second after the the inaugural installment in 2011) is a comeback to be proud of.</p>
<p>The always amazing <b>Jeff Willms</b> submitted the event's highest overall score, and if not for the new head-to-head finals, would have successfully defended his Kong Off title once again for an unprecedented three in a row.</p>
<h1>The Bracket Tourney</h1>
<p>Sunday's single-elimination bracket tournament—consisting of eight players in seven matches and seeded by Friday and Saturday's high score competition—initially met with wide skepticism. Players and observers were unsure whether or not the format could succeed, being so radical a departure from the traditional model.</p>
<p>Scores for this "one-and-done" style were indeed relatively low compared to those attained in isolated, individual sessions, where players can enjoy the luxury of multiple attempts and easily-aborted weak games, with only their very best game ultimately mattering.</p>
<p>But when limited to <i>one game</i>, against a <i>specific player</i>, entirely new dynamics are introduced, and the community at large came away very pleasantly surprised with the excitement, pressure, and novelty of this much more direct form of competition.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqdLjTHhGXuyMvbWCBlMZu0sDxyoPiDOxXU8ehOy07iUfXq3p7vSs5ruQ62s8O9S8jE8oN0a6irV0LKOFWqQhwq7UqdlwaR01deXce8alfX_LBYuY-Ypw2yEB1Sjihra_-McG8xmFbEg/s1600/kong-off-4-bracket-matches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqdLjTHhGXuyMvbWCBlMZu0sDxyoPiDOxXU8ehOy07iUfXq3p7vSs5ruQ62s8O9S8jE8oN0a6irV0LKOFWqQhwq7UqdlwaR01deXce8alfX_LBYuY-Ypw2yEB1Sjihra_-McG8xmFbEg/s1600/kong-off-4-bracket-matches.jpg" width="550px" /></a></div>
<h1>Commentary At Last!</h1>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9atV7lB7kqQypo-xM3uw8Fgn-bI6-pMkiu0i0BI6zx-4-ZaevDOeLITtGepYSghMCvCBmHG7Nais-I_hGKUHbZLDe_mHuXhvkQdKakCrvKAUJ7mNMT8bsLiCWy2GbttK9wrcKyZh5AA/s1600/kong-off-4-announcer-table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9atV7lB7kqQypo-xM3uw8Fgn-bI6-pMkiu0i0BI6zx-4-ZaevDOeLITtGepYSghMCvCBmHG7Nais-I_hGKUHbZLDe_mHuXhvkQdKakCrvKAUJ7mNMT8bsLiCWy2GbttK9wrcKyZh5AA/s1600/kong-off-4-announcer-table.jpg" /></a></div><p>Several weeks ago, during <b>Steve Wiebe</b>'s <a href="../../2015/07/steve-wiebe-world-record-attempt-this_9.html">appearance at the Mall of America</a>, <b>Mitchell Elliott</b> was a guest on the live stream, and offered superb running commentary on the action, helping viewers to better comprehend what they were watching. It was a taste of what was to come this past weekend.</p>
<p>Donkey Kong live-streamed games and tournaments have always struggled with the problem of a game that is notoriously spectator-unfriendly. For the uninitiated, it's slow, hard to understand, and tactically arcane.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFgFveowG5aB71YV5Oth1PwF4O7mo2e03EtB9pch3ryAH9k6VIDp-7sbFRVoRedZMyPLqAZcu1OeTLbm7ug7JRwemKl3TZYJPgUVfJxVjZyESJeOz4w7_tb6xkTbtq66EHZHRiXHH4Og/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFgFveowG5aB71YV5Oth1PwF4O7mo2e03EtB9pch3ryAH9k6VIDp-7sbFRVoRedZMyPLqAZcu1OeTLbm7ug7JRwemKl3TZYJPgUVfJxVjZyESJeOz4w7_tb6xkTbtq66EHZHRiXHH4Og/s640/Capture.PNG" width=500px /></a></div>
<p>As Jesse Hicks of the Verge described it in <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/18/5167656/the-worlds-13th-best-donkey-kong-player-has-something-to-prove">his 2013 piece on the Kong Off 3</a>: "To the casual eye it's something less than poetry in motion."</p>
<p>On Sunday, expert players including <b>Wes Copeland</b>, <b>Ethan Daniels</b>, <b>Dean Saglio</b>, as well as Wiebe, Elliot, and others, sat down in the ReplayFX broadcast booth to do their part making Donkey Kong more accessible. For the first time ever, Kong Off matches were streamed with play-by-play announcers, and the results were very well-received.</p>
<p>I've wanted commentary for a long time and it was wonderful to see how strong and professional it turned out to be.</p>
<p>Here is the final Lakeman versus Chien match. If you've ever wanted to understand just what goes into playing this game at a high level, I recommend giving it a listen:</p>
<iframe width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pHsSx4Tlcgs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h1>On To Next Year</h1>
<p>The Kong Off 5 has already been scheduled for next year, where Hank Chien will defend his title at the same location and on the same weekend at ReplayFX in Pittsburgh.</p>
<p>Thanks to <b>Richie Knucklez</b> for his hard work in making the Kong Offs happen, and to many others who help in so many ways behind the scenes. Photographer <b>William McEvoy</b> deserves special mention for his talents, covering the last three Kong Offs, as well as other classic gaming events around the country. Needless to say, McEvoy's work has been indispensable to my blog posts.</p>
<p>I'd also like to thank renowned gaming journalist and Gamasutra publisher <b>Simon Carless</b>, who over the weekend <a href="https://twitter.com/simoncarless/status/627906474669293568">Tweeted</a> a link to the coverage here and sent some curious traffic in this direction. The gaming and tech press has always been kind to Donkey Blog and it is always appreciated.</p>
<p>And on the subject of traffic...</p>
<p>It's pure serendipity that it would happen within a fortnight or so of a Kong Off coming to a close, but it would seem that my pageview counter's rollover to 1 million is imminent! When I started this blog four years ago, it was a pet project that I never would have foreseen hitting that milestone. My "score" here is higher than my personal best at the game. Much gratitude goes out to the many thousands who have linked, reddited, Tweeted, shared, read, commented, and encouraged.</p>
<p>Congratulations to Hank, Jeff, and all the other competitors for another well-played Kong Off!</p>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hard at work on Kong Off Row</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFY9uRJVA_FigIJJhr9qDgilN_YNV34ThsKAlkim-7CCwygxV9LQKhiTJhs5wXxB0xTkfrWwb-qVMtB0xv8hPW1norhPWt0nzs9yIfzmJP3Sgix5rF0vFbjZT7Y49hd_-KqKh1MzjC5N0/s1600/ethan-daniels-steve-wiebe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFY9uRJVA_FigIJJhr9qDgilN_YNV34ThsKAlkim-7CCwygxV9LQKhiTJhs5wXxB0xTkfrWwb-qVMtB0xv8hPW1norhPWt0nzs9yIfzmJP3Sgix5rF0vFbjZT7Y49hd_-KqKh1MzjC5N0/s640/ethan-daniels-steve-wiebe.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ethan Daniels' understated reaction to a Steve Wiebe autograph</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGpyQ2EiOBl6v-jXH6Wy-d79SEaIcqtA-ub8VN1LCDi3MxcCLxW5XTsAY1HY5gMWXXi2Q8QqghpJ4BjOEEtKsaIoChnRsP3nqUcetPKJaV_1I8xILX3PBVeqofAoA9A-WcDTqlbfSovI/s1600/richie-knucklez-alan-radue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGpyQ2EiOBl6v-jXH6Wy-d79SEaIcqtA-ub8VN1LCDi3MxcCLxW5XTsAY1HY5gMWXXi2Q8QqghpJ4BjOEEtKsaIoChnRsP3nqUcetPKJaV_1I8xILX3PBVeqofAoA9A-WcDTqlbfSovI/s640/richie-knucklez-alan-radue.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Richie Knucklez and Alan Radue with the champion's barstool Radue created for the event</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUb9Cnak7ssSK_o38ik7Xagu8QVwGlr3D-_G004ps5p8TI2y11P2a1sMFteF-LFvIDJ4H1MaC0tKm0jDi2dsimgEeIHdCk9BpGOuM72hSrMLhG9L0XQ2n0YpxtFRDQRMdrnE0GGuV3xQc/s1600/kong-off-4-players-lineup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUb9Cnak7ssSK_o38ik7Xagu8QVwGlr3D-_G004ps5p8TI2y11P2a1sMFteF-LFvIDJ4H1MaC0tKm0jDi2dsimgEeIHdCk9BpGOuM72hSrMLhG9L0XQ2n0YpxtFRDQRMdrnE0GGuV3xQc/s640/kong-off-4-players-lineup.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Kong Off 4 lineup (left to right): Walter Day, Jason Wade, Ethan Daniels, Dean Saglio, Jeff Wolfe, Steve Wiltshire, Wes Copeland, Mike Groesbeck, Daniel Desjardins, Steve Wiebe, Vincent Lemay, Jeff Willms, Hank Chien, Eric Tessler, Jeff Harrist, Robbie Lakeman, Billy Mitchell</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIp7UrzYeQYzfFkBIZjGeQgqbMlFRv0mXTLFpF5p0UQYbcmzdgS2B0VGoeeOcfYEDsT1Ffdz5tCSRV2v3KTeLZZl9XvipZmA7p7pVvAiYMX4D8ebCMcPtTLN4S3bZd5wgKBq4rDAMHcEE/s1600/signed-sideart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIp7UrzYeQYzfFkBIZjGeQgqbMlFRv0mXTLFpF5p0UQYbcmzdgS2B0VGoeeOcfYEDsT1Ffdz5tCSRV2v3KTeLZZl9XvipZmA7p7pVvAiYMX4D8ebCMcPtTLN4S3bZd5wgKBq4rDAMHcEE/s640/signed-sideart.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>All photos: William McEvoy</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191198088813185030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-25227967066794696662015-08-02T02:19:00.000-07:002015-08-12T13:01:16.425-07:00Day 2 Recap: Willms In Command; Saglio Comes Up Short At World Record Pace<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb-pxyrWD0CW2K8VkXkq-EUNtfzbfsyLJj3NoUtg1JrZ2DzQUWLEt6YXGhqzqEyKy0nz0-aH3QCJMOHaL4qCOqXvWofMDqZ5LzRLSJJOJlr5nRG63mq3jUPp4XvfqlPqcj8FB5kYZKOE/s1600/kong-off-4-day-2-action.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb-pxyrWD0CW2K8VkXkq-EUNtfzbfsyLJj3NoUtg1JrZ2DzQUWLEt6YXGhqzqEyKy0nz0-aH3QCJMOHaL4qCOqXvWofMDqZ5LzRLSJJOJlr5nRG63mq3jUPp4XvfqlPqcj8FB5kYZKOE/s640/kong-off-4-day-2-action.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Former world record holder Steve Wiebe alongside current champ Robbie Lakeman on Day 2<br />Photo: William McEvoy</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p><b>August 1st, 2015 - </b>The action at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh took a familiar turn today, setting an ominous tone for tomorrow.</p>
<p>For the third consecutive Kong Off, <b>Jeff Willms</b> has emerged with the event's highest score. If the format were the same as in previous years, the brilliant Canadian phenom would now be celebrating a three-peat.</p>
<p>However, the Kong Off 4 is a whole new game. Just hours from now, the players will meet for the final day, a single-elimination bracketed standoff between the 8 highest-scoring players from these first two days.</p>
<p>The format will entail a major change in strategy—one that emphasizes safety and survival over scoring pace—and has never been so much as tested before. Can Willms master it on the fly? Or will the Kong Off finally have a new reigning champion?</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNtjICQlNLLYZ4YqTmMFuqihjSAFk4NJT9gwC411_48JpgL5c8i8vNRq7UMv2UhGV5zk696anASNHtqV5iqGiiBdrNrRc_rc-ghW8la1OWjrg5q8HXKTy01n0fgLVGCUJHuYusaqYYcE/s1600/jeff-willms-chess-kong-off-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNtjICQlNLLYZ4YqTmMFuqihjSAFk4NJT9gwC411_48JpgL5c8i8vNRq7UMv2UhGV5zk696anASNHtqV5iqGiiBdrNrRc_rc-ghW8la1OWjrg5q8HXKTy01n0fgLVGCUJHuYusaqYYcE/s640/jeff-willms-chess-kong-off-4.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jeff Willms (right) taking a chess break with Ethan Daniels, Steve Wiebe, and Mitchell Elliott<br />Photo: William McEvoy</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Here is the final leaderboard for the high score segment:</p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tr><td><b>Rank</b></td><td><b>Player</b></td><td><b>Best Score</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>Jeff Willms </td><td>1,093,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>2</td><td>Robbie Lakeman </td><td>1,069,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>3</td><td>Wes Copeland </td><td>1,060,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>4</td><td>Dean Saglio </td><td>1,060,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>5</td><td>Mike Groesbeck </td><td>1,028,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>6</td><td>Hank Chien </td><td>1,010,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>7</td><td>Ethan Daniels </td><td>1,009,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>8</td><td>Vincent Lemay </td><td>1,009,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>9</td><td>Steve Wiltshire </td><td>1,005,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>10</td><td>Jeff Wolfe </td><td>991,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>11</td><td>Dan Desjardins </td><td>869,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>12</td><td>Shaun Boyd </td><td>857,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>13</td><td>Steve Wiebe </td><td>842,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>14</td><td>Eric Tessler </td><td>821,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>15</td><td>Jason Wade </td><td>787,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>16</td><td>Mick Winzeler </td><td>784,400</td></tr>
</table>
<p>Giving us these matches for Sunday's first round:</p>
<center>
<b>Willms vs. Lemay</b><br />
<b>Lakeman vs. Daniels</b><br />
<b>Copeland vs. Chien</b><br />
<b>Saglio vs. Groesbeck</b><br />
</center>
<br />
<h1>Wiltshire Bubbled On Last Quarter</h1>
<p>There is never a shortage of "last quarter drop" drama in Donkey Kong tournaments, as veterans of past Kong Offs and Donkey Kong Online Opens will be quick to recall. Today's action stayed true to form, with not one but two players pushing through their hail-mary games to wrest their way into the finals.</p>
<p>After <b>Hank Chien</b> and <b>Mike Groesbeck</b> secured 5th and 6th, <b>Steve Wiltshire</b> sat in 7th, with <b>Vincent Lemay</b> rounding out the top 8.</p>
<p>Then, after last quarter was called, <b>Ethan Daniels</b> came alive to push Wiltshire to the edge of the bubble and Lemay out into 9th.</p>
<p>Time to take off the shirt.</p>
<p>Lemay, on his final game, had only one shot to retake top 8 standing... and the shot hit its target, beating Wiltshire by just 3,100 points.</p>
<p>"I might cry" Wiltshire said with a smile on his face, watching the action from directly behind Lemay's machine. They shook hands, Wiltshire departed in 9th, and a white-suited Billy Mitchell joined the shirtless French-Canadian bodybuilder in his obligatory celebration pose.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOW4rs4AkqIGDc2imTaF5omz_hxXIHTpHXrCB7sulqAIYJS2oFcHtubcTuaLBJVOXSXsDI08JcsnwM5Eilhboa9pe2Yr2CTcfA0RtVePVyS9zMOZ3YEDitRMninC5Cpr_asyozOTARek/s1600/billy-vincent-kong-off-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOW4rs4AkqIGDc2imTaF5omz_hxXIHTpHXrCB7sulqAIYJS2oFcHtubcTuaLBJVOXSXsDI08JcsnwM5Eilhboa9pe2Yr2CTcfA0RtVePVyS9zMOZ3YEDitRMninC5Cpr_asyozOTARek/s640/billy-vincent-kong-off-4.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo: Hank Chien</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h1>Saglio Almost Breaks The World Record</h1>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHA1QaH4OiSjSJYfZMWgHrGv8PTnponouLW4l4LxxxLBnJJwcsgeD6iAeS1n4BZbLokB0pAeqJyICX8JWyKwsjYAxmcIocs_7_57tBWLLJkZYBO-zuhZH5iftlC2lS-nKDJDc_Ayo9ZM/s1600/saglio-mitchell-kong-off-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHA1QaH4OiSjSJYfZMWgHrGv8PTnponouLW4l4LxxxLBnJJwcsgeD6iAeS1n4BZbLokB0pAeqJyICX8JWyKwsjYAxmcIocs_7_57tBWLLJkZYBO-zuhZH5iftlC2lS-nKDJDc_Ayo9ZM/s1600/saglio-mitchell-kong-off-4.jpg" /></a></div><p>Every ill-fated Donkey Kong world record attempt will fail for one of two reasons: either because the player reached the game's kill screen without maintaining the <a href="../../2012/11/understanding-pace.html">pace</a> needed to earn enough points, or because he lost all four lives along the way.</p>
<p>Earlier today, <b>Dean Saglio</b> had the pace, but his four lives weren't enough. We came very close to seeing the Donkey Kong world record broken this afternoon, when the grandmaster unexpectedly succumbed on board 94 (of 117) with 960,300 points.</p>
<p>Taken to the end, the game would have beaten <b>Robbie Lakeman</b>'s score, and to an extent that would likely have closed the book on the world record chase. Saglio already <a href="../../2013/10/saglio-and-benziger-ladders-final-rung.html">did the deed on the MAME emulator</a> almost two years ago with a virtually unbeatable score, and many believe that he will ultimately be the last to hold the record on the arcade platform when he finally attains one similar to it on original hardware. But today would not be the day.</p>
<h1>The Grand Finale</h1>
<p>Action is scheduled to begin at 9 AM Eastern, and will be streamed at <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/richieknucklez">http://www.twitch.tv/richieknucklez</a>. Join us then to see who will take home the belt, the barstool, and $4,000 cash!</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCqvaQeohTfxINCSgsATg3AF67KxUtfCcFxvPEPwZrGAAq5M_RaszZvk2371gkz-X75QXeWmGprrfS7tkkZfGQWkc17b-OC5UGsbwux43OehnZ9vuUiUP41i3Wu94ADTjjf9WVzkrwt4/s1600/final-kong-off-4-setup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCqvaQeohTfxINCSgsATg3AF67KxUtfCcFxvPEPwZrGAAq5M_RaszZvk2371gkz-X75QXeWmGprrfS7tkkZfGQWkc17b-OC5UGsbwux43OehnZ9vuUiUP41i3Wu94ADTjjf9WVzkrwt4/s640/final-kong-off-4-setup.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Sakv1wYmFokCVchjeN4b4wGr7dY7eHIhmhyguJOv56k3t-1rG9PHtzd8dizW-Dd0vPL0VNak4kQ15_ncO5ogQAQOBd8sN2191SP-oiIt5BI04zE35TUj5yruIJTewk0of9U5vqTjUhc/s1600/kong-off-4-belt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Sakv1wYmFokCVchjeN4b4wGr7dY7eHIhmhyguJOv56k3t-1rG9PHtzd8dizW-Dd0vPL0VNak4kQ15_ncO5ogQAQOBd8sN2191SP-oiIt5BI04zE35TUj5yruIJTewk0of9U5vqTjUhc/s640/kong-off-4-belt.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJXF7DPfsfnO9_G5FI8m26MPpW659jlwgXefnsipNxrOrA2Tqwyp8N3NjXGtOt8ug0iKwbEG4EfneWiHMrkBqPrGvqdeln9drkMBuS4w4wDUcQbzd-8lhXn-cTwuCQ_MLEF9BcqMHC8k/s1600/barstool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJXF7DPfsfnO9_G5FI8m26MPpW659jlwgXefnsipNxrOrA2Tqwyp8N3NjXGtOt8ug0iKwbEG4EfneWiHMrkBqPrGvqdeln9drkMBuS4w4wDUcQbzd-8lhXn-cTwuCQ_MLEF9BcqMHC8k/s640/barstool.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-18110974591061066512015-08-01T02:48:00.000-07:002015-08-01T06:13:50.737-07:00Day 1 Recap: Copeland Leads the Field<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgOc7-18wqdEzYsyySdNAt3H_ddKhhpfXCwqf7prYoQ5f7c-fG-gqgv1RNYIvoX-QnKnh22jzHtybf-aYINCRxJ22nlJ4794PnD5G6vyZ9Cpgk_2AYd3iC9UR9zTga5b3qh9hQ5kooS8/s1600/wes-copeland-kong-off-row.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgOc7-18wqdEzYsyySdNAt3H_ddKhhpfXCwqf7prYoQ5f7c-fG-gqgv1RNYIvoX-QnKnh22jzHtybf-aYINCRxJ22nlJ4794PnD5G6vyZ9Cpgk_2AYd3iC9UR9zTga5b3qh9hQ5kooS8/s640/wes-copeland-kong-off-row.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Wes Copeland (center) filters out the noise of Kong Off Row</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p><b>July 31st, 2015 -</b> Day 1 of the Kong Off 4 has come to an end, and the young gun is out front.</p>
<p><b>Wes Copeland</b>, who has only been playing Donkey Kong for less than two years, came to Pittsburgh this weekend to prove himself in his first Kong Off against a lineup of veterans—some of whom are old enough to be his father—and he's looking pretty convincing so far.</p>
<p>The leaderboard at the end of the first of two eight-hour days of high score competition is as follows:</p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tr><td><b>Rank</b></td><td><b>Player</b></td><td><b>Best Score</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>Wes Copeland </td><td>1,060,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>2</td><td>Dean Saglio </td><td>1,060,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>3</td><td>Jeff Willms </td><td>1,060,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>4</td><td>Robbie Lakeman </td><td>1,059,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>5</td><td>Steve Wiltshire </td><td>1,005,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>6</td><td>Vincent Lemay </td><td>1,005,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>7</td><td>Shaun Boyd </td><td>857,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>8</td><td>Hank Chien </td><td>818,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>9</td><td>Jason Wade </td><td>787,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>10</td><td>Eric Tessler </td><td>767,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>11</td><td>Steve Wiebe </td><td>765,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>12</td><td>Mick Winzeler </td><td>688,600</td></tr>
</table>
<p>You read those top 3 scores right: the tie for second place between <b>Dean Saglio</b> and defending Kong Off champion <b>Jeff Willms</b> was a total accident, and Copeland's 100-point squeaker to edge them out for first place is not the taunt that I initially suspected it to be. Donkey Kong world record holder <b>Robbie Lakeman</b>, in fourth, is only 1,100 points below them.</p>
<p>There's no conspiracy or skulduggery afoot on Kong Off Row engineering this strangely tight point spread. It's just the way today's cards fell.</p>
<p>Lakeman's 4th place run made history, with the world champion cracking one million points <i>on his first man</i>. The closest anyone had come before today was <b>Ross Benziger</b>'s attempt in <a href="../../2014/06/dk-open-3-this-weekend-will-robbie.html">an online tournament last year</a> that infamously came to an end when Benziger accidentally employed the "reverse weave" pattern on the 20th rivet board, dying just a few thousand points away from the one-man million. Lakeman now holds the distinction, and it's a sobering reminder to the rest of the field of what they're up against.</p>
<p>The fight for Sunday's bracket spots has been made much more intense by a surprise annoucement that came down late yesterday evening. Time constraints have forced a major last-minute change. The first round of the bracket competition is being eliminated entirely, meaning that rather than 16 players going on to Sunday's 4 rounds, there will only be 8 players and 3 rounds.</p>
<p>At this point, only Copeland, Saglio, Willms and Lakeman have a position that could be considered secure. It's unlikely that even the lowest of those scores (Lakeman's) will be in 9th place by the end of Saturday's play.</p>
<p>Below the top 4, though, things are more questionable. A low million, like Steve Wiltshire and Vincent currently have, is tenuous. At this point, it's anyone's game for the remaining 4 spots.</p>
<p>Saturday's action begins soon. And to reiterate a point from the previous post, <b>official streaming of the event will not begin until Sunday</b>. Bandwidth availability at the convention center is a problem during the ReplayFX event, and the Kong Off 4 has only been greenlit for streaming on the final day. Keep an eye on the blog for updates.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNF9MP5NhrdnC5lQ02locGg4W6lHtjfrVs0T5Ofp6IDQNWMUY7rccH0ZIT1z8J7zhzOYlgQHNeeBCvqlF6-OJLKx3m5CQiy5srAxFk41RKMDKozEVH1g_NzDxlD-Na7u2oY1tMXolAZGw/s1600/kong-off-4-spectators.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -15px; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNF9MP5NhrdnC5lQ02locGg4W6lHtjfrVs0T5Ofp6IDQNWMUY7rccH0ZIT1z8J7zhzOYlgQHNeeBCvqlF6-OJLKx3m5CQiy5srAxFk41RKMDKozEVH1g_NzDxlD-Na7u2oY1tMXolAZGw/s640/kong-off-4-spectators.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
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<br />
<p><i>Photos: William McEvoy. Thanks to Jeff Harrist and Daniel Desjardins for updates and score data.</i></p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-58546322575223448422015-07-30T23:12:00.000-07:002015-07-31T00:54:36.295-07:00The Kong Off 4 Is Here!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQoEG4ZP5giOp_w2_je-sAHfVTjngm18KkBafVAfb2oF-fYOqPVPwnWL-5PrydtK9k8RadtWp88dGzc3BRjHPH6sY146ETf7mYZ595XkObMFbbyhkjqSY8MsgJcaXNY_ZG6FE1KCr-xw/s1600/steve-wiebe-kong-off-row-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQoEG4ZP5giOp_w2_je-sAHfVTjngm18KkBafVAfb2oF-fYOqPVPwnWL-5PrydtK9k8RadtWp88dGzc3BRjHPH6sY146ETf7mYZ595XkObMFbbyhkjqSY8MsgJcaXNY_ZG6FE1KCr-xw/s400/steve-wiebe-kong-off-row-2015.jpg" width="375" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Steve Wiebe samples machines along 2015's "Kong Off Row"<br />Photo: William McEvoy</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p><b>July 30th, 2015 - </b>Donkey Kong's greatest have arrived at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA and will soon take their battle stations on Kong Off Row.</p>
<p>The 4th installment of Richie Knucklez' Kong Off, hosted by the <a href="http://replayfx.org/">ReplayFX Arcade & Gaming Festival</a>, begins Friday at noon, with the first of two days of high score competition.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclAuM1WwrQ3n2DAL24nF-W2LilIn72kLSrdnRDV2T59QJxHh7gyTBcA8gwpYBizMNxZaEI-ROZW3J87SPtQs3qasvsRsVD24aApUDqJi6W8H-gFk0p8i16A-UPD2g9rj6fQcth_7Y2Rs/s1600/ko4-bracket-sideart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclAuM1WwrQ3n2DAL24nF-W2LilIn72kLSrdnRDV2T59QJxHh7gyTBcA8gwpYBizMNxZaEI-ROZW3J87SPtQs3qasvsRsVD24aApUDqJi6W8H-gFk0p8i16A-UPD2g9rj6fQcth_7Y2Rs/s400/ko4-bracket-sideart.jpg" /></a></div><p>On Sunday (day 3), the 16 players with the highest scores from Friday and Saturday's action will go on to play in a single-elimination head-to-head bracket-style competition.</p>
<p>This segment was devised by <b>Richie Knucklez</b> and <b>Steve Wiebe</b> to throw a twist into the contest. The traditional high score competition of years prior will still be integral to the tournament, but the elimination portion is new, and Sunday will put the viability of the concept to the test.</p>
<p>16 players in 8 simultaneous matchups will constitute the first round, with 8 players proceeding to the second round, followed by a 4-way semi-final.</p>
<p>The semi-final victors will then head to the 2 final round cabinets decked out in "Steelers gold", and (after the bracket players have signed their names to the custom side art) will duke it out for the win, the belt, the $4,000 grand prize, and the title of Kong Off champion.</p>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRZ3qGyXbf73NYxbbbpZOOmpvU4QwzmZl2xmpF9GRXPe6zsDEXu9Wi5dgQnNyu-GB5wwtjLJhyphenhyphenPwv9vNd994T_xdH6et-c66ABOdZyWSQ_SPylKVCZxcEi_VXCXGXfvFVIMegqrS2fY8/s1600/ko4-final-round-gold-cabinets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRZ3qGyXbf73NYxbbbpZOOmpvU4QwzmZl2xmpF9GRXPe6zsDEXu9Wi5dgQnNyu-GB5wwtjLJhyphenhyphenPwv9vNd994T_xdH6et-c66ABOdZyWSQ_SPylKVCZxcEi_VXCXGXfvFVIMegqrS2fY8/s400/ko4-final-round-gold-cabinets.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The final round gold cabinets<br />Photo: Derek Sorrels</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h1>Following The Action</h1>
<p>There is some question at this point as to whether the first two days of competition will be live-streamed to Twitch TV. Bandwidth is an issue at the convention center, and with multiple events taking place there, only Sunday's bracket portion has been given the green light.</p>
<p>Stay tuned to Richie Knucklez' Twitch channel at <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/richieknucklez">http://www.twitch.tv/richieknucklez</a> for the latest developments.</p>
<p>Also check out <a href="http://www.kongoff.com">KongOff.com</a> for more information on the event.</p>
<p>The highlight of today's practice session was former world champion <b>Billy Mitchell</b> making his presence known with a 930,000 kill screen game. Richie Knucklez snapped this photo afterwards, capturing Billy in a victory pose (and a bit of accidental red-eye that does little to mitigate Mitchell's devilish reputation!)</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1OEhGQl1DgO97sSfNj6Iq82gz_x9_hFKeFREWw_Cc2aTw2iOr4E1hCOSwRj2C0AIUsVmhG4oSIeSnrCtLd5u6CDYEAZzjqS6fotxhct7kYqT6vwcdPrWsGx28J97CNcw8IiNTMHBPJY/s1600/billy-mitchell-ko4-killscreen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1OEhGQl1DgO97sSfNj6Iq82gz_x9_hFKeFREWw_Cc2aTw2iOr4E1hCOSwRj2C0AIUsVmhG4oSIeSnrCtLd5u6CDYEAZzjqS6fotxhct7kYqT6vwcdPrWsGx28J97CNcw8IiNTMHBPJY/s640/billy-mitchell-ko4-killscreen.jpg" /></a></div>
<h1>33 Years Ago, In Movie-Land...</h1>
<p>It is an interesting semi-coincidence that the opening scenes of Pixels—last weekend's major Holywood release about a team of classic gamers tasked with saving the Earth from an alien invasion—depicted a final round head-to-head Donkey Kong competition (emceed by Dan Aykroyd himself) in a fictitious "1982 Worldwide Video Arcade Championships."</p>
<p>A number of classic gamers from around the community were asked by the producers for video of their gameplay, and our own world champion <b>Robbie Lakeman</b> provided the Donkey Kong footage featured in the film.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5gfwFoWbVSju6Ch36xBGWTMe5SrJW1VmhcSXiqgiGxBTWwoshyphenhyphenPbzTDAGQDr-hwmuvqslsE_rDxx-vVpkel2tqghf_rGLCjGk4CAxaoBAnrHP7C9t7ipH7CPoILUEfKhed_Ab6tWfwM/s1600/pixels-1982-arcade-championships.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5gfwFoWbVSju6Ch36xBGWTMe5SrJW1VmhcSXiqgiGxBTWwoshyphenhyphenPbzTDAGQDr-hwmuvqslsE_rDxx-vVpkel2tqghf_rGLCjGk4CAxaoBAnrHP7C9t7ipH7CPoILUEfKhed_Ab6tWfwM/s400/pixels-1982-arcade-championships.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>It's a fun, if inadvertent, tie-in to the action about to unfold at the Kong Off 4, and a reminder that classic gaming is still alive and well in the public consciousness.</p>
<p>Good luck to all competing this weekend! The blog will be inactive Friday, but I will do my best to update the action throughout the rest of the tournament.</p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-40592984789520942132015-07-09T14:27:00.000-07:002015-07-10T23:33:01.843-07:00Steve Wiebe World Record Attempt This Weekend in Bloomington, MN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIDG53jvNdLEZS1EW1f3SUt68L9uOf_LBKaEk8KBmUfq4kY8xJNcJg6w0oNHLkKAEaf9yqm0SjpJ2tv9UX8ZzEw6otlCNpWom0xNz_TdrQYBubK1KBLqHnK4b7xUrMY0p-euFdGI5xuA/s1600/wiebe-wr-attempt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIDG53jvNdLEZS1EW1f3SUt68L9uOf_LBKaEk8KBmUfq4kY8xJNcJg6w0oNHLkKAEaf9yqm0SjpJ2tv9UX8ZzEw6otlCNpWom0xNz_TdrQYBubK1KBLqHnK4b7xUrMY0p-euFdGI5xuA/s400/wiebe-wr-attempt.png" /></a></div>
<p><b>July 9th, 2015 -</b> This weekend, as part of his promotional efforts for the upcoming film <i>Pixels</i> (where he will cameo in a small role), <b>Steve Wiebe</b> will appear at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.</p>
<p>On Friday, Wiebe will attend a screening of <i>The King of Kong</i> (directed by his friend and <i>Pixels</i> producer Seth Gordon), followed by a Q&A and autograph session.</p>
<p>On Saturday at 2 PM, attempts on <b>Robbie Lakeman</b>'s <a href="../../2015/06/robbie-lakeman-breaks-record-before-kong-off-4.html">recently-upgraded world record</a> will commence live from "the Rotunda."</p>
<p>Dana Wessel of KTWN-FM (Go 96.3) interviewed Wiebe about the upcoming event. It's well worth the 13-minute listen, encapsulating where Wiebe stands among the competitive fray nowadays, and Wiebe's assessment of his chances against the score he'll be chasing on Saturday.
<iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/213865842&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true"></iframe>
<p>My take: it's great to see Wiebe back in the action. But since we have not been privy to his Donkey Kong play since <a href="../../p/the-kong-off-3.html">the Kong Off 3</a> over a year and a half ago, it's impossible to say whether Wiebe actually has a realistic shot at the record (to say nothing of the challenges of executing a high-pace run in front of a crowd). It should be borne in mind that this event is, after all, timed around a movie release date, and not necessarily Wiebe having attained the ability to play at a 1.16 million-point <a href="../../2012/11/understanding-pace.html">pace</a>.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, most of us DKheads love Steve and wish him the very best of luck. We hope, if nothing else, that he regains a spot among the all time top 10. Over the last 5 years, Wiebe has fallen all the way from 1st to 15th position, and as the "face" of our game, we'd all like to see him right back in the thick of things at the highest level of play. We know that he can, the question is whether he will.</p>
<p>Twin Galaxies will be streaming the attempt live this Saturday at <a href="http://www.tglive.com">tglive.com</a>.</p>
<p>The <i>Pixels</i> film—in which a group of classic arcade gamers from the "golden age" reunite to fend off an alien invasion—opens July 24th, one week before <a href="http://www.kongoff.com">The Kong Off 4</a>.</p>
<iframe width="550" height="309" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eIOcWZOQL5M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-58345137431395899402015-06-25T01:15:00.000-07:002015-07-09T21:52:40.997-07:00Lakeman Breaks His Own Record Live at Funspot, One Month Before Kong Off 4!<p><b>June 25th, 2015 -</b> Honoring the tradition set by former champions <b>Steve Wiebe</b> (who did it in front of the <i>King of Kong</i> cameras in 2005), followed by <b>Hank Chien</b> in 2011, <b>Robbie Lakeman</b> sat down yesterday morning at the fabled "possessed" Donkey Kong machine at Funspot in New Hampshire and broke the Donkey Kong world record.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRsEwKCysFwzLs4MamupYS_xfJGmeloGwbIZiJGoS1Su1v5TfOXp5FTm1rYss62tih0uuWofYMc3djgQrRoKq3jSCP9C22DBm6qT-B5o2uc_09mFagamlzC5zGNecLwUez-Mv9Vy5OJs/s1600/robbie-lakeman-world-record-brian-kuh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRsEwKCysFwzLs4MamupYS_xfJGmeloGwbIZiJGoS1Su1v5TfOXp5FTm1rYss62tih0uuWofYMc3djgQrRoKq3jSCP9C22DBm6qT-B5o2uc_09mFagamlzC5zGNecLwUez-Mv9Vy5OJs/s400/robbie-lakeman-world-record-brian-kuh.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lakeman (right) during the attempt, with none other than the legendary Brian Kuh</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Lakeman's final score of 1,158,400, pushes the record 13,600 points higher than his previous mark, set in December of last year, which, in turn, came after Lakeman <a href="../../2014/09/new-world-record-robbie-lakeman-finally.html">first became champion in September</a>.</p>
<p>That makes three in a row, with Lakeman's reign beginning to take on a Chien-like tone: he beats himself... and then he beats himself again.</p>
<p>Here, in a chart that only a Donkey Kong player could love, <b>Jeremy Young</b>, following along diligently during <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/lakeman421/v/6557218">the replay streamed tonight on Twitch TV</a>, breaks down the action board-by-board (click to enlarge, if you dare):</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4KGRC2f6MzC0RO5TdYO4kBx5RzB8wDq-yLjVIjubu3E_iLC-J3vDxMduB2GtQoA3OGp7KhWctloqfk-JZWP_xF9FJAoD-PQ0jj4B72XPUV-_1UVFVsOyJIGDQBmPH2cZfMKueHKB7wU/s1600/robbie-word-record-pace-chart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4KGRC2f6MzC0RO5TdYO4kBx5RzB8wDq-yLjVIjubu3E_iLC-J3vDxMduB2GtQoA3OGp7KhWctloqfk-JZWP_xF9FJAoD-PQ0jj4B72XPUV-_1UVFVsOyJIGDQBmPH2cZfMKueHKB7wU/s400/robbie-word-record-pace-chart.png" /></a></div>
<h1>Are There Any Points Left?</h1>
<p>In a word, yes. But not many.</p>
<p>While <b>Dean Saglio</b> essentially buried "keyboard DK" using the MAME emulator almost two years ago with <a href="../../2013/10/saglio-and-benziger-ladders-final-rung.html">his immaculate 1,206,800 performance</a> (a virtually perfect game of total mastery), and while Lakeman's score today is going to be an ornery one to top with an arcade-style control panel, nobody is ready to formally call off the hunt on the original, "official" arcade machine record.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskQAI1oJGKhlIqNJeF10usXkDZ_SPocLDo6n5HYWBu5J2HGMWcVqkGCw6LO19o9AjcnUF2kk_5OtxaFhBpqYPAMJjI5PCcVLP1J071YgF8HwmC4PNImAGdhEBTuJ0Ix-ZQ8hDefVCthA/s1600/wes-copeland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskQAI1oJGKhlIqNJeF10usXkDZ_SPocLDo6n5HYWBu5J2HGMWcVqkGCw6LO19o9AjcnUF2kk_5OtxaFhBpqYPAMJjI5PCcVLP1J071YgF8HwmC4PNImAGdhEBTuJ0Ix-ZQ8hDefVCthA/s320/wes-copeland.jpg" /></a></div><p>Hank Chien seems to have moved on from Donkey Kong after abdicating the title last year, but Lakeman still has close rivals with an active interest, namely <b>Wes Copeland</b> (pictured right) and <b>Ethan Daniels</b>, who are today's hardest-working Donkey Kong grinders.</p>
<p>Copeland finally cracked the "1.1" barrier in January, but is still working on improving his scoring pace. Even after Lakeman's imposing fortification today, Copeland has pledged to continue undaunted in his quest to beat him.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFUE_740kbeP6dSaK5mVkyLPqMIPRBqxumBZR_ZZ15lqSXgxATaf-3DTW-O2YCt2L_02fml9CjCbVIYvOsu5IskZnxpdPIBhFedCwRisJPr-xEJeo30WlTKxYfDspOhwONAs1eq81ePY/s1600/ethan-daniels-machine-reset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFUE_740kbeP6dSaK5mVkyLPqMIPRBqxumBZR_ZZ15lqSXgxATaf-3DTW-O2YCt2L_02fml9CjCbVIYvOsu5IskZnxpdPIBhFedCwRisJPr-xEJeo30WlTKxYfDspOhwONAs1eq81ePY/s320/ethan-daniels-machine-reset.jpg" /></a></div><p>Daniels, meanwhile, was poised to crack into the top 10 with his own 1.1 million-plus score just a couple of weeks ago, when a passing thunderstorm asserted itself with a kill screen of its own. Just 8 boards away from Donkey Kong's famous game-ending programming bug (and with Daniels on the live stream audibly coaching himself not to think about the flashing and rumbling outside), his worst fears were realized when a power-cycle kicked him in the teeth and the game was suddenly, horribly over. Daniels took it in stride, and will, no doubt, soon push one of his high-pace runs to the end. This particular game would not have beaten the record (it would only have been a personal best) but Daniels has shown himself to be capable of a run that could.</p>
<h1>January's Near-Miss</h1>
<p>It was only a few months ago that Lakeman was in considerable jeopardy of losing the position that he shored up today.</p>
<p>As <a href="../../2015/01/99-hours-of-donkey-kong-3000-world.html">reported previously</a>, Dean Saglio travelled to Ethan Daniels' home in January to try for an unprecedented $3,000 world record bounty offered during the 6th and final Donkey Kong Online Open tournament.</p>
<p>Over a grueling four days of play, Saglio came agonizingly close in not one, not two, but <i>three</i> close but ill-fated attempts. Nerves, fatigue, and bad luck stopped him painfully short, over 90% of the way to the target in each case. Not a heart was left unbroken among the fans watching online, many of them believing Saglio to be the true King of Kong since late last decade, based on his emulator scores, and seeing this as his chance to make it undisputable on original arcade hardware. It was not to be.</p>
<p>One might wonder after Saglio's close-call torture and Daniels' power outage, compared to today's relatively smooth victory by Lakeman, if perhaps the demon haunting the Funspot Donkey Kong might have moved to the Daniels residence?</p>
<p>There was, at any rate, no cash prize for Lakeman in the context of today's attempt, nor even a single spectator to be found in that same corridor where Wiebe and Chien preceded him in making history. The prize was simply to raise the bar. But for a classic arcade competitor, that's quite enough. Anything else is a bonus.</p>
<h1>Kong Off 4 Next Month</h1>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4KmZiKQsd6uz0haHuGr49PjeeayV48LsMx0s6YcMs9WqZMdZyrPfeDOWbGXaZTBpRAM0EvdG8InAh3Ydl975MEfutcfNR6YfO49VJct0Dzjg0OCcylQNK3tj9PKtbb7-o1cYK_KExHo/s1600/ko4-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4KmZiKQsd6uz0haHuGr49PjeeayV48LsMx0s6YcMs9WqZMdZyrPfeDOWbGXaZTBpRAM0EvdG8InAh3Ydl975MEfutcfNR6YfO49VJct0Dzjg0OCcylQNK3tj9PKtbb7-o1cYK_KExHo/s400/ko4-logo.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>The new world record stands as the perfect prelude to the Kong Off 4, which will take place at the ReplayFX Arcade and Gaming Festival next month in Pittsburgh (note the Steelers-themed color scheme).</p>
<p>More information on the event (which will feature a high score contest, followed by an exciting bracket-style competition on its final day) can be found at <a href="http://www.kongoff.com">kongoff.com</a>.</p>
<p>Congratulations once again to Robbie Lakeman! If the record is never broken again—and I must admit to having my doubts, with the score now so close to the ceiling—we could not have hoped for a more fitting way for it to come to rest: live and in person, on the same machine that two previous records were set, in one of the last great classic arcades in the world.</p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191198088813185030noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-47929643474010492592015-01-07T18:06:00.000-08:002015-01-07T18:31:36.116-08:0099 Hours of Donkey Kong: $3,000 World Record Bounty In Play, Tonight Through Sunday in the DK Online Open #6<p><b>January 7th 2015</b> - It's 6:00 PM Pacific time, and the starting gun just fired on the sixth and final event in the Donkey Kong Online Open tournament series, which began in March of last year.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTQv6YYkE34YkvX03ipS33Uc7xQUXV4TGyzxDQGNa5sKT2mY7tkkWqQuMYq38qmFgJokO6THJ0LeCf4KF-Ll-Z7MlEVuKA7o7j06qCGyTP8rbzhyxo8FAD6HXUcQuINs5IFFKP3SOD4M/s1600/kong+off+3+row.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTQv6YYkE34YkvX03ipS33Uc7xQUXV4TGyzxDQGNa5sKT2mY7tkkWqQuMYq38qmFgJokO6THJ0LeCf4KF-Ll-Z7MlEVuKA7o7j06qCGyTP8rbzhyxo8FAD6HXUcQuINs5IFFKP3SOD4M/s320/kong+off+3+row.jpg" /></a></div><p>At stake is the seeding for the upcoming Kong Off 4, which will be determined based on the aggregated scoreboard from all six events.</p>
<p>Perhaps of more interest to competitors, though, is the considerable stack of up-for-grabs cash!</p>
<p>This time, pay spots will extend beyond the usual 3, all the way out to 10, with a total of $1,150 shared among the top 10 finishers, and an additional $250 worth of "mystery bounties" to be given out to five randomly-drawn finishing spots.</p>
<h1>One Massive World Record Bounty</h1>
<p>All eyes will be on the game's best players during the next four days, as they pursue an unprecedented world record bounty of $3,000.</p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4kU4K29MWhKjtbi5BtuZGWSjtxh04VtcKv4wrfrMYAHAZvH4UC_upJRflkrXcKtibsjSMZfirvrb2wcr2W2FHZTb4shJh9X9mmYAly4KzhPz5i0gv0WwuAOHmCW0UD_jXqYAQWZvDJI/s1600/34732_1459659488446_5727578_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4kU4K29MWhKjtbi5BtuZGWSjtxh04VtcKv4wrfrMYAHAZvH4UC_upJRflkrXcKtibsjSMZfirvrb2wcr2W2FHZTb4shJh9X9mmYAly4KzhPz5i0gv0WwuAOHmCW0UD_jXqYAQWZvDJI/s320/34732_1459659488446_5727578_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dean Saglio and Hank Chien</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>Recent but uncomfirmed chatter has it that, with this much money on the line, MAME record holder Dean Saglio has decided to make his way to an arcade cabinet.</p>
<p>If Saglio does so, I would give odds of at least 4 to 1 in favor of there being a new world champion by Sunday night.</p>
<p>Saglio beat Robbie Lakeman's recent arcade world record in the MAME emulator almost four years ago (and has crushed it in the time since). For Saglio, if not anybody else, the arcade record is a relatively soft target.</p>
<p>Breaking the record in this timespan, however, still depends on a synergy of elements: the Kong Offs and online tournaments have demonstrated again and again that with Donkey Kong there is no certainty in the short term. Mental and physiological factors in the player, along with the randomness in the game, all have to cooperate. There's no guarantee that four days will be enough.</p>
<p>If Saglio doesn't do it, there will be others trying, including Lakeman himself. A Jeff Willms sighting was noted within the last hour. In fact, Saglio was heard to remark that we should be "disappointed as a community" if the record is NOT broken by the end of the tournament.</p>
<p>I would not go that far, but expectation is high indeed!</p>
<h1>This Is The End</h1>
<p>If the Donkey Kong Online Open #6 seems to be getting more hype than normal, it's not just because its the biggest Donkey Kong online tournament ever (more than 80 entrants and the largest prize pool yet), but because it will be the last one for the foreseeable future.</p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vEE9uqDDATnqjHkbVikEAfErrDCzm5oHyzaPXs_bWBHK70k9MrY1nHqbfbe3hDcxq7n7Rxp6fp4WxohXXAj3miajDx2zsIJaGltrt6PmFZbzgGrLOCRU3vanowUTpSd_yJx39eaagz8/s1600/donkey-kong-wildcard-tournament-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vEE9uqDDATnqjHkbVikEAfErrDCzm5oHyzaPXs_bWBHK70k9MrY1nHqbfbe3hDcxq7n7Rxp6fp4WxohXXAj3miajDx2zsIJaGltrt6PmFZbzgGrLOCRU3vanowUTpSd_yJx39eaagz8/s320/donkey-kong-wildcard-tournament-2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Wildcard Rematch #2, March 2013<br />where Ross Benziger went <a href="../../2013/03/back-to-back-benziger-snatches-another.html">"back to back"</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>Organizers Eric Tessler and John Salter have hosted all tournaments thus far, of which there have been a total of 11 events in three series (the Kong Off 2 Wildcard Rematches in 2013, the Kong Off 3 Wildcard Qualifiers also in 2013, and the current Donkey Kong Online Opens).</p>
<p>Tessler and Salter announced when registration for DKOO#6 began that it will be their final event.</p>
<p>And so, the "cult of Kong" will be out in force for these 99 hours, giving their best effort and raising their hammers high for the generous, hard-working team who brought us so much fun, and so many great memories, over the past two years. This one's gonna be huge!</p>
<p>
<a href="http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=1123.0">Event Overview and Details</a><br />
<a href="http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=1124.0">Registration List</a><br />
<i>(Check the top of the screen on the above links to Donkey Kong Forum for a list of "Active Streamers")</i></p>
<p><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsoDfaVYTK8JdGxodk1vVmtINUp2dEdMOWVDXzBoeXc&usp=sharing#gid=0">Donkey Kong Online Open Scoreboard</a><br />
<i>(Includes results of all installments so far; will update periodically throughout the event)</i></p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-70562292638682038682015-01-05T04:20:00.000-08:002015-05-06T22:50:56.555-07:00The Top 10 Is Fully-Loaded As The Limelight Shines On DK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-0fblJqJiafF-sAhAJpjD5vrhVbyuOhmv7cdHNeafHcN8NHc5tCDlPJnpWzs8W5hwZv2m0YO1pBas5D5Rf7AiHFA9LtjmWcId-CnP-BzEUZeAKMCWm7DSBhQI4bDYfiSduaX7Elyb9c/s1600/donkey-kong-magazine-articles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-0fblJqJiafF-sAhAJpjD5vrhVbyuOhmv7cdHNeafHcN8NHc5tCDlPJnpWzs8W5hwZv2m0YO1pBas5D5Rf7AiHFA9LtjmWcId-CnP-BzEUZeAKMCWm7DSBhQI4bDYfiSduaX7Elyb9c/s640/donkey-kong-magazine-articles.jpg" /></a></div><p><b>January 5th, 2015</b> - Competitive Donkey Kong is getting "face time" yet again—and on this occasion, it's the ink-and-paper kind!</p>
<p>A little over a week after <b>Robbie Lakeman</b> broke the world record in September, I was contacted by Sam Rowe, a journalist from the UK who was interested in preparing a feature on the high score chase.</p>
<p>It just so happened that Lakeman and other top players <b>Hank Chien</b>, <b>Ethan Daniels</b>, <b>Vincent Lemay</b>, and <b>Wes Copeland</b> were about to meet in New Jersey in October for an informal "mini-Kong Off" at Richie Knucklez Arcade. Sam spent a few days with them, getting to know the players and more about their world.</p>
<p>The next month, Sam's story made it into a few different publications—including two of the UK's more widely-read lifestyle magazines, Forever Sports and ShortList.</p>
<p>Soon to come will be an interview with Robbie Lakeman for AskMen, as part of his continuing rounds as the reigning King of Kong.</p>
<h1>Robbie Riding High</h1>
<p>Strange as it may seem, it would appear that the people of Earth still want to know who their Donkey Kong champion is.</p>
<p><a href="../../2014/09/new-world-record-robbie-lakeman-finally.html">The story of Robbie Lakeman's new world record</a> spread wider than I thought it would, to blogs, websites, and newswires large and small.</p>
<p>The hype continues up to the present moment. This past week, Robbie was picked to be one of Polygon's <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/30/7379031/polygons-50-gaming-heroes-of-2014">50 Admirable Gaming People of 2014</a>.</p>
<p>Here's Robbie talking about his achievement with his local TV affiliate:</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><iframe width="450" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2ce7If22FOY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<!-- <p>(Special thanks to Cat DeSpira for working behind the scenes to help set up that appearance)</p> -->
<p>Speaking for myself, being the source to break a "new world champion" announcement was one of the last of the to do's that I needed to cross off of the bucket list for this blog. It was a pleasure to tip off the first domino.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUGTYwT-AGJd0hGvjA96S7Ko8smCPMx5QjrADDdKS_W8BGczt_o71DX9cBdoClq9dfGhrWilPC5zQhaSSkivnjBV1D6LIzxkc_CyLyiqlu2nYxHrLWR2uemAsNs1U6fVYM_7IWO0LSyg/s1600/robbie-lakeman-news.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUGTYwT-AGJd0hGvjA96S7Ko8smCPMx5QjrADDdKS_W8BGczt_o71DX9cBdoClq9dfGhrWilPC5zQhaSSkivnjBV1D6LIzxkc_CyLyiqlu2nYxHrLWR2uemAsNs1U6fVYM_7IWO0LSyg/s1600/robbie-lakeman-news.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>I love this community, my close, personal connection to it, and am happy to be known as "the guy who writes articles" on its behalf. I was thrilled to be there with Robbie and my friends as his game played out on Twitch. The blog post was an all-nighter, but needless to say, well worth it. (The highlight for me: <a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/read-chronicling-rise-new-donkey-kong-world-champi-209028">a write-up in The AV Club</a>, a sister publication of The Onion, which had some very kind words for my work.)</p>
<p>What has <i>not</i> been widely-reported is that on December 1st, Robbie actually managed to push his own record a bit further (by 3,000 points), in a run that ended with 1,144,800 points. This new score, having occurred so quickly after the game that beat Chien, and not being much more than a cherry on top, admittedly happened very quietly. In fact, word did not spread outside of the DK community. Congratulations were forthcoming nonetheless, and the record will now be that much tougher to beat.</p>
<h1>Kiehl Crashes Into The Chien Force Field</h1>
<p>Hank Chien may have finally lost the world record for the arcade platform, but his mythical "force field" seems to still be menacing everyone whose name isn't Robbie Lakeman.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9izvLeG1JXQ5jcSV4ewtXm0EeGpEWVRaZOzDv6VoYyjFYlR2pzptPaT7jt4FT1YPkbUHBGwslRa_jIM2FLQunSjvs7j0HLm8EDb3nJluzLoJ0nppoX_4pRahNX5EpSIrl6zPvZpHe5ZM/s1600/mark-kiehl-in-4th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9izvLeG1JXQ5jcSV4ewtXm0EeGpEWVRaZOzDv6VoYyjFYlR2pzptPaT7jt4FT1YPkbUHBGwslRa_jIM2FLQunSjvs7j0HLm8EDb3nJluzLoJ0nppoX_4pRahNX5EpSIrl6zPvZpHe5ZM/s200/mark-kiehl-in-4th.jpg" /></a></div><p><b>Mark Kiehl</b>, who has been his characteristically-quiet self ever since <a href="../../2012/09/kiehl-takes-4th.html">taking 4th place on the all-time list over two years ago</a>, recently reclaimed that very same spot on the much tougher leaderboard of today.</p>
<p>In so doing, Kiehl dutifully honored what is quickly becoming a bona fide tradition... just barely missing Hank Chien. He managed to slip into the impossibly tight space between "Dr. Kong" and <b>Ross Benziger</b>, coming 1,000 points shy of Chien's former world record.</p>
<h1>(Almost) Ten 1.1s</h1>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpsewEJNeC2I69IYSjM0SHnsGdpHXfoKLRXujk_uT4-cWBo-6ovS0yJxK-bt8CKGxbtqjWLPSkTRFMJ1WbZJ717LpRcbKWPEFr_lNfrbGkx2C0dVOYScAkgI53mXzLX5fNnIIQjp4nSI/s1600/hank-chien-and-vincent-lemay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpsewEJNeC2I69IYSjM0SHnsGdpHXfoKLRXujk_uT4-cWBo-6ovS0yJxK-bt8CKGxbtqjWLPSkTRFMJ1WbZJ717LpRcbKWPEFr_lNfrbGkx2C0dVOYScAkgI53mXzLX5fNnIIQjp4nSI/s320/hank-chien-and-vincent-lemay.jpg" /></a></div><p>I must confess, I never thought that I would see it come to pass.</p>
<p>The ten highest-scoring Donkey Kong players in the world are now all sporting personal bests within the "max-out" range - that once-elusive 100,000 point corridor between 1.1 and 1.2 million points.</p>
<p>10th place—now held by Wes Copeland at 1,099,500—technically falls just short, but he's clawing to push through (more on that below). Copeland's score, along with the aforementioned recent performance by Mark Kiehl, and <b>Steve Wiltshire</b> several months ago, have loaded the bases going into the 6th (and final) Donkey Kong Online Open which begins this week.</p>
<p>Just a little over two years ago, when the Kong Off 2 was about to get underway, only two players other than then-champ Hank Chien had crossed 1.1: <b>Dean Saglio</b> and <b>Jeff Willms</b>. The rest of the field (headed by <b>Steve Wiebe</b> in 4th with 1,064,500) was quite a distance behind.</p>
<p>The gap has closed in the 26 months since, and now the traffic snarl around the top score has gotten even more chaotic.</p>
<h1>Coping With Copeland</h1>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMWpueDVVKtfnpXlm52xlFdZjS5nF34FXaOEZZmPoMXeG8bdXvyHyIxIV6j3WsOjLoHzorQLem7NBJuvgjhqRoRxKwIYx3jrB0bR4IJDEr045-P70tiTjnHpvhY7IbS2zEUteZ40HVJc/s1600/wes-robbie-vincent-frank-wang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMWpueDVVKtfnpXlm52xlFdZjS5nF34FXaOEZZmPoMXeG8bdXvyHyIxIV6j3WsOjLoHzorQLem7NBJuvgjhqRoRxKwIYx3jrB0bR4IJDEr045-P70tiTjnHpvhY7IbS2zEUteZ40HVJc/s320/wes-robbie-vincent-frank-wang.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Copeland (left)<br />with world champion Robbie Lakeman and Vincent Lemay</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Wes Copeland, a young programmer analyst from Arkansas who came in second place in the Donkey Kong Online Open #2 earlier in 2014, took down first place in DKO #4 this past August.</p>
<p>Copeland's aforementioned 1,099,500 point performance came a little over a month later on September 30th, and now rounds out the all-time top 10.</p>
<p>Having only played Donkey Kong for about a year and a half, "Copie" is blowing minds. Suddenly the field has (yet another) world record-capable player to contend with.</p>
<p>The road to cracking 1.1 has been tough, but Copeland's determination is tougher. As he recently put it on Donkey Kong Forum:</p>
<p><blockquote>"Truth be told, playing at 1.1 pace on a daily basis has removed all joy and fun from the game for me. The game feels more like a job at the moment because of how hard I'm grinding on a daily basis, but I mentally can't stop until I know my score reflects what I think my potential is."</blockquote></p>
<p>Copie is currently locked in a full-time battle with the game, his goal being to play every day, often for 8 hours or more, until he crosses the 1.1 mark. None of us doubt that he will do it soon enough.</p>
<h1>Saglio's Fingerprint On The Big Bang Theory</h1>
<p>As the recent magazine articles were being prepped, competitive Donkey Kong managed to find its way (by the subtlest of measures) onto primetime network television.</p>
<p>A brief scene on a recent episode of CBS's hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory depicted Leonard locked into "the game of his life" on a Donkey Kong arcade cabinet.</p>
<p>A brief shot of the monitor caught the eagle eye of none other than Vincent Lemay, who noted that the score read 464,100 on Level 9. Lemay, knowing that only one player had ever accomplished such a feat, checked to confirm his suspicion, and discovered that the game footage being piped into the cabinet for the scene was indeed none other than Dean Saglio's MAME world record!</p>
<p>How, why, and by whom the footage was inserted in the show remains a mystery, but it was a fun moment for the community, and a great homage (even if unintentional) to Saglio's epic performance.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><iframe width="450" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bioy3_ahnmY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />(Skip to 1:30 to check out the scene.)</p>
<h1>The Donkey Kong Online Open #6 Starts Wednesday!</h1>
<p>Check back here soon, as the 6th and final installment in the Donkey Kong Online Open tournament series (which began last February) will kick off Wednesday night at 9 PM Pacific. A brief event preview will be posted prior to the start time.</p>
<p><a href="http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=1123.0">Follow this link</a> to Donkey Kong Forum for more information on how to register and compete.</p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-6857247926750962402014-09-06T06:43:00.000-07:002014-09-08T03:34:36.755-07:00NEW WORLD RECORD! Robbie Lakeman Finally Topples Hank Chien For The Donkey Kong Title!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVST-OfBJ7r5oJjehYl8SYxY50dut4BViTOWgtuHQPYzRCqlFvyx72JdfMbOeC3FoHO3WsawvI-A89R8L0gQa16haBMAbUmLD5zu-HElxxEihfoIfPsZXoIWZKquxu_QM1ZKiN6a-JRM/s1600/robbie-lakeman-donkey-kong-world-record-champion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVST-OfBJ7r5oJjehYl8SYxY50dut4BViTOWgtuHQPYzRCqlFvyx72JdfMbOeC3FoHO3WsawvI-A89R8L0gQa16haBMAbUmLD5zu-HElxxEihfoIfPsZXoIWZKquxu_QM1ZKiN6a-JRM/s320/robbie-lakeman-donkey-kong-world-record-champion.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Donkey Kong World Champion Robbie Lakeman<br />(Photo: Dave Danzara)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>September 6th, 2014 -</b> <b>Robbie Lakeman</b> called <b>Hank Chien</b> on Friday morning to break the news personally: "Dr. Kong" was no longer the world champion.</p>
<p>Hours before, alone in a late-night session that he opted not to stream to Twitch TV, Lakeman finally cracked the score that he'd barely missed on two <a href="../../2014/08/this-is-not-over-hank-lakeman-held-off.html">prior occasions</a>, becoming the fifth player—following <b>Billy Mitchell</b>, <b>Tim Sczerby</b>, <b>Steve Wiebe</b>, and Dr. Chien—to set the world record on a Donkey Kong arcade machine.</p>
<p>Late on Friday evening, with rumors and speculation swirling, a crowd gathered in Lakeman's Twitch channel as it wordlessly came to life. A nearly silent, awkwardly-angled, "TV cam" rebroadcast of the previous night's three-hour performance began.</p>
<p>A less-than-ideal presentation, but more than enough to electrify the Donkey Kong faithful as they realized what was unfolding. Nobody knew what the final score would be, only that they were about to witness arcade gaming history.</p>
<p>1,141,800, as it turned out. A number that will hold very little meaning to those unschooled in the Donkey Kong dark arts, but Lakeman's 3,200 point-lead over Chien finally brings to an end the reign of the player who spent four years terrorizing the top spot by beating his own top score again and again, and who some suspected might never be defeated.</p>
<h1>The Road to the Record</h1>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9IJaOwLPKODjrDX1OrCMfUdL0pDfJMYw9DfQf3jKPISHwzoB7w6S5oyhzXj2J-bOe7yzatVOGR8_0Mt2PcZI-tgOhxwfcYyNeE-9E111CA7YQJY3ci3JEtfHd6_5jH7_SEfjlhVSMTk/s1600/robbie-lakeman-billy-mitchell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9IJaOwLPKODjrDX1OrCMfUdL0pDfJMYw9DfQf3jKPISHwzoB7w6S5oyhzXj2J-bOe7yzatVOGR8_0Mt2PcZI-tgOhxwfcYyNeE-9E111CA7YQJY3ci3JEtfHd6_5jH7_SEfjlhVSMTk/s1600/robbie-lakeman-billy-mitchell.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo: William McEvoy</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>It started two and a half years ago as a bar bet between Lakeman and a friend—get into the Donkey Kong top 20, or at the very least to the kill screen.</p>
<p>Already an avid golfer and poker player, Lakeman took up competitive classic gaming and quickly established a formidable resume. After attaining several world records and putting in regular strong showings at the annual Funspot Tournament, Lakeman eventually gravitated to Donkey Kong, the game being, in his words, "where all the competition is."</p>
<p>Lakeman proved to be a quick study. His first kill screen came <a href="../../2012/10/for-those-who-missed-cut.html">just before the Kong Off 2</a> in 2012, and by the time of the Kong Off 3 one year later, he had earned a spot among the top 12... though <a href="../../2013/11/the-kong-off-3-is-set.html">not without one hell of a fight</a>.</p>
<p>While boasting since August of 2013 that he felt capable of <a href="../../2013/08/robbie-lakeman-i-feel-like-i-could-take.html">taking on Hank</a>, it wasn't until the middle of this year that Lakeman started making serious attempts.</p>
<p>His near-nightly sessions—all streamed in public—continued for months, with Lakeman throwing himself against a score that refused to yield. As frustration mounted, he exploded into foul-tempered rants at the game and desperate pleas to his viewers to refrain from announcing games-in-progress on the Web, for fear of jinxing.</p>
<p>Finally, almost immediately after making the decision to go off-stream and play in private, Thursday night's session came together, and with it the culmination of Lakeman's ambition.</p>
<h1>The Swings That Missed</h1>
<p>Lakeman was not the only player in the hunt for the Donkey Kong record in recent times.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAdN5a9ksJZDKUnr0MfvmcEBhZAnvSrQURURot8p06pphPpop9j7EnsVobhxDGVl27Bylxmhj96aUxsomqqGzT0Zr0m-5fqYZxiaYQ5f3zXHn1eGDskfe0o97FLh4XOG7t21eYdzr-fo/s1600/vincent-lemay-head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAdN5a9ksJZDKUnr0MfvmcEBhZAnvSrQURURot8p06pphPpop9j7EnsVobhxDGVl27Bylxmhj96aUxsomqqGzT0Zr0m-5fqYZxiaYQ5f3zXHn1eGDskfe0o97FLh4XOG7t21eYdzr-fo/s200/vincent-lemay-head.jpg" /></a></div><b>Vincent Lemay</b>'s attempt in January 2013 was a week long affair, spent holed up at the 1up barcade in Colorado. Lemay missed the record by 2,700 points then quit playing, deciding to wait until someone else pushed it higher.</p>
<p>The attempt made some noise in <a href="http://kotaku.com/5975488/warcraft-playing-bodybuilder-barely-misses-donkey-kong-world-record">the gaming press</a>, and Lemay and Chien's rivalry became the subject of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVW_dAoJe5I">a short documentary</a> by Vice Magazine.</p>
<p>Lemay intends to try again for the record this October... though now he'll be targeting a different player.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0WC3GAR_gHlLhcF1adnvE5256g7OH3ubv88ZssZCtwq0wdXftg5MI17dNDnW1XfGaciHyDi8J0AjyA3sg8t1NmfP3tLA9M7dsPr-rqBp1QQ8zZ8YKwDbWOqlnkHodsGkM6MdMNu1BZE/s1600/ross-benziger-at-kong-off-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0WC3GAR_gHlLhcF1adnvE5256g7OH3ubv88ZssZCtwq0wdXftg5MI17dNDnW1XfGaciHyDi8J0AjyA3sg8t1NmfP3tLA9M7dsPr-rqBp1QQ8zZ8YKwDbWOqlnkHodsGkM6MdMNu1BZE/s200/ross-benziger-at-kong-off-2.jpg" /></a></div><p><b>Ross Benziger</b>'s <a href="../../2013/10/saglio-and-benziger-ladders-final-rung.html">close call</a> came nine months after Lemay's, at the Kencade in Oregon. Benziger's objective wasn't even to beat Chien's score, but simply to attain a "top 12" position in the arcade standings in order to secure a spot at the Kong Off 3.</p>
<p>Finally, just two weeks ago during the Donkey Kong Online Open #4, MAME champion <b>Dean Saglio</b> found his way to a machine at Richie Knucklez' arcade in New Jersey when, approaching the end of a run that was on pace to break the record (and with Chien himself only a few feet away on an adjacent machine) the game reset:</p>
<iframe width="450" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9RbC05fsQk8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>The rumored Hank Chien "force field" never seemed more intimidating than after this horrifying incident, but evidently, this burst of electromagnetic interference was its last, glorious gasp.</p>
<h1>What Next?</h1>
<p>As long as it took for Chien's score to finally go down, and with how narrowly it was beaten, it's possible that Lakeman's may not stand for very long. With the players that are already parked right behind him, and up-and-comers on the approach, Lakeman could be a short-lived champion.</p>
<p>To that possibility, Lakeman says: "it's a great feeling to say that I was on top at one point. Even if it's gone a couple days from now."</p>
<p>Congratulations Robbie! Your journey over the past two and a half years (the last few months in particular) has been an inspiring lesson in persistence, and the potential of the competitive spirit.</p>
<p>I often find it difficult to express to outsiders what it is that we're actually doing, and why we're doing it, when we play this game.</p>
<p>Thanks for expressing it so well.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjNF07CdNuXrDgENqcwvVVMhFs0o3-3cAKa8FdQ1aSYJa0_JEVyBnFNKGqPf2bu2IiECM6JBMpMlIPcP35121XOaby0y4q5fcHcN_lVZwdham5-xtdNgZYHBnyqrZo_5EM7j-ICuOy_0/s1600/hank+and+robbie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjNF07CdNuXrDgENqcwvVVMhFs0o3-3cAKa8FdQ1aSYJa0_JEVyBnFNKGqPf2bu2IiECM6JBMpMlIPcP35121XOaby0y4q5fcHcN_lVZwdham5-xtdNgZYHBnyqrZo_5EM7j-ICuOy_0/s400/hank+and+robbie.jpg" /></a></div>
<p><div style="text-align: center; font-size: 90%;"><i>Robbie and Hank</i><br /> </div></p>
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1WxeEDqWbio" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><div style="text-align: center; font-size: 90%;"><i>Robbie's recent Arcade Impossible master class on<br /> Donkey Kong point-pressing techniques</i><br /> </div></p>
<p><b>Coverage</b></p>
<p>Kotaku: <a href="http://kotaku.com/a-new-world-record-ends-hank-chiens-reign-as-donkey-kon-1631455818/">A New World Record Ends Hank Chien's Reign As Donkey Kong Champion</a></p>
<p>The Verge: <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/6/6114979/donkey-kong-arcade-world-record-set-by-robbie-lakeman">Gamer claims 'Donkey Kong' world record, ending plastic surgeon's four-year reign</a></p>
<p>Polygon: <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/6/6114647/donkey-kong-all-time-high-score-robbie-lakeman-hank-chien-steve-wiebe-billy-mitchell">Newcomer sets all-time high score in Donkey Kong</a></p>
<p>Game Informer: <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/09/06/the-world-record-for-highest-score-in-donkey-kong-has-been-beaten.aspx">The World Record For Highest Score In Donkey Kong Has Been Beaten</a></p>
<p>Joystiq: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/07/on-like-donkey-kong-new-champion-crowned-with-record-score/">On like Donkey Kong; new champion crowned with record score</a></p>
<p>Digital Trends: <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/theres-new-world-record-setting-high-scorer-donkey-kong/">There's a New World Record-Setting High Scorer in Donkey Kong</a></p>
<p>Thanks to all of the above (and many more) for crediting Donkey Blog as the source of this story.</p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-26789120873771216922014-08-21T17:41:00.000-07:002014-08-21T18:28:28.920-07:00"This Is Not Over, Hank!" Lakeman Held Off By Dr. Kong's Force Field As DKO #4 Approaches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAJ_i0c4rAnWoWzOxA5fVw35OaRsxpt9POspg_odlco-pEPdndDGwzyN8XJ5Y2kJGxPvufWE5Cj06L5FZGY0iPfkD8Fwq9BvIoOTE3Y9lwGqKeoe1v_wLZklHErLg4R_GmqY9Nu1dAf4/s1600/lakeman-money-machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAJ_i0c4rAnWoWzOxA5fVw35OaRsxpt9POspg_odlco-pEPdndDGwzyN8XJ5Y2kJGxPvufWE5Cj06L5FZGY0iPfkD8Fwq9BvIoOTE3Y9lwGqKeoe1v_wLZklHErLg4R_GmqY9Nu1dAf4/s400/lakeman-money-machine.jpg" /></a></div><p><b>August 21st, 2014 -</b> There is an old superstition among Ms. Pac Man players that bananas placed atop the machine can act as an offering to the gods of the random-number generator, who will look favorably upon the pious and bestow good fortune.</p>
<p>Robbie Lakeman echoed that tradition a few weeks ago. Having reached a point of desperation in his quest to finally dethrone Hank Chien for the Donkey Kong world record, he seems willing to try just about anything:</p>
<p><blockquote><i>"Took all the money I had that was laying around the apartment and put it on my cab. Hopefully this will be enough to buy the DK record."</i></blockquote></p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>If Ms. Pac Man responds to bananas, perhaps DK will accept cash?</p>
<p>On July 29th, Lakeman pulled off the seemingly impossible by somehow managing to get <i>even closer</i> to Hank Chien's top score than past attempts by <a href="../../2013/01/lemay-breaks-record-almost.html">Vincent Lemay</a> and <a href="../../2013/10/saglio-and-benziger-ladders-final-rung.html">Ross Benziger</a>, who also barely missed bringing the record home.</p>
<p>Lakeman now sits a very tight second in the all-time arcade machine standings (third overall if including Dean Saglio's MAME emulator record). It's a three-way gridlock where only 600 points separate Lakeman from Benziger, who, in turn, is only 600 points above Lemay. Chien still has them all held back by an inch.</p>
<p>Lakeman's biggest game yet came to an agonizing finish with not quite enough gas in the tank, ending with a kill screen 1,500 points away from first place. It came one month after <a href="../../2014/06/robbie-lakeman-wins-dko3-closes-in-on.html">another attempt</a> that fell short by 7,100 points.</p>
<p>"This is not over, Hank!" Lakeman said during a frustrated monologue after the game.</p>
<p>The community has begun to speak—perhaps only half-jokingly—of a mystical force field that seems to be surrounding Chien's title, protecting it from would-be usurpers. So many extraordinarily close calls... and Dr. Kong is still on top.</p>
<h1>DK Open #4 This Weekend: Bounty-Hunting Time</h1>
<p>Weeks have turned into months for Lakeman's tireless world record attempts. He puts hours into the effort almost every single day. Part of the reason is that Lakeman knows the clock is ticking—the next Donkey Kong Open takes place this Friday through Sunday, and with a tournament-only world record bounty that has risen to $1,700, several world record-caliber players are expected to bring their A-games this weekend.</p>
<p>Ross Benziger, who normally plays on MAME, will be making his way to an arcade machine, and rumor has it that back-to-back Kong Off champion Jeff Willms might be going for the title as well. Both are, needless to say, extreme threats to Lakeman's bid at ever wearing the DK crown. A new top score will be that much harder for Lakeman to beat... and evidently it's quite hard enough already.</p>
<p>If you are interested in playing in the tournament (everyone is welcome, with many cash prizes up for grabs), or just want to follow along, please visit <a href="http://donkeykongforum.com">Donkey Kong Forum</a>. You can <a href="http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=954.0">review the rules</a>, <a href="http://donkeykongforum.com/tournaments/registration.php">enter here</a>, or watch <a href="http://donkeykongforum.com/streamers">the multi-stream</a>.</p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11191198088813185030noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-44448228249416180662014-06-30T20:10:00.000-07:002014-06-30T20:37:50.922-07:00Robbie Lakeman Wins DKO#3, Closes In On World Record<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihUcZ8cjslcfebYEWsLJQUONszPMC2LvlIJE6X5ocaeMK-jI-c3iayZsT63cg0ztzd8xSB2Dz0n_J2Bn8DblNNK9hWZ5OOudVqQoSqpb8Qa4DrRyCB83i-wQDO6bZBPFYc6goWOClkCJI/s1600/wiebe-lakeman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihUcZ8cjslcfebYEWsLJQUONszPMC2LvlIJE6X5ocaeMK-jI-c3iayZsT63cg0ztzd8xSB2Dz0n_J2Bn8DblNNK9hWZ5OOudVqQoSqpb8Qa4DrRyCB83i-wQDO6bZBPFYc6goWOClkCJI/s320/wiebe-lakeman.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Robbie Lakeman (right) with Steve Wiebe at the Kong Off 2</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p><b>July 1st, 2014 -</b> He wasn't able to make it happen earlier this month during the most recent Donkey Kong Online Open, but he came close... and even closer this past Sunday.</p>
<p><b>Robbie Lakeman</b> buried the needle for tournament first place with 1,086,700, but victory for the weekend was almost an afterthought. Lakeman's real ambition—as with all of his runs for the past several weeks—was to dethrone <b>Hank Chien</b> as the King of Kong. It was not to be. "Some games are world record games and that just wasn't gonna be one," Lakeman commented afterwards.</p>
<p>Just seven days later, in the dead of night on June 29th, I was on hand (and on the edge of my seat) to witness Lakeman join <b>Ross Benziger</b> and <b>Vincent Lemay</b> in the "near miss" club. Lakeman's score, 1,131,500, came only 7,100 points shy of the ultimate prize. If the final board had played out more cooperatively, the record would have fallen.</p>
<p>"I still have to keep playing this game," Lakeman said. "I can't be like Vincent and Ross and stop playing. I can't do it."</p>
<p>With Robbie in top form and pushing with all of his strength, he could (and likely will) take the record any day now.</p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5rD3HKFB4LzbVGaYfw7aAj0A1AcYa0Tf3zglJEUVnKuEv7SWLwMze-A6j6Ufyx4mwv7XGQFRUT6AsM5miDrrTh4JFTHU4zmARTa3NBdn_EQ4nVazpWyHj3hpBQ8CS054V4MCFjFks7s/s1600/ethan-daniels-kong-off-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5rD3HKFB4LzbVGaYfw7aAj0A1AcYa0Tf3zglJEUVnKuEv7SWLwMze-A6j6Ufyx4mwv7XGQFRUT6AsM5miDrrTh4JFTHU4zmARTa3NBdn_EQ4nVazpWyHj3hpBQ8CS054V4MCFjFks7s/s320/ethan-daniels-kong-off-3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ethan Daniels at the Kong Off 3<br />Photo: William McEvoy</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>And he's not the only one with a chance: <b>Ethan Daniels</b>, a bit of a dark horse since he does not yet have a score in the top 20, is nonetheless playing at world record <a href="../../2012/11/understanding-pace.html">pace</a> and has gone quite deep on several occasions. <b>Steve Wiltshire</b> and <b>Dave McCrary</b> are also currently active and capable.</p>
<p>In other words, if Robbie doesn't do it soon, somebody else just might.</p>
<p>The fourth Donkey Kong Online Open has not yet been scheduled, but organizers are aiming for sometime in August.</p>
<p>Will we have a new champion by then? I would say, with confidence, that it's more likely than not.</p>
<p>If you want to be sure you're on hand to witness history, follow Robbie Lakeman's Twitch TV channel at <b><a href="http://www.twitch.tv/lakeman421/">http://www.twitch.tv/lakeman421/</a></b>.</p>
<h1>Final Scoreboard and Prizes: Donkey Kong Online Open 2014, #3</h1>
<p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tr><td><b>Rank</b></td><td><b>Player</b></td><td><b>Score</b></td><td><b>Gap</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>Robbie Lakeman</td><td>1,086,700</td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td>2</td><td>Eric Tessler</td><td>922,200</td><td>164,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>3</td><td>Ben Falls</td><td>912,700</td><td>9,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>4</td><td>Jeff Willms</td><td>894,400</td><td>18,300</td></tr>
<tr><td>5</td><td>Martin Laing</td><td>894,100</td><td>300</td></tr>
<tr><td>6</td><td>Dave McCrary</td><td>859,500</td><td>34,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>7</td><td>Jeff Wolfe</td><td>815,400</td><td>44,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>8</td><td>Steve Wiltshire</td><td>809,800</td><td>5,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>9</td><td>Andrew Barrow</td><td>785,600</td><td>24,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>10</td><td>Jason Brittain</td><td>730,200</td><td>55,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>11</td><td>Adam Mon</td><td>714,100</td><td>16,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>12</td><td>Mick Winzeler</td><td>703,500</td><td>10,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>13</td><td>Craig Gallant</td><td>690,800</td><td>12,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>14</td><td>Daniel Desjardins</td><td>633,600</td><td>57,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>15</td><td> Jeff Harrist</td><td>603,700</td><td>29,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>16</td><td>Chris Psaros</td><td>529,500</td><td>74,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>17</td><td>Scott Cunningham</td><td>518,000</td><td>11,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>18</td><td>Graham Hawkins</td><td>488,000</td><td>30,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>19</td><td>Brian Allen</td><td>447,700</td><td>40,300</td></tr>
<tr><td>20</td><td>Johnny Bonde</td><td>435,700</td><td>12,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>21</td><td>Tanner Fokkens</td><td>417,000</td><td>18,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>22</td><td>Jonathon McCourt</td><td>402,000</td><td>15,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>23</td><td>Allen Staal</td><td>386,100</td><td>15,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>24</td><td>John Salter</td><td>358,700</td><td>27,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>25</td><td>Kristian Telschow</td><td>239,200</td><td>119,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>26</td><td>John McNeill</td><td>224,500</td><td>14,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>27</td><td>Steve Grunberger</td><td>207,100</td><td>17,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>28</td><td>Emil Thomsen</td><td>87,300</td><td>119,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>29</td><td>Don Rubin</td><td>86,200</td><td>1,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>30</td><td>Katherine Williams</td><td>59,100</td><td>27,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>31</td><td>Edward Dietman</td><td>22,900</td><td>36,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>32</td><td>Chuck Vess</td><td>2,200</td><td>20,700</td></tr>
</table></p>
<p><b>Total Entrants:</b> 65</br>
<b>Total Entrants With A Score Submission:</b> 32</p>
<p><b>Prizes:</b><br />
<b>$200</b> 1st - Ben Falls (912,700)<br />
<b>$150</b> 2nd - Jeff Willms (894,400)<br />
<b>$100</b> 3rd - Martin Laing (894,100)<br />
(Robbie Lakeman was not eligible for first place money since he took 2nd in DKO#1—contestants who win a place-prize can't win another for the next two tournaments, but can still win bounties. Second place Eric Tessler is the tournament organizer and does not compete for the prize pool.)
</p>
<p><b>Bounties:</b><br />
<b>$50</b> Longest First Man - Robbie Lakeman (81 boards)<br />
<b>$50</b> Longest Last Man - Jeff Wolfe (33 boards)<br />
<b>$20</b> Most Improved Score - Andrew Barrow (301,900)<br />
<b>$50</b> Mystery Bounty #1 (12th place) - Mick Winzeler<br />
<b>$50</b> Mystery Bounty #2 (32nd place) - Chuck Vess<br />Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-32267449861004949542014-06-19T23:24:00.000-07:002015-01-05T20:29:46.570-08:00DK Open #3 This Weekend: Will Robbie Lakeman Break The World Record?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNT-HWbjjsfE7NpsL4PWCfhtM1QwRp7uv_eIfkKFG19_MNWuW4IRg18cdvTgqWVjK0D1F-0pH2p3PLGrLcz_DGIe-qRZ5nzzr6fTo66o67TOT2Rvq5xhgt6ZxxK4zIZ3aJ8zP93qBMwo/s320/robbie-lakeman-funspot-2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNT-HWbjjsfE7NpsL4PWCfhtM1QwRp7uv_eIfkKFG19_MNWuW4IRg18cdvTgqWVjK0D1F-0pH2p3PLGrLcz_DGIe-qRZ5nzzr6fTo66o67TOT2Rvq5xhgt6ZxxK4zIZ3aJ8zP93qBMwo/s320/robbie-lakeman-funspot-2013.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Robbie Lakeman at Funspot, 2013</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p><b>June 19th, 2014</b> - It's beginning to feel inevitable. Robbie Lakeman, who put world champion <b>Dr. Hank Chien</b> <a href="../../2013/08/robbie-lakeman-i-feel-like-i-could-take.html">on notice at around this time last year</a>, has been slowly but steadily edging his high score upward, most recently eclipsing the "1.1" mark near the end of May.</p>
<p>With his personal best now standing at 1,113,400 points (the fourth-highest arcade machine score of all time), Lakeman is poised just behind <b>Ross Benziger</b> and <b>Vincent Lemay</b>, determined to end Chien's unbroken three-and-a-half year reign as the King of Kong.</p>
<p>Lakeman has been "going deep" for the past several weeks, coming just a few levels short in attempts that are easily maintaining world record pace. Sentiment around the community is that if Lakeman stays hungry and keeps pushing, the record will fall soon.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_C3ZInT-LW1nMhApG5ZJJpVDfLQ9XGTg9t9G2Nq2-2vAnUygW1QFK43E85J9Lv1BZqs081hBfHAkjo8TeosEeG17NUwEOR5whi1bV71nFODSXipkgqxZ3y06DGj7dmAGGCLjtRvrer4/s1600/lakeman-another-800K.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_C3ZInT-LW1nMhApG5ZJJpVDfLQ9XGTg9t9G2Nq2-2vAnUygW1QFK43E85J9Lv1BZqs081hBfHAkjo8TeosEeG17NUwEOR5whi1bV71nFODSXipkgqxZ3y06DGj7dmAGGCLjtRvrer4/s1600/lakeman-another-800K.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Lakeman's most recent leaderboard jump actually netted him a cool $50 from none other than <b>Tim Sczerby</b> (the eccentric and irascible former world champion snubbed by <i>The King of Kong</i> producers from inclusion in the film... and who'll be damned if he lets anyone forget it). Lakeman challenged Sczerby to a $50 bet that he'd beat him to "1.1". May's game did the deed, and Sczerby, true to his word, paid up.</p>
<p>The Donkey Kong Online Open #3 kicks off this Friday at 9 PM Pacific and runs all weekend. With a world record cash bounty of $1,100 up for grabs for the duration of the tournament, and with all eyes on Lakeman as the successor to the throne, there's no better moment than this one.</p>
<h1>No-Hammer Time!</h1>
<p>It's been a busy few months for competitive Kongers, with two tournaments having come and gone, a bit of history made, and another missed by an inch.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7E0Ta7V02nfL2uestyvMm1wIM2LH_t14z_FppTQJKfTOe-lK7M-G0mQlCEeJ4IApgai903eoZrbmAyXTHtsTy-cSlCiPN4R7cmW1_5lX_B9UvVD7S-Mno_0fZCsdUHD_64B9zdYDsM4/s1600/jon-mckinnel-kill-screen-card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7E0Ta7V02nfL2uestyvMm1wIM2LH_t14z_FppTQJKfTOe-lK7M-G0mQlCEeJ4IApgai903eoZrbmAyXTHtsTy-cSlCiPN4R7cmW1_5lX_B9UvVD7S-Mno_0fZCsdUHD_64B9zdYDsM4/s320/jon-mckinnel-kill-screen-card.jpg" /></a></div><p>The second annual No-Hammer March Madness—a bracket-style elimination tourney—crowned <b>Jon "Fast Eddie" McKinnell</b> of Edinburgh, Scotland the champ for the second year in a row.</p>
<p>The devilishly challenging no-hammer variant, feared and despised by many of Donkey Kong's top competitors, forces the player to make his way through the chaos without using his one and only defensive weapon. Mandatory risk-taking greatly steepens the luck factor relative to standard play, while still demanding that the player recognize and maximize favorable situations.</p>
<p>Or, in the pithier words of Hank Chien, "no-hammer is 90% luck and 90% skill."</p>
<p>As the tournament progressed over several weeks, McKinnell stunned his already-intimidated opponents by crossing one of the final pieces of unfinished business from the Donkey Kong community's collective "to do" list: on April 20th, during a tournament practice game, he finessed his way through all 117 boards to became the first player ever to reach a no-hammer kill screen.</p>
<p>That performance, followed shortly thereafter with his repeat victory in the March Madness tournament, cemented McKinnell as the unrivaled no-hammer master.</p>
<h1>Benziger In DKO #2: "You Deprived Me of History!"</h1>
<p>Ross Benziger, no stranger to first place in online Donkey Kong tournaments (having won two in a row last year), took down the Online Open #2, held May 2nd through the 4th... but in the process managed to snatch a nasty defeat from the jaws of victory.</p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFTzTaOK1mUbhGapEoz3AAMPwi_ZOmz9EXWeKGET6a3JWCq0WAUM3sY1skTrdrOsKcxFYgS_fBVQCGQ2HId88d9J1iANlV85HHUFBnk_RpGm3syNDgB_mpHIDp6pidOAkgldTCfspaDQ/s1600/kong-off-3-ross-benziger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFTzTaOK1mUbhGapEoz3AAMPwi_ZOmz9EXWeKGET6a3JWCq0WAUM3sY1skTrdrOsKcxFYgS_fBVQCGQ2HId88d9J1iANlV85HHUFBnk_RpGm3syNDgB_mpHIDp6pidOAkgldTCfspaDQ/s400/kong-off-3-ross-benziger.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Benziger at the Kong Off 3 (Photo: William McEvoy)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Benziger was ripping through the game that would win him the tournament, cruising at over 980,000 points <i>and still on his first man</i>, when, just minutes from becoming the first Donkey Kong player to ever achieve a million points on a single life, calamity struck.</p>
<p>Several weeks of concentrated no-hammer practice for the March Madness tournament, combined with the shower of nerves erupting from what he was about to accomplish in <i>this</i> tournament, threw him into a moment of confusion. He began the rivet board on level 20-6 on autopilot, going into a pattern known as the "reverse weave"—a no-hammer only strategy rarely used in standard play due to its higher risk. "Oh my God, what am I doing?" he said. "No hammer, I hate you so bad!"</p>
<p>One agonizing thing led to another, Benziger lost a life, then launched into a tirade as profane as it was understandable:</p>
<blockquote>
<i>"I just spaced out, forgot that I was playing regular... no hammer's taught me so many bad habits... Oh God, that's painful... I will never play no-hammer again! No-hammer, you deprived me of history! Never again, that is a promise!"</i>
</blockquote>
<p>Minutes later, Benziger reached the kill screen and turned in the weekend's top score. The "first-man million" would have to wait for another day, but the $200 first-place prize was a nice salve on the wound.</p>
<p>The other big surprise of the weekend was the emergence of relative newcomer <b>Wes Copeland</b>, who has only been playing Donkey Kong for 9 months but managed to take second place in the tournament (and jump from 31st place in the all-time standings all the way up to 17th) with a huge 1,028,200. <b>Jeff Willms</b> is the only other Donkey Kong player to have ever made such lightning-quick progress from zero to a million, a journey that for most players is measured in years.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2I4iGdPrrVIH6tMYdvzn84qgIIosDuJJHV_d2LkEfKBMQc7r1p5Wj3h8KXQnVbI-7vMqSufeM6JtRNGGFJsTI3u5R5Z68CyLpQG0hDLnwU9zcI7Np-6_yAMOG89M9wIDGBqPZmjIujk/s1600/wes-copeland-dkcore.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2I4iGdPrrVIH6tMYdvzn84qgIIosDuJJHV_d2LkEfKBMQc7r1p5Wj3h8KXQnVbI-7vMqSufeM6JtRNGGFJsTI3u5R5Z68CyLpQG0hDLnwU9zcI7Np-6_yAMOG89M9wIDGBqPZmjIujk/s320/wes-copeland-dkcore.png" /></a></div><p>Wes is a 23-year-old software engineer from Arkansas, currently in the midst of a project attempting to "completely rewrite the Donkey Kong arcade engine in a modern multi-platform language: in this case JavaScript." You can follow Wes's work on "DKCore" through <a href="http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=868.0">his progress thread</a> at Donkey Kong Forum.</p>
<p>Other top finishers in May's tournament included <b>Eric Tessler</b>, <b>Tim Sczerby</b>, and <b>Jeff Harrist</b>.</p>
<p>I personally ended up on the prize money bubble, but was happy that this tourney allowed me to (just barely) keep "the streak" alive—I'd kill screened in each of the prior three online tournaments and wanted to make it four in a row. 5 minutes before the last quarter deadline, I abandoned a weak game in progress, threw in another quarter, went for the hail-mary, and managed to go all the way through to a simple, low-pace kill screen. Not quite good enough for the winner's circle, but I'm pleased with my consistency at landing just outside it!</p>
<h1>Sign Up for #3!</h1>
<p><a href="http://donkeykongforum.com/tournaments/registration.php">Join us</a> for the third DK Open this weekend! As always, entry is free, there are cash prizes for top scores, plus random "mystery bounties" that players of all skill levels can win. And with Robbie Lakeman in the hunt for the world record, it should be an exciting two days.</p>
<p>Finally, a quick "welcome back" to Twin Galaxies. After months of limbo, the <a href="http://www.twingalaxies.com">new site</a> went live as promised near the end of April. Based on what I've seen so far, the future looks bright, and Jace Hall truly seems to be a custodian we can all get behind.</p>
<h1>Final Scoreboard and Prizes: Donkey Kong Online Open 2014, #2</h1>
<p><table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tr><td><b>Rank</b></td><td><b>Player</b></td><td><b>Score</b></td><td><b>Gap</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>Ross Benziger</td><td>1,067,700</td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td>2</td><td>Wes Copeland</td><td>1,028,200</td><td>39,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>3</td><td>Eric Tessler</td><td>968,700</td><td>59,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>4</td><td>Timothy Sczerby</td><td>941,500</td><td>27,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>5</td><td>Jeff Harrist</td><td>868,900</td><td>72,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>6</td><td>Chris Psaros</td><td>863,500</td><td>5,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>7</td><td>Aaron Rounsaville</td><td>817,000</td><td>46,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>8</td><td>Mike Groesbeck</td><td>793,000</td><td>24,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>9</td><td>Steve Wiltshire</td><td>733,600</td><td>59,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>10</td><td>Ben Falls</td><td>732,200</td><td>1,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>11</td><td>Martin Laing</td><td>729,800</td><td>2,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>12</td><td>Graham Hawkins</td><td>655,100</td><td>74,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>13</td><td>Mick Winzeler</td><td>631,200</td><td>23,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>14</td><td>Estel Goffinet</td><td>625,500</td><td>5,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>15</td><td>Daniel Dock</td><td>618,100</td><td>7,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>16</td><td>Robbie Lakeman</td><td>607,700</td><td>10,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>17</td><td>Jason Brittain</td><td>601,800</td><td>5,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>18</td><td>Ethan Daniels</td><td>575,200</td><td>26,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>19</td><td>Craig Gallant</td><td>532,500</td><td>42,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>20</td><td>Scott Cunningham</td><td>531,000</td><td>1,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>21</td><td>Shawn Robinson</td><td>492,200</td><td>38,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>22</td><td>Jon Shear </td><td>484,500</td><td>7,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>23</td><td>Andrew Barrow</td><td>483,700</td><td>800</td></tr>
<tr><td>24</td><td>Johhny Bonde</td><td>417,500</td><td>66,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>25</td><td>Brian Allen</td><td>385,500</td><td>32,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>26</td><td>Daniel Desjardins</td><td>370,500</td><td>15,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>27</td><td>Rick Fothergill</td><td>368,600</td><td>1,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>28</td><td>Fred DeHart</td><td>347,500</td><td>21,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>29</td><td>Nick Sheils</td><td>286,100</td><td>61,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>30</td><td>Victor Sandberg</td><td>284,100</td><td>2,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>31</td><td>Anthony Trujillo</td><td>274,800</td><td>9,300</td></tr>
<tr><td>32</td><td>Thomas Høgsberg</td><td>238,100</td><td>36,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>33</td><td>Mitchell Meerman</td><td>235,600</td><td>2,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>34</td><td>Steve Grunberger</td><td>185,800</td><td>49,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>35</td><td>Don Rubin</td><td>146,200</td><td>39,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>36</td><td>Katherine Williams</td><td>41,500</td><td>104,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>37</td><td>Douglas Tessler</td><td>26,600</td><td>14,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>38</td><td>Edward Dietman</td><td>18,900</td><td>7,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>39</td><td>Chuck Vess</td><td>2,100</td><td>16,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>40</td><td>Jessica Tessler</td><td>1,000</td><td>1,100</td></tr>
</table></p>
<p><b>Total Entrants:</b> 64</br>
<b>Total Submitting Players:</b> 40</p>
<p><b>Prizes:</b><br />
<b>$200</b> 1st - Ross Benziger (1,067,700)<br />
<b>$150</b> 2nd - Wes Copeland (1,028,200)<br />
<b>$100</b> 3rd - Jeff Harrist (868,900)<br />
(3rd place Eric Tessler is the tournament organizer and 4th place Tim Sczerby won a prize in the previous tourney, thus both were ineligible for prize money. Therefore, 3rd prize went to Jeff Harrist in 5th place)
</p>
<p><b>Bounties:</b><br />
<b>$50</b> Longest First Man - Graham Hawkins (67 boards)<br />
<b>$50</b> Longest Last Man - Tim Sczerby (49 boards)<br />
<b>$50</b> Mystery Bounty #1 (23rd place) - Andrew Barrow<br />
<b>$50</b> Mystery Bounty #2 (11th place) - Martin Laing<br />
<b>$20</b> Mystery Bounty #3 (36th place) - Katherine Williams<br />
<b>$30</b> Top 1-1 High Score - Robbie Lakeman (12,100)<br />
<b>$20</b> Runner-Up 1-1 High Score - Mitchell Meerman (8,400)<br />Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-34073486707687309842014-03-29T23:34:00.000-07:002014-03-30T16:47:58.838-07:00Twin Galaxies Returns With New Owner Jace Hall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-nkpHX-laK6ZVV_EIG5hia1t8fuzC05bnnPnRkrIPipPzotrxDJH2-Tw1fO8X-5Q_sM_uV44OFWvQsEaXzzwkefOm1rBAQjxXg31fGqtdrkwO4UIEU5L3WznauBguU_DJBYd_rlYAxU/s1600/jace-hall-twin-galaxies-owner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-nkpHX-laK6ZVV_EIG5hia1t8fuzC05bnnPnRkrIPipPzotrxDJH2-Tw1fO8X-5Q_sM_uV44OFWvQsEaXzzwkefOm1rBAQjxXg31fGqtdrkwO4UIEU5L3WznauBguU_DJBYd_rlYAxU/s400/jace-hall-twin-galaxies-owner.jpg" /></a></div><p><b>March 29th, 2014 -</b> The rumor had been rattling around for several weeks, evolving more recently into an "open secret", and now it has been confirmed in a four thousand word flourish of glorious definitude: Jace Hall, film and television producer best known for his online reality series <i>The Jace Hall Show</i>, has personally come forward with <a href="http://twingalaxies.us/">an official statement</a> as the new "Head Custodian and Caretaker" of Twin Galaxies.</p>
<p>In his lengthy introductory address to the competitive gaming community, Hall lays out his vision for the future of the organization under his ownership, highlights of which include:</p>
<ul>
<li>The reinstatement of FREE score submissions. To quote his statement: "As long as Jace Hall is the Head Custodian and Caretaker of Twin Galaxies, Twin Galaxies will never be charging for score submissions or adjudication ever again. Period." (The new policy may even entail refunds to those who paid to submit scores during the previous ownership.)</li>
<li>The anticipated return of the website within the next 30 days.</li>
<li>Increased transparency and consistency in the organization's behavior and processes.</li>
<li>A new adjudication system, entailing an overhaul of the refereeing procedure and the elimination of secrecy in gameplay.</li>
<li>The return of material that has been dearly missed—including classic news articles, and the treasure trove of history and community that was the original Twin Galaxies forum.</li></ul>
<p>Hall also made it clear that ownership is now his alone, meaning that there will be no internal conflicts, competing imperatives, or nagging financial entanglements.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/whats-really-going-on-with-twin-galaxies/">recent article on KitGuru.net</a> that had spread through the community in the weeks prior to yesterday's announcement shed something of a lurid light on these matters. Jon Martindale's very intriguing piece reported infighting, bad-faith intercessions, looming litigation, and even Walter Day "fleeing to India" with tens of thousands of misappropriated dollars. A downright scandalous chain of events seemed to be unfolding.</p>
<p>Many accused the KitGuru piece of intentional sensationalism at best, shameless lying at worst, but it was clearly relating at least a piece of the truth, and with it came a palpable dip in the gaming community's already low morale.</p>
<p>Hall's letter, however, has sounded the all-clear: according to him, any previous "loose ends" and points-of-contention regarding Twin Galaxies ownership and renumeration have been resolved. So much for a scandal (we can hope).</li>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFtA2Y21ih510v1a4C_qE4Ug-s0fIXIBzxckwjxz8UCW8ZdLy-JqJ7vHYbGK_wrTyX7mAvxxc9iU8FsBA9F7RgFIX-ezKrGO5NVJiFrt64t9-PE8Xyk3twfrivutJxLC0M5TeAJTOEzY/s1600/twin-galaxies-interim-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFtA2Y21ih510v1a4C_qE4Ug-s0fIXIBzxckwjxz8UCW8ZdLy-JqJ7vHYbGK_wrTyX7mAvxxc9iU8FsBA9F7RgFIX-ezKrGO5NVJiFrt64t9-PE8Xyk3twfrivutJxLC0M5TeAJTOEzY/s400/twin-galaxies-interim-logo.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Any doubts about a disgruntled or on-the-lam Walter Day have been dispelled as well, with Day himself personally composing <a href="http://twingalaxies.us/images/WalterDay.png">a letter</a> in which he endorses Hall with great enthusiasm, confidently handing off the reins of his creation and (re)announcing his retirement from competitive gaming to pursue his musical ambitions (a retirement which, some might skeptically note, has been promised for nearly a decade).</p>
<p>The consensus reaction to the statement has been almost unanimously positive. Gamers are celebrating Twin Galaxies' return, and seem to have taken an instant liking to Hall.</p>
<p>While still a new acquaintance to much of the community, even gaming's lifetime cynics must concede that Hall's mission statement demonstrates an unmistakably personal and intimate understanding of the community's history and its ongoing problems, as well as the promising hope of intelligent, creative solutions. Hall's resumé in the entertainment industry, and with video games in particular, speaks for itself. He brings with him a wealth of talent and resources.</p>
<p>In other words, he gets it, and has what it takes to make great things happen. All of us have grown at least a little weary of "new era" promises—first after Bouvier in 2009, then Adler/Knucklez in 2012, and the turbulence throughout which persistently refused to settle.</p>
<p>But now, five years into this rough ride, as we once again begin anew, we can hope that the third time will be the charm.</p>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-15673261752100781772014-03-06T19:56:00.000-08:002014-03-07T02:49:28.429-08:00McCrary and Lakeman Dominate 2014's First Donkey Kong Open, KO4 Is On, and Twin Galaxies Is Alive!<p><b>March 6th, 2014 -</b> Here's a quick overview of the first Donkey Kong Online Open for 2014, along with some updates on recent developments regarding the future of the Kong Off and Twin Galaxies.<a name='more'></a>
<ul>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffQldWuOrAgrw5G6SdHTqVoZZ4LrbH_Hv2wBoBbQMNWsztWiza3Tsw5onEP1j5D9zCxvPCrRMg0eGqE3l_xmCn9urI0kgLYS8QY65jw65MOpoA2evXJcVFMCDDNfGM3NFOIrfwp4ESc8/s1600/davd-mccrary-ks-card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffQldWuOrAgrw5G6SdHTqVoZZ4LrbH_Hv2wBoBbQMNWsztWiza3Tsw5onEP1j5D9zCxvPCrRMg0eGqE3l_xmCn9urI0kgLYS8QY65jw65MOpoA2evXJcVFMCDDNfGM3NFOIrfwp4ESc8/s320/davd-mccrary-ks-card.jpg" /></a></div><b>Dave McCrary</b> crushed the tournament with a massive 1,091,400. Not only was this good enough to win the weekend, it was also the highest score ever achieved in any of the six online Donkey Kong tournaments held thus far. In addition, the score pushes McCrary from 14th up to 8th in the all-time rankings. Last year, McCrary was knocked out of the Kong Off 3 main lineup and into the Wildcard Division, so reasserting a top position has been a major priority. Congratulations to Dave for the tournament win, and the payoff to a lot of hard work.</li>
<li>In a close second place was <b>Robbie Lakeman</b>, who managed an impressive 1,075,500 during the first half of the tourney, bumping up his personal best by 5,100 points (but not quite moving him up a place in the all-time rankings). Most assumed that Lakeman had the tournament locked up when his score came in, until McCrary's unprecedented run on the second day.</li>
<li>McCrary's rise to 8th this weekend knocked Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell down another spot on the all-time scoreboard, to 11th and 12th respectively. Who could have predicted that less than a decade after <i>The King of Kong</i> both former champs would be pushed out of the top 10?</li>
<li>In the days leading up to the tournament, the bounty on the world record received a $50 boost from competitor <b>Daniel Desjardins</b>, and then a mysterious "this tournament only" contribution of $1,000 from an anonymous donor, bringing the total pot to $1,300. The record was not broken, but it added heat to an exciting weekend.</li>
<li>On a personal note, I was happy to redeem myself from my seriously lackluster Kong Off 3 showing by getting a new personal best high score of 911,700, which puts me in 30th place all time and 7th for the tourney (along with one of the two "mystery bounties" of $50, which were awarded randomly to 7th and 27th place). I've kill screened in each of the last three online tournaments, placing 8th, 6th, and 7th, respectively, and I feel pretty good about that. I'm holding my own in the "second tier"; now I just need to build the skill to compete with the best. Maybe one day I'll actually win one of these...</li>
<li>Congratulations also to <b>Jeremy Young</b>, one of our ace score submission referees at Donkey Kong Forum, who achieved his first-ever kill screen during the weekend's action.</li>
</ul>
<h1>The Kong Off 4 Is A Go</h1>
<p>Soon before the tournament began, Richie Knucklez debuted a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KongOff4">Facebook page for the Kong Off 4</a>. The next installment of classic gaming's biggest event will be held in New Jersey, and will depart from the usual "highest score wins" format with a bracket-style elimination tournament. Response from the community has been positive, and we are all excited to see how it will come together.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiamI4zGNTCgWDjATyM-pgmxmhqUoHsa3-QqmlZQLgAU3EbDUN2pb1YnYQU4ablWB6tq3cMX_dXtvcgbXREV48rPB45V6aqxE8grtLePo4RVCy0aaN_WizgbtC0gf8Fa9MqSr6jzWSq0/s1600/ko4+seed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiamI4zGNTCgWDjATyM-pgmxmhqUoHsa3-QqmlZQLgAU3EbDUN2pb1YnYQU4ablWB6tq3cMX_dXtvcgbXREV48rPB45V6aqxE8grtLePo4RVCy0aaN_WizgbtC0gf8Fa9MqSr6jzWSq0/s1600/ko4+seed.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Online Open organizer Eric Tessler announced that the results of the weekend's tournament—the first in a series of six—would play into the Kong Off 4 seeding process, but further details have yet to be revealed.</p>
<h1>Twin Galaxies Is Returning!</h1>
<p>A funny thing happened after my <a href="../../2014/02/steve-wiltshire-ushers-in-post-twin.html
">most recent post</a> (concerning the Donkey Kong Forum taking up the scorekeeping duties for the DK community in the wake of Twin Galaxies' apparent demise). Mere hours after the post went live, the following image appeared on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TwinGalaxies">the Twin Galaxies Facebook page</a>:</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgEfuEEBgyCuw1eSng2gCyngS2xfEdpgivO1pBoon_1d-abYk5aWnpYwZ1eUooIMzy_ZmIc3h0Q_FU-UIW-Li_Ae_pdmrvniqTRv70M3hNFyr5sF-ci6vOiBr98DmjzplEQbjUQg11Q0/s1600/twin-galaxies-phoenix.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgEfuEEBgyCuw1eSng2gCyngS2xfEdpgivO1pBoon_1d-abYk5aWnpYwZ1eUooIMzy_ZmIc3h0Q_FU-UIW-Li_Ae_pdmrvniqTRv70M3hNFyr5sF-ci6vOiBr98DmjzplEQbjUQg11Q0/s400/twin-galaxies-phoenix.png" /></a></div>
<p>The location on their "About" section was updated as well, with a new address based in North Hollywood.</p>
<p>Then, on March 4th, TG broke almost four months of total radio silence with the following status update:</p>
<blockquote><i>
<p>The spirit of Twin Galaxies is quite alive and at the moment going through a significant restructuring period. Out of courtesy and respect for all involved parties and the community itself, no public announcements or details are currently being made available.</p>
<p>Please know that the frustration and lack of information that has been felt by the community for quite some time, has been felt by everyone involved, on all sides, one way or the other.</p>
<p>Resolution on all matters that involve this restructuring are being sought as quickly as possible.</p>
<p>Thank you for your patience and understanding.<br />
-TG</p>
</i></blockquote>
<p>It looks as though the phoenix of video game scorekeeping will, once again, be rising from the ashes!</p>
<p>The imminent re-emergence of Twin Galaxies, however, does not change the DK community's position that the Forum's scoreboard will continue to have primacy over TG's as far as our game is concerned. The high score list at DKF is still going to be the most complete, accurate, stable, transparent, timely, and easy to submit to, at least for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>I am, nonetheless, happy to see TG stirring, and look forward to the day when we can submit scores there again.</p>
<h1>Final Scoreboard and Prizes: Donkey Kong Online Open 2014, #1</h1>
<p><table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tr><td><b>Rank</b></td><td><b>Player</b></td><td><b>Score</b></td><td><b>Gap</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>Dave McCrary</td><td>1,091,400</td><td>0</td></tr>
<tr><td>2</td><td>Robbie Lakeman</td><td>1,075,500</td><td>15,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>3</td><td>Steve Wiltshire</td><td>963,700</td><td>111,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>4</td><td>Mike Groesbeck</td><td>953,800</td><td>9,900</td></tr>
<tr><td>5</td><td>Timothy Sczerby</td><td>934,700</td><td>19,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>6</td><td>Ben Falls</td><td>913,400</td><td>21,300</td></tr>
<tr><td>7</td><td>Chris Psaros</td><td>911,700</td><td>1,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>8</td><td>Jeremy Young</td><td>905,700</td><td>6,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>9</td><td>Eric Tessler</td><td>882,900</td><td>22,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>10</td><td>Adam Mon</td><td>880,700</td><td>2,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>11</td><td>Ethan Daniels</td><td>798,300</td><td>82,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>12</td><td>Daniel Desjardins</td><td>753,800</td><td>44,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>13</td><td>Aaron Rounsaville</td><td>725,600</td><td>28,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>14</td><td>Scott Cunningham</td><td>680,600</td><td>45,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>15</td><td>Jeff Harrist</td><td>679,100</td><td>1,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>16</td><td>Ross Benziger</td><td>675,900</td><td>3,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>17</td><td>Allen Staal</td><td>556,300</td><td>119,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>18</td><td>Graham Hawkins</td><td>545,000</td><td>11,300</td></tr>
<tr><td>19</td><td>Jason Corey Brittain</td><td>544,700</td><td>300</td></tr>
<tr><td>20</td><td>Mick Winzeler</td><td>517,000</td><td>27,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>21</td><td>Estel Goffinet</td><td>476,800</td><td>40,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>22</td><td>Brian Allen</td><td>474,100</td><td>2,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>23</td><td>John Salter</td><td>324,400</td><td>149,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>24</td><td>Nick Sheils</td><td>273,800</td><td>50,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>25</td><td>Matt Ziolkowski</td><td>260,100</td><td>13,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>26</td><td>Victor Sandberg</td><td>242,600</td><td>17,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>27</td><td>Ken House</td><td>241,100</td><td>1,500</td></tr>
<tr><td>28</td><td>John McNeill</td><td>216,700</td><td>24,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>29</td><td>Mitchell Meerman</td><td>214,700</td><td>2,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>30</td><td>Thomas Høgsberg</td><td>197,600</td><td>17,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>31</td><td>Patrick Goldbach</td><td>186,300</td><td>11,300</td></tr>
<tr><td>32</td><td>Steve Grunberger</td><td>178,900</td><td>7,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>33</td><td>Don Rubin</td><td>119,300</td><td>59,600</td></tr>
<tr><td>34</td><td>Stan Trazka</td><td>94,200</td><td>25,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>35</td><td>Brendan O'Dowd</td><td>86,800</td><td>7,400</td></tr>
<tr><td>36</td><td>Katie Young</td><td>47,600</td><td>39,200</td></tr>
<tr><td>37</td><td>Edward Dietman</td><td>37,800</td><td>9,800</td></tr>
<tr><td>38</td><td>Rene Salinas</td><td>12,700</td><td>25,100</td></tr>
<tr><td>39</td><td>Douglas Tessler</td><td>12,000</td><td>700</td></tr>
<tr><td>40</td><td>Chuck Vess</td><td>5,300</td><td>6,700</td></tr>
<tr><td>41</td><td>Jessica Tessler</td><td>3,800</td><td>1,500</td></tr>
<tr><td></td><td><b>Played But Did Not Submit (13)</b></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Christer Kristensson</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Corey Chambers</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Craig Ziegler</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Dallas Riley</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Daniel Dock</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Jason Nugent</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Jeff Wolfe</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Martin Andrew Laing</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Michael Kasper</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Shane Mosher</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Svavar Gunnar Gunnarsson</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Todd Lalonde</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Wes Copeland</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td></td><td><b>Registered But Did Not Play (21)</b></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Adam Hay</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Andrew Barrow</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Craig Rout Gallant</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Dustin Pease</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Eric Martin</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>George Strain</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Hank Chien</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Foreman Frank</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>George Riley</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Joe Kassel</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Johnathan O'Donoghue</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Johnny Bonde</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Jonathan McCourt</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Joseph Carroll</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Katherine Williams</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Kayla Rose</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Marcelo Mandaji</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Mark Kiehl</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Matt Douglas</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Michael Stastny</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td>N/A</td><td>Mitchell Elliott</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td></tr>
</table></p>
<p><b>Total Entrants:</b> 75</br>
<b>Total Active Players:</b> 54</br>
<b>Total Submitting Players:</b> 41</p>
<p><b>Prizes:</b><br />
<b>$200</b> 1st - Dave McCrary (1,091,400)<br />
<b>$150</b> 2nd - Robbie Lakeman (1,075,500)<br />
<b>$100</b> 3rd - Steve Wiltshire (963,700)<br />
<b>$50</b> 4th - Mike Groesbeck (953,800)<br />
<b>$25</b> 5th - Tim Sczerby (934,700)</p>
<p><b>Bounties:</b><br />
<b>$50</b> Longest First Man - Ben Falls (57 boards)<br />
<b>$50</b> Longest Last Man - Steve Wiltshire (70 boards)<br />
<b>$50</b> Mystery Bounty #1 (7th place) - Chris Psaros (911,700)<br />
<b>$50</b> Mystery Bounty #2 (27th place) - Ken House (241,100)<br />Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-88182647215654118482014-02-16T22:27:00.000-08:002014-02-17T11:43:06.521-08:00Steve Wiltshire Ushers In the "Post-Twin Galaxies" Top 20<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAfc8cgMe96n7z27wUvfRunNNGlvawDPnqC69SYde9_ti5VmnG9wUavXjuM4ppNERb3pQlrz37-qDSpscl2TJGRXWqucUNRMXoUIgxFBtaDqCuwN9vmqlZRSPiA2oep4Et90oTa9la4E/s1600/steve-wiltshire-kong-husker.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAfc8cgMe96n7z27wUvfRunNNGlvawDPnqC69SYde9_ti5VmnG9wUavXjuM4ppNERb3pQlrz37-qDSpscl2TJGRXWqucUNRMXoUIgxFBtaDqCuwN9vmqlZRSPiA2oep4Et90oTa9la4E/s320/steve-wiltshire-kong-husker.gif" /></a></div><p><b>February 16th, 2014 -</b> Steve Wiltshire—who grabbed every eye in the standing-room-only crowd as the "last man standing" at the Kong Off 3—found himself in an awkward position a few weeks ago: he'd just achieved 7th place all time in the Donkey Kong standings, but there was no official referee to whom he could submit the score.</p>
<p>Four months into its mysterious disappearance (which <a href="../../2014/01/where-is-twin-galaxies.html">I wrote about in January</a>), Twin Galaxies ownership has yet to utter a peep about its whereabouts. Every day that passes brings more gamers into the growing camp who have come to believe that the organization is gone for good.</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>With Wiltshire submitting a YouTube video of his game to the Donkey Kong Forum for peer review (where it was quickly verified and added to the forum's unofficial Donkey Kong scoreboard), the community seems to have reached a more-or-less explicit consensus that as far as DKF verifications are concerned, it's probably about time to shave the first two letters off of "unofficial."</p>
<h1>Record Time</h1>
<p>Wiltshire's newest score adds fuel to the sentiment that Hank Chien's reign as the King of Kong is extremely likely to come to an end sometime in 2014.</p>
<p>But on whose watch?</p>
<p>Given the five players parked right behind Chien boasting scores within 50,000 points of his title, and Robbie Lakeman even now in the midst of an active and public push for it, the smart money is betting on the field.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpSm5YJ-8J93kxza5EN_GJPTxqREJqMTZCO1YmaCc9hRFdM-fgu7wwfcdjsY7wgK56Q6AxyHL2b5VwjOaiV2egU9lgJZYNTwpVTyc7YmWLFMsl97ILaZ_BEwkG-XtX4IDsiiCognr31Q/s1600/robbie-lakeman-world-record-pace.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpSm5YJ-8J93kxza5EN_GJPTxqREJqMTZCO1YmaCc9hRFdM-fgu7wwfcdjsY7wgK56Q6AxyHL2b5VwjOaiV2egU9lgJZYNTwpVTyc7YmWLFMsl97ILaZ_BEwkG-XtX4IDsiiCognr31Q/s400/robbie-lakeman-world-record-pace.png" /></a></div>
<p>It's only a matter of time until the record goes down. When it does, the community cannot defer, to an entity that it's not even sure still exists, the authority to proclaim a new world champion. With nobody else to make the call, Donkey Kong Forum will have to do the honors.</p>
<h1>The Show Must Go On</h1>
<p>And so, not by coup d'etat, but rather by default, it would seem that DKF has taken the reins as our game's official scorekeeper.</p>
<p>If you've visited <a href="../../2011/11/official-top-20-donkey-kong-scores.html">Donkey Blog's Top 20 Scores page</a> within the last few weeks, you will have noticed that the list here has been rebuilt to match the one at DKF. The Top 20 now aggregates scores verified by TG, MARP, and the referees at DKF (in addition to mixing arcade scores with those achieved on the MAME emulator).</p>
<p>The stark truth is that TG's scorekeeping model has not been viable for some time as a true reflection of all-encompassing "world" rankings, because their data set has the considerable weakness of only incorporating scores verified in-house. This may have worked in the 1980s when there simply weren't any other scoreboards to submit to, but it doesn't work in the 21st century, when there are many.</p>
<p>To make a legitimate claim of comprehensiveness, a modern scoreboard needs to assimilate the scores from all of the self-contained competitive communities (such as MARP and RetroUprising), along with those of any other reputable sources (such as TG, RecordSetter, Aurcade, etcetera). This is the model on which the Donkey Kong Forum scoreboard operates: as a multi-source score aggregator and adjudicator.</p>
<p>So while the return of Twin Galaxies would be welcomed with relief and enthusiasm, it has become clear that neither this blog's scoreboard nor the forum's can ever revert to being TG-centric. There are too many top scores now (including the MAME world record) that aren't and never will be submitted to Twin Galaxies. In the Internet age, drawing from all available scoreboards has become the only way to reflect the true rankings.</p>
<h1>Bounty Hunters</h1>
<p>This weekend (February 21st through 23rd), Twitch.tv will host the first in the next series of semi-regular online Donkey Kong tournaments, refereed and sponsored (as always) by Eric Tessler and John Salter.</p>
<p>This time, the goal is not to decide the wildcard lineup for a future Kong Off (which was the focus of the last three Opens), but to put a price on the head of the current world record. The pot starts at $250, and will rise by an additional $100 for each tournament in which it remains unclaimed.</p>
<p>Needless to say, any player who collects this pot will be considered the world champion by the DK community... even if they have to go without TG's stamp of approval.</p>
<p>A new era has begun.</p>
<p>An affectionate and grateful farewell to Twin Galaxies for its 32 years of service. Thanks to Donkey Kong Forum for taking it from here. Congratulations to Steve Wiltshire for his new 7th place all-time score. And good luck to this weekend's competitors!</p>
<p>If you would like to play in the tournament (admission is free, with hundreds of dollars in cash prizes up for grabs), please <a href="http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=708.0">visit this link</a> for details.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9zBXz4ZXt9FwTUaR-FaVJpFKFLZYNHacAz5xdmQ1rm8V4mAvR0W8SWaOEl2YDyxX2JiUvDYAnTK0Sgvs4fUTpsX5AQQjjaR-i9emw_OKsFtPCHrPnelawBDl6mQXzd0plBVSCO9xwSI/s1600/dk-online-open-2014.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9zBXz4ZXt9FwTUaR-FaVJpFKFLZYNHacAz5xdmQ1rm8V4mAvR0W8SWaOEl2YDyxX2JiUvDYAnTK0Sgvs4fUTpsX5AQQjjaR-i9emw_OKsFtPCHrPnelawBDl6mQXzd0plBVSCO9xwSI/s400/dk-online-open-2014.png" /></a></div>Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769918258840007440.post-27520698821625100292014-01-07T16:27:00.000-08:002014-03-29T23:48:00.426-07:00Where Is Twin Galaxies?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2WB-Gxz9KeNGciGTz230tbABHnok08Jpqzkan88SBpt2LYRUNmyxOanYpb8UQ2m-z3qKcmvJh0g3_RAWbmbvRtzW43FniX7TtGoTAoD_1yh-9raplLiB9gAQ1u-MsTV4-1GOLOG-uiw/s1600/twin-galaxies-website-searches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2WB-Gxz9KeNGciGTz230tbABHnok08Jpqzkan88SBpt2LYRUNmyxOanYpb8UQ2m-z3qKcmvJh0g3_RAWbmbvRtzW43FniX7TtGoTAoD_1yh-9raplLiB9gAQ1u-MsTV4-1GOLOG-uiw/s320/twin-galaxies-website-searches.jpg" /></a></div><p><b>January 7th, 2014 - </b>"Twin Galaxies closed", "down", "offline", "sold", "gone"....</p>
<p>Over the past several weeks, this blog has been receiving a steady stream of traffic from Googlers searching under these and similar phrases.</p>
<p>Anyone who types twingalaxies.com into their address bar can see for themselves that the Twin Galaxies website has indeed disappeared; offline for almost two months as of this writing.</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>Being that Donkey Blog's <a href="../../2011/11/official-top-20-donkey-kong-scores.html">Top 20 Donkey Kong Scores page</a> has for some time been the second-highest ranked Google result for the query "Twin Galaxies" (only TG's Wikipedia entry ranks higher), it was inevitable that many visitors would end up here looking for answers as to what happened, why it happened, and when (or if) TG would return.</p>
<p>That being the case, I felt it necessary to make a post addressing the issue and to provide some answers.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I have few to give.</p>
<p>Just days after the Kong Off 3 came to an end, the front page of twingalaxies.com was replaced with the following:</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEGe2BsFJoVK4DS2Ou6FBl4bHKNCBTqnsxgK9SoOcU9ECa5PHc-RoO5DPQF7lWO5m-abCz93lgejgGVldZUbJKFBbcvDrR3A2bUThnSgL4wAxPK6_XrytecKzbNsVGAkcZEGvWlWOYY0/s1600/twin-galaxies-temporary-image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEGe2BsFJoVK4DS2Ou6FBl4bHKNCBTqnsxgK9SoOcU9ECa5PHc-RoO5DPQF7lWO5m-abCz93lgejgGVldZUbJKFBbcvDrR3A2bUThnSgL4wAxPK6_XrytecKzbNsVGAkcZEGvWlWOYY0/s1600/twin-galaxies-temporary-image.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>For weeks it stayed that way.</p>
<p>More recently, a visit to twingalaxies.com redirected to the-1up.com (the arcade/bar owned by Jourdan Adler) and returned a more ominous result:</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MIpguGNspvyFDnZTPWptlPtEbJAEVDOWGMPnR5S77rYvFAZVLBTcgWg_9K5ftGKYkH3ok2MB317oOdwUgcyFLsqvl3Vwm6pmN3WzRUyFUvOIxYXKsWihYNAi9a8O4kc9Q35EphYLk-U/s1600/twin-galaxies-website-not-found.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MIpguGNspvyFDnZTPWptlPtEbJAEVDOWGMPnR5S77rYvFAZVLBTcgWg_9K5ftGKYkH3ok2MB317oOdwUgcyFLsqvl3Vwm6pmN3WzRUyFUvOIxYXKsWihYNAi9a8O4kc9Q35EphYLk-U/s1600/twin-galaxies-website-not-found.png" /></a></div>
<p>The latest development came today, with visits to the domain now showing a GoDaddy "park" page.</p>
<p>So what happened to Twin Galaxies as an entity and as a website, and when are either coming back?</p>
<p>Notwithstanding the discussion and gossip that sprung up immediately in the wake of the website's disappearance, there are only a small handful of people who can answer these questions with anything other than blind speculation, and not only are none of those people talking, they are going out of their way <i>not</i> to talk.</p>
<p>Here's what is known:</p>
<ul>
<li>During or shortly after the Kong Off 3, a falling out, dissolution, or termination of some kind occurred among Twin Galaxies ownership—the relevant parties being co-owners Jourdan Adler, Richie Knucklez, and Websignia (the web hosting/site creation team that built TG's new site in 2013).</li>
<li>Less than two weeks after twingalaxies.com disappeared, Websignia quickly launched a new website called GamerLife365.com, utilizing the underlying design skeleton and social networking platform that they had built for twingalaxies.com.</li>
<li>In a December 1st email welcoming former twingalaxies.com users to the new GamerLife365.com site, Websignia identified themselves as having been co-owners of the company, and that "on November 20th, it was made abundantly clear that our vision for Twin Galaxies was no longer in alignment with the vision of the other owners."</li>
<li>Richie Knucklez, in a post to the KLOV forum, stated: <i>"The day after I returned home from the Kong Off 3 I was informed by phone call I was no longer part of Twin Galaxies... I am deeply saddened by where the chips landed but I only hope the best for Walter's legacy. I do not have any answers."</i></li>
<li>During the latest broadcast of Richie Knucklez' "Arcade Culture" live Web show, no mention whatsoever was made of Twin Galaxies or his affiliation with it, except to indirectly assert that it would not be discussed—near the end of the broadcast, Knucklez said that it was time to address "the elephant in the room", then held up a stuffed elephant and tossed it at the camera with a resigned smile.</li>
</ul>
<p>Clearly a major upheaval has taken place. It was just over 14 months ago (in the weeks before the Kong Off 2) that TG changed hands from former owner Pete Bouvier to Adler/Knucklez/Websigia. Today's development (the move away from the-1up.com to a GoDaddy park page) suggests that TG might yet again be in the process of transferring to new ownership.</p>
<p>What this bodes for the future of the scoreboard, the site, and (perhaps most relevant to the DK community) the Kong Off is unknown.</p>
<p>My position throughout has been, and will continue to be, to avoid editorializing, speculating, or disseminating rumors about the situation. Revelations are bound to come in the next few months, and I am content to wait for them.</p>
<p>Whatever the case, being that the Twin Galaxies organization is in limbo at the present time, the scoreboard is at least temporarily frozen (including any and all would-be Donkey Kong score submissions), and while Knucklez has alluded to plans for a Kong Off 4, nothing has been officially announced or scheduled.</p>
<p>Any major events will be relayed here as they develop.</p>
<p><b>UPDATE, 3/29/14:</b> Almost three months after this post was made, our <a href="../../2014/03/twin-galaxies-returns-with-new-owner.html">"major event" came to pass</a>!</p> Chrispyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17124682370857229385noreply@blogger.com37