The main catalyst was to confirm via TG sources that Wiebe submitted a 885k score in 2002 (he mentioned this fact in an interview but it was not widely known, possibly lost in the coverage of the 947k submission). So first and foremost its historical interest. I don't think anyone recalled that Day basically staked out that Mitchell had surpassed 885k with a pending tape submission of 950k, more or less giving Mitchell's unofficial claim the limelight. That's also for historical interest, not directly related to the larger dispute review per se.
RTM REPLY - it was suggested earlier that perhaps I "forgot" about the earlier Wiebe score.
As I stated earlier within this thread, and which I have told Jace Hall, I was completely unaware of the existence of the earlier 885K submission by Wiebe, same for Walter's posts as to that OR the 950K by Billy on tape, neither of which was in the TG database.
Take a look at the link below...
https://www.twingalaxies.com/archive/index.php/t-118321.html The key quote here...
Billy Mitchell scored 874,300 points at Twin Galaxies on November 7, 1982. His record stood until August 17, 2000 when Tim Sczerby scored 879,200 points in Auburn, NY. When Tim scored this new record, his achievement was published on the Twin Galaxies website and the story was sent out all over the Internet. Also, Walter Day, Chief Scorekeeper at Twin Galaxies personally phoned Tim and congratulated him on his great accomplishment. A few days later, Billy himself phoned Tim and congratulated him. These facts are supported by Tim Sczerby himself in an interview published here:
At no time did Billy Mitchell, in a fit of desperation, attempt to wrest back his world record. In fact, he hardly cared about the loss and went about his normal life as a father of three children and a hot sauce manufacturer. His actions were simply to congratulate Tim Sczerby and say goodbye to his 16-year record on Donkey Kong.
Then, Steve Wiebe, who appeared on the arcade gaming scene for the first time, took the Donkey Kong, Jr. World Record from Billy Mitchell in July, 2002. Again Billy Mitchell took no action to try and regain his record. He simply let it go. And he congratulated Steve for fine work.
And, the staff of Twin Galaxies welcomed Steve with open arms, crowning him the new world champion. It should be noted that Steve enjoyed a tremendous amount of publicity from this accomplishment, appearing in many news stories. These news stories did not happen by accident; they were engineered by Walter Day and the Twin Galaxies staff who spent much time promoting Steve Wiebe as the new star of Donkey Kong, Jr. The resulting wave of publicity for Steve Wiebe brought a near-record number of visitors to the Twin Galaxies website making the TG website server crash again and again from the onslaught of attention that Twin Galaxies brought to Steve Wiebe.
Next, Steve Wiebe broke Tim Sczerby's Donkey Kong World Record on about June 30, 2003, scoring 947,200 points. Again, Twin Galaxies embraced Steve's accomplishment with open arms, publicizing his achievement with great success, getting Steve in many news stories, and, once again, making the Twin Galaxies website server crash from the overload of visitors. And, once again, Billy Mitchell did nothing to take back the DK record. And, to show the extreme degree of respect extended to Steve Wiebe by Twin Galaxies, referee Robert Mruczek spent the time to publish this detailed report on Steve's successful accomplishment: That was written by Walter and makes NO mention of the 885K score by Steve or the 950K by Billy.
Next up...
https://www.twingalaxies.com/archive/index.php/t-118669.htmlThe Donkey Kong Standings looked like this in July, 2003:
1. 947,200 Steve J Wiebe 07/06/2003
2. 933,900 Billy L Mitchell 05/27/2004
3. 879,200 Timothy Sczerby 8/17/00
The Donkey Kong Standings looked like this on the day Funspot 2005 started:
1. 947,200 Steve J Wiebe 07/06/2003
2. 933,900 Billy L Mitchell 05/27/2004
3. 879,200 Timothy Sczerby 8/17/00
The Donkey Kong Standings looked like this after Funspot 2005 until January 30, 2006:
1. 985,600 Steve J Wiebe 06/2/05
2. 933,900 Billy L Mitchell 05/27/2004
3. 879,200 Timothy Sczerby 8/17/00
Once more, no mention of the 885K score by Steve or the 950K by Billy.
In the original 947K article which I wrote back in 2003, which unfortunately I can no longer find the link to although I do have the original file long-since sent to Jace, it makes no mention of Wiebe "upping" his previous score as such did not exist yet. When Walter was advised as to the incoming 947K VHS tape, he made no mention that Wiebe had previously sent HIM a tape which he himself supposedly verified and entered into the TG database.
Someone is incorrect in stating that I "forgot"...you can't forget something that was never thre...OR if it was there and then mysteriously removed by Walter.
Further proof, from Paul Dean's site...
http://spyhunter007.com/steve_wiebe_donkey_kong_timeline.htmKey quote - "Feb 2003 - Steve Wiebe decides to go for the Donkey Kong world record on DOnkey Kong with his Double Donkey Kong Board" No mention of the earlier 885K score is made.
Next URL...
https://superbunker.com/resources/dkt/Key point - nothing from 2001 thru June 2003 related to Wiebe
There is absolutely zero proof that I can find that shows the existence of 885K on the TG scoreboard/database save for the wall page blurb in early 2002 and a subsequent post a year later by Rick Carter. in Jan/03.
Finally, attached is an RTF format file which can be opened in WordPad...this is the original 947.2K article from July 2003 and it mentions nothing of an earlier DK score by Wiebe (aside from his DK Jr score which was a different title and performance). Neither is a purported 950K by Billy mentioned.
I have zero doubt that as of July 2003 there was no mention of a score by Wiebe of 885K, and I had no prior knowledge of Walter's earlier involvement with Wiebe. Neither Walter nor Billy mentioned anything of the earlier 885K score when I called them to inform of Wiebe's 947K score.
Here below is the original 947K article itself, also as an enclosure.
BREAKING NEWS - NEW WORLD RECORD ON DONKEY KONG (ARCADE)
As reported July 5th, 2003
Hello fellow gamers:
One of the most revered classic arcade records has fallen !! On June 30th, 2003, Steve Wiebe who hails from Redmond, Washington, has done it again. Last year he became the first player in Twin Galaxies history to pass the one million-point barrier on "Donkey Kong Junior". This year, Steve's focus was on none other than it's venerable predecessor, "Donkey Kong" itself. The new world record, as verified by Twin Galaxies, now stands at a lofty 947,200 points.
I had the pleasure of watching Steve's achievement as captured on videotape, and this was the first time ever that I had personally witnessed the "kill screen" in action. Most players have no idea whether "Donkey Kong" actually ends, but let me tell you, it does when you reach level 22 and start with a timer so low that it is absolutely impossible to make it up to the top of the screen, let alone the third girder up.
In total, there are 116 playable screens that you can complete before reaching the "kill screen"...level one has two (2) stages, level two has three (3) stages. level three has four (4) stages, level four has five (5) stages, and levels 6 thru 21 have six (6) stages each, and of these (not including the "kill screen"), over half are "barrel" stages. The 117th and final stage (level 22-1, a "barrel" stage) offers few opportunities for points...perhaps 400-500 at most, before the timer expires.
The name "Donkey Kong", when literally translated into colloquial English, roughly means stupid ape". Well, I beg to differ...this "stupid ape" is tough enough that only a small handful of players worldwide are documented in having beaten the game by reaching the "kill screen". Not so stupid after all, it seems !!
The game allows you three (3) lives to start and an extra life earned at the 10K mark, which Steve easily earned. Steve's achievement took nearly 2 hours of game play, and although he had lost his third life relatively early in the game, he kept things going for a remarkable period of time, reminding gamers everywhere "Never give up, never say die", classic advice from another "Donkey Kong" master, legendary gamer Bill Mitchell.
Owning the world record on a title such as "Donkey Kong" is quite an achievement, as the title has not changed hands much over the past few years. Only one other gamer in recorded Twin Galaxies history, Bill Mitchell, has simultaneously owned world records on both "Donkey Kong" and it's sequel, "Donkey Kong Junior", so Steve is part of a very elite group of gamers for sure.
Without further ado, here is the recap of Steve's performance, the finishing points at the end of each stage, followed by a few closing thoughts...
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THE PATH TO VICTORY
Stage 1-1 - 'Barrel Stage' - 8,400
Stage 1-2 - 'Rivet Stage' - 13,000
Stage 2-1 - 'Barrel Stage' - 21,000
Stage 2-2 - 'Elevator Stage' - 27,000
Stage 2-3 - 'Rivet Stage' - 33,900
Stage 3-1 - 'Barrel Stage' - 41,800
Stage 3-2 - 'Conveyor Belt Stage' - 49,400
Stage 3-3 - 'Elevator Stage' - 55,900
Stage 3-4 - 'Rivet Stage' - 63,000
Stage 4-1 - 'Barrel' - 73,800
Stage 4-2 - 'Conveyor' - 79,200
Stage 4-3 - 'Barrel' - 88,600
Stage 4-4 - 'Elevator' - 94,700
Stage 4-5 - 'Rivet' - 103,400
Beginning with Level 5, there are six (6) stages per level, three (3) of which are "Barrel Stages". For the benefit of fellow competitors, additional statistics follow at the end of this recap.
Stage 5-1 - 'Barrel' - 114500
Stage 5-2 - 'Conveyor' - 122800
Stage 5-3 - 'Barrel' - 132800
Stage 5-4 - 'Elevator' - 139800
Stage 5-5 - 'Barrel' - 148900
Stage 5-6 - 'Rivet' - 156800 Level 5 Cumulative Points - 53400
Stage 6-1 - 'Barrel' - 166400
Stage 6-2 - 'Conveyor' - 174600
Stage 6-3 - 'Barrel' - 185600
Stage 6-4 - 'Elevator' - 192400
Stage 6-5 - 'Barrel' - 202100
Stage 6-6 - 'Rivet' - 210500 Level 6 Cumulative Points - 53700
Stage 7-1 - 'Barrel' - 220900
Stage 7-2 - 'Conveyor' - 229300
Stage 7-3 - 'Barrel' - 238200
Stage 7-4 - 'Elevator' - 245300
Stage 7-5 - 'Barrel' - 255200
Stage 7-6 - 'Rivet' - 262000 Level 7 Cumulative Points - 51500
Stage 8-1 - 'Barrel' - 274500
Stage 8-2 - 'Conveyor' - 282800
Stage 8-3 - 'Barrel' - 292700
Stage 8-4 - 'Elevator' - 299600
Stage 8-5 - 'Barrel' - 310400
Stage 8-6 - 'Rivet' - 317700 Level 8 Cumulative Points - 55700
Stage 9-1 - 'Barrel' - 326400
Stage 9-2 - 'Conveyor' - 333800
Stage 9-3 - 'Barrel' - 343600
Stage 9-4 - 'Elevator' - 350400
Stage 9-5 - 'Barrel' - 360400
Stage 9-6 - 'Rivet' - 368500 Level 9 Cumulative Points - 50800
Stage 10-1 - 'Barrel' - 378400
Stage 10-2 - 'Conveyor' - 388300
Stage 10-3 - 'Barrel' - 398700
Stage 10-4 - 'Elevator' - 405500
Stage 10-5 - 'Barrel' - 416300
Stage 10-6 - 'Rivet' - 424400 Level 10 Cumulative Points - 55900
Stage 11-1 - 'Barrel' - 434800
Stage 11-2 - 'Conveyor' - 443100
Stage 11-3 - 'Barrel' - 451600
Stage 11-4 - 'Elevator' - 457600
Stage 11-5 - 'Barrel' - 467800
Stage 11-6 - 'Rivet' - 472100 Level 11 Cumulative Points - 47700
Stage 12-1 - 'Barrel' - 482100
Stage 12-2 - 'Conveyor' - 490300
Stage 12-3 - 'Barrel' - 500600
Stage 12-4 - 'Elevator' - 506800
Stage 12-5 - 'Barrel' - 516500
Stage 12-6 - 'Rivet' - 520700 Level 12 Cumulative Points - 48600
Stage 13-1 - 'Barrel' - 531700
Stage 13-2 - 'Conveyor' - 539800
Stage 13-3 - 'Barrel' - 548800
Stage 13-4 - 'Elevator' - 555100
Stage 13-5 - 'Barrel' - 564300
Stage 13-6 - 'Rivet' - 571100 Level 13 Cumulative Points - 50400
Stage 14-1 - 'Barrel' - 579700
Stage 14-2 - 'Conveyor' - 587200
Stage 14-3 - 'Barrel' - 595800
Stage 14-4 - 'Elevator' - 602000
Stage 14-5 - 'Barrel' - 611100
Stage 14-6 - 'Rivet' - 618900 Level 14 Cumulative Points - 47800
Stage 15-1 - 'Barrel' - 627700
Stage 15-2 - 'Conveyor' - 636100
Stage 15-3 - 'Barrel' - 644700
Stage 15-4 - 'Elevator' - 649700
Stage 15-5 - 'Barrel' - 658200
Stage 15-6 - 'Rivet' - 666600 Level 15 Cumulative Points - 47700
Stage 16-1 - 'Barrel' - 675300
Stage 16-2 - 'Conveyor' - 681600
Stage 16-3 - 'Barrel' - 690400
Stage 16-4 - 'Elevator' - 696600
Stage 16-5 - 'Barrel' - 704400
Stage 16-6 - 'Rivet' - 712400 Level 16 Cumulative Points - 45800
Stage 17-1 - 'Barrel' - 720800
Stage 17-2 - 'Conveyor' - 727400
Stage 17-3 - 'Barrel' - 736100
Stage 17-4 - 'Elevator' - 742400
Stage 17-5 - 'Barrel' - 751400
Stage 17-6 - 'Rivet' - 757800 Level 17 Cumulative Points - 45400
Stage 18-1 - 'Barrel' - 766000
Stage 18-2 - 'Conveyor' - 774400
Stage 18-3 - 'Barrel' - 782700
Stage 18-4 - 'Elevator' - 788400
Stage 18-5 - 'Barrel' - 797300
Stage 18-6 - 'Rivet' - 804800 Level 18 Cumulative Points - 47000
Stage 19-1 - 'Barrel' - 813100
Stage 19-2 - 'Conveyor' - 821500
Stage 19-3 - 'Barrel' - 829700
Stage 19-4 - 'Elevator' - 836600
Stage 19-5 - 'Barrel' - 844900
Stage 19-6 - 'Rivet' - 853800 Level 19 Cumulative Points - 49000
Stage 20-1 - 'Barrel' - 862800
Stage 20-2 - 'Conveyor' - 870600
Stage 20-3 - 'Barrel' - 879400
Stage 20-4 - 'Elevator' - 885400
Stage 20-5 - 'Barrel' - 893300
Stage 20-6 - 'Rivet' - 901000 Level 20 Cumulative Points - 47200
Stage 21-1 - 'Barrel' - 909400
Stage 21-2 - 'Conveyor' - 913100
Stage 21-3 - 'Barrel' - 923500
Stage 21-4 - 'Elevator' - 928800
Stage 21-5 - 'Barrel' - 938700
Stage 21-6 - 'Rivet' - 946800 Level 21 Cumulative Points - 45800
The "kill screen" itself yielded, as expected, only 400 more points, for a finishing score of 947,200. Steve let out a hearty "All Right !!" after the final life was lost and the new world record was now a reality. He entered his initials into the game screen, and that was the last step...he was now the best in the world at "Donkey Kong" !!
He next took the time to pan the video camera over the unit to show that an actual arcade upright was being used, and zoomed in for a close-up on the score. "There you have it...947..." he said, trailing off a bit, as there was no reason to say "947 thousand"...we all know what he meant. "Okay, that's it. I'll try for a million...I know I can do it, but..." and his thoughts trail off, as either the fact that he set a new world record was still being absorbed, or the premise of doing it again AND scoring an additional 53K was too daunting to consider right now. He continues with "...anyway, I don't know if Billy (Mitchell) already has a score in the 950K range, but hopefully I can still get better. Well, I'll keep playing. See ya, guys !!" and he cuts off the taping.
And there were many moments of excitement that happened during Steve's performance. My apologies that I am listing them afterwards, but in order to obtain the extra statistics using EXCEL that I will present you with later, it was not possible for me to have the text alongside the points-per-level. So here goes...
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
(8-1) Steve's first loss of a man occurred on stage (8-1) at 263,900 points when he was caught by a fireball at the lower right corner while using the hammer. The timer expired for the hammer and the fireball caught him.
(8-6) He had major problems this stage with the fireballs and became trapped near the top left, losing his second life at 331,500 points...still a great game in progress and with one life in reserve.
(10-2) was incredibly tough...all but one of the fireballs chased Steve to the lowest level and he tried valiantly to escape. With a few seconds left, and opening presented itself (barely) and he managed to get to the top left ladder by 100 on the timer, but at that precise instant the ladder reversed directions, and Steve lost his 3rd life while on the ladder at 380,100 points...a long way from the kill screen...over 70 screens, in fact. Nonetheless, Steve continued against all odds.
(11-5) Steve passed the 60-minute mark with 458,000 points even.
(11-6) One of the many "Do-or-Die" moments Steve faced this game?he was forced to jump over a moving fireball to get the top hammer, and as all "Donkey Kong" players know, it is not a maneuver with a 100% success rate. Taking the moment in stride, Steve pressed on.
(13-1) Steve slightly switches strategies on this stage, taking a few less risks and in the process sacrificing potential points, perhaps because he's on his last life.
(13-2) For the first time this game, Steve makes use of the central hammer located on the lower conveyor belt due to another "Do-or-Die" situation, this time faced with a hoard of relentless fireballs hot on his tail (pun intended).
(14-6) Use of the topmost hammer was denied to Steve due to a very protective fireball hovering directly beneath it almost the entire last half of the stage. So be it?that was one less fireball to avoid, so he ignored the potential points and went for a clean stage finish.
(15-3) "Donkey Kong" is getting quite aggressive now?Steve is almost nailed, twice, by wildly thrown barrels near the top left section, a very dangerous section as "Donkey Kong" chucks one barrel at an angle, and Steve barely managed to avoid it, and almost immediately drops another straight down. Undaunted, Steve continued to finish this wave.
(15-4) Steve must have been feeling the pressure now as he aborted two attempts to climb the top ladder. As all expert "Donkey Kong" players know, once you commit to climbing up the ladder at these levels in the game, you either make it, or you die trying. Fortunately, the third time was a charm and Steve went for it...and made it.
(16-2) Faced with almost all the fireballs on the the top level, Steve's first choice of reaching the top via the upper right ladder was looking less and less possible as the timer kept counting down, so he made a decision to abort and try the left side with the time remaining. He ended up reaching the top with the timer at "300", which was cutting it close.
(17-6) This was perhaps Steve's toughest challenge this game, in my opinion, and also the one where a huge bit of luck definitely came into play. The fireballs were relentlessly chasing him, and blocking off all staircases and the hammers. In total, Steve jumped over two (2) fireballs this stage and not only that, but he was almost singed by a fireball when finally getting the upper level hammer. I have to imagine that Steve breathed a sigh of relief when this stage was completed !!
(18-2) Compared to the previous level's "Conveyor Belt" stage, this one was a relative cakewalk. Steve cruised to completion with ease.
(19-2) Another virtual cakewalk unlike (17-2). Steve was getting close to a "kill screen" but still had over a dozen stages to go, so he resumed concentration and went onto the next "Barrel Stage". After all, anything can still happen !!
(20-2) Another "Do-or-Die" moment of desperation as Steve is forced to get the hammer on the lower level conveyor belt and take out the nearby fireballs in hot pursuit. But he still had a lot more opposition to deal with once he reached the mid-right ledge. He was trapped by one fireball to the left, dancing on the central ledge, and two more were directly above him on the upper level conveyor belt on the right side. I can imagine how Steve must have felt now, with his previous high score approx 929K, and so close to a new personal best. He waited it out, and the two fireballs, one after another, took the central ladder down, and that's when Steve made his move since the timer was running out. He ended up jumping over a mine car to get to the upper right ladder, and then it was straight to the top without further opposition. Definitely not an easy level.
(20-6) Steve passes the 900K mark, and the level, at 1:47, but not without sweating it out a bit more. The upper level hammer was zealously guarded by two fireballs, but patience and care prevailed, and the fireballs were eventually dispatched, and the level completed. Just six (6) more levels to finish and then the "kill screen" would come.
(21-2) In my opinion, the second toughest time Steve had this game, and so close to the conclusion !! Forced by a fireball chasing him closely, he had to jump a mine car on the lower level conveyor belt as part of his means to escape. Although the rest of this stage was relatively easy in comparison, "Donkey Kong" experts well know the dangers of jumping carts on the lower level. This, fellow gamers, was the last of the "Do-or-Die" moments for Steve this game, as it turned out...the rest was all up to skill and patience.
(21-3) Perhaps because his own personal best was 929,700 and the kill screen was approaching was why Steve got a little aggressive here and scored 10,400 this round, finishing that much closer to his personal best. And with three whole stages to go before the "kill screen", every point would count that much more.
(21-4) Steve did not fool around this stage?he knew that he would get in the vicinity of 5,000 points and his high was just a few points beyond that, so the last of the "Elevator Stages" was accomplished smoothly, without incident. Onward to a new personal best if all went well.
(21-5) Starting the stage with less than a thousand points from his previous personal best, and not too far off from a new world record, Steve played this level a bit aggressively, all things considered, scoring close to 10,000 points and setting a new personal best in the process !!
(21-6) The LAST STAGE before the "kill screen" was here, and in general, "Rivet Stages" were never to be taken lightly. Steve knows, however, that at most the "kill screen" will allow for a few hundred points at best, so he makes what points he can and then escapes for a moderate bonus, and well over 946K for a new world record. And although there is still, technically, one screen that remains to be completed, Steve knows that the hard part is over, and all that matters is that he has beaten the game, set a new personal best, AND set a new world record, all at the same time.
Incredibly, Steve carried his last man for 567,100 points !!
And now for the extra section with statistics that I had promised earlier...
STATISTICS SECTION
Based on the assumption that the same point potential exists for each of levels 5 thru 21, as each has the same 6 stages, this data relates to Steve's performance only during this phase of the game.
Complete Level Data
-> The minimum achieved for a completed level during this phase of the game was 45,400 points and set through Level 17
-> The maximum was 53,700 points adjusting for loss of life, which skews the statistics, and was achieved for Level 6
-> Interestingly, Steve achieved 50K or more for each completed Level 6 through 10, and for the remaining 11 Levels, only once did he break 50K for the completed level, that one being Level 13
Barrel Stage Date
-> The minimum achieved for a completed "Barrel Stage" was 7,800 points, and occurred in Level 16-5
-> The maximum achieved was 11,100 points adjusting for loss of life, and occurred in Level 5-1
-> Overall, Steve's average per "Barrel Stage" was approx 9,300 points, adjusted for loss of life
Conveyor Belt Stage Date
-> The minimum achieved for a completed "Conveyor Belt Stage" was 3,700 points, and occurred in Level 21-2
-> The maximum achieved was 8,400 points adjusting for loss of life, and occurred twice, in Levels 18-2 & 19-2
-> Overall, Steve's average per "Conveyor Belt Stage" was approx 7,700 points, adjusted for loss of life
Elevator Stage Date
-> The minimum achieved for a completed "Elevator Stage" was 5,000 points, and occurred in Level 15-4
-> The maximum achieved was 7,100 points and was achieved without loss of life in Level 7-4
-> Overall, Steve's average per "Elevator Stage" was approx 9,300 points, adjusted for loss of life
Rivet Stage Date
-> The minimum achieved for a completed "Rivet Stage" was 4,200 points, and occurred in Level 12-6. In fact, Steve scored less than 6K only twice from stages 5 and on.
-> The maximum achieved was 8,900 points and was achieved without loss of life in Level 19-6
-> Overall, Steve's average per "Rivet Stage" was approx 8,900 points, adjusted for loss of life
Theoretical Maximum
Assuming the same point potential was possible for each completed level, and each stage completed within, I was curious just how high would be possible on "Donkey Kong" using Steve's statistics as a guideline, and the starting point of 103,400 points after completing stage 4-5, and adding a token 400 points for the "kill screen". Here I treat every Level 5 thru 21 identically in both difficulty and potential point yield...
Barrel Stages - I took the maximum points without loss of life (11,100) and multiplied by 51 (17 Levels at 3 per Level) and came up with 566,100 points
Conveyor Stages - Taking the maximum without loss of life (8,400) and multiplying by 17 (1 per Level), that comes to 142,800 points
Elevator Stages - Taking the maximum without loss of life (7,100) and multiplying by 17 (1 per Level), that comes to 120,700 points
Rivet Stages - Taking the maximum without loss of life (8,900) and multiplying by 17 (1 per Level), that comes to 151,300 points
Factoring the above data in, it is theoretically possible to achieve 1084,700 points...at the very least over a million points.
I was considering the fact that, on the average, the Level totals for 5 through 10 averaged 50K while only once from stages 11-21 did Steve reach the 50K mark. However, for stages 11 through 21...
-> The maximum "Barrel" score was 11,000 (only 100 less than his Level 5 though 10 maximum)
-> The maximum "Conveyor Belt" score was identical at 8,400
-> The maximum "Elevator" score was 6,900 (only 200 less than his Level 5 though 10 maximum)
-> The maximum "Rivet" score was 8,900 (500 points higher than his Level 5 through 10 maximum !!)
Since each "Barrel Stage" occurs three (3) times, that 100 point loss translates to a 300 point loss per Level, yet when added to the 200 point loss during the "Elevator" stage", this is neatly offset by the 500 point gain during the "Rivet" stage.
So, just how accurate is my theoretical assessment ? Well, all it guarantees is that at least a million is possible, but doing so requires a LOT to go right, and judging by the many harrowing escapes that Steve faced this game, saying it's theoretically possible on paper and actually doing it is a whole different matter. Suffice it to say, reaching a million is now on Steve's mind.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Incredible. That's the only word that comes into my mind. As a gamer, myself, knowing how difficult this game can be, to actually see someone "beat the game" is absolutely incredible. Yes, it's been done before, but like a hole in one when you're watching golf, it doesn't matter that people have done it before...it's always special each and every time.
As chief referee for the Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard, I am very pleased to know that titles that are over 20 years old still have a very loyal following, and that gamers to this day are still trying their very best for personal records, and if they are good enough, world records. And unlike the results of an auction of a well known rare collectible, like a scarce baseball card or famous painting which almost always reach higher and higher auction prices realized year after year, video game world records, much like records in athleticism, become harder and harder to beat with each and every time a new record is set. Take the world record for the fastest 100M dash, or the fastest mile, or the long jump...these records are most definitely not broken year after year, but when they are, it is truly a momentous event.
Congratulations to Steve Wiebe on behalf of the entire staff of the Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scorereboard on a job well done !!
Robert T Mruczek
Twin Galaxies - Editor and Chief referee
Star Wars classic arcade champion
rmruczek@doremus.com (work E-MAIL)
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