FUCK MAPPY!!!!!!!!!!
edit: well ok I understand now there's some bad blood because of this topic, and I'm certainly grateful for this yearly competition, because it is always a fun event even when we have to play games we don't like.
I just think Ross should be cut some slack because Mappy is so terrible it's completely understandable wanting to find a means to vent about its terrible-ness. So uhhh, yeah.
What's weird is there is an annual CrapMAME tourney in which the participants seem to revel in playing the worst of the worst and have a lot of fun with it. I've played far, far worse than Mappy. I have little interest in playing Rally-X, Gravitar, and Zaxxon, but I don't get the hostility. Unless it's frustration that every game of Mappy you play seems to be the same and you're not seeing improvement in your play?...
I've always seen complaining about the games in tournaments as a pretty much time honored tradition. I've never seen a tournament where folks didn't complain; and tastes vary widely. I've always seen the CrapMAME tournament as at least in part an ironic play on those sentiments.
I think there's a difference between outright and genuine hostility that extends to the organizers that picked the games, and venting frustrations in ways that are at least semi-joking. I've seen both, and while it can be a fine line, I do think there is a distinction and I generally don't see a problem with the later.
That said, personally I really like this years BOTA line-up and wish everyone the best of luck!
-George