-SUBMITTING SCORES-
Galaga Variations
Since its invention, in 1981, Galaga has been ported into various
computers, consoles, pocket/hand-held devices and cell phones. These
many ports offer various game play alterations to Galaga (1981).
Galaga Forum’s objective is to track the highest scores achieved on Galaga game play.
Galaga Forum is acknowledging scores from reliable sources. This includes: Arcades, websites and classic arcade tournaments/events. Galaga Forum also acknowledges scores refereed from the Galaga Forum Team.
General rules for submissions
Players are permitted to submit any score on Galaga (1981). Players are
permitted to submit as often as they wish across all leader boards.
Cost
Submissions to Galaga Forum are free – no payment is to be made to Galaga Forum
for adjudicating (the cost of any postage and packaging of a submission
is the responsibility of the sender) a specific score. Certain
expenses can be covered/reimbursed but they will have no bearing on the
adjudication process. If a referee is brought in to verify a score and
the cabinet (or other platform) is not deemed acceptable, no score will
be allowed until the issue(s) has been addressed.
-ADJUDICATORS-
All members of the Galaga Forum adjudicating team have competed on classic arcade video games. The Galaga Forum adjudicating team includes referees, head referees and an ‘off-field’ referee.
Staff
Jon Klinkel – Administrator/Head Ref – Michigan, USA
Armando Gonzalez – Referee/Head Ref – California, USA
Tanner Rousseau – Referee – Missouri, USA
Colton Blanchard – Referee – Indiana, USA
Joseph Piscitelli – Head Referee – Illinois, USA
Mason Piscitelli – Website/IT – Illinois, USA
Hector Rodriguez – Referee – California, USA
Todd Friedman – Editorial/IT – Illinois, USA
Mike Kastrantas – Ref/MAME Ref/IT – Alabama, USA
Jamey Montgomery – Writer – Minnesota, USA
Jason Strawn – Referee – Texas, USA
Jon Klinkel II – Website/IT – Michigan, USA
Note: Referees are permitted to submit scores to Galaga Forum.
However, their score – regardless of how high or low, MUST be adjudicated by head referees or the Administrator. However, should a referee submit a score to other trusted Galaga leader board sources or compete in public Galaga tournaments, their scores will be acknowledged on the Galaga Forum Leader Board.
Head referees confirm submitted scores. Head referees MUST be
satisfied with the submitted score before it is entered
onto a Galaga Forum Leader Board.
‘Off-Field’ Referee
Galaga Forum has one ‘Off Field’ referee.
Donald Hayes – USA
The ‘Off-Field’ Referee (OFR) has the final adjudication on any
game-related decisions or a score submission which cannot be resolved
between the head referees. In such circumstances, the head referees
give a written account as to why the said score should be
included/excluded from the Galaga Forum Leader Board.
The OFR, having read the Head Referees’ concerns and viewed the game
play, will make a final decision – the final decision does not require
any justification by the OFR. The OFR’s final decision MUST be accepted
by the Head Referees and the decision IS final. Appeals will NOT be
viewed.
Invalid game play
Invalid game play includes various known ‘cheats’, ‘enhancements’ and
‘modifications’ which invalidate submission on Galaga (1981) for Galaga Forum and its trusted sources: Arcades, videos, websites, referees.
-VIDEO SUBMISSIONS-
Arcade Submissions
Before commencement of play and recording, be sure all dip-switches are set correctly (see Dip-Switch Settings below).
Before game play begins, the submitter should announce their name and date
of play or provide that information along with the submission to Galaga Forum.
This done, the submitter is to switch the power on to their Galaga
cabinet or switch the power off and then on if their Galaga cabinet was
already powered on at the beginning of recording- making sure the game
screen is in full view in order to capture a clear image of the ‘rug’
pattern and the information that follows on the screen. The ‘rug’
pattern appears as a seemingly random array of coloured pixels across
the screen and is then followed by a white grid on a black background,
which is followed by a worded description of the dip-switch settings
(see below). These three screens are essential for the referees to
validate the rom settings for your score to be successfully submitted to
the Galaga Forum Leader Board.
At the end of play – GAME OVER – continue recording, switch off the
power to the cabinet and switch it on again, allowing the camera to
capture the rug/splash screen and rom details. Once these are
displayed, recording is complete and the camera can be switched off.
Arcade – Dip-Switch Settings
Marathon Submissions
Dip-Switch Bank 6J:
1 = OFF
2 = ON
3-6 = OFF
7 = OFF/UNUSED
8 = OFF
Dip-Switch Bank 6K:
1-3 = OFF
4 = ON
5 = OFF
6-7 = ON
8 = OFF
Position B: Normal
Note: The above Dip Switches are NOT the FACTORY DEFAULT settings but are the correct (original) Twin Galaxies Settings and Galaga Forum Settings for this title and will provide the following format:
3 Lives
Extra Ships: at 20,000 points, 70,000 points and every 70,000 points
thereafter with no extra ships given after exceeding 1,000,000 points.
Difficulty: Rank D
Special Rules: Use of the trick to cause enemies to stop firing is
banned. It has been deemed permissible for a player to intentionally
play on the player 2 side so as to allow the millions digits to show up
for the score.
Special Note: Arcade submissions should be performed on a Namco or
Midway PCB. Other hardware revisions may be accepted if the rom revision
displays correct dip-switch settings and gameplay
There are some boardsets where dip-switch bank 6J has Dips 2 in Reverse
to get Rank D. Adjustments to this Dip can be made accordingly to
establish the settings correctly.
Tournament Submissions
Dip-Switch Bank 6J:
1 = OFF
2 = ON
3-6 = OFF
7 = OFF/UNUSED
8 = OFF
Dip-Switch Bank 6K:
1-3 = OFF
4-6 = ON
7-8 = OFF
Position B: Normal
Note: The above Dip Switches are NOT the FACTORY DEFAULT settings but are the correct (original) Twin Galaxies Settings and Galaga Forum Settings for this title and will provide the following format:
5 Lives
Extra Ships: None
Difficulty: Rank D
Special Rules: Attempts for this variation may be done on Marathon
Settings but, once you’ve lost your 4th Life, you may not allow your
ship to be captured or your Tournament Score attempt ends immediately.
Use of the trick to cause enemies to stop firing is banned. It has been
deemed permissible for a player to intentionally play on the player 2
side so as to allow the millions digits to show up for the score.
Special Note: Arcade submissions should be performed on a Namco or
Midway PCB. Other hardware revisions may be accepted if the rom
revision displays correct dip-switch settings and gameplay.
There are some boardsets where dip-switch bank 6J has Dips 1 and 2 in
Reverse to get Rank D and 5 Lives. Adjustments to these 2 dips can be
made accordingly to establish the settings correctly.
Point Press – 31 Submissions
Dip-Switch Bank 6J:
1 = OFF
2 = OFF
3-6 = OFF
7 = OFF/UNUSED
8 = OFF
Dip-Switch Bank 6K:
1-3 = OFF
4 = ON
5 = OFF
6-7 = ON
8 = OFF
Note: The above Dip Switches are the FACTORY DEFAULT settings and are
the correct Settings for submission for Galaga Forum Rank A – Stage 31
track. Settings will provide the following format:
3 Lives
Extra Ships: at 20,000 points, 70,000 points and every 70,000 points
thereafter with no extra ships given after exceeding 1,000,000 points.
Difficulty: Rank A
Special Rules: Use of the trick to cause enemies to stop firing is banned. It has been deemed permissible to play on any difficulty setting (or legal platform) and on “5 Lives Only” settings (as long as you don’t access the extra ships before they would have been earned on Marathon settings), all other settings being the same.
Special Note: Qualifying Attempts MUST be performed on a Namco or
Midway PCB. Other hardware revisions may be accepted if the rom revision
displays correct dip-switch settings and gameplay.
M.A.M.E. Submissions
Submitters MUST record an INP file using WolfMAME 0.106 and later (unless otherwise approved by the MAME ref). Only
ONE game per INP and minium recorded speed of 95%. After recording you
MUST zip the INP file before submitting to a Galaga Forum referee for adjudication.
Marathon Submissions
ROMSet: Galaga
Service Mode: Off
Difficulty: Rank D [Hardest]
Unknown: Off
Freeze: Off
Rack Test: Off
Unknown: Off
Cabinet: Upright
Bonus Life: 20k, 70k and every 70k thereafter.
Lives: 3
Special Rules: Usage of the trick to cause enemies to stop firing is
banned. It has been deemed permissible for a player to intentionally
play on the player 2 side so as to allow the millions digits to show up
for the score.
Tournament Submissions
ROMSet: Galaga
Service Mode: Off
Difficulty: Rank D [Hardest]
Unknown: Off
Freeze: Off
Rack Test: Off
Unknown: Off
Cabinet: Upright
Bonus Life: None
Lives: 5
Special Rules: Use of the trick to cause enemies to stop firing is
banned. It has been deemed permissible for a player to intentionally
play on the Player 2 side so as to allow the millions digits to show up
for the score.
Note: Pausing the game is not allowed. Intentionally altering the game
speed is not allowed. Any modifications to WolfMAME 0.106 (or later)
or romset will result in disqualification.
-PARKING-
During Score Wars – Meow Wolf, 2018 – the ability to “park” single or
tethered ships was demonstrated in the Stages immediately following
Stage 255 (Stage 0, Stage 1). “Parking” allows the player to position
their ship in the bottom left or bottom right corner, safe from enemy
fire for an infinite amount of time. The Galaga Forum rulings on
parking for both Marathon and Tournament submissions (M.A.M.E. or
Arcade) are as follows: A player is permitted to employ parking for a
maximum of 5 minutes per hour of play (a 59-second grace period will be
allowed; however, any additional time will result in disqualification).
–UPDATE– Effective on the 24th day of January 2019, ‘Parking’ is only
permitted on ‘Stage 0’.
-NOTIFYING A REFEREE-
Contact the arcade/MAME referee to have your score adjudicated:
Arcade submissions
Jon Klinkel, TA79Bandit@yahoo.com
MAME submissions
Mike Kastrantas, Mike.kastrantas@gmail.com
Once the submission has been adjudicated and deemed acceptable, the
score will be listed on Galaga Forum with a link to the Video and/or INP
file.
World Record Submissions
World Record submissions MUST be viewed and agreed upon by all Head Referees.
NOTES: Galaga Forum may change/alter any of the above rules at any time or make decisions based on circumstances, as they occur. All video recorded submissions offered to Galaga Forum will remain the property of Galaga Forum and will NOT be returned to sender. The sender’s recorded submission offered to Galaga Forum permits Galaga Forum
to reproduce, store in or introduce into a retrieval system, or
transmit, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise).
ALL rules are subject to change at our discretion.
Special Rules for Marathon – No Double Ship
COMING SOON – In the meantime, contact Jon Klinkel to be made aware of the criteria if you would like to submit a score.
Arcades
Video game arcades housing arcade cabinets with the correct hardware and
understanding of correct settings for official competitive game play on
Galaga (1981). These include:
Fun Spot, Weirs Beach, New Hampshire, USA
Galloping Ghost, Brookfield, Illinois, USA (Aurcade)
Netherworld, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Tappers, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Pincadia, Brisbane, Queensland, AUS
Note: Scores achieved at live events will be accepted if it can be
reasonably determined that game settings and platform requirements have
been met.
Websites
Galaga Forum values scores approved by referees from the following websites:
aurcade.com
replay.marpirc.net
