HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MARP!

Wow, it's been a year since MARP first started. This is Zwaxy's first update a year ago:

- Monday 2nd February 1998

- Added some tables, colours, stuff like that.

- Created this whole shebang with a bunch of replays I'd begged off - people on EFnet's #mamegames IRC channel.

These initial bunch of replays have multiplied into the thousands, coupled with a finely tuned, well scripted site that is MARP as we know it today. A lot of things have changed in a year- I remember having to e-mail the inp's into Zwaxy.. that seems so primitive to today's standards! I used to wait eagerly for the updates just to see my name next to the score I got.. And when the leaderboard first came along, that certainly attracted a lot of heated competition.

I've plundered the board and site for some memorable and not so memorable quotes over the last year:

"Doesn't the stupid bull ever die? That's what this game is, Bull...." - BBH gives his critique on Bullfighter.

"uhh,Vaz, correct me if I'm wrong...but I believe that should have read "those teams asses"...;) " - JoustGod the grammar teacher

"NOTE: this message's grammage wasn't approved by JoustGod yet ;-)" - Vasco strikes back

"No sweat folks, a friendly computer-oriented student came along and saved me from being force-fed my own genitals. Phew." - Fritz is saved from what could've been a very small meal :p

"I'm just a skinny white boy" - BBH confesses all

"Necisite practicar muchisimo si quire ganar primer posicmon de Wonderboy." - My thoughts exactly Beejay!

"TG settings used." - Hmmm.. who could this be

"Cutdown lame-o US version" - Krool expresses his distate for USA versions of games

"The Kung Fu Master master" - Is there a Kung Fu Master master master out there?

"Road Runner (Zipious Alongus) : Wile E. Coyote (Hardheadus Hungrus)" - Angrius Marperius

"The Mob has spoken" - The mob come down hard on Neil Chapman's multiple inp Pacman scores

"WOW! Nudity in games, I love it! :)" - Steve keeps his hands firmly on his stick when playing Gals Panic

"Not me Zwaxy, I just kept missing that last rock!" - Fritzy's excuse for UFO hunting in Asteroids

"I've had far too much to drink to be playing games tonight. =)" - Angry finds that MAME and booze don't mix

"The JoustGod motto: "Never let a cheesy game go untouched"

Thanks to all the MARPers for a year of great competition.. here's to another year of MARP!

-- JSW (jwilson@sv.net.au), February 02, 1999

Answers

Hehe, those comments were great, JSW. :)

Wow, it's hard to believe that it's already been a year! I remember finding the site back when it was new through a link on the main page of Dave's Classics, and I had no idea about the record/playback feature of the new MAME 0.30. It seems strange to think that all of the available recordings (all 10 of them or so) fit on a single page... I sent in a ZooKeeper recording that got beaten rather quickly... then my infamous "points leeching" Black Tiger recording, which was beaten the next day by a certain someone... soon after I sent a Satan's Hollow recording that's still up there after all this time :P But it wasn't until three or four months later (around the time that the leaderboard was started) that I started becoming a regular contributer.

Even when it's a game I don't play, I often enjoy watching expert-level play, to see someone who's truly mastered the game... while there are still some issues regarding how legit .inp's are, it's interesting to finally see HOW the scores are achieved (although I'd still like to see how someone can play Robotron forever).

But I think what's truly made MARP so fun is the competition. God only knows how much time I've wasted trying to find games I could possibly get leaderboard points on (which introduced me to some kickass games I never played like Psychic 5), or trying to beat existing scores. Without the great players we have here, this site wouldn't be nearly as cool as it is. I've gotta give "mad props" to all the players that have provided some great challenges... Angry, BeeJay, JSW, JoustGod, German Krol, Steve Krogman, Dith, etc... and of course, the infamous Krool. ;)

Here's to another year and beyond... Viva la MARP!

-BBH

-- BBH (lordbbh@aol.com), February 02, 1999.

i remember the first day i came here...rodimus had snapped up a few highs, it all squeezed on one screen (15 scores at the most), chris was about to be bombarded with inps in his email :)

there wasnt much to it then...the simplicity of it all, making chris RUSH with the updates (seemed like every 2-3 hours sometimes ?)...then when it SPLIT into 2 pages...woah, that was the big time!

but one day..something happened, i dont know how it happened, it just did...some people thought that they could just "beat" a score and hold all the glory :) and get away with it? hehe, competition had arrived, and what a glorious day it was...time to take off the gloves and go bare fist fighting until someone quit from the pressure (never happens)

shit hit the fan, chris couldnt update fast enough...scores were in the mail beating scores he just updated...it was out of hand, it never stopped comming, it was just continuous never ending...something was gonna snap (chris probably)...

then one day some "small brained englishman" came up with a brillitantly superb idea, it was risky, but it might just work, and if it did, hed never have to touch scripts again... <----hahahahahaha ya right!

there has been many changes...there was this acceptable gameplay thing that was there, but unspoken of, there were no rules...UNTIL someone upped 4 of the same replay...this enraged the "mob" a bit, causing a stir of murmering and discontent within the "ranks", something had to be done! this was just out of control! he cant do that!!!

"rules" and "acceptable" things were soon added...now its like the kgb, everyone watching everyone...not just close, but REAL CLOSE...any pixel that is differen! BAM! youre busted :) trust no-one...its sorta taken a turn for the worst...but still...things havent really changed that much, just that the competition has taken a jump...

other such memorable things :

#marp aaaah, that day was something grand...somewhere where MARPERS could go and talk crap about anything (like all irc channels)...it was something alright...ill fated as it was (if you were there...youd know)...still, a great idea, and hopefully something again soon ? icq is good, but still... #marp i will remember always ^_^ some good times all round

the day ANGRY arrived...power mad and aiming for the top he was...he was unstoppable and bullet proof...could anyone or anything stop him ? that day caused quite a stir i remember :) now ? well, it always takes a war to make leaps and bounds in technology and thinking...

first to 1000 points, what a day, like breaking the sound barrier, 1000 points, otherwise thought to be impossible! never happen, no-one can do it, its IMPOSSIBLE...the world isnt flat afterall...

heh well

enough RAMBLINGS...ya, it HAS been a good year (its more than a year isnt it ?) and well, with the way the so called "emu scene" has turned to just a "cock scene"...one wonders at what will happen next with all this...and the imfamous soon to be DAVE "the hitman" W. vs ATILA thing thats escalating, watch for some shit to hit soon :)

Krool. marp - TEAM OLDSKOOL!

-- Krool (kellyq@ihug.co.nz), February 03, 1999.

1 year later, what started out as a 1 page score board has grown to be probably 'the' biggest high score page for mame on the web. Bringing together some very talented players and a bunch of new friends. I posted a few days ago about when the time comes for TG to hold a monster coordination day tournement, how really cool it would be to have most of the old school and even the new school marp players attend this event. Imaging 20 marpers under one roof, all there trying feverishly to conquer a new world record or beat an old one is a day I can hardly wait to happen. Imaging having being able to have some sponsorship to help out our buddies over seas spend a weekend in the states for some fierce playing and just a whole lot of fun! Hats off to Chris for keeping the marp scene alive! If it weren't for him and the ability to upload inps and all the little stuff on his sight it wouldn't of made playing mame all that interesting. It's the competition and the fame any glory you get when you can play and others can see your accomplishment! I never had this much fun since the days I would send in about 5 scores a week to about 3 different gaming magazines and run to the news stand each month to claim my glory! :) Also the ability Chris's page has in storing numerous scores for easy access, nice and neat in alphabetical order was a great idea. Remembering when I used to do this sort of thing on my 8088 with a cheap program for organizing data I'd put in every single game imaginable and the highest score between 3 different magazines, the players score, name and location, just so I knew at any given moment what the best score was on any system, who did it, and where it came from. Those days are over now, thanks to Chris for mame, and Walter Day (TG) for his database. Play On!! :^)

regards, Steve Krogman

-- stephen krogman (skrogman@concentric.net), February 03, 1999.