I'm glad you asked that question Mark Alpiger.
The January 1985 "Player of the Year" contest, won by Phil Britt, was special. Twin Galaxies said that everyone in that contest, regardless of weather they placed last or first, would get a professional players contract AND a notation in the Guinness Book of Sports Records. The contract was crapola and only the top 5 got credit in the Book. I Roy Shildt, one of the 22 players, wanted my entry fee of $35 refunded. I was refused and in anger threatened to file a lawsuit. (Like I would really file a federal lawsuit for $35.)
Bottom line: Walter agreed that my missile command score (1.4 mil.+ at the time) was probably the best single score ever played. He said that he would put me in the "Hall of Fame" if:
1)I was still the record holder of missile command after the 1985 masters contest in June.
2)Defeat Darrin Olsen (the wizard of Calgary) at missile command.
3)Attempt to break my record in front of him and demonstrate my skills.
4)Continue to be his personal salesman and contribute more to the sport. (I was the one who got him into Captain Videos in the first place.)
At that point there was a trust issue so Walter preinducted me into the "Hall of Fame" and sent the paperwork to Guinness with final confirmation to be done after the 1985 masters. My salesmanship got him into Johnny Zs, I played my heart out, and the rest is history. Walter signed the final paperwork in August.
At Johnny Zs on June 30th 1985, Billy Mitchell disagreed that I should be in the "Hall of Fame" because he felt that he deserved it more. Billy said, "I have 5 records in the 1985 Guinness Book and you only have one"; To which I replied, "my record is a super score and your 5 records are all from the maze game category- not to mention that you didn't even play in January at Captain Videos and you were there the whole time." Billy was pissed and later took my gym bag and hid it in a trash can.
Here we are almost 20 years later still acting like ice cube throwing/toilet paper chucking teenagers. I affirm my right to be in the T.G. "Hall of Fame". All of Billys' records are gone but the missile command record still reignes supreme; and in addition I have contibuted heavily to the sport and would be honored to continue contributing. Billy Mitchell takes my comments personally and he shoudn't. I hope that T.G., Walter, Billy, and myself can work out our differences.
WHO CARES!!!!
Hey Roy...
From what I understand - your record at Missle Command still stands and is listed on TG's website.
I also hope that you are still planning on coming to the tournament. Missle Command is a game I always wanted "to get good at" - but just never could. Perhaps by watching you play - and if you could give me some tips/hints; I can become a better MC player myself.
As for the reception you will receive if you do attend - mine at least - will be a warm one. I always look forward to meeting new gamers & exchanging tips & strategies with them. I also feel, that if you can still pull off a great MC score, that a lot of "past hard feelings" will be forgiven.
peace
Scootie
PS. What do you mean by all of "Silly's records being gone"? And what games did he have records in besides Pac-Man?
I DO MR. ANONYMOUS!!!!
Scootie:
I think that you need to wear glasses Roy said Billy not Silly as you mention above. Would you like me to start calling you Snootie or Scoopie i think not or should we start calling Roy like COY because he acts that way from time to time ..You see where this is going. The moral of the point is we are adults with prominent scores and all of us here should behave in the manner of adults not kids throwing stones.
Roy:
I think you should really drop the MC subject for good, If you have a beef with Billy Mitchell, Walter Day OR Twin Galaxies then call them and settle out your differences its quite OBVIOUS that you as a supposed MC champion will not take up any and all challanges that arise to show off your gaming skills or have you lost them? I have challenged you in the past and yet you hide from me and still point to Billy like hes some white knight that will give you fame and glory that you are seeking by riding the tale coat of his name.Your MC score is Supreme, supreme to what I have Arcade World Record scores dating back to Nov of 1982 that still stand today and will gladly take up the challange of anyone who wants to challange me on them. I also have home gaming World Record Scores dating back to DEC of 1980 that still stand.You say that you have contributed heavily how so? The only thing that i have seen and what you showed us is that you made " 1 " high score and all the ranting and raving that you do about it. Is that fair to the general public? So whats your point ROY, You chasing after Billy OR maiking good in the perspective of all the gamers who frequent this wonderful site.
Todd Mr Activision Rogers
Hey Todd
That was a mistake on my part - I do apologize. As for "Snootie" or "Scoopie" - hey if it's said in jest - I have no problem with it!!
peace
Scootie
PS If can all learn a lesson from that wonderful sitcom known as "Seinfeld" - It is that we should NOT take ourselves too seriously!!!
AND we should be able to laugh at our own mistakes!
peace
"Snootie" Scootie
PS. Did you come up with "snootie" on your own or did Roy provide the inspiration?
Hey Todd!
Ease up a little on Roy will you. While I am a little weary of his "ranting"; 1.6 million on MC is no small feat.
As for Billy - I do not know the guy - but I get the impression that the title of "snootie" is more aptly suited to him than me.
How many of us are ACTUALLY able to make a living playing/discussing/writing about classic games like Billy does, AND getting compensated very well for it?!
peace
Scootie
Greetings Scootie:
Fair enough i accept your explaination its very reasonable. I certainly wouldn't bust on you or your nick name like that. If your nick name or real name was Scootie then so be it ill call you by Scootie. For the Roy subject its just has got way to out of hand with the MC matters. No one has said that a score or 1.6 mil is shabby all i can see is that the way it was aquired was questionable. Roys phantom witness that he wont devulge for fear of harrassment come on how cheesy. Thats like someone saying hey i won this weeks lotto but the ticket is at the hotel in another state but its ok you believe me right. Besides whos to say that the settings weren't still on easy when he brought it to everyones attention when he got 1.6 mil. After all they were playing the game on easy settings earlier in the day and other players passed the Million point mark too so why arent they listed in then book as well.
Todd Mr Activision Rogers
Hey Todd
Thanks for the response. As for Roy - instead of harping on a score that's 20 years old - why doesn't he just show up at the tournament and "repeat" his 1.6 at Missle Command.
All the "proper" witnesses will be there - so this time arouind there will be NO dispute as to game settings, 2.5 vs 4 inch trackball, bonus cities, etc
Todd - this whole thing with Roy would be a GREAT fodder for a movie with a conspiracy theme.
Roy - If you can do it once - you can do it again.
Even if Roy ends up with 800,000 - that's still a GREAT score on a difficult game.
peace
Scootie
Hey Todd
I find it hard to beleave that there were NO witnesses at that competition that Roy always refers to. I remember (back in the day at Gameland) crowds of people watching anyone who was REALLY GOOD at any particular game - and this was just during normal weekend operations. During a competition - you could not even move in the place - it was THAT crowded!!
Todd - I understand that you are a MASTER at many 2600 games. Any chance of a round of "Combat" during the tourny?
peace
Scootie
Billy/Roy: not much difference I see. One has a 20 year old Missile Command record he boasts about, the other has a 5 year old Pac Man score he boasts about. Both are eccentric, both live in a world of past records, both have a unique "look" and both need a life.
Roy:
Back to your "Hall of Fame" gripes I see. I thought Gary said that the Funspot forum was NOT to be used as a podium for airing gripes against other entities. As such, I will not follow suite with your now very tiresome tirades. However, I do wish you would at least get your facts straight.
There is an expression...to withhold the truth is not a lie. I suggest that you think about that one very carefully as there are quite a few truths that remain "unsaid" in your recap above.
After hearing from a few people on the matter, including yourself, I have a near-complete picture on your beginning-to-end quest for the HSHoF. And no, Scootie, this would not make great fodder for a movie...sad to say he actually thinks that his quest is a movie script that is writing itself with each and every thread posted. But if it were a movie, it would have to be fiction. Maybe half of what Roy says is true...he seems to be leaving out a few tell-all tidbits as far as how he himself...nah, that's stooping to his level. I'll stop there.
As I said in my last conversation which you, which now unfortunately has to be our last due to legal reasons, the best way to prove yourself is to show up and play MC at Funspot.
Robert
Hello Roy:
I appreciate your detailed and reasonable response to the blurb involving you on my web site's popular Hall of Fame page (though I cannot attest to the accuracy of your statements). As with another recent popular gaming issue (old-time score validity), I'd like to know what forum readers think about a classic arcade gaming Hall of Fame (HoF) in general, and whether anyone thinks that 'great' single-game accomplishments (examples: Missile Command, Crystal Castles, Joust iron-man marathon) alone make a player worthy of inclusion, or if players think more like I do, and look mainly for a well-rounded player (multiple world (or near) records, high-placing contest results, etc.). - Mark Alpiger / MDA
classicarcadegaming.com - Chronicling the history of the 'Golden Age'...
"As for Billy - I do not know the guy - but I get the impression that the title of "snootie" is more aptly suited to him than me.
How many of us are ACTUALLY able to make a living playing/discussing/writing about classic games like Billy does, AND getting compensated very well for it?! "
Actually, if I recall correctly, Billy owes a resturant in Hollywood, Florida. I don't recall seeing books or such written by Billy.
His family owns the restaurant. He owns the hot sauce company. He doesn't make a living playing video games. That's an urban myth. The video game stunts give him the ability to promote his hot sauce.
Scootie,
Not sure if you realize this or not. But Roy DID show up at the Funspot tournament last year. He showed up on the last day. He also did play at least one game of Missile Command. I was busy playing another game at the time so I did not get a chance to watch him play. I came around the corner and saw him on the machine with others standing around watching. Within just a few seconds of when I saw him playing, his game was over. I knew to be on the lookout for him as I talked with Walter the previous day on the phone and he told me he got a message that Roy was on his way to Funspot. Maybe others in this forum that saw his game can comment on how well he did. I heard the results myself from someone that did watch but I'm not positive the results I heard could possibly be correct.
Hey Greg..
Did Roy get anything close to a million last year???
Scootie
I watched him play a game at last year's tournament and he played very well. I think Jason Cram was watching him too. Without question, he's an excellent MC player.
And if I recall correctly, Roy did get somewhere around 1 million points.
Well, if he did that last year(get close to a mil), then his record claim is much more believable. I'm sure his skills were much sharper back then, as 20+ years can really affect reflexes etc, and if he's good now, he would've been even better in his prime.
Hey Roy
Obviously you still "got it". Please come to FS, play MC, and give Scootie some pointers on how to improve his pathetic high of 15,000.
Scootie
My only question would be what the settings were at Funspot last year. 6 Lives no Bonus or regular marathon rules? To many, a million point marathon game isn't very impressive (to me it still is as I suck as this game).
Also I didn't report the score I heard for fear it was wrong. Turns out at least one report of a much different score is out there. I personally heard he scored somewhere between 150k - 200k. But again, I did not see the game and only heard the score second hand.
I know for a fact that many players saw Roy play back in the day and he was considered very talented at MC. Most arguments by players complaining about the score do not say he was not a good player but that he wasn't good enough to reach the score reported. I think most/all non-believers I've talked to would have believed 690k but not 1.69M.
Can someone from Funspot please let us know how the Missile Command machine will be configured for the tournament. Six lives no bonus or a bonus city every 10,000 points?
To Scootie, Greg, and others:
The missile command machine that I played at Funspot last year was 10k bonus (considered marathon settings?) and was no big deal. I haven't played the game since 1985. You have to understand that the diffence between good and great is only 2%, but that last 2% makes all the difference in the world. The difference bet.690k on missile command and 1.6mil. (no bonus) is only 2-5% in the quality of playing skill.
My 1.6mil was witnessed by Walter Day. He saw me turn the machine over. Chris Ayra saw me turn the machine over and now forgets? You have to undersatnd that jealous vindictive people are purposely trying to invalidate the missile command score even though they know it is genuine.
Bill Mitchell and Chris Ayra have done alot of GOOD work. Alot of quantity but not quality. I pointed that out to Bill and he takes it personally and also takes it out on me. Out of 200+ Classic video games there are only a handful of GREAT scores. There is no amount of quantity that will ever replace quality. You can't write out a check to put in what God left out! Sorry Bill- don't take it personally.
Roy:
I'm only addressing two (2) specific aspect of your statement above.
To say that there are 200+ classic games is an understatement. According to the MAME library, excluding clones, there are over 1,500+ unique titles available, at least half of which are from the 1980's or prior.
Further, I agree, quantity does not replace quality in terms of game scores. However, dismissing the achievements that these two gentlemen have made as not being "quality", I for one would not make such an assessment.
Robert
Roy,
Since you admit to being at Funspot last year and to playing the Missile Command machine, what scores did you get? I know that you were great 20 years ago, but how good were you last year?
Anonymous,
Read the comments by Mark Schultz above.
-- Richard
To Robert and others,
Bill Mitchell and whoever may or may not be a great player. It is not my place to judge. I'm saying that in 1985 I felt that I was more deserving than Bill to be in the Hall of Fame amd Walter Day agreed.
This thing about a lawsuit I had against T.G. in 1985 is just something that people are using to rationalize an excuse to dislike me and attempt to disenfranchise me from the Hall of Fame. There is nothing dishonest or unethical done by myself or Walter Day in respect to Guinness.
In addition to my playing skill, I had contributed much of my time and resource to the promotion and betterment of Twin Galaxies which is part of the reason Walter put me in the Hall of Fame. When the contest was over in 1985 Walter could have told me to go fly a kite but he didn't.
I hope that Bill finds peace with himself and that in the future I can mend fences with Twin Galaxies and contribute more to a sport and organization that has meant so much to me.
Richard M.,
I wanted to know what Roy thought his scores were, he was the player he should know his scores better than anyone else. I did read Mark Schultz comments which were "And if I recall correctly, Roy did get somewhere around 1 million points". Unless Roy let the machine dump after 820,000 it's hard to get less then 1.5Meg if you are actively playing after the bonus city glitch. The last time I rolled a machine I didn't run out of bonus cities until 1.8Meg, so what has been said doesn't make sense. I'm just trying to find out what happened since I was not there.
Hey Roy
Even 600,000 is an AWESOME score at a very DIFFICULT game!!
As for the reception you would receive if you show up at Funspot: not having met you in person yet; mine would at least be a civil, if not friendly, one.
Got a new high at Missle Command this weekend at Funspot - a whopping 22,300.
Watch out Roy!!!
peace
Scootie
ROY
Peep Peep Roy oh ROY im in your left ear.We didn't see you at the funspot so are you telling us that you really don't take up challanges on game that you say you are good at or are you going to say that you were there when no one was looking and made a score of 1.8 Mil on MSC.
Hey Rob
I'm not doubting your above comment on MAME, but many of those titles - even the ones from the "classic" era were fairly obscure games.
Prior to this tournament, I was unaware that a game called Guided Missle even existed.*
*Scored a respectable 1920.
Scootie