EAB/Lemon Super League Rules & FAQ

[john4p]

EAB/Lemon Super League Rules and FAQ


Introduction, Competition Info, and FAQ

This thread will tell you everything you need to know about the Super League.

This Post - Competition Info, FAQ, and Introduction for newbies.
The second post - The Rules - for every game played.
The third post - Additional Rules and The Season Schedule - when the rounds will be played.
The fourth post - The Knockout Tournament - held at the end of the year.

It is advised you read all this in order to play, although you dont have to. The very basic rules to get started are always at the beginning of every thread. For more information this should be your first stop, and will hopefully answer most questions.


Competition Information and History

What is the Lemon/EAB Super League?
Simple. Everyone plays the same Amiga game for three weeks, and the person with the highest score wins. Players get points for each round, which also go towards a year long championship. One player will be crowned Super League champion at the end of the year.

How long has the Super League been running?
The short answer is, the Super League (as we know it today) has been running since January 2008. So the 2018 season marked the 10 year anniversary of the Super League competition.

What is the story behind the competition?
The seed of the idea begin in March 2005 on the Lemon Amiga competition forum, by a chap called The Dark Prince. You can check out the original 2005 rules thread here, and you might notice the rules havent changed much in the intervening years, only the scoring system has been updated. The English Amiga Board started their own League in May of 2007, by Graham Humphrey, based on the format of the Lemon competition. You can see the historic first thread here. Mihcael took over the Lemon compo in Sept 2006, and then handed over to Biscuit in July of 2007. On August 31st 2007, Biscuit announce the joining of the two Leagues in this Lemon thread.

Who came up with the name Super League?
On August 31st 2007, Graham Humphrey posted on EAB: How about a joint EAB/Lemon Amiga Super-League?. The joining of the two leagues was announced with great rapture, and the Winner of the EAB 2007 Games League VermilloN, posted this message. From here the Super League was born. (VermillioN was also named 'who' and is now ED-209 in our current League)

What's so super about the Super League?
It brings the Amiga community together! Gamers from the websites Lemon Amiga and EAB all play together from their own forum. In every round, the site with the highest average submitted scores gets a point. At the end of the year the site with the most points is declared the winner. This creates some super inter-team battles, which leads to some super high scores!

Who runs the Super League? Updated
The Super League is a player managed competition, so in a way, we all do. If someone finds an issue, then it will be sorted out, and so we help each other to overcome obstacles. We have one moderator: lifeschool, and two deputies, john4p and Mihcael - who is also the technical manager of the Super League Live Ladder. Graham Humphrey is also a friend and helper, having stepped down at the end of 2017.

How has the Super League developed?
Like all systems and structures, the Super League has developed since it began. The original format was a number of Open and Closed rounds, with several special rounds such as PD, Alphabet and Year. Much later, player/mod lifeschool came up with a number of new ideas, including Magazine rounds, Mystery rounds, Genre rounds, and themed rounds. The Super League scoring system has also been modernised. Originally the top 12 players scored linear points, with the winner receiving 15 towards their championship. We currently use a Super 7 system (see Rules Thread below), where all players get points, and the winner is rewarded with 20.


General Rules and FAQ for Taking Part

How do you choose the games?
Everyone chooses, and gets a say in the matter, in voting threads held before for each new round, where you can vote for five games you'd like to play (see voting rules). The game(s) with the most votes gets played in the next round.

How do I take part?
Easy. Firstly get yourself either a real Amiga or an emulator like WinUAE or FS-UAE. The current round thread will tell you which game to play, give links to where it's available to download, and tell you any extra rules for that game. Everyone is free to enter any round of the compo. To enter, simply take a screenshot of your highscore (or a photo of your whole tv/monitor screen if you're using a real Amiga) and post it in the game thread, with the score written clearly somewhere too. You can use free image hosting sites like Imgur, Tinypic, Flickr or Google storage to post your scores. You can also take part by voting for the next rounds game, and generally posting comments and support.

Where do I post my screenshot, Lemon or EAB?
The time has come to choose your side. Post here for Lemon, or go to the other side at EAB. The choice is yours. Since you are already here on Lemon I think you know where your loyalties lie, and have made an excellent choice. You can still post on EAB to chat (or taunt), but you must only post your scores to the side you have joined. All scores can be seen at a glance in the current game thread, in the first post, and the Moderators will bring all the scores together from everyone to update the current leaderboard.

Can I post videos instead of screenshots?
YES, and some players like to do this. The moderators will check to make sure players didnt clip the footage together from savestates. Please try to ensure footage is smooth (25fps at least) and the game/score is clear to see. If you post via youtube, simply click the Youtube icon, paste in the video URL (Removing the 's' on 'Https:'), and click the Youtube icon again to close the code and add the video.

Where can I get ROMs for this competition?
If you mean Kickstart ROMs (that you need to get the emulator up and running) then we’re not allowed to distribute them due to copyright, but they are available. They can be bought from Cloanto's Amiga Forever Package, or there are some disreputable free outlets for those who take time to search and enquire. Game disk images will be linked to in each round.

Do I have to use the game disk images linked in the round threads?
We recommend players try to stick to the exact same version of the game, so that the game is identical for everyone. We try to make sure the linked versions of the games are playable, free from crashes or bugs, and with a high score system which matches (ADF/WHDLoad) the original game disk. Using the linked game images means the moderators can check these out and update the image if necessary. We cannot be held accountable if you use game images which are not linked, which later prove to be unsuitable.

Can I use Original Game Disks / IPFs? -
Yes, if you have the original disks, or prefer to use real Amiga disks, you can use those to post scores in the competition, as long as the score systems match (note: Lotus 2 compo, F1GP compo editions, etc). An IPF is a perfect clone of the original game, and needs a special DLL library to run. They can be used but not shared or linked. DO NOT post links to "Workbench Disks", "Kickstart ROMs/Disks" or New Commercial Games still supported/for sale.

Why Should I play?
Because it's fun! You get to meet new people, really talk about the game you’re playing, and learn many of it's secrets. It gives you a good reason to play a game you might not know very well. You might even discover a gem you've never heard of before. And it keeps you in touch with the Amiga, even if you only have a little time for it. There are no prizes on offer for winning, but imagine the looks you’ll command from people in the street. That just cannot be measured in money.

When or how often should I post a score?
Readers, visitors and guests are free to post scores on their chosen site whenever they like. You dont have to post all your tries, your best score will do fine. Although we do love to see your other tries in your games high score table (as it helps to prove your scores were not achieved with a trainer), it is not essential to have tried the game before you post a score. You can post as many times during the round as you like. We also try to encourage players to not hold on to their scores (e.g posting last thing on Saturday night), as this leaves less time for others to beat them and is not really very fair or sporting.

I missed a few rounds, should I bother joining in?
Of course you should! It’s all for fun, and not all about the League anyway. If you only fancy playing certain games then dip in when you like. The regular players like to see new people. Besides, everyone had to start at some point, and you’ll really get into it once you start.

I finished last and only scored 1 point. Should I quit?
No way. Over the 14 rounds there are a total of 18 different games played. Plenty of chances to score some points and move up the leader board. Most of all, just enjoy each round as it comes, and after a while those points will stack up. Remember, it's a relaxed friendly league.


Rounds and Format Information

What are Normal Rounds?
What we call a 'Normal' round is where you can only vote for games which have not been played before in the competition. A list of all the games we have played already, and therefore which are not eligible to vote for, is included in the first post of every normal round. Games which were played 7 years (or more) ago may now be eligible again. Please check to make sure your voted games are not on the list.

What are Open Rounds?
Open Rounds are where you are free to vote for any game, even if we have played it before, and as long as the game hasnt been played in the previous season, and is suitable for competition play (see voting rules).

What are Special Rounds?
There are four special rounds over the season. In these we narrow the options for voting, and increase the number of games played in that round to 2 games being chosen in he vote. It makes a nice change of pace, and effectively means double championship points are available in those rounds. The voting thread, and round thread itself, will describe the special rule changes in the first post. So make sure you read it.

What are Themed Rounds? - Updated
In addition to three Open and four Special Rounds, there are three Themed Rounds in the Super League season. In a Themed Round, players can only vote for games in the theme of the round. For example, if the theme was "Golf Games", the eligible games would be golf games. If the theme is "Magazine Reviews in Issue X,Y,Z of Magazine X", the eligible games would be those which were reviewed in those issues of that magazine. If the theme is Year, then only games released in this year can be voted and played. The Moderators select the themes at the start of the season, and players do not get to vote on these.

What are Mystery Rounds?
Lastly, we have two Mystery Rounds - which were added to give some mystery to the competition. For a Mystery Round, a special vote is held two weeks before the regular vote thread is due to start, where players can PM their vote for 2 games which they never played before, or are unfamiliar with. This list of PMd votes will then be made public during the regular vote, and players will then vote for 5 games from the titles on this list.


I still have questions?
No problem. The next post has a more detailed description of the rules. Keep reading.

Dont hesitate to contact a moderator if there is anything here which you dont understand, or if you want us to add something to this general FAQ.

[john4p]

The Super League Rules

This is a longer, more detailed description of the rules for anyone that wants a more precise answer to how things work. It's a lot simpler than it looks.



Super League Season Structure:
The Super League consists of fourteen rounds played across the year over two separate legs.

(2 weeks voting)
Leg 1 = Rounds 1-7 (21 weeks to play)
-
(1 week Summer Break)
-
(2 weeks voting)
Leg 2 = Rounds 8-14 (21 weeks to play)
-
(5 weeks break) - during which time we hold the Knockout Competition.


Each new League season will begin on the second Sunday of January.

Voting for the game we will play in Round 1 will begin 2 weeks before this date. Voting will then occur 2 weeks before each new round is due to start.

Updated - Each round lasts for 3 weeks, and runs from Sunday to Saturday midnight.

Updated - Each round officially starts at 00:01am GMT (Midnight), and ends at 11:59pm GMT three weeks later. Only scores made and submitted during this time frame will count, so please make sure you are aware of any time differences in your country.

At some point on the day in which a new round starts, a thread will appear on Lemon Amiga.com and also on EAB.net, which explains the rules of the round. When these threads are posted, players can then post their scores for the game we are playing.

Rounds are played back to back, with voting taking place alongside in a separate thread (see the voting section).

One game will be played in each round, except for the four special rounds over the course of the year, in which two games are played instead of one. (See the special rounds section a bit later on).

The Summer Break will be three weeks in total: one week with no League games and two weeks to run the next voting. Some people may host bonus rounds during this time, which are not part of the official League Season structure, and players dont get League points for posting on those threads.

At the end of the League year, which usually ends on the last Sunday of November, the player with the most points accumulated overall during the whole season will be named Champion, and the winning Team/website is also crowned. Both are showered in glory and jealousy.

The gap between League seasons will be five weeks over the December and New Year period, during which we hold the Knockout competition. Voting for Round 1 then starts shortly after that, usually in the first week in January. That's the maths of it.



Voting:
Each new Leg will begin with a voting thread for the next round. After this, the voting threads for the next round will be started on the same day as the current round is started, so voting and the rounds run simultaneously. Voting lasts for two weeks.

Anyone can vote during the two-week time frame the vote threads are open for. Newbies, guests and players from other compos are welcome to join in. You dont have to be a regular player, or even have played in the Super League before.

Each voting thread will officially start at 12:01 GMT (NOON) on the Sunday, and ends at 11:59 GMT on the Sunday, two weeks later. Only votes submitted during this time frame will count, so please make sure you are aware of any time differences in your country.

Players should submit their votes to only one website (Lemon or EAB).

To vote, you must choose any five different games you would like to play, and list them in order of preference, with your first choice being at the top, descending to your last choice at the bottom. Please remember to try and choose games that will be suitable for competition play (see below). Each choice is given the following points:

1. 5 points
2. 4 points
3. 3 points
4. 2 points
5. 1 point

As a special bonus for winning the previous round, the winner of of the previous round has double voting power for the next round. (1 = 10 points, 2 = 8 points, 3 = 6 points, 4 = 4 points, 5 = 2 points). However, because the voting for the next round ends before the current round finishes (voting is 2 weeks, the round is 3 weeks), players must place their votes and wait for the current round to end, to see who will have their vote doubled. This leaves the possibility of an unexpected game suddenly coming to the top, based on the winners votes getting doubled. The only exception to this are rounds 1 and 8 which, of course, come after a break, so it will be known in advance who has the double voting power. However, if first place is tied between at least two players in a round, then double voting power will not be awarded.

The game with the most votes will be played. In the event of a tie, the game with the most 5 point votes will win. If it is still tied then the most 4 point votes is looked at and so on.

How you vote depends on the special rules for each round, so please make sure to read all of the posted vote thread carefully, noting any special themes or limitations to the voting process. Please see the Round Themes below, which described each round in detail.

Please choose 5 games which you know are all suitable for competition play. This means they ideally have a score, or some way to score them .Remember that one or even two games will be played over 3 weeks, so pick things that are suitable for that length of time. If unsuitable games are listed, a moderator will tell you and give a reason why. You must then post your full list of choices again, keeping the order the same as your previous votes, but either replacing the unsuitable games with new choices, or better, move all your other choices up, and add new suitable games to the end of your list. If one or more games on a vote list are unsuitable, the moderators will either disregard the whole list, or ask players to chose again, at their discretion. One unsuitable game at the bottom of your list wont change much, but one suitable game followed by 4 unsuitable ones could be seen as vote rigging.

Edited votes can be disallowed at the discretion of the moderators. You cant go back and change your votes after you posted them - so no waking up in a cold sweat weeks later, when you remember the games you should have voted for. You will just have to wait for the next vote. Votes cannot be edited for any reason, so think carefully before you vote. There's a whole two weeks to think. If you must vote tactically, wait until near the end of the vote, to see which games look fanciable.

Data Disks - NEW
Data Disks can be voted for, but not played or included with an original release. If a game has data disks, they will be disregarded. Data Disks must win a vote in order to play them, as they are a separate 'release' to the original game. (For Example, Test Drive 2 course disks, golf course disks)

OCS/ECS and AGA Games
If a game comes in both OCS/ECS and AGA, or has special editions, players must make it clear which version they want to play when voting. If nothing is stated we will always revert to the A500/original versions; as this is most the accessable configuration on real hardware, on both AGA and Non AGA machines.

Bugged/Ineligible Games:
If a game you voted for has a known bug or scoring issue, it may be possible to still vote for it, but please ask a moderator first. Usually, bugged games are discouraged from voting, as are games which are not completable due to bugs. Ineligible games also includes those where we cannot find a way to score it, so for example you cant vote for most RPGs or adventures, unless it has a score system, and even then, a player could beat the game just by looking at a walkthru online. If a vote is found to contain bugged or ineligible games, the moderators will notify the voter before deciding to allow or disregard the submission or vote.

Bugged or unsuitable games (that we know of) include: Marball Madness, Jim Power, and Superfrog. You cannot vote for these.

Note: If a game is found to be unsuitable after the round has already started, the moderators can cancel the game within the first week of play, and run the second most popular vote for the remainder of the round. If a game is found to be unsuitable after this time, then there will be a public discussion on what to do. In an absolute emergency, the moderators will select a quick game to play, in order to recover the round.

Once a game has been played it cannot be voted for again in a regular round. Each voting thread will tell you what games have already been played, or which you cant vote for. There are three open rounds throughout the year where any game can be voted for (see Rounds and Themes, and Season schedule below).

If you are in doubt about a games status, ask in the thread before you vote, or contact a Moderator. It will be sorted out before the end of voting.



Rounds and Themes:
There will be four special rounds played over the course of the year, and this section will give an indication of what they are. We also play Normal and Open rounds, which are slight different. In a special round there are two sets of championship points available. One for each game. Which could lead to a big shake up in the leader board. There are also two Themed Rounds and two Mystery Rounds a detailed below:


Normal Rounds
In a normal round, you can vote for any Amiga game as long as it has not been played before, and is suitable for competition play. A list of all the games which have been played before is available on the voting thread for those rounds. You cannot vote for these. At the end of the year, competition games from 7 seasons ago will 'roll-over' and become available to vote for again the following year.

Open Rounds - Updated
During an open round, you can vote for any Amiga game as long as it is suitable for competition play, and it has not been chosen during the previous season of games.

Special Round 1: Double Open - Updated
This is a special combo for this year, a special round mixed with an open round, where you get to pick any 2 games, as long as they were not played in the previous year, and are suitable for competition play.

Special Round 2: PD Games
When voting, you can only choose games that are listed as either Public Domain, Freeware, Shareware, Licenceware, Coverdisk full games, Promotional, or even hidden games. Basically anything considered non-commercial. The two games with the most votes will be played.

Special Round 3: Alphabet Round
The winner of the previous round will get to choose a letter for this round. Only games beginning with that letter can be voted for, and the top two will be played. Games beginning with 'The' will not be listed under 'T' (eg The Great Giana Sisters is considered beginning with 'G'). Once a letter is used it can't be chosen again until all letters are used, or the alphabet is rolled over.

Already used letters: A, D, E, G, L, M, Q, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

Special Round 4: Never Been Played Pool - New
2 Games must be chose which have never been played in the competition before, based on a pool of games provided by the moderator(s). Only games in that pool can be voted for.

:arrow: Theme Round 1: Magazine Reviews
During the voting for this round, players can only vote for games listed in the magazines chosen for the round by the moderators. A list of all suitable games listed as Reviews, Public Domain or Commercial in those magazines, will be printed on the vote thread. You can ONly vote for these game. Magazine Previews and demos are ignored, as well as re-releases and budget re-releases of commercial titles. Only games officially released that year, and in those pages, count.

:arrow: Theme Round 2: Year Round
The winner of the previous round will get to choose a year between 1987 and 1995. A list of years which have been chosen already are kept by the moderators, and a list of available years will be provided to the winner. Only games originally released in the chosen year can be voted for. The top two games at the end of the vote will be played. Once a year is chosen it can't be used again until the whole list is refreshed every 7 years, whereby all the years will be available again.

:arrow: Theme Round 3: Genres
Each year we change the format of one of the themed rounds. The theme changes are discussed and provided by the moderators. Past themes/genres have included: Beat 'Em Ups, Arcade Conversion, Non-Human Mammals and Film Licences. For 2019 we had chosen Tennis and Golf games, and only those genres can be voted for.


Mystery Rounds
There are two mystery rounds each season, which are the final rounds of each leg. So we play one Mystery Round before the summer break, and one as the final round of the season. The voting for the mystery round will begin at least two weeks before the normal vote, during which time there will be a two week vote asking competition players to select 2 games they ideally dont know, plus one extra choice as a backup in case ether of their choices are unsuitable. Only players who have entered that seasons league will be eligible to vote. The mystery votes must be PMd to one of the moderators during the time frame the vote is open. At the end of two weeks, the list of votes PMd to the mods will be revealed, and these are the only games which can be voted for in the main vote for the round. The winning game will then be chosen from this pool of games as normal, and the player votes for 5 games and rank them 1-5. The game with the most votes will be played in the mystery round.



Scoring:

Players should submit their scores to only one website (Lemon or EAB), making them a part of that 'team'. It is okay to register at the other site and chat though, in fact it is a lot of fun.

This is a worldwide tournament, but for simplicity all times and dates are done using London, UK Time. Please be aware of the time difference. Any scores submitted must have been played and posted during the named time period (see season schedule below). Any scores submitted before or after the round will not be counted.

To post a score, you must take a full-screen screenshot, or a full-screen snapshot, of your score total, making sure the score is readable. This can be during the game itself (pressing the Pause Key can help) or at the point of Game Over - either on the game over screen, the title screen, or on the high score table. This screenshot must then be saved as an image file on a web photo server or cloud, and this must be accessible from a direct URL link on the internet. To post, simply click the image icon in a new post, insert the URL of your image, then press the image icon again to close the code and make it visible.

Images posted to the Lemon Amiga site must be 500 pixels wide or less!! So it helps to resize your images before you upload them. Images which are over this size limit cannot be made smaller on the Lemon site, and must be the correct width before posting, otherwise it will break the forum width and one of the moderators will come along and make your image into a URL, to keep the forum looking nice. Score can be submitted via URL if your images are just too large, and the mods will check to make sure the URL works and links to the score you posted. Thumbnail can also be used to link to score images. On EAB, players can upload images directly to the web site, and have no image size restrictions.

After linking your image, also remember to write your score clearly underneath, or in a position where the mods can easily see it. Marking your score out in Bold can also help. You can also add any chat and tips you wish to share, and players are free to chat on the threads without posting a score. Then hit Submit and your score will be picked up and placed on the leader board in the first post of every round.

For each game played, championship points will be given to all who compete. The championship points are awarded based on your position on the leader board, with the top 7 places gaining a fixed reward, and and 8th place and below get points proportionally to the 7th place's score. This is why the scoring system is known as Super 7 - thanks to competition co-founder Biscuit.



Player Scoring - Championship Points:

The championship points allocation are as follows:

1st = 20 pts
2nd = 17 pts
3rd = 15 pts
4th = 13 pts
5th = 12 pts
6th = 11 pts
7th = 10 pts

For everyone else, if their score is 90% of the 7th place's score or better they get the full 10 points, just like 7th place itself. Or they will get a proportion of points based on how close the score was to 7th. If their score is less than 10% of the 7th place's score, they still get 1 point.

90% or better = 10 pts
80% or better = 9 pts
70% or better = 8 pts
60% or better = 7 pts
50% or better = 6 pts
40% or better = 5 pts
30% or better = 4 pts
20% or better = 3 pts
10% or better = 2 pts
less than 10% = 1 pts

Points will be rounded to the nearest whole number.

For multi-event games, pinball or sports events, or games without a score, a modified scoring system may be used depending on the game. There will still only be one set of championship points given, and details of the scoring system will be put in the opening post of the round thread.

Any special rules (choose X lives, choose Normal mode etc) will be written in bold under the main rules of a round. Extra special rules (such as: Score = X / Y * Z) will also be highlighted, and may be in Red type, to make those stand out. Only scores posted which follow the scoring method of the round will count, so its worth noting any special rules before you start to play in a round.



Team Scoring - Lemon vs EAB:
For each game played, the combined championship points of the top five players from each site will contribute towards a team score. Only the top 5 players in each team will count during that particular round. If more than 5 players in a team enter a round, the remainder wont count towards the team score. If less than 5 players join, then only the championship points from the players who enter will count. For example, if Team A have 1 player, and Team B has 5, then it will be 1 Vs the combined total of the 5. If Team A has 3 players, and Team B has 2, the team score will be based on the combined championship points of 3 players Vs 2 players. The team with the highest combined points will be declared winner of that game, and a Round point given. The site with the most Round points at the end of the year is declared the champion (best of 18 games), or in a case where both teams score the same points, then nobody wins and its a drawn season.

[john4p]

Additional Rules:



No Cheating:
Don't tamper with your score or screenshot by altering the numbers.
No continues are allowed unless otherwise stated in the rounds thread.
No use of trainers, action replay, or any other get-around to make the game easier.
No use of emulator save states (including as a way to practice parts of a game).
No use of passwords to skip levels, each try must start from level 1 (unless otherwise stated) and with the score on Zero.

Auto-fire can be used as long as it is not available as a power up within the game. So for R-Type this is OK, but for Deluxe Galaga this is not ok. Occasionally restrictions will be placed on specific games, such as the banning of autofire, if it is a power-up within the game, and this information might not be printed in the official rules, so if in doubt, always ask before using it.

The spirit of the rules is to play games as they were originally intended, creating a fair playing field between real Amiga users and emulator users. Where possible, this means keeping the speed of gameplay the same for everyone, and giving everyone the same lives and the same chance. It also means players are expected to behave fairly and to report any issues with being able to score loads of points (score milking - see below). Milking can be tolerated under certain conditions, so please report all bugs and issues straight away to a moderator.

Note - Intentionally dying is allowed as long as the player does not collect an extra life while doing so, to infinitely loop a section and get an unlimited score. Using extra lives to strategically gain score (milking) is fine. But if you die, collect another life, die and loop the same level over and over etc - this is score leeching.

Score whoring/leeching/taking advantage of infinite spawning enemies or bugs in a game is seriously not allowed. If you are discovered doing it, you're not going to make any friends, and your score will not be counted.

No training, or use of passwords or trainers within the time-frame of the round, even if they are present in cracks and distributed/linked versions of the game, or accessed by menus/passwords within the game itself, unless an exception is given by the mods to do so. (SOTB2/Worthy).

Players are encouraged to learn about the games by trial and error, although they can watch youtube/player provided/longplay footage to discover some secrets.

The speed which the game plays on your computer must match the play speed on a real Amiga. This is 50FPS on a PAL machine and 60FPS if we are playing an NTSC game. NTSC games can be played in PAL mode and at 50FPS speed; as this was the standard back in the day. Scores/footage made with the games played below 50fps are not acceptable. Scores made with the game speed above 50fps are acceptable. (e.g. Lotus 1/Test Drive 2 -53fps).

If someone is found to be cheating (and fake scores tend to be easy to spot), they will get a ban. It's not worth it, so play fair. This is an honest competition, we’re not playing for money or prizes, simply the honour and glory, and of course the taking part. If someone is found to be cheating, they will be banned from the current round. If they are found cheating again, they will be given a final warning. On the third count of cheating, the player will be banned for the whole season. If they come back and cheat again, they are banned from the competition, period.

IMPORTANT: If you do suspect someone of cheating then please PM a Moderator. It's okay to query a score to understand how they achieved it, but refrain from posting wild accusations in the game threads. Some scores are flukes or rely on luck, or finding secret areas which others have not found. Some players are happy to record them playing the game to prove their scores, and on rare occasions it has been necessary to ask a runaway winner to prove their high score with a video. This is not a rule but it can help to verify the score, and in every case so far, the winner has proved their score was legit with this method. You do not need to record your plays to prove your scores in general.



Unwritten Rules:
Players are encouraged to play the game in one sitting per try. So for example, you are discouraged from pausing the game to take a shower, have a bite to eat, and then unpause the game later. Some games are gruelling, and its this mental concentration which matters, especially if a game is playing for some time. The only exception to this is when exceptional circumstances happen. Like a call of nature, or a call at the door or telephone. When this happens, pausing a high scoring run may be necessary, but often players report crashing out and having to restart anyway. These guidelines are a player agreement to play this way, and you dont have to do this.

Players are encouraged to play with sportmanship. This can mean deciding what is fair and not fair yourself. If you found a hidden cheat in the game, which awarded a quick exit and load of score points, then its a good idea to mention this in your post to ensure everyone knows how you scored it. Players dont have to reveal secrets, but gaining an advantage without reporting it could be seen as unsporting.

Please try not to hold on to scores until the last possible moment, in an effort to make your score unbeatable. This is bad form and not very sporting.



Player Agreements:
In certain circumstances, players may elect to stand by a new rule if the new rule is adopted and agreed by everyone. For example, if the game features a leeching spot, everyone should be informed about this, to avoid this area. Player agreements can happen for all kinds of reasons, and so it helps to follow the threads carefully and keep up to date with the latest news and happenings. If a player is found to be breaking a player agreement, their score may be questioned or discounted, at the moderators discretion. As player agreements are not rules, a player cannot be banned outright for this, as they may not be aware of the agreement.



Extra Rules:
Where possible, the rules for the round must be fixed in place within the first few days of the round. If an additional rule must be added by the moderators, it must be very clearly written and shown as an Update in the First Post. On rare occasions, players who complete a game may report that bonuses affect their score, and in these cases, sometimes there is a change to the rules or the scoring method. The scoring method can also be updated in very close (timed) rounds. The final decision as to what is allowed and not allowed is always the right of the moderators to decide, and they always have the final word.





Season Schedule



2020 (Season XIII)
Rounds start Sundays at 0:01 UK time, and finish Saturdays at 23:59 UK time, on the relevant dates. Make sure you use that 2 minute break wisely.

Leg 1 [Rounds 1-7]
Dec 29 2019 - Jan 11 2020: Round One voting [Special Round 1: Double Open]
Jan 12 - Feb 01: Round One [Special Round 1: Double Open]
Jan 12 - Jan 25: Round Two voting [Theme: Magazine Round]
Feb 02 - Feb 22: Round Two [Theme: Magazine Round]
Feb 02 - Feb 15: Round Three voting
Feb 23 - Mar 14: Round Three
Feb 23 - Mar 07: Round Four voting [Special Round 2: PD Games]
Mar 15 - Apr 04: Round Four [Special Round 2: PD Games]
Mar 15 - Mar 28: Round Five voting [Open Round]
Apr 05 - Apr 25: Round Five [Open Round]
Apr 05 - Apr 18: Round Six voting [Theme 2: Year]
Apr 26 - May 16: Round Six [Theme 2: Year]
Apr 26 - May 09: Round Seven voting [Mystery Round]
May 17 - Jun 06: Round Seven [Mystery Round]

Leg 2 [Rounds 8-14]
Jun 14 - Jun 27: Round Eight voting
Jun 28 - Jul 18: Round Eight
Jun 28 - Jul 11: Round Nine voting [Genre: Fighting Games]
Jul 19 - Aug 08: Round Nine [Genre: Fighting Games]
Jul 19 - Aug 01: Round Ten voting [Special Round 3: Alphabet]
Aug 09 - Aug 29: Round Ten [Special Round 3: Alphabet]
Aug 09 - Aug 22: Round Eleven voting [Open Round]
Aug 30 - Sep 19: Round Eleven [Open Round]
Aug 30 - Sep 12: Round Twelve
Sep 20 - Oct 10: Round Twelve
Sep 20 - Oct 03: Round Thirteen voting [Special Round 4: Never Played Pool]
Oct 11 - Oct 31: Round Thirteen [Special Round 4: Never Played Pool]
Oct 11 - Oct 24: Round Fourteen voting [Mystery Round]
Nov 01 - Nov 21: Round Fourteen [Mystery Round]

It's a Knockout 2020/21
Nov 01 - Nov 14: Voting
Nov 22 - Dec 05: Qualifying Round
(12+ plyrs) Dec 06 - Dec 19: Round One
(12+ plyrs) Dec 20 - Dec 26: Quarter Finals
(12+ plyrs) Dec 27 - Jan 02: Semi Finals
(12+ plyrs) Jan 03 - Jan 09: The Final and 3rd place Play-off
(8 plyrs) Dec 06 - Dec 19: Quarter Finals
(8 plyrs) Dec 20 - Dec 26: Semi Finals
(8 plyrs) Dec 27 - Jan 02: The Final and 3rd place Play-off

Dec 27th: 2020 Super League Voting starts.



You can find out the results of Lemon and EAB's previous seasons here:
Lemon Amiga: 2005 | 2006 | 2007
EAB: 2007
EAB/Lemon Super League: 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019

We hope you enjoy playing in the tournament, and special thanks to VermillioN for first saying those fateful words 'Super League', and to Biscuit for taking the time to type all this up initially, leaving me with the embarrassingly simple task of copying and pasting it here, with a couple of subtle modifications (not forgetting various updates as the years go by).

If you've still got a question you can't find an answer to, post it below and someone will try to answer it for you. Don't be shy, you may have discovered something we all forgot.

If you have any suggestions to improve the season feel free to post your thoughts here. We're open to all new ideas.

(written by Graham Humphrey)

[john4p]

It's a Knockout!


Voting
Duration: 2 weeks

You must vote for five games out of the 18 games played during the previous season, in order of preference, with your top choice being first on the list.

Five games are usually played in the Knockout, not just 1 or 2, so your votes could all go towards the games which go through.

Vote scoring is the same as for the Super League (see above)

Sometimes the way a game is played will be altered to fit better with the shorter round lengths of the Knockout. For instance only playing one pinball table out of four, or only selecting certain levels or modes. This will be highlighted in the voting thread, and voters are asked to nominate any preferences. Such as voting which pinball table to play. If the a game with these options goes through, the votes for these options will be tallied.

The game with the highest votes will be played in the qualifying round. Then the game with the second highest votes is played in Round 1. The third highest is Round 2, the fourth highest is the Semi Final, and the Fifth Highest ranked game will be played for the final. A different game for each round, from the most popular to the least popular, to give some new challenge as we go through.


Qualifying Round
Duration: 2 weeks

This is a free-for-all round, anyone can enter - even if you have never played in the League or even in the competition before. When the round ends, players with the best scores will continue to the next round. How many depends on how many entered the qualifying round.

9-13 entries: the top 8 people qualify
14-17 entries: the top 12 people qualify
18+ entries: the top 16 people qualify

If only 8 people qualify, the tournament skips onto Round 2 - the quarter-finals. A random draw will decide which players face each other, and the quarter-final round will last 2 weeks instead of 1 week. The game selected for the quarter-finals remains the 2nd most popular game chosen from the game vote thread, semi and final are the 3th and 4th placed games, with the least popular game being dropped.

If 12+ people qualify, we play all 5 games all 5 parts of the Knockout.
The top 12 or 16 players then go on to Round 1.
The bottom players are knocked out.

Round 1
Duration: 2 weeks

The qualifying players from the Qualifying round will be seeded into groups, based on their high-score in the last round.

If 12 Players Qualify: Players are split into four seeded groups of three players.
If 16 Players Qualify: Players are split into four seeded groups of four players.

The players with the top four qualifying scores are the top seeds. The next four are second seeds, the next four are third seeds and given we have 16 qualifiers, the last four are fourth seeds.

Random groups are then drawn, with the rule that exactly one first seed, one second seed, one third seed and one fourth seed must be in each group (or just first, second and third seeds if we have only 12 players).

Players compete for the highest score within their group.
The top two players from each group go on to Round 2 / Quarter-finals.
The bottom player(s) are knocked out.


Round 2: Quarter-Finals
Duration: 1 week (unless round one is skipped - see above)

8 players appear in the Quarter finals. The Group winners from Round One will be seeded against a random group runner-up for the quarter-finals. Group winners can only play runners-up from the other groups, not from the same group as Round 1.

As there are 4 winners and 4 runners-up, there will be 4 groups of two players, which means this is a one-on-one round.

From here on it's a straight one on one knockout tree up till the grand final. Including the third place play-off.

Players compete for the highest score within their group.
The top scorer from each group go on to Round 3 / Semi-Finals.
The lower scorers from each group are knocked out.


Round 3: Semi-Finals
Duration: 1 week

The four group winners from Round 2 are randomly paired into two groups of two players.

The players who win their group will go on to Round 4: the Final, so there is a big incentive to win here.

The two runners up in each group will go to the Round 4: 3rd place play-off. This is a separate group to the Finalists, where the two players play the same game but fight for 3rd and 4th place in the knockout.

Players compete for the highest score within their group.
Group winners will play each other in the final, playing for 1st and 2nd.
The lower scorers will play each other in the final, playing for 3rd and 4th.


Round 4: Final and 3rd Place Play-off
Duration: 1 week

The two winners of Round 3 play for the title and the crown of the Knockout Championship. First place in this group wins, 2nd place gets 2nd in the Knockout.

The two runners up in the previous round play for 3rd and 4th, the winner gets 3rd, the runner up gets 4th place.


Additional Bits
For all other rules and info refer to the Super League Rules section.

[john4p]

The Hall Of Fame (Last updated: January 4th 2020, 17:59)


The EAB/Lemon Super League

Winners/Current Standings

2008: 1. john4p - 183 2. Biscuit - 118 3. TodaysForgotten - 114
2009: 1. rexsu - 162 2. john4p - 117 3. Robo-Sparkle - 101
2010: 1. rexsu - 196 2. john4p - 113 3. mailman - 105
2011: 1. john4p - 161 2. capehorn - 153 3. lifeschool - 131
2012: 1. premmisseth - 167 2. Biscuit - 144 3. lifeschool - 129
2013: 1. ED-209 - 147 2. lifeschool - 131 3. capehorn - 118
2014: 1. ED-209 - 293 2. Harry - 197 3. lifeschool - 192
2015: 1. ED-209 - 248 2. ChrisN82 - 200 3. capehorn - 188
2016: 1. ED-209 - 234 2. LinesMachine - 212 3. Joni - 170
2017: 1. john4p - 317 2. liviux76 - 228 3. LinesMachine - 209
2018: 1. rexsu - 296 2. john4p - 232 3. LinesMachine - 217
2019: 1. rexsu - 289 2. john4p - 275 3. malko - 237

Number of competitors

2008: 49, 41 of whom scored points (average 14 competitors per game)
2009: 47, 35 of whom scored points (average 17.2 competitors per game)
2010: 50, 39 of whom scored points (average 14.6 competitors per game)
2011: 48, 42 of whom scored points (average 15.9 competitors per game)
2012: 49, 44 of whom scored points (average 16.6 competitors per game)
2013: 57, 43 of whom scored points (average 18.2 competitors per game)
2014: 38 (average 15.6 competitors per game)
2015: 43 (average 18.1 competitors per game)
2016: 40 (average 16.1 competitors per game)
2017: 37 (average 17.2 competitors per game)
2018: 40 (average 16.8 competitors per game)
2019: 34 (average 12.3 competitors per game)

Most competitors for a single game: 25 (Apidya, R2 2017, Pinball Dreams R1 2018)
Fewest competitors for a single game: 7 (Exile AGA, R10 2019)

EAB vs Lemon

2008: EAB 6 - Lemon 9
2009: EAB 12 - Lemon 3
2010: EAB 15 - Lemon 2
2011: EAB 12 - Lemon 5
2012: EAB 1 - Lemon 16
2013: EAB 12 - Lemon 5
2014: EAB 13 - Lemon 5
2015: EAB 4 - Lemon 14
2016: EAB 9 - Lemon 9
2017: EAB 12 - Lemon 6
2018: EAB 10 - Lemon 8
2019: EAB 12 - Lemon 6

Season wins: EAB 8 - Lemon 3 - Draws 1
Aggregate wins: EAB 118 - Lemon 88

Number of Gold Medals

34: john4p
25: rexsu
16: ED-209
15: capehorn
13: Harry
11: lifeschool, Robo-Sparkle
8: LinesMachine
7: liviux76, malko
6: premmisseth
5: Anakirob, Biscuit, xpect
4: jPV, myk, steef-online
3: Acid, ChrisN82, Graham Humphrey, Lonewolf10, Stimraug, TodaysForgotten, turrican3
2: mailman, Wolfadawn
1: aca0808, akabei, cadaver1210, el_pasi, eMTe, Gildorn, humble worm, JanciB, Joni, Juanma, Loki, maddi, Masterblaster, mihcael, mosfet, off1k, Parpala, peace, Provolik, Rinusch, Shawn Dimery, Simon Humphrey, TheCyberDruid, TroelsDK, yaztromo

Number of Silver Medals

20: john4p
17: ED-209
16: rexsu
11: capehorn, Harry, lifeschool
10: LinesMachine
8: Biscuit
7: jPV, Parpala, TodaysForgotten
6: Robo-Sparkle
5: Lonewolf10, mailman, premmisseth
4: liviux76
3: JanciB, Ze Emulatron
2: Anakirob, Bamiga2002, DamienD, el_pasi, Graham Humphrey, malko, ransom1122, Retroplay, roy bates, TheCyberDruid
1: akabei, arcanist, bbsteal, BlackOceans, blade002, ChrisN82, dirk_the_daring, eMTe, Joni, m.c.t., MikeyG, mipe, modrobert, myk, Nibbler, Predseda, Shatterhand, Shawn Dimery, steef-online, TurricanX, xpect, yaztromo, Ziriax

Number of Bronze Medals

22: john4p
17: lifeschool
14: ED-209, rexsu
13: LinesMachine
11: mailman
10: Harry
8: Biscuit, capehorn
7: jPV
6: Lonewolf10, yaztromo
5: aca0808
3: ChrisN82, Joni, liviux76, mipe, mosfet, Parpala, Robo-Sparkle, Ze Emulatron
2: Anakirob, Gildorn, Graham Humphrey, leathered, Predseda, premmisseth, Shatterhand, TodaysForgotten
1: arcanist, akabei, CHook/OTT, comiga, DJCruicky, dlfrsilver, el_pasi, frikilokooo, JuanMa, judolf, malko, nujack, ppill, Shawn Dimery, Simon Humphrey, Steve, TurricanX, Wayne

Most medals won for a single game: 7 (7 gold medals, Treasure Island Dizzy, R7 2019)


Top ten all-time appearance makers (Maximum 189 games)

1. Graham Humphrey - 166
2. lifeschool - 152
3. LinesMachine - 143
4. mailman - 134
5. john4p - 126
6. capehorn - 124
6. Harry - 124
8. mihcael - 108
9. Biscuit - 98
9. Lonewolf10 - 98


It's a Knockout!

Winners

2008/09: 1. rexsu 2. turrican3 3. ElB
2009/10: 1. jPV 2. rexsu 3. john4p
2010/11: 1. rexsu 2. john4p 3. capehorn
2011/12: 1. john4p 2. Harry 3. Simon Humphrey
2012/13: 1. john4p 2. Harry 3. jPV
2013/14: 1. capehorn 2. premmisseth 3. Harry
2014/15: 1. Harry 2. john1979 3. ChrisN82
2015/16: 1. capehorn 2. jPV 3. Joni
2016/17: 1. capehorn 2. ChrisN82 3. Joni
2017/18: 1. john4p 2. jPV 3. LinesMachine
2018/19: 1. capehorn 2. john4p 3. Parpala
2019/20: 1. Wolfadawn 2. capehorn 3. lifeschool

Number of competitors

2008/09: 21
2009/10: 16
2010/11: 22
2011/12: 29
2012/13: 20
2013/14: 19
2014/15: 17
2015/16: 22
2016/17: 14
2017/18: 19
2018/19: 14
2019/20: 11


Summer Slam Champions:

2019: capehorn