Super League 2023 Rules, FAQ, & Season Schedule

[lifeschool]

Welcome to the Super League

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

This Post - Quickstart Guide, and The Season Schedule - an Introduction for newbies.
The second post - The Rules in more detail, for every game played.
The third post - The knockout Tournament - held at the end of the year.
The fourth post - In-Depth FAQ - every question we can think of.


Quickstart Guide

Quick FAQ

What is it?
We are an Amiga games league that is run by volunteers on the Lemon Amiga and EAB forums. We play a different Amiga game roughly every three weeks, against each other, and whoever wants to join in.

How do I play?
You can use either a real Amiga or an emulator. Just play the game from start to finish, noting any special scoring rules in the thread, and post a screenshot of your score. Your name will then be placed on the score board. A good introduction to Amiga emulation can be found [ Show youtube player ]. If you need help getting setup, ask in the game thread and someone will answer your question. All the important rules are at the start of each thread and it's very easy to get involved.

What Can We Play?
Games are generally played for high scores. We make every effort to include as many games as possible. Sometimes by creating new scoring methods for games without a traditional high score. Feel free to suggest games that may not have been considered before.

Do I have to play every game?
You can play as many or as few games as you like. A large part of what makes the Super League fun is chatting about the games and having new experiences together. The championship points just add some spice.


Seasons

The Super League consists of 14 rounds. Starting on the second Sunday of January and ending at the start of December. You can see the current schedule further down this thread.


Game Rounds

Rounds begin on Sundays at the start of the day (UK Timezone), although the thread will normally be posted at the earliest convenience during the day.

Most rounds are 3 weeks long. Except for two double rounds, which are 4 weeks long.

One game is played from the voting thread. In a double round, two games are played.

Any game specific rules will be in the first post of each round.

To submit a score, post a screenshot or snapshot image of it, and write the score nearby. Please use a full screenshot.

All scores submitted must have been played/achieved during that round.

(All scores should ideally be posted as 'Score:' followed by the numbers, e.g. Score: 10,456) - TBC


Championship Points

The league uses a Super 7 scoring system.

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

Points for lower positions are determined by the players score compared to the 7th place score.

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

The scores are calculated and stored in an online database created and maintained by Mihcael.

Players that finish the game and post a screenshot as proof will receive a completion star.


The Rules of Play

If you cheat you will get banned. And people won't like you. The Super League largely runs on trust and there is no reason to cheat. Remember, it's just for fun.

Posted scores must have been played during the round with no use of trainers, save-states, passwords or cheats. Using a refresh rate of at least 50Hz (default). No continues unless a game specific exemption is made. No infinite score leeching.

Players can practice however they like.

Auto fire is allowed, unless an agreed exception is made for specific games.

Modern controllers and remapping keys is allowed.

Stay hydrated. Toilet breaks, and breaks in general are encouraged. Most games come with a pause key, use it!

If you suspect someone of cheating please report it to the Super League moderator - lifeschool. Do not make accusations in the game thread.

For any further questions, ask in an active game thread and someone will be happy to help. lifeschool is a good first port of call, otherwise our co-moderators Biscuit and john4p can help you.


Voting

Voting for the next game(s) lasts 2 weeks and ends 1 week before the next round starts. This allows time to decide any game specific rules that may be needed. The only exception to this is round 1 voting takes place directly before the season starts.

- Voting is open until 23:59 (UK Timezone) on the last day. Please be aware of international time differences.

- The previous 44 games played cannot be voted for. A list will be provided.

- Edited votes will not be counted. Only change your vote if a moderator asks you to.

- Vote for up to 5 games and rank them 1 to 5.

Try to choose games that are suitable for competition play. If you want to play a game which has an unfair scoring system due to random elements or re-spawning enemies, ask about it in the voting thread. Everyone can discuss ideas to make a fair way to play it competitively.

If a game comes in ECS and AGA versions, please state your preference in your vote. In the event the versions differ gameplay-wise, the version with most votes will be played. ECS is the default if you don't specify.

Each vote for a game gives it 10 points. The game(s) with the most points will be played.

In the event of a tie, the game with the most 1st place votes will be played. If it is still a tie then the most 2nd place votes will win, and so on. If there is a complete tie there will be a vote off between the tied games.

For very long or multi event games we might decide to only play part of the game. Everyone is welcome to voice an opinion on this in the voting threads so a consensus can be reached before the round starts.

There are numerous themed rounds throughout the season that narrow the choice of games for voting. Some previous themed rounds are Alphabet, Back Catalogue, Coin Op Conversions, Film Licenses, Franchise, Genre, Magazine, Mystery, Never Played, Non Human Mammal Protagonists, Public Domain Games, Sequels and Year.


Rounds and Format Information

Normal Rounds
What we call a 'Normal' round is where you can vote for any five Amiga games as long as they haven't been played in the previous 44 rounds. The winner will be played.

Double Rounds
Double rounds mean the winner of the vote, and also the first runner up game, will be played during the round.

Special Rounds
There are three special rounds played over the season. In these we narrow the options for voting. The voting thread itself will describe the special voting rules.

Themed Rounds
There are three Themed Rounds played over season; during which, players can vote for games under a certain genre or theme. e.g. "Golf Games", "Platformers" etc. If the theme is "Magazine Reviews' then only the elligable games from Magazine X, Issue X,Y and Z can be used. For Year rounds, only games of the chosen year can be voted and played.

Mystery Rounds
Lastly, we have a Mystery Round. A special vote is held two/three 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.

Please contact a moderator if there is anything here which you don't understand, or if you want us to add something to this section.

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The Season Schedule

2023 Super League Season XVI (16)
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 25 - Jan 07: Voting for Round 1
Jan 08 - Jan 28: Round 1 Genre: Shoot 'Em Ups
Jan 08 - Jan 21: Voting for Round 2
Jan 29 - Feb 18: Round 2
Jan 29 - Feb 11: Voting for Round 3
Feb 19 - Mar 11: Round 3: Alphabet
Feb 19 - Mar 4: Voting for Round 4
Mar 12 - Apr 1: Round 4
Mar 12 - Mar 25: Voting for Round 5
Apr 02 - Apr 29: Round 5: Magazine (double)
Apr 09 - Apr 22: Voting for Round 6
Apr 30 - May 20: Round 6
Apr 30 - May 13: Voting for Round 7
May 21 - Jun 10: Round 7: Never Been Played

Jun 11 - Summer Break / Bonus Round

Leg 2 [Rounds 8-14]
Jun 11 - Jun 24: Voting Round 8
Jul 02 - Jul 22: Round 8
Jul 02 - Jul 15: Voting for Round 9
Jul 23 - Aug 12: Round 9: PD Games (double)
Jul 23 - Aug 05: Voting for Round 10
Aug 13 - Sep 02: Round 10
Aug 13 - Aug 26: Voting for Round 11
Sep 03 - Sep 23: Round 11: Year
Sep 03 - Sep 23: Mystery Round Nominations
Sep 03 - Sep 16: Voting for Round 12
Sep 24 - Oct 14: Round 12
Sept 24 - Oct 07: Voting for Round 13
Oct 15 - Nov 11: Round 13: Mystery (double)
Oct 22 - Nov 04: Voting for Round 14
Nov 12 - Dec 02: Round 14

Knockout (5 weeks)
Dec 03 - Dec 16: Knockout Qualifying Round
Dec 17 - Dec 23: Quarter Finals
Dec 24 - Dec 30: Semi-Finals
Dec 31 - Jan 06: Grand Finale

Dec 17 - Winter Bonus Round

[lifeschool]

The 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.

22 weeks - Rounds 1-7
3 weeks - Summer Break
22 weeks - Rounds 8-14
5 weeks - The Knockout Competition
========
52 Weeks
========

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 3 weeks before each new round is due to start; two weeks for voting, and another week to sort out the rules before the round starts.

- Each round normally lasts for 3 weeks, and runs from Sunday to Saturday midnight. Double rounds last 4 weeks.

- Each round officially starts at 00:01am GMT (Midnight), and ends at 11:59pm GMT three weeks later. The moderators may start the round later than planned, at some point during the first day of the new round. 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.

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

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

- 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 don't get League points for playing in 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.

- 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, sometimes in the last week of December.



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 starts, 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 (midnight) on the Sunday, and ends at 11:59 GMT on the Saturday 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 can 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 (1), descending to your last choice at the bottom (5). If you can't think of five games, then any number will do. Please remember to try and choose games that will be suitable for competition play (see below). After the voting closes, the votes are then totalled up, and the results are announced.

Example:
1. Slam Tilt ------------------- 1111334
2. Worms Director's Cut ------ 11123
3. Sensible World of Soccer -- 1235
4. Wonderboy in Monsterland - 125
5. Midnight Resistance --------- 233
6. Gem'X ------------------------- 244

The game with the most first place votes will be played. In the event of a tie, the game with the the most 2 place 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 or 4 weeks, so pick things that are suitable for that length of time. If unsuitable games are listed, a moderator will try to find a way to score them, or tell you why your votes are unsuitable. 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.

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.

Data Disks
Data Disks can be voted for, which are separate from an original release. Normally if a game has data disks, they will be disregarded, but if you vote for the data disk specifically, it will be treated as it's own game. Data Disks must win a vote in order to play them. (Examples, 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 accessible 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 walk-through 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.

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 for 44 rounds. Each voting thread will tell you what games have already been played, or which you cant vote for. (see Rounds and Themes, and Season schedule).

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 several themed and special rounds played over the course of the year, and this section will give an indication of what they are. In a special round, there is a new set of rules to follow when voting. There is also a Mystery Round, details below:

Normal Rounds
In a normal round, you can vote for any Amiga game as long as it has not been played previously in the past 44 rounds, and is suitable for competition play. A list of all the games which have been played already is available on the voting thread for those rounds. You cannot vote for these. Apart from that, a normal round is simply where you can vote and play any game, without special voting rules.

Double Rounds
A Double Round structure can be added to any other round, e.g. double normal rounds, double themed rounds, double mystery etc. During the voting, the top two games will be played. In double rounds, there are two sets of championship points available; one for each game. Double rounds last for 4 weeks instead of just 3.

Special: 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 P.D round is always a double, so the two games with the most votes will be played.

Special: Alphabet Round
The winner of the previous round will get to choose a letter for this round. Only games beginning with that letter can then be voted for. 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. A moderator will contact you if you win the previous round, with a list of possible letters to choose from.

Special: Never Been Played Pool
A pool of games will be provided provided by the moderator(s). This list is based on suitable games which we never played in the competition before. Only games from that pool can be voted for.

Theme Round: 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 in three consecutive issues of a popular Amiga magazine will be included at the top of the voting page. You can only vote for these games. 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.

Theme Round: 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 vailable years will be provided to the winner. Only games originally released in the chosen year can be voted for. 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.

Theme Round : Genre
Each year we change the format of one of the themed rounds. Past themes/genres have included: Beat 'Em Ups, Arcade Conversions, Non-Human Protagonists, Golf and Tennis Games, and Film Licences. The theme is chosen by the moderator(s) before the season begins.

Mystery Rounds
The idea behind the mystery rounds is to vote for games for a mystery pool. Choose up to 3 games you are not very familiar with or have never played and are not well known games. Mystery Round games should ideally have fewer than 75 votes on the Lemon Amiga database, or it may be deemed too well known. Voting for the mystery round pool will begin at least two weeks before the normal vote for that round. 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 secret votes PMd to the mods will be revealed, and these are the only games which can be voted for when the normal voting begins for the mystery round. The winning game(s - if it's a double) will then be played in the round.



Scoring:

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

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 can 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. You can also save your image to the Lemon server, by going to attachments, and uploading your images, then click Paste Inline for each one. To post your score, simply link to your image somehow, and write your score somewhere in your post. 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.

[lifeschool]

Game Playing Rules:

No Cheating:
Please play the game from the beginning each try. You must start from level 1 (unless otherwise stated) and with a score of Zero.
Don't tamper with your score or screenshot by altering them or 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 (see below).
No use of emulator save states (excluding practising parts of a game).
No use of passwords to train or skip levels (see below)

Note - You can use trainers to train, and passwords etc, if you are not intending to post an official score. You can't submit your training scores, as these don't count.

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.

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, giving everyone 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.

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.

Milking. This is a term which means taking advantage of a score taking possibility, but this is ok if the game has got a time limit within it. So with games with respawning enemies, it is ok to milk them because you will lose a life eventually. If the game has no time limit, then this is seen as potentially 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.

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. 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 yet found. Some players are happy to record themselves 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.




Extra Rules:
Where possible, the rules for each 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.


Stay Safe:

Players are encouraged to play the games in one sitting per try, although this is not a rule. Some games are gruelling for a reason, and your mental concentration might be tested while playing it. However, most games and emulators have a pause function, so please use this to take care of interruptions; like a call of nature, a call at the door or telephone. Drink lots of water, and keep yourself hydrated. If you smoke, then sometimes having a smoke break is necessary. These are just guidelines and if you feel pain or discomfort while playing, stop and rest, and consider contacting your doctor if the pain persists. Lemon Amiga is not liable for any incidents undertaken at the participants discretion.


Unwritten Rules:

Players are encouraged to play with sportmanship. This can mean deciding what is fair and not fair yourself. If you found a hidden bonus in the game, which awarded a quick exit or a huge increase 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.

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[lifeschool]

The Knockout!

The Knockout takes place after the Super League season has ended.

It consists of 4 rounds over a total of 5 weeks. Players who enter should be prepared to play in every round, in case they are able to reach the final.

Voting lasts 2 weeks and ends 1 week before the beginning of the tournament. You vote as normal from the games that were played in the preceding Super League season. The top 4 games are played. The game with the most votes is played in the first round, the second most popular in round 2, and so on.

Due to the shorter length of the rounds, sometimes the way a game is played is altered to be quicker.

The rounds are as follows:

Qualifying (2 weeks)
Open to anyone that would like to take part. A fixed number of players advance from the qualifying round based on how many players took part.

10+ players enter = 9 players qualify for round 1, split into three groups of three
14+ players enter = 12 players qualify for round 1, split into three groups of four
17+ players enter = 15 players qualify for round 1, split into three groups of five

If you dont reach the top 9, 12 or 15 players, you will be put in a drop zone. All players in the drop zone will be eliminated from the Knockout once the round is over.


Round 1: Quarter Final (1 week)
The top players from Qualifying are seeded into three evenly sized groups. The seeding method can be fixed or random and is at the moderators discretion.

The top two players in each group will advance to Round 2. The lowest scoring players in each group will be eliminated.


Round 2:Semi Final (1 week)
The top six players from round 1 are seeded and randomly paired off into three head-to-head, player-vs-player matches. Group winners of round 1 must face a runner up from a different group in round 2.

The three winners of each pairing will enter the final. The losers will be eliminated.


Grand Final (1 week)
This is a triple match, where all three players compete for the final podium positions. The winner will take the Knockout win, second will take silver, third will take bronze.


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[lifeschool]

Information, History and Competition FAQ


History of the Super League

After the success of the games competition on the Lemon64 forum in 2003, the same idea came to Lemon Amiga. Beginning in March 2005, organised by The Dark Prince, games were played roughly once a month with no specific schedule. 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. This Lemon Amiga Compo continued for three years, later run by mihcael from September 2006, and then Biscuit from July 2007.

In May 2007, Graham Humphrey started the EAB Games League on the English Amiga Board. It ran a new game every three weeks, playing a total of 10 that year. While there were two competitions happening at the same time numerous players took part in both. Particularly when the two forums coincidentally played Project-X at the same time.

Spurred on by the cross over of the competitions, a discussion about joining them together began in August 2007 and soon after was agreed by the players. It was a player, VermillioN (later known as ED-209), who first uttered the name Super League. VermilloN posted this message. From here the Super League was born. The moderators Biscuit, Graham Humphrey, and mihcael designed the first season.

The Super League began in January 2008 with a line up of 15 games over three legs. The original format introduced three special rounds where two games were played and the voting narrowed by categories such as public domain games, year, and alphabet. In August 2013 Biscuit stepped down from moderating on Lemon Amiga, leaving mihcael and Graham Humphrey to take over duties until March 2014, when lifeschool became the latest addition to the mod team.

Over time a lot of small changes were made. The number of legs was reduced to two. An online scoring application was made by mihcael for the 2014 season. The championship points system changed in 2014 and again in 2018. 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. Open rounds were introduced but later discontinued. From 2016 lifeschool created a variety of additional themed rounds including magazine, mystery and genre. Graham Humphrey stepped down at the end of the 2017 season. Lifeschool then became the lead mod, with john4p moderating EAB from 2018-2019. The Lemon Vs EAB team battle ended after the 2020 season, and now we all play as one league.

After running the Super League with assistance from john4p in 2020, lifeschool announced he was handing over to Biscuit again for the 2021-2022 seasons. Biscuit attracted a lot more players, and thinned down the rules considerably. Biscuit stepped down at the end of 2022, and lifeschool and john4p resumed as main moderators.



Competition FAQ

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. Take a screenshot (or photo) of your highscore and post it in the game thread, along with the score written somewhere too. You can use the attachments function to upload and paste images inline.

Where do I post my screenshot, Lemon or EAB?
It's best to only post your scores on either Lemon or EAB to save things getting confusing for the mods.

Can I post videos instead of screenshots?
YES, and some players like to do this. Please try to ensure footage is smooth (25fps at least) and the game/score is clear to see. Encase your Youtube URL inside ['Youtube'] ['/Youtube'] code.

Where can I get ROMs for this competition?
If you mean Kickstart ROMs, these can be bought inside Cloanto's Amiga Forever Package.

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.

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. An IPF is a perfect clone of the original game, and needs a special DLL library to run.

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 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 esteemed looks you’ll command from people in the street.

When or how often should I post a score?
Anyone is 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 well. You can post as many times during the round as you like.

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.

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. Remember, it's a relaxed friendly league.

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