What I think many people overlook is that Walter's main vision was not to take over the world, or for TG to become some hugely respected, commercially successful global organisation. I believe it was to bring people together and give kids (who are now adults) something to do. Walter and Billy are all about generating some hype and getting people involved in something. Walter is more a humanitarian than an Elon Musk.
Walter Day saw TG as an opportunity to get his name and face in the press, be it magazine articles or local TV news segments. To that end, both him and Musk are very similar. Yes, I agree that TG became larger than Day ever anticipated. But because Day never established TG on a 'solid foundation', and never bothered to make any serious attempt at fixing it, the TG database will forever be tarnished.
As for Mitchell, he clearly enjoys having his name in the press as much as Day did, if not more. The only difference is, I don't think Mitchell sees a difference between good press/bad press.
but we find ourselves in a situation now where people want to question every single score that was ever submitted to Twin Galaxies. And those people who are left over there (the gamers who are now supposedly verifying scores) are eating themselves from the inside out with paranoia and mob mentality, removing old scores and supposedly adjudicating new submissions with very limited understanding or knowledge about the nuances of the classic titles. There are no more refs. No more expertise. The place is toxic and the old guard who had a clue have all left.
There was a concerted effort underway long before Day sold TG to remove questionable scores. The problem is, the person Day put in charge of that task, Robert Mruczek, was cherry-picking which ones. As someone who was a member of TG for 20 years now (and submitted scores both under Day and Jace Hall), trust me when I say TG was much more toxic under Day and his sycophants than it ever was under anyone else. Yes, the refs are gone. The
gamers are the refs now, because they are the experts. That's how it always should have been, not simply those who were close to Day. For a score to be accepted/rejected now, it takes several people to vote on it, not just a single ref, and any questions about a score are posted in plain view for all to see and discuss. Prior to that, any issues were discussed in secret forums, and gamers had
no say in the matter whatsoever.
As for the Missile Command and Super Missile Attack scores you have questions about, join TG if you're not already a member and voice your opinion. Issues like these are in the
gamer's hands now, so speak up.
Regarding legacy scores you have a question about, having those removed at this point will be an issue, because Jace Hall has made it clear any scores prior to his ownership are basically 'grandfathered' in. I ran into that 'brick wall' when I pointed out an issue with one of Mruczek's scores, and despite all the evidence to support removing it, the score remains.
his whole videogame high scores thing should be about fun, getting together and playing some games. Sadly, the internet has killed that vision and potential joy in the high score scene.
No, the internet didn't kill that vision. What's killing it are those involved who care more about themselves and their selfish interests. And regardless of what platform you're using to set high scores, using an emulator will forever be an issue that cannot be solved.
