Pinball High Score Contest

Fantastic news! Given how hard public tables are to find in the UK, a trip to the Pinball HoF is a normal part of my DefCon plans!

I assume there no word on which tables? I'm guessing modern-era Stern tables running stock roms, or have they coded up something specific for DefCon?

How far from regular tournament rules are we allowed to drift? Exploiting rules sets is allowed , but I'm assuming you're not going to let hackers go as far as popping the glass, and it's really a normal tournament, but with greater tolerance for intentionally misusing game mechanics?

(and yes, that really has been my hacker handle since the early 90s)

Seriously so excited for this!!!!!!!

I almost always try to drop by PHOF when I am in LV.

I'll be sure to drop by and check out the contest. I'm not a PW by any means!

Hi Everyone,

For years, I’ve led a tradition of taking DEF CON friends and coworkers on a pilgrimage to the Pinball Hall of Fame(PHoF). This year, we are bringing the excitement of pinball directly to DEF CON. This initiative wouldn’t be possible without the incredible support and sponsorship from STERN Pinball!!

I am going to use the forums to post details ahead of the tournament and during the tournament. MikeP505 will also be able to answer questions and post updates/hints about the pinball contest going forward.

I want to get this started with details, facts and tutorials:

FACTS:

1. SANCTIONED IFPA EVENT: This tournament has been sanctioned by the International Flipper Pinball Association(IFPA): https://www.ifpapinball.com/tourname...ew.php?t=81109
   1. About the IFPA : https://www.ifpapinball.com/menu/about/about-the-ifpa/
   2. Your player name or handle and finishing order can be submitted and you will have a world ranking if you wish(this is optional)
2. FORMAT: Top Score to qualify for the main tournament
   1. Some games will be dedicated to the tournament
   2. Other games are there for daily contests or casual play
   3. The Stern Insider Connected mobile app can be used to track your individual progress and collect digital badges. The use of this is optional BUT if you are or think you may become a Pinhead STERN has developed something VERY special and specific to DEF CON that can only be collected through the APP.
   4. The qualified finalist list will be posted Saturday night, Check in for Finals will be 10:00am Sunday. If you do not show up by 10:15 you loose your spot and the next person in line qualifies. Tiebreakers will be played if needed and Finals will begin at 11:00. If you did not qualify but you are close you should show up and you may sneak into the finals.
3. Rulesets: Rulesets are the key to Top scores, and unlocking badges.
   1. Pinball Rulesets are available here: http://tiltforums.com/t/rulesheet-master-list/7230
4. Easter Eggs:
   1. An archive of pinball easter eggs can be found here: https://arcarc.xmission.com/Pinball/...CowsEaster.htm ​
   2. Recent Easter Eggs: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/to...ing-since-2006
5. Pinball Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/@PAPApinball ​​​​​​​​

​

SlamTilt I have a deep appreciation for your handle! It is amazing the number of DEF CON attendees I have connected with at the PHoF over the years! We will not announce the STERN tables in advance and I have a team of volunteers in place to watch them! We will prevent people from doing anything dumb like breaking into a game and making it unavailable for the contest!

As far as the tournament goes it's a normal IFPA rated HIGH SCORE tournament but like all tournaments at DEF CON this one has layers(for example finding an undocumented Easter Egg) or collecting a DEF CON specific Insider Connect badge may be possible....

This is going to be epic, I'll definitely be there. It would be nice to get a list of machines if you have it in advance!

mikko

This is great news! Thanks. I love my pinball and I love my hacking, I even love doing dump things, but the three are probably best not combined. I'd be cool with anywhere between IFPA rules, and a voting-village style "tear it apart and see how it work" thing, but I figured knowing which you had in mind was useful (before I start considering if you could do a bang-back with a high power electro-magnet ;) )

And a massive Thank You for putting this on. I love pinball but tables are becoming very much a rarity in the UK (even the new generation of tables). Out of Sterns recent line-up I think there is only Iron Maiden that I have even a passing familiarity with the rulesheet for!

Could you please explain what are the finals format? Is it the same top score, matchplay or some other format?
BTW, I am a volunteer can I also participate?

emanweb The finals format will be two randomly seeded 4 Player groups playing 3 randomly drawn games with 3,2,1,0 scoring based on finishing order for each game. The top two from each group will advance to the final round! We have some awesome prizes for the winners. If you are signed up to volunteer you are still welcome to play in the tournament and I appreciate all of the help or this event would not be possible!!!

One thing I want to emphasize from a post above is that you should consider downloading the Stern Insider Connected app or register and save your QR code that the app provides into your mobile wallet and use it to track your scores and achievements:

1. The Stern Insider Connected mobile app(or the QR code it generates) can be used to track your individual progress and collect digital badges. The use of this is optional BUT if you are or think you may become a Pinhead STERN has developed something VERY special and specific to DEF CON that can only be collected through the APP.

The personalized experience and achievement tracking is very cool and it makes it easier for us to keep score!

Thanks to everyone that joined us this year for the Pinball High Score Contest at DEF CON! Congratulations to Manny for Winning the Championship and competing while also volunteering in another village!

This event would not have been possible without the sponsorship from Stern Pinball(special thanks to JoeM for helping us to earn the teams TRUST) and the HUGE commitment and support from our volunteer team(MikeP, MikeH, Edan, JoeM, JoeC and J@y)! We also appreciated the partnership with the Social Engineering Community Youth Challenge CTF and the Game Hacking challenge this year!

For those of you that are interested in stats:
-2866 total games were played during qualifying, or 179 per hour over 16 hours(note: all machines were played at all times and never open)
-Our network, infrastructure and games remained up the entire event without failure or denial of service
-268 players earned the DEF CON 32 Digital Badge!
-1 Lucky Champion was crowned and all finalists left with two custom shirts, custom trophy's, a contest poster and lots of swag
-0 NEW Easter Eggs were discovered this year but you can expect more hints and something interesting next year...

Thanks again,

Wick