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The Standoff Simulator Scoreboard allows players to submit their high scores for inclusion in an automated global ranking system.
The first thing you need is a Crius.net CIC Forums username. If you don't already have one, register here. It's free, safe and allows you to easily participate in CIC Forums discussions pertaining to all things Wing Commander. Your sim scores are tied to your unique Crius identity.
Standoff Episode 3 and later supports stat submission to the scoreboard. If you are starting from scratch, install Wing Commander Secret Ops and then Standoff. Available packages include an upgrade for fans currently playing Episodes 2 and a complete 1-3 bundle.
You will then need to configure Standoff to send your scores. Start Standoff's Launcher and click on the "Options" button. Check the "Send sim missions scores to the CIC" box, and type your Crius.net username in the textbox below.
You're all set! If you are connected to the internet when you play a sim mission, the score will be automatically sent when the mission ends or when you die/eject. It will NOT be sent if you manually quit the mission (or the game).
Also note that the simulator is not accessible within the boundaries of Episode 1. You will have to play several missions into the game to access it. At this time, only the first two sim missions (the Kilrathi and Confed gauntlets) send scores to the CIC. The remaining missions will gradually be modified to send scores over the course of the remaining two episodic releases.
| How The Scoring System Works |
The scoring system has been made to account for the difficulty setting of the game. The standard score is 10 points per kill on rookie level and increases by 10 for every difficulty level, up to 50 on nightmare level. Three ships are handicapped from that standard score, though. The Crossbow and Broadsword, since they do not have afterburners, are given a 20% bonus for each difficulty setting over rookie (cumulative). The powerful Wraith, on the other hand, has a 25% score penalty in all difficulty levels.
Whenever you kill an enemy within ten seconds of your last kill, you get a quick kill bonus which is equal to the score you get for one kill. This bonus is cumulative, meaning that if you then kill another fighter within 10 seconds of your second kill, you will get two quick kill bonuses. So this effectively awards you triple the normal kill score. In the gauntlet missions, the later waves will give you the opportunity to build up very profitable kill chains - in theory, maintaining a quick kill chain all through wave 15, for example, would allow you to get fifteen times the normal kill score for the final kill in that wave. Failing to get another kill within 10 seconds of the last one breaks the chain, and you have to start over. When you do chain up a quick kill, the in-flight computer will announce "Quick Kill!"
The boards are broken down three ways. The main index displays the high score for each mission by fighter type. Links on the left menu also point to mission scoreboards ranked by pilot. Each individual fighter has its own stats detailed below that. Pilots also have a personal accomplishments page. Add your Crius ID number to the end of this URL to display it: http://www.wcnews.com/standoffscores/pilot.php?id=
| Frequently Asked Questions/Troubleshooting |
- Q. How do I enable more flyable ships in the simulator?
- A. In the simulator ship selection screen, type in alswantsmoreships, then press "Z" to switch back and forth between the two ship sets.
- Q. My high score doesn't get uploaded to the CIC.
- A. Check if you have entered your correct Crius.net user name and that the option "Send sim mission scores to the CIC" is enabled in the options menu. Also make sure that your firewall is configured to allow Standoff to connect to the web. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you manually quit a mission (through the options menu), your score will not be sent to the CIC, even though it will appear on the game's internal scoreboard. Finally, the scores are only sent if no cheats or invulnerability have been used ('alswantsmoreships' is allowed, obviously) and the game files haven't been tampered with (so be sure to use an unmodded Standoff). Don't forget that only the first two missions transmit scores at this time, and the scoreboard is updated every five minutes.
- Q. I just installed Standoff for the first time. How do I skip ahead to the simulator?
- A. Playing through the course of the game normally is strongly encouraged, and Episode 1 is not excessive in length. The simulator becomes available in Episode 2. If you'd like to cut to the chase, hold down shift and type in the word shoehorn to cheat. Control+F12 will destroy enemy ships, and this should speed you through to the sim in minutes. Don't make a habit of it though. If you engage the cheat in the simulator, your scores will not count on the board!
- Q. I just tried the Wraith, and I only got 7 points per kill on rookie, not 10!
- A. Yep. The Wraith is quite simply the best ship available in the game. Even in the hands of a below-average pilot, finishing a sim mission in the Wraith is usually a breeze. So the Wraith gets a 25% score penalty on all difficulty level. In other words, you can choose to fly a super-ship if you want things to be easy... but you'll still have to work hard to get a high score. :)
- Q. Do any other ships get penalties or bonuses?
- A. Yep, but only two. The Crossbow and Broadsword have no afterburners, which makes it extremely difficult to get quick kill bonuses. To offset this, they receive a progressive bonus. The bonus is 0% for rookie, but increases by 20% for every difficulty level, so a Crossbow on nightmare will get 80% more points than other fighters.
- Q. What about the Tarsus? It sucks so bad, why doesn't it receive a bonus?
- A. Well, sure, we could add bonuses or penalties to every ship if we wanted to. But this would get confusing very quickly and ultimately spoil the fun - we all know a Ferret is technically inferior to the Rapier, but the challenge is to prove that you're a better pilot by beating everyone's Rapier scores in a Ferret despite this. :) The Wraith and the afterburner-less ships were somewhat different than the rest of the fighters, so we felt they deserved special treatment - but no other ships do. And yes, the Tarsus does suck - it's really something of an easter egg ship anyway. Nobody's forcing you to fly it. :)
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