User talk:SamRosenfeld/Countdown to 99/Season 1

This is an archive of the Countdown to 99 related discussion that took place during the first season of Countdown to 99. The current discussion can be found here.

Pre Season 1
I added the links to the highscores (with Template:Hs) for you. Hope you don't mind. 22:35, 27 March 2009 (UTC)

Thank you very much. I will not change it just yet but I think it was better to link to the player's particular rank in a score instead because then it will be easier to collect their levels. SamRosenfeld 00:55, 29 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Thats a good idea. I suggested it on the template's talk page (since its perm protected) for that ability to be added. In the mean time we'll have to mess around with links =/ lol. 16:44, 29 March 2009 (UTC)

Next week is passover so the levels will be recorded on Wednesday afternoon. I apologize for the inconvenience. I would rather record the levels myself at that time than someone else record them for me. Also, can someone please change the colour of InstantWinston's losing "53" to red? This week was an amazing week! I would like to congratulate this week's top five highest level players, Hammer2092, Amaurice, Battlecity0, Gaz Lloyd, and Mercifull for each gaining at least one level even though it was not necessary. I would especially like to congratulate Amaurice who gained approximately one million mining experience in only a week? Amaurice, what are you mining and what is your experience per hour? I regret to inform you that this week's loser was also the second lowest level and is reported to be quitting. He will be missed. SamRosenfeld 22:15, 3 April 2009 (UTC)

How often does this countdown run? Competition is such a good motivator. :) --nekobawt 22:21, 3 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I could have gotten more levels this week but I decided to save them for the next one hehe. -- 22:50, 3 April 2009 (UTC)
 * You mentioned taking levels on wednesday. Does that mean this week is a shorter one while the week after will be longer? -- 21:43, 4 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Indeed! SamRosenfeld 04:21, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Cool. I've already got some levels this week to stay in the compo and the extra few days will help me to gain at least 1 level the week after :) -- 12:11, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

If some of the competitors don't gain a level this week do you compare total xp earned? I know I can't get to 92 str by Wednesday. Maybe within 100k of 92. 13:07, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
 * It depends on your level. As long as someone lower level then you doesn't gain a level as well, they will be out and not you. You're the highest level at the moment, so you should be okay (unless everyone else gains a level, of course). 13:15, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

I started playing World of Warcraft recently so I do not think I will be playing Runescape again for a while but I am still happy to maintain Countdown to 99. I always thought that Runescape would be better than World of Warcraft because I expected Runescape to have better quests and be more complex because it has 24 skills. I also thought I liked the grind. When I play Runescape, I am sitting in my room. When I play World of Warcraft, I am actually in the game. The world is humongous. World of Warcraft is at least a hundred times the size of Runescape, no exaggeration. I have only left Runescape for a while. I will probably be back. Can someone please delete User:SamRosenfeld/Countdown_to_99/Signup? I have added a green background to signify gains of more than one level. SamRosenfeld 22:34, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
 * You'll be back lol. WoW is too much like work you can't really just chill there especially knowing that it costs so much to play.

One off Costs: $19.99 - World of Warcraft base $29.97 - Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack $19.97 - Burning Crusade Expansion Pack

Monthly fees: $15.00 - Monthly membership (compulsory)

Total year 1: $249.93

Total per year after: $180

RuneScape comparison: $66.96 a year (optional, can play f2p)


 * The game is also riddled with cheaters and real world traders. See you on RuneScape next week :P -- 08:02, 9 April 2009 (UTC)
 * It's going to be a struggle for me but I think I might just be able to gain a level in week 3 and week 4 so I'm pretty sure I will make it to week 5 (provided my internet connection doesnt die). Unfortunatly from there on in I might have to rely on the other people doing rubbish to save me lol and I don't think I'm going to be able to get the neccesery charms to be able to gain any more levels in the week time frame. Good luck to everyone in the competition and keep trying for those levels. It's a little sad that there are still some people that haven't gained a single level yet. 41-42 prayer is only 17 dragon bones on a gilded altar! - 08:13, 9 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Since this week ended early I should get 93 strength for the next check in. But, after that based on my xp per hour and weekly time on RS, I won't be able to gain a strength level each week. More like 1 level every 2 weeks. Good luck with the charms. 16:01, 9 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I congratulate the both of you, Merciful and Hammer - I barely have enough charms to get to 70, and I'm 68 now! And melee combat skills take a lifetime to raise at higher levels. I'm not finding this too bad, but then again, I'm doing firemaking, a quick and buyable skill. 12k logs left til 92 (depending on play time, I could do that next week, buut probably won't, as I have a ton of homework to get through). P.S. Sam, since the signup page is now deleted, I removed the redlink. 20:38, 9 April 2009 (UTC)

Thank you to whoever deleted the signup page. You did not remove the red link Gaz Lloyd; I did that just now; but thank you for trying. I do not want to help any of you move from Runescape to World of Warcraft as I believe you are all experienced intelligent players and Runescape can use all of the intelligent players it can get, but Mercifull: to your statement but World of Warcraft being too much like work, I see what you are saying but I think that statement applies to Runescape and not to World of Warcraft. My understanding of why you believe that World of Warcraft is all work is that you believe you Runescape gives you more opportunities to take breaks with the large varieties of minigames and such. I must admit that I am not a big fan of minigames. I have played Fist of Guthix, Barbarian Assault, Castle Wars, Pest Control, Clan Wars, and Bounty Hunter and of the above, I found that only Barbarian Assault has useful rewards that I like, and only Castle Wars is fun. I instead find myself doing a lot of grinding such as with Countdown to 99. If anything is work, surely grinding is work, making yourself repeat the same boring activity over and over again. I am willing to debate any other arguments you may have but I will not do so in an attempt to convince you to play World of Warcraft but rather to defend why I play it. By the way, my trial ends on Tuesday and I do not intend on subscribing to it because I am very busy with school. And also, but my not training prayer from level 41 to 42, I am not a member and I am training prayer weirdly. I do not want any combat experience and I am not currently a member so I do not want to waste money buying bones and then burying them instead of burning them at an alter. I therefore pick up bones in the goblin house but to not kill any goblins myself which would have made the actual amount of time that it would have taken me to get from level 41 to 42 about two hours and I figured, why spend two hours training prayer in a very inefficient way when I could spend those two hours playing World of Warcraft and get level 42 prayer in five minutes as a member later. Enjoy the rest of your week. SamRosenfeld 01:30, 12 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I meant the red link that was in your last message on this page (didn't think to look on the other page). As for WoW - whatever you find fun. Everyone finds something else that they enjoy - for example I love slayer, however my RL friend hates it and prefers fishing, which I cannot bear for long periods. Although to break up grinding (e.g. what I'm doing now with FM) I find regular breaks to do something else (both in- and out-of game) helps, and while grinding entering a good clan chat (personally the wiki's official one (R S Wikia) is awesome). Downside of that is my exp rate takes a hit (as FM is a very clicky skill, and I cant click and type at the same time), however my enjoyment of it increases a lot more. 17:33, 12 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Wow it's seeming like an absolute age until the next stat log on Friday. I'm only 16k exp away from a level but i've been holding it off until after the records are checked and updated on this page so I can guarantee another week in the competition lol. -- 08:33, 15 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Same here, =/. I've been 1k exp to 80 Woodcutting for almost half a week now. Friday is coming rather slowly.... 12:16, 15 April 2009 (UTC)


 * You won't have to worry for a while. Stink is not training RC, he confirmed that on clan chat this week. Aburnett I have to imagine is out based on his userpage. So we have at least 2 more weeks of taken it easy. Then the real competition begins. I got 300k to go until 93 strength. Not to so slow for me. 14:48, 15 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I think strikefox is also not training. He has not gained a level since the start.  SamRosenfeld 01:40, 17 April 2009 (UTC)

This week leaves me with mixed feelings about how the competition is going. On one hand, Amaurice and Gaz Lloyd have been gaining more than one level each week, and Amaurice is doing one of the slower skills: mining. They have both gained more than a million experience this week. Would each of you be kind enough to post your experience per hour rates? I know Gaz Lloyd's experience per hour rate will probably be much higher than Amaurice but firemaking is hard to train too, there is a lot of clicking involved and it can be expensive. The week has not been all good though. This week was longer than usual but still four people did not gain any levels. In fact, three of those people have not gained a single level throughout the competition. Although this competition has already lasted three weeks, things do not get interesting until we get closer to the end. One little piece of advice: So far, Amaurice and Hammer2092 have reached level 92. The winner of this competition must make it half way to 99. This means that they must have 6,517,215 experience by the end of the competition. Some of you are using strategy and only gaining one level a week to stay in but make sure you reach this amount of experience by the end. There are five more weeks left. Most of you will be fine if you keep up your one level a week but Calebchiam, you might want to consider two levels a week. Feel free to comment on how you feel about the new rule. Have a good weekend! SamRosenfeld 22:12, 17 April 2009 (UTC)


 * My experience average rate is about 45k per hour. That includes the time I play Stealing Creation to get the Sacred clay pickaxes that I'm using during mining. 00:14, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * You could have mentioned the Level 92 skill rule sooner. You ruined my plans =/. 13:34, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I get a good 130k/hr, but I often break to do other things (Troll Stronghold herb patch, buying more magpie pouches, penguins and other DnDs, etc), but if I concentrate (and don't enter R S Wikia) I can hit 165k/hr. I burn maples. I'll hit 92 firemaking today (prior to the Wikifest hopfully), and then may or maynot gain another level by the end of the competition, since I'll be woodcutting with my shiny new adze. Good luck everyone else though! 16:01, 18 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Sorry about that Calebchiam. I did not decide that rule until after the competition already begun.  I would have announced it from the beginning.  I was originally planning on making it a surprise that I would not disclose until after the last round but I think more experience will be gained now then would have been gained previously.  SamRosenfeld 01:08, 19 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Were you referring to me when you said about people playing tactically by only gaining one level a week? Perhaps if you were a higher level you would realise how difficult Summoning is as a skill to raise, as i'm sure amaurice will attest to. If I gained 50 crimson charms an hour and crafted them into pouches that would get me 18k exp per hour. I need over 550k exp to reach level 91... not exactly fast is it? I am trying my best to stay in the competition and challenging myself to get as many levels as I can.


 * It's also a shame none of us knew about the 92 rule before the start of the competition. Calebchiam is going to find it very difficult to reach that now. I cross my fingers I can reach 92 but 3,127 Crimson charms is going to take a little while to collect. -- 09:06, 20 April 2009 (UTC)


 * If I had let it continue as it was going it would not have been fair and Calebchiam would have one. Calebchiam would have gained five levels in the last round and won easily.  He also would not really have been training for 99 if he was not try his hardest.  It is not about winning but about getting as close to level 99 as possible.  I have nothing against Calebchiam and I still think there is a good chance that he will win but it would not have been fair if I had not changed it.  By the way, I would like to point, although you are all winners for trying this and gaining a lot of experience blah blah blah, I think I should point out that there will be one official winner, not two official winners.  Two people will be eliminated in the final round.  Happy training!  SamRosenfeld 21:07, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Here is my take on the outcome. I will most likely be eliminated by May 15th or sooner. I will get 93 for this Friday and stay at 93 for the May 1st check in. Most likely this friday we will lose Strikefox. The on the May 1st most likely we will lose Aburnett001. Then on the 8th of May it will be Battlecity or me to be eliminated. If I manage to get 94 that week I would survive one more week. But, that will be it for me. I have enough RL life commitments; a wife and kids to be exact. I get to play around 10-11 hours per week. 94 to 95 is 827k xp, at 50k an hour i will get at the most 500k per week. I usually get bored and need to do other things so my guess about 350k a week for me is max. So I would not be able to make the 94 to 95 jump even in 2 weeks. Thus leaving most likely Amaurice, Calebchiam, Gaz Lloyd, and Merciful to finish out the final battle. Regardless of the 92 rule Calebchiam will make it very close to the end. Good Luck all and enjoy training your brains out. LOL 15:51, 21 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I think you are underestimating yourself. I do not expect Battlecity 0 to gain any levels and if you get close to a level that week but do not gain one, then I think there is a decent chance that you would beat Mercifull the week after that.  I am excited to see the final battle but it is not for another four weeks!  I think it will be between Calebchiam, Amaurice, and Gaz Lloyd.  SamRosenfeld 01:08, 22 April 2009 (UTC)

This week leaves an amazing surprise. After four weeks, Strikefox, my friend from real life who does not even know this Countdown exists, gained a level! If he had not gained a level, he would have lost. Instead, it is over for Aburnett001. Now, because of him, everyone left in the competition had gained at least one level since the start of the competition. All seven of you. There are five more weeks of school and five more weeks of Countdown to 99. I think Amaurice might actually make it to 99. A little piece of advice for him: you can win even if you get to level 99 on the second to last week. This statement is true for everyone and how it is true will be released at that time. Happy training! SamRosenfeld 22:14, 24 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Lol one level is better than nothing. I have been very disappointed by most of the people in this competition. On one hand these are a small handful of us really trying hard to gain levels in some of the hardest skills while others are struggling to go up even one level (and they aren’t even high ones). I have managed to get to 91 Summoning so I should be safe from eliminations next week (unless Battlecity0 or Strikefox gain 2 levels, which would really p--s me off lol) but I think things are going to get exciting from next week onwards. I am going to try to get to 92 by 8th May but I have got some real life commitments coming up which will limit the time I have online to collect charms. My predictions for next week will be Strikefox going out for gaining 0 levels, after only gaining 1 levels in 5 weeks I have doubts he will gain another between now and Friday. The week after I predict that Battlecity0 will go. HP isn’t an easy skill to train (I should know I recently got 99 in it lol) and I have doubts he will be able to get 498k exp in the time frame. This would leave the following in the final 2 weeks: Caleb, Me, Amaurice, Hammer and Gaz. I do not expect to gain any more levels after 92 in time for the check-in so I would expect to go out here (unless Caleb fails to gain a level). My prediction for the winner will be Amaurice. --
 * It's hard to predict what Strikefox will do. I don't think he trained at all before last week; but then again, I have not started watching the experience numbers yet...SamRosenfeld 20:55, 27 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I think Amaurice is going to win this. Easily. I doubt that I'll make it to 92 in time, in spite of the fact that I've switched from cutting yews to cutting willows. I think Strikefox is going to get kicked out this week (unless he miraculously gains another level). 10:09, 28 April 2009 (UTC)
 * You are right, It's a pretty safe bet that Amaurice will win. It is an incredible achievement to get so close to 99 in so short a time. I will definitely be using his method when/if I ever choose to reach that goal also. I already have a stockpile of almost 500 lava titans which I am more than happy to use on mining. It will, however, have to wait as I am fixed on attaining my summoning goal of 99 by the end of the year. -- 11:55, 28 April 2009 (UTC)

I am so sorry I forgot to update the levels this week. I kept reminding myself, I have to update the levels, I have to update the levels, but I forgot. Thank you very much Hammer2092 and Calebchiam for taking care of it. Something weird happened to the signup list. Neither Hammer2092 not Calebchiam is responsible and I cannot find the problem in the code. I think aburnett's signature may end in code that effects the anything after it. Can someone take a look at it? This week, amaurice lost is green streak, but is it amazing that he kept it up for so long. I would like to congratulate him. Battlecity gained another level, but next week will be his true test. I expect everyone to gain a level next week, we have gotten far enough into the competition that it should be interesting from now on. With only four weeks left, we are more than half way through, but that does not mean that we have gained more than half of the experience that this season will bring. Happy training! SamRosenfeld 01:33, 3 May 2009 (UTC)

Thank you to Gaz Lloyd for handling the Pippen 002 situation. SamRosenfeld 20:59, 4 May 2009 (UTC)

Week 6
Sorry for the new section, I couldn't save the page O.O

I fixed the issue with Aburnett's signature (there were extra linebreaks at the end of the code). Congrats to everyone who got a level, I might actually get one this week. Though the weeks after I doubt it, I have exams coming up.

Anytime, I'm here to help =D 22:54, 4 May 2009 (UTC)
 * What time do the readings get done on the Friday? It's going to be a close call for me to get 92 in time for check-in if it's early on during the day as I will be at work for most of it. I looked at the revision history and it appears to be about 10pm my time which should be ok for me (provided I don't end up down the pub instead).


 * If I don't manage to gain a level in time then the only person that can knock me out will be Battlecity0 if he makes it to 90 HP. I will be following his progress very closely ensuring that I manage to beat him in time.-- 08:32, 6 May 2009 (UTC)


 * I think you might be okay for this week Mercifull. Battlecity0 is currently only 24% of the way to level 90 (from level 89), so I don't think he will be gaining a level this week. 09:58, 6 May 2009 (UTC)
 * In that case I'm tempted to play it tactically and save my level until next week lol. I don't like seeing yellow though so I'd rather go out standing proud than stay in another week on the back of someone else -- 18:18, 6 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Go to the pub. I am 150k away from 94 and would have to stay up tonight more than I would care to. Like go to work tomorrow on 5hrs sleep. LOL. I will save getting to 94 for Friday night, after 10pm EST. 15:57, 7 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Well I'm not going to the pub now. I gotta be a taxi for the other, some might say better, half of Mercifull for her "girlie night" lol. I'm now just over 30k til next level and should get that when I do penguins tomorrow. I think i'd rather gain a level this week and go though on a high into next week than not gain a level until next week and then still go out anyway. -- 21:22, 7 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Did I make it in time? lol-- 21:26, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

Battlecity0 is out as I predicted. Now it will truly be interesting until the end. It appears as if Mercifull is doomed; I trust that Amaurice will gain one level until the end, and Hammer2092 and Gaz Lloyd are both close to leveling. Mercifull's only chance would require her to gain a level and Calebchiam to fail to gain two levels. I am disappointed that it appears as if Calebchiam won's make the comeback. I understand you have real world commitments but compared to everyone else, I think you should be able to gain the levels. Good luck! SamRosenfeld 22:13, 8 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Did I gain a spoke on a chromosome in my last post converting it from a Y into an X? I'm a bloke. :P Doomed is quite a harsh statement to make too, despite the struggles I've managed to gain at least a level each week (one of only three people to do so). Don't count me out just yet. I'm gonna try. -- 22:32, 8 May 2009 (UTC)
 * SamRosenfeld, unlike most of the competitors here, I have school/homework/co-curricular activites/projects/exams to occupy my time. Believe me, if it was the holidays, I'd be gaining 3-5 levels a week. It's not as easy as you think. 06:46, 9 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Calebchiam, I know. I also have those commitments and I am a very big hypocrite for failing to get from level 42 to level 43 in one week.  I was just comparing you to everyone else who has made it this far.  Hopefully you won't have a lot of school work over Memorial Day Weekend.  Okay Mercifull, surprise me.  I would advice you to watch Gaz Lloyd's level of experience, if both of you are the same level next week and Calebchiam gains more levels than you, who ever has less experience will be out.  In this stage of the game, there is no obvious person to expect to lose.  You have all gotten far and I will not enjoy saying goodbye to whoever loses next week even though sign up for season two is only three weeks away.  Is there a way to access pages that were previously deleted?  I will need to recreate the sign up page.  I will not go for my serious 99 skill until the fall.  Good luck! SamRosenfeld 01:57, 10 May 2009 (UTC)


 * I could restore the deleted pages if you want. 07:31, 10 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Thank you. I will tell you when.  I just realized that you are an administrator, lol.  By the way, does the word lol fall under the category of leet speak and is it allowed to be used?  I think it conveys something different from the common "haha" and that laugh out loud just sounds stupid spelled out. SamRosenfeld 13:23, 10 May 2009 (UTC)


 * "Lol" doesn't fall under leetspeak. L3375P34|< 15 50/\/\37|-|1|\|9 L1|<3 7|-|15 aka Leetspeak is something like this. 13:30, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

Looks like everyone has gained a level except Mercifull. Mercifull is roughly 700,000 experience from 93 which should take a while. If he happens to gain a level, I'll have make a mad dash for 86 Woodcutting. 08:45, 11 May 2009 (UTC)
 * What do you mean "except Mercifull"? I DID gain a level, It was Hammer, Gaz and Battlecity that didn't gain :S. Anyway... I am exactly 677,390 exp away from 93 which equates to 1,673 Wolpertingers. I currently have about 625 Crimson charms which means I'd need to get 209 a day which unfortunately isn't going to happen. I was at the Radio One's Big Weekend music festival this weekend so didn't get on Runescape to kill Bork or do any hardcore charm collecting. I expect to fall about 500 charms short of my goal by check-in time on Friday. The reason I got so defensive when Sam daid I was "doomed" is because I was a bit offendewd by it, especially when Sam has been so supportive of some of the others. I have worked incredibly hard to get so far into the competition and to be discounted when I have gained at least one level each week so far is a little unfair. If I hadn't gone to the music festival this weekend there was a chance I might have been able to get to 93. So before poopooing peoples achievements take a look at your own progress in the competition and see how you compare, I think it's unlikely I will take part in the next competition. -- 09:16, 11 May 2009 (UTC)


 * I was referring to this week (so far), not last week. There was no bad intent when I typed "except Mercifull". I was stating the facts, not trying to demean anyone's achievements. How else do you say "Everyone has gained a level this week except Mercifull"? Personally, I think that you've done very well in the competition, considering the fact that Summoning has two parts to training it:Gathering charms, making pouches. Getting to 92 is no easy feat. 09:26, 11 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Sorry for sounding so blunt but for me the levels are recorded very late at the end of the day on Friday. Your comment was posted first thing on monday which is only two days of training. To me that's hardly enough time to level up in a particular skill unless you were playing tactically by gaining the most exp you can without levelling up the week before. I have now planned to do some real life things a couple of evenings this week so I am now not going to train any more summoning this week which guarantees me going out next check-in. -- 12:54, 11 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Sam, well you now know what the sports prognosticators get to hear. As I am sure you well know the sports enthusiast tend to drill the sports analyst when they try to pick their favorites to win. Occasionally, they ruffle a few feathers. I know your intent was not to be offensive, it just happens the when picking the potential next round drop out. Sometimes it is a bit touchy based on the wording used. One of life's opportunities to learn. 17:41, 11 May 2009 (UTC)

Overall, I can say I know I have not had to work as hard as Mercifull and have not had the stick to it attitude Amaurice or C.Chiam has had. I just happen to benefit from having the highest level going into the competition. Although had Bounty Worlds not been released this week I would have made 94 before the check in. Too much of a distraction for me to ignore. A tip of the hat goes to all left in the competition. It will be a while before I actually get to 99. As my user page states... just to boring to train one thing over and over. On to other skills after this next weeks check in for me. I really am wanting to get my prayer to 70. 17:41, 11 May 2009 (UTC)


 * I'm glad I found the non-combat stealing creation. I don't think I could have managed to keep mining without some break. The stealing creation not only halves the time I actually spend mining, but it also gives me something else to do as a periodic break from mining. [[image:Smiley.svg|18px]] 18:02, 11 May 2009 (UTC)
 * May I ask what the non-combat world is? I'm really into SC at the moment, and it would help greatly =D 22:04, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

I apologize Mercifull, I did not mean to insult you at all. I know how hard it is to train summoning; I don't even have level 30 summoning. I am the kind of person who would say something like that in person and accidentally insult someone. I once said to a girl who made a team that I did not make, "I can't believe you made the team and I didn't!" I am sorry. I would liked to congratulate you on doubling the amount of experience you had at the start of the Countdown. Calebchiam: The levels are updated around 6:00 PM EST (10:00 PM GMT) every week. By updating early, you could have eliminated someone who was planning on gaining between then and now. I will not revert your edit because it will save ten minutes later, but I will change it in two hours if anyone anyone gains a level. Thank you for trying to help, and in the future, if you are worried that I forgot to update, please do not do it yourself until after 7:30 PM EST (11:30 PM GMT). I hope there are no hard feelings. SamRosenfeld 19:50, 15 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Sorry about that, I thought that it was already time to update it since you said it would be updated every Friday afternoon. 03:43, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

We have reached the last week! This last week there is a surprise twist: in order to win this round you must gain the most experience! Congratulations to Gaz Lloyd for gaining 8 levels in this competition! Calebchiam, can you please undelete the signup page? No one may sign up yet, signup will commence at the end of this competition on May 29th. Good luck to everyone with your last week! SamRosenfeld 21:50, 22 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I undeleted it for you (with no names). If you want any of the names just say. And good luck Caleb, Hammer, and Amaurice! 23:59, 22 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Thank you very much. What is the URL again? SamRosenfeld 01:45, 24 May 2009 (UTC)
 * It can be found at User:SamRosenfeld/Countdown to 99/Signup. I signed up for the second season =). By the way, are you archiving this page and the Countdown to 99 page when Season 1 is over? Would be nice to have a record of Season 1 somewhere. 07:11, 24 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I will definitely archive Season 1, probably at User:SamRosenfeld/Countdown_to_99/Season_1. I did not intend on people signing up until May 29th but because five people have already signed up and they have all used the correct format, I will allow people to signup now.  My plan is to have an eight week competition with all but ten people being eliminated the first week, one person eliminated each consecutive week except for the last week when two people will be eliminated.  The winner must get from less than half of level 99 to more than half of level 99 (pretty much less than 92 to more than or equal 92 but not exactly. SamRosenfeld 14:17, 24 May 2009 (UTC)

Amaurice I was going to say good luck with 99... Instead I will say congatz. I see you have already achieved 99. Absolutely outstanding. I will actually train strength this week as I got my 70 prayer last week. Hope to make 95 to finish off the countdown. Amaurice, C.Chiam, Gaz, Mercifull, Battlecity0, Sam, and all the others it has been real nice to have competed against all of you. 19:52, 24 May 2009 (UTC)

Sam regardless of XP Amaurice has to be the winner!!!! 19:52, 24 May 2009 (UTC)

I do agree with you but it would rules are rules. Everyone knows that Amaurice is the real winner multiplying his experience by four and getting the 99. I don't have to actually announce a winner, I can just show the results and then say congratulations to Amaurice for getting to level 99, you have attained the maximum benefit from this competition blah blah blah. I do feel bad that Amaurice did not know to save his experience but he made the 99 and that's all that really matters. Amaurice should be famous, he is very high up in the hiscores. Number 222 overall. Two more fishing levels and he will have max total level. Congrarulations Amaurice. You are very close now. SamRosenfeld 20:40, 24 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Why do you keep changing the rules Sam? The rules put in place at the start of the competition should carry right to the end. Amaurice is the winner hands down, regardless of any last minute exp rule. -- 22:56, 24 May 2009 (UTC)
 * These rules were supposed to be fun surprises. I had them planned since the start.  Fine, I agree that amaurice is the winner and would have won if he had known about the rule, but can I still fill in the experience chart? SamRosenfeld 02:25, 25 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Actually, I don't mind really. I just enjoy playing the game, and it keeps me going to 99 [[image:smiley.svg|14px]]. I would like to thank Sam for running the game. I think the extra rules can add a bit of variety, but I think Mercifull is right that they would best be announced at the start. Anyway, thanks for the game [[image:smiley.svg|14px]]. 08:28, 25 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Okay, how about this: all of the rules that currently exist get applied to next competition. It does not matter that I added the experience rule.  If Calebchiam gains two levels then he would have won even by the old rules.  Everyone does agree that amaurice is the real winner though.  Instead of measuring experience of the last round, I could measure experience of the whole competition and then amaurice would have won.  For the next competition, should I make the winner whoever gained the most experience in the entire competition?  The only problem is that the winner will be known from the start of the round.  I can record everyone's experience at the beginning and do that.  SamRosenfeld 14:44, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

Congratulations to Amaurice on getting 99 Mining. No doubt it took many hours of gameplay. I too, believe that you deserve to win this competition. After all, you actually got to 99. And without SamRosenfeld, none of this would have even taken place. So, thanks SamRosenfeld! Let's hope for more seasons to come. 14:44, 25 May 2009 (UTC)
 * And let's also not forget to thank NalydRenrut who started Countdown to 99 and hosted four seasons before he quit Runescape.
 * I think perhaps next time the whole concept needs rethinking. To me it seems quite unfair that people can stay in the game after not gaining a single level in 4 weeks perhaps knocking someone out who just missed out on a level once. I propose some possible changed for the future and have outlined them below.

Just a few ideas I thought of at the top of my head. -- 13:27, 26 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Allow multiple people per skill
 * As normal eliminations each week until there are three left for the final
 * If a player gets "yellow" two weeks in a row they MUST gain a level the week after or they will be eliminated early. This may result in more than one elimination a week in some circumstances. I feel its unfair to have inactive people taking the places of people that seriously want to try.
 * Players cannot get more than 3 "yellow" weeks across the duration of the whole competition. This should hopefuly reduce the tactical stalling of levels and try to make people get a level each week.
 * Overall winner is the person that gets closest to 99 by the final week.
 * Other awards for those that gain the most amount of exp and the most levels over the duration of the competition as well as awards for anyone who gains 99 before the end of the competition.
 * Thank you for your ideas.

What do the rest of you think? It all really comes down to what you all want. I am no dictator, if you all agree on any one change I will add it. SamRosenfeld 22:19, 26 May 2009 (UTC) I was planning on updating tonight but I forgot to announce it. I would say it would not be fair for me to do it that way, especially for the last week, but the same people are probably going to win either way. I would like to choose Gaz Lloyd to do the update because he is neutral and will not update right after he finished training. He has also helped me in the past. I will archive season 1 and update the page to season 2 Saturday night. Tonight and tomorrow night are a Jewish holiday called Shavuos so I will not be able to use my computer until then. Gaz Lloyd: Please update between 6 and 6:30 PM EST (10 and 10:30 PM GMT) if you can at that time. If he has not done it at that time, anyone is free to update. Please do not get upset that I chose Gaz Lloyd over you; he is on often and I know he will be honest, and I think he deserves it (if he wants it) If you do not want it feel free to wait and let someone else update half an hour later. I would liked to congratulate Amaurice on reaching level 99! He is a true master of Runescape. Ranking 224 in the overall hi scores, he has probably logged more hours on Runescape than anyone else on the Runescape Wiki. We were very lucky to such a master with us for this competition. He went from level 85 to level 99 quadrupling his experience and gaining a little less than 10 million experience in one of the hardest skills to train. The person who gained the next highest experience, Gaz Lloyd, only gained around 4 million experience (no offense). I have enjoyed hosting this season and cannot wait to host the summer season. It will start on June 12th and end on August 7th. Signup here. I would like to congratulate Hammer2094 on managing to adapt to the many changing rules (which I apologize for) and technically winning. Read Mercifull's post and my previous post to help determine what the rules for the summer competition will be BEFORE it starts. I have a bad habit of not proof-reading so I apologize in advanced for any typos or grammar errors. As a last note, while I do not have time to count the exact number, I estimate that combined, you have all gained approximately thirty million experience. Good job everyone! SamRosenfeld 20:38, 28 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I do agree that it is unfair because you need more experience at higher levels and some skills take longer to train. I did not create Countdown to 99 and these facts came with it.  I decided to just ignore them and play this the way it exists.
 * I think it adds variety to make everyone play different skills and you can think about someone as the person who is training their skill.
 * You have an interesting idea about using the yellows. I originally only added them to make the table more colorful but I think your idea shows real promise.  I would definitely want to rearrange this though so that only one person can get out every week in order to avoid cutting the competition short.
 * I am open to suggestions about the different awards.


 * Very well, I shall do so. I'm out of the competition anyway. I may have gained 4m exp but it was in a significantly easier skill to train; I could easily hit 150k/hr with only maples, and maybe 10-20k/hr with adze. In regards to rule changes: If we have 20+ competitors at the beginning then the numbers would be easily whittled down with the no-3-yellows rule. I also like the other awards given out. May I also suggest using a new section for every week? Once the page gets large it's hard to edit. 10:29, 29 May 2009 (UTC)

Final Week
There we go. Updated. While I was there I fixed a few spelling errors and clarified a few things - Starting Level/Experience implied the level gain over the whole competition, which the numbers didn't reflect, so I changed the column title; similarly with Total Level/Experience Gain.

Is Amuarice the technical winner too? Since he was the only remaining to both gain a level and be over level 92. Whatever, I agree that he is the true winner either way as he got to 99. Kudos to Caleb for gaining the most experience in the last round, and of course to Hammer to for coming second (as he was the only remaining over 92).

Also, congratulations to all other who participated. Together we gained a total of 49 levels over the course of the competition, and although I don't have the exact experience at start (and end for most), a quick estimate shows we gained a total of over 24 million experience between us!

I hope to see you all in the next season, and good luck in getting your 99! 21:35, 29 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Wow, you are right that is amazing! Amaurice is the technical winner!  I did not realize that Hammer2092 had not gained a level and I forgot that Calebchiam was less than level 92.  I do like your idea of having a new section for every week.  I think the new section should start with my summary of how that week went.  For example, although the final week is over, we are talking under the section of the final week and we will start writing under the section for a week after that week.  My original idea was to make sure there are exactly three people in the final but I guess we could have however many people in the final that get that far.  We could even only eliminate people for getting two yellows in a row or three yellows total, but that might be too much of a deviation.  Do you guys think those numbers are right?  Also, do you think we should also archive the talk page?  If we do, please do not archive it until I tell you to, I will decide when I think the discussion is ready to switch from this countdown to next countdown and then I will ask you to archive it.  SamRosenfeld 01:59, 31 May 2009 (UTC)