gauntlet fgr1

The Four Metrics

Every submission is measured on four key performance metrics (lower is better):

• Ticks - How fast your design runs (execution time)
• Blocks - How many logic blocks you use (design complexity)
• Volume - The physical footprint of your design (space efficiency)
• MOS - Total transistor count (nMOS + pMOS)

Weighted Scoring System

Each metric contributes to your overall score with these weights:

• Ticks: 40% - Speed is the top priority!
• Blocks: 20% - Design simplicity matters
• Volume: 20% - Space efficiency counts
• MOS: 20% - Transistor efficiency is valuable

Reference Baseline

All scoring uses a special system player Sub Process (Ref Naïve) as the baseline worst-case reference point. This ensures consistent and fair scoring across all weeks.

The second special system player Process Prime (Ref Best) serves as the starting best-case reference point, representing a high-performing solution. Beating it is a significant achievement.

Weekly Leaderboard (0-100 points)

Each week's challenge is scored independently:

• Your best submission is selected and scored against all other players
• Normalization uses all submissions (not just tick-optimized ones)
• Each metric is normalized to its weighted range (Sub Process = 0 points, best = metric's weight × 100)
• Metric scores total = 40% Tick + 20% Block + 20% Volume + 20% MOS
• Your best performing submission counts for both the weekly score and the gauntlet leaderboard
• Tie-breaker: Earlier submission wins
• Maximum weekly score: 100 points

Gauntlet Leaderboard (0-300 points)

Your overall gauntlet ranking is the sum of all your weekly scores:

• Sum of all weekly scores across all completed challenges
• Maximum possible: 100 points × number of weeks
• Participate in each week to maximize your score
• Ranked by total score (highest wins)

What These Show

Each metric tab (Ticks, Blocks, Volume, MOS) displays specialized rankings:

• Ticks Range: Best tick-count submissions (sorted by Ticks first)
• Blocks Range: Best block-count submissions (sorted by Blocks first)
• Volume Range: Best volume submissions (sorted by Volume first)
• MOS Range: Best transistor-count submissions (sorted by MOS first)

Key Points

• Your best submission for each metric may differ
• These ranges determine min/max values used for normalization
• Optimize for different goals with different designs
• See who's pushing the limits in each category

How Scores Are Calculated

Each metric is converted to a 0-100 scale using this formula:

• 100 points = You achieved the best value (lowest metric)
• 0 points = You matched the worst value (Sub Process baseline)
• Scores are clamped between 0 and 100
• Scores are weighted to their metric's weight (e.g., Ticks 40pts max, Blocks 20pts max, etc.)

Dynamic vs Fixed Ranges

Important: The normalization ranges work differently for best and worst values:

• Best Value (Minimum): 📊 Dynamic - determined by the best performing player across all submissions. This means scoring becomes more competitive as players improve.
• Worst Value (Maximum): 🤖 Fixed - based on "Sub Process (Ref Naïve)" player submissions. This sets a consistent baseline for everyone.
• As players achieve better results, the best value improves, making it harder to score 100 points
• The "Sub Process" reference ensures fairness by providing a stable worst-case benchmark

Example

If tick counts range from 50 (best player) to 500 (Sub Process baseline):

• 50 ticks → 100 points (matching best player)
• 275 ticks → 50 points (middle of the pack)
• 500 ticks → 0 points (matching Sub Process baseline)
• If someone achieves 40 ticks, the range becomes 40-500, and 50 ticks would score ~97.8 points instead of 100

Q: Can I submit multiple times?

A: Yes! Only your best overall score per week counts.

Q: What if I miss a week?

A: You can still compete in future weeks, but you'll miss that week's points toward your gauntlet total.

Q: Why do metric ranges show different submissions?

A: Because your best tick-optimized design might use more blocks than your best block-optimized design. The system tracks your best performance in each category separately.

Q: How do I maximize my score?

A: Create balanced designs that perform well across all four metrics, with extra emphasis on tick count. Check metric ranges to identify areas for improvement.