THIS EVENT HAS CONCLUDED. Thank you for your participation! Season 2 is now underway!

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Welcome to Daily DistRActions, a new event all about randomly generated daily challenges!

How It Works

I have created a list of over 30 types of distractions. These are designed to encompass a wide variety of what is possible on RetroAchievements. Most are gaming focused, but some explore other areas such as art and creative writing. Each distraction is active for 24 hours and worth 1 point on the leaderboard.

I generate each new distraction by using random.org to first select the category, then the specific randomized parameters. I only interfere with the randomization when the outcome feels excessively challenging or is overly similar to a recent distraction. A few of the distractions require me to make judgment calls, but for the most part we are all at the whim of RNG.

To participate, all you have to do is post in the thread with some sort of proof that you have completed the currently active distraction. For most distractions, linking to your Daily History page will be sufficient. If you aren’t sure how to access this, copy the URL from another comment and change their username to your own. Please make a new post each day that you participate rather than editing your existing post. If your post says "unverified", then I can't see it! If this is the case, DM me and I will help you get verified.

Timeline

For a daily event, it is important to be aware of the timeline that everything revolves around. Please review this section carefully.

This event will run for a period of 90 days, starting on the beginning of December 15, 2021 and concluding at the end of March 14, 2022. This means there will be 90 distractions in total.

The event is based on server time, which is synonymous with the GMT timezone. An easy way to check the current server time is to look at the timestamp when you earn an achievement or post in the forums. I suggest familiarizing yourself with how many hours you need to add or subtract from your timezone. GMT is unaffected by Daylight Savings Time, but your timezone may be, so be careful.

Each new distraction runs for 24 hours starting at 00:00. Most days, I will update the leaderboard and post the upcoming distraction within the first 4 hours of a new day. Please review the dates carefully to make sure you are working on “today’s” distraction, not “tomorrow’s” distraction. The purpose of posting each distraction so far in advance is to allow players to continue participating at the beginning of a new day without having to wait for my manual updates.

For time-sensitive questions, the best way to contact me is by posting in the #daily-distractions channel of the official RetroAchievements Discord. You may also send me a private message here on the site. Please understand that I can’t be available at all hours, and that this is all a volunteer effort on my part.

Rules

Because this is such a complex event, I may need to add or modify rules as unforeseen situations come up.

1) Each day starts at 00:00 and ends at 23:59 GMT (server time). Distractions must be completed while they are considered “active” in order to receive credit.

2) Although distractions are posted one day in advance, this does not give you free reign to start early. All relevant achievements must be earned on the appropriate day unless explicitly stated otherwise.

3) All achievements must be earned in Hardcore Mode. When a distraction refers to reaching a specific points threshold, this takes hardcore doubling into account (ex: 200 = 100 x 2). Individual achievements, on the other hand, are typically referred to by the non-doubled point values that appear next to their name (ex: 1 point, 5 points, 25 points).

4) You must post in the forum in order to receive credit. I will not retroactively award points to participants who completed the distraction but neglected to post when the distraction was active.

5) Usage of an alt account is not allowed.

6) A few distractions require me to make subjective judgment calls. As the event host, my ruling in these cases is final.

7) Resetting and re-earning achievements to complete distractions is allowed unless explicitly stated otherwise. Reusing the same achievement(s) or proof for more than one distraction, however, is not allowed.

8) In the event that you require a manual unlock in order to complete a distraction, please bring this to my attention and I will take into account the time at which you submitted the manual unlock request.

Rewards

Following the conclusion of the event, a softcore badge will be awarded to all participants who earn at least 30 points. If you earn at least 60 points, you can trim the border and turn it into a hardcore badge. This means that you only need to complete 2/3 of all distractions to qualify. There is no penalty for skipping days, so I encourage you to pick and choose the distractions that align most closely with your personal interests. I do not expect anyone to reach a perfect score of 90, and there is no special reward for doing so.

For the more competitive players out there, the top 10 will be recognized in the High Scores section of the event page. For an example of what this will look like, see  Leapfrog 4 (Events)        .

Future Plans

I plan for Daily DistRActions to be a seasonal event. Following the end of the current run on March 14th, a new season will begin, featuring a new leaderboard and a new badge to earn. Nothing will carry over between seasons. Different seasons may feature themes or changing parameters to keep things fresh.

At the conclusion of Season 1, I will distribute an anonymous feedback form to help determine what changes can be made moving forward to improve the event. Outside of this, I’m always open to suggestions. Ideas for new distractions are especially appreciated, as an expanded list will allow us to have more variety.

Leaderboard

Final Results

Akai 90
Ideasds 90
NEOMAR 90
Olafur 90
Lonoke31 89
roukanumachi 89
ruuzilla 81
ShadwSonic 81
GalacticSpear 79
FlamingDoom 77
Retrokaiser 75
AuburnRDM 69
Etron 66
Gamechamp 65
edwardgg 63
Sef 63
freezestar 62
Xymjak 62
MatheusBrazuca85 61
Nevermond12 61
Rohsiph 61
Sm0r3s 61
WarioFan63 61
Aquator 60
BahamutVoid 60
deng 60
guineu 60
JAM 60
Kingsombra 60
Lanius 60
msdmario 60
ockerjj 60
roli300 60
s0uth 60
Sairotra 60
Searo 60
StingX2 60
yoshter2011 60
Christian5 47
Probored 43
Bearfax62 39
felipemrb 39
Seydie 36
DanielARP 34
ZZKer 34
f3rns 32
Tayadaoc 30
FBernkastelKues 28
H1gh5pd 27
ParaParaKing 26
Shmelyoff 24
televandalist 24
Orph 23
ViceroyOfMonteCristo 22
Galaxy9000 18
israellaks 18
esmorais 12
BlotchJBMR 9
Burgins 9
Haruda 9
SapphireSuicune 9
Bartis1989 8
Bendyhuman 7
DeviousJam 7
SlashTangent 7
xnaivx 7
YahwehTzVaoth 6
Dehkon 4
Enagonius 4
Whynot15 4
ThisIsDumb 3
NAFEDUDE 2
Salakirby 1
Sanevin 1
theflamelord 1
voiceofautumn 1

Distraction List

For archival purposes, here is a list of all distractions that have been featured thus far. You may not go back and complete distractions which are no longer active.

Distraction 1 - Pumpkin King
Earn one of the following achievements that was previously featured in 2017’s Pumpkin King event: Anticlimactic (10), Better Than One (5), or Arma (10).

Distraction 2 - LeapFrog
Earn 20 achievements worth a minimum of 5 points each.

Distraction 3 - RAlphabet
Spell the word “east” by earning four achievements, in order, starting with the letters E, A, S, and T.

Distraction 4 - Leaderboard Legend
Submit a time of under 14 seconds to the following leaderboard previously featured in the Retro Olympics: Hot Meat. If you’ve done this prior to today, either beat your best time or submit video proof.

Distraction 5 - Christmas Queen
Earn one of the following achievements that was previously featured in 2017’s Xmas Event: Sierra Nevada Time Trial (10), Eternal Snowflake (10), or Blue Potion II (5).

Distraction 6 - Box Art Bestower
Create custom box art for a game that doesn’t have any. [Meta|QA - No Box Art] (Hubs) Low effort submissions may be rejected. Optionally, cross-post to The Unwanted for a silver token.

Distraction 7 - Point Producer
Earn 150 (75 x 2) points.

Distraction 8 - Welcome Concept
Earn any speedrun achievement.

Distraction 9 - Beating the Best
Today we’re recognizing the talent of one of the top RA players. Your goal: beat any game that FabricioPrie hasn’t beaten. CTRL-F is your friend!

Distraction 10 - Bendyhuman’s Master Quest
Master the following randomly chosen game that I have mastered: Speedy Gonzales (Game Boy) .

Distraction 11 - Leaderboard Legend
Submit a score of at least 500,000 to the following leaderboard previously featured in Leaderboard of the Month: Nintendo World Championships High Score. If you’ve done this prior to today, either beat your best score or submit video proof.

Distraction 12 - Hack Hero
Earn 200 (100 x 2) points from any game(s) with the ~Hack~ tag.

Distraction 13 - Bonus Game
Earn any achievement worth at least 5 points from any bonus set. [Subsets - Bonus] (Hubs)

Distraction 14 - Wish This Set
Choose a game from your request list and write at least one paragraph explaining why you want it to get an achievement set. Optionally, let me know if you’re interested in having your writeup potentially featured in a future issue of RANews.

Distraction 15 - Bendyhuman’s Master Quest
Master the following randomly chosen game that I have mastered: Rayman (SNES) Prototype . If you’ve done this prior to today, simply post in the forum for a free distraction point!

Distraction 16 - Challenger Approaching
Earn an achievement to complete the following task that was previously featured in Challenge League: obtain a wand.

Distraction 17 - Point Producer
Earn 400 (200 x 2) points.

Distraction 18 - Leaderboard Legend
Submit a time of under 7 minutes to the following leaderboard previously featured in the Retro Olympics: Böbl Speedrun
. If you’ve done this prior to today, simply post in the forum for a free distraction point!

Distraction 19 - Question of the Day
Share your thoughts on the following randomly chosen discussion topic previously featured in the #semi-weekly-topic channel of the RA Discord. Today’s question is from ViperZang: What was the best RNG you’ve ever had?

Distraction 20 - Well-Wisher
Leave a kind comment on someone’s RA profile.

Distraction 21 - Bendyhuman’s Master Quest
Master the following randomly chosen game that I have mastered: Daedalian Opus (Game Boy) . If you’ve done this prior to today, simply post in the forum for a free distraction point!

Distraction 22 - Top Percentage
Earn any achievement that fewer than 25 percent of the set’s players have earned. The earn rate must still be below 25 percent when I check at the end of the day!

Distraction 23 - Genre Gamer
Earn 200 (100 x 2) points from the following randomly chosen genre: [Genre - Role-Playing Game] (Hubs) . Games outside of this hub are eligible as long as they fit the genre. Check out the subgenre hubs listed near the bottom of the page for more options.

Distraction 24 - Bonus Game
Earn any achievement worth at least 5 points from any bonus set. [Subsets - Bonus] (Hubs) .

Distraction 25 - Ticket to Ride Jr.
Earn any achievement from each of the following developers in order: first blendedsea, then Pebete, and finally SlashTangent.

Distraction 26 - Homebrew Hotshot
Earn 200 points (100 Hardcore points) from any game(s) with the ~Homebrew~ tag. [Central - Homebrew] (Hubs)

Distraction 27 - Well-Wisher
Leave a kind comment on someone’s RA profile who has not received a comment in at least one month. Banned accounts are ineligible. Must be someone who has activity within the past year.

Distraction 28 - Leaderboard Legend
Submit a time of under 9 minutes to the following leaderboard previously featured in Leaderboard of the Month: Any% Speedrun. If you’ve done this prior to today, simply post in the forum for a free distraction point!

Distraction 29 - Gold Trophy
Earn any achievement worth at least 25 points.

Distraction 30 - Retro Points Master
Earn 450 retro (white) points (225 Hardcore retro points). Retro points are always being recalculated, so you may want to get a bit extra to be safe!

Distraction 31 - Holiday Hoedown
Today’s obscure holiday is Organize Your Home Day! Earn an achievement relating to this theme. I’ll be lenient with the judging for this one, but please explain why your achievement fits the theme if submitting something unconventional.

Distraction 32 - Unlicensed Undertaker
Earn 250 points (125 Hardcore points) points from any game(s) with the ~Unlicensed~ tag. [Central - Unlicensed] (Hubs)

Distraction 33 - RAdvantage
Choose a hard achievement that you have earned and write at least one paragraph sharing your advice/tips that can help others. If you’re interested in being potentially featured in a future issue of RANews, private message your writeup to RANews.

Distraction 34 - Master of the Day
Master any set. No remasteries!

Distraction 35 - RAlphabet Extreme Edition
Beat any game starting with the letter Y.

Distraction 36 - Color Splash
Earn an achievement whose icon prominently features the color green.

Distraction 37 - RAlphabet
Spell the word “lack” by earning four achievements, in order, starting with the letters L, A, C, and K.

Distraction 38 - PPAP
I have combined two existing distraction types (Welcome Concept + Challenger Approaching) to create a brand new distraction. Today’s task is: earn any damageless achievement centered around a tall and lanky character.

Distraction 39 - Too Hot to Touch
Earn 100 points (50 Hardcore points) points from any game(s) featured in the latest HotCheevs Monthly.

Distraction 40 - Leaderboard Legend
Submit a score of at least 150,000 to the following leaderboard previously featured in Leaderboard of the Month: The Wizard. If you’ve done this prior to today, simply post in the forum for a free distraction point!

Distraction 41 - Welcome Concept
Earn any speedrun achievement.

Distraction 42 - Holiday Hoedown
Today’s obscure holiday is Opposite Day! Earn an achievement relating to this theme. I’ll be lenient with the judging for this one, but please explain why your achievement fits the theme if submitting something unconventional.

Distraction 43 - Bonus Game
Earn any achievement worth at least 5 points from any bonus set. [Subsets - Bonus] (Hubs)

Distraction 44 - Color Splash
Earn an achievement whose icon prominently features the color blue.

Distraction 45 - Master of the Day
Master any set. No remasteries!

Distraction 46 - Still Unwanted
Beat any game that was previously featured in The Unwanted Month 8.

Distraction 47 - Bendyhuman’s Master Quest
Master the following randomly chosen game that I have mastered: Grand Day Out, A (Game Boy Advance) Hack . If you’ve done this prior to today, simply post in the forum for a free distraction point!

Distraction 48 - Retro Points Master
Earn 750 retro (white) points (375 Hardcore retro points). Retro ratio is always being recalculated, so you may want to get a bit extra to be safe!

Distraction 49 - What’s All the Hubbub, Bub?
Earn 150 points (75 Hardcore points) from the following miscellaneous or themed hub: [Theme - Based on a Book] (Hubs) . Games outside of this hub are eligible as long as they fit the theme.

Distraction 50 - Color Splash
Earn an achievement whose icon prominently features the color orange.

Distraction 51 - RAlphabet Extreme Edition
Beat any game starting with the letter U.

Distraction 52 - Console Connoisseur
Earn 200 points (100 Hardcore points) from the following randomly chosen console: Sega 32X.

Distraction 53 - Welcome Concept
Earn any pacifist achievement.

Distraction 54 - LeapFrog
Earn 20 achievements worth at least 5 points each.

Distraction 55 - Point Producer
Earn 350 points (175 Hardcore points).

Distraction 56 - Question of the Day
Share your thoughts on the following randomly chosen discussion topic previously featured in the #semi-weekly-topic channel of the RA Discord. Today’s question is from ViperZang: Life is an MMORPG. What are your best stats, and biggest buffs/debuffs compared to other human players on your regional server?

Distraction 57 - Bendyhuman’s Master Quest
Master the following randomly chosen game that I have mastered: Super Mario: Oiram's Invasion (SNES) Hack . If you’ve done this prior to today, simply post in the forum for a free distraction point!

Distraction 58 - Homebrew Hotshot
Earn 100 points (50 Hardcore points) from any game(s) with the ~Homebrew~ tag. [Central - Homebrew] (Hubs)

Distraction 59 - Word Up
Earn any achievement containing or relating to the following randomly generated word: trace.

Distraction 60 - Build-A-Badge Workshop
Design a badge for Daily DistRActions Season 1!

Distraction 61 - There I Am, Gary!
Beat any game that fellow Daily DistRActions participant Retrokaiser has started, but not mastered.

Distraction 62 - Question of the Day
Share your thoughts on the following randomly chosen discussion topic previously featured in the #semi-weekly-topic channel of the RA Discord. Today’s question is from BritishDeadpool: What do you think is the worst (be it because of awful gameplay, bugs and glitches, bad storytelling, political agendas shoved in etc...) video game sequel?

Distraction 63 - LeapFrog
Earn 15 achievements worth at least 5 points each.

Distraction 64 - What’s All the Hubbub, Bub?
Earn 150 points (75 Hardcore points) from the following miscellaneous or themed hub: [Misc. - Product Endorsement] (Hubs) . Games outside of this hub are eligible as long as they fit the theme.

Distraction 65 - Welcome Concept
Earn any damageless achievement.

Distraction 66 - Genre Gamer
Earn 50 points (25 Hardcore points) from the following randomly chosen genre: [Genre - Shooter] (Hubs) . Games outside of this hub are eligible as long as they fit the genre. Check out the subgenre hubs listed near the bottom of the page for more options.

Distraction 67 - Ticket to Ride Jr.
Earn any achievement from each of the following developers in order: first Scott, then xnaivx, and finally adamjohnny5.

Distraction 68 - Retro Points Master
Earn 550 retro (white) points (275 Hardcore retro points). Retro ratio is always being recalculated, so you may want to get a bit extra to be safe!

Distraction 69 - RAWR
Earn one of the following randomly chosen achievements: Chains Food Fight Finale (10), Leaf 50cc (3 star) (5), or Better Than Rocks And Harsh Language (1).

Distraction 70 - RAlphabet
Spell the word “road” by earning four achievements, in order, starting with the letters R, O, A, and D.

Distraction 71 - Word Up
Earn any achievement containing or relating to the following randomly generated word: dressing.

Distraction 72 - Color Splash
Earn an achievement whose icon prominently features the color pink.

Distraction 73 - There I Am, Gary!
Beat any game that fellow Daily DistRActions participant Rohsiph has started, but not mastered.

Distraction 74 - Leaderboard Legend
Submit a score of under 91 to the following leaderboard previously featured in Leaderboard of the Month: Fewest Strokes - Legit. If you’ve done this prior to today, simply post in the forum for a free distraction point!

Distraction 75 - Play This Set
Write at least one paragraph explaining why you think people should play a set that you love. Optionally, let me know if you’re interested in having your writeup potentially featured in a future issue of RANews. Here are some examples of what we’re looking for.

Distraction 76 - Well-Wisher
Write a haiku on someone’s RA profile.

Distraction 77 - What’s All the Hubbub, Bub?
Earn 200 points (100 Hardcore points) from the following miscellaneous or themed hub: [Misc. - Mega Drive Mini | Genesis Mini] (Hubs) .

Distraction 78 - Genre Gamer
Earn 150 points (75 Hardcore points) from the following randomly chosen genre: [Subgenre - Casino] (Hubs) . Games outside of this hub are eligible as long as they fit the genre.

Distraction 79 - Challenger Approaching
Earn an achievement to complete the following task that was previously featured in Challenge League: save a damsel in distress.

Distraction 80 - Master of the Day
Master any set. No remasteries!

Distraction 81 - RAlphabet Extreme Edition
Beat any game starting with the letter M.

Distraction 82 - LeapFrog
Earn 25 achievements worth at least 5 points each.

Distraction 83 - Bonus Game
Earn any achievement worth at least 5 points from any bonus set. [Subsets - Bonus] (Hubs)

Distraction 84 - Leaderboard Legend
Submit a score of at least 60 to the following leaderboard previously featured in Leaderboard of the Month: Hard Mode, With Lava. If you’ve done this prior to today, simply post in the forum for a free distraction point!

Distraction 85 - Bendyhuman’s Master Quest
Master the following randomly chosen game that I have mastered: Super Shinobi, The (NES) Unlicensed . If you’ve done this prior to today, simply post in the forum for a free distraction point!

Distraction 86 - Unlicensed Undertaker
Earn 250 points (125 Hardcore points) points from any game(s) with the ~Unlicensed~ tag.

Distraction 87 - Wish This Set
Choose a game from your request list and write at least one paragraph explaining why you want it to get an achievement set. Optionally, let me know if you’re interested in having your writeup potentially featured in a future issue of RANews. Here are some examples of what we’re looking for.

Distraction 88 - Too Hot to Touch
Earn 100 points (50 Hardcore points) points from any game(s) featured in the latest HotCheevs Monthly.

Distraction 89 - What’s All the Hubbub, Bub?
Earn 100 points (50 Hardcore points) from the following miscellaneous or themed hub: [Theme - Cartoon Network] (Hubs) . Games outside of this hub are eligible as long as they fit the theme.

Distraction 90 - Master of the Day
Master any set. No remasteries!

Reserved

You may now post. This event is a real passion project of mine, and I'm so excited to finally share it with you all. I hope you enjoy it!

2st

This looks really cool! I'm really interested in trying this out! Will start on this tomorrow!

Sounds like fun. Trying it out whenever i get the time.

So this is it... the final piece of Challenge League. Day 1 doesn't seem like a good idea to me, but Day 2? Come on now, that's practically guaranteed for me, what with the Peak Streak still going strong!

I did the thing!

This sounds like a really fun idea. :>

I am in!

Do I need to link it in a spoiler tag?

Spoiler tag isn't required.

I have a question: You said that when a distraction requires earning a certain number of points, that takes Hardcore doubling into account. Does that apply to Day 2, or are we talking ONLY about total points, and NOT X number of cheevs worth Y points?