High Score Competition #48 - Crazy Climber

[isucamper]

The last 46 competitions:

#1 - Shinobi - Winner: Destructor
#2 - Jungle Hunt - Winner: CrazyKongFan
#3 - Zoo Keeper - Winner: DeLuSioNal29
#4 - Q*Bert - Winner: quarterstringer
#5 - Robotron 2084 - Winner: (+_+)
#6 - Joust - Winner: Shoegazer)
#7 - Elevator Action - Winner: FrontyDev
#8 - Mr Do - Winner: DeLuSioNal29
#9 - Hyper Sports - Winner: drawfull
#10 - Wonder Boy - Winner: DrFrag
#11 - Bubble Bobble - Winner: mrclean
#12 - Gun.Smoke - Winner: isucamper
#13 - Ghouls 'n Ghosts - Winner: Ginsu Victim
#14 - Ms Pac-Man (with speedup hac) - Winner: CrazyKongFan
#15 - Frogger - Winner: CrazyKong Fan, Second: Jasonbar
#16 - Grobda - Winner: mimic, Second: Cornchip
#17 - Bank Panic - Winner: ahofle, Second: Jasonbar
#18 - Juno First - Winner: RayB, Second: Shoegazer
#19 - Rolling Thunder - Winner: DrFrag, Second: isucamper
#20 - Terra Cresta - Winner: isucamper, Second: Jasonbar
#21 - Gladiator - Winner: Jasonbar, Second: Hewskie
#22 - Alcon (Slap Fight) - Winner: DrFrag, Second: Bender
#23 - Galaga - Winner: quarterstringer, Second: ToddH
#24 - Defender - Winner: quarterstringer, Second: tcleary
#25 - Klax - Winner: CrazyKongFan, Second: TAG
#26 - Funny Mouse - Winner: quarterstringer, Second: Epyx
#27 - Rampart - Winner: isucamper, Second: john_abey
#28 - Satan's Hollow - Winner: jasonbar, Second: ummon
#29 - The Speed Rumbler - Winner: Epyx, Second: mimic
#30 - Black Dragon - Winner: Epyx, Second: CrazyKongFan
#31 - Twin Cobra - Winner: ArcadeNerd, Second: jasonbar
#32 - Tetris - Winner: DrFrag, Second: qlunch
#33 - Gyruss - Winner: Hurray Banana, Second: vorghagen
#34 - Mappy - Winner: Jasonbar, Second: TAG
#35 - Bump 'n' Jump - Winner: Comtek, Second: DrFrag
#36 - Popeye - Winner: CrazyKongFan, Second: isucamper
#37 - Pengo - Winner: CrazyKongFan, Second: MazzMn
#38 - Bomb Jack - Winner: bpark42, Second: Flaptop
#39 - Smash T.V. - Winner: jasonbar, Second: quarterstringer
#40 - Rygar - Winner: Cakemeister, Second: jasonbar
#41 - Krull - Winner: jasonbar, Second: I/O
#42 - Tutankham - Winner: DrFrag, Second: creatine28
#43 - Astro Blaster - Winner: mimic, Second: WhereEaglesDare
#44 - Son of Phoenix - Winner: jasonbar, Second: syph007
#45 - Metal Slug - Winner: doteater, Second: Hewskie
#46 - Puzzle Bobble - Winner: quarterstringer, Second: Benevolance
#47 - Street Fighter 2 - The World Warrior - Winner: isucamper, Second: jordanshadow

Was considering doing something with a spinner or trackball, but I played this one at CAX this past weekend for the first time and it was pretty much my game of the show.  Controls are not intuitive but once you get the hang of it its really fun.  It was the first time in a long time I was completely dumbfounded by an arcade game. 

Competition #47 is Crazy Climber



ROMSet: cclimber

DEFAULT DIP Switch Settings:

----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------

- One credit only.

- No continues!

- No MAME cheats!

- Last day is Thursday August 5th (11:59:59pm Pacific Daylight Time), 2010.
 
- High score wins.

- No savestates, savestate practices, etc. during the round.

- MAME INP recordings are optional, but encouraged!

- A screenshot is required to enter a score (press F12 to save screenshot showing your final score) or take a photo of the screen if playing on a real machine.

- If you're a MARP competitor on this title, keep in mind this is just a friendly competition amongst forum members, so maybe you shouldn't enter. However, if you're a forum member and this is a game you're good at and nobody knows about it, this is your time to shine!

- Even if you don't have a competitive score or if you don't *think* that you have a competitive score, please post it anyway to keep the thread fun & to give everybody a good sense of score ranges.

Good luck!

[NeoFlynn]

I cant really figure the controls out so far but ill keep messing with it

[isucamper]

to help you get started:  try alternating the sticks.  one up, one down, then see saw the sticks up and down, up and down, alternating them as he pulls himself up

[vorghagen]

I'm also having trouble with the controls. Actually got further up by just randomly attacking the joysticks than trying to figure out what I was doing.
Will post a score once I figure this out.

Nice game choice isucamper. Always nice to find an unusual game and be given an incentive to really try it out.

[Epyx]

Ah great choice! A game I was fascinated by as well when I first saw it and tried it.  Looking forward to trying this...right now actually

[Epyx]

I'll start with a pathetically low score (no point in screen shot posting although I have it) of 14800.  Only played 3 games but will get a bunch more in this weekend.

Movement rhythm is very important and each floor nets you 100 points. I think I got about halfway up but am sure there were ways to get bonus points...Ill have to do some research

Crazy Climber Strategy Wiki

[jasonbar]

[double post deleted--darn MSIE "Compatibility View" button!]

[jasonbar]

I remember being decent at CC as a kid & playing it at Fat Darrell's Pizza & Arcade.  One time, I got a good game going & a crowd of a few people watching.  My dad was watching me from afar & told me that I had quite a bit of body english going on while whipping those joysticks to & fro!


1st question: isucamper, are you me?  I too stumbled across Crazy Climber at CAX.  I didn't see it till Sunday afternoon, when my headache was raging & my arms & wrists were sore.  I could get only a few games in--it hurt too much!  After rediscovering my love for Mad Planets in the competition, I vowed to pick either MP or CC if I win a competition again.  Thanks for reading my mind!

2nd question: why do the red girders & dumbbells sometimes knock me of the building & sometimes don't?  Random luck?  Some algorithm that I'm not grokking?

3rd question: what makes the balloon near the top of the 2nd level sometimes be grabbable & sometimes not?  I got it only once out of 8 or so games.

4th question: after walking away from CC @ CAX, I thought to myself, "Boy, CC really has the most intuitive set of controls of any game."  So I'm shocked that some people aren't getting the hang of it!  =O  Oh, that's not a question--let me rephrase.  Why are people not finding CC's controls intuitive?

5th question: how much electricity can your climber absorb from the haywire Nichibitsu sign?  I turned colors when brushing the loose wire & once turned colors twice & then when I went back to my normal colors, my head stayed black.  Singed?

6th questions: isucamper, you don't list any DIP switch settings--you just say to use default settings.  Please elaborate.

7th question: is 150,900 a good score?   


Thanks,
-Jason

[isucamper]

1.  I don't think I am you, but how can I be sure?  How did you do in the CAX competition?  I kept meaning to enter, but there were far too many distractions in that ballroom.  Quickest 48 hours of my life.

2.  I think if they hit a part of your body that's gripping something, and the other part of your body isn't gripping anything, you will fall.  If, say, it hits your right hand, but your left hand is still gripping something, you don't fall. 

3.  I've only made it to level 2 once!!

4.  I think there are subtle details about the controls that aren't intuitive.  You've got one stick for each hand, that much is easy, but the whole gripping mechanism can be confusing.  If one hand is gripped and the other is loose, you can only move the loose hand.  For instance, if I want to move directly left and my left hand is gripped and my right hand isn't, he won't go anywhere.  You've got to plant both hands and then press diagonally up and left so he quickly shimmies across the windows above him.  A lot of times, you just get stuck and if you don't understand the subtlties, you dont' know why you can't move.  It can be frustrating when people are dropping pots on you, but once you figure it out it's a lot of fun.

5.  I haven't even discovered this yet.

6.  Here's your elaboration.  I'm too lazy to look them up.  Whatever MAME uses by default is what you should use.  Guess that doesn't help much.  I'll look them up tonight and edit the main post.

7.  Jerk face!  Hope that doesn't discourage everyone from give this game a shot.  Nice score.  My best so far is 25k. 

[jasonbar]

1 - 2nd place in Mad Planets, 3rd place in Sinistar, nowhere even remotely near top 3 in Tron & Sinistar.

2 - I disagree.  I always have both hands down on the same windowsill when withstanding hits.  Sometimes the dumbbells & girders get me.  Sometimes they don't.  I think there's a random factor.  Or perhaps a very subtle factor on where they hit your body (torso, left arm, right arm...?)

4 - I do get stuck a lot, especially when shimmying sideways.  I remember this happening to me when the game came out.  Also, if I get into too fast of a rhtyhm, I often stall.

6 - My MAME defaults seem to be much harder than the machine @ CAX.  I've got more windows closing on me (and faster), & more of those punks are dropping things on my head than I experienced @ CAX.

7 - D'oh!     Again, I maintain that we don't even know what a good score *is* until it's posted & the reactions pour in...   

Thanks,
-Jason

[Epyx]

D'oh!     Again, I maintain that we don't even know what a good score *is* until it's posted & the reactions pour in...

Umm that's a good score...made it to building 3 but only at 80k-85k...didn't bother capping exact score cause it was too far from yours and im confident I can get a bit higher.

[I/O]

jason -

I think he meant that if only one hand gets hit, and the other hand *is* gripping something, you will (may) not fall. I had not thought of this.....although it does not seem to be the case. It seems to give you grace some times, not others. Best thing is to avoid them. For that matter, if inclined to 'hot foot' it, you can up your score by being missed by as much as possible. Each item takes 100 points off your bonus.

I remember being a gimp at this the one time I saw it at a hogie house as a kid. But once I played it in MAME, I remembered this and understood. Then it is just a matter of coordination - which is balanced by stick mechanics (throw, etc). Definitely you have to be fast and articulate enough to get the balloon in the first few seconds or it is just a mirage chase.

That is a good score. Better than my best I am pretty sure. I got this after a couple tries, 46k preceeding this.

[bpark42]

Irritating game...but it keeps me coming back for more punishment, so it must not be all bad 

My high is something like 37k so far

[HanoiBoi]

I played this back in the day (middle school era at a bowling alley).  Two tries today and I managed to achieve 141k.  Best part was actually remembering the two columns at the top of the (3rd?) building.  Bad thing was that I didn't even score on the next building.

If I can just get some more tries in...

[quarterstringer]

I played this game at the bowling alley too, but never got good at it because I couldn't move the climber smoothly.

[meany]

Good score.  It looks like you made it to the 4th building.

My A.D.D. kicked in after I got to the second building.  I can barely get to 30,000

[jasonbar]

I was going to post this a few days ago, but I didn't want to be accused of being a bully...or even a jerk face...   

225,400.

-Jason

[Flaptop]

Congratz jasonbar !!

Neeeext 

[PsychoMikey]

congrats,

can't wait to finish my own cab and join u guys in the competitions.

[jasonbar]

Thanks--I've got a game picked out & will make the contest post within the next couple of days.

-Jason

[jasonbar]

While still on my CC kick, I picked up Hyper Crazy Climber for the Japanese PSX.

Finally found time to play it tonight.  Pretty good.  Not great, but good.

It's 2D & captures the spirit of the original, but it's all fancied up, as to be expected...

- you can pick from 3 characters
- the buildings are very different: 1st is a mountain, 2nd is underwater, 3rd is a castle.  That's as far as I've made it so far.
- there are prizes to pick up & things that look like dynamite power-ups, but I don't know if they do anything...
- I stumbled across a bonus round somehow--all sorts of gold goodies to pick up whilst climbing
- there's some sort of gambling/slots aspect--you can get coins & play them in a slot machine to win something or other.


Anyway, not a bad game if you can pick one up cheap & can play Japanese PSX games.

I'm on the lookout for Crazy Climber 2000, which seems to keep the gameplay more faithful, but the game's in 3D, & on some buildings, you can scooch around from one side of the building to the next or scooch around a round tower.  Keen.

Thanks,
-Jason


PS--using the PS controller's dual analog sticks certainly isn't as good as 2 proper 8-way sticks.  They provide a couple of other control options, including using the D-pad for your left hand & the 4 buttons for your right hand--no good!

[RayB]

Also check out Fire Fight.

[jasonbar]

Couldn't fall asleep last night, so I fired up my recently acquired Crazy Climber 2000 for the Japanese PSX.

Awesome!!!

It's got 3D graphics, but they're simple & not gimmicky.  Gameplay is very faithful to the original, with no power-ups or bosses or anything kooky like that.

The first building mimics the first building of the arcade game, complete w/ the pooping bird & King Kong.

Things start getting more creative on the 2nd building, which has elevators dropping bowling balls, some of the jerks in the windows drop fridges (can't survive them), falling signs (much like those on higher CC arcade levels) & balloons.

The 3rd building is a cylinder that you can circumnavigate entirely.  It has window washer platfroms scooting around.

I haven't made it to the 4th building yet (on default settings).


Difficulty is similar to the arcade game--windows close & open a little more frequently, but I rarely got trapped by windows.


If you like the CC arcade game, I recommend CC20000 highly.  Much better than Hyper Crazy Climber (also for the JP PSX).


It also has the JP arcade version avaiable to play, apparently emulated.  Just like the US version, but w/ different sounds.



My only beef is the controls.  2 stubby analog sticks make for rather inaccurate control--I kept getting stuck & fumbling, especially when something was falling towards me & I needed to get both hands planted firmly on a windowsill.  If there's a proper dual 8-way stick option for the Playstation, then this game would be sweeeeeet.  I had even more trouble trying to play the emulated JP CC version on this disc--the dual analog sticks were quite horrible for this game...



Thanks,
-Jason

[Epyx]

My only beef is the controls.  2 stubby analog sticks make for rather inaccurate control--I kept getting stuck & fumbling, especially when something was falling towards me & I needed to get both hands planted firmly on a windowsill.

Play it on your cab via a PSX emulator

That way you get the best of both worlds and checking the compatibility chart it is perfectly emulated.