Game competition # 7: Elevator Action

[fronty]

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[Ummon]

I'm running .128 and it just sits there all stupid like.  Bootleg boots fine.

Update your romsets.

Romsets are updated to .128 - Could be the version of Mame i'm using too.

I dunno. I've always used the parent set. I just checked out the same rom on .128u3 and it works just fine. It hasn't changed for at least a couple years. No idea what your issue is.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Well, compared to you guys this is a crappy score, but it's my all time high so far.

[Zebidee]

I'm running .128 and it just sits there all stupid like.  Bootleg boots fine.

Update your romsets.

Romsets are updated to .128 - Could be the version of Mame i'm using too.

I dunno. I've always used the parent set. I just checked out the same rom on .128u3 and it works just fine. It hasn't changed for at least a couple years. No idea what your issue is.

Try deleting your elevator.ini and elevator.cfg from the \mame\ini and \mame\cfg directories respectively, just in case they are screwed up.  Maybe look at deleting save-state files as well.

[Zebidee]

Upped my score to 77,450

I can feel your breath on my back.  I tried to improve it last night, but only got about 74500.  I might just get primed with a beer and have another go. Wish me luck

[Shoegazer]

Gaining, slowly...

[Ummon]

Some great efforts in this comp.

[Zebidee]

I've been busy doing a duuble USB port for one of my cabs, so haven't had another game yet.  However, here are some more tips for new players:

- don't stand underneath an elevator

- if you're coming down to the last section (5 elevators) and the next elevator is going the wrong way, then send your own elevator up a little bit until you can't see it, then go back down again.  Conveniently, you'll find the next elevator coming up to meet you.  This also works in other areas.

- If you're in the last section and you spy a red door on the side opposite to you, don't try to jump across to get it as the outcome is often fatal.  It is SAFER to go down to the bottom, then you'll be teleported back in front of the red door that you missed.  Make sure that you note which elevator shaft goes straight down to the basement.

- in the second-last section, if you need to wait for an elevator, then try jumping across the shaft onto the little ledge to the far right (or far left).  Right side seems to work better for me, probably because I'm a righty and my brain works that way. You can hole-up here for ages because there is no door, and baddies can't come at you from behind. 

[fronty]

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[Ummon]

Man, already the last day. Yeah, if no one tops Zeb, then he gets to pick the next game. Oh, also, just for the sake of completeness: another tactical element is not to stay in elevators once they're down all the way, because you can't crouch in them. I've gotten tagged this way several times because I don't notice the elevator has bottomed out.

[fronty]

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[Zebidee]

Oh congratulations, but yes a bit late. 

So, time to pick a new game eh?

[Zebidee]

So, how about I nominate Donkey Kong Jnr for the next competition? In particular, I want to nominate a non-parent variant: "DKONGJRJ", or the Japanese version of DK Jnr.  The reason why is because this version has a different level progression sequence to the US version, and the Japanese version seems to make more sense. I played this Japanese version at the local shop down the road, when I was a kid.

[Ummon]

Um....well....I'd love to play DKJr, parent or no....but Fronty was quite in time. Notice the expiration is midnight US Pacific time, and Fronty posted at 9:25pm.

[Zebidee]

Um....well....I'd love to play DKJr, parent or no....but Fronty was quite in time. Notice the expiration is midnight US Pacific time, and Fronty posted at 9:25pm.

Well, the time on this forum said 11 past midnight, wherever that is, so what do you know.

[lanman31337]

 Re: Game competition # 7: Elevator Action
« Reply #50 on: Today at 12:11:25 AM »   

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Perhaps a bit late, here it goes none the less:

86,000

[Zebidee]

I think that we're all champions.

[lanman31337]

I run a close 47th!

[fronty]

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[Zebidee]

Guess I get to pick the next one. I'll post the new thread if that's allright with Ummon. BTW how does this work? Do I start it right away or wait?

I don't think that Ummon is qualified to be an adjudicator, but I certainly don't mind you choosing the next one, co-champion FrontyDev!

[DeLuSioNal29]

I vote on making them shorter though.  There are tons of games out there and a faster paced competition would be great.  How about making them a week long?

Either that or have 2 going at the same time.

~ D

[Ummon]

Zeb, the time displayed is generally either server time or your own. I was on Pacific time last night and it showed Fronty's post at 9:25. As for starting the next comp thread, I've repeatedly said the winner can and that I will if they don't by a certain day.

DeL: hmmm. I don't know if there's enough people involved in any particular one such a split, but maybe the length could be changed. A vote thread on this could be started.

[leapinlew]

For what it's worth. I like the pace. A week isn't nearly enough for a casual player. I play a bit on the weekends and occasionally on the weekdays.

Because of this thread, I played and enjoyed some Elevator Action. Nothing worthy of a highscore, but I did have some good times playing a game that doesn't normally get much "action" on my cab.

[Zebidee]

Zeb, the time displayed is generally either server time or your own. I was on Pacific time last night and it showed Fronty's post at 9:25.

Yeah, we all worked all that out pretty easy, and have moved on since.  Seems that the forum site shows US east coast time, not US Pacific.  I'm in Australia, so it is all about 180 degrees out of whack from what time we are.  I just assumed that FrontyDev knew what he was talking about when he said he was late, because the forum clock said 11 past midnight.

The only thing I might feel vaguely slightly slighted about was that I missed a chance to play one more time to get a better score.  But that was a long shot anyway and hey, Fronty won fair and square and congrats are due. NEXT!

[Ummon]

For what it's worth. I like the pace. A week isn't nearly enough for a casual player. I play a bit on the weekends and occasionally on the weekdays.

Because of this thread, I played and enjoyed some Elevator Action. Nothing worthy of a highscore, but I did have some good times playing a game that doesn't normally get much "action" on my cab.

Cool. Yeah, most comps I've played in have been a month. Retroleague is, I think, a week. No thanks. Based on these, I picked two weeks as a tentative period which has seemed to work just right.

The only thing I might feel vaguely slightly slighted about was that I missed a chance to play one more time to get a better score. 

Yeah, I imagined so. Alas.

[fronty]

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[leapinlew]

I have a couple of suggestions for the game competition. Instead of having the winner choose the next game how about we use a list of participants on a circular queue? That way everyone gets to choose a game. If the person in turn isn't available then the decision passes to the next person on the list.

What your suggesting takes organization and manpower. What Ummon has done is create something that allows people to play if they like, and requires very little resources to keep going. I'm sure he wouldn't object if you were going to make a website displaying the results and a list of upcoming games.

Soon, we'll need official rules!

I also would like to suggest a special coop round. We choose a game that allows 2 player coop and use the sum of both player's score as the submission for the high score. We could make some ground rules like no team hopping during a round. IOW you are stuck with the first person you paired with (or something like that).

For example, games for a coop game round could be Alien Syndrome, Top Gunner (Jackal), Marble Madness, 1943. Those four don't allow continues or reset the score upon continuing. Games like Gauntlet and Smash TV sounds like a great choice too but it's so tempting to insert more coins. Maybe limit the coinage to allow games like this. Anyway what do you guys think?

I like this idea. Twingalaxies makes it so when one player is dead, the game ends and the scores are added. That way a single player can't keep playing. Some games that works out better. Compare the score for Mario Bros. duel player vs 1 player. It's a huge difference.

Other variations:
Most points on a level (game like Mario Bros, Rush'N Attack, Jungle Hunt, Qbert, Donkey Kong, etc)
First to score a perfect on the first level (Galaga, Galaxian, etc.)
First to score a perfect game on X levels (Pacmans)
Speed runs - Fastest through specific levels of games: Asteroids, Space Invaders, Breakout - probably need to video record the whole segment)
Quickest kills/Best Combo (Fighting Games)
 

Without fear of losing our quarters, I'm sure we could come up with some other entertaining variations besides score.

[fronty]

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[AtomSmasher]

Yeah, we all worked all that out pretty easy, and have moved on since.  Seems that the forum site shows US east coast time, not US Pacific.  I'm in Australia, so it is all about 180 degrees out of whack from what time we are.  I just assumed that FrontyDev knew what he was talking about when he said he was late, because the forum clock said 11 past midnight.

The only thing I might feel vaguely slightly slighted about was that I missed a chance to play one more time to get a better score.  But that was a long shot anyway and hey, Fronty won fair and square and congrats are due. NEXT!

You can change the forum to show any time zone you like, just go into Profile, then to "Look and Layout Preferences" to change it.

[Ummon]

Indeed lew has illuminated the situation in its entirety. Another factor here is forum layout. These threads get more traffic than just snap posts. Adding more 'features' makes for more to keep track of in posts. To follow through on your ideas, it might be optimal to have two threads, stickied, one for snap posting, the other for discussion, voting, whatever.