Ms. Pacman Videos

[hepcat]

This thread will be for people who want to post Ms. Pac-man videos recorded in Mame. Maybe we can help each other increase our scores by watching other people play.

 

I’m starting this off with a game I just played today. My final score was 249,420, the highest I have ever gotten on Ms. Pac-man. In this video, you’ll see that I’ve become a lot better at grouping the monsters on the orange and lavender levels (6-9 and 14-17 respectively.) You’ll also see that getting all four monsters, especially on the 1 second blue boards requires precise timing. The guide written by the Bozeman think tank should be taken as a general guide only. You have to refine their techniques on your own, and you should always keep trying to come up with your own moves!

 

Some other notes on this recording:

 

–Score at the end of Level 5: 76,000. I only missed one 1600 point monster.

–Score at the end of Level 9: 149,420. That’s my highest ever by the end of that board. I was also perfect on Level 9, meaning I got all 4 monsters on all 4 energizers.

–Level 16 takes forever, sorry. I was on my last life at that point and played very conservatively. However, you’ll see that I got all four monsters on the bottom right energizer even after the red monster had sped up.

–Level 17: I got 2 bananas!

–I still have a ton of work to do. I haven’t started grouping the monsters on the junior boards yet and am still making really stupid mistakes. At the end of this particular game I almost threw my monitor out the window in a fit of rage. You’ll see why.

 

IMPORTANT: I made this recording on Mame32 v. 90. Why am I using that version when Mame is up to .101 now? Because every version of Mame I’ve checked past .90 has a bug in Ms. Pac-man that makes the monsters slow down in the tunnels after level three. It’s easiest to see when you watch the monsters emerge from the tunnels on the right side of the screen. I have no idea what’s causing it, but I know it didn’t happen in the original arcade game, and the bug has gotten me killed a few times. So I kept trying different versions until I found the latest one that did not have the bug.

 

You can get mame32.90 at this website. If that link doesn’t work, PM me and I’ll e-mail you a copy.

 

http://mame.joymonkey.com/mame32/index.html

 

I’ll post more of my videos in the coming weeks, but I hope some of the other people in here who I know have been working on Ms. Pac will contribute too. Have fun!

 

--Jason

mspacman249420.zip

[PacManPlus]

*Very* cool Jason... I look forward to seeing it.

 

I'll try and post one soon - my issue is dealing with the monsters once they get faster than you (eating dots or not - the equivalent to the 9th key in Pac-Man). I seem to have a much harder time 'losing' them than I did in regular Pac-Man / Plus (probably because of the maze)

Edited October 10, 2005 by PacManPlus

[hepcat]

I’ll post another game today . The following recording is from last night. My final score was 259,520. That’s only a 10,000 point increase over the first recording, but in this one you’ll see I’m getting a little more efficient and have figured out the timing for a couple other moves that make grouping the monsters easier.

 

Other notes on this game:

 

–Score at end of Level 5: 76,000.

–Score at end of Level 9: 150,520. I missed only one monster on levels 6-9.

–On level 16, I screw up and miss two monsters on the top left energizer. Otherwise I’m perfect on levels 14-16.

–I thought the fruits were pretty stingy in this game. I only got two bananas after Level 7. At the very end of the game, I missed a pear.

 

At this point, even if I clean up the obvious mistakes, I don’t think I’m going to be able to score much over 280,000 unless I hit an incredible streak of luck with the fruit. So, it’s time for me to try grouping monsters on the Chase boards. I have no idea how long it will take me to figure this out, but I will post another video at the appropriate time.

 

Once again, this recording was made in Mame32 .90

 

Enjoy!

 

–Jason

mspacman259520.zip

[hepcat]

Bump.

 

I’ll post a new score today: 285,720. That’s my highest ever! There’s two reasons why it took me so long to bump this thread again. First, I was without a computer for almost two months. Second, grouping the monsters on the purple and beige levels (10-13 & 18) is REALLY hard. It took me a long time to get the timing down and it’s definitely still a work in progress. I relied not only on the Bozeman think tank guide this time, but also a recording that was posted last fall over at MARP.

 

In this game, I killed every monster on the first 12 boards. Level 13 is where it started falling apart. Some of my deaths will seem inexplicable and I really have no explanation for them except that when you’re concentrating for nearly two hours on this game without pausing, you’re eventually going to make some dumb mistakes. This game also made it clear where I still need the most work. I only missed blue monsters on two boards: 13 &18. And I lost (wo)men on the following boards: 10, 12, 13 & 18. Clearly, I need more practice on the purple and beige boards. This is kind of a switch for me because for years I considered the third maze configuration to be the most difficult.

 

Today was definitely an encouraging effort. I killed 262 out of a possible 268 monsters! If I had gotten those monsters and the banana I missed (yes, I missed a banana ) I probably would’ve broken 300,000 on Level 19. The fruits were rather generous, but even if they aren’t next time, I’m pretty sure that I can break 300K by the end of Level 20.

 

Note that this recording was made in Mame32 .104, the latest stable release. The bug I mentioned earlier in the thread is still there, but for some reason the video is very choppy when I try to use Mame32 .90 on my new computer. I don’t understand why that’s happening as my new computer is far more powerful than the old one and Mame32 .90 worked fine on it. Does anyone have any ideas about why this is happening?

 

Without further ado, here’s the recording.

 

–Jason

mspacman285720.zip

[PacManPlus]

AAAAHHHHHH!!!!

 

...Must...get...back...to...playing...

 

Great work Jason

[maximebeauvais]

your attachment are INP file?

 

what are those?

 

only 260K zipped but 38meg unzipped?

 

how could I open it. THANKS

[hepcat]

your attachment are INP file?

 

what are those?

 

only 260K zipped but 38meg unzipped?

 

how could I open it. THANKS

1030083[/snapback]

 

[i just responded to this via PM, but I'm posting substantially the same thing in this thread in case people are not entirely clear on how to play these files back.]

 

Mame inp files tend to be HUGE unless they are zipped up. I believe the game I posted Saturday was over 40meg before I zipped it.

 

To unzip it, use Winzip and extract the unzipped file into the "inp" folder in mame32. To actually play it back, you need Mame32 v. 104. Then click on file and "playback input" or something similar. The file should appear once you've navigated to the inp folder. Highlight it and then open and Mame should start it automatically. You'll need the Ms. Pacman rom of course.

 

Let me know if it works! I played it back on my own computer before I posted it, so I know it does work, at least for me.

 

--Jason

Edited March 9, 2006 by hepcat

[hepcat]

Here it is folks, my best score ever: 323,070.

 

After my last post, I kind of took a break from the game for a while. When I started playing again in June, my timing was off. I almost stopped playing again because it was getting so frustrating, but everything fell into place today. I killed 265 out of 268 monsters, and one of those misses was a freak accident on the 4th board. I was pissed, but thank goodness I wasn’t pissed enough to hit the reset button.

 

I hit an amazing streak of luck on levels 14-17, getting 4 bananas and 3 pears out of 8 fruits. Also, I did not lose a life until level 16. I was perfect on Level 18, which is probably the hardest board in the game to kill every monster. If you let them chase you to the top half of the board before you’re ready, the red monster will speed up and you won’t be able to get them all.

 

It starts falling apart on Level 19. I missed a banana on that board and lost my second life. Then I lost my third life on level 20 on another bone headed play. I really can’t explain it other than to say the game was 2 hours old by that point and I was getting tired.

 

I recorded this in Mame32 .90, since I solved the video problem I mentioned earlier in this thread. One thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned is that you can fast forward during a Mame inp playback, so you can skip very quickly through the parts of this video you don’t want to see. In Mame 90, just hit F9 a few times, and the playback speed will keep increasing. I think on the 12th hit, it will return to normal speed.

 

I’ve decided to post another game when I clear level 25, regardless of my score. (In this recording, the game ends on level 21.) I have no idea how long it will take, but I’m determined to do it eventually. I think from now on I’m just going to start the game on level 21 and keep practicing.

 

–Jason mspacman323070.zip

[john p]

Here it is folks, my best score ever: 323,070.

 

After my last post, I kind of took a break from the game for a while. When I started playing again in June, my timing was off. I almost stopped playing again because it was getting so frustrating, but everything fell into place today. I killed 265 out of 268 monsters, and one of those misses was a freak accident on the 4th board. I was pissed, but thank goodness I wasn’t pissed enough to hit the reset button.

 

I hit an amazing streak of luck on levels 14-17, getting 4 bananas and 3 pears out of 8 fruits. Also, I did not lose a life until level 16. I was perfect on Level 18, which is probably the hardest board in the game to kill every monster. If you let them chase you to the top half of the board before you’re ready, the red monster will speed up and you won’t be able to get them all.

 

It starts falling apart on Level 19. I missed a banana on that board and lost my second life. Then I lost my third life on level 20 on another bone headed play. I really can’t explain it other than to say the game was 2 hours old by that point and I was getting tired.

 

I recorded this in Mame32 .90, since I solved the video problem I mentioned earlier in this thread. One thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned is that you can fast forward during a Mame inp playback, so you can skip very quickly through the parts of this video you don’t want to see. In Mame 90, just hit F9 a few times, and the playback speed will keep increasing. I think on the 12th hit, it will return to normal speed.

 

I’ve decided to post another game when I clear level 25, regardless of my score. (In this recording, the game ends on level 21.) I have no idea how long it will take, but I’m determined to do it eventually. I think from now on I’m just going to start the game on level 21 and keep practicing.

 

–Jason mspacman323070.zip

[john p]

Jason congrats on your score.I have tried to view your latest game but must be doing something wrong.This is a stupid question but where do I put the ms pacman rom ? .As a matter of interest my highest score is 133000 using up down left right keys I have decided to get a joystick which should improve my score thanks john p

[Derek]

Here it is folks, my best score ever: 323,070.

 

After my last post, I kind of took a break from the game for a while. When I started playing again in June, my timing was off. I almost stopped playing again because it was getting so frustrating, but everything fell into place today. I killed 265 out of 268 monsters, and one of those misses was a freak accident on the 4th board. I was pissed, but thank goodness I wasn’t pissed enough to hit the reset button.

 

I hit an amazing streak of luck on levels 14-17, getting 4 bananas and 3 pears out of 8 fruits. Also, I did not lose a life until level 16. I was perfect on Level 18, which is probably the hardest board in the game to kill every monster. If you let them chase you to the top half of the board before you’re ready, the red monster will speed up and you won’t be able to get them all.

 

It starts falling apart on Level 19. I missed a banana on that board and lost my second life. Then I lost my third life on level 20 on another bone headed play. I really can’t explain it other than to say the game was 2 hours old by that point and I was getting tired.

 

I recorded this in Mame32 .90, since I solved the video problem I mentioned earlier in this thread. One thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned is that you can fast forward during a Mame inp playback, so you can skip very quickly through the parts of this video you don’t want to see. In Mame 90, just hit F9 a few times, and the playback speed will keep increasing. I think on the 12th hit, it will return to normal speed.

 

I’ve decided to post another game when I clear level 25, regardless of my score. (In this recording, the game ends on level 21.) I have no idea how long it will take, but I’m determined to do it eventually. I think from now on I’m just going to start the game on level 21 and keep practicing.

 

–Jason mspacman323070.zip

[Derek]

I think from now on I’m just going to start the game on level 21 and keep practicing.

 

How do you do that? I thought MAME games were just emulations of the actual game. I have no idea how to start a game at a certain level.

 

As far as playing Ms.Pac on MAME, it is not quite the same as the coin-op, I find that what I remember happening when standing in the arcade is not quite the same, perhaps is it because of holding a joystick that is not rigidly attached to anything. Dunno.

[hepcat]

Jason congrats on your score.I have tried to view your latest game but must be doing something wrong.This is a stupid question but where do I put the ms pacman rom ? .As a matter of interest my highest score is 133000 using up down left right keys I have decided to get a joystick which should improve my score thanks john p

 

You should use mame32 to playback my .inp files. You need the correct version of Mame 32, which I believe I have specified in each of my posts. When you install Mame32, it should create a directory structure for you including a folder called "roms." Put the Ms. Pacman rom in there.

 

The keyboard is NOT the best way to play any of the Pacman games. I might be able to get 150,000 using the keyboard, but there's no way I could be accurate enough to use the grouping techniques.

 

The solution I've been using for several years now is to hook up an Atari 2600 controller to my computer. The best way to do this is to get a Stelladaptor in the Atari Age store. Then go on Epay to get a joystick, unless you already have one. I recommend getting a Slik Stik, a small, durable and extremely accurate joystick. It has a very short throw, which is crucial for all the Pacman games. There's always a few of them on Ebay, but look out, I've bought a few that did not work properly. Sometimes they can be fixed, but not always.

 

--Jason

[hepcat]

I think from now on I’m just going to start the game on level 21 and keep practicing.

 

How do you do that? I thought MAME games were just emulations of the actual game. I have no idea how to start a game at a certain level.

 

As far as playing Ms.Pac on MAME, it is not quite the same as the coin-op, I find that what I remember happening when standing in the arcade is not quite the same, perhaps is it because of holding a joystick that is not rigidly attached to anything. Dunno.

 

See my post above about controllers. If anything, a Slik Stik will probably be better than the joysticks you find on arcade machines these days.

 

You need to use the "rack advance" setting in Mame32 to skip boards. You can use it to start on any board you like. This was a setting on the original machine, I think. In fact, I believe the Bozeman Think Tank used it back it in the 80's to start on higher levels while working on their grouping techniques.

 

Any way, you need to start Ms. pacman, then hit the tab button. Go to Dip Switches and set Rack Test to "On." The game will start cycling through the boards, taking 3 or 4 seconds for each one. When you get to the board you want, I'd hit Pause, then turn off Rack Test. This will give you time to scroll back out of the Dip Switches area and back to the game.

[hepcat]

I just played a game where I used rack advance to start on Level 21. The game ended on Level 27. The result of my efforts? A whopping 28,300.

(Sorry, I didn't think to record it.)

 

This is kind of depressing. I'm not having too much trouble with Levels 22-25, but Level 21 is a bitch. I've been watching a video of a guy who clears it every time and I swear I'm playing it exactly the same as he does, but I always get caught with about 10 dots left.

 

--Jason

[hepcat]

I just scored 365,010 and made it to Level 30.

 

I'll post the recording as soon as I watch it to make sure it worked. It will probably be tomorrow sometime.

 

Edit: Ok, I reviewed the file and it works, so here it is. To play this back, you’ll need Wolfmame .101. This is a special version of Mame32 that’s used by Twin Galaxies and MARP to help verify recordings sent for inclusion in their high score lists. Other than that, it’s not significantly different from regular Mame32.

 

You can get Wolfmame at this link:

 

http://wolfmame.marpirc.net/

 

You’ll have to scroll down a bit, the exact file name is: wolfmameplus-0101.exe

 

Now for a brief description of the game.

 

First of all I got 266 out of 268 possible ghosts. One of those misses is on Level 6, which is really embarrassing. The other miss was on Level 12.

 

Watch for amazing escapes on Levels 16 and 23!

 

I lost my first life at 277,440 points.

 

I missed three fruits after Level 20. Especially on Levels 21 and 26-29, getting the second fruit can be tough because you’re just trying to survive the level.

 

One other thing: remember Mame’s fast forward option during .inp playbacks! In this version of Wolfmame, just hit f10 once and the playback will speed up to around 10x normal speed. When I get to a board you want to watch, just hit F10 again and it will slow down to normal speed. This game is around 2.5 hours, so people may want to speed things up.

 

That’s all for now. Next stop: 400,000!

 

Jason

Mspacman365010.zip

Edited September 10, 2006 by hepcat