Tag Team high score

[lippsman]

I haven't uploaded before. But shot a pretty decent score on Tag Team. I tried to upload last night but couldn't get the file to upload. Are there any problems with the site right now. I forgot to take a screenshot at the end of the game. Hope that's not a problem. BTW why are most of the high scores with much older versions of MAME? I don't see many high scores with later versions. I got this score on the most recent version of MAME running the Emu Loader front end. Makes it real easy to record. I'm having a hell of a time replaying other peoples .inp files. Would love some pointers for this also.

Thanks, looking forward to the fourms here

Louie

[Dax]

Im not an expert like alot of these guys are but I got to you first
They will set you straight but here are a few pointers to get you off the ground.

The site has been having "problems". I usually just keep submitting till it finally goes through. Be persistant.


A great many inps that have been uploaded using an older version of Mame generally require that same version to play it back(not always). Also and check whether the inp was recorded under any special parameters. ie frameskip, sound etc.. and be sure to set those same parameters when playing back.

Screenshots are not required but a nice addition to a submission

You can get the particular version of Mame you need from the link "get mame" to the right of the submission.

[LN2]

Are there any problems with the site right now.

yep, site has persistently been having problems. The past 4-5 days it takes me 3-4 attempts to upload a score...so if it fails try a few more times...and after each attempt even if you get the script error check the uploads page anyway...cuz often the error can be related to sending the e-mail notices...but handled posting the score and saving the file you uploaded just fine.

I forgot to take a screenshot at the end of the game. Hope that's not a problem.

It would be nice if there was one..but certainly not required. it's also handy if you have a short readme with the info like frameskip, audio setting used etc. if it's a game that's finicky for those settings.

BTW why are most of the high scores with much older versions of MAME? I don't see many high scores with later versions.

There are plenty of scores with later versions. Note the dates of the score submissions when you see old versions of MAME for a score.

I'm guessing odds are it's dated 1998 or 1999 or 2000 etc. so going back a few years....where a version like 0.35-0.37 was still pretty current.

Also, before the past 6-9 months, there was tgmame versions of 0.35 and 0.37 that were still required for use in tournaments and events even though the latest version of mame was up to 0.5x or 0.6x.

I think that's all MARP was in the beginning. They would have various contests using tgmame and all scores were submitted to the MARP scoreboard.

Also for some particular games, like the Sega I engine games, version 0.36 is the last version those actually work well with...so games like Hang-On will still be played using 0.36.

I'm having a hell of a time replaying other peoples .inp files. Would love some pointers for this also.

1 pointer is in the top frame of the MARP site is click on HELP. This will lead you to a page giving tips etc.

Here are the main tips I give people:

First, make sure you aren't using NVRAM when you record or when you playback inp files. For many games having a NVRAM state other than the default will result in the replay file not playing back correctly...or then recording in a state that would only playback correctly with that same NVRAM state.

Second, make sure when recording or playing back an inp you don't use automatic frameskipping. While for many games it doesn't matter, for quite a few it does....so versus worrying about which do and which don't, I find it easiest to just always use a manually set frameskip value. You can always adjust it with F8/F9 on a test run before restarting it recording your input. If a frameskip value is given in the description or in a readme with the zip file, then set mame to that same frameskip value for playback.

For playing back inp files, you must almost always use the exact same version of mame used in recording. If you see mame36 listed for a score then mame36 must be used to play it back. There are exceptions to this but it holds for a vast majority of games. You often can use mame32-whatever instead of mame-whatever or dmame-whatever as long as it's the same version number...but there are cases where this doesn't hold as well where that specific type of mame must even be used.

There are also some that seem picky on what M$Windows OS you are using...assuming you have a PC using Windows. i often see reports here of someone not being able to play an inp back using WinXP but another has no problem using Win98 etc.

[Weehawk]

The past 4-5 days it takes me 3-4 attempts to upload a score

It used to take me 3 or 4 attempts to upload. My last 3 or 4 hundred from home have been unsuccessful. This is the third day I cannot upload at all.

BTW why are most of the high scores with much older versions of MAME?

I also have wondered at how many games have scores that have stood for five years. You can't have any much older because that's when MARP was begun.

I think in some cases it's just a matter of lack of interest in the game, or that someone back then put up a pretty good score and people since then haven't felt much incentive to try to compete with it. In some cases however, I'm afraid that it is because the scores in question were not games being played at full speed. Most serious MARPers now use faster computers than were available five years ago, and record in more secure versions of MAME, which in some cases may make it just about impossible to beat scores which were achieved with slowdown, whether it was intentional or not.

[BBH]

I also have wondered at how many games have scores that have stood for five years. You can't have any much older because that's when MARP was begun.

hehe, my Satan's Hollow score is still up after 5 and a half years. It was one of the first things I ever submitted to the site. I don't even think I'm really that good at the game (the TG scores are insane), but I guess nobody else really cares about it.

[rickdeckard]

Well, it's about to be dethroned. I had to register just to post this.

Seriously though, as a youngster I remember scoring about 440k on a Satan's Hollow machine over in Daytona during spring break. Now some 15 or more years later I doubt my reflexes will allow me to recreate that but I have managed a recording of 327k with mame. I've been holding off uploading it since I REALLY want to crack 400k just ONE more time in my life.

I love Satan's Hollow, this game DEFINITELY didn't get the props it rightfully deserved back in the day. Sure, it copies from various games before it but it does it WELL and to my knowledge there are no exploits in this one, a high score means you earned it!

Where are all the SH players in the world? All the high scores I've seen posted around the net are quite low, is it true no one likes this game? There are so few recordings on MARP and I cannot play back any of them no matter what settings I try (don't have DOS so can't try those at all). I just can't believe it, it's such a badass classic!

[tar]

a recording of 327k

[BBH]

:\

so much for that little piece of MARP "history". sigh.

[rickdeckard]

a recording of 327k

i would like to see it
i got 50 thousand yesterday
i have viewed 1 of bbh's games win35tg3 or beta 5 ?
i was 12 years old when it came out in '81.(shollow)
Used to travel to cleveland and columbus alot ,
just to go to the arcades .

I just uploaded it today, have a look.

BBH man I'm not raining on your parade, hope you didn't take it that way! In fact, perhaps we can spark up some competition here, a little Satan's Hollow revival. Trade some tips & hints on how to hit the big scores.

[tar]

m.a.m.e. 36
great work !
pictures above are from that game (327k)
microsoft windows "98

[BBH]

BBH man I'm not raining on your parade, hope you didn't take it that way! In fact, perhaps we can spark up some competition here, a little Satan's Hollow revival. Trade some tips & hints on how to hit the big scores.

well, you wanted competition... :P

I do have to thank you for motivating me to start playing the game again, it really is surprisingly adrenaline-pumping at times. But I rather enjoyed having a 1st place score on this site that stood for six and a half years... in fact, it was the oldest remaining 1st place on MARP. (Now that that's gone, the oldest 1st place is Mark Lyons' score on Galaxian)

oh well, had to happen sometime, I suppose. Records were meant to be broken.

[rickdeckard]

I said competition not L33T PWNAGE! Do you always just pop back to a game 5 years later and triple your highest score?

Seriously though, fan-TASTIC game! AWESOME run to the bridge with that last man for a tremendous bonus score. Finally, a real-life Satan's Hollow master, well met BBH, well met. It's unlikely I'll top that anytime soon but you can bet I'll be trying. Man, that is the highest score I've ever seen in my entire life on any Satan's Hollow machine. Woohoo!

Do you play with the keyboard or a joystick?
I have an X-Arcade but being lazy, almost always play mame with the keyboard. This could be harming my game a bit so wondering what you use?

I noticed you tend to go across on the 'second' wave instead of the 'third', forcing you to face a full-on wave after satan with no bridge instead of the ducky wave where you can easily slap on 4-5 pieces. Did you do this as a calculated risk to get an extra 2-3 pieces PRIOR to the ducky wave, thereby gaining an advantage in bridge pieces?

[QRS]

Geesh.. BBH you never stop to surprise me... amazing score!!

[rickdeckard]

Thanks back to you BBH. Since you raised the bar so freaking high I'm feeling inspired and managed to get my own personal best, 442,640. I'll keep chugging, please share any tips and answers to my above queries.

Just found myself thinking man, the Satan's Hollow section of MARP is all of the sudden not looking so dusty anymore!

[BBH]

I said competition not L33T PWNAGE! Do you always just pop back to a game 5 years later and triple your highest score? :D

I wish... but Satan's Hollow is a weird case since the scoring increases exponentially and gets higher and higher as you play longer, so it's not too hard to destroy an old score when you weren't playing for that much longer.

Seriously though, fan-TASTIC game! AWESOME run to the bridge with that last man for a tremendous bonus score. Finally, a real-life Satan's Hollow master, well met BBH, well met. It's unlikely I'll top that anytime soon but you can bet I'll be trying. Man, that is the highest score I've ever seen in my entire life on any Satan's Hollow machine. Woohoo!

I always seem to lose my last life when I have a good chance at finishing the bridge again, ha ha. :( As for being a master.... well, Twin Galaxies has some awfully sick scores, those guys are the TRUE masters. That's what I REALLY want to see.

http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx? ... 39&vi=1461

Do you play with the keyboard or a joystick?
I have an X-Arcade but being lazy, almost always play mame with the keyboard. This could be harming my game a bit so wondering what you use?

I don't even have an arcade stick, I use a six-button pad. It has L and R shoulder buttons, I use the R trigger as the shield button since it feels more natural that way. (and the first button on the pad itself to fire)

I noticed you tend to go across on the 'second' wave instead of the 'third', forcing you to face a full-on wave after satan with no bridge instead of the ducky wave where you can easily slap on 4-5 pieces. Did you do this as a calculated risk to get an extra 2-3 pieces PRIOR to the ducky wave, thereby gaining an advantage in bridge pieces?

Well, when it's that early in the game, I don't consider it to be all that risky to be able to survive the wave immediately after since it's not quite as intense. And even if I do screw up, it's so early that I can just hit Esc and start all over again. I don't really have any patterns set in stone yet, but I was tending to get into a good groove if I started out that way, so I might stick with it...

Unfortunately, since there's playback problems for people on some computers with the recordings I made last night, I need to re-record using an older version. So I'll have to keep working on improving my score some more.

Congrats on beating your old personal record too!