MAME 0.245 Game Changes

[***PL***]

Code: Select all

*** new games
arkatour2         "Tournament Arkanoid (US, newer)"
betafrce          "Beta Force"
cookbib2c         "Cookie & Bibi 2 (English / Korean)"
covidarts         "Covidarts"
doaab             "Dead or Alive (Model 2A)"
eggventr1         "Egg Venture (Release 1)"
frenzyxprss       "Frenzy Express"
fstarfrcja        "Final Star Force (Japan, set 2)"
higurashi         "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Jong (Japan)"
kbashp            "Knuckle Bash (location test)"
kungfub3s         "Kung-Fu Senjyo (bootleg, Spanish)"
marblmd2          "Marble Madness II (prototype)"
megrescu          "Megumi Rescue"
micon2            "Micon-Kit Part II"
minidart          "Minidart"
mooncrecm         "Moon Cresta (Centromatic Spanish bootleg)"
nostromo          "Nostromo"
samurai           "Samurai (World)"
supershp          "Super Ship"
tvgm8080          "TV Game 8080"
wboyblt           "Wonder Boy (Tecfri bootleg)"

*** changed short
doaab -> doaae             "Dead or Alive (Export, Model 2A, Revision A)"

*** changed both
samurai -> samuraij        "Samurai" -> "Samurai (Japan)"

*** deletions
gokidetor         "Gokidetor (set 1)"
gokidetor2        "Gokidetor (set 2)"
pong              "Pong (Rev E) external [TTL]"

[negative1]

Please consider changing the rules for marble madness 2.
or adding restrictions

Currently
- there is unlimited turbo
- also there are too many powerups (might want to limit their use)
- every 5000 points gives you 5 extra seconds, making it easy to finish

[The TJT]

Please consider changing the rules for marble madness 2.
or adding restrictions

Currently
- there is unlimited turbo
- also there are too many powerups (might want to limit their use)
- every 5000 points gives you 5 extra seconds, making it easy to finish

Hi, some thoughts...

Just found out yesterday that it's now in MAME. Wonderful!
Seems like a really great game. My first thought was that 'man, this game has way too much stuff in it'. Now I'm beginning to like the game, although still suck at it big time having played so little.

Played a little yesterday and slightly more today. So I don't think my expertise is yet enough to give any decisive recommendations. Perhaps in a week or two after I find some time to learn the game...

Anyway, I don't think finishing the game easily (I wish) is a problem. But the score maxing out at 999k is.
There's a guy at YT who posted a max score game. However, he uses 'bumper leeching' at pinball part of the game, which gives some extra points:

https://youtu.be/GA5EaRHJsBk?t=1036

Quick calculation suggests that his last pinball leeching gives him around 60k extra points total, and his score would be 940k without it. So prohibiting bumper leeching at MARP *might* solve the score maxing out issue. Then again, with a perfect game someone might still get the max score so I'm not sure if that alone is enough.

How about dip switches, can they be changed to more difficult?
I do think, so far, that the power-ups & turbo are essential part of the game. I seem to have trouble getting through even with power-ups. I find the joystick control scheme so far rather challenging, being used to trackball at Marble.

Also, he seems to skip some levels? Is there a difference in score between skipping vs going through all levels?

(Maybe this topic should be moved to its own topic at regulation play)

Edit: I wouldn't mind creating some different 'clones' for the game...
A version where you can't use power-ups at all & perhaps something like different routes to finish?
We're not going to get clone romsets for the game anyway.

[negative1]

2 possible ideas:

- Make it speed run only, and turn the time into a score

- Penalize each death x 25000
- about 20-30 deaths, for maxing out score
- about 20 deaths for speedrun

This will cause people to play more carefully.
Although it might still be possible to max out score.
Haven't seen anyone play it well enough in that way.

[The TJT]

Seems a bit complicated. In principle a time-run-clone would be cool... makes entirely different game play.

My idea:

-Play normally, but NO BUMPER LEECHING at Pinball.
...That should take some score off

And if that's not enough not to max out the score...

-Add 1000 points each second left when entering final goal (instead of the super bonus the game gives you).
...It's easy to calculate as the score is static before entering the final goal. The game gives massive bonuses for each second left (1000-5000), just replace that fancy super-duper time bonus with 1000 points for a second. Simple.

That way even if someone submits now, and not doing the Bumper Leech Trick, the score can be retroactively adjusted to replace final super time bonuses with 1k/s.