MAME Tournament Discussion Thread

[NE146]

Tried downloading Solomon's Key -- got a "Cannot connect to server" error message.

Let me know if you're still having problems. I pretty much got all Mame roms and it's absolutely no problem uploading any of them if anyone needs them. By the way, downloading them off the web is so barbaric. :P


Damn, NE146 you beat my Q*bert score. I'm glad you weren't my opponent. You also got an amazing score at Galaga so I have no choice but to assume that your a ringer at the oldschool titles!

I'm just ok.. there are far better out there of course. :P You're still ahead though (I shoulda tried harder at Knights of the Round). This round though it's anyone's game w/ these 2 titles. I have no idea even how to play Solomons Key and with Pnickles.. good lordy. :hmm:

[Lady Jaye]

I think I stand a better chance this time... (at least where Pnickles is concerned -- I don't know yet about Solomon's Key)

[Jibbajaba]

@Soulblazer: Remember that collecting 10 Faeries in Solomon's Key gets you an extra life. So not such a good idea to skip those.

Matchups will be posted today!

Chris

[Jibbajaba]

OK here are this week's matchups. I am going to make it a regular practice to post matchups on Wednesday mornings to give people the chance to challenge eachother, as long as the challenging thing doesn't get abused (i.e. challenging a weak player every week in order to boost your W-L ratio).

First, the challenges. Gauntlets have been thrown down. Glove-slappings have occured. Inappropriate gestures used.

Fergojisan vs. Kamino
AdamG vs. Queen of the Felines
Lady Jaye vs. SoulBlazer
Quintracker vs. Scooterb23
InsaneDavid vs. DragonMaster Sam

And the people who were too spineless to level a challenge:
Mr. FoodMonster vs Tripppsk
Flack vs Cirrus
Lord007 vs. Crush Crawfish
Richter Belmount vs. Robotriot
Dr. Morbis vs. NE146
hydr0x vs. Cmosfm
Cryomancer vs. Hovoc
DDCecil vs. Needle (REMATCH!!!)

Good luck!

Chris

[hydr0x]

OK here are this week's matchups. I am going to make it a regular practice to post matchups on Wednesday mornings to give people the chance to challenge eachother, as long as the challenging thing doesn't get abused (i.e. challenging a weak player every week in order to boost your W-L ratio).

....


DDCecil vs. Needle (REMATCH!!!)

Good luck!

Chris

eh i don't know WHAT you have in mind, but imho the same match-up shouldn't happen twice, i haven't thought about how many matchs there are and how many players but shouldn't it be possible to only have every match once???

[SoulBlazer]

Yes, I KNOW 10 Faries give you a extra life.....but you can only get one each screen, and you're assuming I can get to the 10th screen. :P

Lady, let me know if you still can't get the ROM.

[Jibbajaba]

OK here are this week's matchups. I am going to make it a regular practice to post matchups on Wednesday mornings to give people the chance to challenge eachother, as long as the challenging thing doesn't get abused (i.e. challenging a weak player every week in order to boost your W-L ratio).

....


DDCecil vs. Needle (REMATCH!!!)

Good luck!

Chris

eh i don't know WHAT you have in mind, but imho the same match-up shouldn't happen twice, i haven't thought about how many matchs there are and how many players but shouldn't it be possible to only have every match once???

If you want to be that much of a stickler, then there shouldnt be interconference play, either.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This is my first time setting something like this up, so I am still figuring out the best way to do things. I am trying to run the league in a proper manner, but have fun and create something fun for the players as well, at the same time. I thought that it would be fun to have DDCecil play Needle again because they are tied and only have a ~2000 point difference in their total scores.

I mean, having players challenge eachother is just an inappropriate then, isnt it?

There are enough playoff spots that someone's chance of getting into the playoffs is not going to hinge on who they did or didn't play. Your total point count has nothing to do with who you play as well. If the whole matchup thing seems to not be working, then we will go by absolute point total instead. AGAIN, this is a learning process for me.

Of course it's possible to have players only play each other once, but is that REALLY neccesary? Obviously in the playoffs things will be stricly regimented, but don't you think that we can have a competitive atmosphere in the regular season but have fun and keep it loose at the same time?

Sei mal locker, mann.

Chris

[DragonMaster Sam]

I'll be ready for you, Insane David.

[Flack]

Shoot. I wanted to challenge one of the people who haven't been sending in scores. Ah well. Here's to Cirrus forgetting to send his scores in! :)

[Cirrus]

Shoot. I wanted to challenge one of the people who haven't been sending in scores. Ah well. Here's to Cirrus forgetting to send his scores in! :)

Actually, I was excited to be up against you, considering YOU are one of those people.

I will send in my scores, no matter how low. :)

[Dr. Morbis]

Dr. Morbis vs. NE146
Uh-oh :eek 2: How did I know that was going to happen? Looks like it's show time for braggin' rights in the Mayamoto division. I'm takin' it up TWO notches this week :-P

[InsaneDavid]

I'll be ready for you, Insane David.

And I'll be ready to lose. LOL E3 wrapups to write, my next RTM article is due Friday, and Revenge of the Sith tomorrow morning. :/

[NE146]

Dr. Morbis vs. NE146
Uh-oh :eek 2: How did I know that was going to happen? Looks like it's show time for braggin' rights in the Mayamoto division. I'm takin' it up TWO notches this week :-P

Oh man.. with THIS week's selection of games? x_x Yknow I only play only start playing this stuff late Sunday night right? :P This week though.. holy crap I have zero ideas of these games and Solomons Key?? That's EXACTLY the kind of game that I suck at :D

I'll also have to submit my stuff in early because I'm heading out of Seattle Sunday morning to go to Philly for a whole week for work.. Unless of course I can sneak in mame onto my company laptop.. hmmmm... :hmm:

[TripppsK]

I'm curious to know what everyone is playing MAME on. Are you playing on a MAME cabinet, pre made controllers (Hot Rod, Slik Stik), homemade controllers, or keyboard?

I play on a Xenophobe cabinet equipped with 2 Happs Competition joys, a 3" translucent trackball, and an Osar Model 3 spinner. I will post a pic after I get home.

I'd really like to see pics of what others are playing on.

[Lady Jaye]

I'm playing on an iBook G3, using a PS2 Dual Shock controller via a PlayStation/N64-to-USB adaptor. In a week, I'll be playing on a brand-new iMac G5... (oh, and I'm about to get myself a digital camera for my upcoming Vancouver/CGE trip, so I'll be able to take a pic of the whole setup.)

[hydr0x]

i'm playing on my pc with 15' screen and keyboard.... yeah :(

[NE146]

well usually I'd at LEAST be using my MS sidewinder gamepad... but I can't find it for the life of me!

I'm using a plain ol keyboard.

And next week I'll be using a crappy laptop. :/

[Jibbajaba]

I'm playing on an iBook G3, using a PS2 Dual Shock controller via a PlayStation/N64-to-USB adaptor. In a week, I'll be playing on a brand-new iMac G5... (oh, and I'm about to get myself a digital camera for my upcoming Vancouver/CGE trip, so I'll be able to take a pic of the whole setup.)

Hey COOL. I just got an iMac G5 a few weeks ago at work. Which one are you getting? They went all out and got me the big 20" monster, and put 1 gig of RAM in it. If only I could take it home...

Chris

[Lady Jaye]

The 17" model with SuperDrive (in other words, the middle-range one). It's my very early (ie. 4+ months early) 30th birthday gift (and 2005 Christmas gift) from my parents...

[fergojisan]

I'm using an HP Pavilion bought in 2000 with ME on it. I have a Sidewinder that I use for MAME. I'm still not used to that slanted D pad, but it came in handy for Q*Bert it did. Not that I got a great score or anything. :P We're going away Fri-Sun, so hopefully I can put this stuff on my wife's Dell Inspiron laptop.

[Crush Crawfish]

I'm playing my MAME on a Toshiba laptop with a PS2 controller connected via a Super Joy box adaptor.

I really like both games this week! :) I kinda suck at Solomon, but I think I'm actually quite good at Pnickies...though it gets ridiculously fast at some points.

Oh, and I'm all for the idea of having more MAME competitions. I'm really enjoying this one, and I'd certainly love to compete in it again! :D

[DragonMaster Sam]

I'm playing on my PC, with a 19" monitor and a Saitek 880 Pad.

[DDCecil]

Oh great, Needle! He's really going to get me back for winning the Super Smash TV Hi-Score Challenge! LOL

I'm playing on my old PC with the Keyboard. I have a controller (Came with Mega Man X PC), but it only works on my old 386.

[Dr. Morbis]

i'm playing on my pc with 15' screen and keyboard.... yeah :(
That's exactly how I'm playing too, ever since my ancient Gravis gamepad broke on me a few months ago. I'm so disconnected from new controller technology that when I eventually head into a gamestore to look for a new one I'm going to feel like a cave man who just woke up after an eternity encased in ice.

[InsaneDavid]

I'm curious to know what everyone is playing MAME on...

I'm using an original PlayStation DualShock controller through a PSFamily -> USB2 converter. Using my good old AMD Athlon 900 running Win98SE. Using my massive + beautiful (and freaking HEAVY) 20" Sony CRT display that conforms to the Trinitron standard.

I am working on a MAME cocktail but it's still in the early stages but all the woodwork and most of the PC rebuild for it is done, but right now it's holding up my model railroad. LOL

[Lady Jaye]

Looks like I'll have to send in my high scores tonight... tomorrow, I'm leaving home pretty early (going to see Star Wars at 9:30 am) and then I'm heading to my parents' place... I'll come back home only Monday (here in Canada, it's Victoria Day weekend, so Monday's a holiday).

I could always just bring the files with me this weekend, but I doubt I'll have much time for gaming at my parents' home (I'm doing a huge cleanup of my bedroom there, separating stuff to keep, stuff to give away and stuff to throw away)...

Fortunately, I'm pretty satisfied of my score in Pnickles. It could probably be higher if I played more, but I've had no time this week.

[fergojisan]

Looks like I'll have to send in my high scores tonight... tomorrow, I'm leaving home pretty early (going to see Star Wars at 9:30 am) and then I'm heading to my parents' place... I'll come back home only Monday (here in Canada, it's Victoria Day weekend, so Monday's a holiday).

I could always just bring the files with me this weekend, but I doubt I'll have much time for gaming at my parents' home (I'm doing a huge cleanup of my bedroom there, separating stuff to keep, stuff to give away and stuff to throw away)...

Woooooo, clean sweep! I'm in the same boat you are, LJ, but I will be back Sunday night (I'm not cleaning anything though). I put everything on my wife's laptop, but I don't know if I'll get a chance to play. It's actually been a busy week for me, which figures because I'm really enjoying these games when I get the chance to play them. :P Such is life!

I haven't heard anything here from Kamino yet. How's it going, Kamino? :)

PS to Lady Jaye-Do you guys have Boxing Day too?

[Lady Jaye]

Yup, we do get Boxing Day here!

[Dr. Morbis]

One more day to go, but did anyone else find the hidden yellow crown in Round 7 of Solomon's Key that's worth a whopping 100,000 points? I'll give you a hint: in order to make it appear you have to make a block and then break the block you just made (and it's near a pesky enemy).
Good luck kiddies ;)

[SoulBlazer]

Wow, thanks for that hint! I've reached that round now thanks to trial and error......I'll have to see if I can find it.

Best I've done so far for a score in that game is 125k.

EDIT: Well, if you got the right round and did'nt confuse it for another one, I'm stumped.

There's three enemies in that room I would say are 'annoying' -- the two monster generators (one the devil heads that break blocks and the other spits out green slimes) and the fire spitting dragon on the stones at the top left.

I've made and broken EVERY SINGLE SQUARE within a four square radius of all THREE of those and can't find a single thing. I found two hidden bells and a gem, but no crown.

I almost think you're pulling our leg. :P

If it's here, it's not anywhere near what I would consider a 'annoying' enemy, and it's not in the NES version. Oh well.

Pnickles.....eeh, it reminds me why I hate puzzles games. LOL 35k is the best I can manage here.

[Cryomancer]

I totally managed to NOT get around to playing this week...I'll try my best to get scores in yet today though. :/

[hydr0x]

I totally managed to NOT get around to playing this week...I'll try my best to get scores in yet today though. :/

same here :(

[scooterb23]

Make that three of us. Which kind of stinks because I'm pretty decent at Solomon's Key but there's one screen early that's causing me issues, but Pnickles is a lost cause for me...I will get scores in...but I fear I shall be 2-3 after this week :( I just didn't have a chance to really sit down and play this week.

[Queen Of The Felines]

Four of us. I'm going to have to do nothing but play all day today and hope for the best. :/

Kristine

[robotriot]

Just submitted my scores - I barely made it into the highscores in Solomon's Key, yet another game I dislike :P Pnickies is cool though, although I doubt my score will be among the best ;)

[Queen Of The Felines]

Ok, really dumb question here: In Solomon's Key, is there a way to break a block underneath you? I'm talking about the third level as an example, unless I'm missing something obvious. :/

Kristine

[DragonMaster Sam]

Yeah. You have to hit down and whatever button it is that uses your wand.

While on the subject of Solomon's Key, I got first place on the game's scoreboard. The same with Pnickies.

[Jibbajaba]

yet another game I dislike

:roll: You just can't please some people. :roll:

I'll consult with you before designing any future contests.

Chris

[scooterb23]

Ugh, I'm sure I just got beaten worse than Shaquille O'Neal in a free throw shooting contest.

Here's to next week.

[Dr. Morbis]

There's three enemies in that room I would say are 'annoying' -- the two monster generators (one the devil heads that break blocks and the other spits out green slimes) and the fire spitting dragon on the stones at the top left.

I've made and broken EVERY SINGLE SQUARE within a four square radius of all THREE of those and can't find a single thing. I found two hidden bells and a gem, but no crown.

I almost think you're pulling our leg. :P

If it's here, it's not anywhere near what I would consider a 'annoying' enemy, and it's not in the NES version. Oh well.

It's directly beneath the slime generator that's near the top left (right above the fire-spitting dragon).

[Crush Crawfish]

I think I did pretty well this week....I made it to 1st place on both games default Hi-score charts, so that's gotta count for something!

I hope one of this weeks' games is a SHMUP...that'd be cool beans, yo. :D

[NE146]

wellp.. I didn't do too good this week. But then again I'm a couple thousand miles away from home :D

It's great though.. I think Solomon's Key is fun! I wouldn't have given this game too much of a chance before.. now I dig it a lot :) Too bad the enthusiasm doesn't translate to good scores though :P

[Cirrus]

Well, all the scores are in. I am eagerly awaiting this week's results, especially after Flack was talking crap. :) Yes, I submitted my meager scores. I hope you didn't!

To kill the suspense (Spoilers) I got around 40k on Pnickies and around 170k on Solomon's Key.

Anyway, can't wait to see the next choices! (and the results, of course.)

[SoulBlazer]

Huh....I KNOW I did that square.....made a block and broke it, and no crown for me. :hmm: Oh well....I doubt anyone else but you found it, so you deserve the 100k in points. :D

I tried to get a better score on Solomon's Key tonight, but finally gave up and sent in the screenshot for the game I had last night, where I got to Round 10 and about 128k in points. I did'nt like this game at first (I suck at puzzle games to start with, and had bad memories of the NES version) but as I played it during the week it started to grow on me. I'll agree it was a good pic. :)

Pnickles, though -- ugh. It just seems like a cheap Tetris/Colums knock off to me. A few tweaks could have made it a good game, and it's not like Capcom MAKES many bad games. But I can see why this one stayed in Japan in arcade only. I DID get a new score for myself on that tonight, but only 40k.

Here's hoping for a sports game or a shooter next week. 8-)

[fergojisan]

Seemingly like everyone else, I didn't play too much this week. But I enjoyed both games very much, even though I didn't score too high on either of them. I know I'll be playing both of these games in the future.

[robotriot]

:roll: You just can't please some people. :roll:

I'll consult with you before designing any future contests.

Chris

You seem a bit over-sensitive, this wasn't even meant as criticism. All I was saying is that it's not my kind of game, but I know that probably most of the games in the competition won't be my favorites. It's natural that game tastes are different, and I always like checking out stuff I wouldn't have tried otherwise, so it's actually a good thing. Still I would like to have the freedom to express that the one or the other game just doesn't do anything for me ... this is not an attack on you and the way you organize the contest, but rather on the gamedesigners, how they dared to create a game which doesn't match my taste ;) So lighten up man ^^

[InsaneDavid]

Yeah. You have to hit down and whatever button it is that uses your wand.

While on the subject of Solomon's Key, I got first place on the game's scoreboard. The same with Pnickies.

Then an early congratulations on your victory over me, being away from MAME until Sunday evening is no excuse - I'm going to get my ass handed to me fore sure.

[Jibbajaba]

Scores posted in the stickied thread. Standings sheet has been updated. 4 people didn;t submit scores this week. I hope this isn't the start of a trend. I'll start sending out reminder e-mails on Fridays or Saturdays or something.

I also posted this week's game. Probably won't be liked by a lot of people either, but I wanted to choose something appropriate for this week.

Chris

[Mr.FoodMonster]

Gah, I only have one win so far. All I have to say is that I am Green-Yellow color blind, so Pnickies was rather hard for me to play, but I still beat my opponent. Yay!

[Gapporin]

I have posted my pick for this week as well. I noticed how some of you guys wanted a sports game... :P

[scooterb23]

Can you help those of us who can't read Japanese what some of the words are in the baseball game? I've played it before...but I really have no idea what is going on...

[Gapporin]

Alright. Here's the basics for Dokaben:

You get dealt five cards. So does your opponent. You both pick a card. If you (the batter) gets a higher numbered card than the opponent, you get a hit. Depending on the difference between the two cards, the hit could be anything from a single to a home run (For example: you pick 8, the opponent picks 7. You get a single. You pick 9, the opponent picks 1. You get a home run). If your opponent's card is higher than yours, you're out. If they are tied, it's a foul ball, and play continues. After three outs, you switch sides.

The second button allows to add power to your cards. For example, hitting the button twice will show a "+2" above your cards. This means that whatever card you pick, 2 more will be added to it. You can use up to five per game.

I'm not sure what all the options do. While batting, I know that the first option is a bunt. Varying from player to player, each person has different options. I guess you could experiment and see what everything does.

While pitching, you only have one option. Again, I'm not sure what it does, but it seems to take more stamina than usual.

I know this all sounds really complicated, but it's actually a fun game. Just trust me. :P

Oh, and another thing: After three innings, it will ask you to insert another quarter. Go ahead and play a whole game (9 innings), and then tally your score at the end. The main post has been edited to reflect this.

[hydr0x]

ok, what the heck? i tried to play Star Wars, but i can't move my bike at all?!?! what buttons am i supposed to press? i tried everything...

[Jibbajaba]

ok, what the heck? i tried to play Star Wars, but i can't move my bike at all?!?! what buttons am i supposed to press? i tried everything...

The speeder bike should just move forward automatically. You press left and right to move it left and right, and push the trigger button to fire your blasters.

[fergojisan]

Okay, a couple of weird choices this week, but I'll do my best. I've never played either game before, and ROTJ looks a bit dodgy to me, but Dokaben seems pretty fun (as long as I can figure out how to continue). I got a cheap win against Kamino, so I'm going to challenge Flack this week. It will be my honor to have you kick my ass, Flack! LOL

BTW, is Gapporin on the Capcom payroll, or what? ;)

[SoulBlazer]

Bah.....I talked smack to Lady and split with her. :/ Oh well...I'm not surprised I lost at Pnickles, seeing as how much I hated that game, even though I tried to get a high score on it. Congrats to Lady.

The games this week -- I played quite a bit of ROTJ on Rogue Squadron 3 when they finally released the code to unlock it last year so I feel okay for this game.

The other game looks......interesting. :D

I don't think I know the games well enough to challenge anyone, so I'll see if anyone comes to me. ;)

[Flack]

Well, all the scores are in. I am eagerly awaiting this week's results, especially after Flack was talking crap. :) Yes, I submitted my meager scores. I hope you didn't!

I talk crap every week. ;)

Pnickles is my kind of game. I found the easiest way to play was to separate out different piles of blocks and make them as large as possible while the game was going slow. Right before it got insanely fast I would start connecting things and clear out as much as possible. Then when it kicks into fast mode I would just try to match colors and weather the storm. Like some other puzzle games, Pnickles seems to have a "fudge zone" that lets you move and/or rotate pieces for a second after they've landed, which really saved me a few times. Using this technique I was able to score between 85k-90k pretty fairly regularly. I only beat 95k two or three times, and the one time I scored 100k is the score I sent in.

I really enjoyed Solomon's Key but couldn't get very far. I kept thinking the game looked familiar; it took me a while to finally remember that this was a MAME Club pick a while back! Imagine my surprise when I went back and looked to see who originally picked it. :evil:

Looking forward to this week's games! I used to do pretty decent on RotJ back in the arcade days, but I don't think I've tried it on a MAME machine with a normal joystick before.

[hydr0x]

ok, what the heck? i tried to play Star Wars, but i can't move my bike at all?!?! what buttons am i supposed to press? i tried everything...

The speeder bike should just move forward automatically. You press left and right to move it left and right, and push the trigger button to fire your blasters.

lol, that was exactly my problem, it didn't move when pressing left/right ;) i figured it out though, although CTRL / ALT worked, somehow for movement only my gamepad was working (although i hadn't used my gamepad with mame before :hmm: )

got it working now!

[Gapporin]

Thanks to Jibbajaba, there is now a direct download link for Dokaben in my post. Sorry for the delay, guys.


BTW, is Gapporin on the Capcom payroll, or what?

Yep! I get paid in the form of demo discs and promo T-shirts. :P

[Cirrus]

Well, all the scores are in. I am eagerly awaiting this week's results, especially after Flack was talking crap. :) Yes, I submitted my meager scores. I hope you didn't!

I talk crap every week. ;)

Pnickles is my kind of game. I found the easiest way to play was to separate out different piles of blocks and make them as large as possible while the game was going slow. Right before it got insanely fast I would start connecting things and clear out as much as possible. Then when it kicks into fast mode I would just try to match colors and weather the storm. Like some other puzzle games, Pnickles seems to have a "fudge zone" that lets you move and/or rotate pieces for a second after they've landed, which really saved me a few times. Using this technique I was able to score between 85k-90k pretty fairly regularly. I only beat 95k two or three times, and the one time I scored 100k is the score I sent in.


Oh man, I guess it IS your kind of game. You had over double my score, as well as most everyone else. I would have had a win against a lot of other folks.

It hurts! Oh well, at least I got you in Solomon's Key. :P

[DragonMaster Sam]

I just wanna say congrats to InsaneDavid for ending my perfect record. I plan to get back on track (or at least a split) for this week's games. I've already tried to baseball game, and it's a tad bit interesting. May take awhile to get used to.

[Flack]

Am I missing something on the baseball game, or is it just completely chance?

[Gapporin]

Am I missing something on the baseball game, or is it just completely chance?

There are ways you can tip the scales in your favor (the power button, for example), but it is mostly just chance. Think of it as the card game War with baseball players.

[Cirrus]

Am I missing something on the baseball game, or is it just completely chance?

You are missing nothing. Completely chance. You might be lucky and guess when is the right time to use your power hit points... but that's still chance.

The RotJ game, though, is pretty fun. I guess I'm just a sucker for digitized voices. :) I managed to destroy the death star once so far, around 60k. That alone was pretty hard, to be honest.


edit: Gapporin beat me to the response! I guess I type too slowly.

[Crush Crawfish]

wow, I actually won both games this week! It was pretty dan close though... I gotta admit, I'm really enjoying this contest. It's also great for the ol' self-esteem! I thought I was absolutely awful at games in general, but now it seems that I'm actually a lot better than previously indicated! Woo-hoo! :D

Anyways, this week's games seem quite interesting...I'll be sure to give them a shot in a little bit.

[Jibbajaba]

Bad news, kids. Richter Belmount dropped out of the contest. Not only does this mean that there will be no GRUDGE MATCH between he and Kamino, but it also means that we now have an odd number of players. So either I have to set up one three way matchup per week (pain in the butt) or either myself or Gapporin will have to play against one of the players each week (each week until someone else pussies out, that is.)

We here in the Digital Press MAME League Administration Building will get things worked out. I currently have three of my hottest secretaries, six graduate students, and a corporate consultant working on the problem. Maybe I'll just have hydr0x play himself every week. In the mean time, AdamG is next in line to take a spot in one of the divisions, so he will take Richter's position. The change will be reflected either next Monday during the normal standings update, or sooner if I feel like it.

Chris

[Dr. Morbis]

@NE146: haha, I just squeaked out a victory over you in Pnickies :P

@Flack: Nice work in Pnickies. What round did you get to (I got to round 49 which is kind of a bumber because it would have slowed down and given me a breather at round 50 - then again, it took me like 5 tries to get past round 39).

@Jibbajaba: hold off on making a decision about what to do with the odd man out until you've gotten word from the rest of this weeks no-shows to see if the rest of them are still in the game.

[hydr0x]

Maybe I'll just have hydr0x play himself every week.

lol? have i done something i missed? LOL

or are you hinting at the fact i have a 1-5 record with that 1 point being a forfeit win? :hmm: if so don't let yourself fool you, it might have to do with the fact i played only one round at both Solomons Key and Pnickies because of a severe lack of time and just submitted the scores of those first trys ;)

btw, just a suggestion for the future (more aimed at gapporin): please try to select skill games, not luck games like that Baseball Card game, on my first try i didn't make a single hit and lost 0-8, yeah, that's how lucky i am LOL how do you want to handle scores for that game anyway? comparing is possible, yeah, but how do you add the scores to the total? don't get me wrong, the game's actually fun and i'm glad it was shown to us, but it's not quite the kind of game that fits into a contest like this one ;)

[fergojisan]

how do you want to handle scores for that game anyway? comparing is possible, yeah, but how do you add the scores to the total?

I was wondering this myself. I am also wondering about the 9 inning game. I've only played it twice so far, but both times I hit what I thought was the continue, but it didn't. I am assuming if you continue that you will have a 9 inning score, and that would eliminate the need for 3 screenshots, which is what I was thinking we were going to have to do. I'm going to keep trying to get to the continue; if anyone can fill me in, I'd appreciate it. :)

[SoulBlazer]

I have another question concerning Return of the Jedi -- depending on what skill level you set for yourself at the start of the game, you can earn point bonsues after finishing the first level at the Med and Hard skill levels. Should we leave this in? Personaly, I'd argue that everyone should start a game on Easy and play from there, so that everyone is on the same level.

As for the baseball game, I like it....I was able to continue just fine when it asked for more money, just insert a credit and hit the button to continue. I won my first game 5-3 by scoring three runs in the 9th. ;) Had about 35k in points.

The game is not ALL chance, though. There is some strategy in it. On the hitting side, you only have a limited ammount of 'skill points' you can bump onto a card. It's best to save those for when you really need a hit (down by a run in the 9th with a man on 3rd and two outs, for example). With pitching, you can call a 'timeout' that will boost each card by 1 to 3 points, but again, you can only do this a few times. You REGAIN those points, however, when your reliver/closer comes on around the 7th inning, though, so keep that in mind.

Someone mentioned it was possible to bunt -- how?

Are there more controls in this game that I'm missing? I only see the one button for selecting the card and the other button to use a 'power-up'.

Finally, I noticed there is a 'lucky' card that comes up sometimes. When the hitter gets this, he automaticaly gets a base hit. (I never did get a home run in my game, though.)

I also assume each team has strengths and weeknesses to it. I'll keep playing. It's a cute game so far. :)

Since I've played a lot of Return of the Jedi in the emulated version included on Rogue Squadron 3, I'll throw in some hints and tips for everyone here. :)

There's four stages in the game: Bike scene, Walker scene, space scene, and Death Star scene. The first stage is 'pratice' so you only see the two hardest ones -- the bike and Death Star scenes.

In the Bike scene -- the first half of the stage changes with each level, but the second part (with the traps the Ewoks lay and the treees) stays the same. Memorizing those helps.

Do your best to weave back and forth. Stay far enough ahead of the Imperial bikers so you can dodge shots coming. Crash them off into trees or the sides if you can but pay more attention to what is coming AT you. Some of the tree trunks and the Ewok flying thing that drops rocks can be DAMN hard to avoid.

For easy points, just line up the Ewok traps and go through them, and then stay at the far left of the screen. You'll avoid the trees and any Imperial bikers.

In the Walker scene -- this one is not that hard. Stay all the way back unless you have a good reason to charge forward. Stay all the way on one side of the screen or the other and keep firing that blaster all the time! It's easier to blast the logs then avoid them. When you see the Imperial walkers, hang back till they fire their first shot and then charge them and take them out.

You go back and forth betwen this scene and the space scene, so stay alert! Listening to the voices can help you decide when you're going to the other.

In the Space scene -- also pretty easy. Just blast the TIE's and avoid the guns.

In the Death Star scene -- this is the hardest of the game. Be carefull not to hit the walls or the pylons. Keep moving the Falcon back and forth in small weaves, but be ready to avoid a TIE firing at you or some of the walls. Knock the TIE's off into the walls or obstacles at your FIRST chance. Hanging all the way back helps here.

When the tunnel gets VERY narrow toward the end, shoot all the time. When the screen starts to open up, move down toward the bottom and shoot out the reactor.

On the way out, don't worry about the flames. Just stay a little in front of them. For the first half of the run, you can stay all the way at the top of the screen. Your pad gets REVERSED during this part, so be carefull! The walls come at you at the same places as the way in, so be ready to dodge. And keep firing all the time during the first half -- you can rack up a lot of points from destroying TIE's.

So far I've gotten to the Death Star scene on Stage 2 and racked up 110k in points.

Good luck to everyone! :)

[Cirrus]

I have another question concerning Return of the Jedi -- depending on what skill level you set for yourself at the start of the game, you can earn point bonsues after finishing the first level at the Med and Hard skill levels. Should we leave this in? Personaly, I'd argue that everyone should start a game on Easy and play from there, so that everyone is on the same level.


Pretty sure he said we should keep it on easy.

[Gapporin]

Time to dive into today's Mailbag: :P


how do you want to handle scores for that game anyway? comparing is possible, yeah, but how do you add the scores to the total?

I believe that the game keeps the score from continue to continue. Therefore, you will only need to take one screenshot at the end of the game.


I've only played it twice so far, but both times I hit what I thought was the continue, but it didn't...if anyone can fill me in, I'd appreciate it.

I think that whenever the home team is ahead, that's when it asks you for a continue (although it might not do it every time). For example, if it's the end of the 5th inning, and the home team is up 3-2, that's when it'll ask you for a continue. To continue, basically whenever a sign with a bunch of Japanese writing on it with a number counting down from 10, that's when you need to continue. Simply insert another credit, and press start.



Someone mentioned it was possible to bunt -- how?

The first option (or, the top option) is the bunt. Pick that option, and then pick a card like normal. Your hitter should then bunt.


Are there more controls in this game that I'm missing? I only see the one button for selecting the card and the other button to use a 'power-up'.

Nope, that's it. Pretty simple, eh?

[hydr0x]

Time to dive into today's Mailbag: :P


how do you want to handle scores for that game anyway? comparing is possible, yeah, but how do you add the scores to the total?

I believe that the game keeps the score from continue to continue. Therefore, you will only need to take one screenshot at the end of the game.


that's not what i meant, i was wondering how you wanted to add a score like 6-0 to the total tournament score, but obviously you actually get a real score like 35.635 if you finish a game, i somehow missed that, or maybe i lost so high (like i said, 0-8) that i didn't get points!?!?

[hydr0x]

OK, this is official now, Dokaben is driving me crazy!! i just lost another game 1-2 after 12 innings.... am i doing something wrong or is the opponent ALWAYS getting the better cards?? i'm happy if i get one 8 or higher in the whole game when batting, and he's drawing them all the time, every damn game

well, i'm frustrated, so if you've got any idea what could help me, please let me know :(

[Jibbajaba]

Just to confirm it, Return of the Jedi should be played on EASY. I mentioned this both in the stickied thread, and in the e-mail I sent out.

Chris