Hi, I would like to ask the Japanese players some questions about older games.

If you can remember, please let me know highest scores for old Namco games like Jr Pacman, Pole Position, Dig Dug, and Galaga. Also if possible a link to an inp for MAME.

Did Japanese players ever play older Williams games like Joust, Robotron, Sinistar, Bubbles, Stargate or Defender?

I think 4.4 million is possible on Dig Dug. Highest known score on Pole Positon is 67,310. Hisa, any better Columns inps on the net? Are you sure it's possible to get 99 million (maximum score) in 8 hours, or does it take longer?

Thanks for your time, Mark

-- Mark Longridge (zero1@look.ca), July 07, 2001

Answers

Also, Bosconian if you know.

-- Joe Ledesma (JoeyL21988@yahoo.com), July 07, 2001.

Mark: Not including the wild gems, about 44,000 gems would be required to max out the score. Figure 1/3 second per gem (one second per group of three), that makes about six hours to max out the score.

Anyone wish to complain about my numbers?

-- Kaidi, King of Cleopatra Fortune (peng@demongate.ath.cx), July 07, 2001.

Why yes, I believe I will. I'm not a Columns man so I'll just go along with your estimates. 44,000 gems / 3 gems per column = 14,667 columns (minus one gem). At one second per column, 14,667 / 3600 seconds per hour = 4.07 hours. I would've given you about a half-hour error as leeway for an off the cuff calculation, but I was never in a class that tolerated an error of that magnitude in any sort of answer. Care to try again, Kaidi? I'll help you hold the calculator this time (and you might want to take a second look at your estimates, I'd buy 8 hours before 4 for 99 million).

-- Brian McLean (bmclean84@hotmail.com), July 08, 2001.

Brian: Allow for about half again the time because not every gem is eliminated. 44,000 eliminated gems, not 44,000 gems brought into the pile.

Next complaint.

-- Kaidi (peng@demongate.ath.cx), July 09, 2001.

Oh right, I forgot! The field holds an extra 44K gems for all the ones you DON'T get rid of. Stupid me!

-- Brian McLean (bmclean84@hotmail.com), July 09, 2001.

To be fair, I was getting up when I posted that last remark. It should have been 22K and not 44K. The absurdity of the idea still stands, unless you'd like to tell us about game features we don't know about Kaidi? Maybe like those fruits in Pac-Man that show up if you run around a nearly empty maze neough?

-- Brian McLean (bmclean84@hotmail.com), July 09, 2001.