From THe Forum 179: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
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From THe Forum 179: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
Tell us your favourite Pac-Man stories. They can concern conversions of the original game, or anything else you fancy.
Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
I am a hobby programmer and a wannabe games programmer/designer. Been so for >30 years - as it typically is. Pac-Man lost my interest as a game early on, but the "how is that ghost logic" really never left my mind.
So let me tell you a misconception I had about the movement rules: Sometime in my university years I picked up somewhere (probably on NetNews) that the game maze is what is known in CS as a graph, and that the ghosts were really using something similar to a "traveling salesman" algorithm (yes, this is very technical and all, but you asked - and I still find it interesting) where the individual ghosts when coming to a junction would pick the 1st/2nd/3rd/4th shortest path to the last junction the player passed.
This I believed for many years because to me it sounded like a very beautiful solution to a practical problem using the kind of pure CS techniques you are taught that are 50-60 years old (math people feel free to jump in here and tell me how old it really is) and still relevant today. If it would actually work I don't know, but that is left as an exercise to the reader (hah!).
Having read the explanation of how it actually works was a bit of a disappointment (enough so that I can't really remember it in much detail).
So let me tell you a misconception I had about the movement rules: Sometime in my university years I picked up somewhere (probably on NetNews) that the game maze is what is known in CS as a graph, and that the ghosts were really using something similar to a "traveling salesman" algorithm (yes, this is very technical and all, but you asked - and I still find it interesting) where the individual ghosts when coming to a junction would pick the 1st/2nd/3rd/4th shortest path to the last junction the player passed.
This I believed for many years because to me it sounded like a very beautiful solution to a practical problem using the kind of pure CS techniques you are taught that are 50-60 years old (math people feel free to jump in here and tell me how old it really is) and still relevant today. If it would actually work I don't know, but that is left as an exercise to the reader (hah!).
Having read the explanation of how it actually works was a bit of a disappointment (enough so that I can't really remember it in much detail).
Last edited by NorthWay on Thu Feb 22, 2018 10:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us

absolutely loved this little fella, played it constantly for nigh on two years until battery replacement failed to make it work, then i butchered it by taking it apart to see how it all worked!
it's in gaming heaven now
OR IS IT

by the way i do NOT do this to any other handhelds i had nor do i condone any such action

Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
I must admit was never a huge fan of pac man or those maze games all that much personally...I preferred a fire button with games.
But totally respected the design genius of the game, and first real breakthrough game character/star and ongoing merchandising!
I did enjoy Pac Land a lot more myself, incorporating a different style of gameplay. That said, I still take the Pac games out for the occasional whirl, and enjoy them in short bursts. Never felt the desire to sit down and learn/memorise the patterns.
But totally respected the design genius of the game, and first real breakthrough game character/star and ongoing merchandising!

I did enjoy Pac Land a lot more myself, incorporating a different style of gameplay. That said, I still take the Pac games out for the occasional whirl, and enjoy them in short bursts. Never felt the desire to sit down and learn/memorise the patterns.
Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
I remember first playing the Pacman arcade game and being blown away; it was so *different* to the other arcade games, it felt revolutionary and I desperately wanted to get - and didn't - one of the handhelds that I saw other kids playing. When I found out that my next door neighbour John had Super Taxman on his Apple II, I almost had a stroke from excitement and needless to stay camped out there day and night and ate him out of house and home. Then I realised I could have just copied it and used it on my own Apple II. But when I asked, he refused me a copy, and we still aren't talking to this day.
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Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
I remember going to a holiday camp in 1981, looking forward to playing old favourites Space Invaders & Asteroids. When I got there, I found Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Phoenix & Crazy Climber, all new games to me. I didn't know what to play first, gaming heaven!
Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
Pac Man stickers and cards from the early 80s! (Some of the cards were scratch-card mazes). I used to have the Pac and ghost stickers stuck on my clipboard which I used on school trips. Nice! I also still have a copy of the Pac Man board game in my garage. End of anecdote.
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Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
I really didn't get Pac Man a little kid. The object of it seemed odd. I just liked shooting aliens too much.
The Artist Formerly Known as Timothy Lumsden...
Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
I've never played the original arcade version but use to play numerous clones on computers. I have got Pac Mania on the Amiga, a great version of the game with super fast smooth full screen scrolling.
Oh I also have a Pac Man stapler.
Oh I also have a Pac Man stapler.

- Gibberish Driftwood
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Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
Someone should make a reverse Pacman game where you play as one of the ghosts.
The aim of the game would be to catch Pacman Before he eats all the dots.
The aim of the game would be to catch Pacman Before he eats all the dots.
Ken sent me.
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Do the Kirby dance: (>'-')> <('-'<) ^(' - ')^ <('-'<) (>'-')>
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Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
Pac Man Vs? Ok, one player is still Pac, but the others are ghosts.
The Retro League - Where skill isn't an obstacle
Retrocanteen, home of the unfairly banned
Retrocanteen, home of the unfairly banned
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- Gibberish Driftwood
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Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
Cool, I did not know that such a game already existed.
Gotta get my hands on it.
Gotta get my hands on it.
Ken sent me.
Do the Kirby dance: (>'-')> <('-'<) ^(' - ')^ <('-'<) (>'-')>
Do the Kirby dance: (>'-')> <('-'<) ^(' - ')^ <('-'<) (>'-')>
Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
I was impressed by the richness of the design contrasted with how approachable the game was.
It felt somewhat like you were playing a cartoon.
It felt somewhat like you were playing a cartoon.
Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
(Psst, this is for issue 179..)
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Re: From THe Forum 178: Share your Pac-Man anecdotes with us
Pac-man fever put me in hospital for 3 weeks. I almost died.
'I have nothing but the greatest respect for other peoples' crackpot beliefs' - Sam The Eagle.
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