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Gals Panic / Fantasia etc

Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 12:53 pm
by TER
There's plenty of submissions in these series where the model is deliberately "changed" before the % threshold is achieved. This has the effect of being able to repeat early/easier levels many times to greatly increase score with minimal increase in difficulty - I suspect this could be done infinitely.

I can't find this strategy being discussed for these games - leeching or no?

Re: Gals Panic / Fantasia etc

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 11:05 am
by Kale
It's quite a despicable technique, and yes it is known (basically every single inp from TK on this genre sports this)

The problem here is how exactly to ban this?

Re: Gals Panic / Fantasia etc

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 1:40 pm
by TER
If we apply a limit to the number of times a level can be completed while changed, you can bet that limit will be exploited as much as possible... so that's not ideal.

A progress reward is employed for some games... maybe that?

Or a penalty if a round is completed while changed?
Maybe just enough of a penalty to discourage deliberate abuse, but not enough to ruin an otherwise worthwhile run - because sometimes it does happen anyway despite your best efforts.
Discounting the exact score achieved from such rounds could be the best end result, but kinda fiddly to monitor.

But yeah... I take your point.

Re: Gals Panic / Fantasia etc

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 8:53 pm
by Phil Lamat
I also know this type of leeching.
Not very easy to make a rule on this, because as you've said, it happens also when you don't want it to happen

Re: Gals Panic / Fantasia etc

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:47 pm
by TER
Wow, less than 6 hours after I post a 'galsnewk' score, TK trounces mine with the expected technique.

Perhaps the extreme view is the simplest - completing a stage while "changed" disqualifies your run.
If you've changed, the onus is on you to change back before you cross the % threshold, otherwise you must let time run out and sacrifice that life.

That would definitely remove any incentive to leech in this fashion, and it's much easier to monitor.

Re: Gals Panic / Fantasia etc

Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 6:33 am
by Kale
I've also been thinking about dividing your score by the number of times you complete a given stage with penalty screen, i.e.

Code: Select all

score / (penalties_completed + 1)
That's more relaxing than just banning screen switches altogheter (things can go very hairy especially for the Korean ripoffs).

And, since TK reads this, here's a reminder:
e) Submit only games that you feel are worthy of the notice of other MARPers, owing either to personal effort, or display of skill.
Repeating the same level over and over it's not display of skill, it's literally just save state practicing.
And also number of inps that Double Dragon has a counter stop is one, nobody else even bothered into that.
And I may make tons of silly spots I know the existance in various games*, which again nobody even bothered into doing cause unfun as fuck. But I'm going to stop his usual OT game here, since explaining values of life is not exactly the scope of a Gals Panic thread :lol:

*Genpei Toumaden's whooping 100 puntos for each killed bird in a specific end of stage yay

Re: Gals Panic / Fantasia etc

Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 11:49 am
by TER
Sure... something, anything to discourage this genre from being a bit of a farce.
Though you may find self-regulation kicks in with such a penalty - personally I'd rather sacrifice a life than risk a 50% penalty for a completed change screen.

Similar end result, I guess. :D

Re: Gals Panic / Fantasia etc

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2019 3:38 am
by TER
A further point... just saw the notes left on the galsnewk scoreboard.

This game does award 100pts per claimed block, so drawing off many tiny blocks can rack up lots of score. Noting that there is a time limit working against you here, the same time in which you need to clear the level, so it can't be done endlessly.

Furthermore, the more of these mini-blocks you draw within the silhouette, the more you risk your level meter being penalized. Of course that's the core of the leeching method which prompted this thread, but I digress...
On the flip side, the more mini-blocks you draw outside the silhouette, the less area you have to trap the main enemy.

So there are down sides to this as a point gathering strategy.

I suspect this will be even more difficult to rule against, as it can also be seen as a safer mode of play - the more mini-blocks you draw away from the silhouette, the higher you push your level meter into the safe area. This allows you to worry less about "changing" if you must draw blocks across the silhouette, sometimes that's unavoidable.

Happy for there to be a ruling against this if it is deemed leeching more so than acceptable point-pressing &/or safe play... mainly just I'm happy for there to be a discussion about it!