Marble Madness rulez

[The TJT]

Yes, it does, but after watching Roncli's marble recording and after little betatesting:

Marble time-settings have changed somewhere between m37b14 and 37b16...propably at 37b15, when some changes have been last made(mame.dk).

37b14 dipswitches difficulty -normal: gives 55 seconds at start of "practice race"...This should apply to all previous versions too. This is normal TG settings

37b16 dipswitch diff -normal: gives 60 seconds at start of "practice race", and accordingly +5seconds at start of each race....this makes a total of +25seconds per game = about +30 000 points. If you want to play equal settings compared to TG and before-37b15, you should change difficulty to "hard"...which gives +55s,+30s,+25s etc.

My suggestion is to delete every marble/1/2/3... recording after 37b14, and apply special rules for marble that it should be played at difficulty hard, if played with version 37b15 or later.

(Gazzis marble3(win58)is ok, seems to be recorded using diff hard)

Thnaks, Tommi

[Phil Lamat]

Why not the contrary ? Keep all recent scores as they are (default), and just mention "tg settings" for old scores ...

Just my 2 cents

[The TJT]

Why not the contrary ? Keep all recent scores as they are (default), and just mention "tg settings" for old scores ...

Just my 2 cents

I think so not!

Older scores are all great skill, new are not. I want to compete against TG settings.

I (and LordGaz propably too) don't want to make new inps, only because mame default settings have changed to easier(read more time per race)!
You know, at next mame version settings can change again...

I believe our scores are quite state of the art right now. (If they were played using current mame settings, score would be exactly 30 000 points more=500+1000+1500+2000+25 000). Can not top or equal my score without playing the game damn much again, fuck I have other games to play now.

I said at earlier post "55 seconds at start of practice race", I really meant to say 55 seconds at start of beginner race...This really is(was) the normal setting at arcades, and it is TG setting too

You can still use later than 37b14 versions, if you just change dips settings "difficulty" to "hard"

There are really only couple of new version scores, and they're not very good anyway. Shouldn't be so hard to delete them, and apply special rules link.

Tommi

P.S. If I would be really strict of Marble scores, I would say the trackball(and maybe mouse) is only way to play the game, it is so much easier to play with keyboard/hotrod and get maximum speed all the way.
Hell, I don't even want to compete against keyboard scores.

That would be another suggestion, if I would expect it to pass.
Sorry for the tone of this post?Can't help it

[Phil Lamat]

I hadn't realised that starting with 5 seconds more was about 25000 pts at the end ; so you're probably right, and we should (by poll?) put in special rules "start at 55 seconds"

Concerning keyboard/trackball, I personally don't have any trackball, so I'm forced (and it was a pain for me in t3 I remember) to play with keyboard ...

[mahlemiut]

Keyboard is easier? Ha! You're kidding, right? You must be.

[roncli]

http://www.mame.dk/gameinfo/marble

- 0.37b15: Added Marble Madness (set 1) and rename the old (set 1) to marble2, (set 2) to marble3 and (set 3) to marble4. Correct all region cpu1 roms lenght from 32 to 16kb.

I verified this by running marble2, marble3, and marble4 in DOS Mame 0.60. Sure enough, the Beginner race (Track 2) starts with 55 seconds, unlike marble, which starts with 60.

Basically, what this means for MARP is that for all scores prior to 0.37b15, any played on the set marble should be moved to marble2, scores on marble2 moved to marble3, and scores on marble3 moved to marble4. Scores done on 0.37b15 and after should remain on the set they were uploaded to.

Also, FYI, scores on marble (which finish) will be exactly 21,000 points higher than marble2 (or marble prior to 0.37b15). marble gives 5 extra seconds on tracks 2, 3, and 4 than marble2, but equal time for tracks 1, 5, and 6. Thus, the point spread would be 500 for track 2, 1,000 for track 3, 1,500 for tracks 4, 5, and 6, and 15,000 for the finishing bonus. This gives a total of 500 + 1,000 + 1,500 + 1,500 + 1,500 + 15,000 = 21,000, not 30,000.

And as far as what controller should be used, I say any one you can come up with. This is MAME, not the arcades, and that's why TG separates scores for the two. I've been considering going as far as plugging in my flight sim for MM so I can get maximum speed when I want, and slower speed for tracks 3 and 5. But for now the HotRod will do.

On that note, I am pleased to say that after much trouble, I'm finally able to playback your recording. Quite impressive! Tracks 4, 5, and 6 were your fastest. I especially liked your jump on track 6 from the ice after the ramp onto the platform, I never thought of trying that. Just about a perfect run, although your times could be improved by about 4 to 5 seconds total for Tracks 2 and 3, as well as going for the elusive 6,000 point bonus on Track 1, which I'm going to try to get down pat.

[The TJT]

http://www.mame.dk/gameinfo/marble

- 0.37b15: Added Marble Madness (set 1) and rename the old (set 1) to marble2, (set 2) to marble3 and (set 3) to marble4. Correct all region cpu1 roms lenght from 32 to 16kb.

I verified this by running marble2, marble3, and marble4 in DOS Mame 0.60. Sure enough, the Beginner race (Track 2) starts with 55 seconds, unlike marble, which starts with 60.

Basically, what this means for MARP is that for all scores prior to 0.37b15, any played on the set marble should be moved to marble2, scores on marble2 moved to marble3, and scores on marble3 moved to marble4. Scores done on 0.37b15 and after should remain on the set they were uploaded to.

--
You're propably right. Maybe this situation is the common procedure at Marp. Pat Laffaye should know more about this. Maybe the point is that these clones all all the same gameplaywise.

Also, FYI, scores on marble (which finish) will be exactly 21,000 points higher than marble2 (or marble prior to 0.37b15). marble gives 5 extra seconds on tracks 2, 3, and 4 than marble2, but equal time for tracks 1, 5, and 6. Thus, the point spread would be 500 for track 2, 1,000 for track 3, 1,500 for tracks 4, 5, and 6, and 15,000 for the finishing bonus. This gives a total of 500 + 1,000 + 1,500 + 1,500 + 1,500 + 15,000 = 21,000, not 30,000.

---
Important thing is not how much extra score you get, but that you get.

You could do a little bit more homework to see if new marble romset gives same amount of time each race, when played at "diff hard"(compared to old marble romset or any marble2,3,4 romset at diff "normal"). If so, Pat/Phil could add to special game rules:"beta 37b15 or later, Marble.zip should be played using diff hard"

I assume that this is the case, someone should check it nevertheless(I'm at work now, and will be late this &%##/ evening). The main idea is to play all Mame-versions and romsets with similar timebonuses, you'll agree, right?

And as far as what controller should be used, I say any one you can come up with. This is MAME, not the arcades, and that's why TG separates scores for the two. I've been considering going as far as plugging in my flight sim for MM so I can get maximum speed when I want, and slower speed for tracks 3 and 5. But for now the HotRod will do.

---
I disagree. The trackball is the only way, if you see me play you'll notice the skill and difficulty involved.

On that note, I am pleased to say that after much trouble, I'm finally able to playback your recording. Quite impressive! Tracks 4, 5, and 6 were your fastest. I especially liked your jump on track 6 from the ice after the ramp onto the platform, I never thought of trying that. Just about a perfect run, although your times could be improved by about 4 to 5 seconds total for Tracks 2 and 3, as well as going for the elusive 6,000 point bonus on Track 1, which I'm going to try to get down pat.

---
Thank you, I prefer my 3-sec time saving trick at the very last corner of track 6. What you might want to see also is my marble tricks, at Marp tricks section: Goto Marp, click dropdown menu("pick a page") and choose "tricks, easter egg..Download the zip file, playback inps with m35b2, enjoy.
Oh, (couch) your marble recording was quite good also [/b]

[roncli]

I assume that this is the case, someone should check it nevertheless(I'm at work now, and will be late this &%##/ evening).

marble2 gives 60/50/30/20/20/20 on hard and 60/45/25/20/20/20 on very hard, while marble gives 60/55/30/25/20/20 on hard and 60/50/25/20/20/20 on very hard.

The main idea is to play all Mame-versions and romsets with similar timebonuses, you'll agree, right?

Having played enough Pac-Man (with speedup), I can say that this isn't the case with many ROM sets. There are some slight differences in difficulty, AI, and scoring between various ROM sets. (With Pac-Man, you even get different mazes.) So, at first, I'd have to disagree.

However, another thought I had this morning was maybe that's *NOT* how the new Set 1 is supposed to be. Thus, I'm going to bring this up, if possible, with the guy who added this ROM set to see if normal difficulty is supposed to give extra time on that ROM. I wouldn't see why it would, but stranger things have happened. If it's intentional to give extra time on normal, then I say keep marble at default settings. If not, then we'd probably have to wait for a fixed version, and then scrap all the existing scores (NOOO!!! Not my 172K! ) on that set.

In either case, though, I still suggest moving the pre 0.37b15s up a ROM, as those were the actual ROMs they were played on, and were renamed since.

What you might want to see also is my marble tricks

Now that I can get the 0.35b2 recordings working, I'll do that.

Oh, (couch) your marble recording was quite good also

Thanx! But the scary thing is, on the existing marble set, you'd have 193K, and a perfect run might even mean 200K... I don't think I could do either of those, not without lots and lots of practice. On the flip side of the coin, that's 151K on marble2 for me... Yikes! [/quote]

[roncli]

What a blast! I got a kick out of the balancing act on top of the little diamond shaped thing in the silly race. I was also amazed at the one Track 3 trick where you can skip the last turn, and the Track 5 trick where you can jump the platform after the pipe... I can't figure those out. I noticed you tried push-the-blackie-into-the-pipe on Track 2. I actually did that the other night while I was messing around.

I have an inp of an el cheapo 6,000 point bonus I didn't see in those files (and a demonstration of how badly I suck on keyboard!). Check it out at http://www.roncli.com/files/marble.zip (recorded in mame32 .60) I tried some of those other tricks, but I gotta wait till I get home to my HotRod to take a serious stab at them.

[The TJT]

Old marble(before 37b15)romset gives seconds:60,55,30,25,20,20 at diff normal, which is same as new romset hard. So "new" marble set1 recordings should be deleted, and commented that game should be played at diff hard starting from 37b14. Sorry Roncli for your loss of recording, but better you than me

Or maybe moving set1 to 2 etc...which might be more fair.

I don't think that it is intentional to set defaults easier, this is just something that mamedevs occasionally do, those bastards ;o) As at Paperboy they suddenly changed difficulty to "ridiculously easy" with certain mameversion.

Is Pat here????(maybe at Funspot),I would like your comments/action here. Anyone else?

Furthermore I'd like to comment that 150K is the limit which separates boys from men!

[sikraiken]

Hmm. If that's so then Tommi (150K, boy-man), then I'm lower than a boy, from last time I played. JD did pretty nice on the NES Deca on Marble Madness. Arcade ver. is a lot harder than the NES ver. I didn't play it enough though in the month or so I had.

[The TJT]

"You have a nice mouth, booy"

[sikraiken]

I don't get it. I guess MARP is down right now, with the rest of the ZTNET network. OHHHH WEEELLLLLLLLLLL.

[LordGaz]

Tommi, your 172k inp for set 1 is actually for the romset which is now set 2. However in order to play it back you must rename marble2 to marble and use the same version of mame you used to record it.

Personally I think we should stick to the defaults for all the sets even if that makes set 1 easier than the others (21k score difference, thanks to roncli for calculating this). If we are to use HARD for set 1 only, it means you have to go throught the marigmarole of changing the difficulty at the start of each game.

IMO, yes the keyboard does ensure maximum speed along the straight portions of the track but the trackball has better resolution for changing direction and for pulling off some of the tricks. Anyway, how many people here have a trackball? How many people have a steering wheel for Pole Position etc...? It's impossible to enforce the certain types of controller for certain games, MAME is an emulator and the trackball is emulated by the keyboard.

BTW 200k+ scores are possible for marble1, I have a 203360 inp but alas it is illegal for MARP because it was done with the 4th credit into the session. I do have a legal 198k inp though but I will not submit it because I think Tommi's 172k game on the TG settings with the trackball deserves credit.

Gaz

PS. The TG setting for this game is defined as 'NORMAL' difficulty, it is not defined by the time you get. 'NORMAL' difficulty on set 1 gives you more time than 'NORMAL' on the other sets and sticks by the TG criteria.

[The TJT]

...Well, Pat?