The office gaming tourney thread - The Bear and Badger

Eric

I have just watched a video of it on youtube and it looks absolutely mental: Is this guy any good? What he is doing looks almost impossible:

davyK

If I play myself into a session I can score over 10,000 but there are people who can score in 6 figures. The game speed tops out at level 8 which is 13 bombs/sec.

It's a real "in-the-zone" game though - your brain adjusts to the speed and you stop thinking - probably the first zone/zen game. If you drop a bomb the game slows down by 1 level and that breaks your rhythm - it's a very simple yet deceptively clever game.

There's a diff A setting that halves the size of your "buckets" - I find that option next to unplayable due to the difficulty from the required increase in accuracy - but I have scored close to 10,000 the odd time even at that level but it's rare.

retroking1981

davyK wrote:

It's a real "in-the-zone" game though - your brain adjusts to the speed and you stop thinking

I find a lot of Atari games are like this, you almost stop focusing on the screen and begin to use your peripheral vision and instincts more.

davyK

I've had the odd game on this setup and I think I find it easier on the big screen.
(I'm sitting this office tourney round out has I have just played far too much of this for it to be fair).

I usually play this on a CRT. Maybe it's the relative size of the display? Hard to say. Sometimes I sit down and play well from the start and other days I'm crap. Other times I can "play myself in" over several games - that's what I love about this game.

The Atari doesn't have a memory mapped display- the developer has to set the values in one byte of memory as the beam draws the screen. You have to time your code to set the right bits in the display byte while knowing where the beam is on each scanline and what scanline you are on in order to draw the display - so Atari games are closely synched with the display. That's probably why a lot of them have a rhythm to them.

Moot_Geeza

I get that 10% glazed thing where I'm not quite sure if I'm focusing on the screen with games like that, used to be a thing with my LCD units. The extra levels in Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze did it to me recently. Trials, maybe Meat Boy. It's like I'm staring a tiny bit past the image, and maybe off to the left.

davyK

Those LCD units were probably synched with a clock so they would have a similar effect on you as 2600 games. You got into the zone very quickly with them. It's a rare thing for me to experience it with modern gaming.

Moot_Geeza

Endless runners are the best example I can think of in the modern era.

davyK

Aye. Bit Trip Runner did spring to mind as I typed that post.

Moot_Geeza

Something like Bit Trip might work for a turn based office challenge. Now you have a 360, that free Dorito's game that should've been crap by rights but was actually great fun would go down well. I'll find it...

Moot_Geeza

Sound down, obviously:

davyK

That would be a nice stand-in for Tap Runner. Tap Runner is great but it does suffer a bit when the field stretches out and the camera zooms way out. Not a problem when players are fairly equal but that's not always the case in an office gaming setup.

davyK

Day 2 of Kaboom went well...Had 16 people taking part.

Top score was 1331 but the guy who finished 2nd was quite pleased....

Dark Soldier

I want to work at your place mate. Sounds awesome.

davyK

We're an IT section of a biggish organisation - but we are in our own building so enjoy a great deal of autonomy. While it's a pain in the arse looking after some aspects of the building (which falls to me), I can also do stuff like this.

davyK

This event attracted more people because I was told that they shied away from the combative nature of the 2 player versus format I have used up until now. The Kaboom event was over 3 days and people played it in one player as many times as they liked more or less whenever it suited them.

This has made me think that I should introduce one or two more events of this format. So I need some 1 player score attack games where a single game doesn't last very long.

An obvious candidate is a caravan mode 2D shooter with a 2min mode. Pacman CE would be a good one - thinking about Mr Driller (maybe survival mode) and the flight mode in Balloon Fight.

A time trial format would suit - so Tetris sprint mode or a race game with a TT mode using simpler courses.

Suggestions welcome.

mangman

Meteos on the DS had some pretty good short score attack levels. Takes a little while to get good, but it sounds like it would fit what you're after. Could the DS be hooked up to a projector?

I loved it for a while anyway.

Eric

I'm sure Trials would be a good one. Check with DS though.

Dark Soldier

Trials would be perfect, but you'll either need multiple profiles, or trust that peeps will admit who set the leading time.

davyK

Kaboom worked with a witness system so Trials or anything for that matter will work.

Moot_Geeza

As incredible as Trials is once you've got to grips with it, few things beat non gamers struggling to get the hang of it. My brother in law and his mate haven't really played games since the late 80s, but they absolutely loved it. Was great to watch.

Dark Soldier

I love watching Twitch streams of people just starting out on Trials, give it a week and they start hitting respectable times and its glorious.

davyK

Trials is worth getting a 360 for. The Christmas I got my 360 (2013) I had pre-bought Mushi Futari and DDP Res. Trials was on offer for a paltry amount and I got it and all the DLC.

Between the STGs and Trials I had a serious old school blow out that holiday week. Glorious.

davyK

Virtua Tennis competition lined up for the coming week. Will be using no. 2 on the Dreamcast with arcade sticks. Have a dozen people involved. Haven't used this game in 2 years and looking forward to it.

Will allow a practice day on Wednesday and then run a knockout comp on Thursday and Fri. Projector, big screen and VGA box means it will look great.

Will just keep it simple and have people play a tie-break game - first to 7 points and 2 points clear. Solves any complexities arising from service games and will ensure a quick enough turn-around.

Next two events are going to be

August : Pacman CE high score challenge in 5 min mode and

Halloween : a 1 level score attack comp with HOTD3 or Overkill - still to decide - using this baby so it should attract attention. The pump action works with Overkill. HOTD 3 has a time attack mode in which you are fighting against a countdown clock which ensures a faster turn-around so not sure which to use.

Moot_Geeza

I dont think it's currently feasible for you, but Nidhogg on PS4 clicks as a top tier mp experience almost instantaneously. Pick up the pad for the first time, particularly pitted against another noob, and you're only seconds away from fun.

davyK

After the Kaboom feedback I'm going to be trying more score attack games as the 2 player versus format puts people off - particularly females. Will keep Virtua Tennis and Tetris battle mode but will mix up the score attack games.

Eric

And as you said the other day Moot, Mario Chase and that Animal crossing sweet collecting game on Nintendoland are serious fun. Both dominated my retro games night last week. Nintendo should release more maps for both. I'd buy a fleshed out Mario chase in a jiffy!
Chu Chu rocket got a hammering too, 4 player

Moot_Geeza

Playing Mario Chase felt like we'd rolled the clock back to 2000/2001ish (the regular post-pub halcyon PS multiplayer days).

davyK

Nidhogg looks outrageously good. There's a PC version so it's feasible for me.

EDIT: going for a quid on Steam....

davyK

Pacman CE 3 day high-score challenge (5 min mode) running next week in my little office league.

Will be using a Hori stick as an added bonus.

davyK

First session of Pacman CE nearing completion. (Reduced to 2 days after I forgot to bring in the console yesterday)

One of our intern/students didn't know you could eat the ghosts after taking a power pill. Shocked. What is the world coming to?

Still managed 44K on his first game. 2nd game he scored 66K which is pretty good going and I reckon my 112K score will be bested.

Some people are struggling with the control. The game does have odd handling (it is horrendous with the standard d-pad and OK-ish with the analogue pad). The Hori stick has no 4-way option but you soon adjust.

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