During 2009, I developed many patterns for Pac-Man. Some have been used to set the world records for the fastest perfect pacman game.
Anyway, I was scrounging through my files and I found a pattern that I never bothered to upload. So I uppped it to youtube the other day, and here it is for your amusement. Enjoy.
This pattern for Pac-Man's 9th key, discovered around September, 2009, features 4 "booeys", where Pac-Man passes unharmed through a ghost. It is also relatively fast, clocking in at 46 seconds. [Some of the fastest 9th key patterns run about 41 or 42 seconds.]
It is a matter of timing. If pacman occupies a grid square next to a ghost, and in the next 1/60th of a second they trade grid squares (pass through each other), the program will not register a collision.
> It is a matter of timing. If pacman occupies a grid square next to a ghost, and in > the next 1/60th of a second they trade grid squares (pass through each other ), the > program will not register a collision.
I found this fascinating when I first learned it. Just the math behind pac/mspac is fun... the methods of movement for each ghost, for instance. But yeah, you still have to be pixel-perfect in timing to pass through a ghost.
> > It is a matter of timing. If pacman occupies a grid square next to a ghost, and in > > the next 1/60th of a second they trade grid squares (pass through each other ), the > > program will not register a collision. > > > I found this fascinating when I first learned it. > Just the math behind pac/mspac is fun... > the methods of movement for each ghost, for instance. > But yeah, you still have to be pixel-perfect in > timing to pass through a ghost.
What I don't get is how you develop patterns like these. Is it really just trial and error, or do you figure out and predict ghost behavior based on their algorithms? I can't even comprehend what kind of patience it would take either way, especially for a high level like this.
That's what always baffles me about Pac Man patterns, and even moreso, Billy Mitchell's perfect game. The amount of memorization seems astounding to me, but I guess some people have a knack for it.
I've never been good at Pac Man, or any maze games really. I'm lucky if I ever see level 3 on one go.
> What I don't get is how you develop patterns like these. Is it really just trial and > error, or do you figure out and predict ghost behavior based on their algorithms? I > can't even comprehend what kind of patience it would take either way, especially for > a high level like this.
It's really trial and error. I just keep plugging away and trying to run through the ghosts until I get a booey. Using MAME save states helps a lot, too.
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Pacman pattern with 4 booeys
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neat nonetheless. 
