Unbeatable high scores

[Shoonay]

One thing that bugs me in some games - that the first place... even the last place in the high score table, is sometimes so "high up in the sky", almost (:rolleyes) unbeatable... mostly probably just for me :blased

I've done quite a number of 'hacks' to some, making'em possibly low, for even a one-play session to beat.
But there's a number of games out there that crunch/encode/archive/whatever it's called, the hiscores - either on the disk (image), in a well known file or... somewhere.

What do you guys think: should the hiscores be "lowered" (like in the case of Trap's & treasures... if my memory is correct) by the slave authors?

[Marcuz]

i'm puzzled: if the highscore is bound to the image you use to install, they could as well be different on any single machine, simply because the adf can be different; so simply use the caps image, if there is, as it should easier keep the original highscores. have i misunderstood or am i wrong?

[MarlboroMan]

I think the highscores should not be altered in any way. They should be in the state as they were on the original disk.

Maybe in certain cases they should be lowered if theyre *really* unbeatable.

[Codetapper]

Firstly, I don't know of any WHDLoad authors that tamper with the original disk images. All the high scores that exist on the disk are what was shipped with the original.

For all my installs I have a separate high score file and I almost always lower the scores - often resetting them all to 0 or so low that you can beat them on your first game. After all, a high score table is supposed to be for your personal best scores, not silly fake scores that are set by the programmer to have his name permanently at the top.

If you really wish to use the original games scores, you can simply delete the high score file (which is copied by the install script) and they will reset to the stupid ones that came with the game. If the high score file is missing, my slaves always fall back to using the internal table from the disk and if you beat a score, a new high score file will be written.

BTW I can't think of any names but occassionally when a game has a really crappy high score entry routine (eg. one that forces you to use the joystick and would take about 30 seconds to select 3 initials) I usually leave as typing in your name then becomes a chore. For a few games I have rewritten the routine to allow keyboard entry, but that usually takes a lot of time!

[com]

I'm a player and i think: NO! This IS a challenge for me...;)

[Shoonay]

Ow yeah, sorry for not pointing out what i had in mind... i mean the clean/new whd installed games from CAPS (which are NOT supposed to be modified) - no difference if the score is written on the disk image (from memory: Rod Land, Bubble Bobble) or in a seperate file.

So again: i'm phucking on the game author, that he made the hiscores unbeatable, to (like Codetapper said) have his name permanently at the top.

But this works - in some cases (only about 90% :P) - from the other side: Some whd authors either just change the names for the ones from the whd "team", not touching the scores or just play some (Gods comes into memory) - like in the old days - and achieve quite a nice amount of points... and unbeatable amount i would say for someone who just have had a try at the game...

Again, as Codetapper pointed, one can do something about it... but in most cases - it's impossible! Scores are packed/encoded/whatever (all "Alien Breed" games, both "Project-X" games, both "Assassin" games just poped in my head, but there's a LOT more) and thus unchangeable for a "normal" (sorry whd guys :p) user/player.

From what i remember, Codetapper's installs usually are (almost?) perfect in that matter: for example one of the last, the awesome [Yo!Joe!] install, with easy-to-beat, easy-to-master, replayable, low scores.
The "cases" i've ment above are usually some old long-time-not-updated slaves from other users.

And so we come to this point of this thread: one should simply request such a "feature" to each game seperately, for each slave author seperately.

Thank you for the attention! :)

[Marcuz]

If you really wish to use the original games scores, you can simply delete the high score file (which is copied by the install script) and they will reset to the stupid ones that came with the game. If the high score file is missing, my slaves always fall back to using the internal table from the disk and if you beat a score, a new high score file will be written.
smart!