[File] Manic Miner - Highscore Challenge

[jetsetdanny]

It's quite possible that I was wrong. Unless a way to complete the BB version with the same score is discovered, which is still possible yet 🤪

[IRF]

18 minutes ago, jetsetdanny said:

It's quite possible that I was wrong. Unless a way to complete the BB version with the same score is discovered, which is still possible yet 🤪

Well there's a challenge for you Danny - try to match (or beat!) the algorithm's best score for MM-SP's The Warehouse, in the MM-BB version of that cavern!

[jetsetdanny]

No, I won't be taking it up - I have too many other MM/JSW-related things to do that I consider more important (and too little time).

[IRF]

Idea for a Manic Miner mod:-

Now that we have pretty much established the maximum possible score in each cavern, adjust the air supply for all the caverns so that reaching the portal can only be done with maximum efficiency.  The player will either reach each portal just in the nick of time (with only a single bonus point NO bonus points being awarded for the last gasp of air remaining surplus remaining air!), or else they will fail to reach the portal in time and lose a life.  The aim is simple - to escape through the portal in the Final Barrier - good luck with that!

The maximum possible score, by my calculations - assuming no loss of lives (which would allow items to be collected multiple times) - would be 13,500 points.  (85 items in the game x 100 + 2 Kongs x 2500 + 20 caverns x 1 point of spare air supply.)

Bonus points for anyone who manages to complete the caverns with any, er, bonus points. 😄

(You could complete the Kong caverns with some spare air by not bothering to flip Kong, but the points gained wouldn't offset the loss of points for not doing so.  Alternatively, you could make the air supply/time limit in the Kong caverns even stricter, so that detouring to flip Kong is in fact a time-consuming and thus fatal mistake!)

Edited September 4, 2023 by IRF

[IRF]

On 3/22/2021 at 4:33 PM, IRF said:

The high score tables in the first post of this topic suggest that it is theoretically possible to accrue a total score across the twenty caverns of at least 39,526 points

I've just updated the Highscore table to reflect crem's algorithm's improved score in 'Solar Power Generator'.  In light of that, the maximum possible score across the twenty caverns is (at least) 39,530 points. 😮

[IRF]

On 4/2/2021 at 11:02 AM, IRF said:

Idea for a Manic Miner mod:-

Now that we have pretty much established the maximum possible score in each cavern, adjust the air supply for all the caverns so that reaching the portal can only be done with maximum efficiency.  The player will either reach each portal just in the nick of time (with only a single bonus point being awarded, for the last gasp of air remaining!), or else they will fail to reach the portal in time and lose a life.  The aim is simple - to escape through the portal in the Final Barrier - good luck with that!

NOTES TO SELF, for future reference:

I've just investigated the above, and my reading of the code was slightly wrong - it is possible to reduce the initial air supply in such a way that a pixel-perfect, quickest-possible cavern completion leaves Willy with precisely ZERO units of air left, but he can enter the portal before being killed in the last time-frame (i.e. just after the last gasp of air has expired), with ZERO points being accrued for remaining air left. DONE

EDIT: However, four caverns would need 'special treatment' (i.e. a Cavern Setup Patch to insert a CPL instruction after #8D1F in the 'Move the HGs' routine; then that would need to be NOPped out for all other caverns) to deal with a combination of Slow guardians and the original initial air supply value being reduced in the modified file by an odd number of increments), namely: Telephones, Return of Kong, Warehouse and Solar Power.  (N.B. That's for the BB version; for the SP version only Telephones, Return of Kong and Solar Power would need the CPL instruction to be patched in, because The Warehouse would have one less unit of air in a 'perfect performance required' version of MM-SP.)  [One example of the impact of those two factors is that the pattern of the solar beam changes because the slow HG isn't in sync with the other guardians in the same way.  Another example is that Willy has to wait one extra time-frame for the slow 'rolling rock' in the second Kong cavern to move out of the way.] DONE ---- EDIT: The Endorian Forest has a new high score thanks to DigitalDuck, and this means that the above patch needs to be applied for that cavern too (since it has a slow guardian) - ALSO DONE

The 'Nine Lives in the Light' bug would also need to be fixed, to stop Willy's air supply from being replenished by the solar beam when the air has dropped down to the last character on the status bar. DONE

Slow down screen colour-cycling after entry to portal - to give the player a chance to 'breathe' before embarking on the next cavern! DONE (Changed #90A3 from '04' to '10')

Also consider having zero spare lives (to prevent possibility of inflated score by repeatedly collecting the same item via different lives, and making Kong out-of-bounds (i.e. not enough time to flip the switch and escape to the portal). DONE

Finally, might have to fix the visual glitch which occurs when a value of #00 for Offset #2BD in the cavern definition (especially if it turns out that that is a value that occurs, once the initial air supply levels for each cavern has been adjusted). DONE

P.S. Could skip the 'Game Over' sequence, if it proves to be too annoyingly repetitive.  (You can't abandon it once it starts going!) DONE

P.P.S. New name for the modified game - DONE - and an associated change to the title screen/scrolly? - TO DO

Edited September 30, 2023 by IRF

[jetsetdanny]

I have worked on improving my scores to bring them up to the standards set by crem's algorithm.

I have succeeded in most cases. I am the first human (at least recorded on this forum 😉) who has completed "The Menagerie" with a score of 1904, "Wacky Amoebatrons" with a score of 1376, "The Endorian Forest" with a score of 1840 and "Attack of the Mutant Telephones" with a score of 1749 😁.

I have improved my score in "The Warehouse" to 1946, but it still falls short of crem's algorithm by 5 points.

I did not try to improve my "Solar Power Generator" score (1125), which is 12 points short of crem's algorithm's best achievement (assisted by Ian's insight).

The updated ZIP with my RZX recordings of all caverns is here.

[IRF]

Well done, Danny!

The attached screenshot 'Warehouse 1951' shows the pattern of crumbled blocks which you need to aim for in order to score 1951 points in The Warehouse.  I've also included a screenshot from the end of your recording (in which you achieved 1946), so that you can compare and contrast.

Most of the 'wasted' time (4 time-frames) took place in the centre of the screen, underneath the conveyor.  You could also have saved a single time-frame in the field of crumblies between the white and magenta VGs.  That accounts for the difference of 5 points.  (The difference in crumbly pattern to the right of the blue VG makes no difference to the final completion time/score.)

The tips in the following post should also help you to achieve the magic number of 1951, should you ever wish to try again!  The key thing is, if you're moving right and waiting to drop down through a crumbly, then don't stay still standing on the spot unless/until you're in right-facing animation-frame 3 (legs wide apart), ready to move forwards into the next pair of cell-columns as soon as you've dropped down to the next cell-row.

Happy crumbling!:

 

Edited April 15, 2021 by IRF

[IRF]

6 hours ago, jetsetdanny said:

I did not try to improve my "Solar Power Generator" score (1125), which is 12 points short of crem's algorithm's best achievement (assisted by Ian's insight).

My insight only came afterwards - I was retrospectively scrutinising what crem's algorithm had already managed to achieve.  That's why I don't think I really merit a credit for helping to improve the algorithm's scores!

All I did was suggest a change to the algorithm's 'mandate' (which was originally just set the task of completing each cavern in the minimum number of time-frames, for speedrunning purposes, without concern for the number of points accrued).

Edited April 15, 2021 by IRF

[jetsetdanny]

OK, I have brought my score in "The Warehouse" up to 1951 points 😁. Thanks for your assistance, Ian!

The updated ZIP with my RZX recordings of "Manic Miner - Highscore Challenge" is here.

I  have also updated the high score table to reflect Ian (credited as IRF) as the first human to achieve that score (after crem's algorithm) and yours truly in the 'second human place'.