Pool (Compute's Gazette)
Chalk up your cue stick and sharpen your skills with this exciting simulation of pocket billiards. The rules are simple..you try to sink the billiards balls by aiming and shooting the white cue ball to direct the colors balls to a pocket.
The article for this game can be found on page 50 of Compute's Gazette Issue 22 (April 1985)
Why TAS This Game?
The continuation of TASing games from my all-time favorite magazine, Compute's Gazette. This makes my 36th TAS from this series.
This game brings back a memory of when my dad was taking us to a new plot of land, that we were clearing out for the future plans of having a house built. I remember my dad, using his dinky Chevette to ram and pull stumps out of the ground. Well, there was one particular moment that he looked up at us, while me and my brother were laughing. He picked up something in disgust. We continued to laugh, until I realized that he was showing the very magazine that this game came from. Apparently, he used too much force and spilt a container of water that we had all over it. Once I realized this, I stopped laughing. :(
Aside from that, this was a top quality game for the magazine and one that I played a ton of.
Previous Compute's Gazette submissions include (In order of submission):
Game Difficulty and Ending
This has no difficulty selection, but it does have a clear ending...the sinking of all the pool balls.
Effort In TASing
I have been eyeing this game for a while and I finally figured out how I wanted to approach it. After studying the mechanics, I realized the best way to optimize this was to do one of three things:
- Ensure that every shot counted for sinking a pool ball
- If possible, sink more than 2 on the same shot.
- Find an alternate way of stopping all the balls more quickly, in preparation for the next shot.
Well, it ended up that all 3 goals were met. Since the mechanics act a bit funny, I relied on applying my experiences of game...which I think ended up very nicely. Seeing that RNG is not even a factor in this game, I was fully dependent on making the best of a series of shots....starting with having a good break.
Human Comparison
None to be found. :(
ThunderAxe31: Claiming for judging.
ThunderAxe31: You're a pro! Accepting.
despoa: Processing...