Maze Master (Compute's Gazette)
Gobble goodies on the run in this fast-action arcade-style game. So...do you feel like racing? Well...get ready, because you'll have to do it inside of a mze. Don't dawdle--your computer-controlled opponent will prove to be a tough challenger. As you dash though the mazes of this game...you competition will be hot on your heels.
The article for this game can be found on page 54 of Compute's Gazette Issue 64 (October 1988)
Why TAS This Game?
The continuation of TASing games from my all-time favorite magazine, Compute's Gazette. This makes my 50th TAS from this series.
Boy! I was super excited when I got this magazine. In fact, I never type-ed in the other games...as this was my kind of game. I love the fact that it was written in machine language, which means it was going to be a smooth and fast running game. Not to mention, a really good game of competition with the inclusion of maze navigation. I wasn't disappointed back then, and I certainly am not today...as I never would have thought to see this game beaten so fast. It is the perfect game for TASing.
Previous Compute's Gazette submissions include (In order of submission):
Game Difficulty and Ending
There isn't a direct difficulty, but a "on-demand" speed change of the game. As the game starts, you can select one of 4 speeds. I choose the fastest, obviously. As for the ending, it is very clear. The game will announce the winner when someone gets 176 dots.
Effort In TASing
Experience with other games certainly has made things easier. In this one, there is one more tactic that I have to think about, that I normally wouldn't have to do much of in my games..."Manage Back Tracking". In this game, you want to keep moving where dots exists. The constant eating of these will certainly assure you a win, the only problem is...I had to go back and forward to figure out which routes I could give up so that the longest ones can be my main point streaks. As you will see in this run, I eat the very last dot of the stretch...even though it doesn't disappear.
In this game, AI is more of the enemy. No RNG exists.
Human Comparison
Couldn't fine one. :(
Darkman425: Claiming for judging.
Darkman425: This looks good. There was a brief pause in movement but that might just be the game processing the AI's movement to grab dots near the player before letting the player move again.
Accepting to Standard.
despoa: Processing...