Posted this at TG as well - meant to do this last month, but December really got away from me.
Having recently made an effort to learn to play Zoo Keeper (arcade/MAME) for the first time, after around a week's worth of playing, I was able to hit just over 2 million points - a PB that I'm content with for now, but a pretty paltry score in the grand scheme of things. Being more familiar with the game now, I have a new-found appreciation for the scores the top players have put up over the years.
Right around the time of my submission to TG, John Petric (the current WR holder) posted this thread:
https://www.twingalaxies.com/lexmark/wall/7485/score-sandbagging-is-it-really-quotnot-in-the-spirit-of-competitionquot%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8BThere was some rehashing of old conversations, but it also generated some interesting new banter. I thought it would be fun to see if we could encourage the pros to fire it up again, and hopefully, also draw some new blood to what I think is a fun game. To do this, I'm offering several bounties for publicly-viewable footage (either arcade or using WolfMAME) of a few different score levels. Due to his known mastery of the game, John Petric will only be eligible to collect the highest-level bounty, but everyone else is eligible to collect one or more:
- 50 million points - The highest publicly-viewable score I could find is Ross's 47,672,430 (great stuff sir), so I figured an even 50 million would be a nice first level to set. 50 USD goes to each of the first three players that reach this milestone.
- 63,061,100 points - This is the TG-recognized world record arcade score, courtesy of John. 100 USD goes to the first person to eclipse this score.
- 75 million points - Another nice, round number, and higher than any community-recognized score ever achieved. 150 USD to the first person to hit this level.
- 100 million points - A truly incredible feat, and one that I know is on at least one person's to-do list - I'm looking at you lexmark! 200 USD to the first person to break this barrier.
- Stream bonus - We'd all love to see the attempts...I'll throw in an extra 25 USD for every bounty collected while playing live on stream.
Should someone achieve a score in one of the higher levels before having collected a bounty on the lower level, they will automatically claim any lower bounty still open. For instance, if the first score submitted is 76 million, the player will collect one of the three available first-level bounties, and both the second and third-level bounties, for a total of 300 USD. You did it on a live stream? Make that 375 USD.
The performance can be done on either an original Zoo Keeper cab, or using WolfMAME version 0.183 or later (see requirements below). Settings/scoring requirements are as follows (the standard defaults):
Initial Number of Keepers: 3
High Score Enable: 1
Novice Animal Speed: 39
Expert Animal Speed: 30
No Hit Mode: 0
No more than 3 landings are allowed on the top platform of each coconut stage, or the score will be disqualified.
Performances must be submitted no later than December 31st, 2020. Recording requirements are as follows:
Arcade
- Settings (as listed above) must be shown prior to game start - multiple attempts can be made as long as the machine is not reset or powered off, otherwise settings must be shown again before the next attempt begins.
- Entire performance must be recorded, including the entry of initials after game over.
- If playing at a residence or private arcade, a view of the original PCB is required in the recording - if playing at a public arcade, a shot of the full cab, and power cycling the machine before game start, will be sufficient.
- Recording must be made available for public review by submitting to TG, or by sending directly to me, where I will make it available for viewing/download.
WolfMAME
- .inp must be recorded using WolfMAME version 0.183 or later (version used must be provided).
- NVRAM must be disabled before recording.
- Only one attempt per .inp is allowed.
- Entire performance must be recorded, including the entry of initials after game over.
- Recorded speed must not drop below 95% for the duration of the performance.
- After recording is ended, the original .inp must be placed in a .zip archive, and made available for public analysis by submitting to either TG or MARP, or by sending directly to me, where I will make it available for viewing/download.
I tried to cover all the bases, but if I missed something, please let me know and I can correct/clarify it. Looking forward to seeing some great game play - get jumping people!
