After 7 years playing Arcade/MAME games I still can't marathon a game.

[homerwannabee]

I don't know what it is, but the struggle is real in regards to me, and marathoning games.  For me this is the biggest embarrassment.  I guess I don't feel I am a complete gamer until I actually marathon a game(A marathon to me is gaming for over 12 hours).   Like I said I have been in the hobby for seven years, and I still haven't done it.  There are reasons for it though.
First off the first three years in the hobby 95% of my Arcade/MAME time was focused on Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior, and Donkey Kong 3.  Unfortunately for me Donkey Kong, and Donkey Kong Junior only give out four guys, and Donkey Kong 3 while generous with men the first million, stops giving out men all together after one million.  Having said that though, it's been three and a half years on other games, and I still haven't done it.
Right after the Donkey Kong series I played Moon Patrol, and Zaxxon.  Again, games that don't continue to give out extra men.  Then after that I decided to focus primarily on Nintendo Arcade games.  One thing about Nintendo Arcade games though.   Not a single one of their games can be marathoned.  Well technically the Punch Out!! world record is a tad over 12 hours, but the game only gives out one man.  Still I have tried games that can be marathoned, and there are reasons why I can't marathon a lot of them.

First is there are games that can't be played in MAME well.
Centipede-Track ball
Defender-too many buttons, needs to be played on Arcade
Missile Command- Track ball
Robotron-dual stick
Tron-unique stick

Then there are the games that create physical limitation.
Nibbler-The game is torture on my hands just playing several different times for an hour.  I can't imagine playing it 12 or more hours.   Also, I may have hit a wall with this games.  Still maybe one day if I can break the final barrier, and I feel up to it.
Punch Out- Doesn't allow for bathroom breaks
Star Wars-Doesn't allow for bathroom breaks
Track N' Field-I just don't have the speed to marathon this game.

Then there are games I just have no clue what I'm doing.  Perhaps an extended period of time would help on these games.
Joust-Lonnie makes it look so easy.  The terydactyls get me, and I know there's a trick to them.  Now if I put the settings to an extra man every 1,000 points, then yeah, I think I can marathon it, but TG settings, no way.  I haven't given up hope on this one though.
Asteroids-I've tried the UFO hunter trick.  That small ship just zaps me to no end.  The small ship makes the game impossible for me.
Q*bert- I'm OK until the color constantly changes.  Still I hold out hope for this one if I put serious time into it.
Tapper-I don't see how people can marathon this.  The patrons are just too many, and too quick.



Then there are games where I admit I haven't spent enough time on at all to get a good feel on how I would do.
Frenzy
Gauntlet
Gyruss
Kicker
Mr. Do!
Pooyan
Star Castle
Super Pac-man

There is one game I feel that I could maybe marathon if I spent time save stating the sucker.  That would be Timber.  I got to 360k without save states, and so there is some hope.

Who knows maybe one day I marathon a game for more than 12 hours, but until then it's the one thing on my gaming resume that's a glaring personal negative for myself.

[Rolledcigs]

The things you think about baffle my mind. For real though, your top scores in dk3, how long were those games? A 2 hour dk game may as well be a marathon sensibly speaking. **edit** I only read your title. I am very impatient about certain things.

                #littlesauced

[marinomitch13]

I'd encourage you to try T&F more. If you get consistent at the Hammer Throw, there should be no reason you can't go 12hrs using only a double tap (flap) technique of some sort after you build up stamina. Learn to use the flap tech with the first two fingers on each hand and just trade off so one doesn't get super tired. I did it for almost 3 hours like this (actually, with only one hand for the flap tech) with *ease* back when I was relatively terrible at the events and pretty inconsistent.

Also, I think Mr. Do! might be a game you'd love and obsess over, but idk how easy it is to go 12 hours. What are the marathon settings?

[homerwannabee]

I'd encourage you to try T&F more. If you get consistent at the Hammer Throw, there should be no reason you can't go 12hrs using only a double tap (flap) technique of some sort after you build up stamina. Learn to use the flap tech with the first two fingers on each hand and just trade off so one doesn't get super tired. I did it for almost 3 hours like this (actually, with only one hand for the flap tech) with *ease* back when I was relatively terrible at the events and pretty inconsistent.

Also, I think Mr. Do! might be a game you'd love and obsess over, but idk how easy it is to go 12 hours. What are the marathon settings?

I can't marathon with TG settings, or maybe any other settings.  I have done the double tap; the palm technique; the vibe technique; the scratch technique, and in each, and every situation I'm just WAY too slow.  I'm basically a tad bit slower than your average gamer when it comes to tap speed.  My single tap speed is quicker than my double tap speed I'm so bad.

Track and Field is the game that naturally quick people do really, really well in.  I am just not that person.

[marinomitch13]

Use your spacebar and do 300 consecutive taps on this site using the double flap technique (straight fingers) and let me know what you get for BPM.

http://www.all8.com/tools/bpm.htm

[SanTe]

Dude, start with Kicker and you'll be marathoning in no time.  That'll give you some confidence.

How long did your best game of DK3 last?  How many lives do you get total?  12 or so?  I have no doubt you can push that past 12 hours.  You may be the only one right now who can.  Just be sure to stream it when you go for it.

I'm beginning to feel that even with only four lives Mario Bros. will be pushed into marathon territory soon.  If people can get 2M on No Pow anything is possible.  I've been watching syscrusher streaming Mario Bros. lately and he has gotten scarily consistent.

[homerwannabee]

I've done 10 hours and 40 minutes on easy settings for DK3.  My longest game ever.

As far as the site goes, the fastest I could go was one finger, and I didn't use the space bar but a normal key, and my best was 537 beats per minute for 100 beats.
Edit: I just got 553.  I think I'm going to use this to practice for T & F.

Double edit:  with double tap it's 420 with just space bar.

[krehztim]

Use your spacebar and do 300 consecutive taps on this site using the double flap technique (straight fingers) and let me know what you get for BPM.

http://www.all8.com/tools/bpm.htm

I've never seen this before - very cool.  The last 50 taps for me are MURDER, but I'm sitting at 925-950 until the last few taps, double-tapping the spacebar.  I usually do 6-finger for T&F, I just can't get the 8-finger down, but after about an hour, I just settle into 2 finger - pinkie and thumb with one hand, and the other hand on the jump/throw button.  I've never tried for 12+ hours, though. 

George - I do love your posts that come out of nowhere.  I've only really ever marathoned Joust, but not using TG rules, just doing the Pterodactyl trick.  Did it when I was in my teens, at my local pizza joint.  I was just trying to roll the score, which I think was 10,000,000?  Ended up going longer.  Took forever to kill off the extra lives.  I'm getting closer on Mr. Do after watching Dazzer's replays - I think that's a good candidate for you to try, IMO.

[homerwannabee]

Use your spacebar and do 300 consecutive taps on this site using the double flap technique (straight fingers) and let me know what you get for BPM.

http://www.all8.com/tools/bpm.htm

I've never seen this before - very cool.  The last 50 taps for me are MURDER, but I'm sitting at 925-950 until the last few taps, double-tapping the spacebar.

550 way lessor than 925.  Like I said, I below average when it comes to Track and Field pressing.

[up2ng]

IMO you should start with Qbert.  After watching a couple of replays, if you were to play for a couple of hours per day every day for a week or two I bet you'd be marathoning the game.

[TheSunshineFund]

IMO you should start with Qbert.  After watching a couple of replays, if you were to play for a couple of hours per day every day for a week or two I bet you'd be marathoning the game.

I agree.  I think it's the easiest to learn to marathon.  I taught a friend how to do it in a weekend.   Not going blind or insane is the hard part.

[marinomitch13]

Use your spacebar and do 300 consecutive taps on this site using the double flap technique (straight fingers) and let me know what you get for BPM.

http://www.all8.com/tools/bpm.htm

I've never seen this before - very cool.  The last 50 taps for me are MURDER, but I'm sitting at 925-950 until the last few taps, double-tapping the spacebar.

550 way lessor than 925.  Like I said, I below average when it comes to Track and Field pressing.

I don't know what he's doing to get 950 or so (I'm assuming he was describing the wobble), but doing simply a double flap tech (straight fingers, wiggling past each other) I try to aim for a consistent 550 or so. If I get in shape and build stamina then I can hold that indefinitely and I can get up to about 650 for a peak speed. And I would consider myself to be a pretty dedicated masher. I don't think you're as slow as you think, and even at 420 BPM I think it may be possible to marathon T&F indefinitely if you have good accuracy. I'm pretty sure 500 BPM is easily sufficient.

I'd also second Wag's suggestion of Q*bert. I learned that game in like 2 weeks and then played for 6.5 hours and killed off 69 men. It's a very easy game once you know the general method.

[homerwannabee]

Hmm, I might have to give Q*bert a go once BOTA is done.  As far as Track & Field I have played it enough to know I can't marathon it because of the 3rd match qualifiers.

100 Meters-10 seconds
Long Jump-9 Meters
Javelin Throw-90 Meters
110 Meters-11.5 seconds
Hammer throw-85 Meters
High Jump-2.40 Meters

The only one of those I can get on a regular basis is the High Jump.  Everything else It's a very rare occurrence if I get any of those times or distances.

[marinomitch13]

My suggestion for Q*bert is to watch George Leutz's 4 man (was it 4 or 3?) WR he did at like KO3, I think it was. It shows you pretty much the most consistently safe and sound strategies possible. That's what I did. The repetition pretty much drives the correct reactions into your brain.

[TheSunshineFund]

It's a pseudo-patternable game, events are timed but they have variables attributed to them.

Here's how the neverending L9 works in Q*Bert for all events that occur (can probably use a variation prior to L9, I forget when Sam/Slick opens up the board L5 or L6 at some point maybe, probably can start there with this)

Go down left side, make a small pyramid in bottom left corner

Sam/Slick appear and start to go down, let them change the color (it helps out at this point) but if they get close to your bottom left, grab them (watch out for the occasional random orange ball that can go directly down the left and hit you)

Clean up going across the bottom of the screen left to right

Coily appears

Use bottom right disc to drop coily

Bottom L to R should be complete/near complete

Use time here to do more clean up in the middle

Coily appears

Position yourself on the cube that rests one level below and between the 2 orange ball spawn spots

When Coily is approximately 1 or 2 cubes from getting you, Sam or Slick will appear on a random side one cube away from you

Grab them so they don't jack up the board and take the disc on that side to evade Coily who will be very close to you at this point

Use time here to do more clean up

Coily appears

Again position yourself in that same middle cube spot between the spawn spots

This time Sam or Slick will spawn slightly faster than before

Grab them and evade Coily via the nearest disc

Clean Up the board

Coily appears

Sam/Slick do not spawn during this Coily appearance

Use a disc to evade Coily

Clean Up the board

1 orange ball will come down then the green freeze ball will appear

Grab it and use the time to clean up the board

By this point you are out of discs and if you don't have the board done by now, you are in bad shape as Sam and Slick appear more frequently and you have no escape discs left