So, you want to rule Pac-Man? As simple as this game is, it can be incredibly frustrating and challenging. Here are some steps to becoming the ultimate Pac-Man player.
These steps might differ depending on the version you play.
Step 1
Keep an eye on all your opponents; there are only 4 of them. Keep closest watch on the nearest ones. In most Pac-Man versions, you will move faster than the ghosts, which means the only way they can catch you is for you to make a wrong turn, or for them to corner you.
Step 2
Realize that you're probably smarter than the game. The AI in Pac-Man is very crude. Ghosts may appear to "chase you", but many times they will turn off onto different paths when they're right behind you. If it looks like you're going to be cornered, move in the direction of the ghost that has to make a "choice" of whether to pursue you or take a different route. Many times you will get lucky. Try also to stay in areas with multiple turn offs and routes; it's much easier for you to lose your pursuers here.
Step 3
Once you have the basics down, concentrate on amassing as many points as possible. Clearing the map is a start, but also try to collect the fruit that will occasionally appear, as well as stalking ghosts when "powered up". It's generally a good idea to clear the map in quarters, using the "power-up" dots when 2 or more ghosts begin to congregate in your area. Ideally, you should wait until there are at least 3 ghosts in your area to use a "power-up", since you collect an increasing amount points for every ghost you devour. If you can nab all 4 ghosts on one power-up, you'll earn 200+400+800+1600 or 3,000 points (in most versions). Don't waste your time chasing ghosts, but remember that every one you devour has to travel back to the map's center and then back to your area again to be a threat. Therefore, you should make a decent effort to eliminate the threats in your area when powered-up. Don't just try to send them in the opposite direction.
Step 4
When you eat a ghost on a power-up, it becomes a pair of eyes, which gradually work their way to the center of the maze (the jail area) to regenerate. If you are clearing an area near the center of the map, watch these eyes! Don't get caught at the "jail's entrance" when a ghost regenerates!
Tips
- The premise of Pac-Man is fairly simple. You control a small semi-circular character who inhabits a small dot filled maze. The goal of the game is to eat all of the dots in the maze, while avoiding capture by one of the game's four "ghosts". The game is in simple 2-d and you can navigate the maze using the four cardinal directions (up, down, right, or left). At each corner of the maze is a special "power-up" dot. Eating this will allow you to devour ghosts for a preset amount of time (during which they will turn blue).
- Different versions have different policies on when you receive an extra life. Some give you one after a set amount of points (e.g. 10,000), others after a certain amount of levels (e.g. 3), others not at all! If you need to accumulate points to get extra lives, be sure to kill as many ghosts as possible on a powerup. If you manage to kill 3 on every power-up you'll earn 5600 extra points per level, if you kill all 4 on every powerup you'll earn 12,000.
- Stay calm. Despite being so simple, Pac-Man can be extremely frustrating, even more so than shooters and other high level games. Because the game is so simple, you may expect to waste ever level. Don't. Just relax and have fun.
- Don't break keyboards or other objects. Don't get addicted to the "high scoring high" (trying to get a high score all night when you should be studying).
- The Ghosts movements are based on yours, so if you move your guy down, the ghost will follow the same line, this useful in causing a ghost to "take a different path"
- You move faster when your not eating dots so if your trying to lose a ghost, don't be eating dots.
Warnings
- Don't get addicted.
- Don't break computer components.
- Don't neglect friends, family, girlfriend, etc. to get a high score.
- In the original Pac-Man, the game can't be defeated. The right side of the 256th level is a mess of text and symbols making the level unplayable due to a bug with counting the fruit. So don't get mad if you can't get past the 256th level.
Things You'll Need
- Patience
- Time
- Computer or Arcade game.
