Manic Miner finishers

[R-Tape]

Just been to the Manc museum of Science & Technology. There's a videogame exhibition. There was a Speccy+ with Manic Miner on. I cruised to the Processing Plant and promptly lost every life. The shame...

[Rorthron]

Has anyone finished the ZX81 hi-res version of MM?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... anic_Miner

[R-Tape]

Has anyone finished the ZX81 hi-res version of MM?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... anic_Miner

No, but now you mention I might give it a go.

I've never noticed this before - who the hell added 'Yawohl! Pinch me in ze nippelz! Miner Willy on the Sinclair zx81!?' to remarks?!

I think that can be refined...

✓ REVIEWED

Quite a few ZX81 games have remarks like this. They came from integration with another DB - they'll be looked at in due course.

[Rorthron]

It looks very impressive. Only 11 levels to get through, though the collision detection is apparently unforgiving.

who the hell added 'Yawohl! Pinch me in ze nippelz! Miner Willy on the Sinclair zx81!?' to remarks?!

I genuinely thought it was you.

[sn3j]

I think that can be refined...

If you do it, I suggest to at least replace Yawohl with Jawohl.

[spider]

Has anyone finished the ZX81 hi-res version of MM?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... anic_Miner

Seems to be slight confusion (not with that one but in general) between a version of MM that runs on a ZX81 and the Speccy 'conversion' of it as such (iirc needs a 128K machine)

Lost my last life the other day in Solar Power too, regular S.P Speccy version. Yes I can and have but it was not "the day" , oh well.

[R-Tape]

It's a lot harder, and not just because of the collision detection and speed. There are a few block and baddy differences that means the seasoned player has to unlearn a lifetime of ingrained techniques. It's an impressive game.

I can make it to Eugene's Lair, but I'm finding The Menagerie touch and go so far.

I genuinely thought it was you.

Hah! I'm never in the mood for japes when doing SQL.

[Morkin]

Hah! I'm never in the mood for japes when doing SQL.

Me neither....

[Lee P]

Just been to the Manc museum of Science & Technology. There's a videogame exhibition. There was a Speccy+ with Manic Miner on. I cruised to the Processing Plant and promptly lost every life. The shame...

I've decided to try and complete the thing with no saves this year. Had a quick go before setting off for work and did exactly the same as you.

(In my defence I was playing on Android, much easier on a proper keyboard, or a PC anyway)

[R-Tape]

You got this Lee

(In my defence I was playing on Android, much easier on a proper keyboard, or a PC anyway)

Sounds painful. It'll be a pleasure when you try it on a proper keyboard, even rubber keys.

[Lee P]

I've completed it a few times on a phone, but only with saves. My left hand tends to drift away from the on-screen joypad (on a normal keyboard I'd just do it with my right hand [missus] and my fingers and thumb stay in the same place)

[Lee P]

Just had another couple of goes in my lunch hour (on Spectaculator for Android again) and I'm now wondering why I ever thought Eugene's Lair was difficult. I know all the levels are easy when you know the route and timings, but I can't remember the last time I died on it, compared to supposedly easier levels like the Menagerie or the Endorian Forest.

[Weiv]

I completed Manic Miner in March 2017 on my emulator without saves and pokes, after two weeks of trying and training. It was not that hard)

[Mpk]

I'm now wondering why I ever thought Eugene's Lair was difficult.

My 14-year-old tried Manic Miner a few weeks ago ( with infinite lives on) and made it as far as Eugene, as is traditional. They eventually got the last key but at the wrong time, and was aghast when Eugene blocked the way. Still tricking kids 40 years later. Marvellous.

Their most telling comment about the game was 'Why did they make it so hard? There aren't even any ads when you die, so there's no reason for it.'

[Morkin]

Just had a quick go, got to the Ore Refinery.

Definitely out of practice.

[Lee P]

My 14-year-old tried Manic Miner a few weeks ago (with infinite lives on) and made it as far as Eugene, as is traditional. They eventually got the last key but at the wrong time, and was aghast when Eugene blocked the way. Still tricking kids 40 years later. Marvellous.

Their most telling comment about the game was 'Why did they make it so hard? There aren't even any ads when you die, so there's no reason for it.'

Ha, can you imagine if it was infinite lives but you got an ad every time you died? Someone (with more coding knowledge than me) needs to do that for the CSSCGC.

Just had a quick go, got to the Ore Refinery.

Definitely out of practice.

Got to Return of the Kong Beast just now, fell down the mine shaft at the wrong time and landed on the flaming barrel thingy! Argh!

But I'm pretty confident about the first 11 levels now. I used to come unstuck in The Vat, that doesn't happen at all now. Telephones is a bit hit and miss but I've got a preferred route now. So after Return and Ore Refinery (which I don't remember being stuck on for too long) I'm really looking forward to Skylab!

[ParadigmShifter]

Save time by practicing on this

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... iner_Turbo

It's very fast though, except on a few levels I did not optimise.

Infinite lives! (Since I never did the game over screen).

Skip a level by pressing D! <- much faster than using the original cheat code

Don't press A! <- it quits back to basic

Dunno if that's good practice for the chugfest that is the original though

[Lee P]

Save time by practicing on this

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... iner_Turbo

It's very fast though, except on a few levels I did not optimise.

Infinite lives! (Since I never did the game over screen).

Skip a level by pressing D! <- much faster than using the original cheat code

Don't press A! <- it quits back to basic

Dunno if that's good practice for the chugfest that is the original though

Managed Alien Kong Beast again and died in the same way. It's much tougher on the levels which require pixel perfect jumps - I screwed up Eugene a few times there - but it is a good way of whizzing through the easier levels.

[Lee P]

I've been training this week using the High Score Challenge version from JSWMM, as well as JetSetDanny's rzx files for each level, and now have my route for Solar Power Generator worked out. So really it's just Skylab to go, and I can have a bash at completing the thing.

[R-Tape]

I've been training this week using the High Score Challenge version from JSWMM, as well as JetSetDanny's rzx files for each level, and now have my route for Solar Power Generator worked out. So really it's just Skylab to go, and I can have a bash at completing the thing.

Nearly there, and IMO you just need to be an unthinking robot* for Skylab—if you get it wrong, get out of it if you can, but train for a clockwork level from the off.

I'm always interested in seeing MM walkthroughs for the nuances. If you wanted to do an RZX or if you're feeling brave, a Twitch playthrough I for one would be interested to see it (but keep your eyes on the prize of finishing it first though!).

*Some would say that goes for the whole game. That might be true up to a point, but there's more room for personal flair in most other levels.

[Lee P]

Just had a quick go on an emulator.

Got to Mutant Telephones without losing a life, then died once there, once on Return of the Kong Beast (fell towards the teleport too early and hit the yellow barrel - schoolboy error!), and a stupid one on Ore Refinery, but then cleared the Skylab Landing Bay with no problems. I'd accumulated three extra lives by then, two of which I wasted on the bloody Sixteenth Cavern (a level I usually complete, so haven't bothered to practise much), leaving me just one for The Warehouse. Splat, dead straight away.

I'll keep trying!

[Morkin]

Had a go this evening (emulator), managed to finish. Got a bit lucky on the Warehouse as I'd forgotten the route.



Continued through to the Warehouse before dying, final score of 64369 (I think).

- I still lose lives regularly on the Warehouse and Solar Power Generator.
- I occasionally lose lives through carelessness on Return of Kong Beast (miss the jump in the bottom right) or the Bank (annoyingly so as it's quite easy).
- Sometimes I lose lives on Amoebatrons Revenge, Ore Refinery and Skylab, usually because I forget the movement patterns/route.

[Robbeasy]

Not 100% sure because my memory has long been getting faulty, but I seem to remember that there was a competition and prize for first completion back when it first came out.

I completed it and rang the number, to be told by the nice lady on the other end of the phone the prize had been claimed a week earlier.

So near, and yet so far... these days I can usually get to warehouse no problem, but then muscle memory fails me. I suspect should I practice it would come back to me, but theres so many other good things to play.

JSW on the other hand, i bounced straight off of. After being gripped by MM when i was 13, JSW left me cold for some reason. Never have figured out why. Probably cos its so damn hard

[ParadigmShifter]

JSW was technically impressive but lots of the screens were boring, others were way too hard.

Also annoying was how you could lose all your lives in one go by falling too far into a room and maybe if you jumped into a room and landed on an enemy (seem to recall that was possible). They mostly fixed that in JSW2 (which was just called JSW on the Amstrad which is the only machine I played it on) by respawning you in a position what was usually safe.

Nice ropes though Probably the best on the speccy?

It still chugged harder than a chuggernaut though.

[equinox]

"Finisher" is of course the word for a finishing or knock-out move in a fighting game. So when Manic Miner is finally purchased by Nintendo (and you know it will happen -- look at Rare and Microsoft), what "Manic Miner finishers" will we see in Super Smash Bros 2028? BOOM! dump em in the VAT.