Donkey Kong

[GimmeClassics]

@ Dazzle / KRC: thank you guys ! It really took me long to beat the 3rd elevator stage and break the 100K

Donkey Kong is the game that got me interested in the whole Arcade scene and I'll keep playing it Our competition motivates me to try and improve my personal best score each time and I love it

[GimmeClassics]

Still improving

points: 132,200

Updated OP, DB, RSS

[rtkiii]

Very nice GC!

[GimmeClassics]

Very nice GC!

Thank you Rich ... this game really is trial and error...but if I can do it you can too Good luck Rich !!

[GeorgeT]

my first attempt

[GimmeClassics]

my first attempt

Pretty good score for your first attempt. You joining the 100K+ club is only a matter of time...

Updated OP, DB, RSS

[GeorgeT]

I don't know, I think I have the same problems with that elevator stage as well. I'm not done trying though!

[wolfman24]

don't know if you guys know but Donkey Kong forums is having a donkey kong contest this weekend with prizes

http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=904.0

[GimmeClassics]

don't know if you guys know but Donkey Kong forums is having a donkey kong contest this weekend with prizes

http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=904.0

Thank you Wolf. The upcoming event is a bit too soon but I'll definitely remember this for next year

[GimmeClassics]

I've improved my best score Second place now

I've also submitted this score to the IGBOTY contest . I've of course been using TG's settings which is a little more difficult compared to the default settings.

points: 153,700

initials: DEN

Updated OP, DB, RSS, LB

[Cynicaster]

186,200

[DazzleHP]

186,200

cyn_DK.jpg

Congrats! We now have a new DK Champion!

*Updated OP, DB, RSS.

[Cynicaster]

Thanks! I had a great game going, reaching about 120k without dying, then I totally choked.

[Mame Offender]

Nice one Matt.

[DazzleHP]

Ohh, so Cynicaster is Matt - good to know! Knowing players by their real name demands more respect and recognition as far as i am concerned, and so i encourage it! If it's OK by you Cynicaster, i may refer to you as Matt? I'm Darren or Daz btw If you prefer Cynicaster it's no problem at all! I'll carry on as was

[GeorgeT]

So those guys who get outrageous DK scores...there must be published patterns that we can study, right?

[GimmeClassics]

So those guys who get outrageous DK scores...there must be published patterns that we can study, right?

What works for me on the Barrel stage:

* when going from left to right: wait just on the right side of the ladder

* when going from right to the left: wait just on the left side of the ladder

Wait for a good moment to advance or climb up the ladder and avoid them nasty barrels

What works for me on the Rivet Stage

I always begin on the left side of the stage - trying to lock the flames on the far left and then progress to the right side

...it's a hard game because it's pretty unpredictable. I'll try to upload a video of my gameplay when I have a bit more spare time In the mean time...practice makes perfect !

[Cynicaster]

Ohh, so Cynicaster is Matt - good to know! Knowing players by their real name demands more respect and recognition as far as i am concerned, and so i encourage it! If it's OK by you Cynicaster, i may refer to you as Matt? I'm Darren or Daz btw If you prefer Cynicaster it's no problem at all! I'll carry on as was

Going by Matt is just fine with me.

I got another score, on the day after that last one. This time it was quite the opposite progression: I started with what seemed like a pretty mediocre game, with a few early blunders, but I got hot at the end. I think I got over 70k on my last life.

220,700

[GimmeClassics]

Wow The first one to break the 200K !! Nice job Matt !!

I'm still working my way towards the 200K....153K is my personal best atm...I'll defenitely revisit this game. Donkey Kong rules

Updated OP, DB, RSS, LB

[Cynicaster]

So those guys who get outrageous DK scores...there must be published patterns that we can study, right?

No, not really. There are lots of “tactics” and “guidelines” that will help you succeed at Donkey Kong, but there are no fixed patterns that guarantee survival like there are in, say, Pac-Man.

Donkey Kong cannot be won on memorization alone, which is one of the things that makes it such a great competitive high-score title. Simply learning what the tricks are is a good start, but they’re not going to do much for you without adequate practice in putting them to work.

Here's a quick crash course...

Barrel stage

- You have to be a very good DK player to use the bottom hammer and consistently survive. Until you’re an expert, just skip it, and focus on getting further into the game

- The barrels can be controlled somewhat. This topic would require a fairly lengthy explanation to cover thoroughly, so try Googling it. The gist of it is, a barrel is much more likely to go down a given ladder if your joystick is pressed in the direction of that ladder (i.e., left or right with respect to Mario’s current position) at the moment the barrel passes it. This applies to all barrels on all levels ABOVE Mario, but not on the same level or below Mario. Note, Mario does not have to be moving for this to work. You can pause on a ladder and hit left or right to control barrels on levels above you.

- There is a tune that plays when you grab the hammer—learn to recognize the “end” of that tune to know exactly when the hammer will disappear to avoid frustrating deaths where the hammer vanishes just before you whack a barrel, causing you to needlessly die

- When using the hammer, if you just walk left and right with it, the barrels moving toward you can (and will) still hit you. Stop in your tracks just as the barrel is within range to make sure this doesn’t happen. As long as you’re standing still and facing the right way, you’ll get the barrel every time.

- Don’t hang out directly beneath DK any longer than you need to, because you’re extra vulnerable to “wild barrels” there.

Rivet stage

- There are a few well-known patterns for this stage—hit up YouTube. Note, they are more “guidelines” than “patterns” because, due to the randomness of the game, your desired route may get screwed up and you’ll have to improvise. Bottom line, there is no sure fire pattern that will work 100% of the time, and you WILL have to think on your feet.

- The movements of the firefoxes are random. You cannot coax them down ladders like the barrels. You might think you’re influencing them, but you’re not.

- Firefoxes on the same level as Mario will never go down ladders—but they may decide to go up. More generally, they will never seek a vertical position below Mario.

- When you hit a firefox with the hammer, it will respawn on the LEFT side of the screen if Mario is RIGHT of the screen centerline, and vice versa. This is very important to know, as it helps you “set up” the screen for an easier victory.

Elevator stage

- I’d recommend starting by focusing on just learning how to get past this stage—don’t worry about point pressing until you become more of an advanced player.

- The only really challenging aspect is dodging the springs at the top level. Learn the tricks of this on YouTube or through Google.

- The top level springs are easy on level 2, slightly more difficult on level 3 (but still pretty easy), and most difficult at level 4 and beyond. It never gets any more difficult than level 4.

Pie factory

- This stage can either be the most difficult or the easiest of them all, and it all comes down to the hand you’re dealt with the random movement of the fireballs

- The fireballs will “spawn” out of the fire can on the same side as Mario. Stay on the left of center long enough for all fireballs to hop out, and you may get lucky and have the entire right side of the screen to yourself. If that happens, it’s an easy climb to the top.

- If the above trick doesn’t help you and you find yourself in a frantic run for your life, the left side might be the safer choice, because the fireballs move more quickly left-to-right than they do right-to-left, which makes them less deadly on the upper conveyors.

- You’ll notice that DK slides back and forth on a conveyor across the top of the screen. The bottom-most conveyor switches directions every time DK hits the left side of the screen. This is vital information to know when you’re on that bottom conveyor, because if you don’t see the direction change coming, you’re likely to walk right into a fireball or pie.

[GimmeClassics]

No, not really. There are lots of tactics and guidelines that will help you succeed at Donkey Kong, but there are no fixed patterns that guarantee survival like there are in, say, Pac-Man.

Donkey Kong cannot be won on memorization alone, which is one of the things that makes it such a great competitive high-score title. Simply learning what the tricks are is a good start, but theyre not going to do much for you without adequate practice in putting them to work.

Here's a quick crash course...

Barrel stage

- You have to be a very good DK player to use the bottom hammer and consistently survive. Until youre an expert, just skip it, and focus on getting further into the game

- The barrels can be controlled somewhat. This topic would require a fairly lengthy explanation to cover thoroughly, so try Googling it. The gist of it is, a barrel is much more likely to go down a given ladder if your joystick is pressed in the direction of that ladder (i.e., left or right with respect to Marios current position) at the moment the barrel passes it. This applies to all barrels on all levels ABOVE Mario, but not on the same level or below Mario. Note, Mario does not have to be moving for this to work. You can pause on a ladder and hit left or right to control barrels on levels above you.

- There is a tune that plays when you grab the hammerlearn to recognize the end of that tune to know exactly when the hammer will disappear to avoid frustrating deaths where the hammer vanishes just before you whack a barrel, causing you to needlessly die

- When using the hammer, if you just walk left and right with it, the barrels moving toward you can (and will) still hit you. Stop in your tracks just as the barrel is within range to make sure this doesnt happen. As long as youre standing still and facing the right way, youll get the barrel every time.

- Dont hang out directly beneath DK any longer than you need to, because youre extra vulnerable to wild barrels there.

Rivet stage

- There are a few well-known patterns for this stagehit up YouTube. Note, they are more guidelines than patterns because, due to the randomness of the game, your desired route may get screwed up and youll have to improvise. Bottom line, there is no sure fire pattern that will work 100% of the time, and you WILL have to think on your feet.

- The movements of the firefoxes are random. You cannot coax them down ladders like the barrels. You might think youre influencing them, but youre not.

- Firefoxes on the same level as Mario will never go down laddersbut they may decide to go up. More generally, they will never seek a vertical position below Mario.

- When you hit a firefox with the hammer, it will respawn on the LEFT side of the screen if Mario is RIGHT of the screen centerline, and vice versa. This is very important to know, as it helps you set up the screen for an easier victory.

Elevator stage

- Id recommend starting by focusing on just learning how to get past this stagedont worry about point pressing until you become more of an advanced player.

- The only really challenging aspect is dodging the springs at the top level. Learn the tricks of this on YouTube or through Google.

- The top level springs are easy on level 2, slightly more difficult on level 3 (but still pretty easy), and most difficult at level 4 and beyond. It never gets any more difficult than level 4.

Pie factory

- This stage can either be the most difficult or the easiest of them all, and it all comes down to the hand youre dealt with the random movement of the fireballs

- The fireballs will spawn out of the fire can on the same side as Mario. Stay on the left of center long enough for all fireballs to hop out, and you may get lucky and have the entire right side of the screen to yourself. If that happens, its an easy climb to the top.

- If the above trick doesnt help you and you find yourself in a frantic run for your life, the left side might be the safer choice, because the fireballs move more quickly left-to-right than they do right-to-left, which makes them less deadly on the upper conveyors.

- Youll notice that DK slides back and forth on a conveyor across the top of the screen. The bottom-most conveyor switches directions every time DK hits the left side of the screen. This is vital information to know when youre on that bottom conveyor, because if you dont see the direction change coming, youre likely to walk right into a fireball or pie.

Thank you for this amazing Donkey Kong Guideline Matt !!

Your Pie factory stage hints are new to me ! I didn't know about the sliding DK < > bottom conveyer link. Thanks man

[GeorgeT]

I appreciate the ladder/barrels tip

[KRC]

220,700 <-------------

Thats a nice score Cynicaster, Great Job!

[smario]

I tried long and I tried hard - in fact played not much of a game except DK during the holidays.

So I was stuck with scores somewhere in the 30k region when all of a sudden things went well for me and I got a whopping 76,500! I can only imagine the insane skills of the top players here! So, next up - dreaded third elevator stage

[GimmeClassics]

I tried long and I tried hard - in fact played not much of a game except DK during the holidays.

So I was stuck with scores somewhere in the 30k region when all of a sudden things went well for me and I got a whopping 76,500! I can only imagine the insane skills of the top players here! So, next up - dreaded third elevator stage

That's a very nice score !! I also started in the 20-30K region and worked my way up gradually to 80-90K. Then I was faced with the notorious third elevator stage which took me a long time to beat. But when I did I was able to break the 100K and work my way up to my personal best of 153K.

With enough practice I know you can too beat the 3rd elevator stage. Good luck smario

Updated OP, DB, RSS, LB