Arcade "well duh!!!" moments

manadams

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So Galaga is my favorite game, played it the most in the arcades. Always thought you couldn't shoot more than once when re-capturing your fighter thinking the second shot would destroy it since the first took out the alien. My dumb ass played it this way up until about six months ago, watching someone else play gave me the "well duh!!!" revelation. Any other arcade brain farts out there you want to share?
 
Hands down my "duh" moment was when a wise man told me to stop playing DK3 like the first two and start playing it like a SHMUP.

It was eye opening and I've never played the game the same since!
 
Hands down my "duh" moment was when a wise man told me to stop playing DK3 like the first two and start playing it like a SHMUP.

It was eye opening and I've never played the game the same since!

I'm literally laughing right now. Buffet told me pretty much the same thing. I'd never played it before, and we were testing the games at MagFest. He just happened along when I was giving DK3 a run.

Aside from that.... hmmm......

I suppose my first one was learning that you could land the lunar module pretty much anywhere on Lunar Lander, so long as you had the correct speeds and touched both pads down at the same time. No joke, I learned how to land it sideways on near vertical sides of the mountains. It's tricky, but more than possible.
 
I still remember the moment my buddy Harry/kickman texted me and wa like dude. We are totally playing DK3 wrong. Watch this video. Haha
 
For years Donkey Kong players tried to figure out the timing on the cement factory board for when the conveyor belt changes directions, as it can be very dangerous to your well-being when it does so. Players tried everything they could think of to try to predict when it would change direction: tracking timer clicks, counting hammer swings, etc.

Then one day it dawned on somebody that the conveyor belt changes direction only when Kong reaches the left side of the screen. Makes it super easy to keep an eye on with your peripheral vision.
 
For years Donkey Kong players tried to figure out the timing on the cement factory board for when the conveyor belt changes directions, as it can be very dangerous to your well-being when it does so. Players tried everything they could think of to try to predict when it would change direction: tracking timer clicks, counting hammer swings, etc.

Then one day it dawned on somebody that the conveyor belt changes direction only when Kong reaches the left side of the screen. Makes it super easy to keep an eye on with your peripheral vision.

BOOOM... learned something new! I've always just had it timed in my head.
 
My "duh" moment comes from back in the day. I used to be amazed watching the bigger kids do the "let your fighter get captured then re-capture it for double firepower trick" in Galaga, so when it was finally my turn to play, I just thought I'd execute it. However, I waited until I was on my last man. I let them purposely capture my ship, thinking I would be given another ship so that I could go and try to recapture my fighter. Uh, the game doesn't work that way.
 
My "duh" moment comes from back in the day. I used to be amazed watching the bigger kids do the "let your fighter get captured then re-capture it for double firepower trick" in Galaga, so when it was finally my turn to play, I just thought I'd execute it. However, I waited until I was on my last man. I let them purposely capture my ship, thinking I would be given another ship so that I could go and try to recapture my fighter. Uh, the game doesn't work that way.

Awww. Little Pauly was dumbfounded.
Decided to take revenge and collect all the games that pissed him off!
;)

Sad, but I did the same thing last week...ha!
 
Not big ones, but seemed relevant at the time.

As a kid it would be leading the eggs and sausages onto the buns on Burgertime and getting them to drop down multiple levels. One of the older kids at the bowling alley showed me that. Being as I was probably 8 or 9 at the time I though it was pretty amazing.

As an adult it would be leaning into the trees on Timber for the last chop so you can choose which direction you want the to tree to fall. Once you figure out you can create a path to get to other trees quicker, it totally changes your gameplay.

Lastly would be the hostage eject on Choplifter.
 
The double-jump move in Magician Lord opened up a lot of shortcuts I always wondered how you were supposed to reach.

Shooting all the bees in DK3 to end a stage instead of only focusing on getting DK to the top of the vines (as others have said about DK3 really being a shooter).
 
Being shown in Roadblasters that you can multiply your points for greater value if you hit all your shots as enemies come along, as opposed to constantly blasting away at everything by holding down the trigger.
 
Not big ones, but seemed relevant at the time.

As a kid it would be leading the eggs and sausages onto the buns on Burgertime and getting them to drop down multiple levels. One of the older kids at the bowling alley showed me that. Being as I was probably 8 or 9 at the time I though it was pretty amazing.

As an adult it would be leaning into the trees on Timber for the last chop so you can choose which direction you want the to tree to fall. Once you figure out you can create a path to get to other trees quicker, it totally changes your gameplay.

Lastly would be the hostage eject on Choplifter.


I kept doing the hostage eject at your party. It was fun.
 
Awww. Little Pauly was dumbfounded.

Decided to take revenge and collect all the games that pissed him off!

;)



Sad, but I did the same thing last week...ha!



Hey, actually I don't have a Galaga. But of course everybody asks for it. Thank God for MAME!
 
Shooting all the bees in DK3 to end a stage instead of only focusing on getting DK to the top of the vines (as others have said about DK3 really being a shooter).

This must be my "Duh" moment, I thought the bees were infinite (is that what everyone else has been talking about in this post?).
 
My well duh was dont leave an anode cap slightly turned up in a corner and move your hand near it while the monitor is on. HV IS PAINFUL!
 
This must be my "Duh" moment, I thought the bees were infinite (is that what everyone else has been talking about in this post?).

That is what I thought to until last year, when I was told the bees run out eventually. I usually only use that strategy on the 4th stage with a gap in the middle level, and sometimes the 3rd stage. My high score is only in the 200k range though, so maybe someone else can comment on their DK3 strategies.
 
For years Donkey Kong players tried to figure out the timing on the cement factory board for when the conveyor belt changes directions, as it can be very dangerous to your well-being when it does so. Players tried everything they could think of to try to predict when it would change direction: tracking timer clicks, counting hammer swings, etc.

Then one day it dawned on somebody that the conveyor belt changes direction only when Kong reaches the left side of the screen. Makes it super easy to keep an eye on with your peripheral vision.

Is that a thing? I always thought that was pretty well known and easy to spot.

If you are a decent player you are way more likely to die by random fireball issues then die on a pie since they are so predictable/easy to avoid.
 
Hands down my "duh" moment was when a wise man told me to stop playing DK3 like the first two and start playing it like a SHMUP.

It was eye opening and I've never played the game the same since!

Definitely. Its not a normal platformer.
 
I haven't played Tapper but once at a Barcade. I never realized until watching the world record yesterday that you didn't have to run back to the taps... you can just flip to the next bar! D'oh! :banghead:
 
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