How to extract highscores from Marble Blast?

#21 Ok, I will just tell you how I've been doing it.

I just drop off the ledge right at the start, bounce on the first gem and land on the main path. I roll to the gyrocopter, pick it up and follow that curve up to the hourglass, jump down to the next hourglass. Then I get the gem, hop to the wood on the right, and follow that up to the next gem (without raising the platforms). I then jump and use the gyrocopter to land on the finish line.

I guess you're finding a way to grab more than 2 of the hourglasses? See, I can't justify going after the other 2, because right now it takes me more time to get there and back than the 10 seconds they would save me.

Maybe if I used the gyrocopter to get to the high-up hourglass, and jump from there to raise the platforms at the end, negating the need to use the gyro to get to the end . . . It seems as though raising the last platform wouldn't cost me anything time-wise, either; not as much as the first one.

I really like the paradigm used for Will o' Wisp. Because it's large and complex enough that there isn't an instantly obvious "best solution" like there was with Thrill Ride or Slip n Slide. I think I am going to head that route myself as soon as I can get .dif export working from QuArK. >:(

#22 Hey labby, I was debating writing a mod to export people's scores to a .html format for them, think it'd be worth it now that you've got your highscores mod working?

#23 You could go ahead, I guess . . . but you could do it with an external application too, since we know where they're stored.

It could be cool, for instance if someone was running Marble Blast on their server, they could be updating their live high scores page every time they play the game.

#24 Hey Luc, your solution is similar to mine, but what I did was to grab the gyrocopter, hit the three time travels (up, then jump down for the next two, get the gem and then use the gyro to hit the button and float to the second raising plat, bounce to the last gem and then roll up to the finish...

#25 Thanks for letting me know that. Yeah I forgot that I have been hitting those *three*, not *two* hourglasses, so that wasn't it, but bouncing off the button -- doh! I had just decided that that must have been how you did it, so thanks for confirming my worst suspicions. :( That is proving to be feindishly hard to execute.

#26 I think that the action of making a post about a subject disrupts the space-time continuum so that whatever was commented upon automatically becomes moot.

Going from m00t to w00t, I got the high score for Will o' Wisp. And I think I can shave even more time off of that . . .

edit: shaved as per intentions. Celebrating with frosty A&W root beer float!

#27 Aha! Good job... then I figured out how you must have done it... and shaved it some more :D

#28 Hah, man, this is insane. Other levels get trimmed and then it's basically over. This one, there are a LOT more options.

I'll see what I can do. Lol.

#29 I got inspired by some really kickin' classical and went on a high score rampage . . . took out Fan Lift, Leap of Faith, aaaaaaaand (drum roll) Will o' Wisp! 24.09

I decided to just run up the ramp as quickly as possible and jump backwards at the apex; really it was just what I did for the 25-26 second high score, but executed better.

I think we'll be seeing a levelling off of scores for this one at probably a maximum of about 21 seconds, with PERFECT execution on all counts, because you're limited by a) how fast you can get to the time-stoppers, and b) once you've done that, how quickly you can hit the button -- once you've hit it, you're essentially committed to waiting for the end platform to rise. So unless you can get to the TimeTravels in under 20 seconds consistently, it will be very hard to break the 23 second barrier.

The one exception is if you bounced off of the last gem at the right angle and landed right over the end pad, but I can see that being pretty tough.

#30 Luc, can you make a demo of your willo wisp run I cant even think of getting to the last gem before 40 seconds.

#31 Yeah I'll give it a shot. It'll give me a chance to try out making demos.

#32 Well, kind of a mixed blessing -- I thought the recorder was on, but it didn't work. However, I do have a fresh, shiny new score -- 23.25 seconds. I am getting the hang of hitting that button at the right angle finally.

The recorder *still* doesn't work for me, though. I guess I'll just have to go back to the game and shave more time off of my high score until someone can tell me why. *sniff*

#33 Whee! 23.09... I got the hang of hitting the button, then the gem, then the pad. The key is not using the gyrocopter til the pad starts moving up.

#34 :o

Man, that was fast.

Yeah, I'm catching way too much air with the gyrocopter. But you say not to use it until the pad starts moving? So how do you get to the button?

#35 22.81!

Maybe 21 ISN'T the bound; at 24 seconds it seemed pretty remote, but now it seems attainable. I'm going to go out on a limb and say NOTHING UNDER 20.

Man -- this game is insane. Totally insane. What other game would inspire this kind of sweat-drenched, brilliant competition and still remain good-natured?

I think this is interesting -- I'm not using your method, I'm just doing what I did before, and trying to optimize it to minimize its defects.

#36 Ok, here's the demo. It's a 26-second version.

files.llamahunter.com/mb/mrlucwillowisp.rec

#37 Argh!

#38 :)

#39 I am going to give this a shot tonight, but I might have to start using your method for the end there.

We definitely need more levels like Will o' Wisp. For some reason, it's one of those that you can always find yourself willing to play, over and over and over. It's freeform enough to be 'stress free' playing, aside from the initial "aaaagh I'm going to roll off the edge and die, no don't roll that way no no left no . . . SON OF A BITCH" (which is basically a straight transcript of the first few times I played it).

As soon as I can resolve my last few piddling QuArK problems and use better building methods, I am gonna pop out a few levels. Just for the hey of it.

#40 ok luc I just watched your demo and all I have to say is THATS INSANE!!! :)