I was never really into arcade games that much, so for me Pac-Man is but a simple game – eat the pellets before the time runs out, avoid the ghosts, eat the power pellets to eat the ghosts. So imagine my surprise when I came upon Jamey Pittman’s website, The Pac-Man Dossier. Pittman claims that his site has the “most complete and detailed study of the game”, and even though it was last updated last year, I will not doubt the man’s claim.
The real treat in The Pac-Man Dossier starts after dispensing with the requisite history of the game. Before providing strategies, Pittman breaks down the aspects of Pac-Man, with statements like “Whenever Pac-Man makes a pre-turn or post-turn, his orientation changes, and he starts to move one pixel in his new direction for every pixel traveled in his old direction, effectively doubling his speed as he moves at a 45 degree angle”, and pictures like this one:
And charts like this one:
And videos like this one:
I doubt that I’d be able to apply the tips and strategies shared by Pittman, but I will definitely go back and read his site. To me it’s a fascinating reminder that video games are just a fun kind of math and physics. If you have the time, check out The Pac-Man Dossier.
[via 4 color rebellion]
