On November 30, RUVDS, together with the Museum of Soviet slot machines, will hold the first Game Overnight tournament in Russia. The preliminary tournament continues on the game site, everything remains …

HISTORY OF CREATING PAC-MAN

On November 30, RUVDS, together with the Museum of Soviet slot machines, will hold the first Game Overnight tournament in Russia. The preliminary tournament continues on the game site, it remains less and less time to the final. In the meantime, we decided to remember the history of creating a cult game PAC-MAN.

For Namco, in the early 1980s, the PAC-MAN game has become a huge event. She, without exaggeration, turned into a real 20th century symbol. It is hardly possible to find someone who has not played in PAC-MAN, then at least I did not hear about this game, as it became one of the first phenomena of the game world, which penetrated into the sphere of mass culture. In fact, the game was so popular that Namco's additional income associated with PAC-MAN exceeded those that the company received from the sale of slot machines.

Interest in the game was so great that the firms engaged in slot machines ordered several devices at once, and not one, which was usual for new games. Such a strategy looked justified in the light of possible loss of income related to the fact that people to play Pac-Man had to stand in line. Therefore, in the halls put on several automatons, seeking to collect more coins in their money boxes, which was good and for the owners of the gaming salons and for Namco.

The Creator of Pac-Man, Tora Ivatani, came to Namco, which was then called Nakamura Manufacturing, in 1977, when he was 22 years old. At first, he was engaged in the repair of Licensed Black and White Video Games ATARI, which were distributed in Japan. But Torah did not particularly like to repair the glands. He was a big fan of Pinbola and told the leadership that he was working on a video version of this game. It happened that the first arcade video game Namco, Gee Bee, which, moreover, was successful, developed Torah. Outside success, Namco, in 1979, releases Galaxian – the very first game with color graphics. At that time it was a revolutionary achievement. Galaxian game was a huge hit. It was based on the idea of ​​the game Space Invaders, to which the enemies-kamikazeze were added, which dive to the player's ship.

Ivatani understood that the markets were dominated by the game created by analogy with the early successful "shooting", and the inspiration from the creations of the overseas Atari, which enjoyed universal adoration (and received good income) due to their games – bright, color, realizing many different ideas and concepts. He was especially inspired by the fact that the games that were created in Atari were, by their nature, "positive." He wanted to create something that would be built on the same model.

Then, together with the team of eight programmers and designers, Ivatani began work.The ideas followed one after another, some ideas improved, from other, not relevant concepts of the game, refused. Development lasted 18 months.

The main character of the game of Ivatani saw a pizza in his ordered once, one of the pieces of which he had already managed to take from the plate. Considering the pizza, he looked at the fact that he was left, and saw that the character of the game was watching him. PAC-MAN (Pakman) was made friendly – so people could associate themselves with him. Adding to the ghost game gave her the attitude of the cartoons "Tom and Jerry", and this, as Ivatani believed, should like the wide audience of players. Despite the fact that he was advised to add the chief hero of the eyes, hair and other details, he persistently refused it all this, deciding that the character should be a simple figure, painted with a clean yellow color. As a result, Pakman and ghosts turned out to be simple and attractive.

The transition tunnels appeared in the game in the late development stage, and Energizers have added there under the impression of the Hero of the Sailor of the Sailor who, who, eating the spinach bank, acquires Supersil and gives a decent story to his opponent Bluto.

From the game, the dampers originally had in it were removed, which could open and closed, blocking the maze corridors in certain places. When testing the game, it turned out that the player from them is one frustration, so they were removed from the final code of the game.

Ivatani wanted the game to attract players:

In addition, Ivatani took into account the sensations of the player. The running on the maze from ghosts causes a feeling of fear and panic. This voltage was thereby, which carries the player, but the creator of PAC-MAN wanted to balance the game. So "Energizers" and the artificial intelligence of ghosts appeared.

In the behavior of the ghosts, moments were provided (the so-called "running mode") when they cease to pursue the player and move each in their corner of the labyrinth. This allows you to make the game less tense, give the player the opportunity to rest a little and think about your next steps.

The role of enemies in PAC-MAN is performed by four multi-colored ghosts – pancakes, pinkies, clyde and incops. A lot of efforts of programmers took their development. Imagine that four enemies are continuously pursued by the Pakman driven by the same set of rules. Sooner or later, they will be lined up with each other, following the main character in the labyrinth and not doing anything interesting. In order not to prevent this, algorithms were developed, thanks to which ghosts, on the one hand, make their work, pursuing the hero, and on the other, they behave unequal. If you very briefly describe the features of each of the ghosts, then the following will be:

• Blinky: Red ghost, pursue a pacting without special clauses.
• Pinky: Pink Ghost, which is aimed at a position located at a distance of 32 pixels from the front of the main character.
• The ideas followed one after another, some ideas improved, from other, not relevant concepts of the game, refused. Development lasted 18 months.
• The main character of the game of Ivatani saw a pizza in his ordered once, one of the pieces of which he had already managed to take from the plate. Considering the pizza, he looked at the fact that he was left, and saw that the character of the game was watching him. PAC-MAN (Pakman) was made friendly – so people could associate themselves with him. Adding to the ghost game gave her the attitude of the cartoons "Tom and Jerry", and this, as Ivatani believed, should like the wide audience of players. Despite the fact that he was advised to add the chief hero of the eyes, hair and other details, he persistently refused it all this, deciding that the character should be a simple figure, painted with a clean yellow color. As a result, Pakman and ghosts turned out to be simple and attractive.

The transition tunnels appeared in the game in the late development stage, and Energizers have added there under the impression of the Hero of the Sailor of the Sailor who, who, eating the spinach bank, acquires Supersil and gives a decent story to his opponent Bluto.

From the game, the dampers originally had in it were removed, which could open and closed, blocking the maze corridors in certain places. When testing the game, it turned out that the player from them is one frustration, so they were removed from the final code of the game.

Ivatani wanted the game to attract players:

In addition, Ivatani took into account the sensations of the player. The running on the maze from ghosts causes a feeling of fear and panic. This voltage was thereby, which carries the player, but the creator of PAC-MAN wanted to balance the game. So "Energizers" and the artificial intelligence of ghosts appeared.

In the behavior of the ghosts, moments were provided (the so-called "running mode") when they cease to pursue the player and move each in their corner of the labyrinth. This allows you to make the game less tense, give the player the opportunity to rest a little and think about your next steps.

The role of enemies in PAC-MAN is performed by four multi-colored ghosts – pancakes, pinkies, clyde and incops. A lot of efforts of programmers took their development. Imagine that four enemies are continuously pursued by the Pakman driven by the same set of rules. Sooner or later, they will be lined up with each other, following the main character in the labyrinth and not doing anything interesting. In order not to prevent this, algorithms were developed, thanks to which ghosts, on the one hand, make their work, pursuing the hero, and on the other, they behave unequal. If you very briefly describe the features of each of the ghosts, then the following will be:

Blinky: Red ghost, pursue a pacting without special clauses.

Pinky: Pink Ghost, which is aimed at a position located at a distance of 32 pixels from the front of the main character.

Inci: Blue Ghost, striving to get to the point found on a special algorithm, taking into account the position of the player and another ghost – a pancake.

Clyde: Orange Ghost, which, depending on the distance from the main character, is chasing the pacting, then it is sent to the lower lower angle of the labyrinth.

We believe, it will be curious to take a look at the first rude sketches that Ivatani did, working on the labyrinth and the characters of the game.

At this early sketch of the labyrinth, it is possible to notice the absence of tunnels along the edges of the screen, and the fact that the angular zones of the labyrinth, and on top, and the bottom, are not arranged as in the final version of the game.