Just beat Tommi Tiihonen top score at Hyper Olympic. No autofire used (it will be evident to anyone who is familiar with the game). Happ Super Joystick used. This may sound strange, but the fact is that in Italian arcades the controls to this game have always been sticks and, as a consequence, I'm not able to run with buttons (I would like to learn, though).

In a very old message of Tommi ("Track & Cheat", to be found under "Illegal Recordings") I found the following statement:

"Everyone who knows something about this game would admit that you get best results using buttons. With joystick or pad you just can't expect to get even close to speed that mastering six-to eight finger system gives you."

Perhaps I don't know as much as he does about T&F/HO, but what he says about joysticks is simply not correct: so far I've been able to run the 100m in 7"59 (I have the .inp file of this) and the 110hs in 9"57 and I think I can still improve.

-- MKL (m_nassivera@yahoo.it), June 24, 2001

Answers

I just watched your Hyper olympic score MKL. Great score! I´m used to play the game with buttons, but i can imagine that the high jump event might be easier with Joystick.

For the rest of the events, I would have problems getting any good score if I used a Joystick I think :=)

Regards

QRS

-- QRS (qrs@telia.com), June 24, 2001.

MKL, excellent playing!! Don't think I wont take my "own" back though :)

Maybe I was wrong about sticks, 7,59 is very fast. Nevertheless happ stick might be somewhat different to original arcade stick, that I was thinking of at the time of writing my "cheat novel"...If you used original stick at arcade, you'll propably know better... I wonder what is Alex's fastest, since he uses joystick also.

BTW what was your arcade record 100m?

-- Tommi **7,47** arcade (tiihoto@hotmail.com), June 26, 2001.

Thank you guys! Actually, I was sorely disappointed when I failed 2,50 on high Jump, all the more so since I usually do that without problems. Had I succedeed, my score would have been identical with Kobashigawa’s arcade world record (95040).

The stick available on the arcade machine was quite different indeed from Happ Super Joystick: it was made of black iron with no ball/handle on the top and it had a round black iron base. I wonder whether it was popular also outside of Italy. Needless to say, sticks are more subject to wear and tear than buttons, so that it was often difficult to find one in good conditions. The most effective running techniques with these two sticks are also very different from each other: the arcade stick requires a quick vibration of the forearm, whereas Happ stick gives best results when it is repeatedly slapped with the right timing. Anyway, my best results are:

ARCADE MAME

100m 7"75 7"59 Long Jump 9,72 9,67 Javelin Throw 99,23 99,74 (104,03) 110hs 9"72 9"57 Hammer Throw 99,99 99,48 (100,34) High Jump 2,49 2,51

Tommi, I’ve read that you consider it impossible to jump 2,51 "solo" with buttons. This notwithstanding, I was able to do that (only once!) with my stick. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do 2,52 though. 7"47 is your 100m arcade record, right? What about your MAME record? BTW don’t you think we should also have separate results for single events beside the one round scores?

-- MKL (m_nassivera@yahoo.it), June 26, 2001.

My mame record is "only" 7,60. But judging by 100m enspeed that I occasionally get well over 1300, should be more(or less infact). Now that you're giving me a hard time ;), I'll go and try to get at my very best form...hoping to get under 7,60...or more

I consider myself being at the moment as good as I ever was, except speed/rhythm is not fully there yet. At hurdles, using only buttons, even better than before. Now I know I can beat Kelly K's record in similar circumstances(only buttons used)*easily* when I get my speed back(today?). Comparing joystick/mixed controls to Kelly's record is a bit unfair though, apples and oranges. But now that we are competing on MAME crown(that is no less valuable than arcade crown), I'll continue to use buttons for running and joystick for highjump or otherwise you get unfair advantage, and we'll end up with apples and oranges again...

Separate results would be very nice, but other marpers would strongly disagree. And hey, how about long/high jump then: 9,72-9,72... Unless someone makes an own homepage for such.

Yesterday I "managed" to get a 9,71 at longjump. How's that possible ;) Cheers,

-- TJT (tiihoto@hotmail.com), June 27, 2001.

Well...about my personal experience I obtained the best result using the joystick. My personal ( not like yours ,you're out of ordinary ) were: 100 mt. 7"88 ,long jump 9 mt.72 , javelin throw 99 mt.93 , 110 mt. hurdles 9"99 , hammer throw 99 mt.68 , high jump 2 mt.51 If someone do it....for three times I get a javelin allover the line of the 100 mt but I saw a strange thing..the javeline didn't sign me the correct results , he gave me a measure of 5 mt.41 !! Someone do what's this strange happening ? bye

-- actarus (eman1968@tin.it), October 07, 2003.