Some notes on ghost behavior:
Cruise Elroy
Despite the
moniker "Speedy", Pinky is not the fastest
ghost. All ghosts on all levels move at identical speeds, with one exception. The red ghost ("Shadow", "Blinky") will
speed up once a certain number of
pellets remain. This
phenomenon is known as "Cruise Elroy" mode. Below is a table indicating when Blinky will enter Cruise Elroy mode:
Level Pellets remaining
1 20
2 30
3-5 40
6-8 50
9+ 60
Scatter Mode
The ghosts have an interesting
pattern programmed into their movements: occasionally, they will simultaneously
cease and desist their pursuit of Pac-Man and return to their respective corners of the
maze, entering "scatter mode".
I felt it would be too stressful for a human being like Pac Man to be continually surrounded and hunted down. So I created the monsters' invasions to come in waves. They'd attack and then they'd retreat. As time went by they would regroup, attack, and disperse again. It seemed more natural than having constant attack.
-- Toru Iwatani, creator of Pac-Man
The ghost will enter scatter mode
four times for each
life on each
level. As they exit the
ghost house, you can easily see they begin play in scatter mode.
Blinky heads for the top right corner,
Pinky for the top left,
Inky for the bottom right, and
Clyde for the bottom left. When the ghosts enter scatter mode is determined by a
timer. Generally the first two scatters are the longest in duration, and the third and fourth are about 2/3 as long. Beware Blinky: he can still pursue
Pac-Man in scatter mode.
The "Pause" Spot
The "pause" spot is place on the
map where the ghosts cannot discover Pac-Man. It
exists to the right and up a few spaces from Pac-Man's starting location, inside the
crook of the turn. If Pac-Man enters this area from the right while no ghosts can see him, he can safely remain there for up to 18
minutes (when the ghosts reverse direction). This is a good place to park Pac-Man if you need to get a
drink or hit the
bathroom.
Individual personalities
Both Blinky and Pinky appear to be programmed to pursue Pac-Man directly. Pinky usually makes the
opposite turn choice from Blinky when given a chance, and so this
duo often can trap your man in a corner. Inky is a
wildcard, and given the same situation often makes different choices. Inky definitely appears to be programmed to
ambush Pac-Man. One theory is he heads for the end of the tunnel Pac-Man is currently moving down. Clyde moves
randomly, and so can be the most frustrating ghost to work with.
Patterns
Patterns are certain movement
paths which, if followed exactly, allow Pac-Man to
reproducibly clear a certain amount of the board and consume a
certain number of blue ghosts /
bonus prizes. A web search will quickly provide more patterns than a sane person would want to memorize. Most players consider this boring if not
cheating, and
eschew patterns.
The first person to ever achieve a perfect game of Pac-Man was
Billy Mitchell (in 1999). Billy refused to use patterns. Instead he claimed he had a
perfect knowledge of the ghosts behavior:
"First, you’ve got to learn how to control the monsters. See how the red, pink and blue are grouped together? It’s easier to control 2 monsters than 4. ... You actually learn to control the game. As long as you have control of the game, you don’t die."
-Billy Mitchell
Miscellaneous Pac-Man info:
Bonus Prizes
Level Prize Point Value
1 Cherry 100
2 Strawberry 300
3-4 Orange 500
5-6 Apple 700
7-8 Grenade 1000
9-10 Spaceship 2000
11-12 Bell 3000
13+ Key 5000
The game ends when you reach the
256th level. This level is divided in half: the left half of the screen displays the regular left half of the maze. The right hand side is composed of random
ASCII-style characters and colors. There has never been evidence of
anyone successfully completing this level.