David Yuen from Illinois in the USA, gets high score on Wizard of War on
January 1, 2005 beating the Funspot 2002 world record of John V.
Thomas of Chicago. David's World Record High Score is 384,200 points.
Back to: Walter Day Conversations
Complete Review below by Robert Mruczek, after game Introduction.
Here are the list of high scores by Twin Galaxies: Link
Scoreboard:
Wizard of Wor
Variation: Singles
Platform: Arcade
Rules: Start Units : 3
Search by Player
Name
Wizard of Wor
Variation: Singles
Platform: Arcade
Rules: Start Units : 3
Rank % Score Score Player Verification Method
1 100.00 % 384,200 David S Yuen 01/01/2005 Video
2 82.61 % 317,400 John V Thomas 07/19/2002 Referee
3 45.18 % 173,600 Mark Soileau 04/03/2002 Video
4 39.28 % 150,900 James Hussiere 12/19/1982 Referee
5 34.17 % 131,300 Jeffrey J Folejewski 03/02/2002 Video
6 26.34 % 101,200 Mark Longridge 06/06/2001 Referee
7 25.43 % 97,700 Dwayne Richard 06/06/2001 Referee
8 17.15 % 65,900 David Nelson 06/06/2001 Referee
9 16.79 % 64,500 Donald Hayes 06/06/2001 Referee
10 16.48 % 63,300 Jason Wilson 06/06/2001 Referee
Plot of Game:
Welcome to the mystical kingdom of Wor! You have been placed in command of an
elite squadron of Worriors assigned to the task of outwitting the sinister Wizard
of Wor! As you descend further and further into his diabolical dungeons, you will
encounter deadly Worlings and maybe even the Wizard himself! Your only weapons
are your trusty laser, your radar sanner and your agility and cunning. You will
need them all as you attempt to beat the Wizard on his own turf and earn the title
of Worlord Supreme! Prepare now, and let the battle begin!
Back to: Walter Day Conversations
Manufacturer: Bally Midway
Year: 1981
Class: Wide Release
Genre: Labyrinth/Maze
Type: Videogame
Monitor:
Orientation: Horizontal
Type: Raster: Standard Resolution
CRT: Color
Conversion Class: unique
Number of Simultaneous Players: 2
Maximum number of Players: 2
Gameplay: Either
Control Panel Layout: Multiple Player
Controls:
Joystick: 4-way, 8-position (up/up, down/down, left/left, right/right)
Buttons: 1
Sound:
Description
One or two players move around a variety of line-drawn mazes shooting the creatures
that wander within. Eliminating all of the monsters will advance the players to
the next level. Creatures called Worluks and the Wizard Of Wor himself will
occasionally appear and these can be shot for bonus points.
Cabinet Information: See photo of cabinet: Link
The power supply and PCBs are mounted on a tray that slides forwards and is
accessable from the front of the cabinet.
The cocktail is a standard Bally Midway cocktail from the era. However, Bally
Midway did a very strange thing for this game: the monitor is rotated 90 degrees
from how it is normal viewed on the upright (a person playing the upright sees
the monitor horizontally oriented; a player sitting at the cocktail sees the
monitor vertically oriented). So basically, on the cocktail, you have to play
the game sideways!
Cheats, Tricks and Bugs
NOTE: If anyone can reproduce these tricks/bugs on video tape, please send copy
to Waleter Day of http://www.twingalaxies.com for validation. Thank you.
Depending on the ROM version of the game you have, you may be able to perform
the following play for many hours:
During game play, if you are quick enough, with the power switch turn the game
off and back on quickly and you will gain back all the players the game can hold:
The limit is 16 players per left/right player. If the computer was playing the
blue player, it will get back all 16 players. It does not matter which dungeon
this is done in.
To make doing this easier, you can do the following: clear the dungeon of the
worlings, then let the Worluk leave or shoot it. Then as soon as possible, take
a shot for the Wizard before he appears. If you hit the Wizard before he appears,
you freeze the game. The dungeon walls stay the orange sparkling effect and the
sound is stuck on the sound of the players gun firing. Your players can not move
but no more worlings or Worluks will appear and neither will the Wizard, so
technically you have beat the game?! On old versions of this game, possibly the
original ones, you can freeze the game after the Wizard appears/disappears several
times. On later versions this procedure has to be done before the Wizard actually
appears. And, yes, the computer player can freeze the game also. After freezing the
game, turn it off and then back on quickly to regain all of your players as stated
above. The left (blue) player can fire faster then the yellow player, so it is easier
for the blue player to freeze the game. On old versions of the game this can be done
seven or more times. On later versions, this can only be done three or four times.
Here are some bugs in this game:
When the dungeon counter goes to 0 (100) it will no longer count properly. The
last digit will be correct, but the first digit will no longer be accurate.
If you are very, very fast with shooting your gun, before the Wizard appears,
and you hit the spot exactly where the Wizard was going to show up, you do what
is called a pre-freeze, which is quite a spectacular event. Instead of freezing
everything and going into the normal sequence, the sound goes crazy, the dungeon
flashes black and white several times, but the players can still move and fire
their guns. The dungeon then flashes the sparkling effect on the flashing black
and white walls, the dungeon flashes a solid orange, then the dungeon flashes a
sparkling orange walls. The players stop moving and firing and then the dungeon
flashes black and white and the sequence stops. These are by far the most interesting
effects that can happen in this game, although this is quite a rare occurance.
If you survive to the 17th dungeon, the Wizard appears and stays on the screen
for long periods of time. This is not for only part of a second, but around five
seconds at a time, which is also quite a sight to see. He fires his lightning bolt
every which way, until he kills a player, or a player shoots him in the dungeons
that follow. From here, the Wizard's appearance time begins to shorten once again.
He stays for long periods of time in the following dungeons: 18th, 43rd, 66th,
91st, 120st, 151st.
The Wizard's line of fire is different from that of both players. You can line
ng bolts. The players can cancel each others shots and the Wizard of Wor's lightning
bolts also.
If you align your player up properly and in the right area, the worlings and the
Worluk have to push you back/forward into a corridor/space to kill you by shooting
you or running you over. This applies to the Wizard also, if he does not shoot you
or appear on top of you first.
Game Introduction
The player controlled characters are called Worriors. The elite monsters called
worlings are known respectively as Burwors, Garwors and Thorwors. The bonus monsters
are called Worluks and occasionally the Wizard also appears.
The game has a variety of mazes, most of which do not have names, but one of the
later mazes is called "The Arena" because it has a wide open space between two walls.
Another is called "The Pit" because it has no interior walls at all. The mazes all
have different patterns.
Game Play
There are three aspects of the game to look for. Firstly the maze is viewed as such
from above, but the player character is not. This presents the appearance of the
player literally 'walking' on the walls as if the maze was orientated vertically.
Secondly although in two-player mode, both players work together to clear the mazes,
but you score points for shooting your partner! Thirdly, shooting the Worluk before
it escapes results in the next maze being scored at double points. Sometimes, after
you destroy a Worluk, the Wizard will attack and continuously teleport quickly from
one part of the maze to another while hurling lightning bolts. You must shoot the
Wizard as quickly as you can whenever he makes a brief appearance near you.
The joystick has two contacts in each direction; a direction contact and a movement
contact. A light tap on the joystick will face you in a certain direction without
moving the player. To move you just hold the joystick over in one direction.
Technical
Shares a great deal of technology with Gorf. For instance, you can place the Gorf
RAM/ROM board in the game and see, but not play, the game. The common features
include the power supply, board slots, pattern PCB, CPU PCB and RAM PCBs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The PC Industry tries to re-create this original classic, Review below: Link
Wizard of Wor is an excellent remake of Midway?s hit arcade game of the same name.
The idea: one or two players move around a variety of line-drawn mazes shooting the
creatures that wander within. Eliminating all of the monsters will advance the players
to the next level. Creatures called Worluks and the Wizard Of Wor himself will
occasionally appear and these can be shot for bonus points.
The game has a variety of mazes and is played from a bird?s eye view perspective
similar to Pac-Man. One of the most fun elements of Wizard of Wor is the backstabbing
nature of the 2-player mode (insert Machiavellian chuckle here): although both players
work together to clear the mazes, you score points for killing your partner. Another
thing that makes the game fun is the many bonus point situations and gameplay variety.
For example, if you can shoot the Worluk before it escapes, the next maze will be scored
at double points. Although the mazes change from level to level, the monsters remain
the same types: blue, wolf-like Burwors are common in the first few levels, while the
tough yellow Garwors and red Thorwors roam later mazes. These two monsters can turn
invisible, forcing you to keep one eye on the radar at the bottom of the screen to
avoid any unpleasant surprises.
This PC remake does Midway?s original justice, with smooth graphics and the same
addictive gameplay. There are new graphics that aren?t present in the original, as
well as a neat doorway system and many more devious mazes. If you enjoy a good arcade
game, you definitely must play this faithful remake. Two thumbs up, way up!
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Twin Galaxies Forums
www.twingalaxies.com
NEW World Record on "Wizard of Wor" !!
Twin Galaxies Forums Forum Index -> Coin-Op Video Games
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Author Message
RMRUCZEK
TG Board of Directors
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:30 pm Post subject: NEW World Record on
"Wizard of Wor" !!
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BREAKING NEWS - NEW WORLD RECORD ON "WIZARD OF WOR" (ARCADE)
As reported on January 24th, 2005 Link
Hello fellow gamers:
On January 1st, 2005, millions of people across the globe celebrated the coming
of this new year in their own respective ways. Some might have watched a football
game. Others might have decided to sleep a little while longer, while a few celebrants
may have needed it. And for a select few, the changing of the calendar is not the
only cause for celebration.
David Yuen, who hails from Illinois in the USA, will always remember that this was
the New Year's Day when he set a new classic arcade video game world record on the
title "Wizard of Wor", one of the toughest and most challenging titles ever.
This Midway classic from 1980 featured synthesized speech identical in tone to what
was heard on another Midway classic, "Gorf", and allowed for single and 2-player team
attempts. And like "Gorf", "WoW", for short, allowed players a chance to start the
game with 3 lives for a single quarter, or 4 more lives for an extra quarter. Not
a bad deal !!
On single-player, and with three (3) starting lives, David waxed the title for a
final score of 384,200 points, reaching Dungeon 31, which happens to be one of
the infamous "Pit" stages, the toughest in the game. Total game time was about
27 minutes.
Amazingly, David actually broke the current world record of points by John V.
Thomas of Chicago twice, first with an attempt that ended in a score of 367,700
points, and then again for an even higher score.
"Wizard of Wor" is a game that pits you and your laser weapon against a hoard of
fast-moving, invisible monsters which you can only see when they are in the same
corridor as you, otherwise you must rely on a "radar" to locate them. Each self
enclosed dungeon contains two exits which allow monsters to escape through or sneak
up on you from. As you dispatch monsters, more appear. Eventually, after the last
one is gone, "Worluk" makes an appearance. Shoot him if you can for big points, and
if you do, then the opportunity to get the "Wizard of Wor" comes. He's worth a base
2,500 points, or 5,000 points if you managed to obtain "Double Dungeon Score" after
finishing the previous dungeon.
The "Wizard" is your trickiest foe. Unrelenting in shooting magical bolts at you,
he keeps appearing and disappearing suddenly, trying to catch you off guard, so when
he is out, you have to be ultra vigilant. But, I might add, until he and "Worluk"
before him appear, the chance exists for a monster to appear right next to you if
you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, making survival mostly depending on
skill, but also on a little bit of luck.
The 13th dungeon, and every 6th dungeon thereafter, is known as "The Pit", and is
dreaded and feared by all "WoW" players of all skill levels. There are no corridors
within which to position yourself safely and limit the chance of an attack from a
monster. The entire board is devoid of inside walls. Just the outer walls exist,
and the escape corridors,
which, I must state, are temporarily unavailable after usage, so they are a limited
but strategic tool for survival, at best. Seldom do players live up to this stage,
let alone past it on a single game. David, incredibly, completed the 1st and 2nd
"Pit" stages (Dungeons 13 and 19) without losing a life !! It would be a safe bet
to say that all but the most experienced "WoW" players would need all their starting
lives just to finish ONE (1) "Pit" stage, never mind the fact that David survived
through three, and ended his game while in the fourth.
It is standard policy with Twin Galaxies when recapping a player's performance, all
strategies and secrets developed by the player shall not be revealed without the
express written consent of the gamer. As the gamer has asked me not to make public
his tactics, my recap below will not include tactical information, and will be in
my usual "play-by-play"
format.
Without further ado, here is a recap of David's stellar performance. I'll comment
on significant moments in his performance. Afterwards, some closing thoughts.
*****************************************
THE PATH TO VICTORY
(The time is about 8:20pm, Illinois time. David has just finished his 367K score
and starts his next attempt)
Dungeon 1 - 900 points
The beginning of a single player game in "Wizard of Wor" is I think unique, or at
least very rare, compared to other point-based titles from the golden age of arcade
gaming. The second player is controlled by the computer, accumulating points of it's
own if it hits anything, and if you shoot this computer opponent, and any of it's
lives, you are awarded
1,000 points. This tactic is allowed by Twin Galaxies, though it is the gamer's
choice whether they take advantage of this in any stage, or not at all. Note that
if the computer opponent earns any points, these points are NOT added to the player's
recorded score. Additionally, should a monster destroy a computer opponent, then the
player has lost the opportunity to earn the 1,000 points for that computer opponent's
life.
Dungeon 2 - 3,200 points
Dungeon 3 - 9,200 points
Dungeon 4 - 12,600 points
This was the first time I've ever seen the computer opponent shoot down "Worluk" !!
Dungeon 5 - 19,200 points
Dungeon 6 - 35,800 points
The first dungeon in which the "Wizard of Wor" makes his appearance.
Dungeon 7 - 52,400 points
David's first game death occurs at 39,600 points. "Oh...I gate when they do
that !!" he exclaims. In a game like "WoW", anything can happen as it is very
unpredictable and challenging.
Dungeon 8 - 67,000 points
Dungeon 9 - 83,600 points
Dungeon 10 - 100,200 points
The 100,000 barrier is one that few gamers ever can hope to pass. In fact,
before year 2001, the world record was only in the 89K range or so, then later
raised to the 113-115K range, until Mark Solieau took it past 150K, followed
by John V. Thomas at Funspot who raised it past the 300K barrier in 2002.
Dungeon 11 - 111,800 points
I found this stage a bit odd. I watched the end of this dungeon several times,
and try as I may, I do not see the "Wizard" appear even though "Worluk" was
dispatched. Not sure why. Both the "Wizard" and "Worluk" were dispatched in
dungeon 10. Also, David loses his second life at 116,400 points.
Dungeon 12 - 126,400 points
Dungeon 13 - 143,000 points (Pit Number 1)
The first "Pit" dungeon, feared by all "WoW" players as if it were the great
equalizer in this title...because it is !!
No barriers to hide behind. This stage is free-roaming for the most part, although
you cannot afford to move that much since the enemies start to converge on you almost
immediately. As with all dungeons, your solider starts the dungeon in a holding cell,
with a 9 second countdown. You can leave and enter the dungeon at any time within the
countdown, and are forced out when it expires. In a stage like "The Pit", experts
wait until the optimal moment and then they make their move. Unlike
"Asteroids", another classic from that era, where a new life only re-appears when
the danger level is minimal, in "WoW" some "Pit" stages begin with the monsters
practically right on top of your holding cell, so survivability in this game is not
always a given, not even in the opening 2 seconds of this stage.
David clears the stage without losing a life, an incredible feat. And although
"Worluk" escapes, he nails the "Wizard" for some big points. He comments that he's
off to a great start...too bad he lost those two lives earlier. If I surmise from
his statement that he had in the past, if even just once, lasted through stage 13
without the loss of a life, then since he hit 384K this game with two lives lost
this early in the game, I've got to believe that someday we will receive a submission
in the 400K range, either from David or one of the previous world champions. But that
is speculative, as anything can happen in a game of "WoW", including losing two, three,
even all your lives in a single "Pit" dungeon.
Dungeon 14 - 159,600 points
Dungeon 15 - 176,200 points
Dungeon 16 - 192,800 points
Dungeon 17 - 209,400 points
Dungeon 18 - 221,000 points
David has a near-death experience at 210K with multiple enemies coming from all
angles in a wide open area. He somewhow survives and audibly exclaims his relief.
Additionally, he almost gets overrun by "Worluk".
Dungeon 19 - 235,600 points (Pit Number 2)
The second "Pit" stage, and again, David manages to pull through unscathed.
"Whoah...THAT was close !!" was all he had to say as things got very hairy at one point.
Dungeon 20 - 252,200 points
DUngeon 21 - 261,900 points
"That was weird !!"...this is what David had to say based on "Worluk's" movement
pattern and eventual escape. David had no chance at nailing him this time.
Dungeon 22 - 270,100 points
Dungeon 23 - 286,700 points
Dungeon 24 - 303,300 points
The 300K barrier !! Only one other player is registered as officially reaching this point.
Dungeon 25 - 317,900 points (Pit Number Three)
Well, David managed to last through two "Pit" stages without a scratch, but wasn't
able to pull off a three-peat. The enemies came fast and furious, and David lost
his third life at 307,100 points early into the stage. But he was unphased, calm
and collected, as he polished off the rest of "The Pit" and finished with 317,900
points, very close to the
current world record score by John V. Thomas, and not too far off from his
previously completed performance of 367K.
Dungeon 26 - 327,600 points
"Oh man...that was quite a sandwich !!"
David was literally surrounded by enemies from all sides and pulled off a
remarkable escape, turning the tables on his monster opponents, and surviving
to tell the tale. He did not manage to pull off shooting "Worluk" or the "Wizard",
however, thus the next dungeon is only worth single-value points. That's another
aspect of "WoW" that sets it apart from many point-based titles...one stage's
actions determine the following stage's point valuations, which can actually
decrease depending on your action or inaction from the previous stage.
Dungeon 27 - 335,800 points
"Whew !!" David says as he survives another tough stage and manages to dispatch
both "Worluk" and the "Wizard", raising the next stage point values back to double again.
Dungeon 28 - 352,400 points
"Oh man, that was close !!...David survives another stage unscathed as he is rapidly
approaching his personal best. And since he managed to nail both "Worluk" and the
"Wizard" again, he has a chance of passing that mark in the very next dungeon.
Dungeon 29 - 369,000 points
Disaster strikes at 356,400 points. "Oh, NO WAY !! It appeared right next to me.
You've GOTTA be kidding !! That is SO unfair !!"
I believe that the comments tell the whole story. As I stated earlier, in "WoW",
as you dispatch enemies, more appear and if you are in the wrong place at the wrong
time, well, anything can happen. The sole consolations were that both bosses were
dispatched, so the following dungeon would be worth double points, plus, more
importantly, David was at a new personal best...AND with a life in reserve. Time
to put his game-face on and see how far he can carry this new world record and
personal best.
Dungeon 30 - 383,600 points
The stage was played cautiously, yet with the same basic strategy that carried him
thus far. "Worluk" managed to escape, but he nailed the "Wizard" for a cool 5,000 points.
But now, a "do or die" moment was coming up. Dungeon 31..."The Pit".
Dungeon 31 - 384,200 points
"OK...let's see if I can get through the Pit".
That was at the beginning of the stage.
"Oh, come on...give me a shot !!"
That was immediately thereafter.
As I mentioned earlier, in "WoW" a player's soldier is in a holding cell for a
countdown of 9 seconds during which, at any time, a player can voluntarily emerge,
or at the end of the countdown the player emerges by default. David had almost no
chance this stage. No matter how good the "WoW" player, a "Pit" dungeon is the great
equalizer, a classic "do or die" moment in video gaming, in the truest sense, not
unlike the feared brain waves in "Robotron", another iconic title from that era.
"That's not bad...it's better than my previous score" was what he said.
Time of completion, 8:50pm. Not at all bad for a half-hour's work !!
After zooming in on the final scores, David manages a brief "Hello" as he pokes his
head into the range of the camera. I hear him commenting on taking a Polaroid of the
final score screen, and then says the tape is being shut off.
*****************************************
AFTERTHOUGHTS
This score came to me as almost a total surprise. I was unaware of who in the gaming
community was trying to chip away at the FUnspot 2002 world record. I had not heard
from either of the previous top two players since late 2002, and the number of "WoW"
players at the 150K+ skillset, let alone the 200K+ and 300K+ skillsets, were far and
few inbetween.
Watching the tail-end of John V. Thomas' 2-player team world record with Josh Powell
in 2002, it was clear that much higher was possible as John kept his last life going
for what seemed like 200K easily, maybe even 300K. So I knew that higher yet was still
do-able. But as with classic "Galaxian", a shoot-em-up from Midway where the world
record was recently established as 399K even though a score of 300K+ on the 1st ship
was achieved as part of the former world record, anything can happen in a game, either
at the every beginning, middle or end, so do-able or not, until it was officially
accomplished by someone, it was just a happy thought.
With his 384,200 point performance on "Wizard of Wor", David now owns one of most
prestigious and respected video game world record titles of all time.
On behalf of the staff of Twin Galaxies, and our founder and chief scorekeeper,
Walter Day, we congratulation David Yuen as the new world champion at the classic
arcade game "Wizard of Wor". This awesome performance is definitely one for the
books.
Robert Mruczek
_________________
Robert T Mruczek
Twin Galaxies - Editor and Chief referee
Star Wars classic arcade marathon champion
rmruczek@doremus.com (work E-MAIL)
