California Games scoring question: 'Better Than James'?

[seastalker_returns]

I'm enjoying this game all over again on the Pocket. With fond memories of surfing and BMX when the Lynx released, am I mis-remembering something?  I just scored 447 in BMX and got an 'As Good As James' but is that the highest 'rank'?

 

I seem to have a childhood memory of accidentally bumping a wheel on a fall spinning the bike out of control and sticking the landing out of sheer luck. When I completed the race, I would swear that I got a ranking once of 'Better Than James', yet this is highly unlikely because when I look the game up online, the highest I see (from much better players' scores) is 'As good as' and no mention of the 'Better than' crown.  

 

Does anyone have the ability to inspect the code to know for sure if this is in the game? 

[Brek Martin]

On 9/5/2024 at 9:11 PM, seastalker_returns said:

 

 

Does anyone have the ability to inspect the code to know for sure if this is in the game? 

The text strings aren't in the clear to see in a hex dump, but if you Google with the term "Lynx BMX Better than James", you'll be directed back here to a post made in 2012.

 

[Nop90]

This is an old post about strings in California games:

 

 

[seastalker_returns]

I found forum member BillyHW give a mention in his quote here: "I only ever get to see BETTER THAN JAMES. Boo. "

 

 

I didn't realize how tricky it would be to find out. Will look for video evidence as well. Nice to know I may have actually achieved the 'Better than James' ranking back around 1989. I wonder what ruleset triggers this.  That's also crazy about the 'Unreal 360' in surfing.  It strikes a memory but I can't confirm I ever got it. I used to love getting the surfer as high in the air as possible but I can't remember. Well, no time like the present!

Edited September 9 by seastalker_returns

[Brek Martin]

7 hours ago, seastalker_returns said:

I found forum member BillyHW give a mention in his quote here: "I only ever get to see BETTER THAN JAMES. Boo. "

 

 

I didn't realize how tricky it would be to find out. Will look for video evidence as well. Nice to know I may have actually achieved the 'Better than James' ranking back around 1989. I wonder what ruleset triggers this.  That's also crazy about the 'Unreal 360' in surfing.  It strikes a memory but I can't confirm I ever got it. I used to love getting the surfer as high in the air as possible but I can't remember. Well, no time like the present!

I did it a few times this year to get it on camera. It isn't the way to score in the game due to the setup required.

Up at zero degrees, down at 230 degrees, getting very close to the bottom, which is the risky part.

You can attempt once the tip of the clouds goes off the screen at the apex of your jump.

Once the clouds disappear, the next down and up movement must also be close to perfect.

[Brek Martin]

Here's mine. I did it four times, and the one I actually caught on cam was the one I fell off,

but it still said Unreal 360. it still counts! it didn't stick because I'm not exactly following my own advice above

 

My carrying on at the end is because I was going to edit it into the Toby Maguire commercial that I still find off-putting where the perverted school teacher actually goes looking for boys under toilet cubicles.

 

Edited September 9 by Brek Martin

[+cubanismo]

Ha, watched the video before reading the description, and was like "WTF?" Then I remembered the commercial.

 

That's a crazy 360. I gotta pull that off now.

[Brek Martin]

3 hours ago, cubanismo said:

 Then I remembered the commercial.

There are more complete versions of the Bathroom Break add on YouTube than were shown in the US or Australia,

and it only gets more uncomfortable. Even this one isn't complete. In others, you can see all four boys.

Two are black and two are white. You can't know that much from this version.

 

As for the other thread... I've sworn off even reading further replies to it

 

 

 

[seastalker_returns]

On 9/9/2024 at 3:59 PM, Brek Martin said:

I did it a few times this year to get it on camera. It isn't the way to score in the game due to the setup required.

That is truly impressive to get an Unreal 360 in surfing, I still want to go back to my original question though - is there any evidence in THE BMX part of California Games where a player can get 'Better Than James'?

[Brek Martin]

19 minutes ago, seastalker_returns said:

 is there any evidence in THE BMX part of California Games where a player can get 'Better Than James'?

"When you get over ~400 points it will say "Better than James" when you finish the course."

 

The fact that this is a quote from this forum in a post made in 2012, before you could have prompted it,

I'd say is pretty strong evidence that the game can say it.

[seastalker_returns]

I recently got two scores in the high 500s and still it only said "As Good As James" - again, my memory around 1989 was that I achieved "Better Than James" status, but I see you tube videos that surpassed my score by a long shot and still they got 'As Good As"  There must be a specific trigger other than score, no?

[Brek Martin]

35 minutes ago, seastalker_returns said:

I recently got two scores in the high 500s and still it only said "As Good As James" - again, my memory around 1989 was that I achieved "Better Than James" status, but I see you tube videos that surpassed my score by a long shot and still they got 'As Good As"  There must be a specific trigger other than score, no?

That's a modification of your original question!  

 

How to get it... I don't have any experience with that sub-game, and just Googled the phrase.

I did view the hex dump to verify there are no clear readable text strings in the entire file.

Hmm...I doubt anyone is going to be able to answer that question looking from the inside.

 

Yes there has to be a specific trigger for anything that ever occurs, including bugs.

I don't know how the author would qualify you as better than him at playing his game, but that's where your mind should be.

 

 

 

 

 

[seastalker_returns]

4 hours ago, Brek Martin said:

That's a modification of your original question!  

 I specifically referenced BMX over surfing in the OP, no? Also regardless of 'Better than' or 'As Good As', the James I reference is the creator of the BMX specific game in the credits [James Donald]. 

 

All the same, that is fantastic that you were able to inspect the hex code!  Still in the older threads, was there something about that such a search for key words is limited of what you can find vs other methods?  

 

Yeah, it seems unusual for a creator to nod to a player as better, but I could see some people doing that - it would actually be a great and humble move if someone did. Anyone know James Donald to ask him?

[Brek Martin]

2 hours ago, seastalker_returns said:

 I specifically referenced BMX over surfing in the OP, no?

The modification I'm referring to is:

"Does the message exist?" vs "How do I achieve it?".

 

In the past you'd have to get a Hex Editor (software) such as good old Hex Workshop to view the contents of a binary,

but now there are online hex viewers such as hexit that will allow you to upload a file and look for components in Hex or ASCII

where clear strings would be visible in many programs or device firmware files.

That wouldn't reveal how to get it... That would require knowledge of the target platform's CPU, and disassembly.

Encryption and/or obfuscation could prevent that, or more uncommonly, as in this case, those text strings are probably really graphic sprites.

 

 

 

[sirlynxalot]

There are videos on YouTube of people scoring 1700 and 1900 on ca games bmx and they still get as good as James for the rating. 

 

I thought there was a crazy video of a guy getting 3000+ points on bmx but I can't find it right now, maybe I'm confusing it with one of these other ones.  

 

1700 is a pretty ridiculous score in bmx that you would never realistically expect anyone to get, I doubt the developers would have made a special ranking that kicks in after 2k or more points.

Edited September 17 by sirlynxalot

[Brek Martin]

18 hours ago, sirlynxalot said:

There are videos on YouTube of people scoring 1700 and 1900 on ca games bmx and they still get as good as James for the rating. 

 

I thought there was a crazy video of a guy getting 3000+ points on bmx but I can't find it right now, maybe I'm confusing it with one of these other ones.  

 

1700 is a pretty ridiculous score in bmx that you would never realistically expect anyone to get, I doubt the developers would have made a special ranking that kicks in after 2k or more points.

There are known achievements with other qualifiers like not ever falling off, and finishing with a certain amount of time left though.

It could be something like that.