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Pac-Man Patterns and Hiding Spot

The Patterns of Pac-Man

When you play the classic game Pac-man, it might seem as if the four ghosts are actively chasing you. That’s not exactly true. Iwatani intentionally avoided programming them with that purpose, since that would have resulted in Pac-Man zipping around the screen with four ghosts always right behind him.

Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Pac-Maaaaaaaaaaan!
Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Pac-Maaaaaaaaaaan!

Instead, it’s only Blinky, the red ghost, who doggedly pursues you throughout the game. Pinky, the pink ghost (naturally), simply wants to position itself at a point that’s 32 pixels in front of Pac-Man’s mouth.  The blue ghost, Inky, is seeking to position itself at a similar fixed spot. And Clyde, the orange ghost, moves completely at random.

Because the player constantly has Pac-Man on the go, however, the ghosts are always changing direction and trying to achieve their goal, which adds to the challenge of the game.

There is a hiding spot you can use that will completely throw off the AI programmed in Pac-Man that will let you hide for as long as you like sending the ghosts into a tailspin, I found out this little trick courtesy of Cracked.com

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