As shown on the diagram of the initial game position, only one ghost begins in the actual maze, while the others are inside a small area in the middle of the maze, often referred to as the "ghost house". When a player begins a game of Pac-Man, they are not immediately attacked by all four of the ghosts. However, before discussing their individual behaviors, let's first examine the logic that they share. Understanding how each ghost behaves is extremely important to be able to effectively avoid them. Common Elements of Ghost BehaviourĮach of the ghosts is programmed with an individual "personality", a different algorithm it uses to determine its method of moving through the maze. After reaching level 21, no further changes to the game's mechanics are made, and every level from 21 onwards is effectively identical. Even though the layout is always the same, the levels become increasingly difficult due to modifications to Pac-Man's speed, as well as changes to both the speed and behavior of the ghosts. The tunnels that lead off of the left and right edges of the screen act as shortcuts to the opposite side of the screen, and are usable by both Pac-Man and the ghosts, though the ghosts' speed is greatly reduced while they are in the tunnel. The first fruit appears when Pac-Man has eaten 70 of the dots in the maze, and the second when 170 have been eaten.Įvery level of Pac-Man uses the same maze layout, containing 240 regular "food" dots and 4 energizers. Other than eating dots and ghosts, the only other source of points are the two pieces of fruit which appear during each level near the middle of the maze. An eaten ghost is not completely eliminated, but is returned to its starting position before resuming its pursuit. Eating one causes the ghosts to become frightened and retreat for a short time, and in the early levels of the game Pac-Man can even eat the ghosts for bonus points during this period. Other than simply avoiding them, Pac-Man's only defense against the ghosts are the four larger "energizer" pellets located at the corners of the maze. If Pac-Man makes contact with any of the ghosts, the player loses a life and the positions of Pac-Man and the ghosts are reset back to their starting locations, though any dots that were eaten remain so. This task is made difficult by four ghosts that pursue Pac-Man through the maze. The purpose of the game is very simple - the player is placed in a maze filled with food (depicted as pellets or dots) and needs to eat all of it to advance to the next level. Pac-Man is one of the most iconic video games of all time, and most people (even non-gamers) have at least a passing familiarity with it.
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