When it comes to Dig Dug, one of the most EPIC and ICONIC classic games of all-time, there is no such thing as useless\meaningless trivia or information. I've been playing that game ever since it first appeared in the arcades and never knew you'd score higher if you killed the enemies at lower levels. Thanks for the tip, good stuff indeed!
I’m 14 and got a vintage NES gaming console. I’m pretty happy with it and dig dug is overall my favorite of the 600 games loaded on it. I didn’t know this and will use it to my advantage when playing against my brother.
I had a book that showed basics on 80's video games so I knew about the scoring by depth. Always been a research-guy so all that "useless" knowledge I read in the 80's till now has some use!
Thank you! I’ve been a Dig Dug fan since I first played it at Chuck E. Cheese back when I was a kid but I never knew this! I’ve been trying to beat my high score on my DD countercade the past few days and now I have a new trick in my arsenal!
This is a situation where the Atari 2600 user manual was actually useful...it specifically stated that enemies killed on lower levels of the screen were worth more points.
Thanks Jon! Bought a cabinet for our family and the kids were instantly drawn to Dig Dug. Completely forgot this scoring aspect!! Kids are thrilled and one-upping high scores left and right.
Dammit. I thought everyone already knew this. Still pretty cool for those who didn't. Yes, definitely always kill a Fygar on the lowest level when you can for the 1,000 points, unless maybe you can use him to set up a triple- or quadruple- kill with a rock. Another tip, especially on the higher levels where the monsters are lightening fast, wait until you kill the second-to-last monster until the last one is as deep and as far to the right as possible. That way, when the last monster flees, you'll have more time to drop a second rock and grab the bonus object when it appears in the middle of the screen. You guys did know that the bonus appears after the second rock drops, right?
I was just on TH-cam looking for an older school Dig Dug commercial and came across this. I never knew about the levels, awesome tip thanks for sharing.
These arcade games are tougher than most modern day videogames. I have lots of respect for the previous generations who spent their money to learn and get better at these ridiculous games! We truly got it easy these days being able to buy the full game, alter its settings and practice as much as we want without paying a single penny!
Me neither, Mike. I can't believe I've played Dig Dug for decades and never figured that out before! Thanks for watching. 😝 Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
The best tip is do dig a trench and and a horizontal cove with only a thin layer above it. Then lure them all into it by timing how long it takes to burrow over into it I will always involve fighting a group of 2 to 4 them just enough to slow them down while the others get over to your trap then drop the rock on them it goes through and smashes them all for thousands of points. You always want to avoid blowing them completely up.
Good thought, Dan. The value of rock crushes doesn't change based on how deep you are. The only way to boost those points is by squishing multiple enemies with a single rock: Killing a monster with a rock: 1,000 points Killing two monsters with one rock: 2,500 points Killing three monsters with one rock: 4,000 points
Ive been playing this game since i was young, I had a feeling that the ground levels had something with the high score. You explaining it is a confirmation, Ive been wanting to get better at the game but can only do level 4-7 average or higher on a good day, what would be your best tips to get better and go further in the game.
The tactic that elevated my game was to learn to use partial inflation to your benefit. Rather that blowing up every enemy you run into, pump them twice to freeze them & make them same to pass through, and use that immobilization to line up multiple enemies to smash with rocks. Those rock multipliers are massive, and will get you extra men, too.
I like the game. It's one of my favorites, but who knew that a guy was thinking about a game where you inflate creatures with an air pump, until they explode, would make for a fun game.
Damn, I never knew the scoring system relies on the earth level depth. I’ve played Dig Dug many times on my Switch and Arcade1up counter, and I used to thought that the scoring works by pump wire distant, but now I seem to get everything now. Also, I never knew you can score high while facing horizontally against a Fygar. Thanks for the tip since I’m an gamer looking for tricks in stacking up the high score. ^.^
It was news to me, too, Sonic! And I have played Dig Dug for decades without being aware of exactly how scoring works, so I deemed it to be information worth sharing. Glad you found it useful, too!
@@GenXGrownUp well, glad you post the video about it since you’re basically doing the work of God in showing all of us arcade gamers how to score high. (: BTW, I’ve checked you channel and see you have a lot of stuff related to arcade gaming. Thought I subbed to ya for that. 👍
i never knew. i've got it ready to go in advmame. gonna try my hand at being greedy. i always concentrated on dropping 2 rocks to get the fruit but thats gonna change. awesome video! edit: i still suck
Hey John ! Coolvideo! Loved the intro! When I was like 6 I remember my dad playing dig dug 1 and 2. I bet I can beat him now !!! I'm 35. I mean beat his score when he was my age 🤘😀 . Cool video! I learned a lot !!!!
Great Video! Dig Dug is my co favorite 80's Arcade Game along with Galaga. I spent a lot of quarters or tokens on it back in the day too. Thanks for this hack tip. I'll try it and see if and how it works on the Gameboy Advance SP(backlit) version I currently own.
@@GenXGrownUp Right. I tend to think they don't. The Namco Museum GBA game has Dig Dug and four other games. High scores aren't kept on that version. If there is a kill screen it might be round 50-105 or so. Instead of Round 255 on the original arcade version.
I played this game at the arcade and there was definitely a pattern. We would play for a long time on one quarter and then get the score to 99,990 (or 999,990 I can't remember) and then get killed and your high score would stay until the game was reset (unplugged I think). Once the score rolled over the game was impossible, or at least the patterns didn't work anymore.
I always wondered about the last monster running away at the end and if you get extra for killing it or a bonus of any kind since the level bends either way
My high score on the arcade was 2,528,790. I worked at Twin Galaxies International Scoreboard when I was 14. Anyway, my score was 5th in the world. There is no way in hell I could do that again. It gets hectic. And you need an arcade stick, and a quick wrist.
Congrats on the nice score, but I'm even more intrigued by your experience at Twin Galaxies. You must have great memories of being connected to TG during the heyday of competition arcade-ing! Very cool.
Dude John-love your channel. Hey man I’m a stylist. Product in hair like yours and you’ll stay looking young. Do it bro. I’m 47 and everyone thinks 35!!
In later levels it's imperative to use your pump to stun enemies rather than fully inflating them. This will allow you to get to safety while setting up multiple enemies to be squished by rocks. That'll score big and help you gain more extra lives along the way.
Hey Jon, I have a question. You spent a lot of time on Mur's blog about putting roms on the Legends Flashback Deluxe. I was wondering if you have found out how to put other roms on it other than sega, nes, and snes. Also, It seems to me that the Atare Flashback Gold ought to be able to work with more than a26, like the roms for 5200, and the higher atari systems. What do you think? Mur said on his video that there was more to come on the subjece but it looks like he is spending his time with the wii at this point.
useful, but popping the monsters is for amateurs... a good player will drop rocks on them... and the score multiplies by how many you squish at once. I have smashed all the monsters with one rock before
This arcade i play at has a 1st place score of 400,000 and it says level 1.... What kind of glitch is that? Makes me sad because i can only take 2nd place.. Thanks for the score tips! Had zero clue! Sunbcribed!
That's curious - I wonder if it's a glitch or if the level counter rolled over? That's nowhere near the current record of over 4 million, though. Reboot it! 😅 Thanks for watching and subscribing -- hope you see you more around the comments section!
It's variable based on dip switch settings, Thomas. The default is 10k & 40k, but it can vary wildly. Check out this chart that shows all the options: bit.ly/2WyBABD
When it comes to Dig Dug, one of the most EPIC and ICONIC classic games of all-time, there is no such thing as useless\meaningless trivia or information. I've been playing that game ever since it first appeared in the arcades and never knew you'd score higher if you killed the enemies at lower levels. Thanks for the tip, good stuff indeed!
Hahah! I couldn't agree more, Chris! Thanks for watching, and hope you subscribe & stick around!
I’m 14 and got a vintage NES gaming console. I’m pretty happy with it and dig dug is overall my favorite of the 600 games loaded on it. I didn’t know this and will use it to my advantage when playing against my brother.
I'm literally playing it right now, this information is so useful!!!
I had a book that showed basics on 80's video games so I knew about the scoring by depth. Always been a research-guy so all that "useless" knowledge I read in the 80's till now has some use!
I've just got it from a 3-pack in ps4 and man it's just as good as I remember. long live Dig Dug!
#FACTS
I’m playing Dig Dug on my 1up tonight. I need the break my pathetic score. Now I know how. Thanks bro!
You got this!
Thank you! I’ve been a Dig Dug fan since I first played it at Chuck E. Cheese back when I was a kid but I never knew this! I’ve been trying to beat my high score on my DD countercade the past few days and now I have a new trick in my arsenal!
Happy to have been of service!
This is a situation where the Atari 2600 user manual was actually useful...it specifically stated that enemies killed on lower levels of the screen were worth more points.
You win, Genius -- I just went and read the entire Atari 2600 Dig Dug manual! 😜 For a game I have played for decades, I never read the manual before!
Thanks Jon! Bought a cabinet for our family and the kids were instantly drawn to Dig Dug. Completely forgot this scoring aspect!! Kids are thrilled and one-upping high scores left and right.
That is awesome!
Dammit. I thought everyone already knew this. Still pretty cool for those who didn't. Yes, definitely always kill a Fygar on the lowest level when you can for the 1,000 points, unless maybe you can use him to set up a triple- or quadruple- kill with a rock.
Another tip, especially on the higher levels where the monsters are lightening fast, wait until you kill the second-to-last monster until the last one is as deep and as far to the right as possible. That way, when the last monster flees, you'll have more time to drop a second rock and grab the bonus object when it appears in the middle of the screen.
You guys did know that the bonus appears after the second rock drops, right?
Oh, yes. rock-rock-fruit
I was just on TH-cam looking for an older school Dig Dug commercial and came across this. I never knew about the levels, awesome tip thanks for sharing.
Makes me happy that you stumbled across this and found some useful info inside. 😊
These arcade games are tougher than most modern day videogames. I have lots of respect for the previous generations who spent their money to learn and get better at these ridiculous games! We truly got it easy these days being able to buy the full game, alter its settings and practice as much as we want without paying a single penny!
In fairness, the goal of the old arcade games was to get your quarter and then kill you as quickly as possible in order to get another quarter!
I've been playing that game for over 30 years and never understood the scoring until this video. Damn.
Happy to have been of service! I was in the same boat!
Did not know that! Makes total sense.
Me neither, Mike. I can't believe I've played Dig Dug for decades and never figured that out before! Thanks for watching. 😝 Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
Thanks a lot for making this video!
Thanks for watching, Drab!
THANK YOU! I'm going to stomp in the high score at local joint with this 😊
Holy crap, my world has been flipped upside down.
In a good way I hope, Ice! 🌐😉
@@GenXGrownUp yes, because I was just playing this yesterday 😂
Thanks so much for this! I just got the Arcade 1Up Pacman 8 in 1 partycade, and it has Dig Dug in it!
Of course!
Big points come from dropping a rock on multiple enemies and dropping a 2nd rock to get the special item in the middle of the screen
I'm going to discreetly thank you for beating my older family's scores. Don't tell anyone I was here.
I never saw you here.
The best tip is do dig a trench and and a horizontal cove with only a thin layer above it. Then lure them all into it by timing how long it takes to burrow over into it I will always involve fighting a group of 2 to 4 them just enough to slow them down while the others get over to your trap then drop the rock on them it goes through and smashes them all for thousands of points. You always want to avoid blowing them completely up.
Makes me wonder what rock drops onto the monsters in different levels will net you. Hmmm....
Good thought, Dan. The value of rock crushes doesn't change based on how deep you are. The only way to boost those points is by squishing multiple enemies with a single rock:
Killing a monster with a rock: 1,000 points
Killing two monsters with one rock: 2,500 points
Killing three monsters with one rock: 4,000 points
Wow! Thank you. I wish I knew this earlier
Glad it was helpful!
I used to know patterns to get diamond 💎 after squashing w rocks ...35 years ago
Lucky you -- you were able to reclaim that space in your brain for more useful information! 😜
Had no idea! Wow!
And knowing is half the battle. 😉
@@GenXGrownUp hahaha
Ive been playing this game since i was young, I had a feeling that the ground levels had something with the high score. You explaining it is a confirmation, Ive been wanting to get better at the game but can only do level 4-7 average or higher on a good day, what would be your best tips to get better and go further in the game.
The tactic that elevated my game was to learn to use partial inflation to your benefit. Rather that blowing up every enemy you run into, pump them twice to freeze them & make them same to pass through, and use that immobilization to line up multiple enemies to smash with rocks. Those rock multipliers are massive, and will get you extra men, too.
@@GenXGrownUp Ive noticed its good when you have more than 2 coming at you
I like the game. It's one of my favorites, but who knew that a guy was thinking about a game where you inflate creatures with an air pump, until they explode, would make for a fun game.
I believe mushrooms were involved in the planning phase.
Thank you lol awesome -MON on arcade machines lol
You bet, Johnny. Thanks for watching!
Damn, I never knew the scoring system relies on the earth level depth. I’ve played Dig Dug many times on my Switch and Arcade1up counter, and I used to thought that the scoring works by pump wire distant, but now I seem to get everything now. Also, I never knew you can score high while facing horizontally against a Fygar. Thanks for the tip since I’m an gamer looking for tricks in stacking up the high score. ^.^
It was news to me, too, Sonic! And I have played Dig Dug for decades without being aware of exactly how scoring works, so I deemed it to be information worth sharing. Glad you found it useful, too!
@@GenXGrownUp well, glad you post the video about it since you’re basically doing the work of God in showing all of us arcade gamers how to score high. (: BTW, I’ve checked you channel and see you have a lot of stuff related to arcade gaming. Thought I subbed to ya for that. 👍
@@sonicexereaper6814 thanks 1,000,000! 😬
Masters of the game mechanics , was a whole variety of objectives hard to beatt
As in making a “new game” (sonic mario donkey kong qbert others…)
Hardware limitations often led to creative design.
i never knew. i've got it ready to go in advmame. gonna try my hand at being greedy. i always concentrated on dropping 2 rocks to get the fruit but thats gonna change. awesome video!
edit: i still suck
Hahaha! Thanks for the laugh, Joe! Hang in there! 😊
Showing you mad love from Vegas man 🙏🏻 Started playing dig dug bringing back nostalgia 🔥 Now my family can’t beat my score 😂
FOR THE WIN!
Hey John ! Coolvideo! Loved the intro! When I was like 6 I remember my dad playing dig dug 1 and 2. I bet I can beat him now !!! I'm 35.
I mean beat his score when he was my age 🤘😀 .
Cool video! I learned a lot !!!!
Now that you've got a handle on better scoring, you're a Dig Dug shark! Thanks for watching, Kenneth.
Great Video! Dig Dug is my co favorite 80's Arcade Game along with Galaga. I spent a lot of quarters or tokens on it back in the day too. Thanks for this hack tip. I'll try it and see if and how it works on the Gameboy Advance SP(backlit) version I currently own.
Oh, that would be interesting to see if all the rules survived the port. 🤔
@@GenXGrownUp Right. I tend to think they don't. The Namco Museum GBA game has Dig Dug and four other games. High scores aren't kept on that version. If there is a kill screen it might be round 50-105 or so. Instead of Round 255 on the original arcade version.
I was always aware of the scoring being higher in the lower zones and the Fygars being double points when shot from the side.
Well done.
I played this game at the arcade and there was definitely a pattern. We would play for a long time on one quarter and then get the score to 99,990 (or 999,990 I can't remember) and then get killed and your high score would stay until the game was reset (unplugged I think). Once the score rolled over the game was impossible, or at least the patterns didn't work anymore.
Sounds like you had it dialed in, Robert. Thanks for watching.
@@GenXGrownUp Actually, somebody else had figured out all the patterns and passed down the knowledge. 😀
I always wondered about the last monster running away at the end and if you get extra for killing it or a bonus of any kind since the level bends either way
No extra bonus for popping him before he escapes, but I have always considered it a matter of pride. Catch that coward before he warns the others! 😉
And you get even more points by dropping rocks on them. The more you crush with one rock...the more points it's worth.
Good tips!
Figured that out pretty quick.
Thanks man!
You bet!
My high score on the arcade was 2,528,790. I worked at Twin Galaxies International Scoreboard when I was 14. Anyway, my score was 5th in the world. There is no way in hell I could do that again. It gets hectic. And you need an arcade stick, and a quick wrist.
Congrats on the nice score, but I'm even more intrigued by your experience at Twin Galaxies. You must have great memories of being connected to TG during the heyday of competition arcade-ing! Very cool.
I don't mean to brag or anything, but I figured that out on my own the first day I played the game.
Legendary flex! 😜
I want to say thank youu!! Because I'm always stuck at level 9 lol
Happy to help!
After I got my ps5 . I have playing this game on it . So got up to 32000 . Try to drop rocks all the time. When you get up to level 7 gets hard.
Keep working at it. When you can get to the big flower (level 10), then you're really cooking!
Lol, another way for you to school George and Mo!!
As if I needed another way, amirite?! 😜🕹
Dude John-love your channel. Hey man I’m a stylist. Product in hair like yours and you’ll stay looking young. Do it bro. I’m 47 and everyone thinks 35!!
Also keep the beard scruff and lose the stash. Another trick.
JWPrimetime: Stylist to the Internet Wannabes! 😜 Thanks for the tips. I'll see if my wife will entertain the changes!
Nice! But how do you beat them when each time they keep getting faster and faster and your Dig Dug guy keeps moving at the same speed always?
In later levels it's imperative to use your pump to stun enemies rather than fully inflating them. This will allow you to get to safety while setting up multiple enemies to be squished by rocks. That'll score big and help you gain more extra lives along the way.
@@GenXGrownUp Thanks a lot!
Hey Jon,
I have a question. You spent a lot of time on Mur's blog about putting roms on the Legends Flashback Deluxe. I was wondering if you have found out how to put other roms on it other than sega, nes, and snes. Also, It seems to me that the Atare Flashback Gold ought to be able to work with more than a26, like the roms for 5200, and the higher atari systems. What do you think? Mur said on his video that there was more to come on the subjece but it looks like he is spending his time with the wii at this point.
Hey, Randall. I don't actually own the unit, I was just preparing ROMs for Mur.
@@GenXGrownUp ok thanks
Nice!
Welp, think I’m gonna go fire up Namco Museum vol. 3 and give these strats a try.....
Great, Matt! Please stop back by and report on your new ceiling-shattering high scores!
Interesting!
And strategic, too.
I learned this from a book many years ago
My congratulations.
useful, but popping the monsters is for amateurs... a good player will drop rocks on them... and the score multiplies by how many you squish at once. I have smashed all the monsters with one rock before
It's cool to meet a pro. Which Dig-Dug team are you signed with? 😉
This arcade i play at has a 1st place score of 400,000 and it says level 1.... What kind of glitch is that? Makes me sad because i can only take 2nd place..
Thanks for the score tips! Had zero clue! Sunbcribed!
That's curious - I wonder if it's a glitch or if the level counter rolled over? That's nowhere near the current record of over 4 million, though. Reboot it! 😅 Thanks for watching and subscribing -- hope you see you more around the comments section!
How much do you have to score to get another life after 1st one at 20,000?
It's variable based on dip switch settings, Thomas. The default is 10k & 40k, but it can vary wildly. Check out this chart that shows all the options: bit.ly/2WyBABD
You get more points from dropping rocks on them!
👌
What's your highest score
Not too terribly high. On a good day I get to the 10th level (first big flower), but seldom very far past that.
How good are you I need your help unlocking trophies for me
Hahaha!
Aha!
Eureka!
I thought everyone knew that. (Not to be mean)
Apparently not!😄