Rayman 3 scoring system

Rayman 3 is the first game in the series to introduce a score system in an arcade-style format. Until the reformat of RaymanZone for Rayman Raving Rabbids, players were able to enter the key code they are provided at the end of the game in order to participate in a worldwide score ranking. A new Hall of Fame was created on Rayman Pirate-Community in 2009. The score system notably increased the replay value of the game.

The combo mode

Basic mechanics

As soon as points are scored the combo mode is activated. If the scoring continues while the combo mode is still active it is possible to increase the score considerably. Actually, the combo system is the key to reaching high scores in this game.

First is a list of how long the various objects will keep the combo mode activated:

Gems, Piggybanks, Kickflips, Meadowscrews, Armaguiddons, Hoodlum watercrafts, Black Lums, Crowns, Switches, Doors, Tribelles and Matuvus: 2 seconds.

Hoodlums, Muddibogs, Ninja Crabs and the last Podocrock in the group: 6 seconds.

In order to keep the combo mode activated after an object from first group, it is necessary to the collect the next object before 2 seconds have passed. If an object from the second group is collected, the combo mode will stay activated for no less than 6 seconds. It is worth noticing when creating combos.

The combo system is structured in the following way. The objects in a combo are gathered in groups of five and will be assigned combo points as follows:

  • Objects 1 – 5: Objects 2 – 5 will have their points added to the combo counter.
  • Objects 6 – 10: These objects will have their points doubled and added to the combo counter.
  • Objects 11 – 15: These objects will have their points tripled and added to the combo counter.
  • Objects 16 – 20: These objects will have their points quadrupled and added to the combo counter.
  • Objects: 21 – : These objects will have their points quintupled and added to the combo counter.

In order to maximize the score under these rules it is a good strategy to save objects with high points as late in the combo as possible and start the combo with low points objects like yellow gems for example.

As an example consider a combo with five yellow gems, five red gems and one green gem. These objects can be combined in many ways, but let’s try a few ones. Let y denote a yellow gem, r a red gem and g a green gem. One combo could look like this:

  • gyyyy | yrrrr | r

According to the rules above the combo points are: 4·10 + 2·(10 + 4·30) + 3·30 = 390 points

Another combo could be:

  • yyyyg | yrrrr | r

This combo is worth: 3·10 + 1500 + 2·(10 + 4·30) + 3·30 = 1880 points

A third option could be:

  • yyyyy | grrrr | r

This combo is worth: 4·10 + 2·(1500 + 4·30) + 3·30 = 3370 points

And one last option:

  • yyyyy | rrrrr | g

This combo is worth: 4·10 + 2·5·30 + 3·1500 = 4840 points

This example shows how important it is to let objects with high points come as late as possible in a combo. The difference between the highest and lowest combo is 4450 points. And if the combo was played with a Powerup, the difference would have been 8900 points.

The green gem problem

There is quirk in the game concerning the green gem taken in combo with a Powerup. If the green gem is object number 16 or higher it won’t count in said combo. According to the rules above it should give 12.000 points in combo or even 15.000 points if it were object number 21 or higher in the combo. The reason for not allowing 12.000 or 15.000 combo points for the green gem is probably that it thus would be too easy to reach the maximum score in the levels concerned.

However, there are at most three places where this is a problem. One place is famously the secret room in SBTC part 2. Be careful to include the green gem in this combo as object number 11 – 15, otherwise it won’t count.

The other two places are in LS part 1, the secret room combo and in DOTK part 7 the green gems combo.

Note: The problem doesn’t arise when not using a Powerup.

How to pass 100.000 points

It is not possible to keep scoring when you reach 100.000 points, the counter simply stops and no more points are added to the counter. If one tries to keep scoring this way, the result is always lower than 100.000 points.

However, there is a way to pass this scoring limit and the secret lies in the fact that combo points are still added to the counter provided you have stopped scoring before you reach 100.000 points. The way to get the most out of your scoring would therefore be to land on exactly 99.999 points before the combo points are added.

Here is an example that shows how to use this. We can look at the previous example with five yellow gems, five red gems and one green gem. We use the following combo, which was worth 4840 points:

  • yyyyy | rrrrr | g

We now calculate the sum of the points from the gems: 5·10 + 5·30 + 1500 = 1700 points.

Let us suppose you have a good score and you want to find out how many points you must have before you play this combo. In order to get the most out of this combo, you have to have this amount of points before you start playing this combo:

99.999 – 1700 = 98.299 points

When you have finished the combo the counter will show 99.999 points. This allows your combo points of 4840 points to be added to the counter and you final score will be:

99.999 + 4840 = 104.839 points

The bonus point issue

This section deals with the situation where bonus points can be used to pass the scoring limit. It is only relevant in CF part 4, but the calculations will nevertheless be done in full here.

It turns out that bonus points that comes from killing a, say, Hoodblaster with one hit are added to the counter regardless of the score. In order to clarify this, suppose you have 99.899 points and you kill a Hoodblaster with one hit. Then you get a 30 points bonus on top of the 100 points from the Hoodblaster itself. You score with therefore be: 99.899 + 100 + 30 = 100.029 points. If you have more than 99.899 points when you kill the Hoodblaster you will not get any points at all because you have passed the scoring limit of 99.999 points.

Now for the calculations of the maximum score CF. The maximum score in this level is achieved through the combo where Rayman, wearing the Hoodstomper (boss) outfit, steps on three Slapdashes and 27 Hoodblasters. Each Hoodblaster is worth 100 points plus 30 bonus points. Again scoring must stop on 99.999 points before combo points are added. We must first calculate the sum of the points from each of the Slapdashes and Hoodblasters: 3·30 + 27·130 = 3600 points.

Now we calculate: 99.999 – 3600 = 96.399 points.

But since the 30 bonus points from the last Hoodblaster (no. 27) are added to the counter, the actual score before you play this combo should be:

96.399 + 30 = 96.429 points.

As for the combo points, this can be calculated as follows. Let S denote a Slapdash and H a Hoodblaster. The combo can look like this:

  • SSSHH | HHHHH | HHHHH | HHHHH | HHHHHHHHHH

The value of this combo is: 2·30 + 2·100 + 2·5·100 + 3·5·100 + 4·5·100 + 5·10·100 = 7760

The total score will be: 99.999 + 7760 + 30 = 107.789 points.

The green gem issue

This section deals with another maximum score situation, this time in TLOTLD.

It turns out that there is an unexpected issue when passing the scoring limit of 100.000 points when the green gem is taken with a Powerup. This issue can be illustrated by using the well-known example:

  • yyyyy | rrrrr | g

This time we play the combo with a Powerup. We use the previous calculations concerning this combo to get

The sum of points: 2·1700 = 3400 points

The combo points: 2·4840 = 9680 points

Using the original rules, we would get:

Points needed before the combo: 99.999 – 3400 = 96.599 points

Total score: 99.999 + 9680 = 109.679 points.

However, it turns out that the green gem ONLY counts for 1500 points in relation to the scoring limit, even though it is taken with a Powerup. The remaining 1500 points are carried over the limit in much the same way as the bonus points in the previous section. Therefore the following corrections to the above calculations are necessary:

Points needed before the combo: 99.999 – 3400 + 1500 = 98.099 points

Total score: 99.999 + 9680 + 1500 = 111.179 points.

Note: This is the only level where the maximum scored is reached through gems taken with a Powerup. So these special calculations are not needed elsewhere.

I will finish this section by doing the actual calculations for part 5 in TLOTLD.

The combo used is the following and the Powerup is the Shock Rocket:

  • HHHHH | yyrrr | rgrg

The sum of the points: 5·260 + 2·20 + 5·60 + 2·3000 = 7640 points

The value of the combo: 4·200 + 2·(2·20 + 3·60) + 3·(2·60 + 2·3000) = 19.600 points

Now we can finally do the calculations keeping in mind we must add 1500 points as above:

Points needed before the combo: 99.999 – 7640 + 1500 = 93.859 points

Total score: 99.999 + 19.600 + 1500 = 121.099 points

This is the maximum score for TLOTLD.

Tricks and glitches

When playing the game there are certain tricks or glitches that can be used to increase the score. Here follows a list of tricks and glitches. Details and videos are found in the walkthroughs.

The Fairy Council

  • Part 2. The Turtle Trick allows you to return to the first area with hands available.
  • Part 3. The Lift Trick allows you to use the lift and jump/helicopter to the Hoodblaster platform.

Clearleaf Forest

  • Part 2. The Piggybank Trick allows you to either jump from one Piggybank directly to the upper level, or to roll from one Piggybank into another to be launched high enough to reach the upper level.

The Bog of Murk

  • Part 3. Wait until the Hoodblaster survives and play the part from there.
  • Part 5. The Razoff Glitch. This glitch allows you to hit Razoff two or three times for up to 9000 extra points.
  • Part 6. It is possible to make Razoff stay on the ball while hitting him up to five times. This strategy allows an extra 10.000 points in this part.

The Land of the Livid Dead

  • Part 2: In Xbox version, Rayman can jump the ballons and get the vortex

The Desert of the Knaaren

  • Part 1. Passing the Knaaren with the Lockjaw. This little trick gives an extra 4500 – 5000 points.
  • Part 7. The Black Lums Glitch is a great help in the StumbleboomHoodstormer Combo. The glitch works like this: When Black Lums fly away high in the air, usually from Hoodstormers; they can be converted into many Red Lums and thus increase the score. This glitch doesn’t work for PC-players.
  • Part 7. After hitting the Hoodoo three times, one can quickly hit the Hoodlock and penetrate his shield with the Lockjaw. Push him back in order to pass him for a big combo.

The Longest Shortcut

The Summit Beyond the Clouds

Main article: Solution of the Summit Beyond the Clouds

  • Part 1. It is possible to enter the upper deck with the Lockjaw by using the Launching Glitch. This helps out getting the green gem for 9000 combo points.
  • Part 3. The Launching Glitch for Snowboard allows the green gem to be taken for 7500 combo points.

Hoodlum Headquarters

  • Part 2. The Lums Glitch can be used in the first room to get a good score. Make sure the Hoodblasters are high in the air when you kill them. This doesn’t work for PC-players.

The Tower of the Leptys

  • Part 1. Go to the room with the yellow gems and collect at least twenty before re-entering the area with the Hoodlums. This allows for one of the biggest combos in the game.

Development

While the developers thought the maximum attainable score was around 500,000 points, the discovery of various glitches and the mastery of the scoring mechanics allowed much higher scores, the highest known overall score being 858,001 points. [1]

External links

References

  1. Rayman Pirate-Community, Rayman 3 Hall of Fame, http://raymanpc.com/?p=hof