Ok, I'll detail what I meant. I didn't really feel like spending much time on it earlier and I was more flippant than I should have been.(posted 9595 days ago)Galaga and Gyruss are fixed pattern games because if you do the same sequence of actions at the same time in a stage you get the same results. The easiest way to see what I mean is to let all the bugs fly into formation on Galaga. The bugs fly into formation the same way every "Wave X". The bugs will break formation and attack you in the same timing and order every "Wave X" each time you do this. The longer a sequence of actions can be kept up the longer the game stays absolutely predictable.
Please note that although I see this in Galaga I'm basically incapable of taking advantage of it. I don't like playing "shooters" or marathon games, and it kills whatever motivation there might be to practice.
Except for shooting galleries I & III, and possibly the instructor, Combat School is like this. It's obvious from the first contest.
Mr. Do's Wild Ride does not do this. The car timing and sequence varies from game to game on each invididual stage. On the first three stages there is enough slack that the same pattern can be used regardless of these variations. This is not true of stage 4 and beyond, but it doesn't become obvious until stage 9 I think.
Since the ability to use a fixed pattern to gain success seemed to be the issue with Pac-Man, Dig-Dug, etc. I pointed out the impossibility of eliminating games where someone can do that.
Aqua