Rick Fortin – Czar of Zuma
Rick Fortin is very probably the world’s number one Zuma player. The 47-year old semi-retiree from Shannon, Quebec has topped the 3 million mark several times, including a high of 3,384,820 – and in that game he finished with 34 extra lives! Rick’s best Zuma efforts are significantly above the penultimate score of 2 million-plus achieved by Jackie Strickland, a great-grandmother from Montevallo, Alabama – though it’s worth noting that Jackie’s best “ace” time on a single level is 5 seconds, 20% better than Rick’s record of 6 seconds.
“I’m a tech buff of long standing, but am the furthest thing from a ‘hardcore’ gamer,” Rick says, “I’ve played marathon sessions of Zuma lasting as long as eight hours, and I enjoy Peggle, Bookworm, Dynomite, Wizard’s Pen and other PopCap classics, but those ‘high end’ games just require enormous amounts of time and learning – not to mention the latest and most expensive hardware to run them effectively!”
Rick, who was born in Germany under the Canadian Flag and has lived most of his life in the Quebec area, spent fifteen years in the military (including five years stationed in Germany) and drives long-haul trucks for a living. “I’m semi-retired, so the long-distance treks are a thing of the past, but I’ve driven to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in my time, and most points in between,” he laughs.
Jackie Strickland may still own the fastest “ace” time for a Zuma level, but Rick’s repeated forays into multi-million point territory have yielded some incredible ace times. He’s beaten every single level of the game in less than a third of the official ace time, including times of 13 seconds for Level 1-4 (ace time: 60 seconds), 38 seconds for Level 10-6 (ace time: 200 secs), and an astounding time of 100 seconds for the game’s final level, 13-1 (ace time: 240 seconds) – a level which more than 90% of Zuma players never even reach!
Rick Fortin’s three highest scores are shown, upper right; the numbers to the left represent his usernames (he creates a new one every day, using that day’s date and time)
Rick discovered Zuma back in 2005 and estimates he’s played at least 1,500 hours of the game – and continues to play at least an hour a day (and yes, continues to top his own ace and overall scores on occasion). “Zuma really tests my ability to process information quickly, and hones my hand-eye coordination as well,” he notes. “And for older gamers, I think Zuma and the other PopCap games are a great source of mental exercise in general.”
Rick can recall his Zuma triumphs and defeats with amazing precision, describing exactly the circumstances of his best scores and near-misses. “My most heartbreaking loss in the game is my 5th overall highest score,” he sighs. “If I hadn’t lost two lives during the game it would no doubt be my highest score ever, with 35 lives remaining. The disappointment was tough to get over,” he smiles. As for strategy, Rick says it’s largely about anticipation combined with quick reflexes and optimum mouse capabilities. “I try to take a mental picture of the line-up of balls as it proceeds, trying my best to keep 2 moves ahead. In other words, I know where the ‘runner up ball’ is going before I fire the ‘primary’ ball. In addition, I have a very good mouse – a Logitech G9 Laser – which is fully customizable. I’ve adjusted the speed and the distance the cursor travels with little motion from my hand. By using this and my ability to remember where my next shot is going I do not have to place the cursor arrow directly on the target ball, I know where the target is and all it takes is a slight motion of my hand. Mix in a lot of experience determining when to risk gap shots and when to use the power-up balls, along with lots and lots of practice,” he chuckles.
Rick enjoys playing PopCap’s family-friendly games with relatives, especially his 7-year old niece. “She goes head-over-heels for Chuzzle – and soon we’ll no doubt be fighting for mouse control in Bookworm Adventures,” he laughs. “And Zuma has now become something of a competition between many family members, whenever and wherever we meet up.” It goes without saying that they all take a backseat to Rick in that game!
