Space Invaders strategies

[Ze_ro]

So, I brought one of my spare Atari's down to the university, and set it up in our student lounge with my spare games... since then, I've been playing a lot of Space Invaders and Defender, and I've made it a personal goal to roll Space Invaders by the end of the term (GPA be damned!). I managed to break 7000 today, so I imagine it won't take that much longer (It does roll at 9999, right?). Anyone have any good strategies to push me over the top?

 

As it is right now, my strategy is to get rid of the first row of aliens first, since otherwise your game is over as soon as they hit the ground... then to try to alternate taking out side columns and bottom rows... seems to work out quite well. I generally don't focus on getting the UFO's, since the time is often better spent shooting invaders instead.

 

--Zero

[StanJr]

Early on you can hit the UFO's (will help you roll sooner), but I try to shoot the bottom two rows on the first pass, then clean up from there. I find it best to leave the middlemost top row alien for the last shot, since he will move centrally when he is left alone and be "easier" to hit.

 

I'm a 8K so I too soon hope to roll it! Good luck!

[NE146]

Are you talking the ARCADE Space Invaders? If so then I can give you a buttload of strategies..

 

But if you're talking the 2600 version, my recommendation is to just shoot em all and 'don't get shot'.

 

ok ok.. Most of the time in SI, it's best to shoot out columns, starting at either the far left or right. That way you group them and they have a longer way to travel before they drop down a row. Also however in 2600 SI, when the invaders at the lowest point, I'd take out the bottom two rows of invaders before shooting down by columns.

 

Of course the arcade strategies would be totally different and more in depth.

 

oh.. and not to worry. 2600 SI is one of the easiest games to roll imho. Esp on the default level.

[Cap5750]

Well early on it's relatively easy. I normally lose more men in the beginning because the barriers actually get in my way. The ones I lose in the later rounds are because my hands get tired.

 

Any way, as I said the early rounds (1 - 3 I think and partially 4 I guess too), you do not need any pattern other then to say...shoot all the aliens and don't get hit. That said, I do normally try to shoot away the barriers to open holes for hitting the aliens and as someone else mentioned hitting the UFOs as well.

 

Once you get to round 5 (and partially round 4 depending on your style), you then need to really work on developing a pattern. If you're quick enough you can pause ever-so-slightly at the beginning to make sure no enemy is firing and then immediately start heading towards the right trying to shoot the first two aliens off each row. Don't worry if you can't get them both, but you better at least hit one. By the time that is finished, they'll be getting close to the right so start heading back to the left. This time just try to hit what you can and when you get to the left column, knock it out. Then do the next and keep going for as long as you can. If done correctly you should end up with no more then 9 aliens (3 X 3) and can go about any way needed to get rid of them. If you're still going and the aliens get too far to the left, immediately head over to the right (feel free to hit any low-riders here) and work on that side.

 

I based this strategy based on a strategy I read for the arcade game in a book once. Dunno if it's the best, but before I did it I never scored higher then about 5,000 - 7,000. Now, I can easily score over 10,000 (I believe my high is somewhere around 30,000 - 40,000 but that was many years ago ).

 

Cap

[Nukey Shay]

2600 SI--

If you still have barriers, Shoot the two leftmost columns of invaders first. Otherwise, shoot the lower two aliens off each column (when the aliens are very low you need to skip the left column and go back for it later). Scoot back to the left side and shoot the remaining aliens until only the top three aliens in the last three columns are left. Shoot UFO's for awhile until the aliens are on top of you...then blow them away.

[Inky]

If you don't mind cheating a bit, with the atari off, press and hold the reset button down. While hiolding down, turn the power on. Then let off the rest switch. YOu now have 2 shots on the screen at any one time.

[Cap5750]

Inky,

 

Hehe...if I wanted to cheat, I wouldn't go through all that. I'd just say look...I did it! I got 10,020! All knowing that I actually scored 20, but you can't tell.

 

Cap

[Ze_ro]

Thanks for the advice! To be honest, cap's strategy is almost exactly what I've been doing. And yes, I was talking about 2600 Space Invaders (After all, this is the 2600 Forum, hmm? ) I always liked the "shoot through the bases" tactic, but it only takes a few waves before the bases are gone anyways, so it's not useful for very long.

 

While I'm on the subject, I read that in the arcade version, the points for the UFO follow some odd formula based on the number of shots you've fired (something like, every 26th shot gets you the most points or whatever). Is this also the case for 2600 SI? Or are the points just a fixed value?

 

The more I think about it, I could probably roll this game by the end of the week... Defender will take more time of course my high score there is still only around 100,000...

 

--Zero

[NE146]

(After all, this is the 2600 Forum, hmm? )

To be quite honest, I basically never search by 'forum' anymore... since I use the "View posts since last visit" function, every single post done shows up in chronological order irregardless of what forum they're from... so I almost never realize what forum a topic resides in! (unless I look specifically of course).

 

While I'm on the subject, I read that in the arcade version, the points for the UFO follow some odd formula based on the number of shots you've fired (something like, every 26th shot gets you the most points or whatever). Is this also the case for 2600 SI? Or are the points just a fixed value?

 

Yeah you're right. UFO hunting is actually one of the main parts of arcade Space Invader strategy. On each wave, you can hunt 300 point UFO's consistently if you shoot them on the 15th shot, then every 23rd shot after that. However, in the 2600 version the UFO is only a single point value. And when I was a kid, this was one of the major disapointments... unsurpassed until Pacman showed up.

 

The more I think about it, I could probably roll this game by the end of the week...

I don't doubt it. 2600 SI is easy to master IMHO. You can make the game harder but to me the only variation playable (aside from the not-fun moving shields, and invisible invaders) is the fast shots variation... and maybe the zig zag shots.

 

Defender will take more time of course my high score there is still only around 100,000...

Make sure you play the even number game variations which bring the baiter and mutant "speed" where they should be. IMHO, it's not even harder.. just a bit more closer to the arcade gameplay parameters.

[MegaManFan]

.. the one thing I've always resented the most about 2600 Space Invaders is that my arcade/PC strategy for the game doesn't work right. When I play the original or a properly emulated S.I., there's enough space along the bottom row and between the bases to take out whole columns at a time. I immediately drop the first column coming at me, and when they hit the wall and start marching the other way I pluck off the next column on the farthest left side, and so on until I've taken out all but 3 columns. At that point I start hitting them from the bottom up to the top. If you try to do that on Atari 2600, the playfield is so compact and the timing is so far off that you either get creamed or the bottom row slams into you.

[Ze_ro]

I never understood why you weren't allowed to move all the way to the sides of the screen... has anyone ever looked into the programming to see why this is? Seems like a rather arbitrary decision to me...

 

NE146: Only real problem I have with Defender is the odd physics... for example, you'll be speeding away from an enemy, and they'll be gaining on you... turn around, and you somehow go faster? Plus all the anti-physics with bullets when you turn around...

 

--Zero

[SS]

If you don't mind cheating a bit, with the atari off, press and hold the reset button down.  While hiolding down, turn the power on.  Then let off the rest switch.  YOu now have 2 shots on the screen at any one time.

 

Yup! That's my favorite SI strategy, alright!