Ze_ro Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 Important Note: This weeks competition is over and no further scores will be accepted. The Zylons are back -- those spaceway sneaks, villains of Venus, Saturnian scoundrels! They're swarming through the galaxy in huge forces, attempting another takeover. They've got to go! And we need YOU to go get 'em. But it's a hush-hush missions. If the Zylons guess you're onto them, you're a goner. So the official report says you're out to find the lost planet Solaris and rescue the Atarian Federation Pioneers stranded there. But if the Zylons reach Solaris before you do, they'll destroy it. You've got to hyperwarp from quadrent to quadrent, facing vicious attackers such as Kogalon Star Pirates, Planet Destroyers, and Cobra Fleet. But don't worry -- your fighter, the StarCruiser, is specially outfitted with a Galactic Scanner and plenty of photon torpedoes. Just don't let the Zylons destroy a Federation Planet, or your quadrant mutates into a terrifying Red Zone. Ready? Then hop into the StarCruiser, rev the engine, and go! And remember -- if anything flies your way, blast it! Game Information Game Name: Solaris Released By: 1988, Atari Left Difficulty: N / A Right Difficulty: N / A Game Mode: Default Post your scores right here in this thread, and I will add them to the list. Remember to play the game with the recommended game mode and difficulty settings as shown above so that your scores will be consistent with everyone elses. The deadline for posting scores is Wednesday August 11th at 1:00 AM (Central Time, UTC-6). Challenges Art Challenge - Draw a Zylon and you get 2 bonus points... if your picture is chosen as the best, you'll get an addition 3 points! (In order to get the 2 points, it has to look like you put at least some effort into it and didn't just dash it off in MS Paint in 2 minutes).Scrabbler15 [+2] zylon [+2] Jifremok [+2] HatefulGravey [+2][+3] JacobZu7zu7 [+2] Chuck D. Head [+2] Proof of Solaris - So you destroyed the Zylons and saved the galaxy... but what about Solaris? You took a picture while you were there, right? The people want proof! Post a screenshot (or a video) of you on Solaris and you get 2 bonus points.Jifremok [+2] Current High Scores 281,740 (Jifremok) [+11] 110,900 (Scrabbler15) [+10] 105,400 (zylon) [+9] 50,220 (JacobZu7zu7) [+8] 42,700 (satan165) [+7] 41,560 (HatefulGravey) [+6] 34,880 (ClassicGMR) [+5] 27,200 (toymailman) [+4] 20,560 (LarcenTyler) [+3] 18,100 (roadrunner) [+2] 16,460 (Chuck D. Head) [+1] 13,380 (oyamafamily) [+1] 10,640 (MIKE5200) [+1] Best Tips Scrabbler15 [+2] TwinGalaxies Top 3 (Game 1, Difficulty B)54,630 (Greg Troutman) 51,600 (Bryan Miller) 42,660 (Robert Macauley) (Emulator) Current Standings None yet! Scoring Points in Solaris Making it through a Corridor - 8,000 points Rescuing all Cadets on a Zylon Planet - 8,000 points FlagShip - 500 points Raider - 400 points Kogalon Star Pirate - 320 points Targeter - 320 points Glider - 320 points Mechnoid - 300 points Blockader - 260 points Cobra Ship - 80 points Guardian - 60 points Distractor - 20 points Hints and Tips The Manual As always, you really should read the manual. In case you don't have the manual, AtariAge has a typed copy and a scanned copy available online. Here are the hints it provides: Map your progress! It will help you find Solaris more quickly. Try to keep your StarCruiser in focus during hyperwarp. The better job you do at focusing, the less fuel you waste. When you arrive in the enemy sector you'll also be closer to the Zylon fleet. Destroy the enemy closest to Federation Planets first. Save fuel in an enemy sector by blasting at neutral planets only to avoid colliding with them. Don't shoot your Docking Bays or you'll turn the quadrant into a Red Zone. We played this game once before in the High Score Club, you might want to check out that thread for more hints. satan165 When you have killed all the enemies in a quadrant, you will continue to fly through space for a few seconds (or more) until the galactic map comes up. If you think you are done there (even if unsure) just bring up the map manually. If the quadrant is clear of the icon that was there previously, you are done and you can warp onward. Blockaders (aka mine fields) are difficult. I found a great tip from world record holder (on many titles) Robert Macaulay in the previous HSC running of this title. First and foremost, make sure you warp perfectly into the quadrant. Anything more then a 1 (or a zero i might argue), just go back to the map and warp again. This is probably the most important warp youll take, because it decides how long youll spend in the minefield. Once I'm there, my strategy is 'hands off': dont touch the controls and only shoot or move when necessary. Extra movements will likely put you into the path of an oncoming mine rather then avoid it, and constant shooting is a vast waste of fuel, don't let them take advantage of you like that. With a 0 warp, youll be done in probably 8 seconds or so. Scrabbler15 I have my own way of dealing with the blockade screens. I pull the joystick down/left the whole time, so the ship is moving up and left. Then I shoot at an even pace so that there is always one of my shots on the screen. I usually survive unscathed, which is all I'm trying to do on the blockade screen. Some other things I've found out (since it was all new to me): When the scanner screen is scrambled, the arrows/numbers on the left of the scanner are invaluable for finding fuel (or whatever is being scanned for). Go in the direction of the arrow and when the arrow changes to an 'X', you're lined up with the fuel. Number '7' is as far away as it gets, Number 5 means almost there. The enemies can be defeated by superior firepower. When battling on a planet, I try to get head-on with the enemy while I shoot. My shot can destroy the enemy's shot and my follow-up shot takes out the enemy. On the corridor levels, I tried slowing down, but the steering is less reliable that way. So what I do now is go full speed and start shooting as soon as I'm in the corridor and then work my way into the middle. If the key at the end of the corridor stays in the middle, it's easy to drive through the key, the barrier goes away, and the blasting of enemies continues. Sometimes the key jumps left or right. Moving in the direction of the key as soon as it moves is the only way to still get the key. It can be done regardless of how wide the key goes, but sometimes it's just barely. When dogfighting, it's important to stay down far enough to keep from running into the enemies. I have the most dogfighting success by being aggressive, trying to get the enemies quick. When I just concentrate on not getting shot, it happens anyhow. The direction that you move from sector to sector, and what you do when you get there, is critical. The path I take gets me through the first half of the game without ever dealing with a 'Red Screen of Death'. I'm gonna try to describe this path as best I can, hopefully with enough accuracy and detail to get the idea across. From the first screen, go east through the blockade Go up to get the extra guy Exit west and keep going to the next west exit (ignore the rest of Screen 1, except for the enemy at the west exit) Defeat the enemy. Exit west Attack the enemy above the federation planet Land and get fuel. This should be the first fuel stop Defeat the rest of the enemies (except for the blockade to the north), including getting through the corridor Get fuel Exit south Defeat the enemy directly south Wait for the enemy on the other side of the planet to attack the planet and when it does, defend the planet Get fuel Attack the cobra ship enemy. These are the hardest enemies to survive, but if you don't beat them here, you will have to beat them with backward 'Red screen of Death" controls later. Get fuel if you need it Defeat the last enemy on this screen Exit west Go to the blockade square and survive Go back to the last screen and get fuel. You'll have to wait for the wormhole to move, so you might as well fill up. Return to screen you were on. The wormhole should have moved, so go to the corridor. Survive. Exit north Go to the corridor square. Survive. Go up to the extra-guy planet and get the guy. You will exit west. Go to the extra-guy planet and get the guy. Take the wormhole. Go down to the extra-guy planet and get the guy. Land and get the fuel. Leave the federation planet and go back to it. Shoot the fuel. Exit west. Exit north. Take the wormhole. Defeat the enemy. Exit north. Go up to the extra-guy planet and get the guy. Exit south Exit east. If I told you every step correctly, and you survived, you are now in the first sector of the second half of the game. This screen is as far as I have gotten. There you have it. A novice's free advice and worth every penny. --Zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jifremok Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 This was a childhoood favorite of mine. And yet I was never able to finish it. I'm inching closer and closer though... My first attempt for the HSC: a clean 190,000 at the time of my death. Much higher than I expected, and probably the highest I've gotten in this game. I'll have to start posting pics. When I feel like uploading... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrabbler15 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Haven't played this before today. My first impression is that I should have minored in Solaris in college. It could be a long week. 32,560 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satan165 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 (edited) i remember being intimidated by starmaster for a long time before i sat down, went over the manual a few times and started playing carefully. now i really enjoy that game....this is about 100x more complex. ive heard of solaris for years but never even tried to play before, i tried today and realized i was in over my head. i saw some starmaster parallels (with the galactic map) but knew i was not understanding quite a bit. just went over the manual carefully and need to do some initial attempts and keep the manual at the ready before i am going to worry about posting a score. this game is truly a challenge and must be one of the most complex 2600 titles around, its at least the most complex ive come across, seems to be on the level of space shuttle (a game i am still intimidated by) Edited August 5, 2010 by satan165 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satan165 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 initial score, at least i feel like i understand the basics at this point... My first attempt for the HSC: a clean 190,000 at the time of my death. Much higher than I expected, and probably the highest I've gotten in this game. I'll have to start posting pics. When I feel like uploading... uh yeah....190K sounds pretty 'clean' to me. how about a screen cap? i assume you beat the game then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satan165 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 (edited) ok ive improved my score but encountered a bug or something i really dont understand as you can see i still have one ship left. the game is even still running in the other room. i am 'trapped' in my current position (i am currently in the quadrant of the federation planet near the upper right hand side of the map) my only way out of this area (surrounded by star clusters) is through the federation planet. however it will not allow me to go north or west - only east, which is useless what the hell do i do? UPDATE: found the answer in the previous incarnation of this game in the HSC 5 years ago. use the wormhole, or blow up your own docking bay to get out Edited August 5, 2010 by satan165 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jifremok Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Yep, I'm gonna need to post a pic. Sadly, I can't find the cord I need to plug my phone into my computer to upload it. I'll have to use the Shack later. Or maybe Newegg. I called my 190k "clean" because it's just 190 and three zeros. None of that "almost 190k" or "190something" crap. Nice and clean. And no, I haven't won. I died. I did really well up to a certain point, then I crashed and burned. HARD. This game is brutal even to longtime veterans. I want to give some tips, but I'm not sure which ones are too obvious and the more useful things are things I would have a really hard time explaining. Hopefully some of the other longtime starcruiser pilots round 'here can make good teachers. ok ive improved my score but encountered a bug or something i really dont understand as you can see i still have one ship left. the game is even still running in the other room. i am 'trapped' in my current position (i am currently in the quadrant of the federation planet near the upper right hand side of the map) my only way out of this area (surrounded by star clusters) is through the federation planet. however it will not allow me to go north or west - only east, which is useless what the hell do i do? UPDATE: found the answer in the previous incarnation of this game in the HSC 5 years ago. use the wormhole, or blow up your own docking bay to get out There's a little glitch. I normally don't like using glitches, but this part is really annoying to begin with so I give it the finger. After using the wormhole to get "stucK" in that corner, you go attack the Zylon planet like usual, but after warping in (and before you do anything else) you access the scanner using the second controller, and move your cursor onto the Federation planet. Then you blow up that Zylon planet, and when it's time to warp, immediately move the cursor up and/or left. But that planet isn't really that important so most of the time I just blow it up anyway for treason. After taking its fuel of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 (edited) One of my favorite titles! I'm nowhere near mastering it but still love it. 54,420 For some reason, mine is unplayable without 2 controllers plugged in. If I unplug the right stick, the game just starts flipping wildly then crashes. Edited August 5, 2010 by zylon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satan165 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 this game has many improvements and complexities over starmaster but i must say the use of the color/b&w switch is far better then using a 2nd joystick. they should have given some functionality to the joystick itself, maybe then id feel better about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HatefulGravey Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Holy crap. First, this game looks great for the 2600 and I didn't know it would do all that. This really is a great example of what the system can do. Also, this game is kicking my butt all over the place. I don't have the actual game yet so I'm having to emulate it, but it will be in my collection soon. Great game. I've played twice now, the first time I was just trying to figure out what I read in the manual, I just played again and so my first low score. 25,960, this game is hard! I'll bother posting a pic when I get a score I think is closer to where I'm going to max out. PS, if you are getting 190k you should really record that, I want to see that score on TG ASAP! Congrats, and new world record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrabbler15 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Holy crap. First, this game looks great for the 2600 and I didn't know it would do all that. This really is a great example of what the system can do. Also, this game is kicking my butt all over the place. I don't have the actual game yet so I'm having to emulate it, but it will be in my collection soon. Great game. I've played twice now, the first time I was just trying to figure out what I read in the manual, I just played again and so my first low score. 25,960, this game is hard! I'll bother posting a pic when I get a score I think is closer to where I'm going to max out. PS, if you are getting 190k you should really record that, I want to see that score on TG ASAP! Congrats, and new world record. If you're using Stella, the second joystick button is 'F'. That's for anybody who couldn't get back to the map screen, like me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrabbler15 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 43,680 No, it's not 190K, but I'll take any score that looks like progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satan165 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 (edited) scrabbler - good game. this is two titles in a row we are going head to head on with very similar scores. you have one upped me, keep playing because now i have incentive to drive on through space! and you can get to the map screen with TAB. (i had to ask on the twingalaxies forums about that one a while back) possible tip: when encountering a flagship and another enemy (mechanoids specifically it seems to work with), shoot the flagship first. the flagship will not release its distractors until the other enemy is dead first. easy 500 points when you dont have to deal with those distractors aka gnats buzzing in your ear scratch that, seemed to work once but not another. all i know is i had an altercation with the above two enemies and the flagship did not immediately release its distractors does anyone use the left/right and up/down distance to find enemies? i just look/listen for them and look for the icons on the targeting computers screen another tip: when you have killed all the enemies in a quadrant you will continue to fly through space for a few seconds (or more) until the galactic map comes up. if you think you are done there (even if unsure) just bring up the map manually. if the quadrant is clear of the icon that was there previously, you are done and you can warp onward. blockaders aka mine fields are difficult, i found a great tip from WR holder (on many titles) robert macualay in the previous HSC running of this title. first and foremost, make sure you warp perfectly into the quadrant. anything more then a 1 (or a zero i might argue), just go back to the map and warp again. this is probably the most important warp youll take, because it decides how long youll spend in the minefield. once im there, my strategy is 'hands off': dont touch the controls and only shoot or move when necessary. extra movements will likely put you into the path of an oncoming mine rather then avoid it and constant shooting is a vast waste of fuel, dont let them take advantage of you like that. with a 0 warp, youll be done in probably 8 seconds or so. Edited August 5, 2010 by satan165 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D. Head Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 OK, it appears the learning curve on this one will be more than I can handle this week, so I will take my participation point and try to draw a kick-ass Zylon. Morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oyamafamily Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 (edited) PARTICIPATION POINT - 13,380 Edited August 8, 2010 by oyamafamily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrabbler15 Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 scrabbler - good game. this is two titles in a row we are going head to head on with very similar scores. you have one upped me, keep playing because now i have incentive to drive on through space! Thanks for the tips. We'll push each other up the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Tyler Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 20,560 I booted this up on my new Atari 2600jr recently. A small part of the cartridge is chipped off, but it still works fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D. Head Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 7,420. Not so great..... Morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D. Head Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 7,420. Not so great..... Morgan 16,460. Time to get out my Zylon art supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satan165 Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 i broke 50K but when i grabbed the screenshot (and stupidly closed the emulator) i pasted it for cropping and it only said 'scanning' instead of score, as it alternates at times. make sure you check that people - dont make my mistake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrabbler15 Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 56,100 This game is insidious. I can't spend my whole day off on this. I've got things to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HatefulGravey Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 41560 It isn't top 3, but I'll get there soon. The learning curve here is something special, and I'm having a hard time with a few things. About the time I get to 30k points there are too many sectors flashing red to handle too well, meaning I don't have fuel around anymore and I'm controlling my craftt backwards.... This is what keeps getting me. I might not get 190k, but I expect to break 60k by the end of the challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrabbler15 Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 56,200 That was a lot of work for an extra 100 points, so I'm gonna post it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadrunner Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Participation Point! 18,100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrabbler15 Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 (edited) 107,040 I'm making plans to build a vacation home on Solaris. Edited August 7, 2010 by Scrabbler15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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