The NEW High Score Club S2~ Week 2 ~ Missile Command (Game 1)

[Vaughan]

Thanks guys.

 

There's no trick in this game, no real tips that can help. I'll just say that my approach was a simple one. One way this game is different from the arcade is that some missiles miss their target. Learn how to spot them, and ignore them - there is usually something more urgent to be shot down. Also, after the first blue screen level, I picked two cities (the first two to the right of the base) and ONLY concentrated on saving them. All the other cities I let go. Even when new cities came up on 10,000 points, I let them go.

 

To be honest, I nearly lost on two occasions with my score. I was saved both times by bonus points from unused shots. One by 700 points, the other by 400 points. When that happened the final base might be the most distant, so I kept that alive until closer ones to base came up, and then I let it go. Keeping one city alive, rather than two, is easier - but it's also more risky. Lose it, and the game is over. Hence I kept two going.

 

That's about it - it's just a game of attrition and concentration. This score took around two hours of constant play to get.

 

What game is next?

[karokoenig]

 

To be honest, I nearly lost on two occasions with my score. I was saved both times by bonus points from unused shots. One by 700 points, the other by 400 points.

 

That's exactly why game 16 grew on me a lot, actually. Some earlier post called it frustrating, which is true to a degree. But I start to like being forced to constantly stay on your toes to just barely make it to the next 10k step.

 

One tip about the smart missiles that hasn't been mentioned so far: when you use the strategy Vaughan described (concentrate on just one or two cities), you often do have time to fire another shot at a missile that keeps bouncing on your first explosion. When you see from the corner of your eye that you have one bouncing missile, place a second shot just 3-5 millimeters higher than the first one, and you're all set.

[Vaughan]

I can't say I've actually enjoyed Game 16 yet. I've really not gotten any better at it either. I guess if I spent a lot more time on it I'd come up with strategies, but it's a bit full-on. Perhaps if it had a more gradual growth from easier to difficult. As it stands, I'm not always guaranteed of getting passed the first screen let alone scoring high. I did manage 30-odd thousand - but it was by luck rather than design.

 

On the other hand its great that these cartridges had games like this on them, because it illustrates that the VCS had the ability to be harder than the arcade. Game 16 most definately is more difficult than the arcade........

Edited May 21, 2013 by Vaughan

[karokoenig]

Perhaps if it had a more gradual growth from easier to difficult.

 

Forgot to mention this in my last post That's actually the reason why game 1 already grew stale for me. I regard it as a chore to work myself through the lower levels before things get interesting. And when they do, you make one tiny mistake, and all the time spent on the slow levels is wasted. I will try to break my high score of 147k, because I have a feeling that I have quite a few more points in me. But probably not too often.

 

What I find funniest is that in game 1, when I die at 100k points or so and restart, I constantly have to fire second shots, because I'm still in the fast rhythm and aim way too low for the snail-like first missile-waves

 

Game 16 most definately is more difficult than the arcade...

 

An arcade machine with such a relentless difficulty would have been smashed into a pile of firewood and electronic waste an hour after it has been installed .

[Vaughan]

Good point on the arcade.

 

To be fair, I think I've had my fill of Missile Command for a bit. If not for this game I'd not have rolled the score on it - I mean there are better gaming ways to spent two hours or so. I'll give game 16 another go, but I don't think I'll beat me current score.

 

One frustrating - though more challenging - thing about the 2600 version - you are limited to three shots on screen at once, and the clouds don't grow as they do in the arcade and on the 400/800 version. This latter point makes things more difficult, and it's much harder to kill off more than one missile at a time. Either way though, MC is one of the best conversions to the 2600, imo. It has the essence of the arcade game exactly, and it turns its limitations into positives in making things harder/more interesting. Fantastic game.

[skosh]

I can't say I've actually enjoyed Game 16 yet. I've really not gotten any better at it either. I guess if I spent a lot more time on it I'd come up with strategies, but it's a bit full-on. Perhaps if it had a more gradual growth from easier to difficult. As it stands, I'm not always guaranteed of getting passed the first screen let alone scoring high. I did manage 30-odd thousand - but it was by luck rather than design.

 

On the other hand its great that these cartridges had games like this on them, because it illustrates that the VCS had the ability to be harder than the arcade. Game 16 most definately is more difficult than the arcade........

 

The strategy you use for game 1 is the same I've used for 16. Only difference being the speed is faster and bombs are harder. It is more about being precise than in game one where you can get away with firing early for the bombs.

Last night while I did not improve my high score I did get somewhat more comfortable and could get 60-80k regularly. Of course there were the occasional sub 10 and 20k scores if concentration has lapsed. Game 16 is unforgiving to mistakes and very hard to recover from for sure. It's great practice for Game 1.

[RJ]

76,280

[Gorfy]

a couple of small improvements.......

 

Game 1: 146,450

 

Game 16: 38,310

 

 

[LidLikesIntellivision]

487,735

I was so happy thinking I would roll the score that I lost concentration.

Oh, and thanks go to Oyama's video! It helped me a lot.

 

[StarKnight]

First try at Judgement Day

 

 

18,185

 

Game 1

Edited May 30, 2013 by StarKnight

[Vocelli]

First try at Judgement Day

 

 

18,185

 

Is this game 1 or 16?

[Vocelli]

Breakthru !

Beat my score as a kid!

 

Vocelli: 439225

[Zoyx]

My teenager hi-score is 127190 on variation 3b. So if you want another game variation to play, try that.

 

Or not.

[aftermac]

Vocelli, not to nitpick the distribution of exclamation points in the standings, but I finished in the top 10 last week.

[aftermac]

69,005

 

[Zoyx]

Fun with time lapses, not a score submission. A 15 minute game shortened to 2.5 minutes. If interested in making a time lapse video, I can share what tools I used.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sONdJa04oSI

[karokoenig]

If interested in making a time lapse video, I can share what tools I used.

 

Not for this particular purpose, but yes, I am very much interested in tools for timelapse videos.

[Mister-VCS]

Game 1b: 107,410 (it wasn't as difficult as I thought...)

 

Game 16: 17,040

 

played on my 1991 Atari Corporation Missile Command cartridge..

any other 1991ers out there?

 

Great innovation from Vocelli that we play the same game on an other difficult level for bonus points!

I hope, we see this regulary on this HSC!

 

[keilbaca]

Once again, amazing scores all around

 

I'll be streaming my attempts tonight, around 10pm EST at http://www.twitch.tv/mightysquirrel

 

My best so far is around 80k. I want at least double that.

[LidLikesIntellivision]

Game 16

26,580

 

[karokoenig]

Slight improvement here in game #1: 158,025.

[darthkur]

87,660

 

[Zoyx]

Not for this particular purpose, but yes, I am very much interested in tools for timelapse videos.

 

I'm using a windows PC with a webcam... a laptop to be more precise. The software is Chronolapse. Chronolapse can take screenshots if you are playing on Stella on Windows. LifeHacker has a short write-up. The settings I am using is one picture a second. Then when the I make the video, I went with 5 frames per second. The only problem I had was the autofocus on the webcam kept taking pics in and out of focus.

[keilbaca]

I'm using a windows PC with a webcam... a laptop to be more precise. The software is Chronolapse. Chronolapse can take screenshots if you are playing on Stella on Windows. LifeHacker has a short write-up. The settings I am using is one picture a second. Then when the I make the video, I went with 5 frames per second. The only problem I had was the autofocus on the webcam kept taking pics in and out of focus.

 

You can usually go into the settings, and force auto focus off, and force a said focus. I know my logitech and my microsoft webcams have that option.

[Zoyx]

You can usually go into the settings, and force auto focus off, and force a said focus. I know my logitech and my microsoft webcams have that option.

 

I used a Logitech cam for this, and I obviously need to do that. Thanks for the tip.