HSC12 Round 6: Blue Max

[+therealbountybob]

BLUE MAX

Returning to the HSC Blue Max is one of the best games there is; not only have you to complete your mission but you have to aim to achieve the ultimate rank too. Some of the file versions may have a few issues I seem to remember some fun last time! No bonus game this time but next round we will have a something special

 

If you missed any previous rounds you're welcome to post scores for them too

 

Settings (Option[F4])

Novice

Gravity ON [players outside the top 25 in the current standings can turn gravity off]

You might want to Reverse the controls too so that you pull back to climb

 

Tips

Take off: Trundle down the runway and pull back once your speed reaches 100 display changes from red to white. Any other movement or leaving it too late will result in a wreck! Firing: Destroy enemy planes by changing to their altitude (display goes blue) then line up behind them. Bombing: Push down to descend and press fire, use your shadow as a guide to where the bomb will land (fire early!) Landing: Press fire to drop the "L"anding gear when "R"unway is approaching and get down to altitude 0!

Space to pause.

 

>>>
Summary of top-secret intelligence the spies have gathered:
When a freindly airfield approaches a tone will be heard and a green "R" will appear on the command bar. Press the fire button to lower the landing gear, and the "R" will change to a "L". when you are over the runway, decend and land. Repairs will begin and then you will take off.

Uaaaa... Blue Max, one of my top favourite games... I think there should not be any problem with landing. You can land safely in any speed and with any damage. Just remember: when airport comes near, green letter "R" appears and you MUST press fire button to confirm you're going to land. "R" changes to blue "L" and your speed goes down then...

I remember there being a little easter egg built in that allowed you to crash the game by crashing/landing or something like that

You have to drop a bomb over your base!

I have made it to "Blue Max" but only 4th class... every time I get all the targets early and hit the bunkers in the city on the first pass I somehow manage to crash into another plane. But I still go back... I can get to the city, but can't get past it.

Once you get to the city, you have to bomb every special large target building that pops up. Then the next time you land, the game ends.

Yeah, I remember having to bomb targets, can't remember if I get missing them or maybe they had turrets or something and I'd get shot at and then killed. But I know it was the bombing targets bit that I kept failing on and being game overed.
<<<

Scoring

There's not long to capture your score pic and doesn't seem to show high score anywhere... Please POST YOUR RANKS with your SCORES chaps, will use these for the tables Post #75

Bonus point: for first person to complete the misson, first player to rank as Blue Max and bonues for each player who makes the top ranking: Blue Max, Class 1 = 4pts

Downloads

Fandal XEX, Atarionline.pl's Blue Max (1983)(Synapse Software)(UK)[a].atr seems to work well

Atarimania: Synapse 1983 USA Synsoft 1984 UK also has later 1987 version

Manual on Post #50

 

Round now ends Monday 27th April 6pm UK time

 

Tally-ho & Chocks Away!!

Edited April 25, 2015 by therealbountybob
Added info from last time this was played in the HSC

[Deteacher]

Any particular difficulty settings? Gravity on or off?

 

And here's a link to the manual, if anyone needs it:

 

https://archive.org/details/agm_Blue_Max

Edited April 12, 2015 by Deteacher

[+therealbountybob]

Any particular difficulty settings? Gravity on or off?

 

And here's a link to the manual, if anyone needs it:

 

https://archive.org/details/agm_Blue_Max

This link dosen't seem to be working?

Good question, we'll go for NOVICE with GRAVITY ON to make things a little bit trickier

Edited April 14, 2015 by therealbountybob

[Tickled_Pink]

Woohoo! Finally a game I've played before!

 

Used to be one of my favourites but haven't played it in YEARS!

[Tickled_Pink]

1620

 

Class 4 Air Cadet

 

 

1890

Class 1 Runway Sweeper

 

I guess that it's because I mostly straffed rather than bomb on this run.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Tickled_Pink

[Tickled_Pink]

11020

 

Class 1 Air Cadet

[adam242]

Another old favorite that I'll really enjoy getting back into...

 

A few rusty tries got me 1510 - Class 1 Runway Sweeper.

Would've done better if I could remember how to land... I'll have to read the manual.

 

Playing '87 (XE Cart) version - NTSC

[SHiNjide]

Huh, it's a start.

 

2620

Air Cadet

[+therealbountybob]

Another old favorite that I'll really enjoy getting back into...

A few rusty tries got me 1510 - Class 1 Runway Sweeper.

Would've done better if I could remember how to land... I'll have to read the manual.

...

Change to "1620 Air Cadet Class1" and exactly what I am going to do now!!!

Having to have Gravity ON makes it more challenging this time and might give the pros something to think about

 

I've added some info on the first post

[Tickled_Pink]

I think this is probably one of those few games that's easier on an emulator than on real hardware. The keyboard makes for better fine tuning of altitude than an unresponsive joystick.

 

Although I've always liked the game, it's always had a bit of a dead feel to the controls and doesn't always respond well to the bombing combo.

[McKong]

3250 air cadet. Had to play quite a few games to get that! At one point I got 100!

[Tickled_Pink]

Hint: If you feel vulnerable on the runway, hit fire to cycle through Refuel/Rearm/Repair without completing the previous Refuel/Rearm/Repair. If you think you're about to be bombed, hit fire in rapid succession until your plane starts taking off down the runway again.

 

Just got 6170. Nowhere near as good as my high score but I am regularly hitting more than 5000 with Altirra. Yeah - got bombed on the runway again. Didn't hit fire fast enough.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Tickled_Pink

[McKong]

Ah I was wondering how to avoid getting bombed on the runway, thanks !

[spookt]

Class 4 Air Cadet - 1060

 

How does the ranking system work? I've scored higher and been awarded Class 1 Runway Sweeper?

[akator]

0680

Class 2 Runway Sweeper

 

[playermissile]

2360, Class 4 Air Cadet

[Tickled_Pink]

Class 4 Air Cadet - 1060

 

How does the ranking system work? I've scored higher and been awarded Class 1 Runway Sweeper?

 

I'm not sure. I don't think it's linked to the score but rather how you got there - i.e. what you hit and what you hit that target with.

[Tickled_Pink]

Bug: I just landed very close to the left edge of the runway. I landed ok but when I started to take off again the plane crashed.

 

Edit: Another bug. Heading towards 9000 and hit a bomb crater. Normally in this game, bomb craters don't affect you when taking off but if one hits near the side of a runway, sometimes the background green comes through and surrounds the crater. If that happens and you run into it, you're toast. Looks like it uses a flood fill for the tile around the craters.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Tickled_Pink

[ballyalley]

I never played "Blue Max" in the 80s on my C64. When I finally came across it in the mid-90s for my Atari, it was via the XE game cart. I really didn't like it one bit To me, it was just "Zaxxon," which I loathed. I figured I should give the game a shot this round anyway. I've now read the manual (there's a lot to absorb in there!), but my first few games with gravity were quite difficult: I scored a measly 150 points out of something like 20 plays. Plus, I only ever managed to shoot one enemy plane; reaching the enemy plane's altitude is quite hard to do. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

Rather than give up-- which is what I feel like doing-- I figured that I should change my attitude (altitude?), otherwise this will be a long round (or a short one with just a few game plays). I'd love to end this round with the feeling, after a go with "Blue Max," that I'll have "just one more go," rather than breathing a sigh of relief that the round is over. I've seen "Blue Max" listed on many top ten game lists, so there's no doubt that it is a classic for many people. I'd like to hear what makes this game fun and also get some gameplay tips that will make my low scores less of a struggle and more of an inspiration to get better and play more-- which is what all good games do for players.

 

 

[+therealbountybob]

If anyone is struggling practice with Gravity off first. Once you master landing, the game is absorbing and you can really get into bombing and straffing sprees for those high scores. Probably with dedicated play over the 2 weeks several of you will reach the end of the game, it's over a bit soon possibly. I played the more than great Blue Max 2001 before discovering the original years later here in the HSC. I never really saw the often made Zaxxon comparison; I seem to like all these diagonal scrolling shooter scrollers (also Super Zaxxon & Panther) and would love to see another or a hack with new or additional stages

 

The skipping repairs bit on the runway by pressing fire is crucial, or like me you'll sit there thinking "is that bomb going to land on me?" and BANG! Game Over. 3,640 Air Cadet Class 1

 

@Bally get behind the enemy planes then change height to match them (blue status bar). I avoid the oncoming ones and only shoot them from behind I'd concentrate much more on straffing and bombing too.

 

Anyone having glitches try another version of the game: atarionline.pl have a bunch of XEXs and ATRs

 

Current Standings UPDATED it's getting very interesting! Now that I've given McKong a significant head start I'd better start shooting him back down

[Tickled_Pink]

I never played "Blue Max" in the 80s on my C64. When I finally came across it in the mid-90s for my Atari, it was via the XE game cart. I really didn't like it one bit To me, it was just "Zaxxon," which I loathed. I figured I should give the game a shot this round anyway. I've now read the manual (there's a lot to absorb in there!), but my first few games with gravity were quite difficult: I scored a measly 150 points out of something like 20 plays. Plus, I only ever managed to shoot one enemy plane; reaching the enemy plane's altitude is quite hard to do. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

Rather than give up-- which is what I feel like doing-- I figured that I should change my attitude (altitude?), otherwise this will be a long round (or a short one with just a few game plays). I'd love to end this round with the feeling, after a go with "Blue Max," that I'll have "just one more go," rather than breathing a sigh of relief that the round is over. I've seen "Blue Max" listed on many top ten game lists, so there's no doubt that it is a classic for many people. I'd like to hear what makes this game fun and also get some gameplay tips that will make my low scores less of a struggle and more of an inspiration to get better and play more-- which is what all good games do for players.

 

 

 

I guess it goes to show why people thought I was mad for hating Alley Cat.

 

TBH I am quite surprised at the comparatively low scores this round so far. Blue Max is a game I thought everyone had played to death. No doubt the experts are waiting to pounce.

 

I've been doing nothing but playing this game the last couple of days, while in the middle of backing up and clearing out my laptop. Waiting to finish backing up - Blue Max. Waiting for something to uninstall - Blue Max ... and so on. Ironically the best score came in only my 2nd or 3rd attempt. Been trying to beat it ever since.

 

Okay, let's see if I can help you out a bit:

 

From what I can make out, bombing a building or structure carries more points than strafing smaller targets. To strafe, you need to be at 25ft or lower. You can strafe smaller targets like tanks, gun emplacements and ships. Ships need to be hit a number of times with your gun to destroy. Bombing an enemy hangar seems to carry about 200 points

 

To target another plane, he needs to be in front of you (obviously). You can then use the asterix (*) to the right of the score display to guide you to the correct height if you can't make out the altitude difference from the shadow. Once you're at the right altitude, the score display turns blue. I've noticed that you need to hit enemy planes in the fuselage for the best chance to down them.

 

Gravity makes things a little trickier but not that much. You lose 1ft of altitude per second. So if you're at the maximum strafing altitude of 25ft, you have five seconds to destroy as many small targets as you can before you have to pull up.

 

Blue Max does have a few quirks and annoyances. Some can kill you. One of the biggest issues is the hit'n'miss collision detection and the fact that it doesn't always release bombs when you want it to. But if you can put up with that you'll know why it had generally rave reviews when it came out.

 

 

@BountyBob

 

I recall many of the glitches being in the original game so I don't think it's down to the archive. I've noticed that the glitch that caused me to crash on takeoff was due to the way it does its flood fill on the crater tile (could just be two tiles that's used, one with a green background and the other with grey). If a bomb hits the right side edge of the runway, it's the runway's colour that's used. I suspect a bit of flaky coding, which is a bit surprising given the overall depth and quality of the game.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Tickled_Pink

[ballyalley]

Okay, let's see if I can help you out a bit:

Thanks for all the tips. I'll use them these out tonight. Now, when I win this round I'll have you to thank for it! I'll remember to thank you in my Blue Max medal acceptance speech.

 

Blue Max does have a few quirks and annoyances. [...] it doesn't always release bombs when you want it to.

Perhaps you're not able to bomb properly because the bomb gear is damaged, which causes intermittent bombing. This would be shown with a "B" in the command bar. I only know this because I read the manual this morning. The same thing can happen with firing, which displays as an "F" in the command line.

[+therealbountybob]

I'd like to say I was just warming up, but after a bunch of goes I'm getting a bit gung-ho and usually smashing and crashing like crazy.... but 2 weeks is a long time to master this again. Never did make top ranking.

 

Bonus point: for first person to rank as Blue Max and for each player who makes the top ranking

 

So will it be Tickled_Pink or BallyAlley winning this round?!!

 

The good thing with the trickier classic games is they might be some players who are particularly good at them... MrAmiga500 where are you?

[jk40001]

First try: 1410

 

[Tickled_Pink]

Thanks for all the tips. I'll use them these out tonight. Now, when I win this round I'll have you to thank for it! I'll remember to thank you in my Blue Max medal acceptance speech.

 

Perhaps you're not able to bomb properly because the bomb gear is damaged, which causes intermittent bombing. This would be shown with a "B" in the command bar. I only know this because I read the manual this morning. The same thing can happen with firing, which displays as an "F" in the command line.

 

No. It sometimes fails to drop a bomb even when there's no damage. I've always found it a bit of a problem with the game. Used to frustrate me like hell back in the day.

 

"F" isn't firing. It's Fuel - you have a fuel leak. "G" is for Guns.

 

Anyway, I think anyone who uses ANY tips should be docked 50,000pts.