High Score Competition (Sep: Osotos)

[senior_falcon]

I used to write down my high scores in the manual. According to my notes I achieved 298,300 on Feb 22, 1985, (after many, many, many tries) which I thought was pretty good. But then mizaph comes along and achieves 206K on the first try! Wow! Then I find out that others have "beaten" the game with scores of over a million. My only consolation is that I beat Jim Dramis' high score of 77000.

[snume]

For other tips, here's a fun old page of Parsec secrets

 

http://xona.com/ti994a/parsec.html

 

Yeah, the guys who did the TI Invaders clone for the XBOX 360. I love the way it ramps up and drops all the cool power-ups.

[globeron]

Ah, Parsec ... the drain of my youth's time.

 

First try.

 

(MESS, Competition Pro Joystick via Sinchai USB adapter)

 

Wow!

 

I just got 70.300 today and saw for the 1st time that killer sattelite..

and I got killed just in the beginning of level 4 (I did not expect it came directly after the astroid belt).

 

Also I think there is a bug in Parsec if you stay on top of the screen at the astroid belt and go from level 2 (green) to level 3 (red)

then you crash in the ground (it now happens 2 times) or it is a graphical card (F18A issue?). Also I got the feeling with the

Astroid belt that the real TI became a bit slow in response (or is that also an F18A issue ?).

 

I have not played around with the dipswitches of the F18A, etc.

[+mizapf]

"Top-crash with ground" is a known issue of Parsec. I suppose it happens when you have an upward movement and some other event occurs simultaneously, most likely speech ("Advanced - the next level"). You should make sure that you don't pull up at the end of the Asteroid Belt or that you keep some space above you.

 

The tips that Tursi provided a link to are quite interesting. In particular, I could not quite remember whether I really observed the "-128" speed issue, but it seems it was no dream. That is, in higher rounds, the speed of the enemies may encounter an overflow, thus reversing their direction.

[+arcadeshopper]

So out of practice and forgot about the lift setting

 

28500

[Opry99er]

Glad you're in this month, Greg!!! If we all combine our scores, we can defeat Michael!!!

[globeron]

Glad you're in this month, Greg!!! If we all combine our scores, we can defeat Michael!!!

 

I do not think it is going to happen this month, it needs a lot of practicing.

 

The red level everytime gets me, especially the Dramites are very challenging.

(I cannot find the pattern here, the rest I can get a certain pattern).

but just can reach the astroid belt

 

I like this website but it seems they can play around 16 levels continuously ... gee... http://xona.com/ti994a/parsec.html

[Opry99er]

 

 

Thanks for the prizes, Jake!!!

[Opry99er]

Scored 48,000+. Dramites in the red level again.

 

I used to be so much better at this game.

[+mizapf]

I guess I will have to revoke my last result. I did not cheat, no.

 

I just forgot that I have to launch ti99_4a instead of ti99_4ae on MESS. You know the difference: The ti99_4ae is the European console with 50 Hz (PAL), while ti99_4a is the American with 60 Hz (NTSC).

 

As it turned out, the 60Hz version is very much more difficult to play. I had a hard time getting above 100k again. Here's my new result.

 

Noticeable differences:

 

The game uses sprite automotion. That means:

- On the NTSC version, all sprites move 20% faster. Photon missiles come it at a higher speed, so my timing does not fit any longer.

- The alien crafts dive much deeper because of their higher speed. In the PAL version, they usually stay well above the ground, actually never touch the objects on the surface, and can be found in the middle height or higher. In the NTSC version, you have to go really deep and risk crashes with the ground.

- The timing with the saucers from behind is also slightly different. I found that sometimes, the saucer goes too far right and re-enter the screen on the left, thus unexpectantly hitting me.

- The lift is 20% faster, even lift 1 that you need in the tunnels. Thus, I found it quite difficult to navigate compared to the PAL version; a short nudge on the joystick is sometimes already too much, but was never too much on the PAL version.

- In the Asteroid belt I found it impossible to go with lift 3, which is perfect for the PAL version. I had to switch to lift 2, which turned out to be fatal when you fight against the Killer Satellites.

 

BTW, I created a new video clip with this result. Unfortunately, I did not expect that the TV program on the other window is mixed in, so I'll have to redo it.

Edited January 8, 2016 by mizapf

[+mizapf]

Here's a small test that shows the difference for sprite automotion.

 

[+Darrin9999]

11,300 Sad!!

[globeron]

I guess I will have to revoke my last result. I did not cheat, no.

 

I just forgot that I have to launch ti99_4a instead of ti99_4ae on MESS. You know the difference: The ti99_4ae is the European console with 50 Hz (PAL), while ti99_4a is the American with 60 Hz (NTSC).

 

As it turned out, the 60Hz version is very much more difficult to play. I had a hard time getting above 100k again. Here's my new result.

 

Noticeable differences:

 

The game uses sprite automotion. That means:

- On the NTSC version, all sprites move 20% faster. Photon missiles come it at a higher speed, so my timing does not fit any longer.

- The alien crafts dive much deeper because of their higher speed. In the PAL version, they usually stay well above the ground, actually never touch the objects on the surface, and can be found in the middle height or higher. In the NTSC version, you have to go really deep and risk crashes with the ground.

- The timing with the saucers from behind is also slightly different. I found that sometimes, the saucer goes too far right and re-enter the screen on the left, thus unexpectantly hitting me.

- The lift is 20% faster, even lift 1 that you need in the tunnels. Thus, I found it quite difficult to navigate compared to the PAL version; a short nudge on the joystick is sometimes already too much, but was never too much on the PAL version.

- In the Asteroid belt I found it impossible to go with lift 3, which is perfect for the PAL version. I had to switch to lift 2, which turned out to be fatal when you fight against the Killer Satellites.

 

BTW, I created a new video clip with this result. Unfortunately, I did not expect that the TV program on the other window is mixed in, so I'll have to redo it.

 

 

Sometime ago I did a comparison test together with Tursi to compare a real TI version with the Classic99 (I have the captures of videos somewhere),

but was a simple program counting until 1000 to see how much it differs.

 

Do you think there would be a difference in performance here:

* My console is from USA (Beige non-QI "NTSC" version) but using a F18A VGA adapter, using 220V and 50 Hz adapter,

but I also have "The alien crafts dive much deeper because of their higher speed", almost hitting the bottom

 

* I am also planning to built the F18A VGA into a European console "PAL version"

 

Once we use F18A VGA is there still a difference between the European and USA version ?

(or does it depend on the transformator using 220V 50 Hz vs 110-117V 60 Hz)

 

 

I like that we are doing Parsec now, because it was on my list to do a comparison between different emulators

(e.g speed, speech, how well it is playable).

[Tursi]

The current Classic99 should be /pretty/ close, the interrupt handling code would be my biggest expectation of difference a the moment, but the exact differences would depend on whether the host PC is fast enough to run real time or not (most should be, though I still remember the criticism I got for recommending a Pentium 1 class PC ... ) Your last side-by-side tests appeared to work pretty well after the tweaking your tests led me into. (Always love to see them, though, I've run Classic99 side-by-side with YouTube videos a few times, but it's not the same ).

 

Speech is still known blechy in C99. I've very little interest in it... but the new MESS core is pretty awesome compared to the ancient one I have. So someday...

[+Vorticon]

I guess I will have to revoke my last result. I did not cheat, no.

 

I just forgot that I have to launch ti99_4a instead of ti99_4ae on MESS. You know the difference: The ti99_4ae is the European console with 50 Hz (PAL), while ti99_4a is the American with 60 Hz (NTSC).

 

As it turned out, the 60Hz version is very much more difficult to play. I had a hard time getting above 100k again. Here's my new result.

 

Noticeable differences:

 

The game uses sprite automotion. That means:

- On the NTSC version, all sprites move 20% faster. Photon missiles come it at a higher speed, so my timing does not fit any longer.

- The alien crafts dive much deeper because of their higher speed. In the PAL version, they usually stay well above the ground, actually never touch the objects on the surface, and can be found in the middle height or higher. In the NTSC version, you have to go really deep and risk crashes with the ground.

- The timing with the saucers from behind is also slightly different. I found that sometimes, the saucer goes too far right and re-enter the screen on the left, thus unexpectantly hitting me.

- The lift is 20% faster, even lift 1 that you need in the tunnels. Thus, I found it quite difficult to navigate compared to the PAL version; a short nudge on the joystick is sometimes already too much, but was never too much on the PAL version.

- In the Asteroid belt I found it impossible to go with lift 3, which is perfect for the PAL version. I had to switch to lift 2, which turned out to be fatal when you fight against the Killer Satellites.

 

BTW, I created a new video clip with this result. Unfortunately, I did not expect that the TV program on the other window is mixed in, so I'll have to redo it.

 

OK now I know why I suck at this game Huge thank you for providing me with the excuse I needed to explain my ineptitude!

[Omega-TI]

If you really suck at Parsec, consider << THIS VERSION >> for fun only, because it'll make you ineligible to win.

[Opry99er]

Please post your week's play times to the game tracker by tonight if you can.

 

 

It is in the Classic Gaming General subforum as a pinned thread.

[Iwantgames:)]

Please post your week's play times to the game tracker by tonight if you can.

It is in the Classic Gaming General subforum as a pinned thread.

I haven't played any qualifying games lately been playing Blood Bowl 2 and Shovel Knight on PS4

[+mizapf]

Hello? Anyone?

 

[Opry99er]

Geeeeeeez.....

 

 

No matter what I do, I cannot get over 60k. You are some kind of Parsec savant...

[+mizapf]

Hence my profile pic ...

[+OLD CS1]

When does this end? I may break it out this week if I can get in.

[Iwantgames:)]

When does this end? I may break it out this week if I can get in.

Sunday night at midnight.

[globeron]

Hello? Anyone?

 

 

I only got to 70K so far...:-(

[+mizapf]

I only got to 70K so far...:-(

 

Frankly, I got this score after the third attempt. In one try, I lost 8 ships in the saucer wave in the red (3rd) level ... this was pretty close to tossing that f** joystick across the room. (I did not know that I still had these feelings inside )