Help with SCRAPYARD DOG: level 5-3

[DracIsBack]

I recently got back into playing SCRAPYARD DOG. Quite a well-put together little game. It can be quite hard, though.

 

Right now, i'm stock on sewer level 5-3. When you first get into the level, there's this brutal jump you have to make. There's a sewer tube, two little platforms side by side and then this big. BIG gap with a lot of open sewer and another sewer tube quite a piece away.

 

I just blew 12 lives and three continues (and almost put my fist through the 7800) trying to make this bloody jump. Does anyone have any tips?

[Tizoc]

I haven't played Scrapyard Dog lately, but I have been playing a lot of Impossible Mission lately. It has a similar thing with really wide jumps. In order to make those jumps you have to 'jump' when you have one foot over the chasm. It gives that extra needed distance.

 

I don't know if this will work for you, but it might be worth a try.

[Cousin Vinnie]

I haven't made it there yet, but make sure there aren't warp pipes that can be used to evade the jump. That happens sometimes. I know you are not stupid, but I just wanted to tell you that!

 

Cousin Vinnie

[DracIsBack]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cousin Vinnie:

I haven't made it there yet, but make sure there aren't warp pipes that can be used to evade the jump. That happens sometimes. I know you are not stupid, but I just wanted to tell you that!

 

Cousin Vinnie

---

 

 

Vinnie: there are no warp pipes where I'm at. I literally can't get three feet into the level. There's a pipe (you can't use this one to warp), two platforms and then one bugger of a jump that I just can't seem to make. :-(

[utamav91]

you're at the same point I was at...

 

But you know what? I didn't let it discourage me.

 

I looked at the bright side of things, happy I'd made it that far. And thought, if I've made it this far, noone can stop me from going farther! I played and played and played for another couple of weeks an hour or so a day...and you know what?

 

I gave up. Tried to sell this game on E-bay. Noone wanted it though.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Uta:

 

You still have that unbeatable copy Scrapyard Dog? I am looking for a working one. I have one I picked up at the flea market over a year ago..but it turned out to be my first actual dud Atari cart.

 

heheh..

[Tizoc]

quote:

---

Originally posted by -^Cro§Bow^-:

..but it turned out to be my first actual dud Atari cart.

---

 

Did you ever find out if it was the rom or the cart that was bad? If I remember correctly, you were pretty sure it was the rom chip?

[+-^CrossBow^-]

yeah Tizoc...I dumped the cart..since it would work up to the title screen and ransom letter screens. Then it would go to a black screen and that was it. Sometimes when I loaded up the game...the sound would be all goofed up as well.

 

Once getting the cart dumped...I confirmed with Eckhart that it was either a bad dump..unlikely since the same results kept coming up..or the rom was programed wrong during manufacturing. Seems every so many hi bits in the rom were wrong or something like that.

 

Also it was the first atari cart I had found in the wild that looked so good for being loose. Also the contacts on the cart PCB had virtually no scratches on them...which told me this cart hadn't been inserted into too many 7800s...probably because it was DOA to begin with and either was never returned by the owner who bought it...or the retail store that had it never turned it in for replacement stock.

 

Either way, I could replace the rom with an Eprom burn containing Klax or something like that. I just haven't a burner...hehe..

 

Okay...that was more than I wanted to type this late at night...oh well...the story of my dead scrapyard dog cart has been told.

[Tizoc]

quote:

---

Originally posted by -^Cro§Bow^-:

Either way, I could replace the rom with an Eprom burn containing Klax or something like that.

---

 

Yeah that is exactly what I was getting at. You could burn KLAX, Scrapyard Dog, Planet Smashers, Ninja Golf, Sentinel, etc. I think most of the 128k games will work. I say most because I haven't tried them all. And I know you are handy with the soldering iron.

 

quote:

---

Originally posted by -^Cro§Bow^-:

I just haven't a burner...hehe..

---

 

I do. Just let me know.

[+Propane13]

quote:

---

Originally posted by MarkR_7800Fan:

Right now, i'm stuck on sewer level 5-3. When you first get into the level, there's this brutal jump you have to make. There's a sewer tube, two little platforms side by side and then this big. BIG gap with a lot of open sewer and another sewer tube quite a piece away.

---

 

I've passed this section before, but I need to look into doing it again (will probably try tonight).

 

Since Scrapyard Dog came up, there is the potential for a neat project we could do with the game (with a bunch of small individual contributions). I think it would be cool to do a full Nintendo-power-like map of all of Scrapyard Dog's levels, noting where special things are (this would be where everyone's help would be gathered)-- for example, where to jump to get cans in the scrapyard and towns, which doors to knock on in the towns (and their resultant rooms) and where all pipes go in the sewer levels. That would be a helluva group project to undertake, but the problem I see is that I have no idea how to get initial pictures captured, and then stitched together in an organized form on a website. Good idea/bad idea?

 

Thanks,

-John K. Harvey

[+-^CrossBow^-]

John,

 

Its a good idea...and should be very doable in emulation. Since Scrapyard seems to work okay in emulation currently. It would also be much easier to get the screen captures needed. As for stitching the screens together...all that really need be done is to use like a flow chart type diagram pointing to the areas as you go to them.

 

Totally needed...that's for sure.

[+Propane13]

quote:

---

Originally posted by MarkR_7800Fan:

Right now, i'm stuck on sewer level 5-3. When you first get into the level, there's this brutal jump you have to make. There's a sewer tube, two little platforms side by side and then this big. BIG gap with a lot of open sewer and another sewer tube quite a piece away.

 

I just blew 12 lives and three continues (and almost put my fist through the 7800) trying to make this bloody jump. Does anyone have any tips?

---

 

Yes. It can be done.

 

Here's what you do: Ignore the first little ledge. To cross this chasm, you have to do a combo-jump. From the first sewer pipe, tap the button lightly enough for you to hit the second ledge (while pressing right lightly), then press hard right until you hit the ledge (never letting go of right), and then press the button hard once you hit the ledge. You can never move the joystick left, or all momentum is lost.. Your character has to build up speed by you holding the joystick to the right.

 

If you try to use both ledges, you've probably noted that either you'll fall between the 2 of them if you just do a running start from the sewer pipe (Super Mario would have walked across that miniscule hole), or that you won't have enough momentum to reach the next sewer ledge.

 

So, in final form here:

1) Jump up and slightly right from the sewer pipe

2) On coming down, press and hold to the right. Your character builds speed not by running, but by holding the joystick to the right, even while in mid-air!

3) If you timed it right, you'll have a lot of momentum when hitting the second ledge

4) Almost immediately press the button, while continuing holding right

5) You'll speed up in the air due to holding the joystick to the right, and have enough momentum to make it to the next sewer pipe.

6) You can rest at this sewer pipe. After this sewer pipe, there's a tiny ledge, and a gap to the next sewer pipe, so you'll have to do the same combo-jump maneuver (hold right always while falling towards the ledge, then barely hit the ledge, followed by holding the button down to maximum off of the ledge while still holding the joystick right to hit the next sewer pipe).

 

Whew! Does this make sense?

 

As a side note, in this level, there's a place after the 4) in the level with 3 stacked sewer pipes. The one in the middle warps you forward to somewhere in section 6).

 

Good luck!

-John K. Harvey

[+Propane13]

Coupla other things to note about Scrapyard Dog:

 

1) You can actually jump on the water balloons. I did it for the first time last night, but I got hit by the balloon in front of it first.

 

2) Has anyone ever managed to get one of the darker doors in the street levels to open up with the secret knock?

 

-John K. Harvey

[utamav91]

Crossbow:

 

Kick me an e-mail if you're interested...I'll be happy to sell it for a fair price. It's just sitting in my closet as we speak. I think I've got the manual too.

[DracIsBack]

John: thanks for te tip - it worked beautifully. I made it all the way to the end and got stopped by the SPECIAL CHALLENGE. :-) I won't give it away for those who haven't made it but let's just say that it's a stark change of pace. I wonder if it's randomly generated.

 

Anyway - thanks for the tip. I was able to pass it and get some information for a review of the game. Cheers!

[+Propane13]

No problemo MarkR_7800Fan,

 

If you need some strategy for the SPECIAL CHALLENGE, feel free to shoot me off an email, though I'm sure there's plenty of info about beating these types of "challenges" on the net. Glad to hear that it all worked out... Level 7-1 must have been a real nightmare-- it always is for me.

 

-John K. Harvey