Robot Tank - Surprisngly Good

[Video]

One thing I like about Robot Tank that doesn't get mentioned often is how the enemy shots can be destroyed. That is something you can't do in Battlezone. I'm not sure which game I like better, though.

 

Excellent point. The BIGGEST problem I've always had with Battlezone is that if you see an enemy fire at you on screen. That's it, you are getting hit and there is NOTHING that can stop it, not even turning in an evasive pattern.

 

-Ray

 

 

? I have no problem with dodging the bullets in Battlezone. If you try truning, then running, you WILL get hit, but if you back up and turn as your backing up, you can actually dodge the bullets. Not a certain thing (just like in real life) but it can be done.

 

Kinda cool watching the bullet coming, then wizzing by off the edge of the screen appearing just as big as your own tank at that point

[Big Player]

? I have no problem with dodging the bullets in Battlezone. If you try truning, then running, you WILL get hit, but if you back up and turn as your backing up, you can actually dodge the bullets. Not a certain thing (just like in real life) but it can be done.

 

Kinda cool watching the bullet coming, then wizzing by off the edge of the screen appearing just as big as your own tank at that point

 

I totally agree with Video and Brian C. My basic strategy for success in Battlezone is to constantly backup. Only turn while backing to keep the enemy tanks in front of you and dodge their shots. Focus your attention on the radar screen and listen for the shots. Turn as soon as you hear the it because it will be on target. You can get pretty far with this strategy, until the Super Tanks start appearing right behind you.

[Flojomojo]

Anyone know if the new Atari Battlezone for PSP is in the same vein as "our" Battlezone?

[shadow460]

I love the games where you get shot up and limp along as best you can, hoping to get better soon but not ready for someone to finish you off. From the top of my head, these games have it:

 

Starmaster

Star Raiders

Solaris

Robot Tank

 

You could argue that being crippled is not much fun, but I enjoy being able to work out of a tight scrape with very few abilities left. That might explain why I liked Destruction Derby and Bushido Blade so much on the Playstation, or the X-Wing games on the PC. It's a whole different feeling than playing something like Street Fighter with full abilities but only a sliver of health left. "Realism" would dictate that if you're that close to being knocked out, you're not in much shape to fight.

 

Gotta add one to the list...Phaser Patrol will take abilities away, but the only thing that stops you from fighting there is a loss of torpedoes. Losing shields invites massive amounts of damage, but it's not anal like Starmaster is about the shields.

 

I revived this because I needed strategy help with Robot Tank. I've offed a tad over five squadrons, six on my original cart, and I have hit a performance plateau.

I'm finding that the tanks usually circle in a set pattern (clockwise) and keep the same distance from you no matter if you're moving or not. I'm not sure whther to fight in rain and snow (they don't move around as much, either) or to defend myself. Night fighting is easy.

I think there's a way to hit consistently by using radar...it seems if you line the blip up just to the right of your position, let fly, and swing right, the shot will curve into its target a little more often than not.

 

Strategies?

[D.Yancey]

The fifth squadron from 60-72 tanks is really tough for me. I've only cleared it a few times. I think when you begin the 7th squadron, that their shots slow down a bit. I may be wrong about that..?

 

I wonder about rain and snow fighting too, I usually try to defend during both, starting at 60 tanks. Todd Rogers says to fight during that time because the enemy is at the same disadvantage as you, but I always get clobbered if I do that.

 

I also noticed the same trick that you mentioned with lining up shots using radar. I've never gotten good enough at it to continue for very long though.

 

You mention that night fighting is easy. What do you notice that is easier about night fighting? Does the enemy fire less or move more slowly or something?

 

Sorry that I couldn't be of more help on this one. I'd like some tips too if anyone is offering.....

Edited March 13, 2007 by D.Yancey

[atarilovesyou]

I loved this game, even back in the day!..the only thing about it now, is that you can drive endlessly by putting the tank on the angled line on your radar display...keep him on that line, and he'll never hit you. So you can go on for days like that...you don't get the squadron bonuses, but oh well.

 

Great game. I remember being fooled into thinking there was extra weather patterns that never showed up....sob.

[shadow460]

Probably the reason night fighting is easier is that I'm relying on a constant source for target info. The weather changes and enemy shots can goof up your video, but the radar is almost always there. It also seems like if you maneuver the joystick just right, and shoot when the blip is at a particular spot, you will always score a hit. I think I got it down to a rhythm back in the day and could wipe out two or three squadrons in a couple minutes or so.

 

Hey, Todd's right about rain and snow. The enemy tanks don't dodge as much in the rain, and in the snow, all you gotta do is change the timing of your shots and attack solidly. The trick in snow is to shoot right when the enemy tank appears on the very edge of your video display. There is a corresponding radar position, but I have not nailed it down just yet.

Edited March 15, 2007 by shadow460

[+Cafeman]

Another BUMP.

 

I spent a few hours playing Robot Tank today. The best I could do is to beat 5 squadrons and to die in the 6th. Their shots are extremely fast and it seems impossible to beat them once anything is damaged or if rain or snow comes. I searched the net and this forum and haven't found anybody claim to have beaten all 12 squadrons. I found no strategy except in these AA 2600 threads. Here's my strategy:

 

Daytime scenes are easiest of course. I try to keep them small in the horizon and pick them off by sight. Keeping them in the distance lets me shoot or avoid shots as they grow faster. In the first level I can shoot the missiles at will but eventually I found even in these 'easiest of stages' its easy to die.

 

Night-time. Use the radar and keep them at basically the same distance using the radar dot, in front of you. Get too close and it can be hard to avoid/pick off the missiles. The tanks have a movement pattern of back and forth. I found that if I move a little forward, then adjust left/right and fire, then backup and repeat if I missed, to be an effective overall strategy.

 

Rain. I don't mind rain. At least I can see them - keep them in the distance and fire upon them. Again, since you move slowly, keeping them in the far distance gives you reaction time. Night & rain I might avoid them altogether if I'm doing poorly, but usually use the same distant radar dot method.

 

Snow. Since stopping and reversing direction is pointless in the snow, I use the "forward rotate" method to be effective most of the time. I press up and left diagonally and continually circle around the tank. As soon as he enters the screen he'll fire and I fire at this point - I try to use the radar dot , at about 11:00 or 11:30 if it were a clock, but I'm not consistent. Sometimes I'll hit his first shot but many times my shot will miss his missile and nick the corner the up-close tank, blowing it up. Rotating forward like this will always have the tank up close by the time it enters your screen.

 

I have never figured out if there are advantages to forward-right rotation over my arbitrarily chosen forward-left rotation. Likewise I'm not sure if backwards-left/right rotation works well in the snow, but it seems more dangerous because it can leave a missile on your screen homing in on you by rotating backwards.

 

There are some games where I get hit with snow and fog a lot, but one game I got mostly daylight the majority of days, which was a nice treat. Not sure if the A and B switches do anything.

 

I suspect nobody has ever beaten this game.

[D.Yancey]

Todd Rogers has a verified score of 144 which is where the game ends. I can't even approach that score. Good tips, by the way!

David

 

Another BUMP.

 

I spent a few hours playing Robot Tank today. The best I could do is to beat 5 squadrons and to die in the 6th. Their shots are extremely fast and it seems impossible to beat them once anything is damaged or if rain or snow comes. I searched the net and this forum and haven't found anybody claim to have beaten all 12 squadrons. I found no strategy except in these AA 2600 threads. Here's my strategy:

 

Daytime scenes are easiest of course. I try to keep them small in the horizon and pick them off by sight. Keeping them in the distance lets me shoot or avoid shots as they grow faster. In the first level I can shoot the missiles at will but eventually I found even in these 'easiest of stages' its easy to die.

 

Night-time. Use the radar and keep them at basically the same distance using the radar dot, in front of you. Get too close and it can be hard to avoid/pick off the missiles. The tanks have a movement pattern of back and forth. I found that if I move a little forward, then adjust left/right and fire, then backup and repeat if I missed, to be an effective overall strategy.

 

Rain. I don't mind rain. At least I can see them - keep them in the distance and fire upon them. Again, since you move slowly, keeping them in the far distance gives you reaction time. Night & rain I might avoid them altogether if I'm doing poorly, but usually use the same distant radar dot method.

 

Snow. Since stopping and reversing direction is pointless in the snow, I use the "forward rotate" method to be effective most of the time. I press up and left diagonally and continually circle around the tank. As soon as he enters the screen he'll fire and I fire at this point - I try to use the radar dot , at about 11:00 or 11:30 if it were a clock, but I'm not consistent. Sometimes I'll hit his first shot but many times my shot will miss his missile and nick the corner the up-close tank, blowing it up. Rotating forward like this will always have the tank up close by the time it enters your screen.

 

I have never figured out if there are advantages to forward-right rotation over my arbitrarily chosen forward-left rotation. Likewise I'm not sure if backwards-left/right rotation works well in the snow, but it seems more dangerous because it can leave a missile on your screen homing in on you by rotating backwards.

 

There are some games where I get hit with snow and fog a lot, but one game I got mostly daylight the majority of days, which was a nice treat. Not sure if the A and B switches do anything.

 

I suspect nobody has ever beaten this game.

[ZylonBane]

Hey, thanks for quoting an entire page full of text after a one-line post. I totally wouldn't have known what you were talking about if you hadn't done that.

[lemoncurry]

Could be worse, be glad he had no 20+ line sig!