Jump to content
IGNORED

HSC Season 2 Week 25: Solar Storm


Ze_ro

Recommended Posts

Important note: This weeks competition is over. If you still wish to discuss this game, then feel free to do so, but no further scores will be accepted. Thanks to everyone for all their contributions! Please join in on the latest High Score Club competition!

 

You're strapped in your laser ship, battling fierce Deltoids and Shields. They approach in waves, at faster and faster speeds. Each raider can shoot a single flash of proton energy that comes at you like a lightning bolt. There's no time to waste. And no place to hide. Then, as you carry on the defense, things get much worse. A far-off sun explodes! Fragments from the cataclysm come raining down. Keep moving! Blast almost everything you see! If you don't, heat from the solar debris can destroy your planet. If you prevail, you can move out to the edge of space and attack your foes. Sweet revenge! This week's game is Solar Storm!

 

Game Information

  • Game Name: Solar Storm
  • Released By: Imagic, 1983
  • Left Difficulty: No Effect
  • Right Difficulty: No Effect
  • Game Mode: Game 1 - 1 Player
  • Chosen By: Malc74

Post your scores right here in this thread, and I will add them to the list. Remember to play the game with the recommended game mode and difficulty settings as shown above so that your scores will be consistent with everyone elses. The deadline for posting scores will be approximately Tuesday, July 12th at 1:30 AM (CST). In case you haven't already done so, please read the High Score Club rules. There is other useful information contained in that previous link, including a list of previous High Score Club games!

 

As before, next week's game will be chosen by the next person in the member list, which happens to be chubsta! Please send me a private message with your choice of game for next week!

 

If you are not a member of the High Score Club, but would like to be, then all you have to do is post a score for this week's game, and I'll add you to the list!

 

Current High Scores

  1. goldfuji.gif10,000 (the 5th ghost) [+11]
  2. silverfuji.gif7005 (StanJr) [+10]
  3. bronzefuji.gif5405 (SpiceWare) [+9]
  4. 3770 (khryssun) [+8]
  5. 3305 (xeex) [+7]
  6. 3170 (Malc74) [+6]
  7. 2280 (vgcollector666) [+5]
  8. 1885 (Xebec's Demise) [+4]
  9. 1365 (Keir) [+3]
  10. 1260 (shadow460) [+2]
  11. 1255 (keilbaca) [+1]
    1255 (davepesc) [+1]
  12. 1240 (scogey) [+1]
  13. 1065 (gospeedde) [+1]
  14. 895 (LarcenTyler) [+1]
  15. 840 (Mad Scientist) [+1]
  16. 465 (vdub_bobby) [+1]

Best Tips

  • ribbon.gifMalc74 [+2]

Bounties and Challenges

  • None yet

Current Standings

  1. StanJr [213]
  2. keilbaca [179]
  3. the 5th ghost [171]
  4. Osbo [112]
  5. SpiceWare [95]
  6. Malc74 [83]
  7. sku_u [71]
  8. vdub_bobby [69]
  9. gospeedde [55]
  10. khryssun [53]
  11. Fellow Atari Man [53]
  12. video game addict [49]
  13. KaeruYojimbo [47]
  14. LarcenTyler [45]
  15. Christophero Sly [41]
  16. Numan [39]
  17. Robert M [39]
  18. Mad Scientist [38]
  19. xeex [34]
  20. Cybergoth [34]
  21. Keir [33]
  22. Lord Thag [33]
  23. Goochman [31]
  24. racer raul [29]
  25. Blackjack [28]
  26. chrisbid [28]
  27. Philflound [27]
  28. panda_racer [26]
  29. pitfallaimee [24]
  30. davepesc [24]
  31. Dones [24]
  32. Lord Helmet [21]
  33. Dan Iacovelli [20]
  34. mikeftrevino [18]
  • chubsta [17]
  • scogey [16]
  • cyberneticimplant [15]
  • yuppicide [15]
  • candiru [14]
  • cvga [13]
  • Omegamatrix [9]
  • Thomas Jentzsch [9]
  • adams_ale [6]
  • Luigi301 [5]
  • Gamemaster_ca_2003 [5]
  • Bubbledragon [4]
  • BydoEmpire [3]
  • kemsted [3]
  • Stingray [3]
  • 128bytes [2]
  • Voch [2]
  • Xebec's Demise [2]
  • bjk7382 [2]
  • iguana [2]
  • Damon Plus [2]
  • Kepone [2]
  • neotokeo2001 [1]
  • Chris++ [1]
  • bmlbytes [1]
  • vgcollector666 [1]
  • moycon [1]
  • chadtower [1]
  • awsomo3000 [1]
  • madbutscher [1]
  • Scooterb23 [1]
  • internetotaku [1]
  • Gateway [1]

Member List

    chubsta, Keir, Philflound, candiru, kemsted, keilbaca, Cybergoth, sku_u, Chris++, cvga, LarcenTyler, 128bytes, Goochman, mikeftrevino, StanJr, Osbo, Numan, vdub_bobby, Dones, Gamemaster_ca_2003, awsomo3000, Voch, Stingray, scogey, Bubbledragon, video game addict, pitfallaimee, Blackjack, racer raul, SpiceWare, Robert M, Lord Helmet, Lord Thag, Mad Scientist, Dan Iacovelli, iguana, Luigi301, Gateway, Damon Plus, gospeedde, Kepone, internetotaku, panda_racer, KaeruYojimbo, cyberneticimplant, bjk7382, davepesc, neotokeo2001, xeex, bmlbytes, Omegamatrix, the 5th ghost, Xebec's Demise, khryssun, vgcollector666, chadtower, moycon, Malc74, shadow460

Scoring Points in Solar Storm

  • Each SUN SPOT hit: 5 points
  • Each DELTOID or SHIELD BLASTER or LANDER hit: 10 points
  • Each SOLAR FLARE hit: 20 points
  • Each SIZZLOID hit: 50 points
  • Each FLEET SHIP hit (from orbital platform): 10 points

Hints and Tips

As always, you really should read the manual.

 

What's that? You don't have the manual? Well, luckily for you, AtariAge has a typed copy of it online for your reading pleasure. In case you're too lazy to click on that link to get the tips, here's what the manual has for you:


     
  • Remember, Deltoid and Shield Blasters can each fire at you only once. Try to wait until they take their shots before moving your laser into firing position.
     
  • When you hit a Sizzloid the whole screen is cleared. In later stages of the game you can avoid the dangers of many falling targets by waiting until the last possible second to hit a Sizzloid.
     

Hit the "kill all" enemies as much as possible. That and there is a rhythm to hitting both ships on the same pass in the bonus round. You'll have to predict the approach of the ships and shoot a split second early, but you CAN hit one on its approach and the other on its way out.
Tips -

 

As far as I can tell, with the early spaceship levels only every second ship actually fires, and each can only fire once. Use this knowledge to plan when to dart underneath a ship and fire.

 

With the sunspot levels (the ones that move back and forward across the screen as they descend) don't panic! Stay around the centre of the screen and blast them as they pass. Moving around too much will likely end up with you being hit by a sunspot when it gets lower. With the really fast sunspot levels I usually just wiggle my ship in the centre of the screen and blast like crazy - if you don't get the sunspots you'll usually take out a sizzloid which acts like a smart bomb.

 

Bear in mind that you're trying to prevent your planet from overheating, as well as avoiding the baddies. Each bad guy contributes a different amount of heat, with sunspots being the lowest, the space ships next, solar flares (the yellow ones) next and sizzloids being the worst of all. If you let more than a couple of sizzloids through they'll heat up your planet big time. Remember - you can have loads of lives and still lose the game if your planet overheats!

 

If there are a few enemies on screen at the same time and one of them is a sizzloid, always go for the sizzloid and everything else will be blasted when you hit it.

 

As Stan has mentioned, it's possible in the bonus round to blast both ships in the same pass - it's takes a little practise but with time you'll be able to get an extra life every time. I usually blast the top one as it comes in and quickly spin the dial and catch the bottom one on the way out - it's all about timing and it'll come naturally eventually.

As far as the tip given about every other ship shooting, that's only true in the early stages. After awhile, they all will shoot.
When I used to play the REAL version of Solar Storm, I found that you could shoot the left or right side of the enemy ships and avoid their laser fire.
You really need to keep moving back and forth to avoid the laser blasts. It seems that if you move in on a ship, fire, and then immediately move away, they don't get a chance to target you.

 

Good luck everyone!

 

--Ze_ro

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great,

 

I never played this game before but it uses Paddles.... :D

 

We have one week to have our hands repaired from the damages caused by an intensive play of The empire Strikes Back.

 

I'am pretty sure The 5th Ghost will agree, even if he has steel hands... I know he'll understand ;)

Edited by khryssun
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This was the first Atari 2600 game I ever bought! Being young and a bit naive I had no idea it used paddles - when I got it home and plugged it in I wondered why I couldn't control the ship with the joystick! It took me about a year to find paddles, because by that point (around 1985) most stores in Britain had gotten rid of Atari stuff in favour of home computers.

 

I picked it, not because I'm any good at it, but because I think it's a really challenging game and I'm interested to see how my scores will improve over the week (and I'm interested to see how high some of the really good players (Stan, Keilbaca, Ghosty, etc.) score at it).

 

Of course, because I have the PAL version I'm stuck (as usual) with emulation. I had a look through my meagre NTSC collection but most of the games I own have already been picked, and nothing else I have really stands out as HSC fare.

 

Ironically, the week I finally get to pick a HSC game (my first time ever!) is the week I have to work extra hours at work. Hopefully I can squeeze quite a few games in when I actually have time off, because I really like this game.

Anyway, enjoy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow. My previous personal best 2850, but I just sat down and in three games managed a score of 4350! Probably the best I will be able to do this week.

 

Anybody got any good tips for this one? Best I can come up with is hit the "kill all" enemies as much as possible. That and there is a rhythm to hitting both ships on the same pass in the bonus round. You'll have to predict the approach of the ships and shoot a split second early, but you CAN hit one on its approach and the other on its way out.

 

Great game. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I just blew my personal best score out of the water! 3170 is the latest.

 

@Stan - great score!

 

Tips -

 

As far as I can tell, with the early spaceship levels only every second ship actually fires, and each can only fire once. Use this knowledge to plan when to dart underneath a ship and fire.

 

With the sunspot levels (the ones that move back and forward across the screen as they descend) don't panic! Stay around the centre of the screen and blast them as they pass. Moving around too much will likely end up with you being hit by a sunspot when it gets lower. With the really fast sunspot levels I usually just wiggle my ship in the centre of the screen and blast like crazy - if you don't get the sunspots you'll usually take out a sizzloid which acts like a smart bomb.

 

Bear in mind that you're trying to prevent your planet from overheating, as well as avoiding the baddies. Each bad guy contributes a different amount of heat, with sunspots being the lowest, the space ships next, solar flares (the yellow ones) next and sizzloids being the worst of all. If you let more than a couple of sizzloids through they'll heat up your planet big time. Remember - you can have loads of lives and still lose the game if your planet overheats!

 

If there are a few enemies on screen at the same time and one of them is a sizzloid, always go for the sizzloid and everything else will be blasted when you hit it.

 

As Stan has mentioned, it's possible in the bonus round to blast both ships in the same pass - it's takes a little practise but with time you'll be able to get an extra life every time. I usually blast the top one as it comes in and quickly spin the dial and catch the bottom one on the way out - it's all about timing and it'll come naturally eventually.

post-4591-1120616874_thumb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL! :D :D

 

Ok, I know that it's no secret that Imagic used Star Wars model kits (among other things) for their box art: Star Voyager, Subterranea for examples. What I didn't know, until just now, is that Solar Storm was no exception!

 

Look closely, and you'll discover a Darth Vader Tie Fighter wing :D :D

 

Plus, I know there's something going on with that flight helmet, just can't figure it out yet ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I used to play the REAL version of Solar Storm, I found that you could shoot the left or right side of the enemy ships and avoid their laser fire.

 

There's a ROM download on the main Atari Age site. I don't know what that anal thing is, but it sure isn't the Solar Storm I know and love.

 

I failed to hit 1000 points. As you can see, a game that was once great for stress relief has served only to annoy me.

Edited by shadow460
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...