HSC Season 4 Week 44: Wall Ball

[Ze_ro]

Important Note: This week's competition is over and no further scores will be accepted.

 

You are sitting at home waiting to hit the squash courts and the phone rings....It's Tim your workout buddy, seems he is canceling again. What now??? You tried going solo but without a gym membership of your own you have to hit the public courts and it just started to rain.... looks like another day of Giligans Island re-runs for you, THIS IS NO WAY TO SPEND YOUR WEEKEND

 

UNTIL NOW!!!!

 

Wall Ball the exciting game brought to you by Avalon Hill and Sports Illustrated can replicate that indoor gym feeling right in your own living room and you won't even need an icepack when you are through with this work out. Exciting non stop action that feels like you are right there in the game. Challenging enough for the pro's but easy enough for the whole family.....but be careful who you show....you may never get a turn....

 

Remember this game has made the grade for Sports Illustrated to put there name on it and if they don't know sports then no one does..... WALL BALL the game that never cancels a workout...pick up your copy today and WE will see YOU on the courts

 

(Thanks Crazy Climber!)

 

Game Information

• Game Name: Wall Ball
  
• Released By: Avalon Hill, 1983
  
• Left Difficulty: B / Novice
  
• Right Difficulty: B / Novice
  
• Game Mode: Game 1
  
• Chosen By: gamme
  

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 is Thursday, March 8th at 1:30 AM (CST).

 

If you want to suggest a game for future weeks, please send me a private message and let me know! I will add your game to the list. One one game per person will be kept on the list, so you will not be able to suggest a game until your first game is played!

 

Anyone can play! Just post a score and I'll add you to the list! Please read the Rules & Information if you haven't already done so!

 

Current High Scores

1. 26,156 (johnnywc) [+11]
   
2. 22,231 (Nathan Strum) [+10]
   
3. 17,786 (SpiceWare) [+9]
   
4. 16,814 (Deteacher) [+8]
   
5. 6760 (Rom Hunter) [+7]
   
6. 203 (Goochman) [+6]
   
7. 185 (rheffera) [+5]
   
8. 172 (Crazy Climber) [+4]
   
9. 144 (vdub_bobby) [+3]
   
10. 97 (ewing92) [+2]
    

Best Tips

• Nathan Strum [+2]
  

Bounties and Challenges

• Write an exciting intro for this game and get 1 bonus point!
  • Crazy Climber [+1]
    

TwinGalaxies Top 3

(Game 1, Difficulty B)

1. No scores listed!
   

Current Standings

1. Rom Hunter [455]
2. SpiceWare [322]
3. Deteacher [271]
4. keilbaca [175]
5. LarcenTyler [166]
6. vdub_bobby [158]
7. rheffera [128]
8. scogey [90]
9. Nathan Strum [89]
10. Goochman [88]
11. the 5th ghost [87]
12. JacobZu7zu7 [80]
13. BrianC [78]
14. Cybergoth [73]
15. shadow460 [72]
16. shawnb [71]
17. Christophero Sly [70]
18. atari2600land [70]
19. Malc74 [63]
20. Zoyx [49]
21. Recycled [46]
22. johnnywc [44]
23. theKLT [37]
24. SeaGtGruff [36]
25. 128bytes [34]
26. Jred [26]
27. doctorclu [22]
28. phaxda [21]

• Crazy Climber [21]
• Captain Beard [20]
• Lord Helmet [19]
• RJ [19]
• mojofltr [17]
• ewing92 [15]
• Random Terrain [15]
• Lord Thag [15]
• rjchamp3 [11]
• ResOGlas [11]
• Thomas Jentzsch [11]
• Shannon [11]
• accousticguitar [10]
• jonfin826 [10]
• MickG [9]
• Gabriel [8]
• Hiryu [7]
• Shroo-man [6]
• LS_Dracon [6]
• supercat [5]
• Mindcircus [5]
• madbutscher [4]
• mightymage [2]
• Biter [2]
• D. Yancey [2]
• Omegamatrix [1]
• fire!fire! [1]
• Dan Iacovelli [1]

Scoring Points in Wall Ball

• Scoring for this game is somewhat complicated, see page 6 and page 7 of the manual for details.
  

Hints and Tips

As always, you really should read the manual. In case you don't own the manual for this game, AtariAge has a scanned copy of it available online. The manual doesn't provide any direct hints, but describes some of the features of this game that you may not have known about!

* Try to keep the ball within your square (paddle) as it moves around the playfield. Don't try to put your paddle where you think the ball is going to be, since it's difficult to tell exactly how far away it is.

 

* Use the Smash button. A lot. It slows the ball down, and stops it from bouncing wildly around. The manual points out you can use this to clear out rows, by carefully angling the ball off the edges of the paddle. This works much better than just trying to follow the ball around haphazardly. Pick a row, clear it out, then move onto another. The approach I use is to change directions with each row I clear. For example: horizontal, then vertical, then horizontal, etc., since I have to switch direction to move to another row anyway.

 

* When you do change directions, try to change in 90° angles (using the Smash button and hitting the middle edges of the paddle). This keeps you more in control of where the ball is going.

 

* Watch out for serves! The ball will be on top of you before you know it. You'll probably lose more turns to serves than anything else, since they can catch you off guard (especially with bad bounces that happen right near you).

 

* The manual is a little hard to decipher, but every 4th wave is an "eliminator" wave, where you have only a handful of lives, and the ball moves super fast. These are always shown as "level 9". You can score a ton of points on these, if you survive. Use the Smash button here to keep control of the ball as much as possible. The bricks will move around, so you don't have to aim as much as on the other levels.

 

* Serves will usually recur near the same place. So if you miss a serve, just watch where the last one went, and place your paddle there. You should get close enough this way to hit the next one.

My only tip is for the eliminator round. Before you even start the round, HOLD DOWN THE FIRE BUTTON! Don't let go of it. If you're lucky enough to hit first ball on the serve, you'll smash it straight down. Keep the button down and keep smashing the ball straight down. You won't score any more points, but it'll allow you to think about where you want to place your next shot. You can adjust your paddle while holding the button down. Finally, when you're ready to place your next shot, let go of the button. As soon as the ball hits your paddle, hold the button down again and repeat the process over and over. Hope it helps!

 

--Zero

[+Nathan Strum]

What level?

 

The game will start at the level # that happens to be onscreen while the demo is running. Hit Reset then Fire to start on Level 1.

 

Man... this game really needed a little extra development time. They should have either added a shadow under the ball, or had it change color as it got closer to you so you could tell how far away it was. The controls seem really twitchy and imprecise, too. Once you get into it a little, it's kinda fun. But you have to use strategy, more than reflexes.

 

That said, here are the first tips I could come up with:

• Try to keep the ball within your square (paddle) as it moves around the playfield. Don't try to put your paddle where you think the ball is going to be, since it's difficult to tell exactly how far away it is.
  
• Use the Smash button. A lot. It slows the ball down, and stops it from bouncing wildly around. The manual points out you can use this to clear out rows, by carefully angling the ball off the edges of the paddle. This works much better than just trying to follow the ball around haphazardly. Pick a row, clear it out, then move onto another. The approach I use is to change directions with each row I clear. For example: horizontal, then vertical, then horizontal, etc., since I have to switch direction to move to another row anyway.
  
• When you do change directions, try to change in 90° angles (using the Smash button and hitting the middle edges of the paddle). This keeps you more in control of where the ball is going.
  
• Watch out for serves! The ball will be on top of you before you know it. You'll probably lose more turns to serves than anything else, since they can catch you off guard (especially with bad bounces that happen right near you).
  
• The manual is a little hard to decipher, but every 4th wave is an "eliminator" wave, where you have only a handful of lives, and the ball moves super fast. These are always shown as "level 9". You can score a ton of points on these, if you survive. Use the Smash button here to keep control of the ball as much as possible. The bricks will move around, so you don't have to aim as much as on the other levels.
  
• Serves will usually recur near the same place. So if you miss a serve, just watch where the last one went, and place your paddle there. You should get close enough this way to hit the next one.
  

On the off-chance we're starting at Level 1:

 

22,231

Edited March 2, 2007 by Nathan Strum

[ewing92]

i dont understand, either this game is worst game i ever played in my life, or i am doing something wrong :L, it seems for hitting the ball back(which is crazy hard to do since you dont know when it will hit you) you only get like 2 or 3 points, how do you have 22,000?

 

i seriously think this game is trash, like something that should be burned, stomped on, and burned again, and then bashed in with a sledge hammer, while giving it to some kids so they can use as a pinata at their birthday party. Then bury it along with the e.t. carts in the new mexico landfill. No better yet, it isnt worth it, so just pour gasoline to top it all off, and then set it ablaze and THEN bury the ashes under the shed of your back yard, so that it will never be found again. Ahh, well that's what i think of this game in a nutshell, and im not even mad at this game lol, it is just plain horrible, well...until i fell like torturing myself again, here is my score....

 

Score:51

 

oh, i see, thanks nathan

 

i still hate this game

 

time for an edit! An add-on to my review(this time an actual review)....

 

okay, well i decided to try to get to the the elimination thing, soi played it for 30 minutes, 30 fuckin minutes of pain and torture, literally, for those 30 minutes, i would have had a much more enjoyable time if someone were ripping my fingernails off, or running my head over with a lawn mower. And do you know something, i got to level 2, level fuckin 2, with 97 points and well, what do you know, no elimination round for me, because i got too fed up with this abomination and exited it out. The ball moves faster than you can move the thing, and it would be easier if the frame rate wasn't so slow, and then, well you still a.)end up missing the ball or b.)hitting the ball and it running inot a place where there were no blocks at too break. And the sound it makes when you lose, god DAMN that is the worse noise i ever heard in my life, i was seriously playing this game in the silence with the volume turned all the way down.And it shows up to a 100,000th place on the score, it's kind of like a big fuck you, "look you bought the game, but you know what bitch! i dont like you so i am gonna tease you and make you think that you can get to 100,000(heaven forbid 999,999) points!!!!!!" You really cant tell weather yo hit the ball or not until it disappears or gets smaller.

 

so yeah.......my grand review....

 

new score:97

Edited March 3, 2007 by ewing92

[+Nathan Strum]

You have to get to one of the "eliminator" levels. If you look at the scoring chart on pages 6 and 7 of the manual, you'll see you get 1300 points per hit on those levels.

 

I only got up to the fourth level. But since that's an "eliminator" level, I was able to score a bunch of points with relatively few hits. Before I got to that level, my score only read a couple of hundred points. At first, I couldn't figure out why my score jumped so high, then I re-read the manual, and figured out what was going on.

[Ze_ro]

What level?

Level 1. Sorry about the delay... work has been exhausting lately. I get home, and all I want to do is go to sleep I have to work through the weekend too, but I'll try to get the scores updated tomorrow anyways.

 

I'm not feeling very creative tonight, so if someone can come up with a good intro, there's a bonus point available.

 

--Zero

[+Nathan Strum]

I can commiserate. I've been using the HSC to get my mind off of work lately. Another couple of months though, and things will finally let up.

 

Thanks for taking the time to keep the HSC going!

Edited March 3, 2007 by Nathan Strum

[+Nathan Strum]

I'm not feeling very creative tonight, so if someone can come up with a good intro, there's a bonus point available.

Define "good".

 

(This is in the vein of a cheesy early 80's video game commercial)

 

Narrator: "Hey kids, look! Avalon Hill has a new game, that's just like Breakout, but without all the fun! Everyone will love Wall Ball, because it makes all of your other 2600 games look so much better!"

(video of player hopelessly missing several serves in a row)

Narrator: "Sis loves Wall Ball!"

Sis: "Wow! Pac-Man was never so much fun, after playing Wall Ball!"

Narrator: "Billy loves Wall Ball!"

Billy: "Wall Ball is awesome!! Falling into the pits in E.T. is way more fun than trying to hit that stupid ball!"

Narrator: "Even Mom and Dad love Wall Ball!"

Mom and Dad: "Thanks Wall Ball! Even Skeet Shoot is fun now! ... Well, no... actually, it's not. Nothing can help that game. There's 30 bucks we'll never see again."

Narrator: "Yes it's Wall Ball, from Avalon Hill! If Milton Bradley can make games for the Atari, so can we!"

[Deteacher]

Nathan, that description gets my vote! How hillarious!

 

I managed to get a couple games of Phaoroh's Curse in (never submitted a score because it wasn't worth submitting.) I thought "man, this game really needed some work before releasing."

 

Then I played Wall Ball...I thought since London Blitz was so great, this would be fun...UGH! This game REALLY sucks. I'll submit a score, only so I don't go 2 weeks without submitting a score, but I don't see myself investing any real time on this one. I'm crossing my fingers for a better game next week.

[Crazy Climber]

I have never been a fan of Wall Ball but thats how it goes sometimes...to quote bad santa...they can't all be winners now can they kid

[+SpiceWare]

17,786

[Crazy Climber]

I'll give it another shot here....

 

You are sitting at home waiting to hit the squash courts and the phone rings....It's Tim your workout buddy, seems he is canceling again. What now???

You tried going solo but without a gym membership of your own you have to hit the public courts and it just started to rain....looks like another day of Giligans Island re-runs for you, THIS IS NO WAY TO SPEND YOUR WEEKEND

 

UNTIL NOW!!!!

 

Wall Ball the exciting game brought to you by Avalon Hill and Sports Illustrated can replicate that indoor gym feeling right in your own living room and you won't even need an icepack when you are through with this work out. Exciting non stop action that feels like you are right there in the game. Challenging enough for the pro's but easy enough for the whole family.....but be careful who you show....you may never get a turn....

Remember this game has made the grade for Sports Illustrated to put there name on it and if they don't know sports then no one does.....

WALL BALL the game that never cancels a workout...pick up your copy today and WE will see YOU on the courts

[+Nathan Strum]

That sounds too good for the game.

[Crazy Climber]

That sounds too good for the game.

LOL

You got that right.

[Deteacher]

Ok, 14,660. I don't know how much I'll be able to improve on that, but at least it's something.

[Deteacher]

Ok, 14,660. I don't know how much I'll be able to improve on that, but at least it's something.

[Crazy Climber]

This is totally a "Marathon Session" game. You need a lot of time to score well on this one

[ewing92]

lol, i know, this takes FOREVER to get points, so i just got frustrated with it and said secrew it, the good thing tho is im still in 4th place with my 90 some points lol

[Crazy Climber]

I hate that once you finally get in the groove and learn how to hit the ball that it still takes forever to clear a stage since you will keep hitting the same areas that you have already hit...over and over again. It's too hard to aim the ball accuratly, at least for me it is. Very frusterating little piece of crap if you ask me I am going to try and set aside a morning to plug away at this thing and rack up a "worthy of posting" score

[+johnnywc]

Interesting game - kind of like Raquetball (one of my favs)...

 

After a few tries: 26,156

 

[vdub_bobby]

99 balls is too many.

 

144

[Crazy Climber]

I got 172 today but it is pretty much because I ran out of time. Hopefully I can find a few hours to post a worthy score but for now thats my best

[Ze_ro]

Narrator: "Hey kids, look! Avalon Hill has a new game, that's just like Breakout, but without all the fun! Everyone will love Wall Ball, because it makes all of your other 2600 games look so much better!"

You are sitting at home waiting to hit the squash courts and the phone rings....It's Tim your workout buddy, seems he is canceling again. What now???

Sorry Nathan, but I'm going to go with Crazy Climber's description here... although I have to admit, I almost gave it to ewing92 for his "30 fuckin minutes of pain and torture" description

 

Oh, and scores updated. Sorry for the delay.

 

--Zero

[Deteacher]

16,814. A minor improvement. I might try once more before the game closes out.

 

My only tip is for the eliminator round. Before you even start the round, HOLD DOWN THE FIRE BUTTON! Don't let go of it. If you're lucky enough to hit first ball on the serve, you'll smash it straight down. Keep the button down and keep smashing the ball straight down. You won't score any more points, but it'll allow you to think about where you want to place your next shot. You can adjust your paddle while holding the button down. Finally, when you're ready to place your next shot, let go of the button. As soon as the ball hits your paddle, hold the button down again and repeat the process over and over. Hope it helps!

[Rom Hunter]

 

...

 

Edited March 7, 2007 by Rom Hunter

[Goochman]

203 - barf..............