HSC Season 4 Week 58: Strat-O-Gems Deluxe

[Ze_ro]

Important Note: This weeks competition is over and no further scores will be accepted.

 

Colored gems are falling from the top of the screen in groups of three! You must line up three or more adjacent gems of the same color line up vertically, horizontally, or diagonally so they will disappear. Any gems above them will then fall down, potentially leading to chain reactions. Your must score as many reactions and chain reactions as possible before the gems reach the foul line. If any gems remain over the foul line after all reactions are complete, the entire earth will explode!

 

If you don't have this game yet, I encourage you to buy it from the AtariAge store! Please help support the homebrew community!

 

Game Information

• Game Name: Strat-O-Gems Deluxe
  
• Released By: John Payson, 2005
  
• Left Difficulty: B / Novice
  
• Right Difficulty: B / Novice
  
• Game Mode: Game 1
  
• Chosen By: atari2600land
  

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, June 14th 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! (Please note that due to time constraints, I very rarely reply to private messages... but I do read them all!)

 

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. 74,635 (atari2600land) [+11]
   
2. 38,500 (toymailman) [+10]
   
3. 32,355 (Nathan Strum) [+9]
   
4. 24,285 (SpiceWare) [+8]
   
5. 20,830 (godzillajoe) [+7]
   
6. 19,085 (Deteacher) [+6]
   
7. 12,565 (gospeedde) [+5]
   
8. 12,440 (LarcenTyler) [+4]
   
9. 8835 (Captain Beard) [+3]
   

Best Tips

• Nathan Strum [+2]
  

Bounties and Challenges

• None yet posted
  

TwinGalaxies Top 3

(Standard, Difficulty B)

1. 34,795 (Tom Duncan)
   

Current Standings

(Note: These scores reflect the standing as of the beginning of this week, and do not include points scored from this game.)

1. Rom Hunter - 533
2. SpiceWare - 395
3. Deteacher - 393
4. LarcenTyler - 202
5. Nathan Strum - 185
6. vdub_bobby - 185
7. rheffera - 182
8. keilbaca - 175
9. johnnywc - 156
10. Goochman - 146
11. scogey - 122
12. the 5th ghost - 98
13. Cybergoth - 93
14. shadow460 - 92
15. JacobZu7zu7 - 80
16. BrianC - 78
17. Recycled - 76
18. atari2600land - 74
19. shawnb - 71
20. Christophero Sly - 70
21. The MindMaster - 67
22. Captain Beard - 67
23. Zoyx - 66
24. Malc74 - 63
25. theKLT - 37
26. SeaGtGruff - 36
27. Crazy Climber - 36
28. 128bytes - 34
29. ewing92 - 32
30. Jred - 26
31. RJ - 24
32. doctorclu - 22
33. phaxda - 21

• toymailman - 21
• Lord Helmet - 18
• Thomas Jentzsch - 17
• Krytol - 17
• mojofltr - 17
• Mindcircus - 16
• Random Terrain - 15
• Lord Thag - 15
• rjchamp3 - 11
• ResOGlas - 11
• Nognir - 11
• Shannon - 11
• godzillajoe - 10
• accousticguitar - 10
• jonfin826 - 10
• Omegamatrix - 9
• MickG - 9
• Gabriel - 8
• Hiryu - 7
• Shroo-man - 6
• LS_Dracon - 6
• Zeptari1 - 6
• supercat - 5
• GamerInThailand - 5
• JimboGames - 4
• madbutscher - 4
• oldric - 3
• Biter - 2
• mightymage - 2
• aofl - 2
• D. Yancey - 2
• fire!fire! - 1
• Dan Iacovelli - 1

Scoring Points in Strat-O-Gems Deluxe

• Coming Soon
  

Hints and Tips

As always, you really should read the manual. I'm not currently aware of any online copies of the manual.

Keep the board clear. Instead of trying to set up elaborate combos (although they can score high points) when the game gets going fast it becomes more survival than strategy. So you need to have as much of the board clear as possible, to have some time to react. If you keep the board clear from as early on as you can, you don't have to work at it to get it back down to the bottom again (think "Tetris").

 

Also, when you drop the last piece of a level - don't automatically use it to take out the most pieces of a given color (for example - if you have a lot of green pieces left). Instead, give the board a quick look and see which color is in the way of the most potential combos, and take that color out instead. You'll clear a lot more pieces out that way, and it will give you a nice head-start on the next level.

 

Finally, use the instant replays to your advantage. They'll give you a little extra time to prepare for the next piece, and you get a second look at the board before you have to start playing again.

 

--Zero

[toymailman]

I went with Game #1 with both on B/Novice.

 

The game got fast after completing the first few levels. My score so far: 18,415

 

[+atari2600land]

My first score for this week: 59990. I almost got 60,000, but I just couldn't do it! Argh!

[+atari2600land]

My new score : 74,635! C'mon, people, play this game! It's fun!

[Lauren Tyler]

12,440

[+SpiceWare]

been sidetracked playing Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters my new PSP.

[godzillajoe]

20,830 as a first score. Great game. Gets really tough.

[Deteacher]

19,085. Don't know how much time I'll have for another game this week. I'll try to better my score, though. GREAT GAME, BTW.

[+SpiceWare]

24,285

 

Fun game. I really like the use of the AtariVox - instant replays, speech, etc.

Edited June 9, 2007 by SpiceWare

[toymailman]

My new best: 26,180 38,500

 

Edited June 10, 2007 by toymailman

[+Nathan Strum]

I've been sidetracked for a few weeks with a bunch of stuff. Not sure when I'll get back to the HSC, but I'll see if I can slip in a score this week.

[+atari2600land]

A little mistake in the explanation: I chose this game, not Esplin. And, another little mistake: If you get the gems over the foul line, the earth doesn't really explode.

[gospeedde]

I got 12,565. Not much time to play this week.

[Captain Beard]

Best I've managed is a measly 8835.

 

I'd like to say the reason is that I was out-of-town for most of this week's contest, but honestly, this game's HARD!

I don't think the extra days would've helped me much.

 

Can I count my wife's score? She's much better than I am...

[+SpiceWare]

Sounds like your wife needs her own Atari Age account

[Captain Beard]

Sounds like your wife needs her own Atari Age account

Yeah, but then she wouldn't be able to make fun of me for having one anymore

[+Nathan Strum]

Best I can muster after a handful of attempts.

 

32,355

 

 

Hmmm... no tips yet?

 

Here's mine: Keep the board clear. Instead of trying to set up elaborate combos (although they can score high points) when the game gets going fast it becomes more survival than strategy. So you need to have as much of the board clear as possible, to have some time to react. If you keep the board clear from as early on as you can, you don't have to work at it to get it back down to the bottom again (think "Tetris").

 

Also, when you drop the last piece of a level - don't automatically use it to take out the most pieces of a given color (for example - if you have a lot of green pieces left). Instead, give the board a quick look and see which color is in the way of the most potential combos, and take that color out instead. You'll clear a lot more pieces out that way, and it will give you a nice head-start on the next level.

 

Finally, use the instant replays to your advantage. They'll give you a little extra time to prepare for the next piece, and you get a second look at the board before you have to start playing again.

Edited June 14, 2007 by Nathan Strum

[supercat]

Too bad I didn't notice earlier that this game was chosen. A few comments:

 

-1- The instant replays are nice for those with an AtariVox/MemCard. Not sure the intermissions are so nice for those without such devices. I would have suggested that difficulty settings should be "gamer's choice". No biggie, though.

 

-2- I usually start up a few levels. Level 1 takes a long time, and doesn't tend to score all that many points. Starting at a lower level is probably advantageous to one's score, but starting at a higher level is more fun.

 

-3- I don't remember what my high score is (maybe I'll have to haul out my AtariVox) but I'm curious as to the best combo people have gotten. I don't think I've gotten above a six-deep combo, but my nephew got a seven. Not while I was around, but thanks to the AtariVox I know he wasn't joking.

[+Nathan Strum]

I think my best combo is 5 deep, but I may have gotten that one before I had the AtariVox. Not sure what the one currently saved one is. And actually, the score on my AtariVox is higher than what I was able to do this week, but I didn't think I should submit that one.

 

By the way, is there a way to clear out the high score?

[supercat]

By the way, is there a way to clear out the high score?

 

There is a way given in the instruction manual. I believe you push and hold SELECT while starting the cart to get to the menu (maybe it's RESET), then pull down, push and hold fire, release down, push and hold SELECT and RESET, and then release fire. I didn't want anyone to hit that combo by mistake. The system will beep if you do it right.