HSC Season 5 Week 6: Bank Heist

[PressureCooker2600]

$18168

 

Keep on truckin'......

[Impaler_26]

A bit better.

 

$8,693.

Edited October 18, 2007 by Impaler_26

[+SpiceWare]

20,021 for my second game!

[PressureCooker2600]

Damn....tough competition this week, already. I'm gonna have to work my mojo overtime now.

[Blackjack]

Getting Better

 

14.145

[Captain Beard]

I wanted to beat my personal best before I posted a score and I just did:

$24,204 (beating my previous best of 19,000-something.)

 

Great game. Heckuva season so far.

[+SpiceWare]

$31,909

[toymailman]

I got to a point where the delay is completely gone. I used up all my cars on the previous level just to get by it, then I had nothing left. This level truly seems impossible to get by.

 

$71,428

 

[homerwannabee]

I got to a point where the delay is completely gone. I used up all my cars on the previous level just to get by it, then I had nothing left. This level truly seems impossible to get by.

 

$71,428

 

Hmm, Although it is impossible at a certain point. Something tells me it is still possible to get to $100,000 by picking up as many points along the way. It would be interesting to see what happens when it hits $100,000.

[Deteacher]

Toy, I have a suggestion for you, if you try for the 100K. I don't know if you've tried it or not, but can you lay down a stick of dynamite at the same time you rob a bank? Would the explosion kill the cop just as it 'materializes' and allow you to get away?

 

I know I won't reach that point, but maybe that might help. I'm sure if I had the actual cart, I could improve on my score. I'll keep trying, though.

[toymailman]

Toy, I have a suggestion for you, if you try for the 100K. I don't know if you've tried it or not, but can you lay down a stick of dynamite at the same time you rob a bank? Would the explosion kill the cop just as it 'materializes' and allow you to get away?

 

I know I won't reach that point, but maybe that might help. I'm sure if I had the actual cart, I could improve on my score. I'll keep trying, though.

Thanks 'teach, I will try it.

 

Also, when I read the manual it seems to imply that there are only 8 levels to this game. It is in the section talking about the bonus points. I wonder what happens after level 8. Does it stay on level 8, revert back to level 1, end? I was on level 8 when I got my high scores. The end screen toggles between your score and FoxGamesX, where X is the level you died on.

[Phantom]

When does this week and each week end?

Sundays? Mondays?

is it the same and exactly one week each time or no?

[theking21083]

They end on Wednesday morning.

[theking21083]

$5,230 this is obviously not a game that I am good at.

[rheffera]

$10,050 so far.

[+SpiceWare]

$62,184

[PressureCooker2600]

Anyone know where Ze_ro's been?

 

I know it's probably work and other stuff keeping him busier than a bee.

 

I just wanted to see an updated standings list.

[PressureCooker2600]

$22650

 

I'm afraid that's the best I'm gonna get this week. Every other score I get is under the 20k mark.

 

More tips:

- Even though they are "smart" cops, they are still predictable...so use that to your advantage. Learn to stay out of corners because they are notorious for cops double-teaming you.

- Learn to play dead. Run up against a wall and just wait.....when a cop comes close enough, lay some dynamite and scoot.

[Ze_ro]

Anyone know where Ze_ro's been?

 

I know it's probably work and other stuff keeping him busier than a bee.

Yeah, work has been just ridiculous lately. We've been so busy, and it often seems like I'm left to do almost all the work myself, since I'm one of the only guys my boss trusts to do things properly. It's extremely frustrating. Even when I do get some free time, I'm usually so exhausted from work that I don't feel like doing anything other than sleeping or watching TV. There is a ton of other projects that I want to work on too, like fixing my TurboDuo and SegaCD and rebuilding my home-made arcade stick... but I just can't seem to find the energy to do any of it. Hell, I can't even get into the mood to finish BioShock

 

There's still about a weeks worth of this ahead of me too... luckily, November should be relatively quiet, I just wish things could be spaced out a bit more.

 

I just wanted to see an updated standings list.

I finally managed to get around to it tonight. I hate putting it off for so long, as I usually pride myself on my punctuality.

 

--Zero

[Blackjack]

Ze_ro

I'm sure I speak for everyone here..... we appreciate you giving your time to hsc..... thank you!

 

 

19,884

 

I can't see myself improving that any... cops are just too fast at this level.

Edited October 22, 2007 by Blackjack

[toymailman]

I would like to echo those thoughts too. You do a great job Ze_ro, and I look forward to the new game of each week.

 

I played this one again a few more times trying to maximize my score every level and not missing a single bonus.

 

$78,228

 

 

TIP: ** That is also my tip too. Never miss a bonus. Only leave a level once 9 banks are robbed. Not only does this get you a bonus car (if needed) but you are given the bonus points. On the higher levels this can be several thousand additional points. It is way more than sticking around to blast more cops or trying to get more banks. **

 

I can honestly say I think $100k is impossible. I would guess a perfect score before the cops become too fast and the delay is gone would be a little over $80k.

[Kurt_Woloch]

OK... first, here's my second and last entry for this round... $10544.

 

 

A few notes to your tips...

 

 

TIP: ** That is also my tip too. Never miss a bonus. Only leave a level once 9 banks are robbed. Not only does this get you a bonus car (if needed) but you are given the bonus points. On the higher levels this can be several thousand additional points. It is way more than sticking around to blast more cops or trying to get more banks. **

 

I can honestly say I think $100k is impossible. I would guess a perfect score before the cops become too fast and the delay is gone would be a little over $80k.

 

I don't think it's impossible. I tried starting at level 8 and, yes, it is very fast, but at the start of level 8 there's still a slight delay before the cops come out. In fact, I believe Level X meant that it was already above 8. On the other hand, $100k might still be impossible because $99,999 probably is the maximum score (or it rolls over after that). The reason for this is that the Atari 2600 is only able to display a 6-digit score counter, and the first digit is already taken up by the dollar sign.

 

However... I tend to disagree to the tip above. If you're good enough and don't need as many extra cars, I'd try to rob as many banks as possible on each level until your car starts to flash. The reason for this is that difficulty seems to increase with each town cleared, not as a function of the score. In other words, if you make it to rob some extra banks per level, you can get to the "impossible" level with a higher score on your counter.

 

I do agree that it gets harder to rob more than 9 banks with each level because overall game speed seems to increase with every other level (that is, on rounds 1 and 3 for each level). That is, the cops get faster, your car gets faster too and fuel is consumed faster as well.

 

Oh, and I think I've made out some of the enemy AI. It seems like enemy cars first try to line up with you horizontally, then vertically. For instance:

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XX  <---1
XX    XXXXXX  XXXXXX
XX    <----------2
XXXXXX  XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

If 1 is your car, and 2 is an enemy car, 2 will reach the intersection, but continue to drive left (passing you in the wrong lane) because it will first try to line up vertically by going left, not horizontally by going up. Unfortunately, it won't reach you this way. However, it will turn around the corners on the left and appear to the left of you (where you can bomb it) when it reaches the corner. It would also do so if the lane would continue to the left, because in this case it's not allowed to take a U-turn, and out of the directions left and up, up is the better one because it leads the enemy car closer to your position, while left would lead it away from you. All the enemy cars seem to have the same AI, though they vary in speed (at least in later levels). It's a bit like Pac Man, in a way...

 

and I can say that this one is well programmed, also with its joystick response. If you push the joystick diagonally up/right, your car will try to either go up or right, whatever's possible. However, on an intersection where both directions are allowed, it will always make you turn, that is, if you were going right previously, you go upwards from the intersection and vice-versa.

[rheffera]

$35,450. my last entry.

 

Thanks Ze_Ro For all your effort !

Edited October 24, 2007 by rheffera

[Deteacher]

My final submission: $35,763. I really enjoyed this week. Can't wait to see next week's game.

[toymailman]

I don't think it's impossible. I tried starting at level 8 and, yes, it is very fast, but at the start of level 8 there's still a slight delay before the cops come out. In fact, I believe Level X meant that it was already above 8. On the other hand, $100k might still be impossible because $99,999 probably is the maximum score (or it rolls over after that). The reason for this is that the Atari 2600 is only able to display a 6-digit score counter, and the first digit is already taken up by the dollar sign.

Yes, I would agree that at the start of level 8 there is still a slight delay and is the only reason I could progress past the first few towns. However, at one point the delay is virtually (maybe all the way) gone. When I got my scores over $70k as soon as I touched a bank a cop came out and I was busted. No amount of reflexes would've saved me. *sigh*

 

When I got my score of $78k I really did try to maximize my points in all the previous towns. Getting as many banks as possible before running out of fuel, blowing up cops at the 50 (sometimes 30) point level, and never missing a bonus. I would be extremely surprised if someone could get deep into the $80k range.

 

However... I tend to disagree to the tip above. If you're good enough and don't need as many extra cars, I'd try to rob as many banks as possible on each level until your car starts to flash. The reason for this is that difficulty seems to increase with each town cleared, not as a function of the score. In other words, if you make it to rob some extra banks per level, you can get to the "impossible" level with a higher score on your counter.

Yeah, now that I read my tip again, it didn't come out right. What I meant is don't leave a town until at least 9 banks are robbed. The main thing is to keep getting the bonus as that is where the big points are, especially in the later levels. I also agree that sticking around until your car flashes is something to do as well. Might as well get as many points as possible if you have the fuel to do it!

 

I also agree that this game was made very well. It is TONS of fun to play! The only change I would've made is to never decrease that delay so close to zero (maybe its even set to exactly zero) seconds. It seems that the delay should only go so far as to give your car a chance to get away. The difficulty could still be increased in subsequent towns by increasing the cop speed (harder to get away, but at least you had a slight head start). Maybe even continually increasing both cop and robber speed so the players reflexes are tested further when trying to navigate a super-fast car (with the cops slightly faster than that!). Right now it seems the delay portion of the difficulty overshadows the other difficulty aspects when you get to the "final" town.