HSC Season 6 Week 29: Rescue Terra I

[Ze_ro]

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

 

Terra I is Earth's main supplier of Zenbar crystals. These crystals supply 72% of Earth’s energy. Terra I is managed by a highly sophisticated computer system which controls all planetary electromechanical equipment, including the robot driven defense system.

 

. . . Apparently, Terra I’s computer system has been sabotaged. All crystal shipments are being turned over to space pirates who operate in Terra I’s quadrant of the universe. Terra I’s own defense systems are being used to aid these pirates in their activities.

 

. . . Your orders are to proceed to Terra I. Destroy all pirates and electromechanical systems which pose a threat to your ship.

 

 

Game Information

• Game Name: Rescue Terra I
• Released By: VentureVision, 1982
• Left Difficulty: N/A
• Right Difficulty: N/A
• Game Mode: Default
• Chosen By: Darth Calvin, Vectorman0

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 Wednesday March 25th at 1:00 AM (CST).

 

Current High Scores 456,225 (toymailman) [+11] 198,025 (Kurt_Woloch) [+10] 157,925 (darthkur) [+9] 114,425 (TimsterAA) [+8] 83,675 (doctorclu) [+7] 65,775 (aftermac) [+6] 58,575 (Impaler_26) [+5] 49,825 (Vectorman0) [+4] 47,700 (LarcenTyler) [+3] 46,650 (mcge0053) [+2] 44,850 (theKLT) [+1] Best Tips Kurt_Woloch [+2] Challenges None yet TwinGalaxies Top 3 118,600 (Tom Duncan) 57,050 (David B Yancey) (Game 1, Difficulty B)

Current Standings toymailman [275] Deteacher [257] aftermac [194] darthkur [193] Kurt_Woloch [121] Impaler_26 [119] DarthCalvin [117] jjd [87] Mister VCS [79] shadow460 [56] Hornpipe2 [55] LarcenTyler [54] SpiceWare [52] the 5th ghost [47] Nathan Strum [46] mcge0053 [26] Jess Ragan [26] homerwannabee [22] Zoyx [22] Jred [20] Spector [20] doctorclu [19] Omegamatrix [19] ClassicGMR [18] IHATETHEBEARS [16] MrBeefy [14] iangamer [14] Shannon [13] LoneWolfSeth [12] midnight magicman [11] roadrunner [10] ed1475 [10] Random Terrain [10] maf [9] vdub_bobby [9] DtY [8] godzillajoe [8] missioncontrol [8] SeaGtGruff [8] chuckwalla [7] LS_Dracon [7] theKLT [7] LaserHawk3000 [7] lucifershalo [5] phaxda [5] vintagegamecrazy [4] joeypsp [2] rheffera [2] ratfink [2] Lendorien [1] Yar76 [1] Artlover [1] holgibo [1] TimsterAA [1]

 

Scoring Points in Rescue Terra I

• Meteor - 125 points
• Cargo Ship - 225 points
• Fighter Saucer - 275 points
• Robot Interceptor - 425 points
• Fish Force Field - 650 points

 

Hints and Tips

The Manual

As always, you really should read the manual. In case you don't have the manual, AtariAge has a typed copy available online. Unfortunately, the manual doesn't contain any real hints.

Kurt_Woloch

Here are some things the manual doesn't tell... At first glance, it seems like the game would be timed, i.e. after some time of playing it when the timer counts down continuously, you would reach Terra I... however that isn't true. Actually, each wave seems to have an "end distance". If the timer goes below that distance as you're playing the wave, it stops counting down further. If you make the wave before the timer has reached the end distance, it's set to the end distance at the start of the next wave. Thus, you start each wave at the same end distance every time. Then, there's the break-up in waves. The manual already mentions that the way to Terra I is divided into 4 sectors in which different enemies reside. However, each of those sectors is further subdivided in 3 speed zones (slow, medium, fast in succession), each of which is further subdivided into 4 waves, which differ in the number of enemies you have to shoot. I'll refer to the waves by the numbering X/Y/Z, where X is the distance zone to Terra I, Y is the speed zone and Z is the wave inside of the speed zone. Thus, the complete game should consist of 4 * 3 * 4 = 48 waves. In each wave, there's a fixed number of enemies you have to shoot. Each enemy that passes the top without being shot wraps around to the bottom of the screen, but not neccessarily at the same place. The place they spawn at seems to be set in correlation to the vertical position of your ship. Thus, if you stand still at one spot, the enemies will repeatedly spawn in one or two places, but will change that place from time to time. If you don't stand still, however, they will spawn more irregularly. In the first sector, there's meteors only. In waves 1/X/1, you have to shoot 8 meteors to continue, in waves 1/X/2, you have to shoot 16, in waves 1/X/3, you have to shoot 32, and in waves 1/X/4, you have to shoot 64 of them. The numbers in sector 2 are different, however, and I couldn't figure them out yet. In the second sector, cargo ships and fighter sauces are added to the mix. However, in waves 2/X/1, you will only encounter meteors and cargo ships, no saucers, in the other waves there are saucers too. The cargo ships are best to hit when they enter the screen. Of course that's difficult to anticipate since you don't know where they will spawn. But once a cargo ship has shot, I'd stay clear of that lane and rather try to hit something else. There's also a pretty buggy collision detection. Your shots tend to go through the enemies without hitting them (especially in places where they are only a few pixels high), but so do their shots. If you stay at the top of the screen, enemy shots heading towards you have some chance of still not hitting you because the collision is not registered. As the second sector speeds up, the enemies' shots don't speed up as well. This means that in the fast waves, the enemies' shots actually travel towards the top slower than they themselves do. This means that cargo ships actually get less dangerous. You only have to be careful if you shoot them still not staying in their lane, because their shots still may hit you. I found a good place to stay is at the very upper left of the screen. In that place, there will be only few enemy shots aiming to hit you. If you stay there and continuously shoot to the bottom, you will hit enemies from time to time, though most of them will pass you. But at that level, you shouldn't try to hit everything before it passes anyway, because it's simply not possible. I found a good strategy is to stay at the very upper left and shoot to the bottom. Only when you see a saucer aiming to the left, you should dilate a bit to the right and back while continuing to shoot. The shots you give off a bit further to the right have a higher chance of hitting a saucer. Other than that, you should only move to the right when you see a shot heading your way which you have to avoid. By the way, I've also tried the other "missions", which is what you get 20000 miles into your way to Terra I, and from that point, the game seems to change completely, into a vertical shooter!

 

--Zero

[darthkur]

138,150

 

 

Yet another 2600 game I had never tried. It definitely puts a different spin on things being that you're traveling from the top down instead of the usual opposite for shooters.

 

[Lauren Tyler]

47,700

 

Rather interesting game if I say so myself.

[Impaler_26]

58,575

[Vectorman0]

49825 to start

[aftermac]

65,775

 

[doctorclu]

83,675

 

I agree with Darthkur, an interesting top down fighter instead of bottom up. Good graphics too.

[mcge0053]

46,650

 

This game is insanely difficult once you past D:30,000. Those damn rainbow flying saucers get me every time! How on EARTH did someone score 135k+!?!?!?!?!?

 

Is anyone playing this game with an original cart?

 

Has anyone made it to Terra I? $50,000 is on the line here!

[Kurt_Woloch]

OK, here's my best so far... 151800.

 

 

Here are some things the manual doesn't tell...

 

At first glance, it seems like the game would be timed, i.e. after some time of playing it when the timer counts down continuously, you would reach Terra I... however that isn't true.

Actually, each wave seems to have an "end distance". If the timer goes below that distance as you're playing the wave, it stops counting down further. If you make the wave before the timer has reached the end distance, it's set to the end distance at the start of the next wave. Thus, you start each wave at the same end distance every time.

 

Then, there's the break-up in waves. The manual already mentions that the way to Terra I is divided into 4 sectors in which different enemies reside. However, each of those sectors is further subdivided in 3 speed zones (slow, medium, fast in succession), each of which is further subdivided into 4 waves, which differ in the number of enemies you have to shoot. I'll refer to the waves by the numbering X/Y/Z, where X is the distance zone to Terra I, Y is the speed zone and Z is the wave inside of the speed zone. Thus, the complete game should consist of 4 * 3 * 4 = 48 waves.

 

In each wave, there's a fixed number of enemies you have to shoot. Each enemy that passes the top without being shot wraps around to the bottom of the screen, but not neccessarily at the same place. The place they spawn at seems to be set in correlation to the vertical position of your ship. Thus, if you stand still at one spot, the enemies will repeatedly spawn in one or two places, but will change that place from time to time. If you don't stand still, however, they will spawn more irregularly.

 

In the first sector, there's meteors only. In waves 1/X/1, you have to shoot 8 meteors to continue, in waves 1/X/2, you have to shoot 16, in waves 1/X/3, you have to shoot 32, and in waves 1/X/4, you have to shoot 64 of them. The numbers in sector 2 are different, however, and I couldn't figure them out yet.

 

In the second sector, cargo ships and fighter sauces are added to the mix. However, in waves 2/X/1, you will only encounter meteors and cargo ships, no saucers, in the other waves there are saucers too.

The cargo ships are best to hit when they enter the screen. Of course that's difficult to anticipate since you don't know where they will spawn. But once a cargo ship has shot, I'd stay clear of that lane and rather try to hit something else.

 

There's also a pretty buggy collision detection. Your shots tend to go through the enemies without hitting them (especially in places where they are only a few pixels high), but so do their shots. If you stay at the top of the screen, enemy shots heading towards you have some chance of still not hitting you because the collision is not registered.

 

As the second sector speeds up, the enemies' shots don't speed up as well. This means that in the fast waves, the enemies' shots actually travel towards the top slower than they themselves do. This means that cargo ships actually get less dangerous. You only have to be careful if you shoot them still not staying in their lane, because their shots still may hit you.

 

I found a good place to stay is at the very upper left of the screen. In that place, there will be only few enemy shots aiming to hit you. If you stay there and continuously shoot to the bottom, you will hit enemies from time to time, though most of them will pass you. But at that level, you shouldn't try to hit everything before it passes anyway, because it's simply not possible.

 

I found a good strategy is to stay at the very upper left and shoot to the bottom. Only when you see a saucer aiming to the left, you should dilate a bit to the right and back while continuing to shoot. The shots you give off a bit further to the right have a higher chance of hitting a saucer. Other than that, you should only move to the right when you see a shot heading your way which you have to avoid.

 

By the way, I've also tried the other "missions", which is what you get 20000 miles into your way to Terra I, and from that point, the game seems to change completely, into a vertical shooter!

Edited March 21, 2009 by Kurt_Woloch

[toymailman]

Almost finished it! I think I was on the last wave or two. Very difficult to clear all the enemies in time as they advance downward.

 

456,225

 

Better score, but that last wave is very hard.

Edited March 22, 2009 by toymailman

[TimsterAA]

42,575

 

 

--Timster--

[TimsterAA]

Another shot at it.... 99,625.

 

THAT close to 100K+!!! Argh!!!

 

 

--Timster--

[Kurt_Woloch]

OK, here's another score... I got farther this time, into the "fish force field" level (which actually is a pretty silly concept if you think about it). Thus a higher score of 198025 .

[TimsterAA]

Ok - that's it for me on this one. I finally got a six-figure score - 114,425! Woo-hoo! :-)

 

 

--Timster--

[darthkur]

157,925

 

[theKLT]

44850