HSC12 Round 6: Blue Max

[McKong]

5150 class 1 air cadet

[+therealbountybob]

5,440 Air Cadet Class 1...

 

after 99 goes it was going quite well and I made it to the final stages but looks like McKong hacked my copy (this one had the GR.2 text flashing on loading) as the screen was flashing red and green and despite my squinting efforts a plane flew into me from underneath. I think I have an original Blue Max disk somewhere

 

p.s. I've not had problems launching bombs: hold fire push forward to descend until you hear the bomb sound... perhaps moving diagonal under pressure instead of up or possibly when wind active casing problem?

[McKong]

8840 class 1 air cadet

[jk40001]

Minor improvement: 3500

 

[adam242]

Small bump to 2020. Love this game.

[Tickled_Pink]

Made the 'mistake' of completing the mission with a score of 9740 (still lower than my highest) with a rank of Class 2 Squadron Leader.

 

Anyway, I can get some work done now and get back to it in a few days.

 

Edited April 16, 2015 by Tickled_Pink

[McKong]

What happens when you complete the mission is that the end of the game?

[Tickled_Pink]

Yeah. When you get to the city, you have three targets to destroy. I forgot that once you bomb them and get home it's game over.

 

So I won't be doing that again.

[McKong]

Ok I see, never been anywhere near the end in Blue Max!

 

So I guess in order for Fandal to score his 100k he must have been deliberately not hitting all three targets and playing the city over and over?

[Tickled_Pink]

Yeah. I think so. Pretty sure I could have gone on and on but ran out of fuel after getting a fuel leak near the start of the city level. Dammit.

 

13430

 

 

 

I think that to get Blue Max status, you need to hit all your target objectives first time (they're the targets marked with a crosshair).

Edited April 16, 2015 by Tickled_Pink

[ballyalley]

After playing a bit more last night, I ended up with 50,950 points! Of course, that's before I have to subtract 50,000 points because I used the tips from Tickled_Pink. My final true-not making-making-a-joke score is a measly 950 points. Who knows if I'll ever beat a thousand points? I never actually realized how much you need to pay attention to in this game.

 

Oh, and now that I've played this game more, I can see that the comparison to Zaxxon is superficial only.

[jblenkle]

Blue Max - 400 (Class 3 Runway Sweeper)

 

(First time ever playing this game)

Edited April 16, 2015 by jblenkle

[+therealbountybob]

@jb Players outside the top 25 in the current standings qualify for playing with Gravity OFF (see 1st post)

 

Yeah. When you get to the city, you have three targets to destroy. I forgot that once you bomb them and get home it's game over. So I won't be doing that again.

 

Made the 'mistake' of completing the mission with a score of 9740 (still lower than my highest) with a rank of Class 2 Squadron Leader.

 

Ok I see, never been anywhere near the end in Blue Max!

So I guess in order for Fandal to score his 100k he must have been deliberately not hitting all three targets and playing the city over and over?

Tempted to have the tables by Rank with a bonus for high score: Do we think, (and by we I mean Tickled_Pink and other Blue Max pros), that the rankings take into account not completing the targets and finishing the game? In other words; the longer you replay the stage the less your ranking. Or do the rankings primarly reflect score?

[ballyalley]

Do we think [...] that the rankings take into account not completing the targets and finishing the game? In other words; the longer you replay the stage the less your ranking. Or do the rankings primarly reflect score?

 

It wouldn't be fair to not allow players to just keep going in the game. If the original game allows it, then it's permissible. It's not like it will really change the final standing of the table. If someone gets first place by scoring 75,000 points and the next person scores 5,000, then points awarded is still 10 points to rank 1 and then 9 to rank 2 and so on, right?

 

BTW, I like that the rules in the High Score Club are so flexable-- it's a sigh of relief to those of us who feel that playing games should be fun!

[Tickled_Pink]

@jb Players outside the top 25 in the current standings qualify for playing with Gravity OFF (see 1st post)

 

 

 

Tempted to have the tables by Rank with a bonus for high score: Do we think, (and by we I mean Tickled_Pink and other Blue Max pros), that the rankings take into account not completing the targets and finishing the game? In other words; the longer you replay the stage the less your ranking. Or do the rankings primarly reflect score?

 

It's a tricky one as we're not yet 100% sure how the ranking is calculated. I agree that it would be the better system if it works as I think it does, but rather than have a bonus for high scores, use the ranking system as the primary HSC ranking criteria then use the high scores as a tie breaker to determine final placement.

 

The only problem I can see with this is that chasing the highest rank can be a high risk strategy with no guarantee of success. One wrong move and it blows away all your good work.

 

So maybe it would be best to leave it as it is with the primary aim being a high score. Provide bonuses for anyone reaching Blue Max status (giving a bonus to the first person would discourage others from continuing to try) and have an additional bonus table for the top 5 (or 10) ranks using the method I outlined above. The latter might allow those who haven't had too much experience with the game to gain some extra points since we've seen that ranking isn't linked to points.

 

That way, everyone should have something to aim for I think.

[Tickled_Pink]

Oh - and what about Blue Max 2001? I understand it's not a patch on the original but surprised this hasn't been thought of as a bonus game to play. I've never played it.

[ballyalley]

Oh - and what about Blue Max 2001? I understand it's not a patch on the original but surprised this hasn't been thought of as a bonus game to play. I've never played it.

 

I don't remember if I liked "Blue Max 2001" or not. I'm not sure that I've even played it after looking at this two-minute vidoo of the game:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpLqU0w9pfM

 

It seems a but TOO similar for a bonus game.

[Sikor]

[Tickled_Pink]

 

I don't remember if I liked "Blue Max 2001" or not. I'm not sure that I've even played it after looking at this two-minute vidoo of the game:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpLqU0w9pfM

 

It seems a but TOO similar for a bonus game.

 

First time I've ever seen it played. To me it seems much different to the original - more frenetic and arcade-like with more than a single direction of fire. TBH after seeing this I'm not surprised reviewers weren't too impressed by it.

[McKong]

Completed the mission class 2 squadron leader

[+therealbountybob]

I've had about 20 goes yesterday including a 2nd late night session but keep finding new ways to crash! Blue Max 2001 is too good for a bonus game and there is enough here to keep people busy.

Ok Here we go with the first tables and we are going for rankings, yes the HSC rules are flexible but you can always address any complaints in writing to Mr S.H.Redder c/o HSC HQ

I found this which gave me some comfort...

11660 Class 4 Squadron Leader (higher score, lower class)

I went through the city 4 times to try to improve my score, but it looks like this lowers the class. So... I wonder how you can get the highest score and the highest class at the same time.

[ballyalley]

I went to my friend Chris's place last night (Chris++). He has been an avid player of the C64 version of "Blue Max" for many years, but he doesn't much care for the Atari version-- even though he's a big Atari 8-bit fan. I watched him play the C64 version (using the VICE emulator); he can just play on and on. One big difference that you can't help but notice between the two versions of the game is that the Atari has more screen real-estate for your plane. Also, the sound effects on the C64 are better (especially the machine gun). Overall though, the C64 version looks inferior to me. Chris likes the C64's graphics better, but I prefer the Atari's smaller, slightly less detailed planes and smoother scrolling.

Chris gave me some tips for playing the "Blue Max" based on his experience playing the C64 version of the game. It turned out that most tips didn't work on the Atari version of the game. For instance, he has no trouble at all landing on the C64 version, but he couldn't land at all on the Atari game. It turns out that on the C64 you don't need to put down your landing gear before you land. Also, he told me to fly as high as possible to avoid getting hit, which also doesn't work on the Atari. On the C64, if you fly at max altitude, then you can almost completely avoid ever being hit by flak. On the Atari version of "Blue Max," it seems that flying at max altitude gets you the most damage. In a way, although Blue Max exists for both the Atari and C64, they are quite different games.

With the help of Chris last night, I finally was able to land on the airstrip (rather than into buildings and the ground, which isn't so much a "landing" as a "crash landing"). Since the mechanics on the friendly airstrip had never seen me before, I bet that they were wondering who I was when I landed to get my plane refueled, repaired and reloaded Once I learned to land, then it wasn't difficult to repeat the process. Soon after I learned to land, I beat my high score of 950 with 1,530 points. I finally had to use a comma with my score-- that sure felt good!

Now that I have slightly more control over my craft I'll be able to do much better and get scores that are worthy of me posting with a screenshot. I hope to double my score by next week (am I reaching for the stars?). That will satisfy me. If I'm not careful, then I may actually end up liking this game! This HSC is changing my opinions about some games; this is twisting my brain... in a good way, I hope!

 

[Tickled_Pink]

I'm with you on the graphics. I saw the C64 version on youtube a few days ago. I wasn't very impressed with the background graphics, although the aircraft was better defined.

 

I'm not sure which version came first but I've always thought it was the A8 version. When I was playing it the other day I finally realised something was wrong with the game ... after 30 years of playing it on and off I realised that it wasn't very realistic because WW1 biplanes didn't have retractable undercarriages! So in that respect, the C64 version is more realistic. It's probably more realistic with the height thing as well since the biggest danger to WW1 pilots from the ground was small arms fire.

 

But it sounds to me that the C64 version is too easy. So maybe it came first but for the A8 version they decided to tweak the gameplay to make it more challenging.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Tickled_Pink

[+therealbountybob]

...

With the help of Chris last night, I finally was able to land on the airstrip (rather than into buildings and the ground, which isn't so much a "landing" as a "crash landing"). Since the mechanics on the friendly airstrip had never seen me before, I bet that they were wondering who I was when I landed to get my plane refueled, repaired and reloaded Once I learned to land, then it wasn't difficult to repeat the process. Soon after I learned to land, I beat my high score of 950 with 1,530 points. I finally had to use a comma with my score-- that sure felt good!

 

Nice - you should post that on the Quote of the Day thread on the main A8 forum

 

anyone noticed sometimes beeps and L flashes when landing - perhaps too long before I pressed fire?

Anyone got a better link to the manual/more info?

[ballyalley]

Anyone got a better link to the manual/more info?

The previous manual link works fine, but since you're having trouble, I used it just now to OCR the manual:

 

Blue Max

by Bob Polin

 

Loading Blue Max

 

Atari (Cassette)

Turn on computer whilst holding down the START key (START & OPTION on XL models). A beep will be heard. Press PLAY on the cassette unit and then press RETURN. Program will load and run automatically.

 

Atari (Disk)

 

Insert disk and then turn on computer (on XL models hold down OPTION key whilst turning on). The program will load and run automatically.

 

Commodore 64 (cassette)

 

Press SHIFT and RUN/STOP key simultaneously. Press PLAY on cassette unit and program will load and run automatically.

 

Commodore 64 (disk)

 

Insert disk in drive and type LOAD "*",8,1 and then press RETURN. Program will load and run automatically

 

Joystick

 

On Commodore 64 connect your joystick to Port #2.

On Atari connect your joystick to Port # 1.

 

PLAY INSTRUCTIONS OBJECTIVE

 

You are Max Chatsworth! Known by your mates as "the Blue Max" you wear the very name of the medal given by the Axis powers to shoot down your plane! Now, you must earn the title! To be successful you must make a final assault on three specially marked targets within the city. You have only one aircraft and very little time to accomplish this most difficult of missions.

 

TAKEOFF

 

Press (START or F7) on the computer console. Your plane will automatically taxi. When the speed reaches 100 miles per hour, press forward on the joystick. Your plane will lift off the runway and you may proceed with your mission at your desired altitude Subsequent takeoffs will begin automatically when repairs have been made, or you can abort repairs with a press of the joystick button. Again your speed must be at least 100 mph to successfully lift off.

 

TARGETS

 

These include all bridges, buildings, enemy planes, tanks, anti­aircraft batteries, vehicles, and ships. From time to time some targets will be specially marked as follows:

Buildings and bridges with flashing red-white bull's-eye

Flashing blue enemy planes

Flashing blue cars

Red ships

These are primary targets and a certain number must be destroyed in order to gain entry to the next level.

 

STRAFING

Air-to-ground strafing can be accomplished by reducing your altitude to 21-25 feet, (the command bar will show a steady brown color) and pressing your fire button. Left and right movement will improve strafing results. Attempting to bomb will most likely cause a crash.

 

BOMBING

 

Bombing is accomplished by pressing the fire button and pulling back on the joystick. You will descend during a bombing run. so be sure that your aircraft is high enough.

 

LANDING

 

When a friendly runway approaches, a tone will be heard and a green "R" will appear on the command bar. Press the fire button to lower the landing gear, and the "R" will change to "L. When you are over the runway, descend and land. Repair work will begin automatically and you can watch progress on your command bar. If you wish to abort the repair work, press the fire button. As with all takeoffs, your speed must reach 100 mph before liftoff.

 

CONTROL DISPLAY

 

F = Fuel left B = Bombs left ALT = Altitude SPD = Speed

W = Wind Factor P = enemy plane approaching Red asterisk (top of command bar) = Enemy plane above Runway "R or Land gear L flashing = Must land (enemy city approaching.

 

DAMAGE DISPLAY

 

Anti-aircraft fire as well as enemy planes can damage your aircraft. When hit. the command bar runs red briefly. Damage is shown along the top right of the command bar as follows:

 

F = Fuel leak B = Bomb gear damaged (intermittent bombing)

M = Decreased maneuverability

G = Machine gun damage (intermittent firing)

When all the above are lit, the next anti-aircraft hit causes a crash.

 

COMMAND BAR COLORS

 

Red = hit by enemy gun or anti-aircraft.

Blue = at same altitude as enemy plane - can now be destroyed.

Brown = strafing altitude.

Flashing Yellow = flying too low - a crash is imminent!

Flashing Green = mission complete!! - and land and receive award.

 

OPTIONS

 

Press (OPTION or F3) for option menu. Press (OPTION or F3) again to move the asterisk to your choice. Press (SELECT or F5) to change your selection, and (START or F7) to start the game.

Normal CTRL = push joystick forward to climb, back to descend.

Reverse CTRL = pull back to climb, push forward to descend. gravity = plane will drop when joystick is released.

No Gravity = plane will not drop when joystick is released.

 

PAUSE

 

Press the space bar to pause the game. There is no time penalty for pausing the game.

 

HINTS FOR BETTER PLAY

 

Choose which joystick direction suits you best. Most aircraft are actually flown using Reverse Control.

Climb slightly just prior to releasing a bomb. Bombing causes you to drop In altitude.

At higher altitudes you need to lead your target a bit more. Use your shadow as a general benchmark

Don't excite the Axis Powers!! They anger easily and may come after you In greater numbers.

Stay airborne. Crashing shortens game play.