High Score Club Week 14: Stampede

[128bytes]

But this is indeed a great game that I understimated.

 

 

2,191 so far.

 

I'm happy that everyone's so excited...well ok, maybe a little too excited ...about Stampede, since it's one of my all-time favorites. I was anxious to play it when it first came out because I was such a fan of Bob Whitehead's Skiing, and this was his next game.

 

Stampede is a truly original game, and has a nice mix of action and strategy. Most of all, it's a game that doesn't feel limited by the 2600, or its 4K size at all...in fact it seems inspired by the design challenges involved, and the number of active, non-flickering objects is really impressive.

 

I think it also must be one of the harder games to max out because it stays so intense, and one single miss can throw you into chaos at the highest speeds. I'm trying to absorb Todd Rogers' advice, and everyone else's advice, to get me over the hump and post some higher scores.

 

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ps - I oh-so-subtly tipped off my choice by changing my avatar back on Friday...

[Kuddy]

1187.

 

My game choice will be submitted soon. I've had an idea for one for a while now.

[gospeedde]

1590 thanks to all your tips.

[Shannon]

Not to down Stampede. I think it's a great game and an original idea. Certainly better than I expected.

 

But it strikes me like alot of early activision titles as being more designed to work within the 2600's limitation. Now whether this was inherent or by design is another question.

 

But the lack of flicker is due more to avoiding things that cause flicker (thus limiting play design) then finding some way around it.

 

If that makes sense. Anyways you will notice alot of similarity between early activision titles. I noticed this when fooling with the anthology.

[Saldo]

Haven't really given much time lately to the Club, but this game has caught my interest...looks like some long nights ahead! Here is my first post for the week: 2319.

 

I see once again the pros are already maxing out the game. It sure is amazing how these guys do this consistantly on all (well most) of the games!!! Truely amazing, they are in a league of their own.

 

- Sal

[Ze_ro]

But it strikes me like alot of early activision titles as being more designed to work within the 2600's limitation.  Now whether this was inherent or by design is another question.

 

But the lack of flicker is due more to avoiding things that cause flicker (thus limiting play design) then finding some way around it.

How do you mean? Aside from cattle moving up and down, I can't really see adding all that much to this one. Plus, I think it really does push the 2600 more than it would appear at first. The whole lasso effect uses some interesting tricks.

 

Keep in mind that just about every 2600 game has to be designed around the hardware limits, since those limits are so confining. Even if a company is porting an arcade game, they pretty much have to rethink how the game works so that they can shoehorn it onto such a small system. I think Activision did a very good job with their games.

 

--Zero

[Shannon]

I dunno it's kinda hard to explain. But if your aware of the 2600's limitations from a programming point of view it makes more sense.

 

Get the activision anthology and play their earlier titles like keystone kapers, freeway, stampede, barnstorming, chopper command (not sure if this was an early title), fishing derby, grand prix, (kaboom.. yes kaboom), laser blast.

 

You will notice clearly divided vertical areas. Player action works in all direction. But the obstacles/bad guys, etc are clearly divided in vertical sections due to the limitation of the 2600's architecture. Plus the bad guys never move horizontally/up/down. With the notable exception of kaboom, but then your paddles is limited to right left movements.

 

I didn't mention megamania because even though it is close. It is a little more sophisticated than the rest. Actually chopper command almost falls into a similar category.

 

Regardless. Activision games are no doubt brilliant. But I sometimes wonder if the lack of flicker was due to inherent design, or a clear effort on the activision team's part to avoid flicker hence limiting the design.

 

If I'm making sense. But if you take other other companies who tried to program outside these limitations in the architecture you usually get flickering. But then the games are a little bit less similar to each other. To me these games seem to push the hardware a little harder.

 

But then again I could be speaking out of my tushy cause I've never actually programmed the 2600. Just did alot of discussions about its limitations by programmers themselves.

 

My observation of course only applies to earlier activision titles. I'd really have to sit down and look at their later titles before I could comment on them.

[Chris++]

So far, my highest since Monday has been 5,295. I know I can do better. Will inform. Please post that for now.

 

(Another tip to add to the other two: The bottom row is the hardest to catch animals on in this game variation; since they gallop up and down, there's a long spot between your horse and the end of your rope in which the rope can fly over cattle, because of the angle. Therefore, I wouldn't "cycle" this row, but rather just keep roping 'em until you get back to the slowest kind.)

[Ze_ro]

Well, slight improvement: 1764

 

... and I hate to say it, but I guess I'll have to take sku_u's score down. I have no doubt that he CAN get 99,999, but since there seems to be no explanation for the timing, I'll have to take it down until there's some proof, or at least a really good explanation. Sorry

 

--Zero

[Chris++]

I like how you spelled my name on the scoreboard. It's like if someone has to abbreviate Chris++ and is REALLY in a hurry.

[Malc74]

Been playing this a lot over the last couple of days - it was one of the first Atari games I ever played back in the early 80's. Can't say I'm getting much better though - I've been trying a few of the strategies suggested and continue to screw up. I often find that if you make just one little mistake then everything tends to come toppling down on you (so to speak).

Anyway, I've improved slightly to 3348 but I can't see myself getting all that much better at it (then again, I said that last week about Reactor ).

[+Nathan Strum]

Regardless.  Activision games are no doubt brilliant.  But I sometimes wonder if the lack of flicker was due to inherent design, or a clear effort on the activision team's part to avoid flicker hence limiting the design.

 

I think there's something to that. (I've read somewhere that flicker was pretty much forbidden at Activision.) Of course, at the time Activision came into being, their titles were revolutionary compared to what had come before. However, there was certainly a familiar feel between some of their games:

 

Sky Jinks and Skiing

Barnstorming and Grand Prix

Plaque Attack and Megamania

Crackpots and Kaboom (although they're inverted)

 

Even so, they managed to have quite a bit of variety in their games, whether they were shoot-'em-ups, side-scrollers, or whatever. There was a certain "look" to Activision games, too, that made them almost instantly identifiable, whether you could see the logo at the bottom or not.

 

Also, some of their games were "inspired by" arcade games of the time, so the design was dictated by that. Megamania = Astro Blaster, Dragster = Drag Race, Chopper Command = Defender, Freeway = Frogger, Robotank = Battlezone, Enduro = Turbo, Grand Prix = Monaco GP. Even then, they managed to work within the confines of the 2600 when reproducing them, and excelled doing so.

[Shannon]

Well considering what they had to work with on the 2600, it's pretty incredible what they did manage to do. Even with a possible "no flicker" policy.

 

Just pure genius.

[Tsukasa]

.....Freeway = Frogger.....

 

Actually, freeway was around before frogger www.atariprotos.com.

[Saldo]

Little better tonight...not by much though.

 

2883

 

- Sal

[keilbaca]

I haven't had a chance to play today yet, here's my current score:

[Shannon]

My humble submission for now

 

1678..

[the 5th ghost]

Stampede...

 

My first decent score: 7,668

 

I was never able to crack 10K on this game even though we had it since we were kids. My brother, however, could.

 

We were hanging out last night and had a blast playing this again, it was like old times. I beat him on game 4 but on game 1, he still has it in him, he got over the 10K mark again

 

This is still one of my all-time favorite games for the Atari, thanks for picking it!

[Chris++]

Good job! Kicked my ass by almost 2K. So far, that is.

 

This is fun. Good idea for a serial thread, Z!

[the 5th ghost]

It almost hurts to post this but...

 

9,449

 

Why does it hurt? Because I was so close to going over 10K points for the first time!

[Kuddy]

My score just darted up to 2174 points.

[Chris++]

5th: What's your pattern/strategy?

[the 5th ghost]

Here are some tips that weren't mentioned yet:

 

TIP 1:

 

When herding the cattle to push them forward, go from TOP to BOTTOM.

 

In other words, if the cattle at the top of the screen are getting close to passing and if there are also cattle on the bottom ready to pass, always get the top ones first. You will always have a little more time to herd the bottom ones because your horse's hind legs kick back further and can touch the cattle, bringing them back to the front.

 

TIP 2:

 

Make good choices in rope'n.

 

Sometimes I like to bump a row of 3 cattle and lasso them as they run away from me. But, if you lasso the one closest to you, the front cattle will stop once it reaches the end of the screen. Instead, try to pick off the lead cattle (furthest from you in the row) so that the other cattle have to travel further to reach the end of the screen, thus buying yourself more time to tend to the others.

 

TIP 3

 

Which Black Angus?

 

Often during the game, more than one Black Angus will appear (I once had 3 on the screen at the same time!) Depending on where they are positioned, it is usually better to go for the lower one first, then up to rope the higher one. You can lasso any cattle even if it is right above you, as long as your rope is touching it and you hit the fire button in time. The cattle below you, you need more space between you in order to rope them. Also remember that they can appear after clearing the dark brown, medium brown and light brown cattle, so be alert! The most I had come in a row were four Black Angus' so watch for more than one to appear!

[the 5th ghost]

5th: What's your pattern/strategy?

 

Just posted some tips above.

 

As far as my personal strategy? I try to alternate between clearing the top 3 rows, then working on the botton three rows. But once the speed really kicks in, it's all by the seat of my saddle

[the 5th ghost]

Oh, and I always start off the same.

 

I get the two light browns at the bottom first, then straight up to rope the medium brown one (2nd row from top). Then 3 single medium browns will occupy the bottom three rows, I wait till they're close and then quickly rope all 3, after which those bottom 3 rows will be occupied by 3 single dark browns.

 

By then, there should also be 3 single dark browns in the top 3 rows so I go up, wait till they're all close, then rope all 3 as quick as possible. After that, sometimes a few Black Angus's will appear, sometimes more medium browns, it seems pretty random.