HSC Season 2 Week 4: Dragonfire

[Ze_ro]

Important note: This weeks competition is over. If you still wish to discuss this game, then feel free to do so, but no further scores will be accepted. Thanks to everyone for all their contributions! Please join in on the latest High Score Club competition!

 

The treasures of the kingdom have been stolen! In order to return honour and wealth to your proud and noble king, you must cross the bridge, enter keep, and take back what is rightfully yours! ... but, beware dread Dragonfire!

 

Game Information
Game	Dragonfire
Left Difficulty	Not used in this game
Right Difficulty	Not used in this game
Game Mode	Game 2 (Blue Dragon)
Chosen By	Goochman

 

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 will be approximately Tuesday, February 15th at 1:30 AM (CST). In case you haven't already done so, please read the High Score Club rules. There is other useful information contained in that previous link, including a list of previous High Score Club games!

 

As before, next week's game will be chosen by the next person in the member list, which happens to be StanJr! Please send me a private message with your choice of game for next week!

 

If you don't have this game, you can find a copy of the rom right here.

 

If you are not a member of the High Score Club, but would like to be, then all you have to do is post a reply saying so, and I'll add you to the list!

 

High Scores	Other Info
High Score Club:

• 
  [*]102,350 (keilbaca)

[+10]
[*]77,990 (yuppicide) [+9]
[*]61,390 (StanJr) [+8]
[*]16,790 (Malc74) [+7]
[*]14,390 (KaeruYojimbo) [+6]
[*]12,640 (racer raul) [+5]
[*]12,180 (sku_u) [+4]
[*]11,800 (chrisbid) [+3]
[*]9720 (Goochman) [+2]
[*]9670 (mikeftrevino) [+1]
[*]8770 (Philflound) [+1]
[*]8730 (LarcenTyler) [+1]
[*]8700 (Blackjack) [+1]
[*]8580 (Keir) [+1]
[*]8310 (video game addict) [+1]
[*]7450 (vdub_bobby) [+1]
[*]3680 (Christophero Sly) [+1]
[*]3270 (chubsta) [+1]
[*]2700 (Gamemaster_ca_2003) [+1]
[*]1210 (Dan Iacovelli) [+1]
Score Statistics

• Average Score: 23,662
  [*]Std. Deviation: 7157
  [*]Total Score: 496,910
  • :
    (Default Settings)
    
    • 1,265,310 (Todd Rogers)
      [*]106,300 (Stephen R Riesenberger)
      [*]68,680 (Robert Mruczek)
      • 
        

Best Tips:

• 
  

Beat the Champ (Get Double Points!)

• 
  

Bounties and Challenges

• 
  [*]13,450 (StanJr)
  [*]12,860 (yuppicide)
  [*]9060 (Cybergoth)

 

Current Standings

Member List StanJr, vdub_bobby, Gamemaster_ca_2003, Stingray, video game addict, pitfallaimee, Blackjack, racer raul, Robert M, Dan Iacovelli, iguana, Gateway, gospeedde, KaeruYojimbo, bjk7382, Christophero Sly, yuppicide, madbutscher, the 5th ghost, Scooterb23, khryssun, Malc74, chubsta, Keir, Philflound, candiru, kemsted, keilbaca, Cybergoth, sku_u, Chris++, cvga, LarcenTyler, 128bytes, Goochman, mikeftrevino   Scoring Points in Dragonfire Treasure Point Value Jug 10 Lamp 10 Goblet 10 Helmet 60 Candelabra 60 Chest 200 Harp 200 Diamond 400 Crown 400 Score Rolls? - Unknown! Let us know if you can do it!   Hints and Tips As always, you really should read the manual. What's that? You don't have the manual? Well, then you can always check out this typed copy of the manual hosted right here at AtariAge. What's that? You're too lazy to click that link? Well, here's some hints from the manual: Don't spend any more time on the bridge than you have to. Cross it as fast as you can and you'll encounter fewer fireballs. [*]If you face an impossible combination of fireballs on the bridge, run back to the right tower if you can make it in time...you're safe there. Or make the Prince squeeze through close-trailing fireballs by jumping from a crouch (pull joystick and press button at the same time). [*]In the treasure room, run fast to the objects. KEEP MOVING! Return to the hiding place if you need a rest, because the Dragon never stops hunting.   Good luck everyone!   --Ze_ro (The Manual) Here's my tips: - Get across the bridge as fast as possible. This way there are less fireballs to dodge. - Once you get across the bridge, do NOT keep holding LEFT. Your man will come out of his safety place and get killed by the dragon, sometimes more than once if you're not careful. - While in the treasure room the top treasures will be easier to grab since the dragon's fireballs take longer to reach you. You should be able to do some fancy footwork back and fourth across the screen and grab some goodies. - When grabbing treasure closer to the bottom (and closer to the dragon) move in diagnoal movements and back and fourth across the screen. Try to only grab one or two treasures and run back to your safety spot. Don't try to grab them all at once! The dragon will get mad and most likely kill you! - The dragon paces back and forth. When he goes to the left (away from the safety spot) you are free to run out. Run out with a diagonal UP/LEFT movement. If there is a treasure on the bottom use UP/LEFT and then DOWN/LEFT to get the treasure, but get the hell out of there fast! You don't want to stay on the bottom too long. - Have a plan of action. Know which treasure you are going after. The white dragon is pacing back and fourth, you make your getaway with the UP/LEFT diagonal I talked about, grab a treasure, dodge fireball/s, then get back to safety. Repeat until all treasures are gone. - The hardest treasures to get are the ones in the bottom middle near the white dragon because you will need to be quick to get it. I use the UP/LEFT diagonal move, then DOWN/LEFT diagonal to get it. If I miss the treasure, I don't try again. I get back to safety. Wait for white dragon to be heading left, then try the whole diagonal thing again. Eventually I get it. - It's possible to do a fake move. You can come out of that safety spot but not move, so you'll basically be just standing there. The white dragon will most of the time be faked out and move left. Then you can make a run for it. - When running back to safety come from either the left or the top. Don't come from the right or you will go into safety and come right back out the left. (yuppicide) Dodging the fire balls on the bridge is kind of dificult but one you get a good pattern going then you can get it done faster. Also if you have your guy ducking for the top fire ball and you see the lower one coming at you, you can make your guy do a zen yogi stunt (floating in sitting position) by pressing the jump button while he is still ducking.(it sort of what galagher did on one of his specials where he had the big couch and he bounced and he fold his legs in the air if you took a picture of that it kind of looked like zen yogi) (Dan Iacovelli) In my ongoing effort to get myself some bonus points I've made the following pictures to assist you in your treasure grabbing: The picture above shows you when to make your getaway. You will want to go diagonally up and left to get out. It also shows you the spot where I say it's toughest to grab a treasure from. The picture above shows a rough diagram of where to go. It'll take some practice and some speed. You can see how all my move are diagonally. (yuppicide) On the way of tips: back in the old Atarinvader.com days, I wrote a complete strategy guide for Dragonfire. So I thought I'd post the best excerpts from it. Hope they help! The Drawbridge This is the easy part. Dodge the fireballs and get across the bridge. Tip: The fireballs always come in pairs. The high one usually comes first and fast, the lower one second and slow (NOTE: Occasionally the computer will mix it up on you, keep on your toes!). With this in mind you can time your duck and jump so that you only ever see one set of fireballs on the bridge. Tip: If the pair comes close together, you can duck the high one and still jump while ducking to get over the low one. This will take some practice and precise timing, but becomes a big help once mastered. Tip: If you get into trouble, you can always seek shelter in the tower on the right. Tip: If you aren’t on the left side of the bridge when you clear the fireballs (but closer to the middle or right side instead), you will probably want to wait for the next set to appear before making a mad dash for it. The Treasure Room Tip: In the first 4 treasure rooms, you can “hide” along the far left wall. The Dragon will search about, but will not be able to hit you with a fireball as long as you are there. After the 4th castle, all bets are off! Tip: Develop a pattern of movement for collecting treasures. I find the “figure eight” method to be rather useful; zigzagging is good too. If you conduct a number of sweeps rather than trying to get them all in one trip, you will have more success. Tip: The Dragons slow down when shooting multiple fireballs. Occasionally it is useful to walk slowly across the room, that way the dragon is not covering the entire screen in fire. Tip: Use the door in the bottom right as a hide-out. The later levels get pretty intense and it really helps to catch your breath. Tip: The White Dragon shoots the fastest fireballs, you will not be able to out-run them vertically. When making for the exit, horizontal is your best bet. If you do have to make a vertical run for it, stick the farthest left, then immediate move toward the door, that way it is clear of fireballs, if not you’ll be consumed even as you enter the door. Tip: If you die, stop pushing the joystick immediately! You may accidentally expose your next “man” by pushing him out the door too early and into a fireball (The White Dragon almost expects you to do this. Watch him run for the door as soon as he hits you!) Tip: There is no rush. Don’t plunge headlong into the treasure room if there is no need to. On the upper levels, careful planning is better than frenzied running. Clear the rooms one treasure at a time if need be. If you feel safer in the safe spot, hang out there a second and plan your attack. Tip: A lot of this game is luck. Luck in the placement of the treasures in the room and the types of treasures that appear. Nothing is worse than a white dragon room with only a handful of lamps along the right hand side. The flip side is, you occasionally get a room FULL of crowns and treasure chests! (StanJr) Hm... best advice I can give to you is trying to *not* use the safety spot. I go out immeditately once the screen starts. Since the dragon comes from the very left at the beginning, you're pretty safe then. And then I just sweep back and forth through the level, grabing everything and exit then. My movements are more or less a flat lying '8'. When executing this with the right timing, whitey has no chance of ever hitting you (Cybergoth) Since I thought it might be helpfull for people to see how the treasure rooms are done, I fired up PCAE and recorded a small video. It shows me clearing three rooms in a row guarded by white dragons. I'm no pro with movies, so it's just the raw PCAE output (5MB!) -> http://home.arcor.de/cybergoth/xype/df.avi (Cybergoth) [*]StanJr [28] [*]racer raul [23] [*]video game addict [19] [*]Christophero Sly [15] [*]KaeruYojimbo [14] [*]candiru [14] [*]sku_u [11] [*]Blackjack [11] [*]LarcenTyler [11] [*]cvga [10] [*]gospeedde [9] [*]Keir [9] [*]the 5th ghost [9] [*]adams_ale [6] [*]pitfallaimee [5] [*]yuppicide [4] [*]chubsta [4] [*]vdub_bobby [4] [*]kemsted [3] [*]Malc74 [3] [*]Goochman [3] [*]Cybergoth [3] [*]Philflound [3] [*]Dan Iacovelli [3] [*]Robert M [2] [*]128bytes [1] [*]Chris++ [1] [*]madbutscher [1] [*]Scooterb23 [1] [*]bjk7382 [1] [*]Gamemaster_ca_2003 [1] [*]Stingray [1] [*]iguana [1] [*]khryssun [1] [*]Gateway [1]

Standings are current as of the beginning of this week, and do NOT include points from this week's game. If you think there has been a mistake in any of the scoring, please contact me.

[yuppicide]

Your post states "As before, next week's game will be chosen by the next person in the member list, which happens to be Goochman! Please send me a private message with your choice of game for next week! " --- didn't Goochman pick this game, Dragonfire?! It said in the last HSC (Spider Fighter) that he was picking this weeks.

 

Anyway, here's my first score:

 

[yuppicide]

Man, I did that score on the wrong settings.. lemme change it to Blue Dragon and play again.

[yuppicide]

Funny thing is I've been playing Dragonfire for like 3 hours now. That was going to be MY choice in the HSC club when I got there lol. I'll have to pick another game now.

[vdub_bobby]

Weak first score: 2180

[BydoEmpire]

I love this game (and Spider Fighter, too, btw - good choices). Sadly, my DF cart disappeared years ago, and I never got another.

[Lauren Tyler]

This really burns me up!

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

My first score: 37.850

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Goochman]

3300 - SS didnt come out right

 

Need to start on 2 - 1 settings, not 1 - 2

[yuppicide]

My first score with the 2-1 settings:

 

[yuppicide]

Here's my tips:

 

- Get across the bridge as fast as possible. This way there are less fireballs to dodge.

 

- Once you get across the bridge, do NOT keep holding LEFT. Your man will come out of his safety place and get killed by the dragon, sometimes more than once if you're not careful.

 

- While in the treasure room the top treasures will be easier to grab since the dragon's fireballs take longer to reach you. You should be able to do some fancy footwork back and fourth across the screen and grab some goodies.

 

- When grabbing treasure closer to the bottom (and closer to the dragon) move in diagnoal movements and back and fourth across the screen. Try to only grab one or two treasures and run back to your safety spot. Don't try to grab them all at once! The dragon will get mad and most likely kill you!

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

Try to only grab one or two treasures and run back to your safety spot.

 

How do you manage get out of the safety spot alive, once the white dragon is guarding it?

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[yuppicide]

The dragon paces back and forth. When he goes to the left (away from the safety spot) you are free to run out. Run out with a diagonal UP/LEFT movement. If there is a treasure on the bottom use UP/LEFT and then DOWN/LEFT to get the treasure, but get the hell out of there fast! You don't want to stay on the bottom too long.

 

Hi there!

 

Try to only grab one or two treasures and run back to your safety spot.

 

How do you manage get out of the safety spot alive, once the white dragon is guarding it?

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[yuppicide]

- Have a plan of action. Know which treasure you are going after. The white dragon is pacing back and fourth, you make your getaway with the UP/LEFT diagonal I talked about, grab a treasure, dodge fireball/s, then get back to safety.

 

Repeat until all treasures are gone.

[yuppicide]

- The hardest treasures to get are the ones in the bottom middle near the white dragon because you will need to be quick to get it. I use the UP/LEFT diagonal move, then DOWN/LEFT diagonal to get it. If I miss the treasure, I don't try again. I get back to safety. Wait for white dragon to be heading left, then try the whole diagonal thing again. Eventually I get it.

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

The dragon paces back and forth. When he goes to the left (away from the safety spot) you are free to run out.

 

Hm... need to try that. I usually lose all of my lives at once, that is after the white dragon got me the first time and then I don't manage to get out of my box anymore...

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[yuppicide]

- Another tip.. it's possible to do a fake move. You can come out of that safety spot but not move, so you'll basically be just standing there. The white dragon will most of the time be faked out and move left. Then you can make a run for it.

[yuppicide]

- Another tip: When running back to safety come from either the left or the top. Don't come from the right or you will go into safety and come right back out the left.

 

(sorry I keep making seperate posts.. I keep posting then going back to play and then thinking of another idea)

[vdub_bobby]

3090

[Dan Iacovelli]

this is a good choice for this week had to d/l the rom though.

first score:1210

dodging the fire balls on the bridge is kind of dificult but one you get a good pattern going then you can get it done faster.

Also if you have your guy ducking for the top fire ball and you see the lower one coming at you, you can make your guy do a zen yogi stunt (floating in sitting position) by pressing the jump button while he is still ducking.(it sort of what galagher did on one of his specials where he had the big couch and he bounced and he fold his legs in the air if you took a picture of that it kind of looked like zen yogi)

[yuppicide]

In my ongoing effort to get myself some bonus points I've made the following pictures to assist you in your treasure grabbing:

 

 

The picture above shows you when to make your getaway. You will want to go diagonally up and left to get out. It also shows you the spot where I say it's toughest to grab a treasure from.

 

 

The picture above shows a rough diagram of where to go. It'll take some practice and some speed. You can see how all my move are diagonally.

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

New score: 83.680

 

@yuppicide: You were absolutely right on exiting the box when whitey is going left. Silly me, I was just to impatient on exiting the whole time... Well, seems my Dragonfire skills are coming back to me quickly now, so I expect to beat my old (20 years ) personal best of 102K sometime soon

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[sku_u]

My submission:

 

1810

 

I never got into this game.

[vdub_bobby]

7340

 

The White Dragon is fast

[yuppicide]

Well, I guess I'm both glad I could help and mad I made you get a higher score LOL! That's okay I won't even come near 63,000 anyway. I'll probably top off under 40,000.

 

What sucks is when you accidentally go out when he's coming towards you and he gets you with a fireball. It all happens to fast you're most likely pressing LEFT still and he gets you a second or a third time.

 

I remember my friend had Dragonfire for his Tandy CoCo. I love this game, but hate the CoCo joysticks. They are so thin.

 

Sorry for the crap animated .gif above.. it's the best I could figure out quickly. I just kept hitting F12 for a screenshot in Stella.

 

Hi there!

 

New score: 83.680

 

@yuppicide: You were absolutely right on exiting the box when whitey is going left. Silly me, I was just to impatient on exiting the whole time... Well, seems my Dragonfire skills are coming back to me quickly now, so I expect to beat my old (20 years ) personal best of 102K sometime soon

 

Greetings,

Manuel