HSC Season 2 Week 5: Popeye

[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!

 

Oh no! Brutus has kidnapped your one and only Olive Oyl, and he's not giving her back without a fight! You'd better grab yourself a joystick and a can of spinach, because this week's game is Popeye!

 

Game Information
Game	Popeye
Released By	Parker Bros.
Left Difficulty	Not used in this game
Right Difficulty	Not used in this game
Game Mode	Not applicable
Chosen By	StanJr

 

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 22nd 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 vdub_bobby! 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:

• 
  [*]202,150 (StanJr)

[+10]
[*]125,100 (keilbaca) [+9]
[*]85,350 (Osbo) [+8]
[*]83,050 (chrisbid) [+7]
[*]73,100 (KaeruYojimbo) [+6]
[*]56,500 (Christophero Sly) [+5]
[*]55,900 (Philflound) [+4]
[*]46,050 (cvga) [+3]
[*]37,800 (Numan) [+2]
[*]35,900 (video game addict) [+1]
[*]30,650 (Keir) [+1]
[*]30,400 (vdub_bobby) [+1]
[*]29,400 (mikeftrevino) [+1]
[*]29,050 (racer raul) [+1]
[*]24,950 (pitfallaimee) [+1]
[*]22,100 (LarcenTyler) [+1]
[*]17,300 (Malc74) [+1]
[*]12,850 (gospeedde) [+1]
[*]12,200 (Blackjack) [+1]
[*]9500 (Dan Iacovelli) [+1]
[*]9400 (Goochman) [+1]
[*]9050 (chubsta) [+1]:
(Default Settings)

• 805,750 (Todd Rogers)
  [*]

122,820 (Russell Archey) ?
[*]59,400 (Robert Macauley)
[*]45,650 (James Carter)

• 
  

Best Tips:

• 
  

Beat the Champ (Get Double Points!)

• 
  

Bounties and Challenges

• - Roll the score! (> 999,999 points) Award: 5 points
  [*]To post a bounty,

PM me with the details

• 
  

Score Statistics

• Average Score: 61,274
  [*]Std. Deviation: 16,896
  [*]Total Score: 1,409,300

 

Current Standings

[*]StanJr [36] [*]racer raul [28] [*]KaeruYojimbo [20] [*]video game addict [20] [*]Christophero Sly [16] [*]sku_u [15] [*]yuppicide [15] [*]candiru [14] [*]Cybergoth [14] [*]Blackjack [12] [*]LarcenTyler [12] [*]Keir [10] [*]cvga [10] [*]Malc74 [10] [*]gospeedde [9] [*]the 5th ghost [9] [*]adams_ale [6] [*]chubsta [5] [*]vdub_bobby [5] [*]pitfallaimee [5] [*]Philflound [4] [*]Dan Iacovelli [4] [*]BydoEmpire [3] [*]kemsted [3] [*]chrisbid [3] [*]Robert M [2] [*]Gamemaster_ca_2003 [2] [*]128bytes [1] [*]Chris++ [1] [*]mikeftrevino [1] [*]madbutscher [1] [*]Scooterb23 [1] [*]bjk7382 [1] [*]Stingray [1] [*]iguana [1] [*]khryssun [1] [*]Gateway [1]   Member List 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, StanJr, Osbo, Numan   Scoring Points in Popeye Catching a note, heart, or X on... Platform #1 - 500 points [*]Platform #2 - 300 points [*]Platform #3 - 100 points [*]Platform #4 - 50 points [*]While in Water - 50 points Punching a Bottle - 100 points [*]Knocking Brutus Overboard - 3000 points [*]You will receive an extra life if you reach 20,000 points. Only one extra life can be earned. [*]You will receive double points for collecting a note, heart, or X while the "Popeye Theme" is playing (ie, after eating the spinach) - 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 that's alright, because it doesn't really give any specific hints anyways! (The Manual) Here is the excerpt from my old Strategy Guide to Popeye. Hope it helps! "Breaking it down. Let’s take this game level by level. Level 1: “Sweet Hearts” This round takes place near the docks, outside the local pub. Olive walks along the top dropping hearts for Popeye to catch. Bluto patrols the lower levels and the Seahag (as always) is waiting just off screen. 1. Bluto is an idiot. Never forget this. He will spend a lot of time wandering around the lower levels. Use this time to your advantage and grab all the tokens you can before he “finds” you. Even after he finds you, he must stay on level 2 or below at all times. 2. Olive ALWAYS drops her tokens in a pattern; learn the pattern and you will rarely have to leave the safety of the top level. 3. Should you find yourself on the second level with Bluto, you can easily trick him down to the 3rd level using the “down” ladder in the middle of the screen. Climb ¾ of the way down the ladder (DO NOT go all the way, you will not be able to get back up). Bluto will see that you are missing and drop down a level to look for you. As soon as he does, climb back up and gather those tokens. (You can also do this to duck bottles tossed at you). Using this repeatedly, you can keep Bluto on the lower levels for the entire round. 4. This goes for every level. Unless you needed it early on, save the spinach for the last 3 tokens. Allow them to fall, then grab the spinach, knock Bluto out, and grab the tokens. You get 3000 pts for Bluto and double points for all the tokens. Level 2: “Love Notes” This level also takes place on the docks, but has some interesting new obstacles. Olive, of course, is on the uppermost level and she drops love “notes” this time. You will also find a trampoline (that’s right a trampoline) located in each bottom corner. Bluto will stay on level 2 most of the time this round so be careful! 1. Remember the pattern hint for Stagel 1. It plays an especially important role in this round. When done properly, you can catch all the notes from level 1, journeying to level 2 only to wrap the screen and return to level 1. 2. DO NOT get trapped on level 4. The only ways out of there are the stairs or the spinach. The only reason to be on level 4 is to get the spinach and feed Bluto a knuckle sandwich. 3. The trampolines can deliver you to either level 1 or level 2. Since there is no real reason to stop on level 2, you can pass it by simply by pressing UP on the joystick as you bounce off the trampoline. Be careful not to fly up under Bluto though! The timing on this is tricky. Hit "up" just as you bounce. 4. It is easier to run from the Seahag’s bottles on this level than try to punch them. Level 3: “X’s, X’s and more X’s” This is my favorite level. The action now moves to a pirate ship. Olive stands on the “poop deck” tossing x’s (kisses) your way. Grab them while dodging Bluto’s clumsy attacks. 1. This level is totally cool. Bluto is fairly easy to dupe. Just keep him running from one end of the ship to the other and he will leave you alone. 2. You should never have to leave level 1 during this round. Olive almost ALWAYS tosses the kisses where you can grab them from the top deck. 3. If you do get into trouble and need to get below deck quickly, you can slide down the mast in the center of the ship (even from the top deck) by pressing down while you slide across the top deck or dropping through the gap in level 2. 4. Be careful not to slide across the center of the top deck too quickly, you can miss kisses if you slide too soon. Wait until the kiss is tossed before you take action. 5. You will have to punch all of the Seahag’s bottles this time around, luckily they come at you slowly and you have plenty of time to knock them out of the sky. Higher Levels. After Level 3, you will return to Level 1: “Sweet Hearts,” but this time the action will be faster. The bottles will fly faster and Bluto will wise up (just a little). Olive will also toss tokens at a faster rate. Stick to your strategies on each level, with some minor tweaks here and there, and you should be fine. Note: the bottles do not speed up ever in Round 3" (StanJr) On level 1, stay at the very bottom and keep Brutus a few inches away from you. He'll keep throwing bottles at you. If you keep punching them while collecting the hearts, you can rack up more points than you would in staying at the top level. (sku_u) Here's how the bug works: On the first level, stay on the 2nd-from-the-top platform running back and forth collecting hearts until Brutus finally wises up and climbs up to the same level as you. At that point, die. Then, when you reappear, Brutus will immediately run towards you (rather than away as at the beginning of the game). Run towards him as well (from the top-most platform) until you fall down to the same platform that he is on. Then immediately run to your left and get the waiting spinach, then turn around and run into Brutus. Bingo, 100k+ points. Also, it gave me an odd number of points, so that must be how you get a point-multiple other than 50. (vdub_bobby) A slightly better description: Get 8 or more hearts, and then die. Once you start your next life, go RIGHT off the ledge, then LEFT to the spinach. Brutus should be right behind you. Get the spinach and hit Brutus and you’re score will become 115,120! If you do it again (on the 4th screen) you’re score will become 114,110. (Digital Press) (Bug is confirmed to work on real hardware as well as DCStella. This may not work the same on all emulators.) SCORES OBTAINED USING THIS BUG WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. In the first level, if Brutus is in the second floor, busting your chops, you can lure him to go to the third level by going down in the middle ladder (not all the way), he will go to the third level, and then you can move on to the second and catch the hearts. (Osbo) Yep and if you linger on the ladder long enough, you can even get him to toss bottles at your feet, delaying him longer. A few other neat bugs I have seen. If you are whacked out on spinach and smack Bluto while he's in his jumping animation, he'll zoom across the screen and get all glitchy (really tall!) before he disappears. Also, if you die as a bottle comes at you from the Seahag, the bottle will sort of taper off falling down instead of going horizontally across the screen. I guess without a proper target the bottle succumbs to gravity! (StanJr) Timing is everything. After going around the first time, the first screen is kinda ok, the second one (the port) move on the second level *only* when Brutus is moving, otherwise he will rip you a new one from behin. (Osbo)   Good luck everyone!   --Ze_ro

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.

[Osbo]

oh yeah! good pick! I love Popeye... I'll get hot on it tomorrow after class

[StanJr]

Well, my game, I'll throw out the first pitch. 88600.

 

I'm sure a lot of people can roll this baby in their sleep (ala Spider Fighter), but I can't (yet) and this is a game I think gets very little love, when it looks better than a lot of other VCS offerings and offers solid gameplay. An excellent port if you ask me. So I picked Popeye. I hope you enjoy it!

[Christophero Sly]

Excellent pick! Weird too because just this week I had settled on Popeye as the game that would be my choice when it came around.

 

This is a very underrated game in my opinion. I'm not very good at it. However, I'm really looking forward to improving at it this week.

 

Again, great pick.

[chubsta]

5050 - first game, never played this before, but i think im going to like it!

 

good choice

[chrisbid]

30,600

 

i got through the first loop of stages, that was my first goal, ill have to watch more scores come in to get an idea for my next goal

 

good translation, though the arcade game is somewhat clunky to begin with

[Dan Iacovelli]

first score for the new week:3800

playing on a emulator agian

[Goochman]

8700 - hitting the bottles in this one is tricky and no barrel!

[keilbaca]

1st try, 15k. Expect this score to rise. I loved the NES popeye, so this will have a good workout.

[Dan Iacovelli]

new high score:8400

[Ze_ro]

I'm sure a lot of people can roll this baby in their sleep

I don't know about that... Todd's score on TwinGalaxies is just over 800k, and if Todd hasn't rolled it, then well...

 

Challenge - Extra 5 points if you can roll the score! (> 999,999)

 

 

--Zero

[StanJr]

I wrote a strategy guide for this one back in the day too, when I get home from work, I'll see if I can pull it up and post some of the finer points!

[racer raul]

1st try on Stella 13550... this is another title I never owned or played before... gotta admit its pretty good... wish I had the cart.

[Lauren Tyler]

For the first time through I did pretty good actually!

[sku_u]

I wrote a strategy guide for this one back in the day too, when I get home from work, I'll see if I can pull it up and post some of the finer points!

 

I'm glad I printed out the strategy guide you had hosted at AI. I miss AI.

[vdub_bobby]

7100 for my first stab at this game.

[vdub_bobby]

11450 second time through.

[racer raul]

Damn I gotta get to playing more...

 

23000

[sku_u]

I wrote a strategy guide for this one back in the day too, when I get home from work, I'll see if I can pull it up and post some of the finer points!

 

I'm glad I printed out the strategy guide you had hosted at AI. I miss AI.

 

Bah, should read guides

 

Was this one of the AI strategy guides, Stan?

[NE146]

Gosh darnit.. I'd like to participate in this one (2600 Popeye is one of my favorite variants)... but I'm travelling tonight and won't be back until the 26th. Maybe I'll submit a score then despite the timeline

[chubsta]

9090 - i am beginning to realise that i am not as good at games as i used to be.......

[Christophero Sly]

38,600

 

Man, those bottles really get moving in the second pass.

[Malc74]

Nope. This is not my type of game at all. In fact, it was a serious test of willpower just to stay awake long enough to get a score of 9500. I just find Popeye a mind-crushingly dull game. Maybe later in the week I'll try again, but I'm looking forward to next week's game already (sorry Stan!)

[Ze_ro]

125,310

9090

How did you guys manage to get these scores? As far as I can tell from the manual, there doesn't seem to be any way to score anything lower than 50 points at a time, which means every score should be an even multiple of 50... is there something I missed here, or does the game screw up it's own scoring somehow?

 

--Zero

[Blackjack]

First entry 10,200