HSC Season 2 Week 11: Frostbite

[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!

 

Quick! The temperature is dropping, and it'll soon be below zero! You're out in the middle of the arctic with no shelter in sight, so you'd better hurry and build an igloo before it gets too cold out. To make matters worse, the only useful blocks of ice in sight are floating in the middle of the lake! The polar bears are hungry, so step lightly because this week's game is Frostbite!

 

Game Information
Released By	Activision
Left Difficulty	Not Applicable
Right Difficulty	Not Applicable
Game Mode	Game 3 - Advanced, 1 Player
Chosen By	Blackjack

 

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, April 4th 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 racer raul! Please send me a private message with your choice of game for next week!

 

Unfortunately, AtariAge does not host the ROMs for Activision games, so if you don't have a real copy of this game, you'll have to find the ROM yourself!

 

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 score for this week's game, and I'll add you to the list!

 

High Scores [*]308,230 (the 5th ghost) [+10] [*]198,680 (vdub_bobby) [+9] [*]183,320 (KaeruYojimbo) [+8] [*]163,010 (pitfallaimee) [+7] [*]161,080 (Fellow Atari Man) [+6] [*]149,730 (Cybergoth) [+5] [*]142,090 (Keir) [+4] [*]138,210 (sku_u) [+3] [*]134,000 (Malc74) [+2] [*]127,460 (Numan) [+1] [*]123,160 (LarcenTyler) [+1] [*]114,600 (Blackjack) [+1] [*]107,610 (video game addict) [+1] [*]52,030 (gospeedde) [+1] [*]51,760 (mikeftrevino) [+1] [*]31,820 (Christophero Sly) [+1] [*]29,390 (Philflound) [+1] [*]10,520 (Goochman) [+1] [*]5770 (Dan Iacovelli) [+1] Score Statistics:

Average Score: 132,200
[*]Std. Deviation: 98,783
[*]Total Score: 2,643,990:
(Default Settings)
1,832,730 (Todd Rogers)
[*]334,880 (Keith C Post)
[*]316,470 (Robert Macauley)

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Best Tips:

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Bounties and Challenges
- Score over 40,000 points to get 1 bonus point!

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[*]To post a bounty, PM me with the details

 

Current Standings [*]StanJr [86] [*]Christophero Sly [40] [*]Malc74 [40] [*]sku_u [38] [*]Osbo [34] [*]video game addict [32] [*]KaeruYojimbo [30] [*]racer raul [29] [*]chrisbid [28] [*]Dones [24] [*]Fellow Atari Man [24] [*]Philflound [23] [*]Blackjack [21] [*]gospeedde [21] [*]LarcenTyler [21] [*]Robert M [20] [*]the 5th ghost [20] [*]Keir [18] [*]Numan [18] [*]chubsta [17] [*]pitfallaimee [16] [*]yuppicide [15] [*]candiru [14] [*]cvga [13] [*]vdub_bobby [11] [*]Goochman [11] [*]mikeftrevino [11] [*]Dan Iacovelli [10] [*]adams_ale [6] [*]Gamemaster_ca_2003 [5] [*]Bubbledragon [4] [*]scogey [4] [*]BydoEmpire [3] [*]kemsted [3] [*]Stingray [3] [*]khryssun [3] [*]128bytes [2] [*]Voch [2] [*]iguana [2] [*]Chris++ [1] [*]awsomo3000 [1] [*]madbutscher [1] [*]Scooterb23 [1] [*]bjk7382 [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.

 

Member List

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, vdub_bobby, Dones, Gamemaster_ca_2003, awsomo3000, Voch, Stingray, scogey, Bubbledragon, video game addict, pitfallaimee, Blackjack

 

Scoring Points in FrostbiteYou receive 10 points for each Ice Block you collect on the first level. For each level after the first, the point value is increased by ten. Note that on Game 3, you start at level 5, so you receive 50 points for each block. [*]You receive 160 points for entering the igloo on the first level. For each level after the first, the point value is increased by 160. Note that on Game 3, you start at level 5, so you receive 800 points for entering the igloo. [*]Every fish you catch is worth 200 points. [*]Upon entering the igloo, you receive a temperature bonus of 10 * Temperature * Level Number... so if you enter the igloo on level 5 with the temperature at 2 degrees, you would receive 100 bonus points. [*]A Magic Fish will appear near your score when you've racked up a certain high number of points. Watch for it! - 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, there is a scanned copy of it available hosted by AtariAge! What's that? You're too lazy to click that link? Well, then here's the hints it provides: Learn to use the red button sparingly. The best time to use it is to 'fake out' the bear by drawing him to the middle of the screen and quickly changing direction. [*]Don't be greedy with the fish. Get them if they come by. However, going out of your way often uses too much time. [*]Another thing: You can move Frostbite Bailey in mid-air and, at the higher levels, you can really hook him around. Check out just how far he'll go. [*]Notice that hazards only get you when both feet are planted. Therefore, it's possible to jump 'around' hazards since they can't hurt you in mid-air. [*]Now here's a secret tip I've decided to share: If you jump up onto the extreme left of the shore, the bear can't get you. It's Frostbite's emergency hide-out.   Good luck everyone!   --Ze_ro (Steve Cartwright) Here is some advice to remember: -The Polar Grizzly can easily be distracted if you jump up onto land and wait for him to come toward you. Then, jump onto an ice block and jump back up behind him. It may not always work, but sometimes he might be distracted long enough for you to get to your igloo. -Once you get caught by a hazard, there is no escape, so don't try to waste igloo pieces trying to reverse out. -When your igloo is complete, don't rush to the top. Take your time and plan each move carefully. Remember you can change directions as much as you need to without being penalized igloo pieces. (LarcenTyler) When you're at the bottom two rows of igloo blocks and all of the above igloo blocks have been hopped on, try to get the bottom two rows to change before making your way back up, as it's not a good thing to have to hop all the way back down to the bottom just to change the color of one or two rows. During the early, slower levels, look before you leap!! Keep a good eye on what's moving in what rows and plan your jumps accordingly, especially when you have to choose whether to hop on a floe with geese in the row (which never stop moving) or a row that has a creature that pauses every couple of seconds. Timing a jump behind an enemy (like geese) will buy you some time, as the enemy won't turn around, so it will give you time to figure out what your next move (or two) will be and how to plan them out. (Fellow Atari Man) Tips: Use the fire button to change the direction of the ice that you are standing on to help you finish or keep from getting killed, but use it sparingly as each time you use it, a block is erased from your igloo. When your igloo is complete, you can hit the fire button as much as you want with no penalty. Don't hang out in one spot... JUMP, JUMP, JUMP! practice staying in motion at all times. in later levels, you can jump a really long distance and even move while in the air a considerable amount. The "bad guys" can't hurt you when you're in the air so keep jumping. With a little practice, you can easily make quick jumps between "bad guys" if they are spaced widely apart and onto the next row without being killed. Don't spend much time going after the fish, pick them up if it's convenient, but don't spend a lot of time on them, they're only worth 200 points each so it's much more important to get the level finished with a lot of time remaining. Avoid "working the edges" of the play area. Crabs, Geese, and Clams can come out quickly not leaving you time enough to react. Efficiency - when you finish changing colors on the last row of ice (row 4) jump up and get row 3, then back to 4 and begin working your way back up again. The same goes for finishing off the top row. It's a more efficient use of your time. In a pinch, you can jump up to land at the very left hand side of the screen and the bear won't be able to get you. (Blackjack) Ok, a few tips: Most of these are with respect to the later levels when the controls loosen up a bit and you can jump farther and with more agility, but they are also good all-purpose tips. First, use the shore. Its a great way to get out of the fray for a second, don't stay too long, but it is helpful. I use it like a backboard, I kind of shoot up there, and then bounce off behind an enemy. As you play, your jumping will develop a flow, or drift. The movement of the ice blocks will kind of guide you to the left or right of the screen. Watch for this and try to keep your action toward the center. Drifting will get you that "working the edges" scenario someone else talked about. However, if you do get drifted toward one side, use the shore to bounce yourself back to the center. The bear is easily fooled most of the time and will rush to the side you are on, so just jump behind him and then back down to the flow. Remember that you move slower on the shore. This can be helpful if you reach the top row of blocks and the geese and blocks are moving in the same direction and speed. Jump to the shore, take a few steps and then jump back down once the blocks have wrapped and the geese are gone. This is part of that reverse the drift tip above. DO NOT change the direction of the block flow until the igloo is complete. All this will do is slow your progress down and through your jump pattern off completely. Its just not worth it. When you do complete the igloo, try to keep the flow changing to a minimum, top level only if possible. The best strategy is to complete the igloo, jump to the top level, ride it right to sucker the bear, then immediately switch and leap into the igloo. On later levels you can almost do this from the far right side of the screen. At about 150K the blocks move too fast for you to safely start out by jumping on the first, leftmost block, you will have to start jumping to the middle block instead, so be ready. At about 300K the speed ramps again and you'll want to shoot for the third, rightmost block at the start instead. When a level starts, watch what appears where. Geese almost ALWAYS appear top row. If nothing appears on a row, you know that crabs or clams are coming, plan accordingly. Fish are green, I know that sounds ridiculous but the action is so fast at higher levels that is sometimes the only way to know if a jump is safe, if you see green, GO! My opening jumps are usually as follows, jump right to the middle block in row 1, jump right again to the middle block in row 2, jump right again to the right edge of the screen on row three, jump as far left as I can to whatever is available on row 4, then improvise as needed. (this is generally the pattern after about 200K) I find I end up jumping in a kind of diamond formation clockwise. You CAN use the left edge of the shore, for a breather, but this is dangerous as it gets you near the edge of the screen. Last resort only. Rack up more points (but be sure you can afford it), with only one, or none, blocks to go to complete your igloo, die. Just jump into an enemy or the water and die. Then, when your next life starts, jump down to the first level, immediately back up and into the igloo, and if done fast enough the time/temp counter will only count down 1 or 2 seconds at most. You'll get more bonus points at the end of the level. Problem is, this costs one life to accomplish, so only do it if you can spare the life. This is easy to do at early levels, but when the action heats up, you'll probably just be happy to have completed the igloo and gotten inside, so there will be no time for setting this up. (StanJr)

[Lauren Tyler]

First time I ever got the Magic Fish to appear, hopefully I can find the actual cartridge and play on real hardware.

 

Here is some advice to remember:

 

-The Polar Grizzly can easily be distracted if you jump up onto land and wait for him to come toward you. Then, jump onto an ice block and jump back up behind him. It may not always work, but sometimes he might be distracted long enough for you to get to your igloo.

 

-Once you get caught by a hazard, there is no escape, so don't try to waste igloo pieces trying to reverse out.

 

-When your igloo is complete, don't rush to the top. Take your time and plan each move carefully. Remember you can change directions as much as you need to without being penalized igloo pieces.

[Fellow Atari Man]

This was one of THE first games I ever got when I got back into Atari a few years ago

 

A tip: when you're at the bottom two rows of igloo blocks and all of the above igloo blocks have been hopped on, try to get the bottom two rows to change before making your way back up, as it's not a good thing to have to hop all the way back down to the bottom just to change the color of one or two rows.

 

I'll get a score up later.

[Blackjack]

My opener... 24,620

[Christophero Sly]

16,280

 

I've haven't played this game much before. I hope I can learn how to play it and improve enough to be competitive this week.

[Blackjack]

Tips:

 

Use the fire button to change the direction of the ice that you are standing on to help

you finish or keep from getting killed, but use it sparingly as each time you use it,

a block is erased from your igloo. When your igloo is complete, you can hit the fire

button as much as you want with no penalty.

 

Don't hang out in one spot... JUMP, JUMP, JUMP! practice staying in motion at all times.

in later levels, you can jump a really long distance and even move while in the air

a considerable amount. The "bad guys" can't hurt you when you're in the air so keep

jumping.

 

With a little practice, you can easily make quick jumps between "bad guys" if they are

spaced widely apart and onto the next row without being killed.

 

Don't spend much time going after the fish, pick them up if it's convenient, but don't

spend a lot of time on them, they're only worth 200 points each so it's much more

important to get the level finished with a lot of time remaining.

 

Avoid "working the edges" of the play area. Crabs, Geese, and Clams can come out

quickly not leaving you time enough to react.

 

Efficiency - when you finish changing colors on the last row of ice (row 4)jump up and

get row 3, then back to 4 and begin working your way back up again. The same goes for

finishing off the top row. It's a more efficient use of your time.

 

In a pinch, you can jump up to land at the very left hand side of the screen and the

bear won't be able to get you.

 

Keep your eye out for the magic fish..... I've never gotten far enough, so I don't know when

he comes out.

[Blackjack]

I'm on fire baby! 62940

Still no magic fish though

[Malc74]

To my eternal shame, I've never played this one before. Here's my opening score of 42110.

[Lauren Tyler]

A slight improvement over my original score.

[Dan Iacovelli]

first score:3980

not as good as the rest of you guys but it's good for a start

[+KaeruYojimbo]

79,420 to start the week.

 

Why do I always die so close to an extra life?

[Dan Iacovelli]

first score:3980

not as good as the rest of you guys but it's good for a start

second score getting better: 4660

[+KaeruYojimbo]

101,480

 

Everyday I play the game (Too much, Magic Fish!)

To get the score that makes you appear (Too much, Magic Fish!)

I'm so nervous I just died again (Too much, Magic Fish!)

I'll have to play another game (Too much, Magic Fish!)

[Fellow Atari Man]

Another tip: during the early, slower levels, look before you leap!! Keep a good eye on what's moving in what rows and plan your jumps accordingly, especially when you have to choose whether to hop on a floe with geese in the row (which never stop moving) or a row that has a creature that pauses every couple of seconds.

 

BTW, does that magic fish do anything?

[Goochman]

5390 - screenshot didnt come out

[pitfallaimee]

MY SCORE

69440

 

 

 

STAN'S SCORE

Stan just sat down and played a quick game before school. He only had a few minutes to play and had to cut it short! His score (which he impatiently asked me to submit for him) was 299040.

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

I'm in this week, starting slow with 27.220 points.

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

Ah, silly me... please disregard my score already, I just realized that I played variant 1 instead of 3...

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Blackjack]

improvement 101,430

[StanJr]

Magic fish does nothing, its just a neat little reward for getting past 100K.

 

Hopefully I'll get more time to devote to this, Frostbite is one of my favorites!

[vdub_bobby]

Won't come close to the top this time around, but it is a fun one indeed: 18520

[Fellow Atari Man]

Magic fish does nothing, its just a neat little reward for getting past 100K.

 

Thanks, I had gotten it a couple of times myself since I got the game, but forgot about looking it up on the instructions here (since I don't have them) to see what the hell it did

 

This game's really polarizing to me, like Robotron, where I'll be doing pretty decently, then have a bunch of stupid deaths in a row.

 

Walloped my first post score

 

Another tip: timing a jump behind an enemy (like geese) will buy you some time, as the enemy won't turn around, so it will give you time to figure out what your next move (or two) will be and how to plan them out.

[Christophero Sly]

31,820

 

Great game! I can't believe I've never really given it a try before.

[Philflound]

17480. You'll have to take my word on it. Batteries are dead on the camera. I was originally getting pissed at this game, but learned to eat the fish and get some extra lives too!

 

Phil

[Philflound]

29390. I plan on getting a better score and getting batteries again to show my improvement.

 

Phil