HSC Season 3 Week 2: Front Line

[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!

 

It's dangerous. It's mean. It's WAR! And now, you are there! Your mission? Invade enemy territory and knock out the fortress. To do it, you'll have to travel over tricky terrain and fight against overwhelming odds at every step. Evade attacks, search and destroy lumbering tanks! Storm the river bridge to face your most difficult challenge: the enemy fort! You must demolish it or die. And if you succeed? A new assignment is yours on another front, against a more experienced army. There's no rest, no relaxation, no letting down your guard. You're in the Army now, because this week's game is Front Line!

 

Game Information

• Game Name: Front Line
  
• Released By: Coleco, 1984
  
• Left Difficulty: No Effect
  
• Right Difficulty: No Effect
  
• Game Mode: Skill 4, 1 Player
  
• Chosen By: Philflound
  

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, August 2nd 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 candiru! Please send me a private message with your choice of game for next week!

 

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!

 

Current High Scores

1. 26,800 (Robert M) [+11]
   
2. 22,700 (keilbaca) [+10]
   
3. 16,800 (SpiceWare) [+9]
   
4. 13,900 (shadow460) [+8]
   
5. 11,100 (LarcenTyler) [+7]
   
6. 9700 (khryssun) [+6]
   
7. 8100 (Numan) [+5]
   
8. 6400 (Omegamatrix) [+4]
   
9. 5800 (panda_racer) [+3]
   
10. 5300 (xeex) [+2]
    
11. 4700 (StanJr) [+1]
    
12. 4300 (Keir) [+1]
    
13. 3800 (scogey) [+1]
    
14. 2800 (supercat) [+1]
    
15. 900 (Luigi301) [+1]
    900 (FireTiger) [+1]
    

Best Tips

• shadow460 [+2]
  

Bounties and Challenges

• None yet
  

TwinGalaxies Top 3

(default settings)

1. 98,250 (Todd Rogers)
   
2. 36,300 (Alan W Hewston)
   
3. 17,000 (John Marks)
   

Current Standings

1. Coming Soon!

Member List

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, racer raul, SpiceWare, Robert M, Lord Helmet, Lord Thag, Mad Scientist, Dan Iacovelli, iguana, Luigi301, Gateway, Damon Plus, gospeedde, Kepone, internetotaku, panda_racer, KaeruYojimbo, cyberneticimplant, bjk7382, davepesc, neotokeo2001, xeex, bmlbytes, Omegamatrix, the 5th ghost, Xebec's Demise, khryssun, vgcollector666, chadtower, moycon, Malc74, shadow460, Atarifever, Keir, Philflound

Scoring Points in Front Line

• You earn 100 points for every enemy eliminated.
  
• When you complete a round (by destroying the fort), you receive an additional 1000 points times the number of the skill level just completed.
  
• You start the game with five friendly soldiers and receive a bonus soldier when you
  complete a round (up to a maximum of five soldiers in all).
  

Hints and Tips

As always, you really should read the manual.

 

What's that? You don't have the manual? Well, luckily for you, AtariAge has a typed copy of it online for your reading pleasure. Unfortunately, the manual doesn't really provide any hints anyways, but it has some level descriptions that might prove useful.

In the soldier section there are 2 key tactics.

1. Line the enemies up vertically with your player and slightly to the right so you can hit them, but they miss you.

2. Wait for the enemy coming down to get his gun level in line with a tree, but with his head or feet sticking out. Hit the end sticking out of the trees.

 

In the tank sections, the shots come from the center and not the right side of the sprites so you need to change tactics.

1. When a tank first enters the screen you have about 2 seconds of safety when the tank can't shoot. So plow ahead at full speed and pop the enemy tanks off as they enter on the top.

2. Let the tanks come to you, they have to enter your field of fire to shoot at you. Set up your shot so it crosses the path of the approaching tank, and time your shot so it gets there when the enemy tank arrives to meet it.

90% of the time I get killed by the enemy getting off a diagonal shot. I think the key here is to get them to come at you in a top to bottom or left to right direction. They seem to pause a little longer before they shoot. Attempting diagonal shots can sometimes be risky, but a nescessary skill. If you can lock yourself onto the top of a tree or some other obstruction then you can get into the diagonal firing position without worry of running into the enemy. Another way around this is just simply tapping the joystick into the diagonal position until it is found. Once pointed in any direction your solider stays facing in that way until you move him again. This way you can get off several shots in a diagonal direction while they run towards you.

You need to play on level one to get used to how your bullets travel in the eight different directions. Your most vulnerable angle is from the top left, so try to watch that one closely. Enemies fire the same way you do, so they have the same weaknesses. Exploit them. Halfway up the first level, where the tops of one row of trees line up with the bottom of the other, you can shoot through the trees all the way across the screen. Notice, too, how enemies travel right through the trees. They can't shoot through them any further than you can, though, so pop them while they are in the green areas and helpless.

 

Your enemies shoot once every so often. Their firing rate is actually kind of slow. When an enemy approaches from your weak side (the left), hesitate a second, wait for him to shoot, then run in and pop him.

 

Forget about the dudes who are following you--they are just a distraction from the real game. Pop them if you can, but otherwise leave them alone. Coming out of the first stage, do not enter the tank until you walk over the line between stages and all enemy soldiers have fallen off the screen.

 

Thanks to Coleco's awful programming efforts, you WILL get hung up on anything and everything in the first stage. This problem is much less apparent in the later stages. When (not if) you get hung up, shoot everything you can hit first. Try to eliminate all opposition before you free yourself from Coleco madness. Once everyone (but you) is dead, work your way back out into the open.

 

When you come upon an opening between trees in the middle of the screen, STOP. Wait for the enemies that will appear above you to do their thing, then proceed and shoot them.

 

In every stage, you MUST always keep moving forward. NEVER try to stand and fight--you will lose.

 

In stage 2, get to the first "checkpoint" (you'll see what I mean) as soon as you can. Pop a few tanks here and there, use the heavy tank if you can, but keep right on moving.

The heavy tank shoots consistently in every direction, so your aim advantage is lost. Ditto with the light tank (more on this in a minute). The heavy tank is good for nothing but a shield. Drive it as far as you can, and then bail out when it is hit.

 

During the rest of the stage, you still need to keep moving, but you can take out more tanks than you did troops. It's worth while to stop for a very brief dogfight to get tanks off your back. Don't forget your aim advantage when the tank blows up! At the end, clear the screen and grab that tank! It'll save you a lot fo headaches. With the light tank under your control, it's time to make a run for it. Never stop in the light tank--EVER. Use its speed to outrun the enemy, shooting them down only when necessary. Throughout the game, each of your tanks is opposite the last. Meaning that if you just passed a light tank, the next one is a heavy tank (and therefore useless for anything more than a shield).

 

The rest of the game plays much like stage 2, but with the light tank's speed. Your final tank is a heavy, and this is the only one that's really useful. It's in the second forest. When you pass it, you are getting close to the base. In this area, the walls are solid. No tanks or troops can pass through them. This means even if you'r on foot, you will not be chased. After all, the enemy AI was programmed by Coleco, and it's too stupid to drive tanks around the candy cane walls. You'll be assaulted by three tanks at once for most of this final area. Pop them just like you did the others. If you're lucky, you'll make it to the base inside a tank. I guess Coleco didn't think they needed to program the game for this. Your tank just can't take out the base., no matter how many times you shoot it. Hop out and watch a perfectly good tank go to waste. Your anti tank missiles work well on the base, but hurry--tanks will approach from the bottom. You're wide open, so they are bad news. Hit the base behind its turret for an instant kill. This scores you 1000 pts times the level played. Since we're on level 4, that's 4000 points. I've seen it up to 5000. Add that to the points scores shooting enemies, and you see this strategy has scored me over 20,000 points in the past.

Good luck everyone!

 

--Ze_ro

[Lauren Tyler]

I'm not at home, so I can't submit a score yet. I do realize there are some errors on the page, but I'm sure you'll correct them ASAP. Here's a suggestion for the description for this week's game:

 

It's dangerous. It's mean. It's WAR! And now, you are there! Your mission? Invade enemy territory and knock out the fortress. To do it, you'll have totravel over tricky terrain and fight against overwhelming odds at every step. Evade attacks, search and destroy lumbering tanks! Storm the river bridge to face your most difficult challenge: the enemy fort! You must demolish it or die. And if you succeed? A new assignment is yours on another front, against a more experienced army. There's no rest, no relaxation, no letting down your guard. You're in the Army now, because this week's game is Front Line!

[keilbaca]

Don't have time to post a pic, gotta go..

 

5400 for now.

[StanJr]

until I get a reliable computer up and running, I'll be out of the HSC for the time being. I'll miss you guys and the spirited competition, but I'll be back soon, I hope. I like Frontline. Cool game with the tanks and all.

 

Is skill 4 same as Game 4?

[keilbaca]

until I get a reliable computer up and running, I'll be out of the HSC for the time being.  I'll miss you guys and the spirited competition, but I'll be back soon, I hope.  I like Frontline.  Cool game with the tanks and all.

 

Is skill 4 same as Game 4?

898896[/snapback]

 

How come? Don't you have the real carts? just post your most recent score when you can.

 

EDIT: Updated score, 7100

Edited July 26, 2005 by keilbaca

[Lauren Tyler]

Yech, lousy for a first attempt! I think if I can find the digital camera, I'll boot up my Atari 7800 (finally!)

[+SpiceWare]

3300

[supercat]

• Game Name: Rabbit Transit
  

898776[/snapback]

 

The URL is correct, but the label is wrong.

[Keir]

Yech, lousy for a first attempt! I think if I can find the digital camera, I'll boot up my Atari 7800 (finally!)

899195[/snapback]

Don't feel bad - I only got 1,400 on my first try!

[keilbaca]

Yech, lousy for a first attempt! I think if I can find the digital camera, I'll boot up my Atari 7800 (finally!)

899195[/snapback]

 

We don't require pictures, if you're going to do better on a real system, then go for it!

[Robert M]

Hooray! A game I own and like.

 

8100 for my first high score

 

TIPS:

 

In the soldier section there are 2 key tactics.

1. Line the enemies up vertically with your player and slightly to the right so you can hit them, but they miss you.

2. Wait for the enemy coming down to get his gun level in line with a tree, but with his head or feet sticking out. Hit the end sticking out of the trees.

 

In the tank sections, the shots come from the center and not the right side of the sprites so you need to change tactics.

1. When a tank first enters the screen you have about 2 seconds of safety when the tank can't shoot. So plow ahead at full speed and pop the enemy tanks off as they enter on the top.

2. Let the tanks come to you, they have to enter your field of fire to shoot at you. Set up your shot so it crosses the path of the approaching tank, and time your shot so it gets there when the enemy tank arrives to meet it.

 

Cheers!

[Omegamatrix]

3700 for my first post.

 

 

90% of the time I get killed by the enemy getting off a diagonal shot. I think the key here is to get them to come at you in a top to bottom or left to right direction. They seem to pause a little longer before they shoot. Attempting diagonal shots can sometimes be risky, but a nescessary skill. If you can lock yourself onto the top of a tree or some other obstruction then you can get into the diagonal firing position without worry of running into the enemy. Another way around this is just simply tapping the joystick into the diagonal position until it is found. Once pointed in any direction your solider stays facing in that way until you move him again. This way you can get off several shots in a diagonal direction while they run towards you.

[xeex]

3,000

 

I have no skill for this one, and it's pissing me off!

[Omegamatrix]

2nd post at 6400. I wish someone would hack this game. It's frustrating when bullets that miss you by a one man width end up killing you!!

 

[keilbaca]

9700

[shadow460]

2nd post at 6400. I wish someone would hack this game. It's frustrating when bullets that miss you by a one man width end up killing you!! 

 

899644[/snapback]

 

That's because it's made by Coleco. If I were making game buying decisions back in the day, I'd have avoided the ColecoVision, because this game was made badly so the ColecoVision would look good.

 

My performance is pretty consistent in this game, and I've knocked off the base up to twice on the hardest level (many years ago).

 

My score: 13900 with one killed base.

 

You need to play on level one to get used to how your bullets travel in the eight different directions. Your most vulnerable angle is from the top left, so try to watch that one closely.

Enemies fire the same way you do, so they have the same weaknesses. Exploit them.

Halfway up the first level, where the tops of one row of trees line up with the bottom of the other, you can shoot through the trees all the way across the screen.

Notice, too, how enemies travel right through the trees. They can't shoot through them any further than you can, though, so pop them while they are in the green areas and helpless.

 

 

Your enemies shoot once every so often. Their firing rate is actually kind of slow. When an enemy approaches from your weak side (the left), hesitate a second, wait for him to shoot, then run in and pop him.

 

Forget about the dudes who are following you--they are just a distraction from the real game. Pop them if you can, but otherwise leave them alone.

Coming out of the first stage, do not enter the tank until you walk over the line between stages and all enemy soldiers have fallen off the screen.

 

Thanks to Coleco's awful programming efforts, you WILL get hung up on anything and everything in the first stage. This problem is much less apparent in the later stages. When (not if) you get hung up, shoot everything you can hit first. Try to eliminate all opposition before you free yourself from Coleco madness. Once everyone (but you) is dead, work your way back out into the open.

 

When you come upon an opening between trees in the middle of the screen, STOP. Wait for the enemies that will appear above you to do their thing, then proceed and shoot them.

 

In every stage, you MUST always keep moving forward. NEVER try to stand and fight--you will lose.

 

In stage 2, get to the first "checkpoint" (you'll see what I mean) as soon as you can. Pop a few tanks here and there, use the heavy tank if you can, but keep right on moving.

The heavy tank shoots consistently in every direction, so your aim advantage is lost. Ditto with the light tank (more on this in a minute). The heavy tank is good for nothing but a shield. Drive it as far as you can, and then bail out when it is hit.

 

During the rest of the stage, you still need to keep moving, but you can take out more tanks than you did troops. It's worth while to stop for a very brief dogfight to get tanks off your back. Don't forget your aim advantage when the tank blows up!

At the end, clear the screen and grab that tank! It'll save you a lot fo headaches.

With the light tank under your control, it's time to make a run for it. Never stop in the light tank--EVER. Use its speed to outrun the enemy, shooting them down only when necessary.

Throughout the game, each of your tanks is opposite the last. Meaning that if you just passed a light tank, the next one is a heavy tank (and therefore useless for anything more than a shield).

 

The rest of the game plays much like stage 2, but with the light tank's speed. Your final tank is a heavy, and this is the only one that's really useful. It's in the second forest. When you pass it, you are getting close to the base.

In this area, the walls are solid. No tanks or troops can pass through them. This means even if you'r on foot, you will not be chased. After all, the enemy AI was programmed by Coleco, and it's too stupid to drive tanks around the candy cane walls.

You'll be assaulted by three tanks at once for most of this final area. Pop them just like you did the others.

If you're lucky, you'll make it to the base inside a tank. I guess Coleco didn't think they needed to program the game for this. Your tank just can't take out the base., no matter how many times you shoot it.

Hop out and watch a perfectly good tank go to waste. Your anti tank missiles work well on the base, but hurry--tanks will approach from the bottom. You're wide open, so they are bad news. Hit the base behind its turret for an instant kill.

This scores you 1000 pts times the level played. Since we're on level 4, that's 4000 points. I've seen it up to 5000. Add that to the points scores shooting enemies, and you see this strategy has scored me over 20,000 points in the past.

 

Instead we are playing now, not then. My current high is 13900, and I still hate Coleco for this game.

Coleco 2600 Donkey kong=bad.

Atari 7800 Donkey Kong = awesome.

 

Maybe gameXchange has this title--they had a Coleco title in there today.

[Ze_ro]

I do realize there are some errors on the page, but I'm sure you'll correct them ASAP.

Yep, sorry about that... I had just woken up and was about to be late for work when I set up this week's game. Didn't have time to include some of the less important information or look for mistakes. Should all be fixed up now though.

 

As for Front Line itself, I always like this game, expecially this version of the game. I think it's a great port of the game, and you're not stuck using that stupid Super-Action controller to play it.

 

--Zero

[Keir]

I'm starting to get the hang of this. It's not as bad as I first thought.

 

4,300

[shadow460]

Just kilt the base again and got 12,500.

I've posted my bit, fought the substandard controls, and witnessed awful gameplay for far too long.

 

I'm through with this piece of garbage. Let me know when the next game is picked.

[Lauren Tyler]

Getting a bit better. Gotta figure out how to deal with those damn tanks!

[xeex]

I've posted my bit, fought the substandard controls, and witnessed awful gameplay for far too long.

 

I'm through with this piece of garbage.  Let me know when the next game is picked.

900069[/snapback]

 

I think I agree with that assessment.

 

Well, I managed to score 5,300 by not moving forward at all. I just stayed by the trees at the start of the game and picked off as many enemy soldiers as I could.

[keilbaca]

I've posted my bit, fought the substandard controls, and witnessed awful gameplay for far too long.

 

I'm through with this piece of garbage.  Let me know when the next game is picked.

900069[/snapback]

 

I think I agree with that assessment.

 

Well, I managed to score 5,300 by not moving forward at all. I just stayed by the trees at the start of the game and picked off as many enemy soldiers as I could.

900152[/snapback]

 

yeah after getting tired of being stuck, I just did this tactic as well.

[khryssun]

1,800

 

I didn't know this "game" before... I was lucky

 

It has a poor gaming potential, a real mediocre programming work

Edited July 28, 2005 by khryssun

[keilbaca]

12,600

 

I'm catching up

 

EDIT: New score, 22700

Edited July 28, 2005 by keilbaca

[Luigi301]

What a terrible game.

 

900.