HSC Season 4 Week 20: Crossbow

[Ze_ro]

Important Note: This weeks competition is over, and no further scores will be accepted. However, feel free to use this thread for future discussion of this game if you wish.

 

Over scorching deserts, through dark, icy caverns, around a fiery volcano, and under the leafy cover of a steamy jungle, you and five brave friends set out to retrieve the treasures stolen by the Evil Master. Your goal is his castle, far, far away.

 

Your friends are unarmed, but you carry your trusty crossbow. By shooting swift arrows you can save your companions from the dangerous attacks of the Master's Evil Creatures - scorpions, ants, vultures, man-eating plants, bats, monkeys, and other horrible beings.

 

When you reach the castle, the Evil Master's expert archers await you, ready to test their aim with deadly swords and arrows. Inside the castle a fierce dragon also waits, guarding the treasure with his fiery breath.

 

Few adventurers have dared to make this trek. No one yet has come back

alive. Which Way to the Castle?

 

Game Information

• Game Name: Crossbow
  
• Released By: 1988, Atari
  
• Left Difficulty: B / Novice - Slower Shots
  
• Right Difficulty: N/A?
  
• Game Mode: Game 1 (Visible Site, No Friendly Fire)
  
• Chosen By: Cybergoth
  

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 is Thursday, September 14th at 1:30 AM (CST).

 

If you want to suggest a game for future weeks, please send me a private message and let me know! I will add your game to the list. One one game per person will be kept on the list, so you will not be able to suggest a game until your first game is played!

 

Anyone can play! Just post a score and I'll add you to the list! Please read the Rules & Information if you haven't already done so!

 

Current High Scores

1. 1,000,000 (the 5th ghost) [+11]
   
2. 303,550 (Rom Hunter) [+10]
   
3. 191,400 (SpiceWare) [+9]
   
4. 99,300 (doctorclu) [+8]
   
5. 77,300 (keilbaca) [+7]
   
6. 71,000 (Cybergoth) [+6]
   
7. 39,050 (Deteacher) [+5]
   
8. 17,000 (atari2600land) [+4]
   
9. 13,800 (BrianC) [+3]
   
10. 11,050 (vdub_bobby) [+2]
    
11. 4850 (scogey) [+1]
    

Best Tips

• Cybergoth [+2]
  

Bounties and Challenges

• None yet posted
  

TwinGalaxies Top 3

(Difficulty B)

1. 478,900 (Stephen Knox)
   
2. 468,950 (Tom Swingle)
   
3. 345,350 (Robert Macauley)
   

Current Standings

1. Rom Hunter [193]
2. keilbaca [154]
3. SpiceWare [135]
4. vdub_bobby [84]
5. LarcenTyler [82]
6. BrianC [75]
7. shawnb [71]
8. Deteacher [60]
9. scogey [49]
10. Malc74 [48]
11. the 5th ghost [46]
12. theKLT [37]
13. 128bytes [34]
14. Cybergoth [28]
15. Jred [26]
16. Goochman [24]
17. SeaGtGruff [21]
18. Lord Helmet [19]

• phaxda [19]
• Christophero Sly [17]
• Random Terrain [15]
• Lord Thag [15]
• doctorclu [14]
• Nathan Strum [12]
• rjchamp3 [11]
• shadow460 [11]
• ResOGlas [11]
• Thomas Jentzsch [11]
• atari2600land [9]
• Gabriel [8]
• Hiryu [7]
• supercat [5]
• Omegamatrix [1]
• Dan Iacovelli [1]
• ewing92 [1]

Scoring Points Crossbow

• Across the Desert
  Snake - 200 points
  Vulture - 100 points
  Scorpion - 50 points
  Ant - 50 points
  
• Through the Caverns
  Bat - 100 points
  Falling stalactite - 50 points
  Hanging stalactitie - 50 points
  
• At the Volcano
  Burning lava - 100 points
  Falling rock - 50 points
  Resting rock - 50 points
  
• In the Jungle
  Monkey - 100 points
  Coconut - 100 points
  Voracious plant - 50 points
  
• Outside the Drawbridge
  Vulture - 200 points
  Archer - 100 points
  Arrow - 50 points
  
• Inside the Castle Hall
  Statue's staff - 200 points
  Dagger - 100 points
  Arrow - 100 points
  Dragon's fire - 100 points
  Torch - 50 points
  
• In Every Danger Zone
  Evil Master's Eye - 1000 points
  
• When you get all your friends through the trap door in the Castle Hall, you earn 10,000 bonus points and gain another friend (unless you already have four friends).
  

Hints and Tips

As always, you really should read the manual. In case you don't have the manual, AtariAge has a scanned copy of it available. Unfortunately, it doesn't really provide any specific hints.

Here's a map of what paths take you where: link.

Tip:

You can't die in the first seconds after you appear. Use these seconds to shoot the object(s) that block your path. Very handy, especially in the cave.

As for getting a million in this game...

 

It's not as easy as it seems. It's one of those concentration things. If you slip up on your way to the treasure room, you're toast. I was rolling along with a score in the 300K range when my game came to an abrupt end during the drawbridge scene.

 

Tips:

 

You gain an extra traveler each time you finish the treasure room scene. All you need to do is get one traveler through, then you'll start the next round with two travelers. If you reach the treasure room again, and get both travelers through, you'll start the next round with three, and so on up to four. This is how to sustain your game.

 

You don't have to visit every area before reaching the Treasure Room! I go to the Volcano first, then the Jungle, then the Drawbridge, then to the Treasure Room. I leave the Desert and the Cave for later if I want to pick up an exrta traveller the easy way. But once you finish each area once, you will not receive any more extra travellers from them. From that point, you can only gain an extra person after clearing the Treasure Room.

 

(Re: Rom Hunter's tip) Just watch out in the desert though. If a scorpion or red ant follows you out, it can bite if you are about an inch into the screen!

 

--Ze_ro

[Lauren Tyler]

This game really should've had light gun support (Sentinel did!) But I can say that compared to the Atari 7800 version (which I do own and have played many times) this one is a lot easier. Here are a few of my personal pointers, although people can probably think of better ones:

 

-Your top priority should be taking out anything that's a viable threat to the current friend onscreen. While it's natural to be picking off as many targets as you can, the cursor moves very slowly, and you may not be able to save your friend from an untimely demise. Keep your cursor close to your friend. Don't worry about hazards that are behind your friend, wait untill the current one finishes crossing the screen, then go and clear the path for your next friend.

 

-When your friend reaches the opposite part of the screen, and starts to walk off, they are invincible, meaning that hazards just pass through them. Take this time to pick off any extra enemies.

 

-If you see a friend standing still, it means there's an enemy in their way that needs to be taken care of right away, otherwise you'll lose a friend in a matter of seconds.

[+atari2600land]

What I did:

I picked the red route, which goes to a volcano setting. Once my friend stopped at the edge of the lava, I positioned the cursor over his head, didn't move it, and shot any rock that came close. After that, it just becomes a matter of when you get bored of the game as it never goes to another level.

Edited September 7, 2006 by atari2600land

[Rom Hunter]

What I did:

I picked the red route, which goes to a volcano setting. Once my friend stopped at the edge of the lava, I positioned the cursor over his head, didn't move it, and shot any rock that came close. After that, it just becomes a matter of when you get bored of the game as it never goes to another level.

In other words: your score doesn't count.

 

Here's my (leechless) score:

 

 

Edited September 7, 2006 by Rom Hunter

[+atari2600land]

OK fine, I'll actually play the game.

[+atari2600land]

After actually playing the game, I got a feel for how I hate it. (No offense, Cybergoth.) I couldn't for the life of me pass the cave level. I tried and tried, but it was just too hard. Oh well, maybe next week.

[keilbaca]

I used to be able to play this for a long ass time.

 

We'll see tonight if I still got it

[BrianC]

13,800 I love this game. The port is very impressive for the 2600 and, IMO, is awesome despite the lack of gun support. I would like to get my hands of the real cart so I can play it with Trak Ball.

[+atari2600land]

After actually playing the game, I got a feel for how I hate it. (No offense, Cybergoth.) I couldn't for the life of me pass the cave level. I tried and tried, but it was just too hard. Oh well, maybe next week.

Maybe I was too quick to beat up on myself. (Hopefully screenshots taken at the game over screen count.)

[+atari2600land]

I got past the cave level! Unfortunately, I don't think I can get a lot more than this score right here because I keep losing people during the cave level. Needless to say, I suck at this game.

[vdub_bobby]

9,150

Edited September 7, 2006 by vdub_bobby

[+atari2600land]

I think 17,000 is a nice, round number. I died shortly after.

[doctorclu]

13,950

[Cybergoth]

Way cool, can't wait to play this!

 

BTW: Did anyone ever create a nice map for Crossbow? I thought about doing so some time ago, but got sidetracked halfway in the process

[jpfalcon2003]

Great graphics on this 2600 game, but it is too hard with no lightgun support. I much prefer the 7800 version for that reason.

[Rom Hunter]

 

[the 5th ghost]

I don't know about this one...I loved the arcade version though.

 

The graphics are very cool, but the gameplay seems to stay pretty constant, with easily dealt with hazards.

 

I'll throw in this score for starters, but I will go for 1 million

 

108,050

Edited September 8, 2006 by the 5th ghost

[Cybergoth]

BTW: Did anyone ever create a nice map for Crossbow? I thought about doing so some time ago, but got sidetracked halfway in the process

 

Attached is how far I got

 

First score: 71.000

[+atari2600land]

I'll throw in this score for starters, but I will go for 1 million

Why not let Twin Galaxies know if you break the half-million mark? You'd be #1!

[the 5th ghost]

I'll throw in this score for starters, but I will go for 1 million

Why not let Twin Galaxies know if you break the half-million mark? You'd be #1!

 

I will more than likely tape my game and send it to Twin Galaxies.

 

As for getting a million in this game...

 

It's not as easy as it seems. It's one of those concentration things. If you slip up on your way to the treasure room, you're toast. I was rolling along with a score in the 300K range when my game came to an abrupt end during the drawbridge scene.

 

Tips:

 

You gain an extra traveler each time you finish the treasure room scene. All you need to do is get one traveler through, then you'll start the next round with two travelers. If you reach the treasure room again, and get both travelers through, you'll start the next round with three, and so on up to four. This is how to sustain your game.

 

You don't have to visit every area before reaching the Treasure Room! I go to the Volcano first, then the Jungle, then the Drawbridge, then to the Treasure Room. I leave the Desert and the Cave for later if I want to pick up an exrta traveller the easy way. But once you finish each area once, you will not receive any more extra travellers from them. From that point, you can only gain an extra person after clearing the Treasure Room.

 

I'll throw in more tips later, but the game is pretty straightforward as far as how to deal with the hazards in each screen.

[the 5th ghost]

BTW: Did anyone ever create a nice map for Crossbow? I thought about doing so some time ago, but got sidetracked halfway in the process

 

Attached is how far I got

 

First score: 71.000

 

 

The Blue path takes you from the Cave to the Drawbridge area. From the Drawbridge, the Red path takes you to the Treasure Room

Edited September 8, 2006 by the 5th ghost

[the 5th ghost]

388,400

[Deteacher]

13,150. I think I'm going to suck out on this one.

 

Man, I need that Krokodile Cart. Playing these games on the emu is killing my wrist.

 

Would this count as a helpful hint...If you don't own the game, buy the Krokodile Cart!

Edited September 8, 2006 by Deteacher

[+SpiceWare]

62,700

[+SpiceWare]

121,550