Help with Asteroids (1979)

[Help with Asteroids (1979)]

Random thx for sending, just what i was looking for! im totally using the names mr. bill and sluggo from now on. gotta love that SNL reference. goes to show that in 2012 the best tips ive ever seen on the internet to date come from an esquire article from 1981.

 

good point about the game slowing down Rybags. the article discusses this toward the end.i would imagine the game would go beyond 35 objects on screen if someone could get a large number of lives, thus slowing the game down.

 

time to divide and conquer this puppy no matter how long it takes. ill update you guys with any strategies that work against mr. bill. it appears that timing of your ships thrust is key when tackling the small ships...

[Help with Asteroids (1979)]

Thanks for the replies! The tip on keeping the last rocks vertical or horizontal before hunting for saucers is a really good point. I'll also try the vertical move tactic. A few weeks ago i got my highest score, which was about 38,000 points, but havent come close since. for that one i stayed still in the center and didnt move at all. seems like a lucky run!

 

From my understanding, mcallister almost lost his chance at a record when he took a bathroom break. he came to find only two ships left but rallied to win a bunch more back. thats pretty amazing.

 

i feel that there must what i like to call "hidden knowledge" for conquering the small saucers - secrets that asteroids masters know about beyond practice or skill. i know having practiced Vanguard (my favorite arcade game) for two years that a couple tricks will separate average players from the high scorers.

[Help with Asteroids (1979)]

Thanks for the terrific site. Ive been playing the original asteroids and i thought i'd seek some advice if anyone here by chance has expertise. Gravitar is no problem for me. Tempest im not great at but i can at least get thru the first 16 rounds. But what's the deal with Asteroids? Getting more than 10,000 points is like a miracle for me. 6 months of playing and i've gotten nowhere.

 

What gives? Those tiny ufos just zap me into oblivion. moving fast, moving slow but strategic, approaching at angles, approaching straight on, shooting off screen. I've tried pretty much everything to no avail. Its a shame becuase i love the game so much, but the frustration keeps me from continuing any further cause im just not getting any better.

 

Does anyone by chance have some tips specifically for the "ufo hunting" strategy for asteroids? I would love to get ahold of john mccalisters world record video, but its nowhere to be found. sometimes i just love the internet. thousands and thousands of youtube videos that are just useless to everyone, but try to find some good classic game runs? forget it. i know mccalisters record was streamed online, but no permanent video link anywhere? This would be a great start to learning the subtle secrets of the game.

 

Any thoughts would be much appreciated! BTW, the ipad has Ataris Greatest Hits as an app. Put simply, its is off the hook. Playing tempest on the ipad is at least as fun as the arcade. pretty cool!!