HOw do get 1:20 on Superman without the start cheat?

[Atarian7]

I think i know the fastest way to the bridge pieces but that still takes 35 to 40 seconds to get them all back in place. Then all the criminals have to be caught.

Is there something I am missing? Will I have to figure this out on my own?

[ROBERT]

Hello Atarian7:

 

I am one of the two best people to help you here...Todd Rogers is the other.

 

My personal non-cheating best from years back is in the 1:16-1:17 range, I forget which. There are three (3) things to do to quickly get the bridge up. Follow carefully...I am detailing EXACTLY what to do...

 

1st - From start, fly to top of screen with phone booth and head right

2nd - You are now at screen to the right of phone booth. Quickly go up to screen above and down to screen below that one

3rd - Bridge piece # 1 is here at bottom right...pick it up and in this order, go down, right, down, left and drop piece

4th - Cutting corners of screens, from bridge scene, go right, up, left, down to bridge piece # 2, the chunky one. Bring back also cutting corners by going up, right, down, left and setting in place.

5th - From bridge scene, go right, up (jail), up to bridge piece #3. Bring down, down then left and set/complete

 

You should have done so in well under 25-30 seconds assuming (A) no helicopter interference, (B) no Lois Lane, © ni crook/jail diversion, and (D) no kryptonite intereference

 

I have, no exaggeration and Ron Corcoran knows this well, not only documented how 1:16-1:18 is possible, but I've done the Superman thing easily over a thousand times if not more, sad but true.

 

At my best, at the 45 second mark while by the jail cell, I had one (1) crook (not Luthor) to go, and he ducked into a subway and I lost him as he ran and cut screen corners. Sadly, that game ended in the 1:30 range.

 

My average games run between 1:36-1:45, by better than average games run 1:26-1:36, and my exceptional games are all under 1:26. There is no big secret to getting a great score...it simply has to do with the luck in where those criminals are and whether you get snagged by Lois getting in the way, or Kryptonite.

 

Keep trying...it is not impossible...it is simply a matter of time and randomness for a mass-convergence at the jail. I had, in my 45-seconds to 1 crook remaining, had four crooks by the jail cell at once and Luthor was a screen over, so anything is possible, and that's after the bridge was built.

 

Lastly, in cheating (i.e. using the pause trick), I personally did a 57-58 second performance, I think it was 58, years back. Eventually, I'd like to think that a good bit of luck will get my personal non-cheating best down to sub-1:10, and have faith that it will...it just takes time.

 

By the way, Todd's score of I think 57 or 58 seconds fell into the category of optimal distribution of criminals...they all were partying at the jail cell area for the most part with maybe 1 or 2 a screen away. Todd couldn't have asked for a better scenario.

 

On a rare occassion, for reasons I cannot understand, sometimes as I am at the cell, one or more just comes into the screen on their own volition. Not that I mind, of course, but I don't see this in every game.

 

Robert T Mruczek

Twin Galaxies - Editor and Chief referee

Star Wars classic arcade champion

(212) 366-3036 (work-day)

[email protected] (work E-MAIL)

 

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[Chris++]

My own record is 1:11. I have no documentation of this, unfortunately. Before I managed to get that time, my record was 1:17.

 

It depends on three major things: Knowing the map thoroughly, cutting corners to get from screen to screen as quickly as possible, and LUCK.

 

You have to get the bridge pieces first so the helicopter doesn't transplant any. So this is just down to memorizing a pattern, since they're always on the same screens.

 

The luck comes in here: All of the crooks have to be easily accessible from either the jail screen or the subway screens. What I sometimes do to find a bad guy is fly into any subway entrance, and then hold down the fire button and move the joystick in a circle, very quickly X-Ray-checking all four adjacent screens. If I glimpse a bad guy, I reflexively let go of the button and fly in that direction. A great many areas can be checked simply by "radius-searching" in this manner from every subway screen as you fly downward.

 

Regarding the luck factor, search one screen to the right and one up from the jail to find Lex Luthor right at first. Make use of your X-Ray Vision from the screen to the right, in other words. If he's there, and you can collar him before even grabbing the bridge pieces, it's worth a trip through the extra screen or two.

 

If you get hit by any Kryptonite, hit the ol' reset switch (if you're only playing to beat your last time, that is, instead of just for pure pleasure).

 

CF

[ROBERT]

Hello all:

 

Does anyone bother playing this game on "A" difficulty ? It's annoying as can be and I think in twenty years I maybe played out one completed game on "A".

 

Robert T Mruczek

Twin Galaxies - Editor and Chief referee

Star Wars classic arcade champion

(212) 366-3036 (work-day)

[email protected] (work E-MAIL)

 

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