Tempest

[Gabriel]

Something that's bugged me for ages about this game is the level select. Now, maybe I'm missing some obvious point milking mechanic, but doesn't the way the level select and bonus system work mean that you'll always have a higher score when starting a new game at the highest available level than from playing from the beginning?

 

So, high scores will never be made from your best game. They'll be made the game after your best game, when you start from the last level you passed, pass it again, and get the big bonus award which is more points than you'd ever get by playing from the beginning.

[maibock]

Doesn't that fall into the "continue game" with another quarter department? I think your best score should be all the points you can get on one quarter, when the game is not in continue mode..

 

When you start at the higher level, you get the bonus points plus a chance at an extra man, if you play it right..

[JB]

Something that's bugged me for ages about this game is the level select. Now, maybe I'm missing some obvious point milking mechanic, but doesn't the way the level select and bonus system work mean that you'll always have a higher score when starting a new game at the highest available level than from playing from the beginning?

 

So, high scores will never be made from your best game. They'll be made the game after your best game, when you start from the last level you passed, pass it again, and get the big bonus award which is more points than you'd ever get by playing from the beginning.

Exactly.

Atari wanted you to burn those quarters.

[Jess Ragan]

A lot of Atari games do that. Heck, RoadBlasters does it too, and that came six years after Tempest was released!

 

The reason Atari offers this feature is to let skilled players jump right into the action, rather than having to wade through the first few dead-easy levels. Then they receive a bonus that's roughly equivalent to the stages they skipped. Seems fair to me! If you can finish the first tube in Tempest with your eyes closed, why bother with it?

[Gabriel]

Exactly.

Atari wanted you to burn those quarters.

 

Well, yeah. I knew that. And it does certainly encourage even the player to go for quick, quarter munching games rather than a long marathon sesson.

 

I've just always found it odd how a player who starts on a high level and barely gets through it will end up with a much higher score than a player who starts at the beginning and plays to that level and several levels beyond.

[plee]

Something that's bugged me for ages about this game is the level select. Now, maybe I'm missing some obvious point milking mechanic, but doesn't the way the level select and bonus system work mean that you'll always have a higher score when starting a new game at the highest available level than from playing from the beginning?

 

So, high scores will never be made from your best game. They'll be made the game after your best game, when you start from the last level you passed, pass it again, and get the big bonus award which is more points than you'd ever get by playing from the beginning.

 

Really the score doesn't mean much to me, I think how far you get (level) is the most important. Also for Tempest the high score rolls at 999,999 so you really can't save anything more than that.