Rolling Asteroids 32B diary!

[Cybergoth]

30.11.2002:

 

- The idea is born.

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Happy_Dude]

Try 32 A instead.

 

unless you worked up to 32 B.

[King Atari]

So, you're giving this a shot, Manuel?

[NE146]

Try 32 A instead.

 

unless you worked up to 32 B.

 

I think you got it backwards. If A = UFO's and B = no UFO's, wouldn't it be "working up" going B to A?

 

But flipping game 32 A OR B. *whew* it's a tall order either way. "fast" asteroids (i.e. traveling at an angle), no extra lives, no features (shield, no hyperspace). That's tough!

[Happy_Dude]

No I mean if your just starting cold at 32B you might as well

start at 32A but if you have started at 1B and worked up to

32B then thats cool

If you roll it thats even cooler

 

Pre 87' all dificulty switches where A = Hard, B = Easy

[NE146]

Guess it's backwards in Asteroids where B = hard, and A = Easy. Wonder why they did it that way....

[Happy_Dude]

They didn't!

Of course it's easier to roll the game with UFO's (extra points)

but they have a habit of shooting you before you can shoot them.

 

Nintendo started the A = easy trend and in 87' Atari followed suit

and published programmer guidelines to such effect.

Also a pause function was included in the guiedlines aswell.

[NE146]

aah k. NOW I see your logic. That UFO's = more points = easier to flip the game. But I dunno... the UFO's in there shooting at you (especially with NO extra men granted) seems logically harder to me (as far as game difficulty goes)

[Thomas Jentzsch]

But I dunno... the UFO's in there shooting at you (especially with NO extra men granted) seems logically harder to me (as far as game difficulty goes)

Sure it is harder, but without any chance to escape their shots, it is also mainly luck how far you come. So playing without the UFO's just eliminates the luck factor.

 

Right, Manuel?

[NE146]

Sure it is harder, but without any chance to escape their shots, it is also mainly luck how far you come. So playing without the UFO's just eliminates the luck factor.

 

Right, Manuel?

 

So there's no way you can escape the UFO shots even with good maneuvering skills? I used to use the shield quite a bit to avoid getting shot, but of course variation 32 has no such luxury....

 

I was merely debating with Happy_Dude as to which direction (A to B, or B to A) would be "working up" as it seemed to my mind that he was suggesting to play the harder variation FIRST and then work his way up to the easier one. Which I didn't understand at first, but then he explained his logic.

 

But anyway, the point is moot because either way with UFO's or not, Asteroids on variation 32 is friggin HARD to flip no matter how you slice it! Good luck Manuel!

[Cybergoth]

Day 1 / Max score: 23.000 -> 23%

 

Maybe I should describe the hardware first for this. It's all PAL and stock versions:

 

- Heavy 6er

- CX2649P color label with 1981 copyright.

- Jr. Joystick ->no auto fire!

- 15" color TV

- Sony VHS VCR

 

I'm getting a brilliant picture on this tried & tested setup.

 

I've been playing Astreroids regularly for some 3 months now. I played only the B variants, as Thomas said for eliminating the "Luck" factor. I don't know wether 32A or 32B would be easier, it's just my personal taste.

 

I started yesterday with 3 one hour sessions to get *warm* with this variant. 4 times I reached over 20K points, the best try was exactly 23.000 points. The best first life was some 13.XXX points.

 

Well, my first impression is that it's doable with enough training. But I think it's more a matter of brain surgery like concentration then of a quick firing thumb and reflexes only

 

I haven't yet started to tape the sessions, I think I'll do once I managed to clear 50.000 for the first time...

 

Thanks for showing interest and feel free to join in

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Happy_Dude]

I'll join in.

My VCR is busted unfortunately so you'll have to take my word

I'm not looking to send a TOP SCORE in to twin galaxies. Just knowing

I'v achived something will be enough.

 

1.12.2002

 

- Happy_Dude joins in

[Cybergoth]

Day 2 / Max score: 32950 / Best first life: 18K

 

I'll join in.

My VCR is busted unfortunately so you'll have to take my word  

I'm not looking to send a TOP SCORE in to twin galaxies. Just knowing  

I've achived something will be enough.

 

Cool! It's just for a fun challenge and good for exchanging Asteroids strategies

 

I already have a good one:

 

1. Crack up only as few of the big Asteroids as necessary.

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Happy_Dude]

Damn That's MY only stratergy

 

And don't move!

 

My only 2 stratergies.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

3rd Strategy: Play PAL, the game will be probably a bit slower.

[Happy_Dude]

3rd Strategy: Play PAL, the game will be probably a bit slower.

Is that noticeable in gameplay??

 

Im in a PAL country after all

[Sir Plus]

Not enough to notice visually, but enough to give you an extra moment or two for how long it takes a rock to cross the screen.

 

Never did care for Atari's joystick Asteroids, is Thomas's version's scores accepted at TG?

[Happy_Dude]

3.12.2002

 

My best score - 32210

 

Stratergy:

4 - Aim for the smallest rocks and rapid fire on any large

ones that get close enough.

 

5 - Hold your fire finger tense above the button to rapid fire when needed

(I found its faster than any rapid fire joystick I have, And its legal)

This dosent help but on Cyberstella this method can get "3" shots off

at a time

[Cybergoth]

Day 3 / Max score: 40950 / Best first life: 22K

 

Aim for the smallest rocks and rapid fire on any large ones that get close enough.

 

That's a good one. Being cold-blooded seems to be the perfect strategy. I try to completely(!) eliminate maybe 1-2 Asteroids early in a wave and for the others I'm trying to wait until their last pass before collision

 

Hold your fire finger tense above the button to rapid fire when needed

 

Precisely aimed quick blasts are another important thing, yes

 

And don't move!

 

There's very very rare occasions when I move. Actually when there was enough time to turn your ship and fly away, then there was enough time for blasting the thing as well!

 

Only when there's two deadly things closing in from two sides at once, I move. Or when I just lost a ship and for the new one somethings closing in from the bottom.

 

2.1. If you ignored 2. - make sure that you're stopped & back in the center before finishing the wave

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[NE146]

Maybe I'll try this out too!

[Lost Monkey]

I decided to try this out as well...

 

1st try: I was playing in the Picture in Picture window... ~22,000

 

Highest try (4th try) 59,510 (full screen)

 

Best first player: 43,330 (finished at ~51K)

 

12/03/02

 

Strategy: Once you get to 10,000 immediately start shooting the roids on the left, move left to a max of 3-4 ship lengths destroying everything on the left and then turn around and repeat on the right side, making sure to stop and stick around the middle at the end of a round...

[Happy_Dude]

@Lost Monkey I'v found you don't need to move for that

stratergy to work. Just shoot to the right first, because you're

shots reach all the way to the right side of the screen.

Then the rocks to the left get close enough to take apart quickly