High Score Club 9.21 - Entombed

[Ze_ro]

Important Note: This weeks competition is over and no further scores will be accepted.

 

You and your team of archeologists have fallen into the "catacombs of the zombies." There's no time to look around; these guys are after you, and they mean business! Your only salvation is that you have discovered the secret to the "make-break." Grab them, and you can break through walls when you get stuck, or create a wall behind you -- if you are being chased. The longer you survive, the faster you have to move.

 

 

Game Information

• Game Name: Entombed
• Released By: US Games, 1982
• Left Difficulty: B / Novice - 3 Make/Break's per blinking block
• Right Difficulty: N/A
• Game Mode: Game 1 - 1 Player

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 Wednesday August 17th at 1:00 AM (Central Time, UTC-6).

 

Challenges

• Cooperative Chaos! - Explore the maze with a 2nd explorer! In this game mode, you don't score points. Instead, try to cooperate with each other to get as far as you can. Post how many sections you get through. Top score will get 5 points, 2nd highest will get 4 etc... (all scores will get at least 1 point). If you team up with another HSC player, then you both get the points.
  • 3 (Darth Kinzer & DT Kofoed) [+5]
  • 0 (Amstari & his daughter) [+4]

 

Current High Scores 100 (JacobZu7zu7) [+11] 100 (Jifremok) [+11] 76 (Stan) [+10] 75 (oyamafamily) [+9] 56 (toymailman) [+8] 54 (DT Kofoed) [+7] 41 (Deteacher) [+6] 41 (Gorfy) [+6] 38 (Vocelli) [+5] 35 (Scrabbler15) [+4] 27 (DJT) [+3] 27 (Amstari) [+3] 27 (retrorussell) [+3] 25 (LarcenTyler) [+2] 25 (Miss 2600) [+2] 23 (roadrunner) [+1] 17 (Darth Kinzer) [+1] Best Tips JacubZu7zu7 [+2] TwinGalaxies Top 3 163 (Alan W Hewston) 109 (Robert T Mruczek) 27 (James Carter) (Game 1, Difficulty B)

Current Standings JacobZu7zu7 [368] toymailman [340] oyamafamily [317] Gorfy [268] Frostbite76 [247] Vocelli [209] DT Kofoed [209] Stan [190] Deteacher [147] Jifremok [146] Miss 2600 [141] Scrabbler15 [132] classicgamer_27330 [116] Amstari [103] theKLT [99] LarcenTyler [91] roadrunner [78] cparsley [73] pokeplayer984 [65] SpiceWare [48] Mister VCS [46] zylon [46] pis [38] keilbaca [37] ed1475 [36] centiqueen81 [33] Wickeycolumbus [29] Krytol [28] Chuck D. Head [27] DJT [26] Cynicaster [20] SeaGtGruff [20] HatefulGravey [17] Curious Sofa [16] Torr [13] Darth Kinzer [12] littleman jack [7] atarigal [5] Cortat G [5] bennybingo [5] rmaerz [3] Zach [3] atariUCLA24 [3] dwane413 [3] SpaceDice2010 [2] MIKE5200 [2] Mangia-Boy [1] Buck [1] 4Ks [1] Cream147 [1] chuckwalla [1] DickNixonArisen [1] leematari [1] Zoyx [1] Mingy Jongo [1]

 

Scoring Points in Entombed

• Your score is based on how many sections of maze you have successfully traveled through. This is the number showing at the lower right of screen. There are five sections to each maze, after which you float into the next one.

 

Hints and Tips

The Manual

 

As always, you really should read the manual. In case you don't have the manual, AtariAge has a typed copy available online. Here are the hints it provides:

• You only have one make-break to start out. Use it wisely! Since the early mazes scroll slowly, you don't have to rush to the bottom of the screen; it is better to hold back near the top of the screen so you can determine the positions of both make-break and zombie. When the make-break appears, be sure you can get to it by using only one (or, hopefully, none) make-break.
  
• If you are low on make-breaks, keep aware of how close you are to a maze change (right-hand number indicates maze increment -- five in each colored maze), you may be able to get to the next maze without using a make-break.
  
• When the zombie warning sound starts, quickly check the screen for his position and color. The color indicates his method of moving through the maze. If he is blue and remains so, he can only move through the channels of the maze. If he appears blue and then suddenly changes to orange, he can move through the walls to get you! The secret to avoiding his clammy, deadly grip is to move below him as soon as possible. Better to be a surviving coward than a brave idiot!
  
• When you have advanced to the faster scrolling mazes, you must be ready between maze changes, or after losing a player. Hold the joystick down, or back, to get a jump on the quickly moving maze; otherwise, before you know it, you'll be entombed!

 

Stan

 

1. If you start out and press the button, but it's one of the mazes with the blocks near the top, start over. You've already lost your ability to pass through one wall.
   
2. If you start out with a maze lacking an entrance, start over, need all the wall passes you can store for later levels.
   
3. The first 3-4 levels are cake, but to keep things safe, try to generally stay close to the middle. You'll have the most luck there and will require the smallest amount of wall passes.
   
4. Collect wall passes early on. In the slower levels, you can wait till the last moment to move over to get them.
   
5. You can waste up to 2 wall passes to collect one you see and still end up on top. Each moving block you collect nabs you 3 more passes, so using 2 will keep you in the lead. More than that, obviously pointless. Even better, collect without needing to use one. This will happen a lot early on, but make sure you wait to see how the maze is panning out.
   
6. The ghosts are frustrating later on. Often, you're going to need to use a pass to avoid them. Generally, though, they're pretty easy to avoid. The ones that can go through walls generally won't pass by the same position they did, they'll keep moving up and back/forth.

 

JacobZu7zu7

 

1. When breaking through the walls, don't keep pushing down, it doesn't register well. Once you run into the wall. Instantly let go of joystick press button, and then push down once the walls gone.
   
2. Try to stay in the middle-left and right corridors... they have the least amount of wall blocking (normally).
   
3. To avoid sudden collision with the zombie, stay in the middle or middle lower section of the maze... never go all the way down, sometimes you can't get away from the zombie!
   
4. Count the bricks 1/2/3/4... there's 4 total floating around in each maze, once you reach the 4th, the maze starts over quickly, be ready to move!!
   
5. Don't worry about collecting all bricks after maze 3, if you have collected 20-30 by fastest "4th maze" and on... THAT'S PLENTY ENOUGH! The bricks will last you untill a very high score is given. It's more important to move on down and avoid the zombie.
   
6. Watch the maze, and try to map out a location you want to take, and stick to that,
   (untill you need to break bricks)... if the path has too many turns in it, just go down and break the walls, don't try to move around and then down... IT TAKES TOO LONG!

 

--Zero

[Ze_ro]

Sorry about the late post... I actually had it all ready to go last night, but somehow forgot to post it before going to sleep... then forgot to post it again before going to work in the morning!

 

--Zero

[oyamafamily]

27

[JacobZu7zu7]

60

[Stan]

Great game, very underrated. It gets damn hard in upper levels.

[Gorfy]

This is another game with Shark-Attack-sticky-wall syndrome. My best so far is 27

[Scrabbler15]

25

 

I did much better after I figured out that the oscillating rectangle is my friend.

[DJT]

Wow... it's hard to play with a little keyboard. I need a stelladapter....

 

So far I got 27

 

[Stan]

Wow... it's hard to play with a little keyboard. I need a stelladapter....

 

So far I got 27

 

It will pretty much be impossible when it speeds up. You have to have really fast reflexes to navigate later mazes.

[roadrunner]

23

[DT Kofoed]

Oof. 29. I have a looong way to go this week.,,

[oyamafamily]

58

[JacobZu7zu7]

79

 

Had a good run,

 

Started to get nauseated... after a few games.

[Amstari]

27

 

I've noticed a glitch with the Make-Break counter if you play on a PAL console. See the photos below:

 

PAL

 

NTSC

[Lauren Tyler]

25

[Scrabbler15]

31

 

Improved my score after replacing the velcro on my board and stick (which had worn down into non-functional velcro oblivion).

 

The debris from the velcro I had to replace is laying behind the stick in the first picture.

[toymailman]

On the board.

 

33

 

[Scrabbler15]

35

[DJT]

31

 

Improved my score after replacing the velcro on my board and stick (which had worn down into non-functional velcro oblivion).

 

How do you use that contraption??

 

Also, 3m makes a great Velcro type product. It's the stuff they give you for your ez-pass toll transponders. Look for Scotch All Weather Fasteners. Think of it as plastic Velcro. Locks into itself. It won't ever slide on ya!

[Scrabbler15]

31

 

Improved my score after replacing the velcro on my board and stick (which had worn down into non-functional velcro oblivion).

 

How do you use that contraption??

 

Also, 3m makes a great Velcro type product. It's the stuff they give you for your ez-pass toll transponders. Look for Scotch All Weather Fasteners. Think of it as plastic Velcro. Locks into itself. It won't ever slide on ya!

It just sits on my lap. I've been using this same board since the Atlantis contest almost 30 years ago.

 

Thanks for the 3m tip. I'll have to try it when this velcro wears out.

[Miss 2600]

This is another game with Shark-Attack-sticky-wall syndrome.

 

Ugh! Because of this^, I probably will not be playing this game much.

 

22

 

[oyamafamily]

75 - it's close to Jacob's score!!

Edited August 14, 2011 by oyamafamily

[Stan]

Embarassing first score:

 

22

 

I now remember the only thing that annoys me about this game, and it's the tendency of the sprite to stick to the sides of walls when you first try to enter a corridor. REALLY a bad thing at upper levels. Also, anyone else get the random, NO entrance maze?

[Miss 2600]

Embarassing first score:

 

22

 

I now remember the only thing that annoys me about this game, and it's the tendency of the sprite to stick to the sides of walls when you first try to enter a corridor. REALLY a bad thing at upper levels. Also, anyone else get the random, NO entrance maze?

 

Hey, that's my score!

 

Yes, I got one of those mazes where you have to break through just to enter it. I've lost lives because I couldn't enter a maze because I got stuck! Very frustrating, makes me gives this game a

[Stan]

Hey, that's my score!

 

Not anymore!

 

35

 

Still need massive improvement on this one. Sticky walls is annoying as piss. It's also irritating to play it again after losing with a decent score, because you have to go through all the slow levels. The fast ones are really the only ones that are fun to play once you get the hang of it and make it far. But they're plagued with shady collision detection and frustrating enemy/wall placement.