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EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (the game)


keithbk

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2 hours ago, zzip said:

I seem to remember seeing screenshots of this game showing the power generators.   It may have been fake screenshots which were fairly common back then

Me too come to think of it! Believe such a screenshot was in an early preview of the game (probably Electronic Games or similar), or Sears or Wards catalog. Maybe an ad in a comic book. I remember PB advertising in the few comic books I had BITD.

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On 10/9/2019 at 11:30 PM, keithbk said:

there is NO payoff for playing. You destroy walkers....that keep coming...and keep coming...

Yeah this is what I felt when I first played it, the action was decent, but where is the sense of purpose when Walkers just repeat over and over ?

 

Some background changes, or a different attacker to appear would be a good change up.

 

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Rapid-fire is a cheat exploit, not a bug.

 

Each hit scores a point. The game alters a walker color after every 8th hit.

Scoring is normally 50 bonus points for taking out a walker, 100 if you get the bomb hatch.  Try to get the bomb hatch as the 48th hit to maximize the total.

 

With a rapid-fire controller or adapter, the color-change routine will assume you got two walkers after the 8th additional shot to a destroyed walker still onscreen.

 

It's not a bug, because the double-kill exploit would be impossible to accomplish when playing normally (i.e. without rapid-fire).

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3 hours ago, Nukey Shay said:

Rapid-fire is a cheat exploit, not a bug.

 

Each hit scores a point. The game alters a walker color after every 8th hit.

Scoring is normally 50 bonus points for taking out a walker, 100 if you get the bomb hatch.  Try to get the bomb hatch as the 48th hit to maximize the total.

 

With a rapid-fire controller or adapter, the color-change routine will assume you got two walkers after the 8th additional shot to a destroyed walker still onscreen.

 

It's not a bug, because the double-kill exploit would be impossible to accomplish when playing normally (i.e. without rapid-fire).

Except that I never used rapid-fire controllers. I could fire button mash like a pro, even on the standard Atari joystick. ?

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Auto rapid fire would have helped.

 

The main improvement would have been to add a wave structure. Each wave having a timer controlling how many transports get away with an end-of-wave bonus based on that and the number of enemies taken out.

 

I really enjoyed the game as it was though.

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The lack of closure or "stages" was an early criticism of the game in the magazine reviews.

 

I do think even a simple break where all the walkers are cleared, it plays the star wars tune, then a new wave of walkers comes in would do a LOT to break up the onslaught and give a sense of progression.

 

If it had that, and an "ending" similar to Atlantis as said, I think it would have put this game over the top. But alas. :)

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   I loved this game and the vector arcade game. I never had any problem with it and as a kid really was impressed with the siren and exploding sky ending..after all AT-ATs were the woe ho ho for anyone who liked the movie. 

 

 I guess if the game needs remade or hacked then the Luke exits the broken snowspeeder with a tow cable, lightsaber, and a thermal detonator would be a fun addition ( btw how in the hell did he ever get off Hoth in time? He wasn't a Jedi yet). A titlescreen would be a nice addition. I also like the wave idea and power generator.

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Yes. A hack with 8k or 16k, add waves, and play The Imperial March strains after each wave ,  and when the player presses the button it begins the next wave , giving you a pause and ability to take a little break.  Add extra graphical things as desired, like title screen, the actual generators, maybe alternating  with waves of AT-ST's!  Would be very cool. 

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Meanwhile from an alternate timeline:   I present "Empire Strikes Back", the cartridge published by Atari, programmed by Howard Scott Warshaw:

 

"Walk around the halls of Cloud City, looking for the 3 pieces of C-3PO while avoiding falling into carbon freezing pits and being chased by Boba Fett (who will capture you for bounty) and Darth Vader (who will inexplicably take one of the pieces from you).  Once you have assembled the droid,  plug into various computer terminals to learn the location of the Millenium Falcon, and escape! "

Edited by zzip
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