HSC Season 2 Week 15: Star Wars The Arcade Game

[Ze_ro]

Important note: This weeks competition is over. If you still wish to discuss this game, then feel free to do so, but no further scores will be accepted. Thanks to everyone for all their contributions! Please join in on the latest High Score Club competition!

 

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... The Rebels have launched an attack on the Death Star. The odds are stacked against them, but they have you, a promising young Jedi on their side! You must make your way to the Death Star, dive into the equatorial trench, and aim for the main reactor port... it's your only hope, because this week's game is Star Wars: The Arcade Game!

 

Game Information

• Game Name: Star Wars: The Arcade Game
  
• Released By: Parker Bros, 1984
  
• Left Difficulty: A / Expert - Start at Wave 3
  
• Right Difficulty: Not Applicable
  
• Game Mode: Default
  
• Chosen By: Ze_ro
  

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 will be approximately Tuesday, May 3rd at 1:30 AM (CST). In case you haven't already done so, please read the High Score Club rules. There is other useful information contained in that previous link, including a list of previous High Score Club games!

 

As before, next week's game will be chosen by the next person in the member list, which happens to be Gateway! Please send me a private message with your choice of game for next week!

 

If you are not a member of the High Score Club, but would like to be, then all you have to do is post a score for this week's game, and I'll add you to the list!

 

Current High Scores

1. 1,000,000 (the 5th ghost) [+11]
   1,000,000 (StanJr) [+11]
   1,000,000 (SpiceWare) [+11]
   
2. 968,823 (keilbaca) [+10]
   
3. 107,051 (Lord Helmet) [+9]
   
4. 62,906 (Lord Thag) [+8]
   
5. 51,978 (Osbo) [+7]
   
6. 32,023 (Mad Scientist) [+6]
   
7. 27,338 (LarcenTyler) [+5]
   
8. 24,111 (Luigi301) [+4]
   
9. 21,123 (Keir) [+3]
   
10. 17,820 (Malc74) [+2]
    
11. 18,208 (davepesc) [+1]
    
12. 15,034 (vdub_bobby) [+1]
    
13. 11,456 (Dan Iacovelli) [+1]
    
14. 5038 (scogey) [+1]
    
15. 1481 (khryssun) [+1]
    
16. 830 (Goochman) [+1]
    
17. 657 (Blackjack) [+1]
    

Best Tips

• the 5th ghost [+2]
  

Bounties and Challenges

• Jedi Master: Score 50,000 or higher and get 2 extra points!
  • the 5th ghost, StanJr, SpiceWare, keilbaca, Lord Helmet, Lord Thag, Osbo [+2]
    

Current Standings

• StanJr [120]
  
• keilbaca [109]
  
• Malc74 [54]
  
• sku_u [51]
  
• Osbo [50]
  
• the 5th ghost [45]
  
• video game addict [42]
  
• Fellow Atari Man [42]
  
• Christophero Sly [41]
  
• vdub_bobby [40]
  
• KaeruYojimbo [39]
  
• Robert M [33]
  
• gospeedde [31]
  
• Numan [30]
  
• racer raul [29]
  
• LarcenTyler [29]
  
• Keir [29]
  
• chrisbid [28]
  
• Blackjack [27]
  
• Philflound [27]
  
• pitfallaimee [24]
  
• Dones [24]
  
• Cybergoth [20]
  
• Goochman [17]
  
• chubsta [17]
  
• SpiceWare [16]
  
• yuppicide [15]
  
• Dan Iacovelli [15]
  
• candiru [14]
  
• mikeftrevino [14]
  
• cvga [13]
  
• Lord Helmet [10]
  
• davepesc [10]
  
• Lord Thag [9]
  
• Thomas Jentzsch [9]
  
• Mad Scientist [7]
  
• adams_ale [6]
  
• scogey [6]
  
• khryssun [6]
  
• Gamemaster_ca_2003 [5]
  
• Bubbledragon [4]
  
• BydoEmpire [3]
  
• kemsted [3]
  
• Stingray [3]
  
• 128bytes [2]
  
• Voch [2]
  
• iguana [2]
  
• Chris++ [1]
  
• awsomo3000 [1]
  
• madbutscher [1]
  
• Scooterb23 [1]
  
• bjk7382 [1]
  
• Gateway [1]
  

Member List

• Gateway, gospeedde, KaeruYojimbo, bjk7382, Christophero Sly, yuppicide, madbutscher, the 5th ghost, Scooterb23, khryssun, Malc74, chubsta, Keir, Philflound, candiru, kemsted, keilbaca, Cybergoth, sku_u, Chris++, cvga, LarcenTyler, 128bytes, Goochman, mikeftrevino, StanJr, Osbo, Numan, vdub_bobby, Dones, Gamemaster_ca_2003, awsomo3000, Voch, Stingray, scogey, Bubbledragon, video game addict, pitfallaimee, Blackjack, racer raul, SpiceWare, Robert M, Lord Helmet, Lord Thag, Mad Scientist, Dan Iacovelli, iguana
  

Scoring Points in Star Wars: The Arcade Game

• Destroy a Tie Fighter: 100 points
  
• Destroy Darth Vader's Ship: 200 points
  
• Shoot down a fireball: 3 points
  
• In each Laser Tower scene, there is a maximum of 10 Tower Tops which can be destroyed to gain points. 20 points are earned for destroying the first Laser tower top. Thereafter, each subsequent Tower top is worth an additional 20 points. (eg: the first Tower top destroyed is worth 20 points. The second Tower top destroyed is worth 40 points, and so on.
  
• Destroying all Laser Tower tops: 5100 bonus points
  
• Bonus for destroying the Death Star:
  • Wave 1 & 2: 1000 points
    
  • Wave 3: 6500 points
    
  • Wave 4 & Higher: 9500 points
    

  [*]Bonus for using the Force:

  • Wave 1: 500 points
    
  • Wave 2: 1000 points
    
  • Wave 3: 1500 points
    
  • Wave 4: 2500 points
    
  • Wave 5: 5000 points
    
  • Wave 6 & Higher: 9500 points
    

  [*]When you complete a wave, you will gain 500 points for each remaining energy shield you carry into the next wave. In addition, you'll gain 3 bonus shields.

Hints and Tips

As always, you really should read the manual.

 

What's that? You don't have the manual? Well, luckily for you, AtariAge has a typed copy of it online for your reading pleasure.

 

What's that? You're too lazy to click that link? Well, the manual doesn't provide any specific hints anyways!

If you hate the inverted controls like me, and if you can solder, open up your stick and switch the up and the down. It got me from scoring in the low 10k's to being able to roll the game.

Tip:

 

After about 150K, the Death Star trench stays the same, so once you memorize the manuevers, it's a piece of cake, and you should be on your way to roll the score over.

 

Another Tip:

 

During the Tie Fighter screen, find the sweet spot. I usually position my crosshairs to the right side of the screen, slightly up. Since the Ties always enter the screen on that side, just wait for them to fly into your crosshairs and quickly shoot 'em down! If they make it to the other side, simple move straight across and hit them there. If the regular Tie gets off three shots, then you destroy it, one of his fireballs will disappear. This doesn't happen to Darth's fireballs though.

 

Good luck everyone!

 

--Ze_ro

[keilbaca]

Well I guess I'll start things off:

 

13368

 

This seems like it won't be a long game to roll it. We'll see

Edited April 26, 2005 by keilbaca

[keilbaca]

Well, I seem to be right so far! Only a half hr of playing, and I managed to nab the bonus points (the game only took like 10 min though)

 

91476!

 

Thanks for choosing a game I can actually play! StanJr, you're mine this week

[Lauren Tyler]

The force is with Parker Brothers for making such a great port, but I still need to find the force, as this is a rather difficult game!

[Dan Iacovelli]

back to playing on the emulator.

It's one of the two SW's game I don't have (I have death star battle and Empire strikes back(I don't have jedi arena))

[Lauren Tyler]

I have Jedi Arena (which I can't believe I chose over Pole Position back as a child!) and The Empire Strikes Back.

[Mental Vortex]

I have Jedi Arena (which I can't believe I chose over Pole Position back as a child!) and The Empire Strikes Back.

844187[/snapback]

 

What's wrong with Jedi Arena? I think it's a pretty good game. Plus it's a third party game used with paddles, which you don't find that often.

[Dan Iacovelli]

first score:1253

not great but I guess it good enough

(tough game to play with keyboard on emulator)

Edited April 26, 2005 by Dan Iacovelli

[Lord Helmet]

I suck at this game...I'll have a go of it this evening.

[khryssun]

1,481 - I rule playing with the keyboard

Edited April 26, 2005 by khryssun

[vdub_bobby]

15034

[StanJr]

 

Thanks for choosing a game I can actually play! StanJr, you're mine this week 

844148[/snapback]

 

 

yeah, except that I have already rolled the score once. It takes about an hour or so, so I'll get that done sometime tonight. Its not that hard once you learn the final trench pattern.

 

Will be hard to prove a rolled score. I'll have to get Aimee to take a picture just before and then just after to prove it.

[keilbaca]

I got a digital cam that can record a 60 second movie to cover my roll

 

For the meantime, gotta stop now, gotta go to a dentist appointment then work...

 

I really can't wait to build that pause switch...

 

270017

 

I could have went farther but as I said, I had to go. That final corridor that repeats itself is easier than the ones before it... i wonder why they made it that easy one to loop?

 

I got a really good tip.

 

If you hate the inverted controls like me, and if you can solder, open up your stick and switch the up and the down. It got me from scoring in the low 10k's to being able to roll the game.

Edited April 26, 2005 by keilbaca

[Dan Iacovelli]

new score:11456

 

heres a good tip:

only go after the fireballs if they came direct at you and not if they move

right or left off the screen

[Goochman]

830 - Man those tunnels just whipped me!

[Lord Helmet]

OK...played until I got a respectable score...

 

The trench gets pretty hard in a hurry. The other levels are easy.

 

107,051

[+SpiceWare]

24,338

 

That's some interesting joystick control - it was throwing me off how it moves slower if you hit the fire button a lot.

Edited April 26, 2005 by SpiceWare

[+SpiceWare]

The ROMs been fixed to work in the Krok Cart!

 

Many thanx to batari!

[+SpiceWare]

61,252

 

Much better on the real thing.

[+Nathan Strum]

That's some interesting joystick control - it was throwing me off how it moves slower if you hit the fire button a lot.

 

I always hated that about this game. I bought it back and the day, played it a few times and returned it and got something else. It's just too far removed from the silky-smooth arcade controls for my taste.

[Lord Thag]

First attempt:43722

 

Yeah, I never liked the controls on this one. Very impressive graphically though! It's actually more fun than i remember though. We'll see if I can't get a decent score this week.

[keilbaca]

Meh.

 

Taking a picture and trying to play sucks.

 

Therefore, I was just under maxing it, trying to get my cam ready.

 

968823

[Lord Helmet]

This game is more fun than I remember. I loved the arcade version. I always played the 5200 or CV version rather than this one.

 

It's a pretty amazing achievement that PB was able to port this to the 2600 at all.

[davepesc]

18,208

 

I've got some memorizing to do if I want to get through that second tunnel.

[davepesc]

Ummm, what exactly does the instruction book mean by "use the force?" How do you do this. I mean, I already can choke people by looking at them and holding up my hand in a threatening manner, but I did that to my TV and the color went wonky for a sec, but no bonus points.