HSC Season 3 Week 23: Ultra SCSIcide

[Ze_ro]

Important Note: This week's competition is over, no more scores will be accepted for this game. However, if you still wish to discuss the game and compare scores further, feel free to do so!

 

You find yourself in the internals of a hard drive, a world of ones and zeros. You have been chosen to control the hard drive read head. As different colored data bits scroll by on the hard drive platter, you need to quickly read them in the correct order before you suffer a buffer underflow and cause a hard drive crash. You have to keep up as the drive spins faster and faster, because this week's game is Ultra SCSIcide!

 

NOTE - As far as I know, "Regular" SCSIcide plays a bit differently than Ultra SCSIcide, so I'm afraid only scores from Ultra SCSIcide can be accepted. If you don't have this game, you can always buy a copy of it from the AtariAge Store. Or if you can't spare the money for this great game, you can always download the ROM from the game's page on AtariAge.

 

Game Information

• Game Name: SCSIcide
  
• Released By: Joe Grand, 2005
  
• Left Difficulty: B / Novice - Smaller Drive Head
  
• Right Difficulty: Your Choice
  
• Game Mode: Not Applicable
  
• 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, Dec 27th 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 Lord Thag! 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

(Note: This game displays scores in hexadecimal notation)

1. 380A33 (SpiceWare) [+11]
   
2. 2E065E (Omegamatrix) [+10]
   
3. 220704 (keilbaca) [+9]
   
4. 1903F2 (MoonlightKnight) [+8]
   
5. 1703C5 (khryssun) [+7]
   
6. 1504F4 (LarcenTyler) [+6]
   
7. A01BA (scogey) [+5]
   

Best Tips

• No One!
  

Bounties and Challenges

• Beat the Programmer! - Joe Grand (the guy who made the game) has a high score of 2D0745. Beat that, and you get 5 bonus points!
  • SpiceWare, Omegamatrix [+5]
    

TwinGalaxies Top 3

(Default Mode)

1. No scores posted for this game
   

Current Standings

1. Coming Soon

Member List

Lord Thag, Mad Scientist, Dan Iacovelli, iguana, Luigi301, Gateway, Damon Plus, gospeedde, Kepone, internetotaku, panda_racer, KaeruYojimbo, cyberneticimplant, bjk7382, davepesc, neotokeo2001, xeex, bmlbytes, Omegamatrix, the 5th ghost, Xebec's Demise, khryssun, vgcollector666, chadtower, moycon, Malc74, shadow460, Atarifever, Keir, supercat, FireTiger, Philflound, Fellow Atari Man, keilbaca, brendano, Cybergoth, durden26, sku_u, mitsubachi, arlo, Recycled, LarcenTyler, silverpoodleman, 128bytes, Goochman, Thomas Jentzsch, Christophero Sly, D.Yancey, mrppv666, Mordax, Numan, Mordax, vdub_bobby, Dones, Gamemaster_ca_2003, scogey, graywest, RJ, Voch, video game addict, SpiceWare, Robert M

Scoring Points in SCSIcide

Coming Soon

Hints and Tips

As always, you really should read the manual.

 

What's that? You don't have the manual? Unfortunately, AtariAge doesn't have a copy of it online, but I happen to have this game, so here are the hints that the manual provides:

 

- Make smooth, careful adjustments to the Joystick or Paddle Controller to control the drive head. Sudden, fast movements will make it harder to properly position the drive head over the correct data bit.

 

- When you get to the higher, faster platter levels, don't try to follow the individual data bits with your eyes. Try to stare "through the screen" and keep your eyes in one position. This will make it easier to see which color data bit is on which track.

 

 

--Ze_ro

[Lauren Tyler]

How could you pick a game like this? Although it's a better choice than Othello!

[MoonlightKnight]

Here's my first try

 

That's the first time I've ever played this... so I don't really know how well I did. The level I lost on got pretty fast! Fun game though.

Edited December 20, 2005 by MoonlightKnight

[+SpiceWare]

380a33

[Omegamatrix]

Nice score Spice!! Right out of the gate too. I don't speak binary, but I think I got it figured out from Ze_ro's link. Basically you go 0-9 and then A-F. 0 is the lowest value and F is the highest. I started out hating this game until I plugged in the paddles. Much better now. I'm red-green color blind and that dark green (I think it's dark green) data bit is hard to spot. All in all I'm quite proud of the score I got already. This game grows on you. Simple and fun.

 

First post: E=MC²

 

Er, I mean 1F04D1

 

 

Edit: I forgot about zero. Zero is the lowest value.

Edited December 21, 2005 by Omegamatrix

[+SpiceWare]

Thanx- though it's not exactly "right out of the gate". I picked up SCSIcide at AGE back in 93 and played it quite a bit as I like paddle games. Ultra SCSIcide has fewer bits to pick up, 8 vs. SCSIcide's 10.

[scogey]

0A01BA

 

I have no idea what this game is about or what my score means....I'll try again later although I may not be sure what score I post is my highest.

[+SpiceWare]

You're a hard drive head reading data off the disk. The first 2 digits of the score are the level you are on.

 

You can find the instructions here, click on the image for a bigger version.

 

Note - this is for the older version - the game play is the same but there's only 8 bits per level for the version we're playing.

[keilbaca]

I scored a 17040C for the first time really knowing how to play it.

 

That game really messes with your head...

 

EDIT: Just got a 1A048F.

 

I'm done with this for now... head hurts...

Edited December 25, 2005 by keilbaca

[joesmooth]

How could you pick a game like this? Although it's a better choice than Othello!

986052[/snapback]

 

I'm not sure how to interpret that, but if you're saying it sucks, I challenge you to write your own game. I originally wrote the game in 2001 and updated it in 2005. Not only has it been extremely well received, but I've release source code and a diary documenting my development process to help the community. Programming for the Atari 2600 is no easy task, especially with the tools we had (though much better than the tools that the original programmers had).

 

So, either enjoy the game or go spend time working on your own. Don't bash mine.

 

Joe

[joesmooth]

Note - this is for the older version - the game play is the same but there's only 8 bits per level for the version we're playing.

987345[/snapback]

 

Actually, there were multiple gameplay changes (though some are subtle) from SCSIcide to Ultra SCSIcide, which I think improves the game significantly and take care of some problems that I just couldn't fix when I first wrote the game. From http://www.atariage.com/software_page.html...reLabelID=2704:

 

# Added support for joystick controllers. Controller type is automatically detected when you press the paddle or joystick fire button to start the game.

# Fixed the flicker that used to occur at the beginning of each level.

# Changed background and data bit color palette to make bits easier to distinguish.

# Reduced track size from 10 to 8 bits, for a more appropriate one byte per level.

# Changed speed increase per level - only two random data bits increase in speed each level.

# Modified the sound and scoring routines to account for longer gameplay and higher levels.

# Changed title screen text and added GIS and Pixels Past logos.

# Added a PAL version of the game.

 

 

Also, in reference to your previous post, I think you meant to say you picked up SCSIcide at AGE in 2003, not 1993. I didn't start experimenting with Atari 2600 until 1997 and the original SCSIcide wasn't sold until CGE in Las Vegas in 2001.

 

Joe

[keilbaca]

new score update!

 

220704

[khryssun]

0x1703C5

 

Cool game,

too bad to play without the paddles on the computer :-(

[Omegamatrix]

Finally got some playing time in. New score: 240595

 

[Ze_ro]

One thing that I like about this game using hexadecimal for it's scoring is that it rolls over at a much higher score than most games... in general, Atari games are usually limited to displaying 6 digits for the score for a maximum of 999,999 points before a rollover, while SCSIcide can handle FFF,FFF points (16,777,215 in decimal) before rolling over. Kind of a small point, and somewhat irrelevant as no one has come even close to rolling this one, but still an interesting way around score limitations in 2600 games.

 

--Zero

[bjk7382]

I found the easter egg in this one. Hold down all 4 directions on the joystick at the same time.

[+SpiceWare]

Also, in reference to your previous post, I think you meant to say you picked up SCSIcide at AGE in 2003, not 1993. I didn't start experimenting with Atari 2600 until 1997 and the original SCSIcide wasn't sold until CGE in Las Vegas in 2001.

 

Joe

988993[/snapback]

Yep, 2003. Not sure why I typed 93

[Omegamatrix]

I beat the programmer, but not the game. 2E065E

 

[Ze_ro]

Well, that's the end of this week's edition of the High Score Club. Congratulations to everyone on their high scores despite holiday festivities! I hope you enjoyed Ultra SCSIcide, and be sure to join us again next time when we'll strap on a helicopter pack and dive down a mine shaft!

 

--Zero

[sku_u]

How could you pick a game like this? Although it's a better choice than Othello!

986052[/snapback]

 

I'm not sure how to interpret that, but if you're saying it sucks, I challenge you to write your own game. I originally wrote the game in 2001 and updated it in 2005. Not only has it been extremely well received, but I've release source code and a diary documenting my development process to help the community. Programming for the Atari 2600 is no easy task, especially with the tools we had (though much better than the tools that the original programmers had).

 

So, either enjoy the game or go spend time working on your own. Don't bash mine.

 

Joe

988992[/snapback]

 

Not everyone's going to like your game. He wasn't bashing your game. Only implying that he doesn't enjoy some aspect of it.

 

There are a lot of games I don't necessarily enjoy playing (including yours) but that doesn't mean I think your game sucks. It's just not my type of game.

[keilbaca]

How could you pick a game like this? Although it's a better choice than Othello!

986052[/snapback]

 

I'm not sure how to interpret that, but if you're saying it sucks, I challenge you to write your own game. I originally wrote the game in 2001 and updated it in 2005. Not only has it been extremely well received, but I've release source code and a diary documenting my development process to help the community. Programming for the Atari 2600 is no easy task, especially with the tools we had (though much better than the tools that the original programmers had).

 

So, either enjoy the game or go spend time working on your own. Don't bash mine.

 

Joe

988992[/snapback]

 

Not everyone's going to like your game. He wasn't bashing your game. Only implying that he doesn't enjoy some aspect of it.

 

There are a lot of games I don't necessarily enjoy playing (including yours) but that doesn't mean I think your game sucks. It's just not my type of game.

989872[/snapback]

 

Agreed. the store says it perfect: if you like kaboom, you'll like scsicide. Not that many people like kaboom...

 

as for the score, how was that possible? I got a lower level but higher score, as the 1st two places in the score are level?