High Score Challenge - S20 - R03 - Shark

[MatthewThompson]

New high score, and have completed the game - there are only 3 different scenarios, then the game loops back to the jungle level but with more soilders, trucks and helicopters .

The end of level 3 boss is the easiest of the lot !

[KarateEd]

Got through level 3 and never finished even the first leg of level 4 but it seems that I had so many lives saved that it just went on forever, over an hour.

I think this game favours weaker players (I qualify) because if you can't get through the tough portions quickly then you have to do them over again and then you pick up more keys, die and do over. It's crazy, I'd love to see how the algorithm for the scoring works on this game.

[Venger]

That's brill I haven't played since a couple of days ago but I've been keeping a keen eye on the score.

It makes me think, should I concentrate on BBC Micro games, or should I just crack on with SFII because it's massively more popular? BBC Micro walkthroughs are so niche as to be unprofitable. This is one of those games that rewards people who would rather plod along and enjoy the ride of Shark, rather than try their best to complete the game.Not sure what to do going forward; my BBC Micro videos tend to get 50-200 views, whereas my fighting videos (+Tricky's Pacman) get over 20K views. Unfortunately I'll never be able to make a business out of it .

[KarateEd]

That's brill I haven't played since a couple of days ago but I've been keeping a keen eye on the score.

It makes me think, should I concentrate on BBC Micro games, or should I just crack on with SFII because it's massively more popular? BBC Micro walkthroughs are so niche as to be unprofitable. This is one of those games that rewards people who would rather plod along and enjoy the ride of Shark, rather than try their best to complete the game.Not sure what to do going forward; my BBC Micro videos tend to get 50-200 views, whereas my fighting videos (+Tricky's Pacman) get over 20K views. Unfortunately I'll never be able to make a business out of it .

Yeh, it's not like I'm not trying at this game, I am but I think for this one having a great skill set at these games is actually a detriment. You tend to go through faster just because you're more skilled at gaming in general and this game seems to punish you for it. My score tells you how terrible a game player I am.....ah well, there has to be at least one game where the ne'er do wells have a chance.

[KarateEd]

High Score Tables Updated

[Cybershark]

a monster score

Holy shitballs, Ed!
Congrats. And I think you just put the nail in this one for me

...never finished even the first leg of level 4...

It's nigh-on impossible without invulnerability because you have to jump a few sections and there are too many baddies already in position wherever you land.

The end of level 3 boss is the easiest of the lot !

They're all positioned ridiculously. If you find yourself that one sweet spot on each level then you can just blast away at them - without even having to duck or jump.

[Venger]

That's brill I haven't played since a couple of days ago but I've been keeping a keen eye on the score.

It makes me think, should I concentrate on BBC Micro games, or should I just crack on with SFII because it's massively more popular? BBC Micro walkthroughs are so niche as to be unprofitable. This is one of those games that rewards people who would rather plod along and enjoy the ride of Shark, rather than try their best to complete the game.Not sure what to do going forward; my BBC Micro videos tend to get 50-200 views, whereas my fighting videos (+Tricky's Pacman) get over 20K views. Unfortunately I'll never be able to make a business out of it .

Yeh, it's not like I'm not trying at this game, I am but I think for this one having a great skill set at these games is actually a detriment. You tend to go through faster just because you're more skilled at gaming in general and this game seems to punish you for it. My score tells you how terrible a game player I am.....ah well, there has to be at least one game where the ne'er do wells have a chance.

I totally get that. We've all been around long enough to know that everyone's trying at the games that come out of the hat and the game actively forces you to stay stationary as there's so many baddies coming at you. I'm not sure why I went off on such a tangent with the YouTube videos thing mind at the end That's one hell of a score to be fair, and there's no way you're a terrible player, Ed; you've been here from the start and you're constantly up there near the top of the leader board season in, season out. I'll probably have a few goes later, just to boost my score a bit and get a bit closer to your mega-score

I did have the game on the Electron although I never really played it much and I think it was a little different, with smaller sprites and other little changes. I don't think I ever got far enough to appreciate how different the game is to others of its ilk, like Commando, in that you really have to battle to get even an inch further in the latter stages. I'll have to curb my impetuousness and be a little more patient, I think, and probably have to dedicate about an hour to one game, rather than the 16 or so minutes it took me to get my 138800 score.

[maniacminer]

I'm wondering what happens when the score goes over a million? probably goes to zero

[Rod C]

I got nearly to the end of level 3. I kept track of lives using the pause key occasionally and saw them build up to 8 at one stage. You can tell when you pick up an extra life because there's a little clink when you collect the backpack. The game has a nice tension between wanting to push forward to get the backpacks and being cautious under fire.

Last night I used saved states to explore the levels and got through level 3 with a score just over 100k. I found the mother ship at the end of level 3 was the hardest and it took me many tries to beat it. Luck is clearly a factor because after many failed attempts to get through a barrage of bombs from the ship I eventually got an easy scenario with very few bombs which were easy to duck through to the sweet spot.

Tonight's score 139550.

[Venger]

A bit of a better score, and I managed to batter my way through to the boss on stage 3, and I should've beaten it, if it wasn't for a stray bomb clipping me on my way back to safety. I find it really challenging to stay still in one spot, basically keeping my finger pressed on the fire button for what seems like forever; it just bores me silly and I just want to get up and ram my way through.

Has anyone else got killed when they're supposedly invincible too? I've had a number of occasions when I've been caught by a bomb blast and it's killed me, after collecting the invincibility power up (and no, it wasn't a case of it wearing off at the wrong time).

[Cybershark]

Has anyone else got killed when they're supposedly invincible too? I've had a number of occasions when I've been caught by a bomb blast and it's killed me, after collecting the invincibility power up (and no, it wasn't a case of it wearing off at the wrong time).

Not sure if it's by design but ground level bomb explosions definitely tend to kill. I think the same is true for the grenades from the trucks too. Trick is to go airborne to get through them.

[Rod C]

You can tell when you pick up an extra life because there's a little clink when you collect the backpack.

Umm, actually I think maybe all the backpacks go clink, not just the extra life ones. Might have been mistaken when I had the volume low.

Has anyone else got killed when they're supposedly invincible too?

Yes, that's happened to me and left me a bit mystified. Sometimes I walked through the bombs and other times the halo didn't help. I thought perhaps it was contact with the truck or helicopter itself that wiped me out.

[KarateEd]

Has anyone else got killed when they're supposedly invincible too? I've had a number of occasions when I've been caught by a bomb blast and it's killed me, after collecting the invincibility power up (and no, it wasn't a case of it wearing off at the wrong time).

Yes, it's happened to me several times.....same as you I've tried ramming through but with little success. This one forces you to go slow and walk with a big stick. That part's not fun, I like to go as fast as I'm able which isn't very fast but it would still be nice to do so.

I think there might be a countdown on the halo. You get hit with a certain amount of force and it removes the invincibility a bit at a time. I've seen some games work that way.

[MatthewThompson]

Managed a much better score -but couldn't get off level 3 this time, as didn't have a big jump to get up to the platform to destory the end of level boss. Total luck to what the power ups give you - had up 12 lives at one point.

[KarateEd]

Managed a much better score -but couldn't get off level 3 this time, as didn't have a big jump to get up to the platform to destory the end of level boss. Total luck to what the power ups give you - had up 12 lives at one point.

You don't need the big jump to get to the end boss. You just have to manage your short jumps.

This game is definitely more luck than skill. Everything depends on what baddies come at you and how fast and how many packs you can pick up. In my high score it seemed like I was picking up a lot of extra packs on that one, hence why on level 4 I had that score.....but boy were the bad dudes ever aggressive on that level.

[chrisn]

Here's my starter score, I got as far as the end of level 1... 17950

[klintworth]

Cleared level 1!

[chrisn]

Now up to the end of level 2 ... 60250

[KarateEd]

Came within 6k of my high score and then died on the 4th (read 1st level but really crazy with baddies) level too quickly and foolishly.

[klintworth]

Starting to get the hang of this, sort of!

[Rod C]

I had a lucky game with lots of lives and made it through to the first jump in level 4 but, alas, no further.

[Venger]

Has anyone else experienced deaths for absolutely no reason? For example, when pinned down by enemy fire and ducking (so that it's impossible to get hit by anything other than bombs), I've suddenly died for no reason. It's happening quite a bit so it's definitely not my imagination .

[Rod C]

Has anyone else experienced deaths for absolutely no reason? For example, when pinned down by enemy fire and ducking (so that it's impossible to get hit by anything other than bombs), I've suddenly died for no reason. It's happening quite a bit so it's definitely not my imagination .

If you're imagining it, so am I! In my last game I also thought that I lost a life more than once just by passing the same junction between buildings, or maybe when ducking there, or perhaps bobbing up, not sure.

What bugs me the most is when an enemy appears in front of you after you've committed to a jump.

[Venger]

Has anyone else experienced deaths for absolutely no reason? For example, when pinned down by enemy fire and ducking (so that it's impossible to get hit by anything other than bombs), I've suddenly died for no reason. It's happening quite a bit so it's definitely not my imagination .

If you're imagining it, so am I! In my last game I also thought that I lost a life more than once just by passing the same junction between buildings, or maybe when ducking there, or perhaps bobbing up, not sure.

What bugs me the most is when an enemy appears in front of you after you've committed to a jump.

Yeah there are a number of bugs in the game!

Meanwhile, I've completed the game. Which was a massive let down as you only get a crappy text screen of congratulations. Level 4 (i.e. level 1 repeated on kamikaze mode!) is just laughable. I couldn't even get to the first checkpoint. You really need the invincibility (when it actually works) powerup to get past any of the jumps. I forced myself to plod on though and ended up holed in for an hour or so and passed the million points mark. You'll all be pleased to know that the game doesn't cater for any score over 1000000 and, not only rolls over to zero, but didn't recognise that my score of 1018100 was higher than my previous go of 231350, which stayed as my high score. I did a few screen shots though, just in case this happened and I couldn't prove my score. I took a shot just before I hit 1000000 and one just after. I don't think I'll be playing again after that!

I've also posted a shot of the furthest I managed to get on level 4, which wasn't far enough so that the game didn't dump me back at the start of the level when I died.

[KarateEd]

Has anyone else experienced deaths for absolutely no reason? For example, when pinned down by enemy fire and ducking (so that it's impossible to get hit by anything other than bombs), I've suddenly died for no reason. It's happening quite a bit so it's definitely not my imagination .

I probably lose more than 1/2 dozen lives to 'anomolies'. There doesn't seem to be any bullet in the air and there are no other baddies close enough to be killed so yeh, death by ghosts.

[Cybershark]

Dunno if anyone else looked at this, but it seems to be the Cheat It Again Joe hacks packaged in with the game:
https://www.stairwaytohell.com/bbc/arch ... sPokes.zip

It's not just the standard range of cheats, as there are some fun tweaks present, and also several ways that you can make the game tougher

I think there might be a countdown on the halo. You get hit with a certain amount of force and it removes the invincibility a bit at a time. I've seen some games work that way.

Do you play with sound on? The halo has a timed countdown that bleeps as it ticks away. It always has the same number of bleeps - 13. Damage (that would have been) received is not a factor.

Has anyone else experienced deaths for absolutely no reason? For example, when pinned down by enemy fire and ducking (so that it's impossible to get hit by anything other than bombs), I've suddenly died for no reason. It's happening quite a bit so it's definitely not my imagination .

Not something I think I ever saw? I mean, I've had a few stray deaths on stage 3, but I've always assumed it was just a red bullet which I failed to spy against the background of a magenta building.

[KarateEd]

Dunno if anyone else looked at this, but it seems to be the Cheat It Again Joe hacks packaged in with the game:
https://www.stairwaytohell.com/bbc/arch ... sPokes.zip

It's not just the standard range of cheats, as there are some fun tweaks present, and also several ways that you can make the game tougher

I think there might be a countdown on the halo. You get hit with a certain amount of force and it removes the invincibility a bit at a time. I've seen some games work that way.

Do you play with sound on? The halo has a timed countdown that bleeps as it ticks away. It always has the same number of bleeps - 13. Damage (that would have been) received is not a factor.

Has anyone else experienced deaths for absolutely no reason? For example, when pinned down by enemy fire and ducking (so that it's impossible to get hit by anything other than bombs), I've suddenly died for no reason. It's happening quite a bit so it's definitely not my imagination .

Not something I think I ever saw? I mean, I've had a few stray deaths on stage 3, but I've always assumed it was just a red bullet which I failed to spy against the background of a magenta building.

I don't agree well with either statement. Today I played (around 300k) and took a hit from a helicoptor but didn't die. I only took one bomb. i hear the countdown but it's not really a countdown per sei, it's more to let you know you still are 'invulnerable'. That indicates to me that damage does have a factor and it makes sense if you watch what happens in game.

I'm very careful with those red bullets and the multicolour ones that are probably overlapping bullets. I've died in front of a yellow wall with no apparent bullet in sight, nothing remotely close to me and this happens frequently as I posted earlier. I think it's a bug or some other mysterious happening in an unknown algorithm.

Anyway, these are experiences and they usually speak louder than words on a box. Programmers are far from perfect, especially back in those days so who really knows? It's what it is and it seems like at least 3 of us are having the same experience with 'ghostly' deaths.

[Cybershark]

I'm very careful with those red bullets and the multicolour ones that are probably overlapping bullets. I've died in front of a yellow wall with no apparent bullet in sight, nothing remotely close to me and this happens frequently as I posted earlier. I think it's a bug or some other mysterious happening in an unknown algorithm.

Ah! Hadn't considered overlapping bullets but, looking at two how overlapping backpacks can become invisible, then this suddenly becomes very plausible.

Another odd "feature" of the game - which no-one has yet mentioned - is that it's possible to survive with an enemy soldier trotting around on your head, as long as you remain in the ducked position. Simply wait for them to jump back off before raising your head again

Still, the game remains very playable and - as I previously commented on Blast! - it's a crying shame that Mr Inglis only ever released the 2 Beeb games.

[maniacminer]

The collision detection leaves a lot to be desired, I've had several instances of a soldier being above me and I died, not to mention a bomb at my feet making me fall out of the game, an interesting way to go I guess A mixture of ploughing in and waiting (wait and kill a soldier near you, get the backpack - rinse and repeat until an invincibility is collected - lives clock to zero when they get to 10,20,30 etc) then rush in like a T-1000 I got almost to the end of level 2 on the 2nd play-through. I've eked out a bigger score, but that's primarily from sitting in one spot waiting for an invincibility drop... 354,200 - probably my last go as this took forever and my eyes were beginning to die (not as bad a JCB Digger - at least in Shark the colour scheme changes - the developer had a little compassion)

[klintworth]