Re: High Score Challenge - S20 - R08 - Space Pilot

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Fri Jun 16, 2023 11:41 pm

A bit better,

Rod C · Post by **Rod C** » Sat Jun 17, 2023 3:17 am

I had a good run in this game and almost got through the rockets second time round. So, no bonus life at 100K but then back again at 110 and 120K.

MatthewThompson · Post by **MatthewThompson** » Sat Jun 17, 2023 2:17 pm

New high score.

MillieTD83 · Post by **MillieTD83** » Sat Jun 17, 2023 5:40 pm

Venger · Post by **Venger** » Sun Jun 18, 2023 1:49 pm

A few more games today, in between a couple of sessions of playing Lone Fungus (not a bad little Metroidvania, to be fair).

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Mon Jun 19, 2023 7:12 am

Into the spaceships......

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Mon Jun 19, 2023 4:04 pm

A bit better.....

MatthewThompson · Post by **MatthewThompson** » Mon Jun 19, 2023 5:35 pm

Much better score.

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Mon Jun 19, 2023 7:29 pm

A smallish increase.....

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 4:19 am

Another mediocre increase......

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 7:30 am

And another bump up......

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 4:34 pm

And another bump up.....

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 6:35 pm

High Score Tables Updated

MatthewThompson · Post by **MatthewThompson** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 8:22 pm

Sorry, high score table needs updating again !

got to the 3rd screen 2nd time round, didn't really feel any more difficult.

klintworth · Post by **klintworth** » Wed Jun 21, 2023 12:33 am

A bit better!

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Wed Jun 21, 2023 7:56 pm

Only a smidge better but......I earned it!!!

maniacminer · Post by **maniacminer** » Thu Jun 22, 2023 1:07 am

Had it crash twice during the warp where it went back to the high score table when I had over 200k. I'm not sure what causes it as I had paused the game a few times. I've had the problem again where typing in my name does nothing and the game won't start up again. I'll have another go and try and get back to that scoring level. The collision detection is dogs**t and sometimes the enemy bomb rotates with the ship making death inevitable. But I've found a way to maximise score and lives that, barring tedious bugs, could mean unlimited game play

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Thu Jun 22, 2023 8:01 am

A bit better, close to the 100k mark.....

Venger · Post by **Venger** » Thu Jun 22, 2023 6:00 pm

Another couple of goes today and a lot of aborted ones. The collision detection is absolutely terrible so it puts me off playing again because it's so infuriating to get killed when the bullet is nowhere near you. I've got it on video and two of the deaths are absolutely shocking.

maniacminer · Post by **maniacminer** » Thu Jun 22, 2023 6:37 pm

Venger wrote: ↑Thu Jun 22, 2023 6:00 pm Another couple of goes today and a lot of aborted ones. The collision detection is absolutely terrible so it puts me off playing again because it's so infuriating to get killed when the bullet is nowhere near you. I've got it on video and two of the deaths are absolutely shocking.

Yeah, I could put my finger in between the bullet and my ship, still died though. Oddly, a bullet can pass underneath my ship and more-or-less rub against the paintwork and that's fine. Something about being hit at an angle, probably a collision box and it just says anything inside it and you're dead, that's a real problem if you're travelling at an angle. I've got over 400k and it crashed on the hyperspace animation, back to the high score table. I'll be glad to see the back of this game. Next time I'm going to take screen snapshots when I get anywhere decent and post that. I was hoping for a million, but that looks out of reach at this rate

I have put in my last saved high score table. Dunno how much more frustration I can take before I explode

Venger · Post by **Venger** » Thu Jun 22, 2023 7:28 pm

maniacminer wrote: ↑Thu Jun 22, 2023 6:37 pm
Venger wrote: ↑Thu Jun 22, 2023 6:00 pm Another couple of goes today and a lot of aborted ones. The collision detection is absolutely terrible so it puts me off playing again because it's so infuriating to get killed when the bullet is nowhere near you. I've got it on video and two of the deaths are absolutely shocking.
Yeah, I could put my finger in between the bullet and my ship, still died though. Oddly, a bullet can pass underneath my ship and more-or-less rub against the paintwork and that's fine. Something about being hit at an angle, probably a collision box and it just says anything inside it and you're dead, that's a real problem if you're travelling at an angle. I've got over 400k and it crashed on the hyperspace animation, back to the high score table. I'll be glad to see the back of this game. Next time I'm going to take screen snapshots when I get anywhere decent and post that. I was hoping for a million, but that looks out of reach at this rate I have put in my last saved high score table. Dunno how much more frustration I can take before I explode

I'll probably give this game a rest now, as I've got other games on the go at the moment. I've just finished Lone Fungus, Lost Ruins and Elderand and I've just started Moonscars.

Tetlee · Post by **Tetlee** » Thu Jun 22, 2023 9:21 pm

Wow the scores really rocketed(hehe) since I last checked in.

Anyway here is my best effort so far. Might leave it there for this one as tend not to overplay same games too much as don't like to get burnt out on old faves.

maniacminer · Post by **maniacminer** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:44 am

Well, I discovered why this game randomly died when going into hyperspace... Econet... I should have remembered from my Galaforce experience. I didn't even have the ROM installed, but it was randomly corrupting some memory, as disabling Econet (BeebEm - not the real thing) made the problem disappear.

Yup, did the million and the score does clock over leaving me with big, fat, flat zilch (and no extra life) The secret to a good score is to be aware that only two bullets and two missiles can be on the screen at once. Use the early time in each level killing all but one of the flying foes, don't rush in, let them spread out a bit, then rotate side to side whilst firing and keep moving, that way the bullets can't get you (although the collision detection means they sometimes do) now collect the parachutes, they generally come in threes. After a while they stop coming, so rotate side to side whilst firing and another set of three will appear. Eventually, you'll get bored and kill the last one and rinse and repeat. The best level is the WW2 level as you get a small bomber that killing gets 1,000 and it always respawns, so there's a chance to make some serious score on this level. The worst level is the UFOs - they are so erratic, kill those quickly as it is quite difficult to keep a eye on their movements.

Perhaps this score doesn't count? I didn't cheat and only used pause/resume whilst having to deal with life's other demands - I did have two running, so I could "warm-up" on one and when ready, switch to the other and resume.

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 5:13 am

Broke 100k

Tetlee · Post by **Tetlee** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 10:22 am

maniacminer wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:44 am Yup, did the million and the score does clock over leaving me with big, fat, flat zilch (and no extra life) The secret to a good score is to be aware that only two bullets and two missiles can be on the screen at once. Use the early time in each level killing all but one of the flying foes, don't rush in, let them spread out a bit, then rotate side to side whilst firing and keep moving, that way the bullets can't get you (although the collision detection means they sometimes do) now collect the parachutes, they generally come in threes. After a while they stop coming, so rotate side to side whilst firing and another set of three will appear. Eventually, you'll get bored and kill the last one and rinse and repeat. The best level is the WW2 level as you get a small bomber that killing gets 1,000 and it always respawns, so there's a chance to make some serious score on this level. The worst level is the UFOs - they are so erratic, kill those quickly as it is quite difficult to keep a eye on their movements.

Cheers for the tips, sounds a bit of a fun sapper for me though.

maniacminer · Post by **maniacminer** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 2:30 pm

Yeah, there wasn't much fun getting to 400k and having the hyperspace send me to the empty high score table

My view of these "high score challenges" is to open up games that may not get played and to have a reason to play them beyond a quick blast. My obsession with the getting a million ate around 12 hours

On later levels the planes seem to speed up, as your spaceship can't out run an early 20th century bi-plane and it is very clear that the enemy pilots are also time travellers themselves as they seem to know about the Kamikaze... the only way out of it is to loop your ship in the opposite direction to the enemy. I think the developers behind this game also wrote "Deathstar" and that has a similar poor quality collision detection algorithm along with becoming ridiculously difficult...

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 11:52 pm

A very small smidge better.....

KarateEd · Post by **KarateEd** » Sat Jun 24, 2023 4:51 pm

A big jump this time......

klintworth · Post by **klintworth** » Sun Jun 25, 2023 6:26 am

Slight increase!

klintworth · Post by **klintworth** » Sun Jun 25, 2023 11:21 pm

Up and away…..!