Holiday Season Retro Tournament - ROUND 1

[Aquas]

Aquas - 102168

[Ed Oscuro]

Pretty sure it's based on the mushroom/flowers at the "turn around" point. If there's an obstacle where it would try to go, it doesn't go that way and just turns around instead.

So if you have a mushroom at the 2nd to last row, on the very edge of the screen, it will make the millipede turn around.

I think this is the behavior, at least...

I don't know if this is the case; I've seen millipedes actually split into two, because one of them decided to go up and the other decided to turn around.

Could it be that the first one stayed down and the other one was a blocker pushing the other up?

[1up]

This game is kicking my ass. goddamn spiders

1up - 67,033

[xient]

1up:

I think your DIP settings are off. You shouldn't have a "next bonus at ..." on the bottom since we are playing with bonus life disabled. Also, your starting score should be 60000. I don't think you started here because you shouldn't be able to do high-score table entry until you break 80000.

Settings
Bonus - 0 1x 2x 3x
Millipede Head - Hard
Beetle - Hard
Lives - 3
Bonus Life - None
Spider - Hard
Starting Score Select - On

[system11]

Indeed. I've included the scores achieved with wrong settings but that were not beating people on tournament settings, but those people will score a lot better playing with the correct settings.

[1up]

ah, I forgot to set the bonus life to none. I was only able to start at 45,000

Seens like you score faster with the correct settings

1up - 82,355

[CptRansom]

lol we all suck

Oh, and CptRansom - 82546 Just kidding, CptRansom - 91265.

[nimitz]

lol we all suck

They get extends every 15k there.

(we still suck though)

[yyr]

Just in case it wasn't seen, I'll ask one more time: should we always start at 60K, or is starting at 80K (when available) permitted?

Also, I literally JUST had a case where a lone section of millipede, unblocked by anything (no mushrooms or other enemies in the area), went into the lower-right corner of the screen and turned around, staying on the bottom row. I am sure of this because it FREAKING KILLED ME AGAIN AUUUGHHH

[system11]

I've been told starting at 80k is too much of a game changer - sorry!

[xient]

xient - 98569

Switched to mouse. It seems to help with getting in spiders' faces during their upswing. Also good for navigating around millipedes when they hit the bottom and new parts begin spawning.

Edits: score

[EmperorIng]

If this is a tournament for score, why would there be the option of starting at 60k? Wouldn't necessity and the desire for winning mean everyone starts at 60k?

I've been starting at 0 this whole time, so I almost wondered for a second why none of my scores were even close!

[Ed Oscuro]

Ed Oscuro - 93,365

I think I know a good trick for staying alive but I can't bear to play this more

Max bonus for bees - 1000 points. In a wave this can be cranked up with a DDT bomb. REGULAR (non-wave) bees get no DDT bonus, I believe.
Spider point levels are (like the birds in Phoenix) worth more the closer they get to the bottom of the screen: 300 - 600 - 900 - 1200. The 1800 point DDT bombing bonus for spiders doesn't depend on height, I think. It is possible that if you could keep a DDT bomb closer to the bottom of the screen that this would increase, since I've only ever DDT bombed spiders near the very highest point the spiders climb to.
Something else gets a DDT bomb bonus, 600 points I think.

It does look like millipede sections can get trapped and turn around continually - I saw it happening, although not for long enough to definitively state they were trapped.

If this is a tournament for score, why would there be the option of starting at 60k? Wouldn't necessity and the desire for winning mean everyone starts at 60k?

I've been starting at 0 this whole time, so I almost wondered for a second why none of my scores were even close!

If you just read the first post before you start playing you'll start from the same level playing field as every one else.

[xient]

... worth more the closer they get to the bottom of the screen: 300 - 600 - 900 - 1200 ...

I think it is that you get more points the closer you are to them when you take them out; 1200 for point-blank.

[Zerst]

What on earth is happening in that last wave. I got swarmed by mushrooms.
Zerst - 113,718

I'm making inps if anyone cares to see.


Edit: Up to 118,103. Will post a screencap when I think I'm done making quick improvements.

[Aquas]

Aquas - 109,612

[Ed Oscuro]

... worth more the closer they get to the bottom of the screen: 300 - 600 - 900 - 1200 ...

I think it is that you get more points the closer you are to them when you take them out; 1200 for point-blank.

I checked it out and this is indeed the case. Thanks for the correction!

[Marc]

42,233 in the half hour I just had. The mouse won't work for me either, and I can only seem to start at the 15k bonus even though i've applied the settings as above?

Never mid, got it all working, well except the mouse. 78,446 for now and turning it off before I break something. I'd kill to own the original machine, what a game.

[Aquas]

You have to restart the game (f3 in mame) to make dip switch settings take affect. That might be why.

[Yazphier]

It really feels random how far you get on each credit.. .. lucky.. they pass quite quickly..

Yazphier - 105.574


edit: whoaa broke 100k

[Yazphier]

I notice that if you break 100K, you then have the option of starting at 80K for your next game. Of course, everything is even MORE difficult. Is this permitted, or should we always start at 60K?

This did actually not happen to me, so must be something else that triggers.. even thou we are not allowed to i wanted to try it..

[Obscura]

Obscura - 92270


Got lucky as hell on this credit.

[blackoak]

blackoak - 110513

[siddacious]

siddacious 85346

[DocHauser]

DocHauser - 89,338

[nimitz]

130k seems very possible now.


nimitz - 123,094

[Marc]

MJP - 93,480

Better, since I figured you can slow the actual analogue response when playing with keys.

[xient]

xient - 107483

[Aquas]

Aquas - 116,249

[DocHauser]

Slight improvement...

DocHauser - 94,090