Squad Challenge - Tax Avoiders (Atari 2600)

[Justin]

 

Tax Avoiders
Atari 2600
Controller: PLAYER'S CHOICE
Difficulty Level: None

Achieve high score to win challenge
Play on: Real Hardware / Dedicated Console / Emulation OK! ✔
Squad Challenge ends 11:59 pm PST April 14th, 2016

 

 

Objective: Play for the highest possible score using the difficulty settings defined in the challenge. Post a photo or video of your score in this thread. Scores must be achieved between April 1st through April 14th, 2016. Screen captures are not allowed as they are easily manipulated for falsified scores. Multiple submissions are permitted. The player with the highest score at the end of the 2-week competition is the victor.

Eligibility: Anyone can join in. All players are welcome!

Play Rules: Games may be played on real hardware, dedicated console, or emulation, using any controller or keyboard, following rules and game settings as delineated in the Squad Challenge. Enhancements and hacked versions of this game are not allowed.

Difficulty Level: None. See instruction manual provided below for details.

Fair Play: Players should play fairly, be honest, and have fun! Falsified scores will result in your immediate removal from the site. It goes without saying that no use of cheats, hacks, cartridge frying, enhancements, Photoshop, subterfuge, or any other unfair advantage is allowed. Everybody hates a cheater.

More: To review detailed rules on how to play, please visit the High Score Squad page here: http://forums.atari.io/index.php/topic/1219-high-score-squad-how-to-play/ 

Welcome to our 9th Squad Challenge! Tax season is upon us and in the spirit of good citizenship we'll be playing Tax Avoiders, a quirky and often overlooked 1982 Atari 2600 game released by American Videogames. 

 

Tax Avoiders is a fairly basic game, but it's full of symbolism. You play as John Q, with the object of the game being to collect money ($ dollar signs $) while avoiding "red tape". There are 4 levels of bureaucracy which must be negotiated to earn the maximum amount of income, with the "left" and "right" divided by the "political center" with an elevator which is constantly going up and down between levels. Days and months pass by with 365 days in the year and four seasons. Once each season you'll be taken to a second screen, in which you'll try to climb up to grab the tax sheltered investment and return to put in into your portfolio. Meanwhile you can try to catch the investment advisor, while avoiding the baddies, which include an IRS agent and a CPA! Your objective in the game is to get as rich as you can in one year.

 

I hope all of you have a good time, and remember this is for "nerd cred" and meant to be fun for all! I encourage you to share your strategies and experiences with all of us! You have until 11:59 pm PST April 14th, 2016 to complete this challenge and successfully submit your score. The ROM and Instruction Book are both provided for you below. GOOD LUCK, SQUAD!



Tax_Avoiders.bin     Tax Avoiders.pdf

 

[fergojisan]

HA HA HA, APRIL FOOLS, POST THE REAL GAME NOW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PLEASE

 

 

 

:unsure:

[Justin]

Give it another try Ferg, you might enjoy it  

[nosweargamer]

HA HA HA, APRIL FOOLS, POST THE REAL GAME NOW

 

MUH HA HA HA! IT'S REAL ALL RIGHT!!!!

 

And I will even break the ice: $127,767

 

 

And that's without remembering how to play the game. I might have to watch my old review just to refresh my memory.

 

[Arenafoot]

$185,350.......have higher scores - but will wait on those.

 

Tax Avoiders was the last Atari game I bought "back in the day" brand new from Lionel Playworld on clearance for $4.99. Still have the cart and manual today!

[fergojisan]

You guys have fun.

[RadioPoultry]

I'm surprised to find I'm not totally hating this game. I'm actually enjoying it more than the previous Chopper Command mode 3 challenge. That feels wrong, somehow.

 

Score: $453,500

 

[nosweargamer]

Great Score RP!

 

If part of the goal of the game was to make you hate taxes, it succeeds!

Nothing like earning a bunch of points and then having most of them taken away for taxes for no good reason 

[Arenafoot]

Wow RP! I didn't even know that $400k was possible on this game! I usually top out in the upper $200k. Or is there a trick????

[RickR]

You gotta find the "off-shore tax loophole" easter egg. 

[Justin]

You gotta find the "off-shore tax loophole" easter egg. 

 

   

[MightyMattD]

How I know I'm old - I read the Tax Avoiders instructions and found the jokes to be a little funny.

 

OK I hated this game when I bought it as a kid and don't think all that much of it now, but I have to say playing for some friendly competition makes it a lot more fun.

 

Score: 220,125

 

 

[Arenafoot]

another try tonight.............. $230,687

[RadioPoultry]

$770,500

 

 

[Justin]

This is getting a lot more competitive than I thought it would       

[RickR]

Only two certainties in life: death and taxes.

[Atari 5200 Guy]

Its a fun game! I am at the hospital with wife and playing it through an emulator on my tablet. The only screens I can post at the moment are saved screenshots. I am unsure if I will be able to do photos for this game or not as wife is expected to be in hospital for a few days. I will be keeping an eye out for this cartridge. My first score was 43687 but only proof I have is a screenshot.

[Atari 5200 Guy]

See. I know its not allowed and won't be accepted but this is the best I can do right now.

 

 

I found a 2600 emulator for Android called A2600. So far its good and touch controls are OK...I just need to get more ROMs that are not compressed. If I wasn't in the hospital with wife I'd take the photos required. I will admit that I wouldn't mind finding the game in cartridge. It's a nice game.

[StormSurge]

I hope your wife feels better soon!

[Atari 5200 Guy]

Thank you Storm. We've been here since Sunday night and doctor talking another three days. She's gettingbetter ... Its just taking longer than expected.

[nosweargamer]

Thank you Storm. We've been here since Sunday night and doctor talking another three days. She's gettingbetter ... Its just taking longer than expected.

 

Good to hear she's getting better. Prayers that she recovers and can go home soon!

[nosweargamer]

So apparently I was able to set a world record (according to Twin Galaxies) on Tax Avoiders which is very ironic, considering I've called the game one of the worst ever made in my videos.

 

 

$878,000

 

The back of the box mentions earning a million dollars, which honestly I don't think is possible.

If my score holds up after today, I might even make it my first official submission to Twin Galaxies (Oh, the irony)

[RickR]

Wow! Don't tell the IRS.

[Rowsdower70]

Good to hear she's getting better. Prayers that she recovers and can go home soon!

I don't keep up here, sorry.   Prayers for speedy healing from the Rowsdowers too!

[RickR]

89718

 

I played the game once, and no desire to play it ever again.  Too taxing.  I didn't appreciate the game.  It's accrual game.