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Squad Challenge - Galaxian (Atari 2600)

Justin

By Justin
in High Score Squad

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HDN Pretzel Member

HDN

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On September 6, 2020 at 4:38 AM, Atari 5200 Guy said:

To appreciate Galaxian on the 5200 you would have to learn the 5200 on a per game basis because every game treats those analog controls differently.  The misconception is Galaxian only uses the analog feature as an analog joystick to a point.  If you move the joystick left the player moves left, move it right the player moves right, but put the joystick in an almost center state and the player stops.  The only difference is the speed of the ship which is determined by how far you move the joystick.  It has two speeds: slow and fast.  Both come in handy in avoiding enemies and their fire.

Visually it is better than the 2600 port but that is about it.  I love the game because I grew to like it.  It was one of the first games I got Christmas morning with the system...but it is not 100% accurate.  The yellow Galaxians are not right, it has glitches if you know where to find them, and the sounds are way off.  It is still fun, still uses the same rules, and the 5200 can give a butt whippin' especially on skill level 9.  But I don't think it would work well with a paddle-modded controller.

 

Ah, got it. I thought it might be like a paddle with the whole non-self-centering joystick. Thanks for enlightening me.

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mmaxfit Cherry Member

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On 9/4/2020 at 11:21 AM, RickR said:

The orange border is a weird choice is all.  It would have been easy to program it as black.  I don't mind it.  Given that there's no moving star field, it doesn't impact anything.  The game was well-received back in 1983.  "Pretty good" was the consensus I think. 

I'll try to play the hacks at some point today.  I'm guessing it will be ok, but not as life-altering as the Pac-Man hacks and improvements. 

PS - those purple guys are the worst!  They are responsible for 90% of my life losses. 

 

I take the purple guys out first which makes it easier to survive.

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mmaxfit Cherry Member

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I got 43,950 and maybe stage 15 but I'm going for 50K. Ships are worth more points in flight but the main thing is to shoot the emissaries first, the purple ones. And you can sort of steer the direction they move by positioning yourself so they fly back towards you. Once you get rid of them the green ships are easy and slow moving. When you see the red escorts shoot them first followed by the white flagship. It's not easy to do but it gives you 800 points. I really focus more on the purple guys then shoot everything else whether it's in flight or not.

Screenshot_2020-09-09-22-03-40.png

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Atari 5200 Guy Pear Member

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On 9/6/2020 at 8:53 AM, RickR said:

That was me and you're welcome.

I'm with you on this.  There's something magic about a real console.  I will do emulation only when pressed for time, or if my kids are using the gaming room.  Or if I don't own the system in question.  Emulation to me is a way to preserve those precious old games in case something goes wrong with my console.  I really got into emulation with the Atari 8-bit, as a lot of my original software was on floppy disk, and I knew those wouldn't last forever.

Just as an example of when I will use emulation for the 2600, a few of these Galaxian runs have been done while I'm working and have 10 minutes until a meeting starts or something like that.  

The other piece of magic that I currently don't partake in is to use a real CRT TV for the old systems.  I use an old analog LCD, which looks great.  But it's not quite the same.  

 

I tried using an Atari on a LCD and, uggg, colors were dark and grungy looking.  Not nice to look at at all.  My old 20" Sanyo is a CRT but a true flat screen CRT.  It still has a bright and vibrant picture and looks really good with these older consoles designed for CRTs.  I wouldn't part with it for anything.

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socrates63 Pretzel Member

socrates63

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51,290

Finally broke 50k! It turned out to be a little more difficult than I thought it'd be.

I have to admit that I've grown to like Galaxian a lot. I had always ignored it in favor of Galaga both at the arcade and at home and never liked the weak sounding single volley at a time Galaxian gun. The 2600 version of Galaxian has proved to be a very fun game and has become one of my favorite 2600 games.

IMG_1261.jpeg.54f6ed886d68fc00f4b0eb53d9a43c0a.jpeg

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HDN Pretzel Member

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6 hours ago, Atari 5200 Guy said:

Aw man.  You mean I have to try harder?!? 😉 

Nice scores guys!  I'll try again in a day or two.  And...

...is one sexy and clean looking 2600 unit!  @RickR's games are pre-trained for the Squad Challenges. 😁

The Vader in my opinion is the nicest looking console I own. The NES looks like a Fischer-Price VCR (though intentionally so), I like the way the SNES looks but mine is yellowed, I have the Genesis Flashback and that's not the same, N64 is a lumpy mess, OG XBOX is too bulky and dated, the Wii reeks of casual (though the black model is slightly less severe),  Wii U is okay, and the Switch looks like a Wii U Gamepad taco. The 7800 also looks slick, but I think Vader barely beats it. The Woody doesn't look too bad, especially where I have it set up at my grandparents' in a heavily wooded room.

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HDN Pretzel Member

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1 hour ago, MaliciousCarp said:

Whole e-Carp... I don't know how I did it, but I broke 40K!!!

I just kind of got into a rhythm and I was there before I realized it.  Will I break 50K? I doubt it, but it sure will be fun to try!

44,860

IMG_20200912_182415811.jpg

You can do it, Mark! I believe in you! You can beat that rotten @socrates63!

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socrates63 Pretzel Member

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My strategy has been to maximize the points per wave, so trying only to shoot ships in motion and trying to pick off the escorts first before getting the white ship for those that fly in the 3-ship formation.

I'm consistently getting 50k tonight so tonight might be my chance to break 60k. But I only have time for a couple more runs. 🤞

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HDN Pretzel Member

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I was hoping to get to some Galaxian today, but I was stuck doing homework and other things all day. Plus, my mom took not only the 2600 and 7800 for "punishment" (she compared the video games to c*caine and said I needed to get a real hobby before I could get them back), but also the Wii so I can't even emulate it! Good thing I have a Woody over at my grandparents' house. 

Home life is getting pretty rough lately. It's incredibly complicated and I won't go into much detail here. I'm pretty sure my parents won't be together for much longer, but I feel that's probably a good thing.

Sorry for going a bit off-topic there. Let's get back to Galaxian!

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