High Score Competition #114 : Break Thru

[kixfan]

Previous winners:

#001 thru #099 - For list of winners for those competitions  please refer to this link
#100: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: Winner - Gray_Area, Second - Tafoid
#101: Marvin's Maze: Winner - Kixfan, Second - Hammerfist
#102: Rally-X:  Winner - Tafoid, Second  djm858
#103: Lock 'N Chase:  Winner - Kixfan, Second - Jasonbar
#104: Space Fury: Winner - Gray_Area, Second - kixfan
#105: Pig Out: Winner - Kixfan, Second - Gray_Area
#106: Carnival: Winner - rick6668, Second - Kixfan
#107: Rastan: Winner - popsicle, Second - rick6668
#108: Peguin-Kun Wars Winner-dancawar, Second - Popsicle
#109: Blood Bros.* Winner - harveybirdman, Second - Jasonbar *scores reflect use of game features considered cheats
#110: Rabbit Punch: Winner - jasonbar, Second - mimic
#111: Alien Syndrome: Winner - mimic, Second Comtek
#112: Block Hole: Winner - Comtek, Second - idsane
#113: Pepper II: Winner - Comtek, Second - Kixfan

Competition #114: Break Thru

Romset: brkthru
Enemy Vehicles: slow
Enemy Bullets: slow
Lives: 3
Bonus Life: 20,000/30,000

Last day is Sunday, May 5th (11:59:59pm Pacific Daylight Time), 2013.

Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BreakThru_%28video_game%29

KLOV: http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7213












General Rules:
- One Credit, No Continues.
- Highest score wins.
- No savestates, savestate practices, etc. during the round.
- MAME INP recordings are encouraged but optional.
- A screenshot is required to enter a score (press F12 to save screenshot showing your final score) or take a photo of the game screen.
- If you're a MARP competitor on this title, keep in mind this is just a friendly competition among forum members, so maybe you shouldn't enter. However, if you're a forum member and this is a game you're good at and nobody knows about it, this is your time to shine!
- Even if you don't have a competitive score or if you don't *think* that you have a competitive score, please post it anyway to keep the thread fun & to give everybody a good sense of score ranges.
- Please make sure your scores are from games that take place during the competition period (no posting your best score from last year, etc.).
- Use of autofire or other non-standard hacks within MAME or your PC's OS are not allowed.  No program or other person or entity of any sort may manipulate your controls during your game.  Coaching & back-seat driving is fine as long as the party doesn't directly influence the game or controls.
- If you can beat any of the high scores from the previous competitions, you can submit your score to the BYOAC High Game Scoreboard.

Good luck!
[/quote]

[kixfan]

Can't say I'm very good at this game but it was one of my favorites.   I've never made it all the way thru on a single token.   I am a little concerned on the settings.   Default enemy speed is slow but I an concerned that if someone is really good they may be able to just sit there and loop this thing.   I hope 2nd go around is more difficult.    Good Luck!

[mimic]

32,800 after about 5 games

[jasonbar]

Got about 38.5k on 3rd game, I think. I fudged up on what I think were the 2 tank bosses at the end of the bridge, level 2.

Anybody else find the control very awkward? It seems difficult to move left/right smoothly--the game accelerates/decelerates the scrolling & also changes your on-screen position.

Also, is the scrolling super unsmooth for anybody else, or am I just getting tons of tearing because my cabinet's PC is so old?

Thanks,
-Jason

[mimic]

I've got no issues with scrolling, I don't seem to be noticing any kind of tearing

39,700

[jasonbar]

Thanks--I'll toggle the D3D/DDraw setting for this game. That should fix it (but it makes every character in my MAME Tab menu text appear as a rectangle!).

-Jason

[idsane]

For some reason my eyes can't track this game very well. Almost gives me a headache.

[Gray_Area]

Thanks--I'll toggle the D3D/DDraw setting for this game. That should fix it (but it makes every character in my MAME Tab menu text appear as a rectangle!).

-Jason

I think I see what you mean about the scrolling/slow-down thing. I think it's just a matter of the current speed of your car, versus the scrolling screen, versus the baddies on the screen at the time. I tend to back off a lot so I don't get surprised by enemy fire, but in some places just haul ass so I don't get caught in their fire spread or/and crossfire.

Here's a third game score. This is a typical 'kinda sucks in graphics and gameplay, and definitely sucks in the gives-you-the-map-and-instructions-every-time-you-die' game of the mid 80s. I swear, the only maker putting out indubitably killer games in the late 80s was Capcom.

For some reason my eyes can't track this game very well. Almost gives me a headache.

Bummer, dude.

[Gray_Area]

I finally played some games tonight, and decided to play this one. Took a few times of re-setting before I passed the first wave without dying. Then the second wave took for-Ever. And I got stuck at the end of it. Lost five dudes. It gives a lot of extra dudes in a short time.

Oh, and I came across perhaps what jason was talking about in the tunnel of wave 2. Possibly a hardware slow-down.

[jasonbar]

The scrolling is definitely wonky. Using ddraw vs d3d didn't make a difference on my machine. Either wonky emulation or the original game itself is wonky.

Got a non-wonky score: 101,700.

-Jason

[kixfan]

Well, I had a score of 67,400 but I see I need to go back and see if I can better that score.   Also, sorry to hear others having issues with this game.   I've never had an issue with it but apparently there is something wrong.   

[mimic]

Finally somewhat decent score of 95,500. Will post picture later.
(still no noticeable issues with tearing)

[Gray_Area]

It's not really a problem, just microscopically disconcerting. The game sucks enough on its own.

[jasonbar]

Had a breakthrough Break Thru game.

160,100

(and then later came within a hair of this score...)

-Jason

[Gray_Area]

I'm countin tha minutes.

[mimic]

I better post a picture before someone doubts my 96,500. Perhaps good enough for an honorable mention in 2nd place?
I'll see you all in #115

[kixfan]

Really wanted to at least break 100k but came up a little short, 94,200.

[jasonbar]

Hooray for me. Darn, I almost finished the game on 1 credit. I bet I could have if I'd played a bit more. I was far into level 5, the airstrip, on my best game. It throws a free guy at you every 30k, & there's as free guy dropped via parachute on levels 2 & 4. The only really hard places where it took many repeated tried to figure out a solution (rather than just have good reflexes & luck) was the helicopter on level 2 (go super fast along the top until you can jump to the bottom bridge, then, as soon as you land, tap the stick right to get back up to full speed to avoid the copter's bullets) & a later section in level 2 where the road angles up & 5 missiles drop from the sky, covering the road, while a vehicle sprays fire at you (again, go fast & jump over all that stuff & try not to die when you land in the midst of more fire). I like that you can land on top of vehicles to kill them, too. Fun.


OK, final tally:
jasonbar: 160,100
mimic: 96,500
kixfan: 87,900
idsane: 81,500
Gray_Area: 53,300


I've got my next selection narrowed down to 2 games. I'll try to post tonight after a final comparison/test/evaluation.

Thanks,
-Jason

[kixfan]

Congrats Jasonbar!!!   

Sorry, I meant to summarize the scores but got side tracked this morning.    It took me quite awhile  to figure out how to get past the heli in level 2.   Now make up your mind!!!