The Robotron Nightmare - playing on difficulty level 10

[Gray_Area]

I've gotten over six million on this game, but that might've been as low as difficulty level 3. I regularly crest a million on level 5. But ten....damn...it's rough.

Just now I got probably my highest score on this difficulty. It was about the fourth or fifth consecutive game (and possibly my first time passing the tank screen), so not a lot of time spent, but it was a lot of work. (This was blue/green. I don't remember what set I got my high score on.)

The shots are so fast - especially on the tank wave, where the quarks themselves vibrate as they fly - let alone that your shots seem slower than ever, I swear they're not even reaching the boundary of the screen at times and they're not hitting anything!

What strategy can one have here??

(This is probably best posted at TG, but I know there are some phenomenal players here....)

[Diet_Pepsi]

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=95670.msg1044206#msg1044206

Have you seen this thread?  These guys posted crazy numbers and included some inp's, too.  I haven't viewed the inp's but they may answer your question.

[1500points]

Gray_Area, what platform are you using to play Robotron?  real or what version of MAME?

[1500points]

I've played hours of fast robotron on the 19-1 board at level 10 and on real at the higher hardness.
although i've rolled score on mame145, i can't get much beyond the low 30s on 19-1 or hardness 10.

The player speed and shots seem slower because the blit processing is putting more effort into drawing the enemies.

If you are asking about that wave 11 picture specifically.
phase 1- starting in the center- small circular path of player, and circular shots for taking out the incoming grunts in your proximity, with possibility of taking out the blazing spheroid as it tries to hit you in the center
phase 2- start the circling technique to herd the grunts and keep the enforcers one step behind.
phase 3- once grunts are gone, go into the avoidance techniques for weaving in and out of the enforcer shots while taking streaming shots to eventually position yourself to get them gone (typically from their sticking spot in a corner)

never touch the edge of the playfield since the spheroids and enforcer shots gravitate to the edges and stick to them as they blister along faster than you can respond.

[Gray_Area]

Yeah, that doesn't work for me.

I use various versions of MAME, though got 800k on a real machine recently.

[Gray_Area]

I have a new score on diff 7, though.

I used to actually stop and start a lot more, and noticed a couple years ago I'd forgotten how to do this, but hadn't gotten the rhythm back for it. I remembered....or just started doing it again....this time around.