High Score Competition #117: Scramble

[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
#114: Break Thru: Winner - jasonbar, Second - mimic
#115: Ninja Baseball Bat Man: Winner - mimic, Second - Tafoid
#116: Shao-lin's Road: Winner - mimic, Second - Kixfan

Competition #117: Scramble

Romset: scramble - scramble
Default Settings:
Lives: 3

Last day is Sunday, June 16th (11:59:59pm Pacific Daylight Time), 2013

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

KLOV: http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9447














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!

[mimic]

Scramble was always on my mind as a choice. If I knew that Shaolin's road and Bosconian were not popular, that's what was on my list next! Unfortunately, I'm pretty good at it until that damn "city" tunnel. I ALWAYS crash there! Perhaps this time I will make it past it?

[Comtek]

i'll get things started off here with this one
15310

[kixfan]

This is tougher than I thought!   16,810

[popsicle]

Any advice for getting through that 5th stage?

24,670

[kixfan]

Any advice for getting through that 5th stage?

24,670

Nice Score!

I was thinking about asking the same thing!   I have only gotten to the 5th stage a couple of times.   I get stopped where you are at the top of the screen and have to make it to the bottom very quickly.  I think you need to drop a couple very timely bombs just as you exit so that you don't hit the fuel tanks.   If that's where you are stuck also!   

[popsicle]

No, it's the section in this video at 3:00 where there is just flying up and down in large square caverns.  I swear the video poster must have an easier rom or have easy dipswitch settings because the scrolling seems a lot slower - I never seem to have enough time to get all the way to the top or bottom (you have to basically hold the stick diagonally back and up/down and start RIGHT after your ship clears the barrier, like even touching your engine flame to the wall).

[vorghagen]

First game - 1370.
OK. So I shoot the fuel tanks, not try to pick them up.
Second game - 7200.
Third game - 12440.
I'll try again in the morning when I'm not half asleep.

[mimic]

Nope, still can't do it! That damn brick tunnel on LV5

24,460 <-on my 1st try
29,500 <-on 3rd try

(as PL noted, I'm being very humble right now!)

[Gray_Area]

Hmmm, I thought this had been picked.....I used to play this on Vectrex till I got bored. The arcade version is slightly harder in that I haven't since I've been playing it in MAME been able to get past that quick zig-zag in the tunnel. Elsewise I'd probably play it till I got bored. You need a good stick, one that doesn't too easily register diagonals, which was why the Vectrex stick was awesome. Looking at how 90-degree-ish that person's movements are, I'm betting they're using a keyboard.

[jasonbar]

57,670 on my 2nd game. Lost a ship when waving to the neighbor as she drove by my garage. Dang. My shown saved high score is 65,580, but that was before this competition, so it doesn't count.

And, has anybody examined the lower right corner of the marquee? I want to say that's a Space Hookah, but...

-Jason

[popsicle]

Well?  Are you going to explain how you got thru that impossible tunnel or what?

[jasonbar]

Not even a "please?" Very demanding.



Be forward as much as possible at all times--at all horizontal straights, move right. When going up/down, go diagonally right & up/down until your nose almost scrapes the wall. Then go diagonally left & up/down as needed.

I'm not sure what the explanation needs to be--just start out at the most forward possible position & stay as forward as possible at all times so that you don't get "trapped" against the left side of the screen when you still have more upping or downing to do...

-Jason

[kixfan]

I would pick a game Jasonbar has!   

Very nice score!

After playing for a while I figured anything above 30k might win.   NOT!   

[popsicle]

Why that's so crazy it just might work!

Thanks

Now, I demand that you let me try to beat your score.

[mimic]

WTF Jason, you were supposed to paint, get out more, etc! And here you are destroying my chances! And from looking at the video I was one diagonal away from finally getting past that damn LV5!
GO AWAY! 

[popsicle]

Ok, I've gotten past the diagonal now 3 times (after playing like 15 games).  My magstik hits diagonals so easy, there's been a little rage 

However, the first time getting thru the tunnels I crashed in to the Konami words.  ---daisies---!  That's supposed to be background!

The 2nd time I kept trying to bomb the flashing base and kept missing, running out of fuel after 3 passes.

The 3rd time I tried to diagonal my way down and shoot it.  Missed.  Is this the answer?  Must get down there and shoot it?

What a frustrating game (yet one I'm going to keep playing).

[popsicle]

Ok, finally. 38,180

[popsicle]

And, has anybody examined the lower right corner of the marquee? I want to say that's a Space Hookah, but...

That would be a space penis.  There is absolutely no doubt.

[paigeoliver]

I would be playing this, but after losing the Klov Scramble contest 313,000 to 18,000 I think I will just let it go.

[kixfan]

Not that it's helped my score yet but at some point, I recently set my U360 to 4-way.   I don't think you can get thru this without 8-way.   

[popsicle]

I'm creeping up.  Made it to the 3rd round. 

56,320

[popsicle]

64,170

[Comtek]

65640

[kixfan]

Nice to see some back and forth scoring!   I'm away from my machine for the weekend.   My problem I am trying to resolve is my U360.   Never realized I was having an issue with diagonals.   I have the 4-8 way restrictor on it and tried the easy diagonals setup but didn't seem to help.   If I gently hit the diagonals it works for the most part.   Trying to do that while going thru those caves are almost impossible.  Maybe I need to switch to the round restrictor?

[Binkles]

I tried this as the first game on my cab....  Not even going to post my terrible score...

Can't wait, there comps could easily get me hooked on games I've not played before.

[Comtek]

I'll be on a boat for the next few days gonna take my mame hard drive and a joystick to keep playing while away.

Can't wait, there comps could easily get me hooked on games I've not played before.

that's what I love about the competitions is that these guys show me some great games.
a few duds as well but it's fun to play.

[Binkles]

Bet my record.... All time record.... 18860...  Don't think I win....

[popsicle]

Things are heating up 

The Sunday morning high octane coffee is my secret.

78,150

[jasonbar]

Strapping 22 pounds of baby to my chest is my secret. I worked up a bit of a sweat.

I think I was on the 7th go-round.

Difficulty doesn't seem to increase, just fuel consumption. Even the color shifts seem to repeat from level to level.

I remember finding the UFOs & fireballs to be so intimidating as a kid. Now, I'm not phased...well, except for the tunnels, the fireballs are my 2nd highest cause of ships going *boom*.

128,990.

-Jason

PS--kixfan, I don't "own" this game. I just have bezels turned on for my cabinet. I've got a 27" monitor, so I can spare some real estate, though games w/ bezels do appear to be a tad on the small side for my taste...but too big if I turn off the bezels & go full screen...life's rough...

[popsicle]

Wow! 

[Gray_Area]

Oh, I forgot to mention, that thing she's holding, as a kid I thought it was a microphone. Space age-like, of course. She was calling strikes or something. But what was it, really?  The world may never know.....

[Comtek]

I leave for a few days and look how high the score is now I better get playing.

[kixfan]

Only took me 12 days to get past the first round!    Sorry about the snapshot, for some odd reason it is now stretching my images?   Anyone now what button I pressed to do that? 

59,850

[Comtek]

lol mine done that too I just went into photoshop and resized it

[kixfan]

lol mine done that too I just went into photoshop and resized it

Yeah, I assumed it was something I did but created normal screen shots on other games.   

[mimic]

I have finally learned to make it through level 5 pretty consistently. If I had one more day maybe I would be able to edge out jasonbar. Unfortunately it's a case of "too little, too late".   

I don't have more time to play this game. Let's see what's in #118

[kixfan]

Getting closer...

99,810

[Comtek]

looks like jasonbar will be picking the next game

[kixfan]

looks like jasonbar will be picking the next game

He may be picking but...

137,870

 

[mimic]

looks like jasonbar will be picking the next game

He may be picking but...

137,870

 

ahaahahahahahaha

High five!

[Comtek]

sweet score guess I was wrong LOL

[Gray_Area]

@kixfan: the scramble/frogger/galaxian resolutions are not the same vertical size as the game, due to the various graphic object layers. Something like three times normal to represent all the layers. You have to change the snap resolution for those games.

[kixfan]

Here is the final list...

Kixfan:        137,870
Jasonbar:   128,990
Mimic:           88,940
Popsicle:      78,150
Comtek:       65,640
Vorghagen:  12,440

Congratulations Jasonbar, you have the honor of the next pick!

[jasonbar]

How dramatic! Next up, Lost Tomb. Can't get enough of the double-joystick games!

This one's a classic to me, but I bet it's somewhat obscure in the big picture--it doesn't seem to come up very often...

-Jason