High Score Competition #143: Armored Car (Stern)

[big10p]

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
#117: Scramble: Winner - Kixfan, Second - jasonbar
#118: Lost Tomb: Winner: Jasonbar, Second: mimic
#119: Green Beret: Winner: LeapinLew, Second: popsicle
#120: Lady Killer: Winner: Comtek Second: Mimic
#121: Qix: Winner: Comtek Second: sorhp
#122: Halley's Comet: Winner: Jasonbar Second: Mimic
#123: Cyber-Lip: Winner: Jasonbar Second: epetti
#124: Lode Runner: Winner: JDFan Second: kixfan
#125: Snow Bros. - Nick & Tom: Winner: Comtek Second: JDFan
#126: Bosconian: Winner: Cynicaster Second: kixfan
#127: Eggs: Winner: Cynicaster Second: kixfan
#128: Eyes: Winner: kixfan Second: Comtek
#129: Galaga '88: Winner: jasonbar, Second: opt2not
#130: Final Fight: Winner: opt2not, Second: Comtek
#131: Hammerin' Harry: Winner: lettuce, Second: kixfan
#132: Battle Circuit: Winner: lettuce, Second: jasonbar
#133: Giga Wing: Winner: edekoning, Second: spoot
#134: Osman: Winner: edekoning, Second: lettuce
#135: Surprise Attack: Winner: Comtek, Second: edekoning
#136: Anteater: Winner: Kixfan, Second: Comtek
#137: Jr. Pac man: Winner: Kixfan, Second: Popsicle
#138: Chelnov: Winner: Popsicle: Second: Comtek
#139: Berzerk: Winner: Popsicle: Second: Kixfan
#140: Mystic Marathon: Winner: Popsicle: Second: JDFan
#141: Moon Cresta: Winner: Kixfan: Second: Jasonbar
#142: Star Force: Winner: big10p: Second: Jasonbar






Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armored_Car_(video_game)
KLOV: http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6926
Gameplay vid:

--------------------------------------------
Game Name: Armored Car
  ROM Name: armorcar (set 1)
      Settings: Default (3 lives)

Description: Overhead view of city streets that you drive a money van armoured car through as it scrolls from right to left. Some intersections are marked with directions. You pick up money to deliver to banks while avoiding criminals by dropping saw horses in roadway. Fuel levels must be replenished at gas stations along the way.

Controls: Joystick + 2nd gear + drop sawhorse

Last day: Friday, July 4th 2014 midnight Pacific (if I've got this wrong, please let me know!)
--------------------------------------------

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.



- Quest for the Bronze Joystick! The most successful competitor of each calendar year will possess & display the BYOAC Bronze Joystick Trophy. See this thread for details:The BYOAC Bronze Joystick.
Happy Gaming!

Scoring Updates:
popsicle      60,060
kixfan        59,500
big10p        46,930
epetti        36,810
JDFan         28,100
jasonbar      18,940
pbj           11,270
spoot          9,150
Generic Eric   4,000
...
...
...

[kixfan]

Well, I'm not complaining cause I wasn't around then but this was picked almost 6 years ago.   It was the third pick.   Personally, I would like to see us be able to revisit some of the early picks.    BUT, I also think there are still plenty of great games that need to be brought to the light of day!    Maybe as a group we could come up with an expiration period so that some of these truly classic games can on occasion be selected.

[big10p]

I didn't know we could only pick games that have never been chosen before. Should I choose something else?

[pbj]

Six years seems like a reasonable expiration period to me.   

[JDFan]

Six years seems like a reasonable expiration period to me.   

Figure we're doing approx 2 comps per month so 24+\- per year - how about letting any that are more than 120 comps past be reselected (120 = approx 5 years) -- I don't think it would mean that everyone would start selecting directly from the old list but it is getting a bit hard to find an actual classic that hasn't been selected yet !

[kixfan]

Six years seems like a reasonable expiration period to me.   

September 15, 2008 to be exact so it's not quite 6 years, for the record.    6 years ago it probably made sense to not allow people to keep picking the same games over and over.   I think it makes sense now that we allow some of the classics to be allowed.   Maybe we can say 5 years (that would allow picks thru 22 to be picked)?    Maybe we can put in a limit that every other game can be a previously picked game?   Maybe even 2 new games then a previous pick? 

[big10p]

A 5 year limit sounds good to me. 

[epetti]

5 years seems very reasonable. Looks like the winner last time was Delusional29 with a score of 584,480. Let's see if we've upped our game as a whole since then.

[jasonbar]

I vote for no repeats from here on out, but I'll let this one slide...mostly because Zookeeper is so awesome.

-Jason

[DeLuSioNal29]

If that's the case can I use my previous screenshot?  Also, am I disqualified since I won this game last time?

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,84546.msg1058350.html#msg1058350

D

[jasonbar]

No re-use of old screenshot. Scores must be achieved during the time window of the competition.

No disqualification. Feel free to win again.

-Jason

PS--says me, in this democracy...

[Comtek]

yeah i'm in agreement with the no repeats as well
that's one of the things I like most is getting introduced to new games I never seen just my mouth full 

[jasonbar]

I said before that I'll let this one slide, but I'm also all for scrapping this & picking another--no scores have been posted yet...  =D

[big10p]

OK, I think I should change my choice to something that hasn't been played before, to keep everyone happy.

I'll post my new choice in a short while...

[pbj]

Getting a little too complicated up in here...

[big10p]

Changed to Armored Car. Hope this is OK as a choice? 

[pbj]

[epetti]

Fun game. I'd never heard of it before. I'll start things off. 18,860.

[popsicle]

A few tries yields 27,330

[spoot]

9150....wow, I get ---my bottom--- kicked in this game.  Can't get to the 2nd bank.   

[epetti]

My best scores are when I have to repeat most of the first level twice. Cars on the way to second bank are crazy hard. Only got there once.

[big10p]

Greed is getting the better of me in this game. I want to get ALL the $$$!

My first effort: 19,120

[popsicle]

My score got better after I watched the attract mode instructions 

This is fun and has that 'one more go' charm.  Don't forget sawhorse kills on the baddies gives decent points, and you can sometimes get 2 cars to crash into the same one.  I tend to speed to the right a lot and only go after $ in my general plane. 

45,700

[big10p]

Good score, popsicle! (scoreboard updated)

Not sure I can get close to that - this game gets hard, quick - but I'm going to try. 

[epetti]

Up to 20,890. Speeding more often helped a lot.

[jasonbar]

14,400. Just like an old modem.

-Jason

[big10p]

Bit of an improvement: 22,690

[kixfan]

What the heck are you suppose to do with the terrorists (Bus loaded with TNT)?

29,700

[big10p]

What the heck are you suppose to do with the terrorists (Bus loaded with TNT)?

29,700

Make it crash into a wall (top/bottom of screen) for a 1000pt bonus. I haven't even seen one yet.

[big10p]

Very slight improvement, after getting worse for some reason. 

23,880

[JDFan]

Finally got to try it - gets tough pretty fast as the fuel runs out quickly. 15,410 was my best so far

[epetti]

Man this game is hard but addictive. Keep feeling so close to doing better each time. But the best I pulled off was 26,090.

[Generic Eric]

chiming in with 4k

[big10p]

Don't forget sawhorse kills on the baddies gives decent points, and you can sometimes get 2 cars to crash into the same one.  I tend to speed to the right a lot and only go after $ in my general plane.

Just tried this tactic and think it's good advice. I didn't beat my high score but got close to it, first time. Got further than I have before. Also got to Bank 2 without losing a life. I'm off to practice a bit more... 

P.S. those TNT trucks are insane!

[epetti]

That's mostly what I do except I always go for the key and lock bonus. Of course, that's where I die a lot so maybe I would be better off skipping those.

[kixfan]

So close yet so far...

45,520

As far as my strategy: Get as many points in the first round as you can.   I have had as much as 12k.   2nd round, be a little more safe with game play.  3rd round, survive.  After that survive but use the TNT buses to your advantage.

[pbj]

I hate this game.

[popsicle]

At least it's not another vertical shooter Jim, so no one needs to get kicked in the nads.

I've been playing this all week, and am getting better (got to bank 7).  One of my new favorites - frustrating at times but it plays fast so multiple games in a row aren't dull.

* I find myself speeding about 80% of the time, and slowing down only to bait and kill the robbers. 
* Running out of gas is basically a death sentence, unless you are really close to one of the 2 gas stations. 
* Don't waste time travelling far north and south as it burns up the gas and doesn't get you closer to the next gas station. 
* Drop a sawhorse on the arrows if you get stuck and panic.
* Forget the key/lock unless it's in your general vector.
* Try to get 2 robbers to hit one sawhorse whenever possible.  Good points and also gives you a few seconds of peace.
* You can let go of the joystick and just stop moving at intersections - handy in many cases to wait for the enemies movement path.

[big10p]

I'm getting there. Slowly.

26,890

[epetti]

Tried less greed, more speeding. Finally got to fourth bank (and extra life). 29,870.