Problem with Mame and Asteroids

[MikeQ]

Hey everyone,

I'm relatively new to this forum and cabinet building in general.

[danny_galaga]

Hey everyone,

I'm relatively new to this forum and cabinet building in general.

[SteveJ34]

....
Now the problem:  I suck at asteroids.  I can rarely get to 10,000.    I actually kick --I'm attempting to get by the auto-censor and should be beaten after I re-read the rules-- killing asteroids and the large saucers but the second a little ship appears (which happens frequently) I get killed with the first shot.  What am I doing wrong? 
....

The answer: Don't sit still.

Rocks in space have no pilot. The big ship has a stupid pilot. The little ship knows what he is doing. To avoid being toast when he appears on screen you must not sit in one spot and expect to survive.

Hunting little ships is one of the funnest parts of the game and allows for long term play on a single quarter.

Clear all asteroids except one or two small bits. I then choose to fly vertically over and over pickin' up speed. Wait for a little ship to appear, angle your ship sideways a tad as you are flying through the screen and lay down a stream of fire.

You will take him out every time.

Watch out for the little rocks you have left and be prepared to put on the air brakes when he finally takes out your bits of rock and the screen refills with big rocks.

Enjoy.

[Jabba]

....
Now the problem:

[MikeQ]

OK.  Why didn't I know this 25 years ago?  If I had taken the quarters saved by this technique and invested them in MSFT, YHOO, INTC, CSCO, I'd of retired 10 years ago.

I'm now clear 10000 with ease.  It will take some time to perfect though.

Thanks all.  You saved my cabinet from the curb.

Now....

Does anyone know how to get a perfect score on the 3rd challenging stage of Galaga?


If you could take the internet forum mechanism and transport it (just it) back to 1980,  can you imagine how short lived arcade games would have been.  They day a game hit the arcade, techniques such as this one would be posted.  Everyone would play for hours on a single quarter and poof the arcades would vanish.  Makes you wonder what in today's world has been affected by this?

[SteveJ34]

Now....

Does anyone know how to get a perfect score on the 3rd challenging stage of Galaga?
...

Asteroids and Galaga....two games I have been playing since their debut and my all time two favorites...

....for third challenge stage, my approach is this.....

1. Move slightly off center left for first wave, off center right for second, rapid fire taking them out as they come on screen

2. For middle 2 waves that come in from the sides, I move left, taking out one full stack as they come on screen, them move off center right and take out the other stack as it loops down the center of the screen

3. Remaining two waves, repeat step 1

My recent Galaga high score without cheats is 356,xxx but hit 150,000+ with normal goof off play. No one in my house likes to play with me if I get to choose the game 'cuz I always choose Galaga and I rarely lose both ships until very high stages.

Steve

[MikeQ]

Galaga is what started my hold cabinet project.  My wife bought one of those Jacks Pacific handheld things.   For about a week it was cool.  Then I got irritated with the controls being backwards for me.  (The fire buttone being left of the joystick).  I had know about Mame for years but never really thought much about it.  Then, I was looking for a key encoder for a digital picture frame project I was working on.  Well, the key encoder search turned up this place.  I told  my wife, "to hell with this Jacks Pacific game, I'm building a real arcade machine".

I have the same problem with Galaga.  My wife won't play me because I take too long.  I usually break 100,000. 

I got two Galaga shirts for X-mas.   One says "Galaga Rehab Center" with the Galaga font/logo.  The other has two linked Galaga ships and says "Don't make me go duel on you'.

[SteveJ34]

My mame introduction was similar....

I wanted a Galaga machine, started attending Super Auctions, prices always were outrageous. Somewhere along the line I ran across Mame, this forum, and decided if I was going to build or restore a Galaga machine why not build a  machine that could be multi-game.

I went with a modified Lusid design for my first build which is the machine I still have in the gameroom today. I've done a couple of others for family and friends, few bartops along the way.

I would still like to restore or build a dedicated Galaga at some point as that is probably my all time favorite.

[Wetworks]

Love Galaga too (Although I think its given me RSI) I cracked 500000 a couple of years ago . Once you work out all the bonus screens and shoot everything before it has time to attack (later levels) it starts to become a stamina test and a lot of repetitive strain on the fire fire arm. Love the game still and always is the first game I show people on the Cab. Might go back for more punishment!

Has anyone else suffered Strain Injury's from older Arcade games where firing is repeated. Just curious.

[markrvp]

Preparation H is good for Asteroids.   

[danny_galaga]

Love Galaga too (Although I think its given me RSI) I cracked 500000 a couple of years ago . Once you work out all the bonus screens and shoot everything before it has time to attack (later levels) it starts to become a stamina test and a lot of repetitive strain on the fire fire arm. Love the game still and always is the first game I show people on the Cab. Might go back for more punishment!

Has anyone else suffered Strain Injury's from older Arcade games where firing is repeated. Just curious.

yeah, it's quite common. i get it bad enough that i play pinball or gunblade at the arcade mostly. they have raiden II and a 50 in 1 pirate cab but i get really sore. the correct term is RSI- repetitive strain injury.

edit: of course i have neither of those games at home. does that stop me playing mame? hell no! i suffer for my love (",)

[CheffoJeffo]

Has anyone else suffered Strain Injury's from older Arcade games where firing is repeated. Just curious.

First week after picking up my Joust was VERY painful ... flap flap flap flap flap flap flap ...

Cheers.

[RandyT]

Preparation H is good for Asteroids.   

Preparation A is better


I don't think the Internet would have had too big an impact on the arcade games in the 80's.  Everyone knew about hunting the little saucer to rack up the points (at least everyone who waited around a crowded machine to play...there was always someone doing this).  The thing was, that totally changes the game.  If you wanted to blast rocks, waiting for the saucer gets boring.  Kind of like using patterns to play Pac-Man.  Sure you can get through the mazes, but the game isn't as fun if you play it that way (and kind of like cheating, IMHO.)

RandyT

[MikeQ]

I practically lived in an arcade in the 80's and never learned the asteroids trick.  I guess my arcade was the arcade for the kids riding the short bus.  It is possible too that I did learn it and old age has affected my data retrieval system.

I had a copy of  "Scoring Big at Pac Man" as a kid too.  While it may have been like cheating, I think all that memorization gave me the brainpower and concentration to learn calculus....and staring at video games all day probably retarded all that brainpower right back out of me.   I guess breaking even isn't so bad....but then there are all those quarters.

[danny_galaga]

 If you wanted to blast rocks, waiting for the saucer gets boring.

[MikeQ]

 If you wanted to blast rocks, waiting for the saucer gets boring.

[danny_galaga]

hehe. yes, seeing as how you STARTED the thread im guessing your memory is about as sharp as mine (",)

[krick]

I think a big part of my memory problems is sleep deprivation.  My mind is too active to let me sleep

Sounds like caffeine to me.

I used to be a caffeine junkie.  Since I cut it out of my diet, I fall asleep in minutes after my head hits the pillow.

Try this little experiment...

For one whole week, do not drink or eat *ANY* caffeine.

This includes...

Coffee (even decaff.  decaff still has some caffeine)

Tea (iced and hot.  green, white, and black)

Chocolate (this one is my weakness)

Soda (not just colas.  Watch out for Barq's root beer and sunkist orange in certain parts of the country, among others.  Probably best to avoid all soda.)

"Herbal" supplements (they often contain guarana, kola nut, green tea extract, and other disguised forms of caffeine).


Challenge your family to quit with you for one week.  You'll be surprised how hard it is.

[Kremmit]

I do that every once in a while.

But only because I've built up a resistance to the caffiene.  I go cold turkey for a while so's I can gets mah buzz on again.  That first cup of coffee after a dry spell is like, like.. Oh, I can't think of the words.  Maybe I need a Jolt.

[markrvp]

If I don't have caffeine for a day I get a MASSIVE headache.

[krick]

If I don't have caffeine for a day I get a MASSIVE headache.

Yep.  That's one of the withdrawal symptoms.  Funny how drugs work.   

[MikeQ]

I think a big part of my memory problems is sleep deprivation.