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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: JDFan on March 21, 2016, 12:58:27 pm

Title: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: JDFan on March 21, 2016, 12:58:27 pm
(http://www.arcade-museum.com/images/118/1181242172121.jpg)

Game Name: Star Castle (Version 3)
Rom Nam : starcas
------------------------------
High Score Competition rules and scoreboard (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,143138.0.html)


(http://www.arcade-museum.com/images/118/1181242172125.png)


Settings: (default) Lives : 3

    Controls:

    Buttons: Rotational (left, right)
    Buttons: 2 [Fire, Thrust]


From Wikipedia:
Star Castle is a 1980 vector arcade game by Cinematronics. The game involves obliterating a series of defenses orbiting a stationary turret in the center of the screen. The game was designed by Tim Skelly and programmed by Scott Boden. Tim Skelly also created a number of other Cinematronics titles, including Starhawk, Armor Attack and Rip-Off. As with many other titles by the company, Star Castle was ported to the Vectrex video game console in 1983.

Gameplay:

The object of Star Castle is to destroy an enemy cannon which sits in the center of three concentric, rotating energy shield rings while avoiding or destroying 'mines' – enemies that spawn from the core, pass through the energy rings, and then home in on the player's ship. They can stick back to the shield if the player maneuvers in such a way that a ring is between the ship and the mines. The player-controlled spaceship can rotate, thrust forward, and fire small projectiles. The cannon's shields are composed of twelve sections each, and each section takes two hits to destroy. Once a section is breached, rings beneath it are exposed to fire.

Once the innermost ring has been breached, the central weapon is vulnerable to attack from the player. However, the player is also more vulnerable at this point, as with the shield rings eliminated, the gun can fire out a large projectile that hisses with white noise. Moreover, the central core tracks player movement at all times. If the player manages to hit the cannon, it explodes violently, collapsing the remnants of the shield rings, and the player is awarded with an extra ship. The next level then starts with a new gun and fully restored shield rings, with the difficulty increased (the mines move faster, the rings rotate more quickly, and the core tracks the player faster).

If the player completely destroys the outermost shield ring, the cannon will create a new one. The middle ring expands to replace the lost outer ring, the inner ring replaces the middle, and a new ring emerges from the core to become the inner ring. Therefore, in order to penetrate the cannon's defenses, the player must be careful not to completely obliterate the outer ring.

The three homing mines will destroy the player's ship on contact. The mines can be destroyed, but they are very small and difficult to fire on, and the player does not receive points for destroying them. Mines are revived when shield rings regenerate (some variants keep three mines churning constantly so that a new mine respawns from the core as soon as one is destroyed). As the player progresses through the levels, the mines get faster and faster, forcing the player to keep moving to avoid them.

Competition ends Sunday, April 3rd at midnight Pacific time.


Good luck!

Final Standings (unless I missed something )
Quote
Yamatetsu          -- 20,470
WakiMako           --   13,570
JDFan                 -- 12,640
Popsicle              --   7,260
Acvieluf              --   6,110
liquidblueflames  --   1,310
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: acvieluf on March 21, 2016, 01:19:44 pm

OK - but you all will probably regret this  :cheers:


Boy you weren't kidding  :lol

Tried this for the first time the other day, immediately uninstalled it.  Alrighty then, here we go...
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: JDFan on March 21, 2016, 01:28:16 pm

OK - but you all will probably regret this  :cheers:


Boy you weren't kidding  :lol

Tried this for the first time the other day, immediately uninstalled it.  Alrighty then, here we go...

LOL - It's definitely one that can frustrate you but it kind of grows on you after awhile ( Though I've got memories of wasting a bunch of quarters in it back in the early 80's so that probably helps) - will be interesting to see what kind of scores get turned in by the end of the couple weeks.
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: acvieluf on March 21, 2016, 01:51:09 pm
For some reason, i can't get Mame OSX to change the vector beam width, so this is difficult to read.

6110 to start.

Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: yamatetsu on March 21, 2016, 02:23:09 pm
At least for MAME 0.161 parent ROM 'starcas' is needed.

I won't waste any time on this.
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: JDFan on March 21, 2016, 02:31:30 pm
Hmm - I'm using Mameuifx and the beams can be made a bit wider in the game settings but still hard to read ! Slowly remembering how to play - 9,090
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: JDFan on March 21, 2016, 02:32:51 pm
At least for MAME 0.161 parent ROM 'starcas' is needed.

I won't waste any time on this.

If starcas is the parent we can change to use it instead - I just selected the one I did since it seemed to be the original I thought. Since starcas showed as Version 3 in the listing.  :dunno

EDIT : First post edited to use parent rom  !
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: smass on March 21, 2016, 02:33:23 pm
I played a fair amount of this game back in the day.  Its on my classics list - will be fun to give it another try....30 years later....
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: acvieluf on March 21, 2016, 02:43:07 pm
Hmm - I'm using Mameuifx and the beams can be made a bit wider in the game settings but still hard to read ! Slowly remembering how to play - 9,090

Yes, on this computer i have MameOSX, which has those options, but apparently doesn't change anything.  Even within the options (tab) menu, the sliders don't seem to change anything.  Its odd.
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: leapinlew on March 21, 2016, 03:02:55 pm
This reminded me of a classic BYOAC blowout about spinners that was spawned about Star Castle:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,114354.0.html (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,114354.0.html)

Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: liquidblueflames on March 21, 2016, 08:53:51 pm
(http://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlf1/v/t1.0-9/12439273_10153720894818591_3703211565814769683_n.jpg?oh=53e382867fbac05658343c37c3208638&oe=577E0994)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: JDFan on March 22, 2016, 02:02:10 pm
Took awhile but finally broke the 10K mark - also changed to taking the pic in FRAPS rather than MAME so a bit better pic --- 10,440
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: WakiMiko on March 22, 2016, 06:46:47 pm
Why cant you guys pick a nice shmup  :cry:
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: JDFan on March 22, 2016, 08:54:37 pm
Why cant you guys pick a nice shmup  :cry:

Finish in Third place instead of first or second and you'll get to choose one  :laugh2:
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: bandontherun on March 23, 2016, 09:20:52 am
This game was the original concept for what became Yars Revenge on the Atari 2600.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: yamatetsu on March 23, 2016, 01:22:22 pm
I fiddled around a bit. This is without HLSL.

TAB -> Slider Controls

Screen Brightness    1.300
Screen Contrast       1.000
Screen Gamma        1.100

Vector Flicker            23.0
Beam Width              1.20


Screenshot.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=345788)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: WakiMiko on March 23, 2016, 03:11:15 pm

Finish in Third place instead of first or second and you'll get to choose one  :laugh2:

But I got last place in the previous game  :hissy:
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: yamatetsu on March 23, 2016, 03:25:37 pm
But I got last place in the previous game  :hissy:



(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=345794)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: WakiMiko on March 25, 2016, 01:09:34 pm
 :badmood:
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: yamatetsu on March 25, 2016, 02:46:57 pm
Though I didn't want to play this turd, I can't let the 3rd place go for 1,310 points. 15,720.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=345894)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: popsicle on March 27, 2016, 08:27:28 pm
Tough as nails (7,260)


Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: yamatetsu on March 28, 2016, 04:11:29 pm
18,210.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=345954)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: WakiMiko on March 28, 2016, 05:47:39 pm
8,140


(https://i.imgur.com/DQdJFhy.png)

Sorry for the potato screenshot.


9,280

(https://i.imgur.com/SiarIao.png)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: acvieluf on March 28, 2016, 06:14:14 pm
Well frig. I can't even get back to my original high score, haha

Sent from my Atari 2600

Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: JDFan on March 28, 2016, 09:04:29 pm
So a bit over half way and we have the following scores :

( Let me know if I missed anyone or got someones score wrong !)

Quote
Yamatetsu          -- 18,210
JDFan                 -- 10,440
WakiMako           --   9,280
Popsicle              --   7,260
Acvieluf              --   6,110
liquidblueflames  --   1,310
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: WakiMiko on March 31, 2016, 02:30:13 pm
10,940

(https://i.imgur.com/BPrLaZv.png)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: yamatetsu on April 01, 2016, 05:22:52 am
20,470.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=346031)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: WakiMiko on April 01, 2016, 06:11:38 am
You really seem to like this "turd", yam.
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: yamatetsu on April 01, 2016, 09:13:02 am
You really seem to like this "turd", yam.

I actually have finished another game in the last 3 days. I had some 20 mins to kill, popped Star Castle in and made the 20k first try. It IS a turd, I certainly will never play it again, but for the sake of the competition I give it my best.

I wouldn't have played it at all had you posted your first score a bit earlier. I just didn't want to let 3rd place go for 1,310, a score that I beat in the first two or three tries.
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: WakiMiko on April 01, 2016, 11:09:52 am
12,690

(https://i.imgur.com/3MxYaXp.png)

I'm more than happy with 2nd place.
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: popsicle on April 01, 2016, 06:22:15 pm
I'm more than happy with 2nd place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gj6YKDfzK0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gj6YKDfzK0)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: JDFan on April 01, 2016, 10:15:17 pm
I'm more than happy with 2nd place.

You sure you want to leave me in Third  :laugh2:
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: WakiMiko on April 02, 2016, 05:33:30 am
You sure you want to leave me in Third  :laugh2:

It can hardly get worse, can it?   ;)

Edit:

13,570

(https://i.imgur.com/Z3Eq1B3.png)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: JDFan on April 02, 2016, 10:25:55 pm
Played a couple more games and got close to the 2nd place score but lost 3 lives in a few seconds and wound up missing it by 50 points  :angry: -- 12,640

Still 1 day to go.
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: JDFan on April 04, 2016, 09:33:56 am
Unless someone missed posting last night due to the server problems it looks like the final results are :

Quote
Yamatetsu          -- 20,470
WakiMako           --   13,570
JDFan                 -- 12,640
Popsicle              --   7,260
Acvieluf              --   6,110
liquidblueflames  --   1,310

Since I picked this one (and I doubt anyone wants me to do that again  :laugh2:) Unless there are any objections I'll pass the pick to popsicle  :cheers:
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: acvieluf on April 04, 2016, 09:35:57 am
Congrats yamatetsu!

Sent from my Atari 2600

Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: yamatetsu on April 04, 2016, 10:24:27 am
Yamatetsu          -- 20,470
WakiMako           --   13,570
JDFan                 -- 12,640
Popsicle              --   7,260
Acvieluf              --   6,110
liquidblueflames  --   1,310

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=346118)

                           Watch out ! It's the WakiMako !
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: WakiMiko on April 04, 2016, 12:10:25 pm
Miko
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: yamatetsu on April 04, 2016, 07:12:21 pm
The scoreboard.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=346147)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: acvieluf on April 04, 2016, 08:23:30 pm
How yamatetsu feels about the bronze joystick this year: haha

(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160405/08948cd22e7c9244bfe68cbcf190a116.jpg)

Sent from my Atari 2600

Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: JDFan on April 04, 2016, 09:41:51 pm
OK - heard back from popsicle and he'll be posting next round tomorrow  :cheers:
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: yamatetsu on April 05, 2016, 04:03:55 am
How yamatetsu feels about the bronze joystick this year: haha

(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160405/08948cd22e7c9244bfe68cbcf190a116.jpg)

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=346179)
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: WakiMiko on April 05, 2016, 12:27:54 pm
I slipped popsicle 20 bucks so he will pick a shmup  :laugh:
Title: Re: High Score Competition #188: Star Castle
Post by: popsicle on April 05, 2016, 11:06:15 pm
link (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=150296.msg1570386#msg1570386) to the new 'shmup'...from 1979  >:D