ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

General software. From trouble with the Banyan Tree to OCP Art Studio, post any general software chat here. Could include game challenges...
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Mousey
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Mousey »

akeley wrote: Thu Jul 30, 2020 2:38 pmInteresting, about the BJ strategy, I thought getting at least some chains even on later stages is crucial to get mil+ scores. My problem is that I usually get so hung up on doing it in first stages that I lose all my lives attempting perfect combos. Greed=/=good.
In case I've not been clear - yes, I do get some bonus chains in later stages, but there is also an increase of the odd stage (e.g. stage 11) where it's just not worth going for the bonus. I was actually on a great run of 50K bonuses (4 in a row) just before I lost my last life on my 1.4 million go.
Morkin wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 9:55 amThe other thing is that if you lose a life when going for the combo, I think it turns off the sparkle from the next bomb you were about to collect, which effectively reduces your potential bonus by 10k (I'm sure the Bomb Jack experts can confirm/refute this).
That's correct. Even if you get 23 sparkling bombs in a row, but die before you can collect the 24th and final bomb, you will only get 30K, not 50K. The first non-sparkling bomb you collect reduces your bonus by 20K, and subsequent ones by 10K. You need at least 21 sparkling bombs to get a bonus of 10K (22 = 20K, 23 = 30K, 24 = 50K).
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Mousey »

FINAL SCORES:

Bomb Jack - 1,423,260 (unchanged)
Penetrator - 37,070 (unchanged)
Nohzdyve - 1,250 (unchanged)

I've had fun with these games but playing any more for now might start becoming a chore. I'm proud of myself for improving my HARP Bomb Jack score, and "completing" Penetrator (getting to the end and back again).

Here is my missing screenshot for Nohzdyve that (for some reason) I couldn't upload the other day:

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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Mousey »

@akeley - when it comes to round 2, do you pick the games, or do we - people that have submitted scores - get to vote on what's next from a list?
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Morkin »

I don't think I'm going to be able to beat any of my scores, so I'm handing in my work now. I may have a chance at another go by tomorrow night but it's fairly unlikely...

Code: Select all

Bomb Jack:   162,570
Penetrator:   87,290
Nohzdyve:        920

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Mousey
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Mousey »

Morkin wrote: Sat Aug 01, 2020 11:41 amNohzdyve: 920

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Just in case this isn't picked up, [mention]Morkin[/mention] has quoted 920 as his high score for Nohzdyve, when in fact his high score is 1,160 as per his screenshot.
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Morkin
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Morkin »

Gah, I had one job..! :D

Cheers [mention]Mousey[/mention], yep, I forgot I'd hit the >1k mark with Nohzdyve..
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Morkin wrote: Sat Aug 01, 2020 8:22 pm I forgot I'd hit the >1k mark with Nohzdyve..
:shock: :lol:
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by R-Tape »

Yep I won't get round to topping mine, so here we go:

Code: Select all

Bomb Jack 377340
Penetrator 9290
Nohzdyve 2860
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Bomb Jack was pretty new to me. I have played it before, and wasn't that impressed by the graphics and sound. I didn't realise it was the quintessential hi-score game, which would have made a difference. Ignoring the ropey keys, it plays really well. I do think the game could be done with more polish while retaining the gameplay (calling [mention]Adrian_Singh[/mention] !).

I'm so impressed by the scores the BJ elite have been coming up with :shock:

I have completed Penetrator in the past, but I just didn't give it a proper chance this time. This time I didn't get past the green level.

Nohzdyve. Love it. I'm surprised it's not easier to totally suss this game out, as the teeth appear in the same place every time, just with different angles and speed. In theory, it should just be a question of controlling the inertia and deciding whether to go left or right, but in practise...

Thanks for organising these [mention]akeley[/mention]. I enjoyed it, especially as I have been sinking into a bit of a rut regarding games. Looking forward to the next one.

And please can we never speak so freely and frequently about our "BJ strategy" again...
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by akeley »

Bomb Jack - 174,100
Penetrator - 8,040
Nohzdyve - 640

It's rather embarassing, but it seems the host will take the coveted bottom spot :mrgreen:

I've been fairly busy recently and left it all too late, and had to do a last-gasp gaming round just now (am away tomorrow). Unsurprisingly the results are rather poor. Actually, it's just an excuse - I don't think I can do any better in P & N. But I had higher aspirations for BJ. As it is, I didn't even manage to beat my original 185K score and since I did not take a scr$ then, will have to settle for the 174K *facepalm.jpg*.

Oh well...maybe can tweak it a bit in the Redemption Round...(nah, it is what it is I guess)

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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Alessandro »

I think I did enough for this first round too. Here are my scores:

Bomb Jack 1,694,590 (no variation)
Penetrator 44,010 (new)
Nozhdyve 2,930 (new)

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What can I say about these first three titles? Bomb Jack was and still is an old favorite of mine. The old tactics helped me a lot, although I think I would hardly be able to do better in just a couple of weeks (the Speccy Tour lasted 10 weeks).

Penetrator was pretty much a discovery to me. I cannot say I like it due to its quirks like the absurd forward/fire key combination, the uncomfortable layout - which I was only able to overcome through emulation once Rorthron wrote about the Kempston-compatible version - and the fact that you can die by touching your bombs (!). And did I mention those #&%*! alien heads? I am aware I cannot do better than Morkin's excellent score, so here it is.

The less said about Nozhdyve, the better. I literally had to force myself to play it and that score costed me a lot of sweat and hallucinations, just like a bad trip :shock:
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Freespirit »

Bomb Jack - 479650
Penetrator - 12170
Nohzdyve - 490


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I felt with another week of play i would have hit the million on Bomb Jack, i was starting to see the patterns, but happy where i'm at. I thought it played really well, a great arcade conversion.
I thought Penetrator was going to be bad, but the more i played the more i liked how it played.
I think Nohzdyve is a good game, but i just don't like that hypnotised state i have to get into, so i didn't play it much.

Looking forward to the next set of games. :)
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by cmal »

I'm still trying to crack 300K with Bomb Jack. I clearly need more practice :|
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by R-Tape »

Alessandro wrote: Sat Aug 01, 2020 9:56 pm Nozhdyve 2,930 (new)
Damn you Grussuuuuuu!

(Shakes fist)
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Alessandro »

What about the leaderboard? Will you use the F1-style point system as in ST 2008 and 2009 perhaps?
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Alessandro »

I compiled the standings for the first round, I hope there are no mistakes. Probably a few of these scores need to be confirmed through screenshots.

Bomb Jack
1) Alessandro 1,694,590
2) Mousey 1,423,260
3) Freespirit 479,650
4) R-Tape 377,340
5) smurphboy 258,900
6) RuySan 236,060
7) clebin 232,830
8) Green Card 230,790
9) akeley 174,100
10) Morkin 162,570
11) Juan F. Ramirez 85,130
12) Pegaz 57,570

Penetrator
1) Morkin 87,290
2) Alessandro 44,010
3) Mousey 37,070
4) clebin 31,870
5) Juan F. Ramirez 29,940
6) Freespirit 12,170
7) smurphboy 11,210
8) Pegaz 10,600
9) R-Tape 9,290
10) akeley 8,040
11) Green Card 4,760

Nozhdyve
1) Alessandro 2,930
2) R-Tape 2,860
3) Mousey 1,250
4) smurphboy 1,220
5) Morkin 1,160
6) clebin 940
7) akeley 640
8) Juan F. Ramirez 320
Last edited by Alessandro on Sun Aug 02, 2020 11:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by smurphboy »

You missed my 1220 for Nozhdyve posted at Mon Jul 27, 2020 9:25 pm
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by clebin »

Hi Alessandro. You missed my score of 940 for Nohzdyve. I thought I’d posted the screenshot but will do it in the morning. Thanks!
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Morkin »

Alessandro wrote: Sun Aug 02, 2020 10:46 pm Penetrator
1) Morkin 87,290
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Something tells me it's the only thing I'm going to win in this competition, but I'll take it...! :D
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by akeley »

Current leaderboard:

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Penetrator

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Bomb Jack

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Nozhdyve

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Please let me know if you find any mistakes (which are very likely as numbers are not my strong suit).

Scoring system is dead simple: 12pts for 1st, 11 for 2nd, 10 for 3rd and so on. If we happen to get more than 12 players it's all 1 each point for the bottom dwellers.

At the moment we have got two runaway pros going (nearly) head to head at the top and a tight cluster of a hungry runners up below. Then there's the drop zone, with yours truly featuring :)
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Mousey »

akeley wrote: Mon Aug 03, 2020 8:46 pmAt the moment we have got two runaway pros going (nearly) head to head at the top
Alessandro is a natural and talented games player, no doubt. Even in round 2 his "placeholder" scores are excellent (84 for Flappy Bird ZX!). I speak from experience when I say this, as he achieved great things in various Speccy Tours.

But I'm not a pro. By pure chance you started with a game that I love, Bomb Jack, and therefore have played for hundreds of hours down the years. When it came to Penetrator, Morkin got over double my score, and with Nohzdyve it was R-Tape who got over double my score.

I'm also impressed by Freespirit's 479K score on Bomb Jack. If he had previously put the same amount of hours into it that Alessandro and I have then I think he would have been above us both.
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by clebin »

Here's the screenshot of my previous Nohzdyve score.

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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by smurphboy »

Round 1 - recomputed

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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

I've lost a position, the Europa League is today further... :?
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by PeterJ »

I hope you did those spreadsheets on VU-Calc [mention]smurphboy[/mention]?
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Re: ZX HSC Round 1 - Bomb Jack / Penetrator

Post by smurphboy »

PeterJ wrote: Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:40 pm I hope you did those spreadsheets on VU-Calc @smurphboy?
I did have Tascalc on my +3 but that can't do the database formula I need to make this work. So I had to use a modern spreadsheet.

My secret side project is to do it on my Next to see if I can get my ZX Basic skills back up to scratch.
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