Atari 2600 Activision Patch Contest - Winners announced

[Vectorman0]

What happens if you're at 6-5 and you win the next game? 7-5 and you win? Or does it roll over?

I don't know. It will stop the game and you won't be able to move though. It will either show 6-5, 7-5, or 1-0. I'm guessing 6-5.

[Vectorman0]

Three more. 8-)

[Keir]

As far as decathlon goes, you just need a good sturdy stick. My CX-40 just wasn't cutting it because it's kind of worn out, so I pulled out my trusty slik-stik and that did the trik...I mean trick. :)Funny you should say that. I've been using a Slik Stik until yesterday when, just as I felt I was close to getting the Barnstorming patch, my Slik Stik Stuk... er, stuck.

Here's 3 new patches for me. Not my best Pitfall 2 score, but it's nice to know I can still beat it after all these years. Tennis was a boring one, so I had been putting it off, but Oink is kind of fun.

[deteacher]

Well, I finally managed to dock with the satellite, but I burned up in reentry. I've always avoided this game like the plague, but after spending a little time with it, Space Shuttle is kind of fun. Frustrating as Hell, but fun. :)

[the 5th ghost]

Well, I finally managed to dock with the satellite, but I burned up in reentry. I've always avoided this game like the plague, but after spending a little time with it, Space Shuttle is kind of fun. Frustrating as Hell, but fun. :)

Keep at it!

You'll find, once you get the hang of docking, that you'll eventually have to get close enough and let the satellite "drift" into position. This goes for the 5th docking on.

During re-entry, you must focus on keeping the blip (the shuttle) in line. If you let it drift astray too long, it's game over. There will be a short instance where the blip will disappear, stay calm and move it left to stay in line till it re-appears.

Good luck!

[Pantechnicon]

Tonight's efforts:

Pitfall - 21000 points:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/pzcortez/activision/DSCN1113.jpg

Crackpots - 83580 points:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/pzcortez/activision/DSCN1112.jpg

Incidentally, Crackpots is one seriously sadistic game for which to earn the patch :frustrated: (but it's still not as bad as Skiing...)

[Vectorman0]

Tonight's efforts:Incidentally, Crackpots is one seriously sadistic game for which to earn the patch :frustrated: (but it's still not as bad as Skiing...)

I've been playing this on my GBA as practice for once I get the real cart. I still haven't been able to get the patch. It feels so incredibly rewarding though, once you finally get a hard patch.

[Pantechnicon]

I've been playing this on my GBA as practice for once I get the real cart. I still haven't been able to get the patch.

The GBA version may not be the best preparation for this particular title. It seems to me like the pacing on the GBA is a lot slower than the real deal which, ironically, can be a detriment. You might be better off jumping right on to the real game as soon as you have it.

Watch out for the red spiders. They're the worst.


It feels so incredibly rewarding though, once you finally get a hard patch.

Preach it, Brother Vectorman! Although my patch count is still a little low, I'm glad I've at least got a couple of the trickier ones done and over with.

[deteacher]

Keep at it!

You'll find, once you get the hang of docking, that you'll eventually have to get close enough and let the satellite "drift" into position. This goes for the 5th docking on.

During re-entry, you must focus on keeping the blip (the shuttle) in line. If you let it drift astray too long, it's game over. There will be a short instance where the blip will disappear, stay calm and move it left to stay in line till it re-appears.

Good luck!

As soon as the re-entry screen appears, I get a mission abort. The code number is 6000 (burn up) I just have to get the hang of making my corrections quickly. Docking isn't so bad anymore. I've got that down pretty well. I'm hoping once I can prevent burn up, I can land this thing. A little frustrating, but I'm still having fun playing it. :)

[Vectorman0]

Pressure Cooker and Oink!

[deteacher]

Well, it took me over a week, but I managed to take off, dock with the satellite and return to Earth safely. I'll practice reentry some more, but I hope the next time you hear from me, it will be to show off my final patches. :)

[Pantechnicon]

The following patch run is dedicated to the memory of my friends Martin Sena, Jr (1977-1995), and his father (1944-1994).

Enduro - Day 6, 888.2 Miles:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/pzcortez/activision/DSCN1118.jpg

[Vectorman0]

What happened?! Did everyone run out of patches that are easily obtainable? There is still plenty of time for anyone, even a newcomer, to get third, or maybe even second place!

Here are the games I have left:

Beamrider - I just got this and should be able to get the patch as soon as I get some time to play.

Crackpots - I don't have this cart, this is the last one I need to have all of the carts which had patches. And I know when I get it, I will have to put some time into it - maybe an hour.

Decathlon - I gave this one quick try a while ago, and was put off by how tough the Gold patch seemed to be. Now that I have a Slik Stick, I may try again with that. I've been putting this game off because of the practice involved

Dolphin - This game is tough! I have probably played it for an hour since I got it recently and I can't get more than 35k. That's barely 10% of the score needed for the hard patch. Any tips would be appreciated for this game.

Kaboom! - I have done over 3K many times in the past. I just need to get a good old-school television with no lag and 10 minutes and I will have this one.

Laser Blast - I'm not doing the 100k as I will get it when I do the million. I want to record it and send it in to twin galaxies while I am at it, but I need to get a VCR than can record tapes at a rate where I can get it all on film. And I need to put four hours aside. I'm not looking forward to that.

Private Eye - This is a cool game. I just need to sit down some night with some paper to build a map. I think I am going to tackle the

Robot Tank - This game is tough. I can get the first patch, but I am not good enough to get the second or hardest patches yet. This I will have to put some time into. I'm not very good at this and Star master.

Space Shuttle - I own this cart and am afraid of this game, even though both the 5th ghost and deteacher have said it isn't too bad and even a bit fun once you get into it. The manual is just scary.

Star Master - I've been able to do the second one, and have come close on the third. I know I will be able to at least get the third level patch, but I don't know how much time it will take me to end up getting the final and hardest patch for this one.

And I got the Pitfall 2 patch last night after getting this game in the mail. This is a fun game, though it could just be the music.

[Pantechnicon]

What happened?! Did everyone run out of patches that are easily obtainable?

Quid pro quo. I got that Enduro patch on - what - Sunday night, iirc and have been waiting patiently for you to update the sheet. Don't drop the ball, scorekeeper-man :p

Trust me, I'm still in this game. Currently working on Frostbite, which is actually a lot harder than it looks.

As I told Ubikuberalles in private chat: I'm not in this to win anything. I'm just enjoying the opportunity to demonstrate some old-school gaming chops and it'd be great to see more people jump into the pool for the same reason.

[the 5th ghost]

Dolphin - This game is tough! I have probably played it for an hour since I got it recently and I can't get more than 35k. That's barely 10% of the score needed for the hard patch. Any tips would be appreciated for this game.


For Dolphin, once things speed up, you have to adjust to a rythm of hopping over the seahorses, rather than try to go through them. Time your jump between each current's "tone"

If a speed-up current is easy to reach to maintain your gap from the octopus, then get it. But, quickly head back up to continue hopping the seahorses.

Once you see the color of the seahorses change, get ready to catch the seagull and nab the octopus.

It's all timing and rythm. Good luck!

BTW, I was thinking the same thing...where did everyone go? I know deteacher is hard at work on Space Shuttle, but there are a lot of others that have been quiet now for awhile.

[Vectorman0]

For Dolphin, once things speed up, you have to adjust to a rythm of hopping over the seahorses, rather than try to go through them. Time your jump between each current's "tone"

If a speed-up current is easy to reach to maintain your gap from the octopus, then get it. But, quickly head back up to continue hopping the seahorses.

Once you see the color of the seahorses change, get ready to catch the seagull and nab the octopus.

It's all timing and rythm. Good luck!

BTW, I was thinking the same thing...where did everyone go? I know deteacher is hard at work on Space Shuttle, but there are a lot of others that have been quiet now for awhile.

Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely give it a try this weekend.

[le geek]

Been busy cleaning house for my folks' out of state visit, but I shall return!

[vintagegamecrazy]

Someone asked where everyone went. Well I'm back in full force with several new scores.

7 more games link (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v465/vintagegamecrazy/contest/)

[deteacher]

I'm still at it. Space Shuttle is more addictive than I ever thought it could be. I'm now trying to get that elusive 6th docking and I'll be able to land and show off the commander screen. Each docking is more difficult than the last.

I'm also splitting my time with the AA High Score Club. Otherwise, life has gotten in the way a little. Just had to put our 11 year-old cat down (he was quite the mouse catcher!) :bawling:

I hope to spend some more time with Space Shuttle this 3-day weekend. With a little luck, I'll finish her up. :)

[Vectorman0]

Someone asked where everyone went. Well I'm back in full force with several new scores.

7 more games link (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v465/vintagegamecrazy/contest/)

I need a password to see the album!

[the 5th ghost]

I'm still at it. Space Shuttle is more addictive than I ever thought it could be. I'm now trying to get that elusive 6th docking and I'll be able to land and show off the commander screen. Each docking is more difficult than the last.

I'm also splitting my time with the AA High Score Club. Otherwise, life has gotten in the way a little. Just had to put our 11 year-old cat down (he was quite the mouse catcher!) :bawling:

I hope to spend some more time with Space Shuttle this 3-day weekend. With a little luck, I'll finish her up. :)

Sorry to hear about the puss deteacher, sounds like it had a nice long life though!

Good luck with Space Shuttle...

Remember to keep an eye on your fuel count as you attempt to land; once it goes under 7500, the Commander patch has slipped away. Also, watch your speed as you attempt re-entry. You'll want to maintain your speed at around 19. If the speed dropps too far, you get the ABORT message. (Took me a few times to figure that one out!)

[deteacher]

Finally! After hours and hours of time put into it, here is my final screenshot for this contest:

Space Shuttle: Commander Patch!

I can't even tell you how long I chased that satellite today. It all came down to learning to make quick corrections (and sometimes over-correcting and just hoping the satellite would correct it's path into yours.)

This pony didn't win, but I'm happy to place. Can't wait to see who's going to show! It's a real close race out there. Keep it up, guys! :)

P.S. Thanks for your help and encouragement, Ghost! You da man (but I'm still going to have to come after some of your scores.) :wink 2:

[the 5th ghost]

Way to go!

[Keir]

Sorry to hear about your cat, deteacher.

Congratulations on your win though!

I haven't given up on trying to get more patches, but the ones I have left are a bit harder and I haven't had much time lately. Don't worry Vectorman, I'm still in the game!

[Vectorman0]

Congrats deteacher!

[vintagegamecrazy]

Here we go.

[vintagegamecrazy]

and more

[vintagegamecrazy]

Anyone have some good Decathlon strategies. I may snag a bronze but anything higher so far is evil and my hands are getting blisters.

[deteacher]

Vintage,

The only advice I have for decathlon is to have a sturdy, responsive joystick. If a stick has a lot of play, you'll use more wrist/arm action to get your speed up. That will only tire you out faster. I used a slik stik, which is small and very responsive. That really minimized my left/right movements, which increased my speed with less energy used. I don't know if that makes sense or not.

The 400M is the worst. What sucks even more is that it's followed by the 110M Hurdles. Whoever decided the order of events must have been a masochist. :whip:

[vintagegamecrazy]

I kind of figured that Deteacher, I am using a Fire Command which is great for switching hands on a fly but it has a bit more play. I'll have to find one with less play and give it a go.

Thanks

[vintagegamecrazy]

Excuse me, but Vec, you didn't give me credit for Sky Jinks or Kaboom and my pics are there.

[Vectorman0]

Excuse me, but Vec, you didn't give me credit for Sky Jinks or Kaboom and my pics are there.

You mean Pitfall? For some reason those didn't show up last night when I updated the list. I updated it now.

[vintagegamecrazy]

Yeah Pitfall, Thanks.

[NoahsMyBro]

Oh My GOD! Spider Fighter is HARD!

When it was new, I ignored it, thinking it looked like a ripoff of Megamania. Boy, it's a hard game.

I can't get pics off my phone without using ActiveSync, so I'll submit my pics/scores tomorrow. So far, though, I've only attained patches on Freeway (just by the hair on my beak!), and Ice Hockey.

I've almost made it on Laser Blast and Spider Fighter, and am beginning to improve on Dolphin.

I'm glad this contest was set to run through the end of March. Late last night was the first chance I've had to take a crack at this.

[Vectorman0]

Oh My GOD! Spider Fighter is HARD!

When it was new, I ignored it, thinking it looked like a ripoff of Megamania. Boy, it's a hard game.

I can't get pics off my phone without using ActiveSync, so I'll submit my pics/scores tomorrow. So far, though, I've only attained patches on Freeway (just by the hair on my beak!), and Ice Hockey.

I've almost made it on Laser Blast and Spider Fighter, and am beginning to improve on Dolphin.

I'm glad this contest was set to run through the end of March. Late last night was the first chance I've had to take a crack at this.

Try Spider Fighter with the difficulty switch set the other way. That's how I ended up getting it - I changed the difficulty switch then it wasn't too bad.

[NoahsMyBro]

I've earned my first DP-issue Activision Patches.

Ice Hockey
Freeway (score = 20) (phew!)

[the 5th ghost]

Found this picture I saved from AtariAge's High Score Club...

Ice Hockey: 51 - 4 (beat the computer by 47)

[deteacher]

Ahhh, that was quite a week! You beat me out in the end that week. I thought I was in good shape with my 45-2 score. :) Good times!

[the 5th ghost]

That was a fun week! I pretty much dropped out of the HSC though as a participant, but i always check to see what game is being played.

Anyway...more scores

Dragster: 5.61 (this seems to be the best I can do)

And for my new favorite game...

Beamrider: 249,578, Sector 39

Here's also a screenshot of the furthest sector I got to: Sector 41 (246,664)

I'm not done with Beamrider, my current goal is to make it to sector 50, then eventually, I'd like to max the score at 999,999. Before this contest I never really played Beamrider much, but I must say it is by far one of the best Atari games hands down.

[Keir]

Beamrider does indeed rock. Excellent score.

I got my first patch in quite some time: Enduro. I knew I could do it, it was just a matter of finding the time to sit down and give it a good try (without any 3-foot tall distractions).

[Vectorman0]

Speaking of Beamrider, that is one of the games to avoid on the GBA anthology. It runs slow, so it's significantly easier on the GBA. I had trouble once I switched to the reasl thing. I'll still get it soon though!

[Keir]

Here are the games I have left:

Barnstorming – I was close to getting this patch when my joystick failed. Now that I’ve got my trusty Boss joystick, I should get this one soon.

Decathlon – I’ve put this one off because it’ll take some time. I should be able to get at least one of the patches though.

Dolphin (Secret Society) – Getting the first patch was hard enough that I think I’ll forget about even trying for this one.

Dragster – I really hate this game, but it’s short enough that I should probably keep trying.

Grand Prix – I gave it a few tries and got pretty close. Just need some more time to sit down and practice.

Kaboom! – I spent a long time practicing this game for the Atari Age high score club and the highest I got was 1,751, so I’m going to pass on trying for this one.

Laser Blast – There’s obviously some trick to this that I don’t get because I can’t even score more than a few thousand. Not sure I care to try to figure it out either.

Private Eye – I’ve never played this one, so I’ll have to figure out how to play it before I attempt to get the patch.

Robot Tank – See Grand Prix.

Skiing – I’m not sure why I haven’t tried this one yet. I’ll probably go for this one after Barnstorming.

Space Shuttle – See Private Eye.

Stampede – I’ve tried this a few times and can’t even get close. I’ll give it a few more tries to see if I get the hang of it, but I may have to throw in the towel early on this one.

Starmaster – I got the first 2 patches without too much trouble, so the next 2 should be doable with a little practice.

[dlopez9069]

There is a pattern to laser blast. You should get it without too much trouble. Which reminds me there are still quite a few patches I've been meaning to go for. Ohh and this ones been sitting on the desktop for awhile.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i147/Fairychaos/Oink1983Activision.png

[Vectorman0]

I finished Beamrider. I'm just about out of games I can get the patch on without too much hassle, now it is going to get tougher.

[vintagegamecrazy]

Okay Decathlon isn't going to happen for me, nothing works at all. How the heck to you get lower than 28.7 on Skiing? I don't get it, are you supposed to keep your skis straight the whole time or are you supposed to angle them to go faster? Any help will be appreciated.

[Vectorman0]

Okay Decathlon isn't going to happen for me, nothing works at all. How the heck to you get lower than 28.7 on Skiing? I don't get it, are you supposed to keep your skis straight the whole time or are you supposed to angle them to go faster? Any help will be appreciated.

You need to keep your skis pointed all the way down the whole time. Even then, you need to minimize your movements in order to get a good enough time. You might want to look for a previous post of mine where I tried to explain how I did it in detail.

[Keir]

I was all excited because I thought I finally had the Barnstorming patch, when I realized it says you need <33.3. I got exactly 33.30. :(

[vintagegamecrazy]

Well I finally knocked out two of the kickers, Dragster, Skiing, and Oink was easy but stupid so here goes.

[Vectorman0]

I was all excited because I thought I finally had the Barnstorming patch, when I realized it says you need <33.3. I got exactly 33.30. :(

In this case, the manual says you need to beat 33.3 seconds, however even though some of the others are listed as </>, they are listed inaccurately and are inclusive and you can tie the number.

[Keir]

THANK. YOU.

vintagegamecrazy just came out of no where so I need every patch I can get! :)

[Pantechnicon]

Frostbite - 40260 points

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/pzcortez/activision/DSCN1123.jpg

(Bella didn't get that score...I did...no, really :embarrassed:)

Frostbite is harder than it looks. I learned that it takes some seriously calm beef in certain spots to not jump into the middle of an enemy group, or to wait patiently on the edge of the screen for a floe to appear above or below you while slowly losing your current footing, all the while watching the clock without becoming too hasty or sloppy. A fun game.

Haven't done much playing in the last couple weeks owing to illness and accompanying fatigue, but I'm ready to see how many more patches I can bang out by March 31st. Game on.

[deteacher]

Just maxed out Megamania for the AA High Score Club Game of the week. I figured I'd post it here as well.

Megamania: 999,999!

[the 5th ghost]

Beamrider:

Made it to sector 52!

330,220

[Pantechnicon]

Oink - 25128 Points:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/pzcortez/activision/DSCN1135.jpg

[vintagegamecrazy]

Now Kaboom, I'm pretty bad since my high score is around 6,000 but at least it counts.

[Vectorman0]

Now Kaboom, I'm pretty bad since my high score is around 6,000 but at least it counts.

You're the third person to get this patch, so I would say that itself is pretty good. I'll be doing it this weekend as I am headed away from my apartment and will finally be able to play on a non-LCD TV. Updates may be sparse over the weekend, but I'll be back.

[NoahsMyBro]

WooHoo!!!

Just got 55,990 on Spider Fighter!

That makes Patch #3 for me!

[NoahsMyBro]

And another one (two?) down!

Starmaster -
Ensign - 3955
Leader - 5802

[NoahsMyBro]

On the one hand, this contest is a lot of fun, and has me actually PLAYING my games for the first time in a while, so that's fantastic!

On the other hand, I've discovered tonight that I'm missing several of my Activision games - among them Kaboom and Chopper Command. (Grrr!@!##!@!!) Looks like a non-NAVA trip to DPB&M is in my future....

[NoahsMyBro]

I've just hit a final score of !!!!!! on Laser Blast! I realize the picture is a little blurry, but after almost 3 hours of non-stop Laser Blast, my hands are in bad shape, and I couldn't really hold the camera as steady as I'd have liked.

I've got 5 or 6 shots of the screen. None are crystal clear, but hopefully they'll make the point if anybody has any doubts.

For good measure, I'm including a picture of my left palm, with the CX-40 corner's impression left in it.

THIS is the game that SHOULD have been graced with the title ENDURO.

Also, I attained patches for River Raid and Tennis earlier this evening.

[NoahsMyBro]

My last update to this thread will be exactly 1 week old in 7 hours, 55 minutes.

Since then there have been no other posts to this thread, and the Standings spreadsheet hasn't been updated to reflect my achievements. My hand was so sore after that damn Laser Blast session - I don't want the effort to go unnoticed.

Vectorman - where have you been?

Everybody else with only one or two patches - come back and strive for others!

That is all.

[Vectorman0]

I don't want the effort to go unnoticed.
Don't worry, those of us who have yet to do it are jealous right now that you have it done with. It is quite the feat, lasting that long in such a monotonous game. I have yet to do it.


Vectorman - where have you been?
I was visiting Drexel at Next Level Video Games. I got the necessary Kaboom! score while I was there too, and have been looking for my camera for the past half hour. It's officially lost.


Everybody else with only one or two patches - come back and strive for others!
I agree!

[vintagegamecrazy]

Here's a bunch more from me,

Grand Prix
Freeway
Frostbite
Pitfall II
Seaquest

Is it me or does anyone else think Grand Prix is pure Turd to play and just boring?

VectormanO please recount my totals on the chart, you have all of the games listed but the actual number on the bottom is wrong.

[Keir]

Is it me or does anyone else think Grand Prix is pure Turd to play and just boring?I agree, it's one of Activision's worst.

[Vectorman0]

I apologize for slacking with the updates. I've been busy and haven't been able to give this thread as much attention as I should.

Anyway, vintagegamecrazy, the reason the count seems off is because I decided I wanted to stick to the original patches given out and decided against giving out more patches for games with extra optional requirements. So you only get "1" for barnstorming. Ironically, on a related note, I came to this decision after realizing how little fun Grand Prix really is. It is probably my least favorite game so far.



The spreadsheet should be updated through this post. As always, let me know if you think something as off, as I have made mistakes already, but am quick to correct them!

With that, I have one more patch for myself:

[le geek]

Ironically, on a related note, I came to this decision after realizing how little fun Grand Prix really is. It is probably my least favorite game so far.


This has been the best part of the contest--going ahead and replaying the games and reevaluating them. Dragster, Freeway, Oink and Starmaster are all pretty cool if you give them a chance.

[le geek]

Okay,

Finally got some more game time in

HERO: 85750
Starmaster: L 5820
Tennis: 6 to 2

Cheers,
Ben

[dlopez9069]

real quick question, can gametap games be used?

[Vectorman0]

real quick question, can gametap games be used?

I don't have experience with it, and since I allow emulators for PC's I am going to say no.

[vintagegamecrazy]

Here's a few more. Robot Tank gets evil later on, I think I can get the final patch but I need more practice, anyone got advice?

Anyone got advice for Dolphin for the seahorse pattern around 115,000 points, it seems to have a short short long pattern. Does it change after that as well, advice would help.

Here's my ill fated patch for the second game on Grand Prix before that was nixed, Oh well but I wish I didn't have to waste the time on it though.

Man do Robot Tank and Dolphin get evilly hard later on though.

[dlopez9069]

I turned on my 2600 and a couple hours later this poped up!!!!!!

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i147/Fairychaos/Laserblast001.jpg

[vintagegamecrazy]

Can anyone give advice for Starmaster? I got the first two patches, I finished the Wing Commander game but no matter what I did I lost a base. Is there anyway around losing one. Advice is helpful.

[Keir]

Can anyone give advice for Starmaster? I got the first two patches, I finished the Wing Commander game but no matter what I did I lost a base. Is there anyway around losing one. Advice is helpful.I had the exact same problem going for that third patch.

[the 5th ghost]

For the third Starmaster patch, don't get discouraged if you lose one base. I did. Just focus on moving quickly and making your shots count.

[vintagegamecrazy]

I have a question for you ghost, do the enemies chase you or do they flock to the bases? If I went to the middle of the grid would they chase me so I could lure them away from my bases?