Good Atari BattleZone gameplay video?

[Detonator]

I've been playing this old classic like a madman... I figured out the way to shoot the tanks and supertanks... you know... approach them from that certain angle, pass them, reverse -> shoot.

My high score is 172.000 which I guess is okay... but I haven't found a good, bullet proof way to shoot the missiles. I can hit 7 out of 10 missiles maybe... but they always end my game. I've read Kevin Butler's FAQ (http://faqs.ign.com/articles/592/592021p1.html) but being able to watch a good player would teach me a lot more.

Does anyone have a good video clip of the missile shooting? Can't get the MAME INP recordings from this site to work:
http://replay.marpirc.net/

I know there are lots of great Battlezone players here and I'd like to get into 300K level.

Thanks.

[jammajup]

I have to be honest the only way i know is the obvious -to reverse and shoot as it gets in sight but on one rare occasion i do recall reversing as a missile was approaching and i accidentally hit the side of a symmetrical shape and at the last moment before the missile was to hit me it detected it was near the shape and jumped over both of us and continued to fly onwards and off the bottom of the radar behind me lol.
Lets face facts the missile craft exists to make the game difficult and shorten the length of your game ;)

[Detonator]

Thanks for the reply.

I scored 276K yesterday... my goal is 500K and then I'll make the video myself. :D

Actually the best way to shoot the missiles (for me) is to zigzag with their moving path, move left and then execute them when they're very close to you. Unfortunately the missiles have 3 different paths and the third one (quite rare) usually kills me.

It's quite amazing that someone have scored 20+ million in this game... considering you don't get any extra tanks after 100K.

It's a great game.... I never had time and devotion for BattleZone before but now I'm hooked. Better late than never, huh? Atari vector games are such masterpieces.

[Detonator]

Played a bit over 260K in this vid... using missile at 30K settings and one extra tank.

Not a great game by the HC gamer standards... but good one for me. Enjoy. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymrYkbEbnEQ

PS: Use 480pt settings (HQ). Otherwise the quality isn't that great.

[jammajup]

Awsome vid of gameplay,one of the best i have seen.
Liked and subscribed. :)

[Detonator]

Played a bit over 260K in this vid... using missile at 30K settings and one extra tank.

Not a great game by the HC gamer standards... but good one for me. Enjoy. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymrYkbEbnEQ

PS: Use 480pt settings (HQ). Otherwise the quality isn't that great.

Thanks man... appreciated. When I figure out a bullet-proof way to kill the missile that uses the rare flying path... the one that turns left or right just before it hits you (instead of coming forward) I think I can score millions. There could be a way to recognize it but I haven't figured it out yet.

The tanks pose no problem... all tank deaths come from silly mistakes.

What a fantastic game this is... and it's from the 1980... that is just unreal.

[Leo_A]

GameFaqs has some missile strategies that might be worth looking at.

"Missiles come at you in one of (a small number? 3-5?) different possible
tracks.

All but two can be defeated trivially by *staying still* and rotating
your tank a little to the left of the spot in the sky where the missile
first appears. The missile's final approach will be straight down
your gunsights. The two "bad missile tracks" are relatively rare by
comparison.

One missile track has the missile doing a hard turn from your right,
straight across to the left, and into you. It seems to zigzag in
the horizontal direction a little more erratically early on in its
flight path. It is best nailed (assuming you stop as soon as a
missile appears) by firing just as it's turning. The bullet will
hit the missile side-on. This missile track can be avoided by pushing
forward at just the right time during its horizontal move.

Another missile track appears to be very similar to the one above, and
kills by making a horizontal move and nailing you from the left side.
Unlike the missile above, you usually see the inside a corner of the
missile as it turns into you.

(This may simply be the same missile track as the "shoot it in the
side" missile, but seen from a tank that's been turned 15-20 degrees
to the left.)

Since I don't see either variation frequently, and since I can't see
where the missile "would have gone" on my "long-range kills", I'm
guessing that each of these types (or this type, if it's only one
track seen from a different angle) are more susceptible to the long-
range kill.

My missile strategy:

1) Stop when it shows up. Turn slightly to the left. Identify the
missile shortly it hits the ground. Choose between long-range or
conventional kill.

2.1) Long-range kill: Fire immediately and start backing up for a
second shot. Many of my "missed" first shots end up as either
conventional kills, or "push forward and hope it misses you
because you won't necessarily have a round ready in time for
the side-kill type".

2.2) Conventional kill: Don't move, just watch the missile come
closer. Fire on the last move forward to you where you can't
miss, or nail it with a sideways kill for the one (or two?)
missile tracks that have to be killed sideways. Move forward
when you fire; it won't hurt in the straight-in kills, and it
might save your butt if you miss the sideways kill.

3) Set up for next kill.

If you pulled back for any reason, move forward. There may be a
cube that's now six inches from your rear bumper that'll get you
stuck when the next missile/tank appears.

If you turned left, rotate right a bit. Since each missile
prompts a few degrees of left-rotate, you may end up with an
obstacle in your field of view."

Wish I was better at this game. It's on my to-do list someday to invest more time into it.

[Detonator]

Yes... I've read that and it's good info. But it's just theory... it'd be great to see someone actually playing the game with flawless tactics. Because that's what you must have if you're able to score millions. I scored 378K the other day... and that's the absolute maximum with my skills...

Here is the typical missile path (I'd say 8 out of 10 missiles come like this):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymrYkbEbnEQ&t=15m57s

This is very easy to execute... always follow their landing & flying path and shoot when they make the last turn, just in front of your tank.

Here is an example of the missile path that always destroy my tanks... it turns sideways in the end... instead of facing you straight forward. I hate these. :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymrYkbEbnEQ&t=14m11s

You could use the 2 shot system with these... shoot immediately when they are about to land... and then back up and attempt the second shot. Unfortunately I've found that system to be more fragile than the one idiot-proof system that I use with standard missiles. And I can't really see which ones they are when they first appear.

[Detonator]

I found some (potentially) good Battlezone gameplay vids from this site. Good scores.

The problem is that executing them is very tough.

I couldn't find a player for these. Any ideas?

http://replay.marpirc.net/