Just Broke 13 Million on Robotron

Waterborn

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Just logged a 13.5 Million point game on Robotron (Default Marathon Settings). Got it on video. Will upload soon. Damn, my hands are WRECKED. Can't imagine anyone being able to play this game non-stop for 70 hours.
 
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OK, here's the video in three parts (was too long to upload as a single piece). Sorry for the crappy quality. Didn't realize that the focus was off until I uploaded everything.

http://youtu.be/fXATDo0C10U

Part I

http://youtu.be/bylb7BWdMm0

Part II

http://youtu.be/qHkLNJcCwRI

Part III
 
I've got a long long way to go to come even close to that score...

agreed arms definitely get wrecked, game is so frustrating yet still so addictive.
 
Best I could manage yesterday was 870k. Felt like I was on track for a record game for myself, going great, then flat out raped.

13+ mil...that's just incredible. Congrats.
 
Thanks guys. Took just over 3 hours to complete the game. Need to take some pics of my hands. Looks like I tried to dig an in-ground pool by hand last night.
 
Damn that's a crazy score! Next time wear gloves lol

My best is 1.6M, but if I played today I could probably only muster 250K. You really have to work your way into it. Congrats on a great score
 
I used to have calluses, but haven't played marathon settings in ages (been working on my TGTS game: 5 men, no extra lives). Having to really watch lives & play cautiously apparently has greatly improved my marathon score (best before this was just over 10 million). I really believe, under the right conditions (practice, no work the next day, no family pressures, etc) that I could break 20 million. At one point, I just go into a zone and it seemed like everything on the screen slowed way down, almost Zen like or something. At the end, I was exhausted, it was 1:30am and I had to get up for work this morning, so I really lost steam.
 
At one point, I just go into a zone and it seemed like everything on the screen slowed way down, almost Zen like or something.

I used to find that place way back in the day playing Descent on the PC. My eyes would slightly unfocus and I'd just react. I've yet to find that place while playing Robotron! =)
 
Great job, thanks for sharing the vids

i'm at 992k high score, from probably 2003/4... can still get in the 900s but have yet to beat 1 million... i also sometimes think i should put the blue roms in and see what difference it makes (going from factory difficulty of 5 to 3 if i remember right)
 
Keep playing on the harder settings, it does help. I have really been concentrating on TGTS (5 men, no extra men, difficulty 5) and doing so has improved my point pressing (human saving) skills. If you watch the videos that I posted, I make some moves and escapes that even surprised me. You can hear me talking to myself in the video. It's kind of funny to watch.
 
Nice job.

What is your advice for dealing with the missiles from the brains? Your style of play is very similar to mine but I have noticed that you tend to lose less lives during the brain waves.

I also thought it was interesting how your play improved as time went one, whearas for most people it declines.
 
Hey Jon, thanks for the kudos. Funny thing was that I really tend to start out poorly until I get warmed up. Really didn't think that this particular game would go too far at the beginning because I was really not doing well until somewhere are 1.5 million points. Like I mentioned above, at some point I get to a "zen" place and things just tend to fall into place.

When on Brain waves I try to follow a few guidelines, but remain open to options as things evolve. I have found that you can often get out of a seemingly hopeless situation by quickly changing direction at a 45 degree angle (on the diagonal) when the brainwave are tracking you down. Also, since the brainwaves travel in zig zag patterns, firing horizontally or vertically (not diagonally) typically will cut them off.

When playing marathon settings, my main goal is to go after as many humans as possible and thus I tend to take more risks. I try to quickly assess the board and determine where the most humans are located during that few seconds before all hell breaks loose. Then I work to get to that area as quickly as possible, but not always by direct route.

I also use the "Mikey strategy". On each Brain Wave board, all the Brains will track toward one human. This is typically (but not always) the red "Mikey" character in the first Brain Wave, which makes it easy to track early on. In subsequent Brain Waves the game chooses a random human, which makes figuring out which one the brains are after a bit tougher. After the first few seconds of no motion, ALL the Brains will move in the same direction. I go IN THE OPPOSITE direction and try to clear out the Brains as they amass around the target human. If you time it right and are successful, you can "farm" quite a few humans at the end of the level and bank several extra men.

It is important to remember two things about the Brain Wave levels 1) If you pick up the target human (or a Hulk kills him/her), the "spell" is broken and all humans become fair game - so try to keep that one human alive but on the playing field as long as possible. 2) If you kill all enemies, you lose the chance to "farm" humans. For this reason, I try to leave at least one enforcer (space ships that fire the X's) on the screen as I find those enemies the easiest to "herd" and manage.

In higher level Brain Wave levels, where Tanks spawn, I try to kill concentrate on killing these ASAP as I find them to toughest enemies to navigate.

The good thing about the Brain Wave Level is, just like the grunts, the Brains will bunch together, making it easier to take out a bunch of them with fewer shots. So "herding" works well.

Of course, this is a TON of things to keep in mind while simultaneously working to weave your way around Hulks, past barriers and pick up humans. This is where the "zen" moments come into play. If I think too much about everything going on in the game, I tend to die frequently. In the video, you can actually hear me talking to myself about this at several points. When I zone out and just react, and thus think much less, I tend to play much better. That was definitely the case on this game.

Hope this helps some. Also, check out The Robotron Guidebook at http://www.robotron2084guidebook.com/gameplay/enforcers/ .It is a great resource for strategies and breakdowns on each board type and the enemies you face. Keep us posted on your progress and let me know if I can provide any additional help.

Dane
 
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Thanks for your thoughts on the brains. I find them to be my downfall more than anything else. First one is not bad, but the later ones take too many lives.

Trying out the difficulty-10 training myself...man it's rough! I arbitrarily set 500k as my goal before switching back to difficulty-5. First day was yesterday, and I didn't break 400k yet.

Oh...and I started putting on my riding gloves (Fox Digits) and a wrap of tape on my left middle finger to avoid the toll Robotron takes in flesh! lol
 
Hey Kalamath, my hands were still so raw yesterday that I could not even get in a few TGTS games. Going to try some brief sessions again tonight. got some athletic tape to wrap up the digits. Hopefully that will help a bit.
 
Dude I can believe it! The tape will help, for sure. My riding gloves help too, but they aren't right for the job. Of course, a finesse player will scoff at these measures, but I play Robtron aggressively. After just a game or two, I need to throw off an outer layer, and start shaking off the delt pump.

I was only half joking when I made my "2" thick Robotron cab" thread the other night! ;)
 
I hear you. Our basement is unfinished and tends to get pretty cold in the winter. I head down there with a beanie and sweatshirt on and am stripped down to a bald head and T-shirt by the second brain wave. You don't get these blisters by playing daintily.
 
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