HSC Season 7 Week 3: H.E.R.O.

Important Note: This weeks competition is over and no further scores will be accepted.

"Roderick Hero here (R.Hero to my associates), President and Chief Executive Officer of H.E.R.O., Inc., inviting you to join me in tackling a tricky maze of mine shafts rife with the kind of danger we daring types only dream of. Until now, that is!

"Think of it: miners trapped in a mountain bubbling with lava rivers and magma deposits, mine shafts crawling with vile vermin, all lethal to the touch. Oh, it's just too awful ----- and too exciting!

"I'm armed with equipment of my own invention. My Prop-pack carries me to even deeper depths, while I zap creepy critters with my Microlaser Beam. Dynamite demolishes walls that get in my way. If my supply lasts, that is. And my power.

"Did I mention the terrible tentacles that loom up out of lava? Or the massive walls that can crush me? What about the raft I ride on? Oh, never mind. Come along, and make yourself useful."

Posted Image

Game Information

Game Name: H.E.R.O.
Released By: Activision, 1984
Left Difficulty: N/A
Right Difficulty: N/A
Game Mode: Game 1 - Start at Level 1
Chosen By: roadrunner

Post your scores right here in this thread, and I will add them to the list. Remember to play the game with the recommended game mode and difficulty settings as shown above so that your scores will be consistent with everyone elses. The deadline for posting scores is Wednesday September 9th at 1:00 AM (CST).

Current High Scores

195,530 (devwebcl) [+11] [+2]
171,425 (toymailman) [+10] [+2]
157,590 (Deteacher) [+9] [+2]
152,730 (homerwannabee) [+8] [+2]
136,155 (Captain Beard) [+7] [+2]
135,325 (Nathan Strum) [+6] [+2]
135,000 (darthkur) [+5] [+2]
134,120 (Atardi) [+4] [+2]
120,620 (Vectorman0) [+3] [+2]
107,740 (SpiceWare) [+2] [+2]
77,445 (Zoyx) [+1] [+2]
70,970 (chuckwalla) [+1]
60,475 (vjames) [+1]
59,785 (roadrunner) [+1]
53,975 (godzillajoe) [+1]
51,385 (aftermac) [+1]
42,385 (LarcenTyler) [+1]
38,040 (Hornpipe2) [+1]
12,825 (Wickeycolumbus) [+1]

Best Tips

[+2]

Challenges

Patch Challenge - Order of the H.E.R.O. - Score 75,000 points or higher and you get 2 bonus points!
Save the Day - Score 1,000,000 points and get 5 bonus points!

TwinGalaxies Top 3

(Game 1, Difficulty B)

1,000,000 (Todd Rogers, David B Yancey)
699,350 (Robert T Mruczek)
173,845 (Rodrigo Lopes) (Emulator)

Current Standings

godzillajoe [25]
Atardi [21]
Deteacher [17]
Zoyx [13]
toymailman [12]
Vectorman0 [10]
darthkur [9]
Captain Beard [9]
Mister VCS [6]
keilbaca [5]
vjames [4]
aftermac [3]
4Ks [3]
Shannon [2]
LarcenTyler [2]
SpiceWare [2]
Nathan Strum [2]
roadrunner [2]
shadow460 [2]
sloth713 [2]
ChrisKoopa [1]
Impaler_26 [1]
Wickeycolumbus [1]
homerwannabee [1]

Scoring Points in H.E.R.O.

Shoot a critter - 50 points
Dynamite a wall - 75 points
Rescue a miner - 1000 points + bonus based on time remaining
Each dynamite stick remaining after rescue - 50 points

Hints and Tips

The Manual

As always, you really should read the manual. In case you don't have the manual, AtariAge has a scanned copy and a typed copy available online. Here are the hints it provides:

The dynamite R.Hero carries is potent. He doesn't need to be right next to a wall in order to blow it up.
If R.Hero runs out of dynamite, he can burn through walls with the Microlaser Beam. The closer he stands to the wall, the faster he'll break through.
If a lantern goes out, find mineshafts by looking at the rough edges along the bottom of the screen.
When flying above the river, ride the ceiling by pushing up as well as to the left or right.
Ride rafts whenever possible since it is easier than trying to go under a lava ceiling.
A word about tentacles: They don't move too fast, so try to outrun them.

It's also worth pointing out that we played this game a few years back. You might want to check it out for further hints.

Zoyx

Here's the maps...

Captain Beard

Pulling down on the joystick while in the air has no effect whatsoever. There is no "down", there is only freefall. Until I realized this, I used to blow myself up with bombs a lot too. Similarly, although there is an up, you don't need to go up to become airborne; as soon as you step off a platform, you're flying. Sometimes you want to go up first, to be sure, but more often than not, you're just wasting time (note the delay when pushing up off a platform.)

--Zero