High Score Club 8.09 - Pitfall II: Lost Caverns

[Ze_ro]

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

 

Perhaps I've gone too far. I'm in an underground cavern beneath Peru. It seems to be a complex maze, perhaps eight chambers wide and over three times as deep. Niece Rhonda has disappeared, along with Quickclaw, our cowardly cat. I am beset by all manner of subterranean creatures in this vast, ancient labyrinth. And all because of a rock--the Raj diamond. It was stolen a century ago, and hidden here.

 

Old friends, if ever you see this diary, I hope you'll read it and come to my aid. Help me find Rhonda, Quickclaw and the diamond. On the way, let's also look for a stone-aged rat. A large university wants it for research. Finally, lots of stolen U.S. gold bars were ditched here. The more bars we recover, the more "brownie" points we'll get at journey's end.

 

 

Game Information

• Game Name: Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
• Released By: Activision, 1984
• Left Difficulty: N/A
• Right Difficulty: N/A
• Game Mode: Default

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 October 13th at 1:00 AM (Central Time, UTC-6).

 

Challenges

• Patch Challenge - Cliffhangers - Score 99,000 points or more, and you get 2 bonus points.
• Perfect Evaluation - Score 199,000 points, and you get 3 bonus points (on top of the 2 points from the patch challenge).
  
  • oyamafamily [+3]
  • Deteacher [+3]
  • Zoyx [+3]
  • Scrabbler15 [+3]

 

Current High Scores 199,000 (oyamafamily) [+11][+2] 199,000 (Deteacher) [+11][+2] 199,000 (Zoyx) [+11][+2] 199,000 (Scrabbler15) [+11][+2] 198,459 (toymailman) [+10][+2] 198,264 (JacobZu7zu7) [+9][+2] 192,563 (Chuck D. Head) [+8][+2] 184,067 (LarcenTyler) [+7][+2] 184,000 (SeaGtGruff) [+6][+2] 106,830 (Miss 2600) [+5][+2] 102,558 (roadrunner) [+4][+2] 102,203 (pis) [+3][+2] 68,900 (MisterVCS) [+2] 21,492 (doctorclu) [+1] 18,573 (ClassicGMR) [+1] Best Tips JacobZu7zu7 [+2] TwinGalaxies Top 3 199,000 (lots of people...) (Game 1, Difficulty B)

Current Standings toymailman [110] Scrabber15 [91] JacobZu7zu7 [91] oyamafamily [74] Deteacher [73] zylon [59] Jifremok [54] roadrunner [39] ClassicGMR [25] keilbaca [24] Chuck D. Head [17] LarcenTyler [17] HatefulGravey [17] pis [16] Miss 2600 [15] Zoyx [14] Pioneer4x4 [12] SeaGtGruff [12] doctorclu [12] MrJimbo [8] satan165 [7] Mister VCS [5] 4Ks [4] ed1475 [2] littleman jack [2] pacmanplayer [2] Austin [1] rmaerz [1] MIKE5200 [1] SpaceDice2010 [1]

 

Scoring Points in Pitfall II

• You start off with 4000 points.
• 5,000 points for every gold bar
• 15,000 points for the primitive cave rat
• 20,000 points for the Raj diamond
• 10,000 points for Rhonda's safe return
• 10,000 points for Quickclaw's safe return

 

Hints and Tips

The Manual

 

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

• Time your approach to condors and bats so that you run exactly below their highest elevation.
  
• A free-fall down an entire shaft can be a short-cut to the river below. This particular jump must be timed, though, to avoid colliding with bats on the way down.
  
• If you're unintentionally falling down a chute of ladders or past many levels, hold the Joystick to the left or right. The underground wind will slowly move you in that direction.
  
• Don't get discouraged if a bat gets you whenever you go from a ladder to a gold bar. Listen up. Stay low on the ladder, wait until a bat is just over you, then climb up quickly and run to the gold bar. You'll barely miss the next bat, but miss it you will.
  
• Finally, not everything you see is always easy to get to. Some things can be so close, yet so far away. Like Quickclaw, for instance. And the rat...who, incidentally, can only be subdued from behind.

 

JacobZu7zu7

 

• During the FINAL (up hill climb to the RAT/Kangaroo) all the bats, birds, scorpions.
  You can actually STAY on the ladders and wait for the bats to pass! You just move up with Harry's head peaking out but(below the BAT)... and make sure your feet have clearance from the BIRD. This way you don't have to run under the bat as much (as it will pass over your head while you're on the ladder!), it works pretty well! Just get the idea of where you need to be on that ladder, I thought I was gonna hit the BIRD with my feet but it never happened.
  
• You can also run into the hole of the ladders from the top and it sets you in the down position, although I like to move the controller/joystick down, manual each time I go up or down a level. Just to be sure...
  
• The best way to time the birds, is watch them swoop down.. then when they start to raise up, quickly run under.. and if it looks like you will clip them, stop for a half-sec and start running again past. If you feel off rythum, walk back into the nearest screen, then get back to the screen with the bird, and it will be reset for you. So do planning on how you will pass by all them creatures!
  
• The frog is actually kinda slow jumping back to the left and right! The most important thing to remember is that, when on a ladder... wait for the frog to "clear/finish" his jump, and when he does.. get off the ladder early and run, you can get off the ladder (without even climbing all if it) by pushing the joystick to the left or right, and you can make it while the frogs on the other side.. then quickly move and then jump.
  
• Jumping is best when done at the last minute, (last piece of land or very close to a scorpion) DON'T JUMP EARLY! It has disasterous results. Harry only can jump so far and high, so you don't want to make him jump a "Harry" early.

 

--Zero

[Zoyx]

Already have the song repeating in my head, and haven't turned the game on yet.

[doctorclu]

Already have the song repeating in my head, and haven't turned the game on yet.

 

LOL... and I was just thinking how brilliant the game and song were. I guess it gets wearing after a while. (And no way to turn the song off? Yikes!)

 

My first score is 21,492 which I got when I ran out of time getting ready for work.

[Zoyx]

My pitfall 2 map from back in the day. Not the best map out there, but it served its purpose well. I managed to get a perfect score... about 2 weeks after I bought the game.

 

 

A better map.

[Ze_ro]

I always find it kind of funny that no one knows about it, but in the 2600 Archives here on AtariAge, there are three different maps for Pitfall II, as well as a complete walkthrough with tips.

 

--Zero

[Zoyx]

Someone's speed run... perfect score in 11'21"

 

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klt5LqVy5kA

 

 

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkM3KRvaLLM

[Miss 2600]

Already have the song repeating in my head, and haven't turned the game on yet.

 

LOL... and I was just thinking how brilliant the game and song were. I guess it gets wearing after a while. (And no way to turn the song off? Yikes!)

 

 

 

 

Well, you could turn the volume all the way down or mute it.

 

I actually completed this game back in the day, but I doubt there's any way I could do it now. Those unending bats and birds at the end take a lot more patience than I have now.

 

I've got a tip after playing this a couple times. When going down the first set of ladders where gold is found beyond the bats, wait on the ladder for the bat to pass and see at what point (the notches in the ceiling) he is at his highest. Then, when the coast is clear, move to that point and he will fly over you.

[Miss 2600]

My pitfall 2 map from back in the day. Not the best map out there, but it served its purpose well. I managed to get a perfect score... about 2 weeks after I bought the game.

 

 

A better map.

 

That is so cool you kept your map! Did you draw that back in the '80s?

[JacobZu7zu7]

Oh no! Not this game. I'm gonna have ta figure out how to play it. Back to emulator, as I sold my only copy.

 

Time to get to Atari-Age for manual reads.

Edited October 6, 2010 by JacobZu7zu7

[Zoyx]

That is so cool you kept your map! Did you draw that back in the '80s?

Yep. I bought the game right after it came out... so that map dates back to 1983. I would of been 18 at the time. My art skills haven't improved since then.

[JacobZu7zu7]

Bad score coming soon! --->

Edited October 6, 2010 by JacobZu7zu7

[Miss 2600]

I did it!!! I earned a patch again!!! (I'll just have to mail in this photo )

 

Here's my score before the awful bird and bat levels when it all goes downhill! Any tips on the birds would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

 

Another tip: I don't know if this works every time, but at the beginning when you run to the pit to fall in to the water, sometimes I get there right when the bird does and he gets me. For some reason, if I run to the pit without stopping and jump once I always seem to beat the bird (I've only done this 4 times, though, so I'm not sure if it is full-proof).

[Chuck D. Head]

Soooo....do we just take the highest score at any point, or does it need to be at the end? Not sure I'm gonna make it, that You Tube video gave me some serious feelings of inadequacy.....Morgan

[Zoyx]

72000... then I got stuck. This is the max score during the game.

[pis]

Is there realy people out there that enjoy playing a game looking at a map done by someone ells, or following a walk throu? Doesn´t that just take a way all the fun?

 

 

 

102203

[Pioneer4x4]

Is there realy people out there that enjoy playing a game looking at a map done by someone ells, or following a walk throu? Doesn´t that just take a way all the fun?

 

 

 

102203

I wish I could find my map for Hacker II. That was a very cool game. The map had all kids of timing and video coverage angles on it...

As for walkthroughs, My son and I are trying to FINALLY finish the Lord fo the Rings Volume 1 (of 1...) game for the SNES. We put it away after about 2 weeks, and still have maybe %20 left, it is brutal)

 

As for Pitfall II, I remember being stuck for DAYS because I never waited long enough for the baloon to appear. And timing the angle bounce jumps to hit ledges for certain floors was tedius. I completed it many times, but never near a perfect score. I always wanted to play it without hitting any of the red +'s and get to the end and die, then transport back up to the start with all those points.

[Miss 2600]

Is there realy people out there that enjoy playing a game looking at a map done by someone ells, or following a walk throu? Doesn´t that just take a way all the fun?

 

 

[raises hand shyly] I do. I finished Golden Sun, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, and two Final Fantasies on GBA by following very long walkthroughs.

[Miss 2600]

I always wanted to play it without hitting any of the red +'s and get to the end and die, then transport back up to the start with all those points.

 

Well, if the end is finding Quickclaw, wouldn't you just go straight up one level as you see Quickclaw below at the beginning if the game.

[Lauren Tyler]

184,067

 

Not bad, if I say so myself.

 

(Edit: Forgot to upload the stupid screenshot!)

Edited October 7, 2010 by LarcenTyler

[roadrunner]

Patch!

 

102,558

 

 

 

[oyamafamily]

GAME FINISHED (Patch in action!)- 188,022

 

 

I could finish the game because I studied carefully the map. I followed the tip about the map. After reaching a perfect score of 199,000 points, I will play again using the variation called FASTEST COMPLETION WITH PERFECT / NON-PERFECT SCORE.

Edited October 8, 2010 by oyamafamily

[oyamafamily]

TWIN GALAXIES WORLD RECORDS:

 

Variation: Fastest time for 199,000 points (Game 1 / Difficulty B)

 

1. 10min08sec (Douglas C Korekach)

2. 14min08sec (Marc Cohen)

[oyamafamily]

196,151 (1 mistake!)

[Pioneer4x4]

I always wanted to play it without hitting any of the red +'s and get to the end and die, then transport back up to the start with all those points.

 

Well, if the end is finding Quickclaw, wouldn't you just go straight up one level as you see Quickclaw below at the beginning if the game.

Yep, egg-zachery. Be at the start with over 100K points.

[Pioneer4x4]

I ass-u-me that every one has tried to short cut and got thrown in the water. If not, kinda funny "cut scene" for an atari game.