22 replies to this topic

[Ze_ro]

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

Hostile aliens--Xenophobes--are infesting space stations vital to your planet's security. These aliens threaten to overrun the stations, rendering the space stations useless.

You are part of an elite team which is ready to speed to these endangered space stations. Your mission is clear: destroy the aliens regain control of the space stations, and pick up any valuable hardware you might discover as you sweep the stations for aliens.

The aliens are a swarming band of uglies straight out of your worst nightmare. You'll need to use your talent just to stay alive as you rid each space station of these pests. You don't want to let them catch you. It's them or you.

Game Information

Game Name: Xenophobe Released By: Atari, 1990 Left Difficulty: N/A Right Difficulty: N/A Game Mode: 1 Player 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 January 12th at 1:00 AM (Central Time, UTC-6).

Challenges

2-Player Adventure - Play with a second player and score at least 40,000 combined points and you get 2 bonus points. Highest 2-player score will also get 3 more bonus points (5 total)! 1,074,450 (oyamafamily) [+5] 46,925 (toymailman) [+2]

Current High Scores 1,000,000 (Jifremok) [+11] 1,000,000 (oyamafamily) [+11] 1,000,000 (JacobZu7zu7) [+11] 572,710 (toymailman) [+10] 130,350 (roadrunner) [+9] 74,960 (Vocelli) [+8] 53,950 (Miss 2600) [+7] 2075 (Scrabbler15) [+6] Best Tips oyamafamily [+2] TwinGalaxies Top 3 (Game 1, Difficulty B) 1,628,370 (Scott Stilphen) 1,164,635 (Mike K Morrow) 74,475 (Luc Pyke)

Current Standings toymailman [267] JacobZu7zu7 [239] Scrabber15 [221] Deteacher [208] oyamafamily [181] Miss 2600 [138] roadrunner [122] Jifremok [99] zylon [66] Zoyx [55] Chuck D. Head [52] LarcenTyler [48] keilbaca [41] SeaGtGruff [33] Mingy Jongo [31] ClassicGMR [29] pis [21] lastkill3r [21] HatefulGravey [17] Gorfy [16] Mangia-Boy [15] rmaerz [14] doctorclu [13] Pioneer4x4 [12] 4Ks [10] dooglehead [9] MrJimbo [8] Mister VCS [7] satan165 [7] Curious Sofa [4] madbutscher [4] ed1475 [2] littleman jack [2] pacmanplayer [2] MIKE5200 [2] Austin [1] Player 3 [1] SpaceDice2010 [1]

Scoring Points in Xenophobe

Killing Aliens: Tentacle - 125 points Snotterpillar - 100 points Rollerbaby - 75 points Critter - 50 points Pod - 25 points Picking Up Weapons: Grenade - 500 points Poofer Gun - 400 points Lightning Rifle - 300 points Laser Pistol - 200 points Phaser - 10 points Picking Up Valuable Hardware: Clipboard - 500 points Transmltter - 500 points Skull - 500 points Can - 500 points Knife - 500 points Rope - 250 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 typed copy available online. Here are the hints it provides:

• Your primary mission is to locate and eliminate the aliens as quickly as possible. Don't spend too much time searching for valuable objects.
  
• The aliens are clumsier and easier to kill at the lower levels of a space station. Save your best firepower for the scariest aliens, and remember that your biggest challenges await at the higher levels.
  
• Be ever alert for the aliens' varied means of attack.
  
• Shoot tentacles by jumping and quickly firing.
  
• Use grenades to destroy aliens rolled into balls.

oyamafamily

• Draw a map of each level. This game has 8 levels; if you complete the 8th stage, you will return to Stage 1. It's a good opportunity to memorize the platforms / screens for each stage, and plan your defense and attack.
  
• Avoid touching the aliens, specially Snotterpillar (the MOST DANGEROUS AND THE BIGGEST MONSTER). This hint will help to save your health, and your weapons in use.
  
• Count how many aliens you have killed on the current stage. Here are the numbers of aliens which you must to kill to complete the level:
  
  • STAGE 01 - 12
    
  • STAGE 02 - 24
    
  • STAGE 03 - 36
    
  • STAGE 04 - 60
    
  • STAGE 05 - 46
    
  • STAGE 06 - 31
    
  • STAGE 07 - 45
    
  • STAGE 08 - 54
  
  You will earn 300 bonus points per alien killed at the end of current stage.
  
• On Stages 01, 02, 03, 05, 06, and 07, collect the valuable hardware as many as possible, because you will get 1000 bonus points per item picked up at the end of current level. AVOID collecting a lot of valuable hardware on Stages 04 and 08.
  
• If you have at least 1 Grenade, use it to kill the aliens rolled into balls.
  
• Poofer Gun and Lightning Rifle are the best weapons on this game. If you find these weapons, GET THEM!
  
• If you find the Phaser (the less powerful weapon), AVOID IT!
  
• Try to destroy the aliens as fast as possible, specially on Stages 04, 05, 07, and 08. This action will decrease the risk of finding the MOST DANGEROUS MONSTER - SNOTTERPILLAR.

Also check out oyamafamily's excellent map!

--Zero

[JacobZu7zu7]

I've played this one on NES, but never Atari 2600... fun version though!

my score on the 2nd try,

71,975

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[oyamafamily]

Oyamafamily's tips and strategies:

1. Draw a map of each level. This game has 8 levels; if you complete the 8th stage, you will return to Stage 1. It's a good opportunity to memorize the platforms / screens for each stage, and plan your defense and attack.

2. Avoid touching the aliens, specially Snotterpillar (the MOST DANGEROUS AND THE BIGGEST MONSTER). This hint will help to save your health, and your weapons in use.

3. Count how many aliens you have killed on the current stage. Here are the numbers of aliens which you must to kill to complete the level:
STAGE 01 - 12
STAGE 02 - 24
STAGE 03 - 36
STAGE 04 - 60
STAGE 05 - 46
STAGE 06 - 31
STAGE 07 - 45
STAGE 08 - 54
You will earn 300 bonus points per alien killed at the end of current stage.

4. On Stages 01, 02, 03, 05, 06, and 07, collect the valuable hardware as many as possible, because you will get 1000 bonus points per item picked up at the end of current level. AVOID collecting a lot of valuable hardware on Stages 04 and 08.

5. If you have at least 1 Grenade, use it to kill the aliens rolled into balls.

6. Poofer Gun and Lightning Rifle are the best weapons on this game. If you find these weapons, GET THEM!

7. If you find the Phaser (the less powerful weapon), AVOID IT!

8. Try to destroy the aliens as fast as possible, specially on Stages 04, 05, 07, and 08. This action will decrease the risk of finding the MOST DANGEROUS MONSTER - SNOTTERPILLAR.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Edited by oyamafamily, Fri Jan 7, 2011 5:56 PM.

[oyamafamily]

Xenophobe is one of my favorite Atari 2600 games. Thank you very much for this choice, Zero!!!

[oyamafamily]

FIRST TRY - 80,950 / STAGE 04

Edited by oyamafamily, Thu Jan 6, 2011 5:06 PM.

[roadrunner]

56,875

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[oyamafamily]

NEW ATTEMPT - 222,325 - Stage 08
On "Game Over" screen showed below, there's a SNOTTERPILLAR - The Most Dangerous Monster.

Edited by oyamafamily, Thu Jan 6, 2011 6:39 PM.

[oyamafamily]

Here are the screenshots of opening stages on Xenophobe: (Don't worry about the scores!)

STAGE 01 -->
STAGE 02 -->
STAGE 03 -->
STAGE 04 -->
STAGE 05 -->
STAGE 06 -->
STAGE 07 -->
STAGE 08 -->

[JacobZu7zu7]

Planet 3 looks like funky male private parts

NEW HIGH SCORE = 307,160

Got passed all the levels but lost by getting sandwiched between spitting "aliens".

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[roadrunner]

130,350

So far all of us are doing much better than the videos i watched of this game on youtube.

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[Jifremok]

I've played the arcade version and checked out the 2600 version before, so I'm no stranger to this game. I never did play the 2600 one much though.

My first two attempts didn't even break 50k. Man this game was a bit more brutal than I remembered.


My third attempt, however...rolled like one of those annoying guys that like to get bombed.





This game is just too merciful. My strategy was simply "Go right and blast stuff, skip the rolly things if they're rolled up, conserve grenades". And it didn't fail me much. Unlike the arcade version, I didn't have a spaceship explode on me once, and my health was almost always around full; whenever my health was nearly depleted I would recover it with those abundant health bonuses. I eventually had enough grenades that I could just bomb whatever I felt like, but even on the snotterpillars I'd just shoot them. Sometimes they'd get a good hit though (or I do something stupid like jump into a tentacle) and break my gun. Then it's on! Grenades! Boom! DIE YEAH! Aw crap I forgot where to find spare guns. To hell with it, just bomb my way out! And then I'm on the new ship, punching the critters and finding a new gun, then back to slumbertown I go until I go do something really stupid and get nearly killed.

By the way, best moment I had in the game was when I jumped right into a leaping snotterpillar. I aint afraid to joust with you!

[JacobZu7zu7]

2 more tries, a broken gun caust me at 400ks and 600ks.
Lost on 2/3rd time around on stage 7, or 8. Can't remember.

HIGH SCORE AS OF NOW = 643,770

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[oyamafamily]

SINGLE ATTEMPT ON "2 PLAYERS" MODE: (for Bonus Points)
PLAYER 1 - Rolled the score (consider 1,000,000)
PLAYER 2 - 74,450
COMBINED SCORE - 1,074,450

BEFORE "PLAYER 1" ROLLING THE SCORE:

AFTER "PLAYER 1" ROLLING THE SCORE:

Player 2 didn't have the same luck as Player 1. P2 was defeated by Snotterpillar!!

Here's a Snotterpillar detail:

Edited by oyamafamily, Tue Jan 11, 2011 5:48 PM.

[oyamafamily]

Hint for Xenophobe players: If you want to take a rest (go to the bathroom, drink the fruit juice or eat the sandwich), simply pause the gameplay setting the TV TYPE switch to B&W mode. To resume, set TV TYPE to Color Mode, and then to B&W.

[oyamafamily]

ROLLED THE SCORE!!! (1-player mode)

BEFORE ROLLING THE SCORE:

AFTER ROLLING THE SCORE:

I have played Xenophobe to learn how to play it. I’ve ever rolled the score when I was knowing this game, and training (without reading Xenophobe manual or drawing the map).

COMMENTS: This game is EASY, and SLOW for more EXPERT players. I’m an EXPERT player as JIFREMOK, the first person who rolled the score on this 2600 HSC Contest. Also, this game on 2600 version is EASIER than the Arcade version (in my opinion).

[JacobZu7zu7]

ROLL XENO TIDE! BEECHEZ!

1. 939,355

2. 979,005

3. 995,230

4. ROLLED!


Things got pretty dramatic, at 960,000ks... a snottopillar came around, tons of them, I broke two guns... looked around all floor 1 dodging snotty's no gun to be found... then I went to floor two of level 8. Found a weapon! The rest is history.

Also had a semi-tough snottapillar encounter just before rolling it .

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[oyamafamily]

ADDITIONAL OYAMAFAMILY'S STRATEGY - Study Xenophobe maps which I drawed.

STAGE 1
----------------------------------------------------------------
* START*      *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *
*Health*      *Weapon*      *      *      *      *      *Health*
*  FL  *      *  LP  * H500 * H500 * H500 *  GR  * H500 *  FL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------

STAGE 2
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 1  1 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 1  1 *
*  F1  *      *Health*      *      *      *Weapon*      *  F1  *
*  EL  * H500 *  BU  * H500 *  GR  * H500 *  LR  * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 2  2 * START*      *      *      *      *      *      * 2  2 *
*  F2  *      *Health*      *      *      *Weapon*      *  F2  *
*  EL  * H500 *  FL  *  GR  * H500 * H250 *  LP  * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------

STAGE 3
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 1  1 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 1  1 *
*  F1  *Health*      *Weapon*      *      *      *      *  F1  *
*  EL  *  BU  *  GR  *  PG  * H500 * H500 *  GR  * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 2  2 *      * START*      *      *      *      *      * 2  2 *
*  F2  *      *      *      *      *Health*      *      *  F2  *
*  EL  *  GR  *      *  GR  * H500 *  FL  * H500 * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 3  3 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 3  3 *
*  F3  *      *      *Weapon*      *      *Health*      *  F3  *
*  EL  *  GR  * H500 *  LR  * H500 * H500 *  BU  *  GR  *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------

STAGE 4
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 1  1 *      *      *      *      * START*      *      * 1  1 *
*  F1  *      *      *Weapon*      *Health*Health*      *  F1  *
*  EL  *  GR  *  GR  *  LP  *  GR  *  FL  *  BU  * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 2  2 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 2  2 *
*  F2  *      *      *Health*      *      *Weapon*      *  F2  *
*  EL  * H500 * H500 *  BU  *  GR  *  GR  *  LR  *  GR  *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 3  3 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 3  3 *
*  F3  *      *      *      *      *Weapon*      *      *  F3  *
*  EL  *  GR  *  GR  * H500 *  GR  *  LP  *  GR  * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 4  4 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 4  4 *
*  F4  *Weapon*      *      *      *      *Weapon*Health*  F4  *
*  EL  *  PH  * H250 *  GR  * H500 * H500 *  LP  *  BU  *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------

STAGE 5
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 1  1 * START*      *      *      *      *      *      * 1  1 *
*  F1  *      *Health*      *      *      *Health*Weapon*  F1  *
*  EL  * H500 *  FL  *  GR  *  GR  * H500 *  BU  *  PG  *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 2  2 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 2  2 *
*  F2  *Weapon*      *      *Health*      *      *      *  F2  *
*  EL  *  LR  *  GR  * H500 *  FL  * H500 *  GR  * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 3  3 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 3  3 *
*  F3  *      *      *Weapon*Health*Weapon*      *      *  F3  *
*  EL  *  GR  * H500 *  LR  *  BU  *  LP  * H250 * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------

STAGE 6
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 1  1 *      *      * START*      *      *      *      * 1  1 *
*  F1  *      *      *      *      *      *Weapon*      *  F1  *
*  EL  *  GR  * H500 * H500 *  GR  *  GR  *  LP  * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 2  2 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 2  2 *
*  F2  *Weapon*Health*Weapon*      *      *      *      *  F2  *
*  EL  *  LR  *  BU  *  PH  * H500 * H500 *      * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------

STAGE 7
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 1  1 *      *      *      *      *      * START*      * 1  1 *
*  F1  *      *Health*Weapon*      *      *      *      *  F1  *
*  EL  * H500 *  BU  *  LR  * H500 *  GR  *      *  GR  *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 2  2 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 2  2 *
*  F2  *Weapon*      *      *Health*      *      *      *  F2  *
*  EL  *  LR  *  GR  * H500 *  FL  * H500 *  GR  * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 3  3 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 3  3 *
*  F3  *      *      *Weapon*Health*Weapon*      *      *  F3  *
*  EL  *  GR  * H500 *  LR  *  BU  *  LP  * H250 * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------

STAGE 8
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 1  1 *      * START*      *      *      *      *      * 1  1 *
*  F1  *Health*      *Health*      *      *Health*      *  F1  *
*  EL  *  FL  * H500 *  BU  *  GR  * H500 *  BU  *  GR  *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 2  2 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 2  2 *
*  F2  *      *Health*Weapon*      *      *Health*      *  F2  *
*  EL  *  GR  *  FL  *  PG  *  GR  *  GR  *  FL  * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 3  3 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 3  3 *
*  F3  *      *      *Health*Weapon*      *      *      *  F3  *
*  EL  * H250 *  GR  *  FL  *  LR  * H500 *  GR  *  GR  *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------
* 4  4 *      *      *      *      *      *      *      * 4  4 *
*  F4  *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *  F4  *
*  EL  * H500 * H250 *  GR  *      *  GR  *      * H500 *  EL  *
----------------------------------------------------------------

LEGEND:
F1, F2, F3, F4 = Floors 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively
EL = elevator
GR = grenade
PG = poofer gun (the most powerful weapon on this game)
LR = lightning rifle (powerful weapon)
LP = laser pistol (normal weapon)
PH = phaser (the less powerful weapon – AVOID this when possible!)
BU = burger (+50 health points)
FL = flask (+50 health points)
H500 = 500-point hardware (clipboard, transmitter, skull, can, or knife)
H250 = 250-point hardware (rope)

Edited by oyamafamily, Sun Jan 9, 2011 10:12 AM.

[Vocelli]

1st try... New to this so maybe I will get better.
Vocelli- 74960

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Edited by Vocelli, Sun Jan 9, 2011 6:52 PM.

[JacobZu7zu7]

Vocelli, on Sun Jan 9, 2011 6:50 PM, said:

1st try... New to this so maybe I will get better.
Vocelli- 74960

Hey new guy. Good 1st score. I think you'll get better... the key is to find the Poofer Gun on level 3. FLOOR 1 (to the right). Don't run into aliens if you can help it, they can, sometimes "BREAK" your gun!

[Scrabbler15]

2075

I still got whatever I had last week (cough, fever, stuffy, blah, blah, blah). Maybe next week will be a better effort.

I just ain't got the stuff for learning this game right now.

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[Miss 2600]

Back to the Stella disc. Here's the last photo I took before the Stella screen went black. I'll see if I can get the score I had (only a little over 60,000) again tomorrow.

53,950

[toymailman]

I got my single player score in time. I had to stop as time is running out. It seems it would take a little over 2-hours to roll it.

572,710

[toymailman]

For the 2-player game.

46,925 combined