29 replies to this topic

[Ze_ro]

Important Note: This week's competition has ended, no further scores will be accepted. If you still wish to discuss Commando and compare further scores, feel free to do so, but they will not be counted for points.

Your assignment? Simple. Annihilate the enemy. Diminish their manpower. Destroy their vehicles. And detonate their mega-fortress. Sounds tough? Well, just wait. It gets worse. Because you have to carry out the entire mission SINGLE-HANDED!

Game Information

• Game Name: Commando
  
• Released By: Activision, 1988
  
• Left Difficulty: Not Applicable
  
• Right Difficulty: Not Applicable
  
• Game Mode: Game 1 - One Player
  
• Chosen By: Cybergoth
  

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 will be approximately Tuesday, March 7th at 1:30 AM (CST). In case you haven't already done so, please read the High Score Club rules. There is other useful information contained in that previous link, including a list of previous High Score Club games!

As before, next week's game will be chosen by the next person in the member list, which happens to be panda_racer! Please send me a private message with your choice of game for next week!

If you are not a member of the High Score Club, but would like to be, then all you have to do is post a score for this week's game, and I'll add you to the list!

Current High Scores

• 250,200 (Rom Hunter) [+11]
  
• 250,000 (Cybergoth) [+10]
  
• 54,200 (keilbaca) [+9]
  
• 42,300 (SpiceWare) [+8]
  
• 14,000 (scogey) [+7]
  
• 9600 (vdub_bobby) [+6]
  

Best Tips

• D.Yancey [+2]
  

Bounties and Challenges

• None yet
  

TwinGalaxies Top 3

(Default Mode)

• 1,000,000 (Robert T Mruczek)
  
• 1,000,000 (David B Yancey)
  
• 329,000 (Mark Feldt)
  

Current Standings

Coming Eventually

Member List

panda_racer, KaeruYojimbo, cyberneticimplant, bjk7382, davepesc, neotokeo2001, xeex, bmlbytes, Omegamatrix, the 5th ghost, Xebec's Demise, khryssun, vgcollector666, chadtower, moycon, Malc74, shadow460, Atarifever, Keir, supercat, FireTiger, Philflound, Fellow Atari Man, keilbaca, brendano, Cybergoth, durden26, sku_u, mitsubachi, arlo, Recycled, LarcenTyler, silverpoodleman, 128bytes, Goochman, Thomas Jentzsch, Christophero Sly, D.Yancey, mrppv666, Mordax, Numan, Mordax, vdub_bobby, Dones, Gamemaster_ca_2003, scogey, graywest, RJ, Voch, video game addict, SpiceWare, Robert M, Mad Scientist, Dan Iacovelli, Gateway, Rom Hunter, gospeedde

Scoring Points in Commando

• Enemy (shot with machine gun) - 200 points
  
• Enemy (knocked out with grenade) - 500 points
  
• Blowing up a tree - 500 points
  
• Crossing over grenade boxes - 1,000 points
  

Hints and Tips

The Manual said:

As always, you really should read the manual.

What's that? You don't have the manual? Well, AtariAge has both a scanned copy and a typed copy of the manual online. Unfortunately, the manual doesn't provide any specific hints.

D.Yancey said:

Here are a few tips:

For fastest scoring, blow up every tree that you can. They only appear on certain stages and are a welcomed bonus.

Don't let your grenade reserves build up over 99 because they will really go back to 00 after that. If you get up into the 90's, always use a few grenades to make sure that doesn't happen.

IIRC, there are 8 different levels. The levels repeat in the same order each time through, so the game is extremely predictable.

For me, the most difficult part to learn was manuevering around the pits on the later levels. Also, it is possible to manipulate where the soldiers reappear at the end of each level, so they do not appear on top of you. Once you've developed these 2 techniques, there will be nothing to stop you. How long can you stand to marathon this one? Good luck everyone!

--Ze_ro

[D.Yancey]

Here are a few tips:

For fastest scoring, blow up every tree that you can. They only appear on certain stages and are a welcomed bonus.

Don't let your grenade reserves build up over 99 because they will really go back to 00 after that. If you get up into the 90's, always use a few grenades to make sure that doesn't happen.

IIRC, there are 8 different levels. The levels repeat in the same order each time through, so the game is extremely predictable.

For me, the most difficult part to learn was manuevering around the pits on the later levels. Also, it is possible to manipulate where the soldiers reappear at the end of each level, so they do not appear on top of you. Once you've developed these 2 techniques, there will be nothing to stop you. How long can you stand to marathon this one? Good luck everyone!

Edited by D.Yancey, Thu Mar 2, 2006 5:22 PM.

[Cybergoth]

YAY

[keilbaca]

54,200 for my first score.

It gets really... repetitive. Its just best to stay in one spot and blast away.

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Edited by keilbaca, Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:26 AM.

[Cybergoth]

keilbaca, on Tue Feb 28, 2006 11:25 AM, said:

It gets really... repetitive. Its just best to stay in one spot and blast away.

Uhm... maybe it'd be less repetitive if you'd move some?

[vdub_bobby]

9,600 for a first score.

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[Cybergoth]

Ok, first score: 42.200

[keilbaca]

Cybergoth, on Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:51 AM, said:

keilbaca, on Tue Feb 28, 2006 11:25 AM, said:

It gets really... repetitive. Its just best to stay in one spot and blast away.

Uhm... maybe it'd be less repetitive if you'd move some?

Um I did move, and seen no increase in score counts, with ways to die like the pits.

[D.Yancey]

keilbaca, on Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:31 PM, said:

Cybergoth, on Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:51 AM, said:

keilbaca, on Tue Feb 28, 2006 11:25 AM, said:

It gets really... repetitive. Its just best to stay in one spot and blast away.

Uhm... maybe it'd be less repetitive if you'd move some?

Um I did move, and seen no increase in score counts, with ways to die like the pits.

Staying in one place is not a good tactic for me especially when attacking the bunkers at the end of the wave. I pretty much stay in motion all the time. You must make sure the replacement soldiers do not reappear near you character or it's curtains!

[SpiceWare]

17,600

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

Ok, I beat the 8 levels like 3-4 times in a row and it got really boring after... hm... maybe 1.5 hours. I thought 1/4 of the world record is good enough, so I let all players die at precisely 250.000

Greetings,
Manuel

[bcprs1]

I don't remember how many points you get, but you can blow up the trucks if your timing is right.

[keilbaca]

Cybergoth, on Wed Mar 1, 2006 3:19 PM, said:

Hi there!

Ok, I beat the 8 levels like 3-4 times in a row and it got really boring after... hm... maybe 1.5 hours. I thought 1/4 of the world record is good enough, so I let all players die at precisely 250.000

Greetings,
Manuel

wow!!

I sure wish I had a Onyx Jr... to pause it...

[Cybergoth]

keilbaca, on Wed Mar 1, 2006 10:15 PM, said:

I sure wish I had a Onyx Jr... to pause it...

You can pause whenever you like, just hide your soldier under a bridge

The difficulty doesn't change at all in the game, so once you manage to beat the 8 levels it becomes a plain endurance test

[keilbaca]

Cybergoth, on Wed Mar 1, 2006 4:16 PM, said:

keilbaca, on Wed Mar 1, 2006 10:15 PM, said:

I sure wish I had a Onyx Jr... to pause it...

You can pause whenever you like, just hide your soldier under a bridge

The difficulty doesn't change at all in the game, so once you manage to beat the 8 levels it becomes a plain endurance test

Hmmm... good point...

[LarcenTyler]

Note to self: Enlisting for duty when half-asleep is not a good way to earn points!

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[LarcenTyler]

Well, getting slightly better.

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[SpiceWare]

25,200

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[SpiceWare]

42,300

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[Rom Hunter]

Getting a high score isn't the problem.
Getting the most medals is what this game is all about.

Edited by Rom Hunter, Mon Mar 6, 2006 11:43 AM.

[Cybergoth]

So you just leeched your score? That's pretty lame
(...and against the rules...)

The medals reset from 8 to 1. I think I played at least 4 full loops through the 8 levels for my score.

[vdub_bobby]

Cybergoth, on Mon Mar 6, 2006 8:04 AM, said:

So you just leeched your score?

[Rom Hunter]

Leeched?
What do you mean?

I kept playing on the first level.

[Cybergoth]

It's a term mostly used in MARP context I think. It means racking up lots of points or lifes by not playing the game as it is intended to be played. For example excessive saucer hunting in Asteroids. Or as possibly in this case, not moving forward.

The MARP rules say for example:

Quote

h) Point or life leeching is strongly discouraged, and banned on some games, as described in the banned techniques list, or in the specific game's special rules. You cannot continuously gain points without some degree of risk and you must keep moving to complete a level.

The HSC rules say:

Quote

PLEASE DON'T ABUSE BUGS IN THE GAMES! Many Atari games have loopholes that allow you to easily get huge amounts of points without much work (An example of such "Point Scumming": in Asteroids, you can eliminate all but one small asteroid, and then "hunt" UFO's without the level ending), or finish the game while skipping a lot of the actual content (For example, using the X-Ray cheat in Superman to prevent the bridge from exploding). Not only do these result in somewhat bogus high scores, but it ruins the fun and challenge of the game in the process.

[Rom Hunter]

Ok,

I moved forward now.

I stopped at 8 medals, 5 lives and 250200 points.

Nobody calls me a lame game player...