Jump to content

All my products and services are free. All my costs are met by donations I receive from my users. If you enjoy using any of my products, please donate to support me. Thank you for your support. Tom Speirs

Patreon

Robotron: 2084


Recommended Posts

  • 5 months later...
  • 1 year later...

The Robotron scoreboard has been dormant for way too long!  Looks like Black Widow is poised to win the April '17 GOTM election, so thought I'd practice my twin stick skills on the granddaddy of them all.    

633,400

New personal best at difficulty 5.  Actually, I think that is my best regardless of difficulty setting.  Though it's still a long way away, this run made 1mil feel possible.  But feelings are one thing and reality is quite another.  For most mere mortals, Robotron is very fickle; the game likes to build you up and then turn around and rip you down.  You get a 500k+ game, then play again and die 3 times before the first brain wave.    

 

y4mu6ZwU85SsWJ6J6qCNnSkzymqfUIFM0row6mWf

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, not having a dual stick setup does hinder your capabilities.  I only had 1 stick on the "control panel" (if you want to call it that) I made, and was never able to try this game more.  I have a dual stick (dualshock/xbox type) controller, but never set it up.  Might have to go through that for Black Widow.

And I hear ya about the game making you feel good one minute then kill you outright the next.  A lot of my scoring runs tend to go that way.  If I spend the time to actually PLAY it and not just a couple of minutes then call it quits, I get into a rhythm like that where you're unstoppable.  You think "I got this", and sure, you do for a while.  Then all of a sudden, your nose itches or something and for a split second you lose focus and it's all down the drain.  :) Nice of you to submit a score for this game again.  When I have some free time, I'm definitely going to be going back into our older roster of games and try to freshen up a new score here and there!

Updated OP, DB, RSS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's true...  unfortunately for those who do not have a suitable setup, I think Robotron kind of requires something resembling real-deal controls to play at home.  Sure, you can "screw around" a bit in the game with an Xbox 360 controller or a keyboard, but I just don’t see anybody being able to score anywhere near their actual potential without dual arcade-style 8-way sticks.

The Xbox controller at least provides the dual independent sticks, but since they're analog, they're really sloppy and imprecise for Robotron, which routinely requires accurate maneuvering through very narrow passages to survive.  Maybe some modern gamer types have mastered the use of dual analog thumbsticks for precise controls to the point where Robotron could be played at a high level, but for me it would be like trying to play guitar wearing mittens, and I'd probably smash the controller in frustration before I got anywhere with it.      

As for Black Widow, that game has the same control scheme as Robotron, but IMO, the similarity between the two games pretty much ends there.  Black Widow is a tough game as well, but generally speaking it's not nearly as twitchy as Robotron because the playfield is typically not as crowded with hazards.  I've never tested this assumption, but perhaps this fact would make BW slightly more forgiving of the Xbox controller. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...

Man I hear ya!  Simple enough to play, but I can't do any better!  :)  Another "similar" game to this I remember playing as a kid is Gremlins.  Man I had a blast with that game once I learned what I was supposed to be doing lol.

Updated OP, DB, RSS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...