Donkey Kong Forum
Other Classic Arcade Games => Classic Arcade Game Discussion => Topic started by: ChrisP on November 16, 2014, 05:11:19 pm
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Galaxian was one of the major "holes" in my classic gaming experience. It came out a couple years before my time, and back then games had pretty much a 6 months-to-a-year lifecycle after which they'd start disappearing from locations, so by the time I was old enough to become enamored with arcade games, Galaxian had already come and gone. I was a Pac Man/Donkey Kong/Frogger brat. Wherever there'd once been a Galaxian, there was now a Galaga. So it passed me by.
George Strain recommended it to me a few months ago when I was frustrated with Galaga, and George generally knows his shit, so this week I decided to catch up with it (35 years late).
Those of you who watched my grim play last night can see that I am as raw as it gets at this game, but I have to admit, I already have a very favorable opinion of it. I'm not ready to say that I like it more than Galaga, but I'm definitely ready to say that I respect it more than Galaga. I'd put it like this: a lot of the time when you die in Galaga, it's because they missed. When you die in Galaxian, it's because YOU missed. I like that. This game makes me rage a lot less than Galaga. For me, that's usually a sign that the game is well-designed and not a cheap, cheating bastard.
In any case, there was a thread or some such mentioned in the chat last night that sounds like something I would want to read. I believe it was Ross who mentioned it. Do any of you know what that link is? I'd like to get a little more nuts-and-bolts theory into my head before spending too much time figuring things out that I don't need to figure out.
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http://forums.marpirc.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12706 (http://forums.marpirc.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12706)
That thread details some of the swarm triggers - something I totally ignore when I play, which I really shouldn't.
There are plenty of tactics that will allow you to improve your game without having to count enemies, such as knowing generally where not to be, stockpiling mother ships, picking off purple enemies higher in the sky, picking off fleet enemies as opposed to diving enemies, and actually letting diving enemies pass you so you can focus more fire on the fleet.
Before you learn any other measures to contain the swarm, learn how to use the mother ships to manage the level.
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Kreygasm
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I have a Galaxian cab, but it has a board issue that I have the parts for hopefully. Just have to get around to fixing it. I know Steve W is really into this game as well. I generally feel the same way as you re: Galaxian/Galaga. It's also pretty impressive for its time: first color game etc. As far as resources, I remember there being a few interviews with Aart about how he plays the game, and maybe there's some forum posts or something too, I don't know. Tim Hett is streaming it right now: http://www.twitch.tv/timhett (http://www.twitch.tv/timhett)
Galaxian thread go!
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http://forums.marpirc.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12706 (http://forums.marpirc.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12706)
What a shitty guide. It doesn't even tell you how to double up your ships. Kappa
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It's one of my favorite games for sure, I never get tired of playing it. I managed to cross 200k a few weeks ago and my next goal is 300k, I don't count ships or anything either and don't think you need to provided you don't make poor decisions (like following a convoy into a corner), etc and you shoot well. You can also pseudo control which way convoys flank away or towards you which tends to help when you need to control the wave via the flagship.
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I've been meaning to get into Galaxian. I usually play it on my 60-1 after I play a round of Galaga then get turned off by how slow it is. It seems to take a higher degree of shooting skill than Galaga which I like. Can't just spam the fire button non-stop. Kappa
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Nice to see my favourite game getting some love at last.
Chris I watched your game for a bit the other morning.
The main thing I noticed is that you seemed to permanently have your finger on the fire button. This is a big "no no." Remember you can only have one missile on screen at a time. Take your time and pick your shots you'll be amazed how quickly your accuracy improves.
Here's an interview I did with Aart at RU with some tips at the end - www.retrouprising.com/index.php?pid=aart-van-vliet (http://www.retrouprising.com/index.php?pid=aart-van-vliet)
The best advice I can give apart from picking your shots is to remember that the Yellow enemies when hit (when charging) trigger a cease fire for a few seconds (mentioned by VON above) try to use this and strip down as much of the formation as you can particularly concentrate on the purples..
Good Luck
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Just set a new PB of 13k. 100k is right around the corner. Kappa
Yeah, those purple ones are jerk wads.
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Thanks for the tips.
I went on a major bender last night and got into the serious "FUCK YOU, GAME!" zone.
I think I've got the hang of this now and my aim has improved by leaps, oyer/oyea.
Me: 33,730 (BA: 34,610 <mad>)
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Chit game
Kappa
(hides from Wags & Jojo)