Tut tut

[hchien]

I'm far from an expert in this game, but I have done that horizontal shot in a vertical corridor by accident before.  I think what is happening is that laser takes a split second to absorb into the wall (it's a line, not a point) and you can run and shoot in this game.  So if you fire horizontally while running up/down (and the enemy is close), the enemy can hit the tail end of the laser before it fully absorbs into the wall.  I never experimented to see if you can do it with left/right fire only. 

[xelnia]

Konami vs. Stern ROMsets

I've attached an image below that illustrates the major differences between the Konami (tutankhm) and Stern (tutankhms) versions of the game. Seeing as how Stern made the game for Konami, the differences will make sense.



Tada. That's it. Just the copyright message on the title screen. This can be verified by digging the through the code in the relevant ROMs. The only affected data is stuff that relates to the copyright graphics.

[xelnia]

Tut, you goofy-eyed fk...

[Monstabonza]

So, how the hell do you do lvl 3,
I have no idea at all how to get past it.

[xelnia]

So, how the hell do you do lvl 3,
I have no idea at all how to get past it.

Here's my current strategy, though I'm not having 100% success with it.

Each red box in the picture below is where I try to be when the swarms happen. I try to work from each spot to the next after a swarm. Ignoring the deviations to get the treasure, it looks something like this:

1. For Box 1, just get there ASAP. Depending on when you finish Stage 2, you might have time to grab the key right away, but it's probably better to just wait it out and deal with the next swarm. Getting to the key should be pretty easy after that. Up the left side and over the top.

2. Getting to Box 2 is tricky for me. Sometimes a lot of bats will spawn out of the nearby spawn points and there's no way to beat them to Box 2 from the bottom area of the screen. If I'm close to a swarm, I'll just back track to the area over the top of the first big enclosure and wipe the enemies from the screen. Then I'll head back. If there are no bats I can usually get to Box 2 even if the gorgons spawn from the top. They're slower. Once I make it there, I just spam the laser to the right to pick off anything that comes out of that nearby spawn point, and quickly pick off anything that comes down from the left.

3. Heading to Box 3 I go down the left side of the central spawn point as that makes it easier to deal with any enemies coming up to meet me. Box 3 is not a spot you can park in, so you'll have to shimmy back and forth in that area to deal with a swarm. The real goal is to get to Box 4 before any swarm happens.

4. I want to be waiting at Box 4 for a swarm so I can spam the laser to the right and then immediately gun it for the final doors when the swarm ends. Go up and over the walls that block your path, not between them. Go between them on the way back (also the best time to grab that last treasure). I have trouble dealing with swarms in the final section of the maze, so I want to get in and out ASAP, otherwise I end up using a flash bomb.

5. Then it's just a matter of working backwards and repeating the process.

[xelnia]

Magical Shitty Laser

Fun facts about the laser:

1. You can only fire a shot once the previous shot has hit a wall, an enemy, or dissipated by traveling far enough in open space.
2. Shots can be fired continuously by holding the fire stick in one direction (but they will still follow the rules in Fun Fact #1).
3. You can fire shots over or under enemies. Just being in the same tile as an enemy does not guarantee a hit.
4. The laser is right-biased, something I have just figured out in the past couple of days.

Take a look at these two setups:



Common sense would dictate that these tactical scenarios, though mirrored, are equal. The enemies approach from the essentially the same direction (they must move up and then over to reach you) and the player has the same amount of time to react to enemies coming from the spawn point. However, these situations are far from equal. The picture on the left is a slaughterhouse for the enemies. You could park there all day, spam shots to the right, and you'll never die. The picture on the right is a death trap for our intrepid explorer. Ooooh...Intrepid. Lit?

For whatever reason, enemies can slip through shots fired to left even if the wall is only 1 tile away. This is extremely important if you find yourself in a tight situation and are hunkered down in an alcove where the enemies will approach you from the left. I died so many times while spamming in the long vertical corridor near the end of Stage 2 and it frustrated the hell out of me.

Perhaps this is a programming bug, or an unintentional side effect with how the objects are rendered/refreshed on the screen. The wall shot appears to only work when firing to the right so maybe the two are related.

The lesson here is that shots to the left must be carefully timed. Thank you magical shitty laser.

[Shnypz]

Nice lvl 3 write-up. I've gotten close to completing it (on the way back to the exit with key#2) but that's about it. That key at the beginning of the level gnarly. I haven't gotten it w/o using a flash bomb first.

On the upside, level 1 and 2 are a breeze at this point.

[marinomitch13]

If I'm close to a swarm, I'll just back track to the area over the top of the first big enclosure and wipe the enemies from the screen. Then I'll head back.

Yer, backtracking to wipe enemies off the screen is huge in this game.

[xelnia]

Explorer Respawns

Here are some maps indicating the respawn points for the explorer when a life is lost. The red boxes are the tiles in which he respawns and the arrows indicate the horizontal sections that correspond to each respawn point.

Things to note:

1) These points are accurate for Stages 1-16, so I'm assuming they remain the same indefinitely.
2) Respawns appear to be solely based on horizontal position.
3) The sections are mostly 16 tiles wide. The first and last sections are larger and smaller, respectively.
4) The explorer must be a full tile into the next section before he will be able to respawn in that area. If he is partly in the previous tile he will respawn in the previous area.
5) Notice that the final tunnels leading to the exits in Stages 1, 3, and 4 wrap around and cross into the previous section's respawn area. This means you can be only a couple tiles from the exit, die, and then respawn very far away. Be careful!

[TheSunshineFund]

I've got to point Bondo over to this thread.  He's a 1m+ pt player I believe and could add some insight I'm sure.

Edit: I sent him a message

[xelnia]

I've got to point Bondo over to this thread.  He's a 1m+ pt player I believe and could add some insight I'm sure.

Edit: I sent him a message

Thanks Steve! I feel a little like a substitute teacher at this point: only able to handle one lesson at a time and no real experience with what I'm talking about. It would be great to have the pros weigh in and confirm or correct (or add to) the info I'm collecting here.

[Barra]

Why dont you ask RTM

[TheSunshineFund]

Why dont you ask RTM

I don't think he plays it all that much

[xelnia]

Why dont you ask RTM

I don't think he plays it all that much

I think the is because I posted some questions about Tut on TG, RTM said he'd take a look, and never responded. In 2003 he posted an analysis of Rob Barrett's WR game and it's in the TG archives. I was under the impression that he would have some insight in to the game settings, at least.

[xelnia]

Old TG Threads:
Rob Mruczek's write-up on Rob Barrett's world record 622,040 game:
NEW World Record on "Tutankham" (Arcade) !!

Several threads on strategy, player PBs, and PB progression:
Latest News on Tut
Tutankham & misc chatter
Tutankham score
Tutankham strategy
Anyone still play Tutankham?

Other Stuff
GameFAQs Walkthrough
Robotron: 2084 Guidebook: How to succeed at Tutankham