BBC micro high scores, from the magazine Micro user (BBC micro user) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Scores collected by W.H.Scholten ( http://wouter.bbcmicro.net/ ) This file was last updated 2017-11-30 =================================================================================================== See also my list of scores from the internet, and my own scores in a few more text files, and see my website where I analyse some game scores, on whether they are real, or made on e.g. an Acorn Electron: http://wouter.bbcmicro.net/ - To get your hands on scans of the magazines have a look here: + http://www.8bs.com/magazines.htm + https://retropdfs.wordpress.com/ Retropdfs's pdfs are, at least for Acorn user, based on the pdfs on 8bs.com, but the retro pdfs have the advantage of added searchable and selectable/copyable text (not perfect but good enough so you can copy and do some slight editing to correct errors). =================================================================================================== I didn't check 'Micro user' thoroughly, so additions are welcome. Are there any high scores printed in this mag other than in the 1988-12, 1989-12, 1990-12 issues? I checked Jan 1984 - Aug 1984, Jan 1986, Nov 1986 and there was nothing. I could have missed something as I only checked the letters section, the table of contents to see if there was a separate highscore section (no) and if there was a games section such as hacman, I then checked that for listing scores. =================================================================================================== This magazine was about the BBC micro, not Acorn Electron, so scores are more likely 'real' (as in: made with a BBC micro version of a game running on a BBC micro) than those in Acorn user. See more on this topic on my site: http://wouter.bbcmicro.net/bbc/spellen/highscores.html =================================================================================================== ============================================================ TMU: BBC micro user/Micro user: ============================================================ ==== TMU 1988-12: p. 71: Hac man ---------- Getting on top Last month I mentioned that I was not a great believer in high score tables. However, since starting this column I've received a number of letters from readers who have asked if their top score for a particular game is the highest in the land. Regular readers may recall that I included high scores for Zarch and Uridium in last month's column. So -- in for a penny, in for a pound -- here is a selection of high scores for many of the most popular games for the BBC Micro. However, in the Hac-Man tradition, it is a high score table with a difference: Each has been achieved by the author of the game. Any additions or amendments are welcome -- from authors as well as players -- but please submit only genuine scores achieved without using any cheat modes or other modifications. I have excluded arcade-adventures, such as the Repton and Thunderstruck series, because each one has an ending and therefore a maximum score, so that potentially everyone who completes a game of this type can achieve that maximum score. I have also excluded Elite and other games in which it is possible to save your position. Once the player has become proficient at these games, high scores are achieved more by persistence than by outright skill. Game Score Author Arcadians 28,500 Orlando Barbarian 55000 Dylan By Fair Means or Foul 230,000 Michael Simpson Crazee Rider 48,500 Kevin Edwards Dune Rider 5,000 Ashley Saulsbury FireTrack 1,400,000 Orlando Fortress 160,000 Mat Newman Galaforce 45,000 Kevin Edwards Galaforce II 177,250 Kevin Edwards Killer Gorilla 80,000 Adrian Stephens Killer Gorilla 2 48,000 Christopher Hyde Mr EE 300,000 Adrian Stephens Positron 200,000 Gary Partis Ransack 150,000 Peter Scott Skirmish 120,000 Delos D. Harriman Space Hi-way 100,000 Mat Newman Thrust 1,000,000+ Jeremy Smith Ultron 50,000 Gary Partis Uridium 100,475 Angus Hughes Zalaga 150,000 Orlando Kevin Edwards tells me that when he achieved his Galaforce II high score he actually started on level 16 -- talk about masochism. ---------- ==== TMU 1989-12: p.99: ---------- High score update Regular readers may remember the December 1988 column, in which I published a table of high scores by the authors of the fea- tured games. I'm not really keen on them because I know how easy it is to achieve ones artificially by dubious methods such as infinite lives pokes. Nevertheless, over the last year I have collect- ed quite a few new ones, including Neil Raine's top scores for his three Acornsoft classics and Kevin Edwards' improved Galaforce II high score. So check Out the table for the first update to the definitive Hac-Man high scores table. Although I don't intend to publish updates very often, new entries are always welcome for any BBC Micro game, old or new. It goes without saying that any scores submitted must have been achieved without the use of any poke rou- tines or built-in cheat modes. Of course there is no way I can tell whether or not a score has been achieved by cheating, but it's only fair on everyone else to play along with this simple rule. For some time now I've been meaning to raise the point that my Master conversions should also allow the game in question to run on the B+ and B+128. However, the hardware and soft- ware architecture of the B+ is considerably clos- er to the model B than is the architecture of the Master, so illegally written games should need far less converting to run on it. While on the subject of B+/Master con- versions, if anyone has persuaded Android Attack, Bounty Bob Strikes Back, Caveman Capers, Contraption, Jet Set Willy, Jet Set Willy II, Manic Miner, Paranoid Pete or Snakepit to run on the Master (or B+), I would be very inter- ested to hear from them. Game Score Player Airwolf 75623 Michael Yick Android Attack 505725 Perdita Patterson Arkanoid 463020 David Jones Bruce Lee 123650 David Collins By Fair Means 262700 Jonathan Simon or Foul Codename Droid 236000 C. Hyatt Commando 98600 Matthew Bain Conqueror 2192100 Dave Smith Dambusters 18100 David Stott (Alligata) Danger UXB 101010 Antony Moss Galaforce II 225750 Kevin Edwards Hopper 43000 Neil Raine Labyrinth 163650 Michael Bailey Meteors 52000 Neil Raine Mr Ee 855400 Cleone Patterson Planetoid 541000 Neil Raine Positron 640580 Chris Beale Ransack 112650 Charles Ewan Revs 1:22.9 A. Hooper Stryker's Run 15700 Michael Bailey (Master version) ---------- ==== TMU 1990-12: p.84 ---------- Top of the class of '90 We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christ- mas, we wish you a merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. And no Christmas would be complete without an update to the Hac Man high-score table. Although the first edition was composed entirely from the high-scores of the authors of the featured games, I have long since thrown it open to all readers. The only qualification for inclusion is that the score must be achieved without the use of pokes or cheat facilities. Of course, I cannot check on the validity of these scores, so I leave it up to individual con. sciences. Most of these scores are quite incredi- ble. all the more so for being genuine. However, three in particular really stands out far me: Gary Hunt's Thrust score, Perdita Patterson's more than five-fold improvement on her own high-score for Android Attack, and Corinne Berg's suc- cess with Tetris. This last one is particularly astounding because Corinne completed more than 900 lines in the course of this record-setting game. She asks: 'Can the scare go to six fig- ures?" Well, Corinne, Tetris stores its high- score table in memory using three bytes for each score, and each byte is used for two digits of the score. For example, a score of 98202 is stored in memory as 098202. I think this answers the question: Yes, Tetris can accept scores up to 999999. Keep going. Incidentally. I have heard of higher scores than some of these. particularly a 30 million-plus Orlando totted up for Zalaga when it was first released way back in 1983. However, these are the highest scores that I have received. If you can do better, drop me a line. The Hac-Man High-score Table GAME SCORE PLAYER Android Attack 2707680 Perdita Patterson By Fair Means or Foul 758340 Kris McCann Conqueror (Strategy game) 3621905 Jonathan Griffiths Conqueror (Arcade game) 121333 Jonathan Griffiths Crazee Rider 105390 Jason Stone Crazy Painter 56540 Jason Stone Frenzy 1327604 Jason Stone Galaforce II 264100 Jason Stone Hopper 37725 Jason Stone Labyrinth 552790 Nick Glencross Skirmish 153500 Chris Harrison Snapper 100000 Jonathan Griffiths Tetris 98202 Corinne Berg Thrust 10080800 Gary Hunt Yie-Ar Kung Fu 875700 Jason Stone Zalaga 456090 Jason Stone ----------