Volcano Run Guide
Written by Q.T. Quazar
Here are some suggestions to guarantee the full 1,000 NP every time you play:
1. Realize that your biggest advantage in this game is not skill, but computer
speed. A slower computer will allow a difference of at least 1,000 points in
terms of saved reaction time. I've tested this out on a PII vs. an Athlon 64 and
there's no question. Sadly, I play on an Athlon 64, making a top score very,
very difficult.
2. One player mentions that you should brake constantly in the game, releasing
the brake when in danger. this technique puts in you in as much danger from a
late-rising/falling block as remaining at full speed does from an
early-rising/falling block. The ideal position is more difficult--just as you
must constantly tap to fly level, you should constantly hold and release the
brake to remain in between braked/full-speed. this gives you a wider range of
motion, especially when you climb over the 3000 points mark.
3. The ideal flying height when going through tunnels is slightly above the
middle of the tunnel. You want to be able to drop & accelerate or brake & rise
as necessary--it's quicker to drop and accelerate so compensate by flying
slightly higher. there's another reason too...
4. Collision detection at the bottom of the tunnel is more severe than at the
top of the tunnel. you can submerge about a third of your shield at the top,
whereas if your shield brushes the bottom, chances are it will burst. your
hatbox seems to be low-centered in general, so when passing objects, try to
near-miss top-side instead of bottom-side.
5. Experience has taught me that the ideal screen size is X-Large. Large has a
smoother feeling but it can be hard to see late-rising/falling bricks. At full
screen, it is difficult for most players to focus on the entire screen at once
(very important if you are an experienced side-scroller player because you need
to simultaneously track all objects on screen, particularly new objects entering
from the right).
7. The lava cheat should be entered as late as you can delay it. Less
experienced players should obviously do it if they've lost their shields after
2,000 and are just trying to make NP. More experienced players will want to wait
until right before a high score-speed change, say right before 4,000. This is
because your chances of losing the shield in tunnels become exponentially higher
after 3,000 as the faster blocks allow less margin of error, so you want the
protection later when you will really have difficulty controlling and are likely
to smash into a block or fireball, rather than brush the tunnel walls.
8. The best place to type 'lava' is when passing between two of the crystal
caverns (the cavern narrows just a little and there may be one or two vertical
bricks--least dangerous section of the maze). You can click mouse buttons
between typing 'lava' but you cannot brake without it wrecking the cheat. I'm
not sure if you can auto-set a key under Windows to type 'lava' for you--I would
imagine so but I haven't tried. I usually type 'l', dodge one brick and then 'ava'.
9. My PB was around 7,000 points, done without cheats or tricks, before the site
wide score wipe, sadly. A good test of your skill is to do the following: Start
the game and purposely lose until you start out next to a shield+tunnel. If you
can fly through the tunnel without tapping your brake or losing your shield,
then you're ready for the high score list. This is extremely hard to do at the
start of the game because the speed of the blocks is very, very slow and so they
are difficult to maneuver around since you fly at such a slow starting speed
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