Keystone Capers - 1 Million...and ALL secrets revealed !!

RMRUCZEK - 05:40pm Oct 29, 2000 (#16 of 951)

Keystone Capers - 1 Million...and ALL secrets revealed !!
Hello again to all fellow Keystone fans:
Another Activision title has had it's million barrier busted. I previously killed the game at 300K but wanted to be the first to hit 1M. In the process, I found out some more cool tactics and tips. Here they are, providing they are not truncated by the TG message board limitations...

The game starts out pretty easy, and eventually settles into a pattern that is ONLY seen when you pass 35-45K, depending on your points per board. You will know you are in the pattern once the following two key indicators are present...

1st - you start to see, to your immediate left of start, two (2) red bars moving up and down, whereby if you "duck" under each as they reach their crests, it takes you six (6) ducking maneuvers to reach the left side of the screen

2nd - the airplanes are FAST, requiring at least 6, if not 7, run/duck maneuvers to reach the next side of the screen

Now you are in the pattern, and here is what you should do. The following situations come up from the immediate start position...

Starting Pattern (A) - to your immediate left of start is the pair of red bars...use the ducking maneuver six times to make your way across, slowly but surely. It is far safe that trying to jump over them. After that, the next screen are the double hoppers. Jump over them to the 3rd screen, which is the fast airplane...though you CAN make it across with six run/duck maneuvers, sometimes it takes seven. You are now at the elevator, with a slow hopper car on screen on the bottom level.

Starting Pattern (B) - same as "A" above, with pair of red bars, but next screen is a treasure, followed by an airplane

Starting Pattern (C) - same as "A" above, but after the red bars and the double hoppers is a treasure

Starting Pattern (D) - this one leads to the BIGGEST BONUS POSSIBLE...to your immediate left is a treasure and NOT red bars, then to your left are double hoppers, then a fast airplane. Later, I will go into extreme details on this particular pattern.

Now that you've reached the elevator below, what to do. EXCEPT for starting pattern "D", I always get onto the elevator, ride it up to the MIDDLE LEVEL, then when the door opens, and the fast plane passes me by, I quickly get out & duck down, waiting to see where the criminal is.

You have to gauge where he is in relation to the elevator going up and down. More often that not, you will see that the elevator reaches the middle level going up while on counter 35 or so, and the criminal closing in fast. Do NOT get in at this point. Instead, wait until it starts to go down again, get in, and ride it back up. You will reach the top at around counter 22-24 and will be able to catch the criminal at counter 16-18 for a nice 4,800-5,400 bonus. This is what happens with the FAST criminal.

Now for the MEDIUM SPEED criminal, EXCEPT in starting pattern "D". You will find that due to the timing of the criminal approaching the elevator, you will be unable to get into the elevator with the above timing else you will chase the criminal to the right of the upper level and lose him. Instead, risk one more elevator go-by, and get in, careful NOT to hit ANYTHING at this point, and you will typically catch the criminal on the roof as the timer is at 9 or 10, rarely 11, which means you CANNOT get hit.

The rarest of the rare is the VERY FAST criminal. You will see, as you reach with starting patterns EXCEPT pattern "D", that the criminal is at or near the upper right coming towards the left, while the elevator above is at the top level going down, and the timer is at 35-36. Due to the timing of this, you will be able to get into the elevator while the criminal is close by, and you will actually be on the middle level with the doors opening as the criminal is right on screen heading left. You will get out on top with the timer at or near 25-27, and will head left fast enough that the criminal is still on-screen, thus there are no airplanes there. Quickly head left to grab him for a whopping 6,900-7,500 bonus.

In any event, the three scenarios above, after you get out at the top, you head left. The next screen is ALWAYS a fast plane, and the screen after that is ALWAYS three magnets to jump over. No matter how close you are to the criminal, you will never see him physically climbing the stairs, so if you cross the three magnets, at best, he will be on the rooftop heading right. Climb up to get him. If quick enough, and he is still on the next screen, there are NO MAGNETS PRESENT, in that event, so run straight into him for a nice bonus. In the MEDIUM speed criminal scenario, you will have to cross the three magnets on the roof, and sometimes three more after that followed by a hopper car heading at you vertical with the elevator screens, and the criminal is right in front of you.

Now for the starting pattern "D", which yields the massive bonus !!

As soon as you start and head left, if you do NOT see the pair of red bars, and only the treasure, keep running left, getting the treasure. In the next screen you will encounter the double hoppers. Jump them both, careful not to jump the last one TOO closely to the left side of the screen, else the fast plane in the next screen over will get you. That leads to the fast plane. Carefully, but quickly, make the way across, and in the next screen, the elevator car will be on the ground floor, doors about to open, and you must attempt to get in there for this bonus to work out right, else the screens become hell (i.e. harder to finish with a good bonus)

Get in, ride it to the middle level where a fast plane is, and as soon as the doors open, let the fast plane pass by then get out and quickly head right, ducking a total of two times along the way to the right-most screen edge. In that screen, always, there are three magnets to jump over. Negotiate them quickly. Next screen over, USUALLY there is a fast plane to negotiate, but sometimes there is a treasure worth 50 points. Note that when the treasure is there worth 50 points, that is the far better scenario as detailed below once you get to the upper level. The next screen over are double hoppers. Jump them and head to the staircase going to the upper level.

Now, depending on whether you had a plane after the triple magnets or a treasure, one of two things happen...

1st - If a plane was encountered after the magnets, you lost some time ducking. Therefore, after you exit the escalator above, the next screen to the left is a fast plane. Quickly negotiate this and head left. The criminal is ahead. You will USUALLY, after passing the plane, see either a blank screen OR a treasure, with the criminal able to be caught in the next screen over. Timer bonus is between 30-31 seconds at best for 9,000-9,300 bonus

2nd - If you did NOT have a plane after the magnets, then you probably got out of the escalator with the criminal in direct sight while on the screen to the immediate left of the escalator exit on the upper level, so you can run unhampered to catch the criminal, and get a 32-33 second timer bonus at best for 9,600-9,900 points. MAYBE, just MAYBE, the bonus was at 34 second in one of my attempts, but don't quote me on it.

Well, that's the key to getting a million. In truth, I was averaging only 97-105K per half hour before I realized that in starting pattern "D" it was better to get out and brave the enemies on the middle level rather than engage in elevator manipulation and end up with a pitiful 300 point timer bonus on the roof. If I knew that earlier, then my completion time would not have been 4 hrs 23 min but 3:L45-4:00 or so.

LAST HINT - to start a GREAT game off, keep hitting reset and running left until you stat with the elevator on the middle level heading UP. This guarantees that with good execution, you will start the first six boards with a NICE start towards your record score. try it and see what I mean. Things won't get dicey until the 7th stage, but once the pattern sets in you are okay.

NOTE - this pattern...the double red bars moving as indicated above...which quickly bounce down thend up again and in an arc for you to duck under (optimally), the planes that follow them are still at a speed where you can make it across with FIVE (5) run/duck maneuvers...eventually picking up speed to maximize whereby you require at minimum six, but with ease seven, run/duck maneuvers. It is at THAT point that you are in "the pattern".

Once you reach 999,950, the next "point" awarded, which is worth a minimum of 50, changes all the score digits to white extra men-looking characters. I did so while capturing a criminal, and I started the next screen, continuing until I ran over a treasure worth 50 points, then the game froze. usually, in an Activision game, that doesn't happen quite like that...it's an automatic freeze, but I guess this is an exception.

That's it. Feel free to E-MAIL me if any questions.

Robert T Mruczek Star Wars champion





dougy76 - 03:55pm Nov 02, 2000 (#10.1 of 951)

Keystone Kapers
Hey Rob,
I remember playing Keystone Kapers for maybe 2 hours and I couldn't die. I probably discovered a pattern similar to yours. I don't think my score was 1,000,000, but I remember getting so bored, I just quit.




RMRUCZEK - 06:09pm Nov 02, 2000 (#10.1.1 of 951)

Probably 400-500K
Hi:
If you played for two hours, the range of your scores would have to be 400-500K. The reason for the huge range increase...I have two different styles for competing a particular sequence, the one I detailed as having NO pair of red dots to the immediate left of start. One method yields a 9-10K timer bonus, which occurs 2-3 times per half hour, the other yields a 300-900 point timer bonus.

My average score per half-hour is in the 95-105K range, meaning 190-210K/hr, augmented by about 25K per half hour at best, so 400-500K, about, for your game. Unless you knew a really cool secret that I haven't even discovered yet, my educated guess is that this is where your score fell. And you are correct, it gets kind of boring. My game time was 4 hrs, 23 min or so, but I discovered the way to get an extra 25K per half hour late in the game, not until 700K, which explains why my game wasn't 4 hours.

I estimate that the fastest possible completion is approx 3:45-4:05 or so, in that range, for those interested in speed records.

I must admit...it's too bad the game does not get any harder. I would like to see it get progressively harder, even to the point where it takes a miracle to make it thru. After all, that would REALLY show who is tops. In my opinion, my million score is no more skillful than a 45K score...I just lasted longer. And I know I'll get hammered over saying that, but it's the way I feel. Just my two cents.

One more thing...congrats one reaching that level of gameplay even before I did...you are one of the pioneering scorers on this title then !!

Robert T Mruczek Star Wars champion




dougy76 - 09:41am Nov 03, 2000 (#10.1.1.1 of 951)

Keystone Kapers
Hey Rob,
When I was a kid playing that game in the mid-80's, I could get pretty far into the game, but not far enough to reach the maximum level of difficulty. So I guess I figured it always got harder. Then a few years ago when I got back into classic gaming/collecting I played it and couldn't die. And I was a bit disappointed the game didn't get anymore difficult. So, I'll probably never play it again. Do you know if it is the same on Atari 5200 and/or Colecovision? Perhaps it gets harder and harder on these ports? I've only challenged the Atari 2600 version and I'm assuming you have been playing this one also.




RMRUCZEK - 10:05am Nov 03, 2000 (#10.1.1.1.1 of 951)

Sorry, never Played a 5200
Hi:
Believe it or not, I've never even seen a 5200 system up close, let alone played any of it's games, so I can't provide you with info on the 5200 version. Sorry !!

Robert T Mruczek Star Wars champion