I was playing Centipede today and I got to thinking about that spider. Many people consider him a menace, in that he can pounce on you like a heat-seeking missile and quickly end your game. My friend Jon even asked if I could turn the spider "off" altogether.
But is that the spider's fault, or is the player's greed? If you keep your distance, you can usually avoid the spider, but people want those 900 points. Not only does can the spider pad your point total, but he also clears out mushrooms on the bottom of the screen. Is he really such a bad guy?
Centipede Spider: Evil or Misunderstood?
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VideoGameCritic
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m0zart1
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Centipede Spider: Evil or Misunderstood?
[QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]I was playing Centipede today and I got to thinking about that spider. Many people consider him a menace, in that he can pounce on you like a heat-seeking missile and quickly end your game. My friend Jon even asked if I could turn the spider "off" altogether.
But is that the spider's fault, or is the player's greed? If you keep your distance, you can usually avoid the spider, but people want those 900 points. Not only does can the spider pad your point total, but he also clears out mushrooms on the bottom of the screen. Is he really such a bad guy?[/QUOTE]
Just like real spiders, there's good and bad. Spiders are scarey (to me) and all are poisonous (though not all of them are poisonous enough to affect humans). Yet, without them, our world could become infiltrated with insects.
Being an arachnophobe, I usually always try to kill the spider on Centipede. It's probably why I suck at that game.
But is that the spider's fault, or is the player's greed? If you keep your distance, you can usually avoid the spider, but people want those 900 points. Not only does can the spider pad your point total, but he also clears out mushrooms on the bottom of the screen. Is he really such a bad guy?[/QUOTE]
Just like real spiders, there's good and bad. Spiders are scarey (to me) and all are poisonous (though not all of them are poisonous enough to affect humans). Yet, without them, our world could become infiltrated with insects.
Being an arachnophobe, I usually always try to kill the spider on Centipede. It's probably why I suck at that game.
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Atarifever1
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Centipede Spider: Evil or Misunderstood?
I just today ordered the 2600 trackball controller, almost totally because of that spider. There's no question, he is evil. Sure, maybe once in awhile I get greedy, but 9 times out of 10 he kills me just because he's a sadistic monster. I mean, I'm just some magical elf trying to groom my little mushroom garden, I'm hardly at fault here.
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Alienblue
Centipede Spider: Evil or Misunderstood?
A.B., the science guy here, agreeing with the post that said spiders ARE NOT EVIL they are nevessary. I had a pet spider once and they re fascinating creatures. Spiders close relatives, the scorpions, may have been the first animals on land (millions of years before dinosaurs, there were SEA SCORPIONS over 8 feet long!)
But we are talking about VIDEOGAME spiders. The characters in centipede are surely not evil. They just do their thing while YOU, you evil human, try to KILL THEM! Protect your mushroom patch!? Then WHY ARE YOU SHOOTING MUSHROOMS TOO!? The spider just jumps around, the scopion doesn't even get near YOU-it's actually harmfull to the CENTIPEDE! And The flea won't even appear if you leave 5 or more mushrooms in your zone.
I dunno about MILLIPEDE THOUGH. There, the Arachnids and insects gang up on you and make BEElines for you more. (more science though: As someone said, all Spiders are poisonous. All CENTIPEDES are poisonous too, and predatory. MILLIPEDES, on the other hand, are peaceful vegetarians. The largest arthopod that ever lived on land was a carboniforous period MILLIPEDE that grew to 8 feet long! But it was still just a plant scavenger!)
But we are talking about VIDEOGAME spiders. The characters in centipede are surely not evil. They just do their thing while YOU, you evil human, try to KILL THEM! Protect your mushroom patch!? Then WHY ARE YOU SHOOTING MUSHROOMS TOO!? The spider just jumps around, the scopion doesn't even get near YOU-it's actually harmfull to the CENTIPEDE! And The flea won't even appear if you leave 5 or more mushrooms in your zone.
I dunno about MILLIPEDE THOUGH. There, the Arachnids and insects gang up on you and make BEElines for you more. (more science though: As someone said, all Spiders are poisonous. All CENTIPEDES are poisonous too, and predatory. MILLIPEDES, on the other hand, are peaceful vegetarians. The largest arthopod that ever lived on land was a carboniforous period MILLIPEDE that grew to 8 feet long! But it was still just a plant scavenger!)
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VideoGameCritic
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Centipede Spider: Evil or Misunderstood?
So what is the best strategy against the spider? Do you stay away from him, avoiding the edges of the screen and keeping your distance? Or do you aggressively pursue him? Or something in the middle?
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Funkmaster V
Centipede Spider: Evil or Misunderstood?
[QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]So what is the best strategy against the spider? Do you stay away from him, avoiding the edges of the screen and keeping your distance? Or do you aggressively pursue him? Or something in the middle?
[/QUOTE]
Kill that dude! You get tons of points for him and it is a point accumilating game. Centipede sessions are pretty short anyway. It's a good way to maximize points without tapping harder levels....
Hey, I almost started a game guide... but I stopped myself.
Funkmaster V
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Alienblue
Centipede Spider: Evil or Misunderstood?
"How do you react to the Spider?"
First, in real life, I would NEVER intentionally squash a "bug" as inverterbrates are called (actally a BUG is one type of insect. Bedbugs and Stinkbugs ARE bugs, Ants and bees are not);
everything has a purpose. The spider you kill might've eaten the fly that carried a deadly disease to you!
But I digress: In the game, I work the middle, cocentrating on the Centipede and scorpion and using peripheral vision to watch for the spider. When he darts out, look for an opening and ZIP to the side he came from since HERE he can't go backwards (they can after a certain score in Millipede!) ; then do I shoot him? Early on yes. When he is moving slow. Once he starts bobbing like crazy it is not worth the risk-the game is CENTIPEDE not SPIDER!
First, in real life, I would NEVER intentionally squash a "bug" as inverterbrates are called (actally a BUG is one type of insect. Bedbugs and Stinkbugs ARE bugs, Ants and bees are not);
everything has a purpose. The spider you kill might've eaten the fly that carried a deadly disease to you!
But I digress: In the game, I work the middle, cocentrating on the Centipede and scorpion and using peripheral vision to watch for the spider. When he darts out, look for an opening and ZIP to the side he came from since HERE he can't go backwards (they can after a certain score in Millipede!) ; then do I shoot him? Early on yes. When he is moving slow. Once he starts bobbing like crazy it is not worth the risk-the game is CENTIPEDE not SPIDER!
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VideoGameCritic
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Centipede Spider: Evil or Misunderstood?
What about the fleas? For 100 pts they don't seem worth it to me.
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Alienblue
Centipede Spider: Evil or Misunderstood?
VGC-fleas? Try Hartz flea powder. Thats good.
Seriously, same rule as spiders. Centipede starts out pretty easy (compared to Millipede), so even though they are "only 100" the hundreds can add up. When the Centipede is moving down SLOW, shoot mushrooms to get the fleas. Again, after 8-10 boards IGNORE THIS RULE. At that point, masters usually try to clear as many UPPER mushrooms-to keep the centipede from rushing down and the scorpion from poisioning them. It takes a while but it IS possible to clear the screen top. Meanwhile, build a block of at least ten mushrooms, out of your way, on the bottom (fleas come out when there are 5 or less mushrooms in your zone in early rounds, but this number increases as the boards go up!)
THE SCORPION'S A'COMIN' HE CAN REALLY HELP YOUR SCORE
BUT THE CENTIPEDES IMMORTAL KEEPS COMING BACK FOR MORE
(REACH-FOR ATARI!) remember that song?
Seriously, same rule as spiders. Centipede starts out pretty easy (compared to Millipede), so even though they are "only 100" the hundreds can add up. When the Centipede is moving down SLOW, shoot mushrooms to get the fleas. Again, after 8-10 boards IGNORE THIS RULE. At that point, masters usually try to clear as many UPPER mushrooms-to keep the centipede from rushing down and the scorpion from poisioning them. It takes a while but it IS possible to clear the screen top. Meanwhile, build a block of at least ten mushrooms, out of your way, on the bottom (fleas come out when there are 5 or less mushrooms in your zone in early rounds, but this number increases as the boards go up!)
THE SCORPION'S A'COMIN' HE CAN REALLY HELP YOUR SCORE
BUT THE CENTIPEDES IMMORTAL KEEPS COMING BACK FOR MORE
(REACH-FOR ATARI!) remember that song?
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Funkmaster V
Centipede Spider: Evil or Misunderstood?
[QUOTE=Alienblue]"How do you react to the Spider?"
First, in real life, I would NEVER intentionally squash a "bug" as inverterbrates are called (actally a BUG is one type of insect. Bedbugs and Stinkbugs ARE bugs, Ants and bees are not);
everything has a purpose. The spider you kill might've eaten the fly that carried a deadly disease to you!
But I digress: In the game, I work the middle, cocentrating on the Centipede and scorpion and using peripheral vision to watch for the spider. When he darts out, look for an opening and ZIP to the side he came from since HERE he can't go backwards (they can after a certain score in Millipede!) ; then do I shoot him? Early on yes. When he is moving slow. Once he starts bobbing like crazy it is not worth the risk-the game is CENTIPEDE not SPIDER!
[/QUOTE]
FUNK
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