Looking for Solarian II high scores!

This gem of a game is relatively obscure and older than most, so there’s not much footage out there, let alone evidence of winning runs. That said, the archives of comp.sys.mac.games on Usenet yields a few tales dating back to 1990...

As it stands, the top reported scores are:

1. 1,250,000 - Jason Haines - Club Mac

2. 799,730 - Robert Dominy - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

3. 726,000 - Robert Falco - Penn State University

The top recorded score is this one here at Speedrun for 859,530. Which is a decent run, but it could definitely be improved. A comment on the video by @pixelpusher1393 claims exceeding 1,000,000 several times.

Update Aug 2024: new top score 1,108,750

If you have achieved a greater score, please write in. Bonus points if you have it recorded (!)

a game called Solarian II - 90s space shooter

My first (and only) speed run below

More info here, and I'll be streaming for the next 30min or so @dpatts_ on twitch

Thank you! It was a great feeling

This looks like a ChatGPT answer. It's appears like useful information, but then it's wrong on so many counts. Part of the response is confusing the game with an unrelated sci-fi book.

The game was developed by Stick Software, not Rainbow Arts. The previous game Solarian I was never publicly released. Rather, it was a project for a summer school programming class. It was in black and white, ran smoothly but the developer didn't do anything with it.

The Secret History of Mac Gaming - Richard Moss (2018), Bitmap Books

The bullet points are mostly correct, but power-ups are not dropped by defeated enemies. The enemies are varied, but there's no "ships, robots, and even space stations". No music either, just sound bytes.

A couple of the sound effects are sampled from Prince albums - which to me is just fantastic.

Thanks! Yes, it's a good feeling, all that perserverence paying off. Thanks for the suggestion, I have added a reply to the thread. In the words of The Chemical Bros. The time has come to.... O P T I M I S E (Or optimize for all the freedom spellers out there)

Hi folks, I'm dpatts

I created an account here because I want to celebrate!

This week I finally beat a game I first started played nearly 30 years ago:

Created and developed by Ben Haller of Stick Software, Solarian II is one of the first color games for the Macintosh computer. It's a Galaga-inspired space shooter, renowned for its quirky sounds and polished gameplay, and winner of countless awards.

Today it can be emulated on a variety of platforms.

It now has it's own page at Speedrun.com and I recommend starting with this introductory guide to the game

In short. the game has 16 levels, a final boss, and (up to) 6 challenge rounds. A full playthrough takes 20+ minutes, and it can be frustratingly hard to beat.

This game has brought me back again and again over the years, taunting me with its difficulty. This week, I finally beat the game, and as far as I am aware, this is the first time such a run has been recorded and uploaded. Below is the complete run on YouTube -- skip to Level 15 to see some of the most fun and intense gameplay:

This is an excellent game and I highly highly recommend it.

The bar has been set at 20:59, and it's ready for someone to take on the mantle. I challenge you to do better! Thanks for reading and I look forward to engaging with the community

-dpatts

Hi folks, I'm dpatts

I created an account here because I want to celebrate!

This week I finally beat a game I first started played nearly 30 years ago:

Created and developed by Ben Haller of Stick Software, Solarian II is one of the first color games for the Macintosh computer. It's a Galaga-inspired space shooter, renowned for its quirky sounds and polished gameplay, and winner of countless awards.

Today it can be emulated on a variety of platforms.

It now has it's own page at Speedrun.com and I recommend starting with this introductory guide to the game

In short. the game has 16 levels, a final boss, and (up to) 6 challenge rounds. A full playthrough takes 20+ minutes, and it can be frustratingly hard to beat.

This game has brought me back again and again over the years, taunting me with its difficulty. This week, I finally beat the game, and as far as I am aware, this is the first time such a run has been recorded and uploaded. Below is the complete run on YouTube -- skip to Level 15 to see some of the most fun and intense gameplay:

This is an excellent game and I highly highly recommend it.

The bar has been set at 20:59, and it's ready for someone to take on the mantle. I challenge you to do better! Thanks for reading and I look forward to engaging with the community

-dpatts

The game's humorous sounds and extremely professional graphics and presentation set this one apart as one of the best and most ridiculous shareware games out there.

-- MacUser (1990)

One of the greatest shareware Macintosh games ever created.

-- Mac Tricks (1995)

A game for masochists.

-- Anonymous User (2004)

Solarian II seems determined to take the stress out of the genre while keeping its conventions in tact.

-- Obscuritory.com (2017)

This game is a lot more difficult than it lets on... don't be surprised if it destroys you.

-- Gamer Mouse (2019)