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My feelings on The Demon Rush
Game Page: http://speeddemosarchive.com/Castlevania.html

Aleksi 'Bablo' Kanerva's earth-shattering run (no, it's not a category :P)

Verifier Responses

Quote:
Stage 1 - nearly flawless, slight mistake going up the stair, due to bad luck though.

Stage 2 - again, really good. Creative strategies. I think there's a method at the falling spikes that would result in a 1-2 gain.

Stage 3 - Very nice stuff here. I love all the tactics used. The bats didn't really give him trouble luckily and the boss fight at the end went pretty well.

Stage 4 - Pretty much perfect. Going on the ceiling might be faster.... but it's VERY difficult and you can't do this consistently. I think his choice to keep holy water was a good idea. Fast and easy boss there.

Stage 5 - I hate this stage. Again, played very well, the boss strategy was amazing. Smiley No real mistakes I can spot.

Stage 6 - everything went well again. The boss fight strategy was something I hadn't seen before, very enjoyable. Of course, this is a hard boss fight because it is random. A few seconds are lost, but overall the fight was incredible anyway.

Overall, It's a fantastic run and contains very few errors. There are some spots for improvement, but nearly all the strategies were VERY well thought out.

Definite accept. The run's quality speaks for itself. Smiley


Quote:
I want to zuk Bablo's ding dong.


Quote:
Castlevania (NES)
Verification

I not pick ups cheats. Quality seems fine for me and i not pick up any audio troubles in video.

Well this run was insanely good. Also it is very big improvement over previous run which was also very good run.

I not pick ups any serious errors in this run.  All bossen not went well like TAS did, but i understand weird whip damage glitch what TAS runner used are really random to make, so we can,t see it in any serious speedruns. Its can be used with first bad boss on console, but this look runner did very well job using axes and double pack so even using TAS quick kill its not make first boss fight much faster.

I like how runner skip stairs using damage boosts. Damage and hearth route seems really optimize and run look overall very risky and cool.

I surely ACCEPT this run. Because this run is very good and error free and its beat previous run with multiple seconds. I timed this new one was 12.22 which is almost 1 minute faster than previous run in SDA.


Quote:
Good evening Count Mike,
  NES Castlevania verification for your dining pleasure:

We all know and love this classic.  And with so many Castlevania games being run, it's nice to see the original get beat down anew.  Let's jump into the foray.

Stage 1-3, Big Bad Bat - This run uses a different whip upgrade route.  Interesting.  Stage 2 saves a couple seconds with better bat boosting.  And the Big Bat fight is just a bit quicker.

Stage 4-6, Heart Throb Medusa - New runner skips the cross, saving pick up time as well as skipping the two stone for the cross.  *Spoiler* The stage 5 knife pick up was a nice WTF moment *End Spoiler*.  We all enjoy a good chuckle while watching a run.  The final trap room in stage 6 before the Medusa hallway is done better as well.

Stage 7-9, Mummyz (With a Z, we don't care for spelling) - Another noticeable time saver by using the last hunchback in the opening scene for a boost instead of murdering him.  Stage 8, the new run walks through the first bone pillar instead of killing it.  What a pacifist.  The Mummy fight was a bit better as well, A+ for better AI cooperation.

Stage 10-12, Frankie - This level was mostly the same as the old run.  The big improvement is the powerwalk through stage 11.  The new run doesn't stop moving and doesn't need to look back and it actually looks incredibly clean.  I mean, he's killing birds with holy water.  And the bottle doesn't break until it hits the ground.  He's just smashing them in the head with a glass bottle and killing them.  Might as well club some baby seals while you're at it.

Stage 13-15, Immediate improvement as the old runner gets hit back in the beginning, twice, and needs an extra meat break.  New run cruises through.  The rest of the stage is solid.  Death is absolutely molested.  The new run's pattern of killing death (<- Oxy moron?) is rape-tastic.

Stage 16-18, Cheating Ass, Transforming, Two Life Bar Having, Son of a Bitch Dracula - This level is also fairly similar, but the new run shaves a few tenths of a second not collecting the big heart at the end of stage 17.  The Dracula fight is way better.  Given the couple of big combos the new runner dishes out, I can see where there could be room for improvement with better appearing by the Count.  But such is randomness in speed running.  The bane of our lives.  Still a good, suspenseful fight.  Getting backed into the corner with one hit to die and pulling it off.  And the fireball counter by holy water, Nice!

There really is zero noticeable execution errors, the time that could be saved is all because of random enemy movement and the like.  Can't hold that against the runner in a run as smooth as this.  The luck received was more than enough to shine through.

Audio/Visual is fine and no cheating unless the runner is a Cyborg.  Even then we couldn't fault somebody for being born that way.

Bottom line: We must pray for the old run's soul as the new runner uses Simon Belmont to send it into the afterlife.  And after more than four years no less...... R.I.P.


Decision: Accept

Reason: It's a huge improvement over one of the older runs we have on the site.

This is the only verification I'm going to post tonight because I promised someone I would post tonight, but don't worry, there are plenty more to come tomorrow. Yeah, I know, I'm lame.
Thread title:  
SDA Apprentice -- (3-1)
Quote from mikwuyma:
This is the only verification I'm going to post tonight because I promised someone I would post tonight, but don't worry, there are plenty more to come tomorrow. Yeah, I know, I'm lame.


You're not lame, you just have too many things to do, and not enough time to do it in... It will be nice to see the run once it gets published...
You got a deletion wish?
Quote from mikwuyma:
Quote:
I want to zuk Bablo's ding dong.


Please tell me that was Frezy.
Master-88
Congrats.

Awesome see new finnish assist speedrun. Grin Damn great job. Cheesy
I'm a flippin' ninja
I'm glad people liked my run. And thank you verifier #4, for noticing the knife pick-up! I do it only for the entertainment's sake as I think it's quite nifty that I'm able to use every sub-weapon in the speedrun, even the sucky knife.

As people said, there aren't mistakes that'd cost me more than a second, except for the random Dracula fight, but there are new strategies that could be used in a speedrun. With the bat skip and better Dracula fight one could save a lot of time. In fact, I believe sub-12:00 is possible with perfect execution. Obviously that requires a lot of luck, though.


Quote from MatrixTN:
Quote from mikwuyma:
Quote:
I want to zuk Bablo's ding dong.


Please tell me that was Frezy.


x)
This run will be something to look forward to.

Any chance of this obsoleting the run for the pal-version as well ? No offense to the author of that run (I know criterias we're different when it was accepted), but that run has not aged well imo...
My feelings on The Demon Rush
Quote from ktwo:
Any chance of this obsoleting the run for the pal-version as well ? No offense to the author of that run (I know criterias we're different when it was accepted), but that run has not aged well imo...


Sure, I don't see why not.
absolutely incredible run bablo
SEGA Junkie
This run is sickeningly good. I only noticed one minor thing: would the second phase of Dracula have gone just a tiny bit faster if you'd picked up the big heart right at the end of stage 17? I'm sure it would have been much -easier- at the very least.

Of course the entirety of my experience with this game is watching Andrew's run at the marathon (through my eyelids ;)) so you can ignore me at your leisure.
I'm a flippin' ninja
No, I actually have enough hearts even without the big heart before Dracula. Moreover picking it up wastes like a second because you have to jump directly up and hit it.
Joke of all trades
this was a really great run bable, congrats.  much appriciated Smiley
Hail Discordia!
This run is even better than I expected. Crazy good!
RUNNER GREAT RECEIVED IN FAST TIME A+++++ WOULD WATCH AGAIN
Everybody DANCE!
I must say that this was one of the best runs for any game I've ever seen.  Truly inspirational.
you damn runner!
Angry

don't scare me like that, in the fight against dracula you got backed up in the corner and i said "aww shit no" and then you pull it off.

you son of a bitch.
Edit history:
Vugmer: 2010-06-08 07:00:09 am
Cigar Man
I haven't gotten a boner that big in a long time.

Edit: By the way, are there any mistakes at all in this run?
I wasn't actually sure about that, so I watched it again.

It looks like the first axe thrown at the Bat misses [1:35], though any time lost is extremely slight and he still has two left after killing him.  In the second stage, he loses a bit of time jumping off a high ledge [at 2:53] to collect a heart he doesn't need, as he has two leftover after the boss.  Again in the third stage, he spends stationary time collecting an unnecessary heart [4:04] and winds up with the same surplus of two hearts to waste post-boss.  I don't see any wasted collection time on stage 4, although again he's got two extras -- seems like he planned to have that many every time in case he missed anything (since you can always waste two hearts after the boss anyhow).  Simon gets turned around entering the mouth in the last level [10:55] but I can't tell if a frame is lost here or not.  By hitting one of the whips he missed and using an extra cross (as he winds up with 1 spare at the very end), he might have killed Dracula's first form one pass faster.

All told I think a TAS could do it... a few seconds faster?  Maybe?
Hail Discordia!
Quote from Otter:
All told I think a TAS could do it... a few seconds faster?  Maybe?

You'd be surprised: http://tasvideos.org/901M.html Smiley
Edit history:
Bablo: 2010-06-08 03:58:04 pm
I'm a flippin' ninja
Quote from Otter:
I wasn't actually sure about that, so I watched it again.

It looks like the first axe thrown at the Bat misses [1:35], though any time lost is extremely slight and he still has two left after killing him.  In the second stage, he loses a bit of time jumping off a high ledge [at 2:53] to collect a heart he doesn't need, as he has two leftover after the boss.  Again in the third stage, he spends stationary time collecting an unnecessary heart [4:04] and winds up with the same surplus of two hearts to waste post-boss.  I don't see any wasted collection time on stage 4, although again he's got two extras -- seems like he planned to have that many every time in case he missed anything (since you can always waste two hearts after the boss anyhow).  Simon gets turned around entering the mouth in the last level [10:55] but I can't tell if a frame is lost here or not.  By hitting one of the whips he missed and using an extra cross (as he winds up with 1 spare at the very end), he might have killed Dracula's first form one pass faster.


Thank you for your input. I'll answer your speculations, but keep in mind I haven't watched my run in a long time ago, but it's quite fresh in my memory.

1:35 Yeah, I might have missed the first axe. It's because the boss usually does one of two patterns. With this one I got (which is faster btw) the first axe always misses. But no time lost there anyway because it couldn't have been hit faster anyway. Sure I could have positioned myself differently, but that would have made the boss do a different pattern.

2:35 I have no idea what you mean with this, but I don't have to lose any time in the second stage to get hearts. In fact, I waste some hearts with the knife just for giggles. No time lost.

4:04 Believe me, the big heart (counts as five hearts) is by no means unnecessary. I know I wasted 20 frames there to pick it up, but there isn't a better way to fill hearts. I end up with extra hearts, yes, but sometimes the candles that are supposed to give hearts drop score bags instead, meaning I'm screwed if I get bad luck. 20 frames lost in a quest for consistency.

I didn't waste a single frame collecting hearts in stage 4, nor did I have any extra left at the end of the stage.

10:55 Jumping in the mouth instead of walking saves about a second. I might have overshot it by a frame or two though, but that's no biggie.

Dracula could be faster, indeed, but it's tough since he is very unpredictable. I can't be ready for every of his spawning spots, and I have to act fast. IIRC a perfect run (note: speedrun perfect) would be two rounds faster.
What do you mean when you say the first axe always misses if you receive that specific pattern?
Oh, by no means was I trying to be critical of your ridiculously good run.  I don't know the particulars of the game well enough for that (the Castlevania game I played fanatically was Super Castlevania IV).  I was just curious after vgmr's question and wanted to see if I could spot anything.

And yeah, the first axe was unnecessary but I don't think it lost any time, since the Bat just wasn't low enough yet; the second axe hit him as early as possible regardless, from what I can tell.
I'm a flippin' ninja
Even if the first axe doesn't hit it's still not unnecessary for the sake of consistency. It's there for the other pattern which is also acceptable, although maybe half a second or second slower. Anyway, the way I killed the first boss in this speedrun is the fastest way I can do it.

Also I don't mind criticism as long as it's not flaming. I wouldn't have found this fast tactics if I hadn't questioned the whole previous speedrun and its tactics, and my tactics.

Edit: Oh btw Otter, I've actually beaten the SDA Super Castlevania IV run too. Just haven't recorded a good enough run for submitting yet (dunno when this will happen though, but I'm planning to do it sometime).
A new Super Castlevania IV run?  Exciting!  Years and years went by without any kind of SDA run for that poor game, and it's one of my favorite platformers.  Good luck with your recording whenever you get around to it, I'll look forward to seeing the improvement.