Cobra Command - October 18, 2014

Edit history:

SDAVerification: 2014-10-18 05:01:30 pm

2014-09-28 12:18:02 pm

Game Page: Doesn't exist yet

Cobra Command (Any %) (Single Segment) [Deaths]

Decision: Accept

Congratulations to Marko 'MASTER-88' Vanhanen!

Thread title:

SDAVerification

2014-09-28 12:18:15 pm

Run Information

Cobra Command (Any %) (Single Segment)

Verification Files

http://v.speeddemosarchive.com/cobracommand-v_HQ.mp4

Please refer to the Verification Guidelines before posting. Verifications are due by Oct. 12, 2014.

Please post your opinions about the run and be certain to conclude your post with a verdict (Accept/Reject). This is not a contest where the majority wins - I will judge each verification on its content. Please keep your verification brief unless you have a good reason otherwise.

After 2 weeks I will read all of the verifications and move this thread to the main verification board and post my verdict.

ktwo

2014-09-29 03:13:23 pm

A/V: Good (what happened to Master-88's obligatory audio desync!?)

Gameplay: I'm not familiar with the game and I haven't read up on what the upgrades do or exactly how the different triggers work. I will just assume that some thought has been put into this. The execution looked really good though. It seemed like the death right before the end of level 4 was unintentional and cost a few seconds. But having played other helicopter games, I don't doubt for a second that the controls can play tricks with you from time to time. Overall well done.

Accept

UraniumAnchor

2014-09-29 07:28:21 pm

Not a walrus

A/V is mostly good but there's some chroma ghosting going on. I already went over this with nate in a PM and he's fine with it, so I'll give it a pass.

The controls in this game are pretty weird, flying backwards is nearly always faster if you have to scroll the screen, because for some reason scrolling the screen forward reduces your top speed by a lot until you're at the far edge (you can see this in the second underground section as he approaches the missile, he's holding left the entire time). As far as upgrades are concerned, engine speed is obviously the most important for speed tech, followed closely by weapons that let you kill the beefy targets more quickly. Going into the equipment menu to swap weapons/missiles/engine takes up time, so you don't want to do it any more than necessary. Also, you don't have a life bar, you just catch on fire as you take damage, and eventually you either outright blow up or catch on fire so severely that you lose the ability to fly up and die as soon as you land. Any time you land in a depot for upgrades your health is refilled.

As far as overall strat and tactics, I didn't spot anything that was a wasted trip, other than maybe the second depot in the second stage, as Homing missiles are never used, and I don't think you need them to get Homing 2 later. The armour bonus from that depot is useful, though. The hostages are event triggers, you can't blow up certain things until you have all of the hostages up to that point. The ladder you get in stage 3 is shorter than the rope, but the hostages climb it faster. There are a couple of spots where TAS-level precision could save some time by picking up hostages before they wave at you, but the controls in this game are super finicky so I'm not gonna dock any points for that. Most of deaths are either intentional or don't waste much time.

Finally, I'm a little unsure that final boss strat is necessary, but it's not enough to make me say reject so I'll hold off on checking it for now. Most of the run is reasonably clean and well executed.

Accept.

A/V is mostly good but there's some chroma ghosting going on. I already went over this with nate in a PM and he's fine with it, so I'll give it a pass.

The controls in this game are pretty weird, flying backwards is nearly always faster if you have to scroll the screen, because for some reason scrolling the screen forward reduces your top speed by a lot until you're at the far edge (you can see this in the second underground section as he approaches the missile, he's holding left the entire time). As far as upgrades are concerned, engine speed is obviously the most important for speed tech, followed closely by weapons that let you kill the beefy targets more quickly. Going into the equipment menu to swap weapons/missiles/engine takes up time, so you don't want to do it any more than necessary. Also, you don't have a life bar, you just catch on fire as you take damage, and eventually you either outright blow up or catch on fire so severely that you lose the ability to fly up and die as soon as you land. Any time you land in a depot for upgrades your health is refilled.

As far as overall strat and tactics, I didn't spot anything that was a wasted trip, other than maybe the second depot in the second stage, as Homing missiles are never used, and I don't think you need them to get Homing 2 later. The armour bonus from that depot is useful, though. The hostages are event triggers, you can't blow up certain things until you have all of the hostages up to that point. The ladder you get in stage 3 is shorter than the rope, but the hostages climb it faster. There are a couple of spots where TAS-level precision could save some time by picking up hostages before they wave at you, but the controls in this game are super finicky so I'm not gonna dock any points for that. Most of deaths are either intentional or don't waste much time.

Finally, I'm a little unsure that final boss strat is necessary, but it's not enough to make me say reject so I'll hold off on checking it for now. Most of the run is reasonably clean and well executed.

Accept.

SDAVerification

2014-10-18 05:01:40 pm

Decision posted.

DK28

2014-10-20 12:53:37 pm

General Kong - Bullets and Bananas

I could have sworn I wrote a verification, I sure watched the run. Sorry M88. But I agree this is an ACCEPT. This is a tricky game and can be brutal. The backwards flying is the fastest form of movement and getting on a particular line, to shoot a specific target can be tricky as well. Well done Master-88! Thanks for getting this run done!

MASTER-88

Edit history:

MASTER-88: 2014-10-21 06:03:54 am

MASTER-88: 2014-10-21 06:03:16 am

2014-10-21 06:01:47 am

Master-88

Thanks Dk28 and thanks verifers too. Yeah that was tricky make this run. Glad to see its accept. Thanks guys.:)

Quote:

It seemed like the death right before the end of level 4 was unintentional and cost a few seconds.

Yeah that was unintention, but im not want lost any more time find this spot, its just faster to die than try find this. So my intention i´ll make one trying find it or i´ll die. Yeah this not cost more than couple shy seconds die with this.

Quote:

I don't think you need them to get Homing 2 later. The armour bonus from that depot is useful, though. The hostages are event triggers, you can't blow up certain things until you have all of the hostages up to that point.

Yeah this depot definitely could be skipped death abuse runs. Its will requires really low energys hold game. There might some serious troubles fly through levels 4 & 5. I am also planned try deathless run where this armor is definitely too hard to skip. But yeah i think in death abuse runs this could be skipped in future. Its save around 10 seconds or so. Its pretty nice time saver in future runs.

Quote:

Finally, I'm a little unsure that final boss strat is necessary, but it's not enough to make me say reject so I'll hold off on checking it for now. Most of the run is reasonably clean and well executed.

Final boss cannot be done using TAS way on console. Its simply too hard even with save states and 50% speed slowmotion. I got find nice way beat this fight here. Yeah i nerves dying my situation here little bit, but i got perfect spot firing. This was really good last boss fight. Its probably main reason why i submit this run. I finally got find this spot perfect i want (seriosuly its nearly never happen in runs). Its save around 12-15 seconds over my avarage fight. So i have to be really happy with this fight.

Thanks Dk28 and thanks verifers too. Yeah that was tricky make this run. Glad to see its accept. Thanks guys.:)

[quote]It seemed like the death right before the end of level 4 was unintentional and cost a few seconds.[/quote]

Yeah that was unintention, but im not want lost any more time find this spot, its just faster to die than try find this. So my intention i´ll make one trying find it or i´ll die. Yeah this not cost more than couple shy seconds die with this.

[quote] I don't think you need them to get Homing 2 later. The armour bonus from that depot is useful, though. The hostages are event triggers, you can't blow up certain things until you have all of the hostages up to that point.[/quote]

Yeah this depot definitely could be skipped death abuse runs. Its will requires really low energys hold game. There might some serious troubles fly through levels 4 & 5. I am also planned try deathless run where this armor is definitely too hard to skip. But yeah i think in death abuse runs this could be skipped in future. Its save around 10 seconds or so. Its pretty nice time saver in future runs.

[quote]Finally, I'm a little unsure that final boss strat is necessary, but it's not enough to make me say reject so I'll hold off on checking it for now. Most of the run is reasonably clean and well executed.
[/quote]

Final boss cannot be done using TAS way on console. Its simply too hard even with save states and 50% speed slowmotion. I got find nice way beat this fight here. Yeah i nerves dying my situation here little bit, but i got perfect spot firing. This was really good last boss fight. Its probably main reason why i submit this run. I finally got find this spot perfect i want (seriosuly its nearly never happen in runs). Its save around 12-15 seconds over my avarage fight. So i have to be really happy with this fight.

MASTER-88

2015-04-05 04:25:18 am

Master-88

My run is up and also comment is up now.

Hope you guys will watch my masterpiece. I might interested see you guys could redo that too. At least skipping armor level 2 is definitely human possible (but very tricky time saver)