Dr. Mario 64

2009-08-26 01:30:42 pm

Highly Evolved

Well, doing some runs of just stages got me a 1:25 on Stage 10. Seemed more luck than anything though as I had two four virus hits off the left two columns which is about 22% of all the viruses in 10 seconds.

neskamikaze

2009-08-26 02:35:06 pm

That's what it takes to get a time like that. You just hope you can get a few rounds like that in the final run.

Darkwing Duck

2009-08-27 02:14:02 pm

Highly Evolved

Quote from neskamikaze:

That's what it takes to get a time like that. You just hope you can get a few rounds like that in the final run.

In the later stages, you seem to get the columns of double viruses quite often. It's rare to get them anytime before 17, though.

neskamikaze

Edit history:

neskamikaze: 2009-08-27 09:01:39 pm

2009-08-27 02:36:40 pm

Yeah I know, the last few they have to have those
RB
RB
columns or something like that to fill all that space, though I tend to see those a little earlier than you say, you normally get one or two on 13-16 as well.

Edit: Today has just not been a good day for Dr. Mario. I tried to record for probably 2 hours and I never made anything past Level 4, I was just horribly sloppy. I hope this doesn't last.

Hebi

2009-09-01 11:10:49 am

The pills keep falling...

Hello everyone! This is my first post here, I am actually fairly new to the Speed Demo scene. Grin

I am amazed! I can't believe someone out there takes Dr. Mario as seriously as I do! Although I'm not too familiar with the N64 version I plan on finding a copy so that I can see how well I do against the awesome times being posted here. I think I will try for the classic mode, since that is what I am most familiar with.

Since I am new I have a ton of questions (and a lot of reading to do!) but for now I will ask this:
What does everyone think about a speed run on of the NES/SNES versions? The Nes version will continue after lvl 24 although the difficulty doesn't increase at all. I'm not sure where the SNES one caps out at, my best was lvl 97.

Ok, two questions: any recommendations on cheap recording hardware?

neskamikaze

2009-09-01 11:24:01 am

Quote from Hebi:

Hello everyone! This is my first post here, I am actually fairly new to the Speed Demo scene. Grin

I am amazed! I can't believe someone out there takes Dr. Mario as seriously as I do! Although I'm not too familiar with the N64 version I plan on finding a copy so that I can see how well I do against the awesome times being posted here. I think I will try for the classic mode, since that is what I am most familiar with.

Since I am new I have a ton of questions (and a lot of reading to do!) but for now I will ask this:
What does everyone think about a speed run on of the NES/SNES versions? The Nes version will continue after lvl 24 although the difficulty doesn't increase at all. I'm not sure where the SNES one caps out at, my best was lvl 97.

Ok, two questions: any recommendations on cheap recording hardware?

The reason the N64 version works best is because after Level 21 the credits roll, constituting an actual ending. If I remember right, the "congratulations" message on NES/SNES or whatever it gives you is after Level 20, making it one less level forced to play, therefore not equivalent.

As far as recording equipment goes, I got lucky because my brother bought a Dazzle a good while ago and never used it, so I just kind of took it and it works great. I don't know how much they cost though.

[quote="Hebi"]
Hello everyone! This is my first post here, I am actually fairly new to the Speed Demo scene. ;D

I am amazed! I can't believe someone out there takes Dr. Mario as seriously as I do! Although I'm not too familiar with the N64 version I plan on finding a copy so that I can see how well I do against the awesome times being posted here. I think I will try for the classic mode, since that is what I am most familiar with.

Since I am new I have a ton of questions (and a lot of reading to do!) but for now I will ask this: 
What does everyone think about a speed run on of the NES/SNES versions? The Nes version will continue after lvl 24 although the difficulty doesn't increase at all. I'm not sure where the SNES one caps out at, my best was lvl 97.

Ok, two questions: any recommendations on cheap recording hardware?
[/quote]

The reason the N64 version works best is because after Level 21 the credits roll, constituting an actual ending. If I remember right, the "congratulations" message on NES/SNES or whatever it gives you is after Level 20, making it one less level forced to play, therefore not equivalent.

As far as recording equipment goes, I got lucky because my brother bought a Dazzle a good while ago and never used it, so I just kind of took it and it works great. I don't know how much they cost though.

Hebi

2009-09-01 12:01:32 pm

The pills keep falling...

Quote from neskamikaze:

The reason the N64 version works best is because after Level 21 the credits roll, constituting an actual ending. If I remember right, the "congratulations" message on NES/SNES or whatever it gives you is after Level 20, making it one less level forced to play, therefore not equivalent.

Ah, that makes sense. I will have to get my hands on a copy. Grin

neskamikaze

2009-09-01 12:45:46 pm

Good luck to you, competition is always welcome.

Hebi

2009-09-01 01:46:38 pm

The pills keep falling...

While I wait until I can get my hands on my own copy, I am watching Essentia's Classic 38:50 run. Essentia, you are very, very good. If I can humbly make a few comments:

Level 3:
1:52: moving the blue/red pill on top of the double blue virus. This would be ok except that it is your only blue/yellow virus combo that is available and you block the yellow virus with the red half of the pill. This comes back to bite you on the very next pill which was (of course) blue/yellow. Although it would be a small waste, putting that blue/yellow pill as blue-down/yellow-up over that double blue would have finished it off and allowed the yellow to fall harmlessly to the bottom instead of becoming something you had to clear up later. Of course, watching the yellow fall is time wasted, but it does give you a small breather and time to look at your next pill. Smiley

The strategy I use (when I can) when a color is not available (like blue wasn’t for you) is to drop it between the other two colors. That way you have twice the chance to knock that “mistake” color out. E.g. put the blue between a yellow and red, so that either red/blue or yellow/blue could fall onto it. I've attached an image to try and clarify.

While I wait until I can get my hands on my own copy, I am watching Essentia's Classic 38:50 run. Essentia, you are very, very good. If I can humbly make a few comments:

Level 3:
1:52: moving the blue/red pill on top of the double blue virus. This would be ok except that it is your only blue/yellow virus combo that is available and you block the yellow virus with the red half of the pill. This comes back to bite you on the very next pill which was (of course) blue/yellow. Although it would be a small waste, putting that blue/yellow pill as blue-down/yellow-up over that double blue would have finished it off and allowed the yellow to fall harmlessly to the bottom instead of becoming something you had to clear up later. Of course, watching the yellow fall is time wasted, but it does give you a small breather and time to look at your next pill. :)
The strategy I use (when I can) when a color is not available (like blue wasn’t for you) is to drop it between the other two colors. That way you have twice the chance to knock that “mistake” color out. E.g. put the blue between a yellow and red, so that either red/blue or yellow/blue could fall onto it. I've attached an image to try and clarify.

Attachment:

vlcsnap-2009-09-01-12h34m14s213.png

neskamikaze

2009-09-01 05:40:00 pm

Quote from Hebi:

While I wait until I can get my hands on my own copy, I am watching Essentia's Classic 38:50 run. Essentia, you are very, very good. If I can humbly make a few comments:

Level 3:
1:52: moving the blue/red pill on top of the double blue virus. This would be ok except that it is your only blue/yellow virus combo that is available and you block the yellow virus with the red half of the pill. This comes back to bite you on the very next pill which was (of course) blue/yellow. Although it would be a small waste, putting that blue/yellow pill as blue-down/yellow-up over that double blue would have finished it off and allowed the yellow to fall harmlessly to the bottom instead of becoming something you had to clear up later. Of course, watching the yellow fall is time wasted, but it does give you a small breather and time to look at your next pill. Smiley

The strategy I use (when I can) when a color is not available (like blue wasn’t for you) is to drop it between the other two colors. That way you have twice the chance to knock that “mistake” color out. E.g. put the blue between a yellow and red, so that either red/blue or yellow/blue could fall onto it. I've attached an image to try and clarify.

You can't really nitpick about little things such as this in a straight, 22 level run. When going as fast as you can you aren't going to see absolutely every best move.

[quote="Hebi"]
While I wait until I can get my hands on my own copy, I am watching Essentia's Classic 38:50 run. Essentia, you are very, very good. If I can humbly make a few comments:

Level 3:
1:52: moving the blue/red pill on top of the double blue virus. This would be ok except that it is your only blue/yellow virus combo that is available and you block the yellow virus with the red half of the pill. This comes back to bite you on the very next pill which was (of course) blue/yellow. Although it would be a small waste, putting that blue/yellow pill as blue-down/yellow-up over that double blue would have finished it off and allowed the yellow to fall harmlessly to the bottom instead of becoming something you had to clear up later. Of course, watching the yellow fall is time wasted, but it does give you a small breather and time to look at your next pill. :)
The strategy I use (when I can) when a color is not available (like blue wasn’t for you) is to drop it between the other two colors. That way you have twice the chance to knock that “mistake” color out. E.g. put the blue between a yellow and red, so that either red/blue or yellow/blue could fall onto it. I've attached an image to try and clarify.
[/quote]

You can't really nitpick about little things such as this in a straight, 22 level run. When going as fast as you can you aren't going to see absolutely every best move.

Hebi

2009-09-01 05:58:33 pm

The pills keep falling...

I'm not trying to be nit-picky and I apologize if it comes off that way. I'm just trying to suggest a little strategy to shave off those precious seconds. In my experience, improving your speed in Dr. Mario is about two things: accuracy and efficiency. Wasting a pill, or worse yet, putting a pill in the wrong place can cause you more work and take up more time. Ya gotta practice the little things for those later levels where everything has to go to the right place every time and you don't have time to think.

Darkwing Duck

2009-09-02 12:14:44 am

Highly Evolved

You're also looking commenting on what probably the weakest part of the run. Stages 3-6 are the only stages I consistently gain a decent amount of time in. Stages 7-14 are the strongest part of the run.

Essentia

2009-09-02 01:16:17 pm

Everything's better with Magitek

Wow, I'm excited that this game is getting a lot of competition! I'd love to see some runs done by other people, mainly to see the different playing styles. I really didn't try as hard as I should have on my runs, and so I'd love to see them improved.

After not having played this game for a few months, I decided to try a classic mode run for the heck of it. On my first try I got 39:21, which includes a death on level 21 (because of a really stupid mistake) that cost 14 seconds. That was a much better time than I was expecting, though. I might just have to keep trying. Smiley

neskamikaze

2009-09-02 01:18:22 pm

My biggest problem is just getting too rushed and make stupid mistakes. If I could just relax a little bit, but not enough to get slow, then I think I could produce a really nice run.

Hebi

2009-09-02 01:41:17 pm

The pills keep falling...

Ugh, I went to three different Goodwills yesterday, tried two different N64s and neither one worked! I really wish I had never gotten rid of mine... Undecided

neskamikaze

Edit history:

neskamikaze: 2009-09-04 03:31:42 pm

2009-09-02 02:29:06 pm

How much did they cost?

If it wasn't much less, you could try this one for $21.99 plus shipping:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NINTENDO-64-N64-SYSTEM-W-CONTROLLER_W0QQitemZ350232347042QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVideo_Games?hash=item518b7981a2&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
It's the cheapest I saw.

Edit: A couple attempts today, a 41 something, I don't even remember, and a 39:40 with a couple of completely terrible levels.

neskamikaze

2009-09-07 09:19:28 pm

37:36!

Had I not died on 21 about 30 seconds in I would have had a chance for sub-37.
I think it's about time to seriously start recording.

Hebi

2009-09-08 12:52:03 pm

The pills keep falling...

Nice!

Darkwing Duck

2009-09-16 05:41:27 pm

Highly Evolved

Well, I've yet to break 40:00. If I could somehow do Stages 8-14 really good, I could get sub 38:00

This last one I did, I broke it down into thirds. I was about 6:50 after Stage 7, around 20 seconds ahead of Essentia's time. After stage 14, I was a hair over 21:00, 2:20 behind Essentia's time. After stage 21, I was at 41:25, 2:35 behind Essentia's time.

It seems like everytime I look after Stage 14, I'm at 21 minutes (factors of 7 caught my eye). The last three times I've played this has happened. 7:12-18:42. vs 6:50-21:00. 11 and a half minutes versus 13 and a quarter minutes. About 15 seconds a stage.

neskamikaze

2009-09-17 10:36:37 am

Those 8-14 stages are always the killer... within 10 tries or so I can hit my goal time on 0-7, which is 6:20. However, I've yet to hit my goal at stage 14, which is 18:05, likely because some of my goal level times are extremely close to my best times. I think on my 37:36 run I was around 19 at that point, but had an especially good 15-18 to put me back below Essentia.

Hebi

2009-09-18 10:05:43 am

The pills keep falling...

I'm glad to hear everyone is still rockin these, keep up the hard work!

I am still broke and trying to get my hands on an N64. Grin

neskamikaze

Edit history:

neskamikaze: 2009-09-26 11:17:42 pm

2009-09-18 10:37:51 am

Quote from Hebi:

I'm glad to hear everyone is still rockin these, keep up the hard work!

I am still broke and trying to get my hands on an N64. Grin

Well it may be a while before I put any more serious attempts in (well, not a while as in a long time, but a few weeks or so) due to increased hours at work and now being occupied by my Soul Silver ROM Smiley

Edit: Just played a round through, my first in at least two weeks. Missed Essentia's mark by 17 seconds, so I think I'll be in pretty good shape when I start recording again (Saturday maybe?)

Edit #2: It is Saturday, and I just recorded a run that was 3 seconds over Essentia's time, a 38:53. And I have to say, it was disgusting. There were a whole lot of stupid mistakes, such as finger slips and dyslexic drops, like dropping a RB pill on to BR viruses. Easily improvable to sub 37:30 I believe.

neskamikaze

2009-09-29 03:49:23 pm

Sorry to double post, but...

37:02! RECORDED!

While there was still room for improvement (a death on 17 & 21) I think this is ready to submit. I would rather not have those deaths but this run I still believe went well. What's your opinion, should I submit or go for sub-37?

Essentia

2009-09-29 04:40:38 pm

Everything's better with Magitek

That's a great time! I'd rather see a run without any deaths, but that's definitely an improvement over my run. How much time did you lose from those deaths?

neskamikaze

Edit history:

neskamikaze: 2009-09-29 11:04:32 pm

2009-09-29 05:13:17 pm

Quote from Essentia:

That's a great time! I'd rather see a run without any deaths, but that's definitely an improvement over my run. How much time did you lose from those deaths?

I know the Level 21 death was 6 seconds lost. I haven't encoded the run into anything my computer can play back yet and I don't remember exactly what the Level 17 was exactly, but I believe it was somewhere between 15 and 20 seconds lost. (Edit: I checked it, it was 19 seconds. So a total of 25 seconds were lost to death.) So I think with those gone and a couple mistakes cut out sub 36:45 or even sub 36:30 would possible, but reproducing those results with improvements would be very difficult.

If you'd like I can put the run up for you to preview.
Edit: I got it encoded through Anri-chan, but I'm going to have to redo it since I accidentally started the video 25 seconds early and left in some starting mistake footage.