Jazz Jackrabbit 2 run (Recording Complete)

AquaTiger

Edit history:

AquaTiger: 2005-10-05 06:31:42 pm

2005-09-11 08:26:04 pm

Never give up!

After seeing a mention of this game somewhere else on the forum, I got the idea of speedrunning it.

In case people don't know anything about Jazz Jackrabbit 2, this is a good (if nothing better) action platformer made in part by the same people that developed Unreal. I imagine watching a speedrun of this game would be akin to watching a run of a Sonic game, simply because the playable characters move so fast.

Any run I would dare make of this game would be single-segment for sure.

Before I say or do anything else regarding a run of this game, I have some questions.

Has anyone else already done a speedrun of this game?

Would people watch a run of this game?

What would be a good time estimate for either character?

Thread title:

henkie

2005-09-11 11:40:05 pm

I would watch your run. It's been a very long time since I played this game, but even back then I liked it, because it had such fast action.

As for any other runs of this game, I don't know. Nor do I have an idea of what a good time estimate would be for this game, though I suspect you'd find out soon enough if you start running, I'm sure.

AquaTiger

Edit history:

AquaTiger: 2005-09-12 01:18:33 am

2005-09-11 11:55:05 pm

Never give up!

Well, in the case of appropriate time, I heard on the FAQ for this game at GameFAQs that a time below 30 minutes was very feasible, and that FAQ writer claims his record is below 26 minutes with Spaz.

I'm just not sure how much lower I should shoot. My estimate is that, to impress people, I'd have to get sub-24 with Spaz or sub-28 with Jazz.

Some strategies I've considered:

-Collect at least one of each weapon, mainly so the game makes weapon switching less frequent when you run across ammunition during the run. (Leads to fewer mistakes, I'd think.)

-Use the Toaster, the Blaster (with the help of a quick thumb to fire faster), and MAYYYBE the TNT against bosses. The Blue Bullet Bouncer and both types of Missile Launcher are also useful in certain situations, but the Electro-Blaster, Pepper Spray, and Freeze Gun are worthless to me.

-The Toaster is the only weapon that should be powered up at all throughout the run.

-Damage slows you down, but the game restores your health to full after each level. This will be more important in early runs of the game, when mistakes are a little more common.

-I will need to investigate a glitch I've heard about that apparently allows Spaz to take out Devan before he goes into his second form.

Well, in the case of appropriate time, I heard on the FAQ for this game at GameFAQs that a time below 30 minutes was very feasible, and that FAQ writer claims his record is below 26 minutes with Spaz.

I'm just not sure how much lower I should shoot.  My estimate is that, to impress people, I'd have to get [b]sub-24 with Spaz[/b] or [b]sub-28 with Jazz[/b].

Some strategies I've considered:

-Collect at least one of each weapon, mainly so the game makes weapon switching less frequent when you run across ammunition during the run.  (Leads to fewer mistakes, I'd think.)

-Use the Toaster, the Blaster (with the help of a quick thumb to fire faster), and MAYYYBE the TNT against bosses.  The Blue Bullet Bouncer and both types of Missile Launcher are also useful in certain situations, but the Electro-Blaster, Pepper Spray, and Freeze Gun are worthless to me.

-The Toaster is the only weapon that should be powered up at all throughout the run.

-Damage slows you down, but the game restores your health to full after each level.  This will be more important in early runs of the game, when mistakes are a little more common.

-I will need to investigate a glitch I've heard about that apparently allows Spaz to take out Devan before he goes into his second form.

Robyrt

2005-09-12 02:39:15 pm

aw crikey!

I've tried to speedrun Jazz 2 several times, but never got a time worth considering. (I never broke 30 minutes.)

The most obvious thing to keep in mind is that Spaz can kill bosses near-instantly with his down+jump, and that the best weapons in the game are powered-up toaster and powered-up blaster. With full rapid fire, you can pretty much hold down the fire button and kill 90% of the enemies with blaster before they can touch you. It's mostly platforming skill from there.

On collecting one of each weapon: You can use the number keys to switch weapons, so that's not really a problem.

AquaTiger

2005-09-12 04:51:57 pm

Never give up!

Quote:

The most obvious thing to keep in mind is that Spaz can kill bosses near-instantly with his down+jump...

So it isn't just Devan, then? Man, that changes my Spaz strategy. (Which, previously, was to use the Toaster at point-blank range, aided by a relatively long period of invincibility whenever you take a hit.)

Quote:

On collecting one of each weapon: You can use the number keys to switch weapons, so that's not really a problem.

If it comes down to that, I'll do that, but if I remember it right there's a certain noise that plays when you use the number keys, whether you have ammo or not. I do not want to distract the viewer with that noise. Plus, more importantly, I plan on playing this game with a gamepad, not the keyboard, as my hands are more used to a gamepad for platforming. If I find that the keyboard is more precise I'll use it, but until then I plan on the gamepad.

Still, thanks for the input.

AquaTiger

2005-09-15 12:50:07 am

Never give up!

Letting people know I'm still doing a run of this game, although it doesn't seem like there's massive interest.

I'm just going to post some of my initial recon for people to see and critique for now. This version of the 'open notebook', so to speak, is just a very unorganized lump of notes - later posts will probably organize this much better, or I may very well just update this post with new info and better organization later.

-There are four crucial items I need to pick up for my run strategy to work. They are Fastfire (the maximum number), the Toaster weapon, the powerup for the Toaster weapon, and the powerup for the Blaster weapon.

-On that note, I plan on picking up the Toaster in the outdoors section of Episode 1, the powerup for the Toaster in the science area of Episode 1, and the powerup for the Blaster in the Diamondus Redux area of Episode 3. Fastfires will be picked up as they are found, not deliberately sought with massive kill rates (I can press the fire button fast enough that I can generally compensate for anything but the fastest, or maybe second fastest, rate of fire).

-(Spaz only) Side-kicking (Spaz's down+jump move) isn't working out as well as I was hoping, so I'll need to investigate this further. My guess right now is that I may need to stand 'inside' a boss while using it for the trick to work.

-This will certainly be a no-deaths run. Even if no deaths isn't as impressive here as in Metal Slug, if you die you still lose powerups. Plus, accidental deaths just look sloppy.

-The bonus rooms are frankly not worth my time.

-The bosses in the first two episodes don't worry me much, but so far, Episode 3's final boss is giving me cause for concern.

-I have yet to do any recon on Episode 4 at all.

Letting people know I'm still doing a run of this game, although it doesn't seem like there's massive interest.

I'm just going to post some of my initial recon for people to see and critique for now.  This version of the 'open notebook', so to speak, is just a very unorganized lump of notes - later posts will probably organize this much better, or I may very well just update this post with new info and better organization later.

-There are four crucial items I need to pick up for my run strategy to work.  They are Fastfire (the maximum number), the Toaster weapon, the powerup for the Toaster weapon, and the powerup for the Blaster weapon.

-On that note, I plan on picking up the Toaster in the outdoors section of Episode 1, the powerup for the Toaster in the science area of Episode 1, and the powerup for the Blaster in the Diamondus Redux area of Episode 3.  Fastfires will be picked up as they are found, not deliberately sought with massive kill rates (I can press the fire button fast enough that I can generally compensate for anything but the fastest, or maybe second fastest, rate of fire).

-(Spaz only) Side-kicking (Spaz's down+jump move) isn't working out as well as I was hoping, so I'll need to investigate this further.  My guess right now is that I may need to stand 'inside' a boss while using it for the trick to work.

-This will certainly be a no-deaths run.  Even if no deaths isn't as impressive here as in Metal Slug, if you die you still lose powerups.  Plus, accidental deaths just look sloppy.

-The bonus rooms are frankly not worth my time.

-The bosses in the first two episodes don't worry me much, but so far, Episode 3's final boss is giving me cause for concern.

-I have yet to do any recon on Episode 4 at all.

Robyrt

2005-09-15 05:32:04 am

aw crikey!

I'd love to see a Jazz 2 run. That game rocks!

On the episode 3 boss: You can destroy his chains to kill him risk-free, but that takes precious time. I've found that Launchers (the bouncy things) actually work fairly well against him, and you don't need to take extra time to get launcher ammo because it's everywhere.

The jungle in Episode 4 is fairly difficult for Spaz - watch those monkeys, they have lots of health! - but you're rewarded by the ability to plow through the next couple levels very quickly with sidekick.

I think the episode 4 midboss moves around too much to be vulnerable to the sidekick trick, but I'm not sure. Toaster ammo will definitely come in handy for the crows at the end of the game, so don't waste all your ammo on the boss. :-P

AquaTiger

2005-09-17 04:35:36 am

Never give up!

Still haven't checked out Episode 4 yet, although I did do a quick runthrough of the first three episodes with Spaz (my last recon runthrough was of Jazz).

I have discovered that the side-kick seems to work best when you're standing 'inside' an enemy. If you're good enough you only have to get hit once for it to work.

That said, there are a few bosses where it will not work. Queen Earlong (the first boss in Episode 1), the Crab Boss (boss of Episode 2), and the Spark Boss (boss of Episode 3) cannot be side-kicked.

There is, however, worse news for Spaz. That Blaster powerup in the Diamondus Redux area? It turns out Jazz and Spaz go through different sections in the first half of the level with that powerup. And, that powerup is ONLY IN JAZZ'S SECTION. This means Spaz must do without, unless I can find one in another level that is less than 2 seconds away from the normal path and does not require coins. (Remember, I vowed to skip bonus rooms.) Furthermore, I discovered that using the Blue Bullet Bouncer (the 'launchers' Robyrt mentioned in his last post) does not deal damage fast enough against the Spark Boss. I may have to resort to using the Toaster here.

On a positive note, I have tested the side-kick maneuver in the game's demo episode (yes, the demo episode is different from all the others), whose final boss is the same as the Episode 4 midboss. In that situation, the tactic HAS WORKED to an appreciable degree. This may allow me to make up for the lost Spark Boss time there.

Still haven't checked out Episode 4 yet, although I did do a quick runthrough of the first three episodes with Spaz (my last recon runthrough was of Jazz).

I have discovered that the side-kick seems to work best when you're standing 'inside' an enemy.  If you're good enough you only have to get hit once for it to work.

That said, there are a few bosses where it will not work.  Queen Earlong (the first boss in Episode 1), the Crab Boss (boss of Episode 2), and the Spark Boss (boss of Episode 3) cannot be side-kicked.

There is, however, worse news for Spaz.  That Blaster powerup in the Diamondus Redux area?  It turns out Jazz and Spaz go through different sections in the first half of the level with that powerup.  And, that powerup is ONLY IN JAZZ'S SECTION.  This means Spaz must do without, unless I can find one in another level that is less than 2 seconds away from the normal path and does not require coins.  (Remember, I vowed to skip bonus rooms.)  Furthermore, I discovered that using the Blue Bullet Bouncer (the 'launchers' Robyrt mentioned in his last post) does not deal damage fast enough against the Spark Boss.  I may have to resort to using the Toaster here.

On a positive note, I have tested the side-kick maneuver in the game's demo episode (yes, the demo episode is different from all the others), whose final boss is the same as the Episode 4 midboss.  In that situation, the tactic HAS WORKED to an appreciable degree.  This may allow me to make up for the lost Spark Boss time there.

AquaTiger

2005-09-18 05:14:12 pm

Never give up!

My final set of notes on this game.

I've discovered that the best weapon to use on the Spark Boss for Spaz is the Seeking Missile Launcher. I plan on using the Blue Bullet Bouncer if the thing is stuck below me (an optimal situation) if I run out, but the Missile Launcher is the prime weapon. For Jazz I plan to keep it level and stick to the powered-up Blaster.

For Episode 4, the game gives you a LOT of Toaster ammo in the first level, but after that it's pretty rare. Meaning I need to stock up then and there.

I've discovered that you CAN side-kick the Episode 4 miniboss quite effectively, as long as you enter the battle with three or more health points (one to get 'inside' him, one to use when the battle's over, and one to stay alive). Jazz will be fighting this guy with a powered-up Blaster.

For dealing with those crows - you're right, the Toaster is quite effective. The Seeking Missile Launcher also works, though. However, I need to save BOTH when using Spaz (I can afford to burn the Toaster ammo with Jazz if needed).

The final fight with Devan Shell.... man, this is a pain. I will probably fail if I don't have full health entering this battle. I cannot get that glitch to work properly, so both characters will have to fight it out proper. Jazz will be sticking to the powered-up Blaster for the first half, but with Spaz? The Toaster's my choice there. If he uses his Ray Gun a lot, that's the best time to blast him full on.

After he goes into his devil state (like most villainous nerds do), I plan on unloading all my Missile Launcher ammo on him. If I need to get away, I may be able to freeze him just long enough to escape the corners. Other than that, it's the same as the first phase - with Spaz, since I'll be tanked up on Fastfires by now, if I run out of Toaster ammo I'll go to the Blaster with him as well.

My final set of notes on this game.

I've discovered that the best weapon to use on the Spark Boss for Spaz is the Seeking Missile Launcher.  I plan on using the Blue Bullet Bouncer if the thing is stuck below me (an optimal situation) if I run out, but the Missile Launcher is the prime weapon.  For Jazz I plan to keep it level and stick to the powered-up Blaster.

For Episode 4, the game gives you a LOT of Toaster ammo in the first level, but after that it's pretty rare.  Meaning I need to stock up then and there.

I've discovered that you CAN side-kick the Episode 4 miniboss quite effectively, as long as you enter the battle with three or more health points (one to get 'inside' him, one to use when the battle's over, and one to stay alive).  Jazz will be fighting this guy with a powered-up Blaster.

For dealing with those crows - you're right, the Toaster is quite effective.  The Seeking Missile Launcher also works, though.  However, I need to save BOTH when using Spaz (I can afford to burn the Toaster ammo with Jazz if needed).

The final fight with Devan Shell.... man, this is a pain.  I will probably fail if I don't have full health entering this battle.  I cannot get that glitch to work properly, so both characters will have to fight it out proper.  Jazz will be sticking to the powered-up Blaster for the first half, but with Spaz?  The Toaster's my choice there.  If he uses his Ray Gun a lot, that's the best time to blast him full on.

After he goes into his devil state (like most villainous nerds do), I plan on unloading all my Missile Launcher ammo on him.  If I need to get away, I may be able to freeze him just long enough to escape the corners.  Other than that, it's the same as the first phase - with Spaz, since I'll be tanked up on Fastfires by now, if I run out of Toaster ammo I'll go to the Blaster with him as well.

AquaTiger

2005-09-22 02:46:04 am

Never give up!

Okay, I've done a little practice with the route and I think I'm comfortable with this.

Within the next few days expect a recording of a preliminary run (either Jazz or Spaz, depending on how I feel that day). It's dependent on how much time I can safely take outside of class to do this, as well as how soon I can clear the game without a single death.

Once the prelim run is completed and available for viewing, I'd like people to comment. Even if you've never played Jazz Jackrabbit 2 before (in which case you can comment by hinting at overall presentation rather than game specifics). That way I can do a little more practice before the real deal.

AquaTiger

Edit history:

AquaTiger: 2005-09-23 04:03:54 am

2005-09-23 01:43:54 am

Never give up!

Okay, if anyone's still reading this...

My first few speedrun attempts at this game have failed at generally the same point. The entire first episode is fine, but whenever I get to the sewer area of the first part of the second episode, those corridors give me problems because of all the flying lizards. (I'm serious - not only are those things large enough to generally block safe progress, they dog you until you either finish the level or defeat them.)

I'll come back in an hour and try this again. If no one's posted by that point I'll just update this thread.

UPDATE: My latest run has gotten to the Crab Boss without losing a single life. Unfortunately, I lost too much time and health underwater to finish that fight. I was using Jazz, and by that point my time was about 17 minutes, so it looks like sub-28 is near-impossible. Sub-30 is mandatory, though, with Jazz, and sub-27 will be necessary for Spaz (but nearly half his boss fights will be faster, and there's a few shortcuts only he can use).

Hopefully I can improve that part - that's the half of the game where the best my Blaster can get is nearly full-auto. The problem is that I have trouble controlling Jazz (or Spaz, even) at full speed (this explains why there'd been no Sonic runs on the site for a long while, actually - hard to control them at max speed as well).

By the way, as a special treat for the people that will view the prelim video, I will be leaving both cutscenes in for the PRELIM VIDEOS ONLY. I will be deleting at least the pregame cutscene, if not both of them (the other one's the ending cutscene), for the final version of the video, as per SDA rules.

Okay, if anyone's still reading this...

My first few speedrun attempts at this game have failed at generally the same point.  The entire first episode is fine, but whenever I get to the sewer area of the first part of the second episode, those corridors give me problems because of all the flying lizards.  (I'm serious - not only are those things large enough to generally block safe progress, they dog you until you either finish the level or defeat them.)

I'll come back in an hour and try this again.  If no one's posted by that point I'll just update this thread.

UPDATE: My latest run has gotten to the Crab Boss without losing a single life.  Unfortunately, I lost too much time and health underwater to finish that fight.  I was using Jazz, and by that point my time was about 17 minutes, so it looks like sub-28 is near-impossible.  Sub-30 is mandatory, though, with Jazz, and sub-27 will be necessary for Spaz (but nearly half his boss fights will be faster, and there's a few shortcuts only he can use).

Hopefully I can improve that part - that's the half of the game where the best my Blaster can get is nearly full-auto.  The problem is that I have trouble controlling Jazz (or Spaz, even) at full speed (this explains why there'd been no Sonic runs on the site for a long while, actually - hard to control them at max speed as well).

By the way, as a special treat for the people that will view the prelim video, I will be leaving both cutscenes in for the PRELIM VIDEOS ONLY.  I will be deleting at least the pregame cutscene, if not both of them (the other one's the ending cutscene), for the final version of the video, as per SDA rules.

Allantois

2005-09-23 03:38:14 am

The Unreal Authority.

are you going for SS?

AquaTiger

Edit history:

AquaTiger: 2005-09-23 04:02:37 am

2005-09-23 03:45:28 am

Never give up!

I am most definitely going for SS runs in both cases, with no deaths whatsoever (they look sloppy, and I lose at least my Fastfire powerups).

I may do segmented runs much later, once I've got a few more games done, but not now.

Robyrt

2005-09-23 03:45:33 pm

aw crikey!

I've been trying a few runs myself, just for fun - those flying lizards are really annoying, just like you said, and bees in episode 3 are also vicious. Basically, anything that goes through walls.

It's worth noting that Spaz's double jump also allows him to correct a lot of little mistakes Jazz has to redo entirely, which saves plenty of time.

AquaTiger

2005-09-24 11:02:31 pm

Never give up!

Okay, an update.

My Jazz run attempts are still going on - I will make sure to get a prelim run done by the end of the weekend.

My current findings:

=The game seems to have generous platform 'hit' detection - if you'd just barely miss a platform, the game tends to let you up, as far as stationary platforms go. Moving platforms (there are plenty) don't have this. Jazz's super jump becomes a lot more useful because of it.

=I've got the first two levels pretty much nailed down, and the first boss, Queen Earlong, is pretty easy. Except I think she's going to have the longest fight of the first episode's three bosses.

=The next two levels are also pretty simple, but the latter has caused a little trouble in a rare few attempts. As for Schwartzenguard, I've found that with Jazz I need about 25 rounds of Toaster ammo to beat him proper.

=The last pair of levels in the first episode are fairly simple, although I tend to hate any part with hooks. I can take the Superbot without taking more than one hit usually, and that's from its first charge. The secret? Ducking.

=The second episode's first pair of levels is, as I've said before, where my problems begin. The flying lizards like to give me a headache - and I don't have enough Seeking Missile Launcher ammo to be frivolous with it.

=The next set of levels, the Wonderland levels, don't give me too much trouble, in all honesty. (Why do I call them the Wonderland levels? There's a variant of the Mad Hatter as an enemy, and the Cheshire Cat, as well as the Caterpillar, make appearances as well. More on that when the video is ready.)

=The beach levels that end the second episode? The first one is simplistic, but my best runs so far have ended on the second level. Why? Those accursed fish in the swimming section, and the swimming section as a whole. I generally require a Sugar Rush (by getting 100 goodies, you gain invincibility for 20 seconds) around a third of the way through to make it with any decent amount of health. And then the Crab Boss.... oh god, I hate this boss. First you must destroy the orbs that shield him, and then he chases you around (this second phase has ended the best one of my run attempts).

Hopefully I can break through to the third episode eventually, and then things get easier and more fun for a while.

Okay, an update.

My Jazz run attempts are still going on - I will make sure to get a prelim run done by the end of the weekend.

My current findings:

=The game seems to have generous platform 'hit' detection - if you'd just barely miss a platform, the game tends to let you up, as far as stationary platforms go.  Moving platforms (there are plenty) don't have this.  Jazz's super jump becomes a lot more useful because of it.

=I've got the first two levels pretty much nailed down, and the first boss, Queen Earlong, is pretty easy.  Except I think she's going to have the longest fight of the first episode's three bosses.

=The next two levels are also pretty simple, but the latter has caused a little trouble in a rare few attempts.  As for Schwartzenguard, I've found that with Jazz I need about 25 rounds of Toaster ammo to beat him proper.

=The last pair of levels in the first episode are fairly simple, although I tend to hate any part with hooks.  I can take the Superbot without taking more than one hit usually, and that's from its first charge.  The secret?  Ducking.

=The second episode's first pair of levels is, as I've said before, where my problems begin.  The flying lizards like to give me a headache - and I don't have enough Seeking Missile Launcher ammo to be frivolous with it.

=The next set of levels, the Wonderland levels, don't give me too much trouble, in all honesty.  (Why do I call them the Wonderland levels?  There's a variant of the Mad Hatter as an enemy, and the Cheshire Cat, as well as the Caterpillar, make appearances as well.  More on that when the video is ready.)

=The beach levels that end the second episode?  The first one is simplistic, but my best runs so far have ended on the second level.  Why?  Those accursed fish in the swimming section, and the swimming section as a whole.  I generally require a Sugar Rush (by getting 100 goodies, you gain invincibility for 20 seconds) around a third of the way through to make it with any decent amount of health.  And then the Crab Boss.... oh god, I hate this boss.  First you must destroy the orbs that shield him, and then he chases you around (this second phase has ended the best one of my run attempts).

Hopefully I can break through to the third episode eventually, and then things get easier and more fun for a while.

AquaTiger

Edit history:

AquaTiger: 2005-09-25 09:19:38 pm

2005-09-25 02:51:14 am

Never give up!

New update.

I have finished recording a prelim run for Jazz (the approximate time wound up in excess of 37 minutes, which is why I'm glad it's a prelim. I may still have to settle for a run longer than 30 minutes though). I haven't transferred or processed the video at the time of this post, but I have a few early details of this prelim run, and my plan is to also complete a run with Spaz, then process both and upload them to some Filefront space.

=This video wound up mistake-laden due to fatigue. From a fresh start I could very easily shave off three, maybe four minutes.

=I was unable to go completely without deaths this run, but because of the location of the death, I settled for a run with one death. (tmont, the person who did the SMB2 run if I recall right, knows how I feel about it because he felt the same thing in that run.)

=I do collect at least one of every weapon, in keeping with my original promise. This is not that hard, actually, judging where the ammo is.

=I HATE HATE HATE any area with hooks or rings. It's not demonstrated why on the hooks as much, but it's extremely obvious on the rings.

=I go from quite reckless to downright conservative at times. This will be better explained when the video's up.

=Not a single press of the keyboard once the first level started. The run was all done via gamepad (I'm more comfortable with it), although it shows a bit.

UPDATE: I have finished recording a speedrun for Spaz. It's not timed yet, but I am in the process of transferring both runs to my PC now. I will say the Spaz run does not have any deaths, despite a number of close calls.

New update.

I have finished recording a prelim run for Jazz (the approximate time wound up in excess of 37 minutes, which is why I'm glad it's a prelim.  I may still have to settle for a run longer than 30 minutes though).  I haven't transferred or processed the video at the time of this post, but I have a few early details of this prelim run, and my plan is to also complete a run with Spaz, then process both and upload them to some Filefront space.

=This video wound up mistake-laden due to fatigue.  From a fresh start I could very easily shave off three, maybe four minutes.

=I was unable to go completely without deaths this run, but because of the location of the death, I settled for a run with one death.  (tmont, the person who did the SMB2 run if I recall right, knows how I feel about it because he felt the same thing in that run.)

=I do collect at least one of every weapon, in keeping with my original promise.  This is not that hard, actually, judging where the ammo is.

=I HATE HATE HATE any area with hooks or rings.  It's not demonstrated why on the hooks as much, but it's extremely obvious on the rings.

=I go from quite reckless to downright conservative at times.  This will be better explained when the video's up.

=Not a single press of the keyboard once the first level started.  The run was all done via gamepad (I'm more comfortable with it), although it shows a bit.

UPDATE: I have finished recording a speedrun for Spaz.  It's not timed yet, but I am in the process of transferring both runs to my PC now.  I will say the Spaz run does not have any deaths, despite a number of close calls.

AquaTiger

Edit history:

AquaTiger: 2005-09-26 04:43:01 pm

2005-09-26 03:17:52 am

Never give up!

Your attention please.

The prelim vids are ready and available for viewing. I recommend looking at the detailed comments - if you don't know how to access those, it's the 'more details...' link below the short description.

The Jazz one is available at http://files.filefront.com/JJ2_SS_Jazzavi/;4179095;;/fileinfo.html.

The Spaz one is available at http://files.filefront.com/JJ2_SS_Spazavi/;4179316;;/fileinfo.html.

Commentary is greatly appreciated.

Robyrt

Edit history:

Robyrt: 2005-09-26 08:12:54 pm

2005-09-26 08:10:46 pm

aw crikey!

There are, of course, plenty of small mistakes like missing platforms, going too slowly through sections (particularly at the end of a level, or on ropes), or losing enough health that you need to slow down - but those are just execution.

The good parts: the Medivo boss, the robot boss, the Alice levels in general.

The bad parts: the first couple levels (where you stop to pick up loads of bouncer ammo and fruit you never use, instead of flying through at warp speed, and don't mash fast enough against the Queen), the crab boss (you should just practice that fight - also, there's a bug that allows you to bypass the trigger that gives the boss his protection).

Robyrt

Edit history:

Robyrt: 2005-09-27 05:24:09 am

2005-09-27 05:22:38 am

aw crikey!

Just watched the Spaz run. Mostly, the opposite of what I said is true: you're very slick in the beginning (aside from the usual execution problems), but really falter starting with the episode 3 boss.

Also, what the heck is up with that method of killing Devan? Do you have to jump over at just the right point or something??

Also, you don't use the buttstomp to get down from high places enough. For example, early in the game, when you're poled up to a ring of donuts and two carrots, you can just drift to the right and buttstomp to get down safely any time you want.

Radix

2005-09-27 05:56:24 am

I'm addicted to games

Why is jazz so tiny?
Also the bitrate is twice what it should be for normal quality.

AquaTiger

Edit history:

AquaTiger: 2005-09-27 11:01:12 pm

2005-09-27 12:37:17 pm

Never give up!

Quote:

Also, what the heck is up with that method of killing Devan? Do you have to jump over at just the right point or something??

If you mean the style of the fight, what I recall is that I was at one health point left and I didn't want to use the Toaster (which should be faster) because I was risking getting hit.

If you mean the buttstomp, I believe that's a glitch in the game. While that one was purely on accident, I am looking into this glitch, but it looks like it's not reasonably exploitable; it looks like it's a random thing.

Quote:

Why is jazz so tiny?

At the time of recording, I was using the game's maximum resolution (which is 640 x 480 x 16, actually). I shall do some practice runs on half that resolution (which actually makes the game harder if you ask me, because there's less of a view area around the character, although it does help with presentation by making the characters easier to see) once I plot my route on my usual resolution, but don't expect to see videos of THOSE practice runs.

Quote:

Also the bitrate is twice what it should be for normal quality.

That was my attempt to salvage enough of the video quality to make this viewable (are there better methods for salvaging quality?). Because of that desync at the end, as well as time constraints, when I actually am done recording the real speedrun (which might be a while) I plan on sending the tape to Nate this time instead of doing the processing myself. (I'm not exactly alternating on this - what I do will depend on the game usually.) That of course might assume the backlog's lightened up a little (if I were to get it done today, I'd at least wait to mail it until the 'needs captured from video' is back in the single digits).

Anyway, here are the nearly-finalized worst times I'll accept for sending the run in:

Jazz: 33 minutes, 10 seconds
Spaz: 30 minutes

These times are absolute - each one builds in 10 seconds of leeway so that I don't aggravate myself if I barely miss.

[quote]Also, what the heck is up with that method of killing Devan? Do you have to jump over at just the right point or something??[/quote]

If you mean the style of the fight, what I recall is that I was at one health point left and I didn't want to use the Toaster (which should be faster) because I was risking getting hit.

If you mean the buttstomp, I believe that's a glitch in the game.  While that one was purely on accident, I am looking into this glitch, but it looks like it's not reasonably exploitable; it looks like it's a random thing.

[quote]Why is jazz so tiny?[/quote]

At the time of recording, I was using the game's maximum resolution (which is 640 x 480 x 16, actually).  I shall do some practice runs on half that resolution (which actually makes the game harder if you ask me, because there's less of a view area around the character, although it does help with presentation by making the characters easier to see) once I plot my route on my usual resolution, but don't expect to see videos of THOSE practice runs.

[quote]Also the bitrate is twice what it should be for normal quality.[/quote]

That was my attempt to salvage enough of the video quality to make this viewable (are there better methods for salvaging quality?).  Because of that desync at the end, as well as time constraints, when I actually am done recording the real speedrun (which might be a while) I plan on sending the tape to Nate this time instead of doing the processing myself.  (I'm not exactly alternating on this - what I do will depend on the game usually.)  That of course might assume the backlog's lightened up a little (if I were to get it done today, I'd at least wait to mail it until the 'needs captured from video' is back in the single digits).

Anyway, here are the nearly-finalized worst times I'll accept for sending the run in:

Jazz: 33 minutes, 10 seconds
Spaz: 30 minutes

These times are absolute - each one builds in 10 seconds of leeway so that I don't aggravate myself if I barely miss.

AquaTiger

Edit history:

AquaTiger: 2005-10-11 07:51:29 pm

2005-09-29 06:39:39 pm

Never give up!

Okay, I've determined that I can start the real recording around Saturday afternoon.

Before I do, though, I'm going to need to determine which resolution would be best from a viewer standpoint. Therefore, I have devised four test files, one at each considered resolution.

(links removed due to not being useful anymore)

What I would like people to do is to look at each one and tell me what they think is the best resolution for a speedrun video. I'd like opinions from anyone who bothers to view these - anyone at all.

I must inform people, after my decision has been made these four files will probably be removed. My original two full attempts will still stay up, though.

....by the way, if you're wondering: Yes, I captured these four in the same playthrough, switching video modes at certain times. And no, they are not my best effort, although there's a general sense of speed involved on principle.

Robyrt

2005-09-30 05:01:21 am

aw crikey!

I am getting the 404s!

Apathy

Edit history:

Apathy: 2005-09-30 05:15:51 am

2005-09-30 05:09:32 am

King n00b!

If you get a 404, then click back, and click the link again, I had to do that about 8 times to get to the file.

I personally like the 2 ones at the lower res.. Anything else makes the bunny look too small.

Allantois

2005-09-30 05:17:14 am

The Unreal Authority.

I think 400X300 is good for any speed run.