MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy

Edit history:

SDAVerification: 2022-02-08 04:53:43 pm

2022-01-27 01:19:23 am

Game Page: Doesn't exist yet

MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy () (pc) [Any %] [Single Segment] [Easy] [Bloodname Ending]

Decision: Accept

Congratulations to 'PROX'!

Thread title:

SDAVerification

Edit history:

SDAVerification: 2022-02-08 04:53:32 pm

ktwo: 2022-01-31 01:43:06 pm

2022-01-27 01:19:23 am

Run Information

MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy () (pc) (pc) [Any %] [Single Segment] [Easy] [Bloodname Ending]

Verification Files

http://v.speeddemosarchive.com/mechwarrior2-20220125/

Please refer to the Verification Guidelines before posting.

Please post your opinions about the run and be certain to conclude your post with a verdict (Accept/Reject). If you wish to remain anonymous, you can also send a pm with your reply to 'sdaverification' (please state clearly in that case which run you have verified). This is not a contest where the majority wins - Each verification will be judged on its content.

PROX

Edit history:

PROX: 2022-01-27 03:15:29 am

2022-01-27 03:14:34 am

I would like to specify that this is bloodname% and not any% since any% would end at the Destroy Orbital Platform level. The bloodright levels are bonus levels that the player can access if they beat the game without dying. The bloodname chart is a special ending.

ktwo

2022-01-28 05:38:28 am

Thanks, the category name can be changed.
I just noticed now that there is some commentary in the video. Do you also have a clean version, with only the game audio? Only speedruns without audio or video overlays (but secondary audio tracks can be added to the video) are published on SDA.

PROX

2022-01-28 05:58:25 am

Quote from ktwo:

Thanks, the category name can be changed.
I just noticed now that there is some commentary in the video. Do you also have a clean version, with only the game audio? Only speedruns without audio or video overlays (but secondary audio tracks can be added to the video) are published on SDA.

no, this is the raw file recorded from OBS. Also, when I submitted this, I selected the embedded video commentary option which made me think that you have the option of already having commentary in the video.

ktwo

2022-01-28 08:35:14 am

Then we will unfortunately have to cancel this submission.

Quote from https://kb.speeddemosarchive.com/Rules:

Recording: [...] The video needs to contain only the gameplay footage and the first audio track needs to contain only the game audio (additional audio tracks can be added with audio commentary though). [...]

This doesn't mean your run is not recognized here, just that it won't be hosted on the site. You're welcome to continue discussing the run in the forum and if you happen to record a run in the future that adheres to SDA's rules, you're welcome to submit again.

PROX

2022-01-28 01:48:44 pm

right, I gotcha

PROX

2022-01-30 12:51:49 pm

I did record a new video for a new run. It's only 5 seconds behind the run I submitted, but it still beats the former WR.

LotBlind

2022-01-30 01:29:48 pm

Hmm... that didn't take you very long. At this point I'd like to suggest: forget about the Speedrun.com/YouTube record. Those aren't very important for games that are not very competitive (or that haven't been looked at by sufficiently dedicated players). We can treat the new run as a quality test though if you like, although I don't know how many things could have been wrong about the other one aside from recording your commentary.

I should have given you this link earlier but I wasn't sure if you were about to submit a run here or not. In any case, if you didn't figure it out by yourself, that's the way you record a separate audio track for commentary (or indeed one for the game audio). That way you can stream with music playing or a live commentary if you like without compromising submittability here.

As to the run quality – indeed I recommend taking more time to not just beat the existing records (which in some cases we don't even require but this game clearly hasn't seen that much action) but to really grind out that RNG and execution as well. I can take a look at this submitted run in a few days to see whether it looks like it would pass that check. I've occasionally even been able to suggest improvements that turned out to be actually possible to implement, so let's see if we're lucky this time Tongue

Hmm... that didn't take you very long. At this point I'd like to suggest: forget about the Speedrun.com/YouTube record. Those aren't very important for games that are not very competitive (or that haven't been looked at by sufficiently dedicated players). We can treat the new run as a quality test though if you like, although I don't know how many things could have been wrong about the other one aside from recording your commentary.

I should have given you [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdFeCaStTbw]this link[/url] earlier but I wasn't sure if you were about to submit a run here or not. In any case, if you didn't figure it out by yourself, that's the way you record a separate audio track for commentary (or indeed one for the game audio). That way you can stream with music playing or a live commentary if you like without compromising submittability here.

As to the run quality – indeed I recommend taking more time to not just beat the existing records (which in some cases we don't even require but this game clearly hasn't seen that much action) but to really grind out that RNG and execution as well. I can take a look at this submitted run in a few days to see whether it looks like it would pass that check. I've occasionally even been able to suggest improvements that turned out to be actually possible to implement, so let's see if we're lucky this time :P

PROX

2022-01-30 03:11:19 pm

Quote from LotBlind:

Hmm... that didn't take you very long. At this point I'd like to suggest: forget about the Speedrun.com/YouTube record. Those aren't very important for games that are not very competitive (or that haven't been looked at by sufficiently dedicated players). We can treat the new run as a quality test though if you like, although I don't know how many things could have been wrong about the other one aside from recording your commentary.

I should have given you this link earlier but I wasn't sure if you were about to submit a run here or not. In any case, if you didn't figure it out by yourself, that's the way you record a separate audio track for commentary (or indeed one for the game audio). That way you can stream with music playing or a live commentary if you like without compromising submittability here.

As to the run quality – indeed I recommend taking more time to not just beat the existing records (which in some cases we don't even require but this game clearly hasn't seen that much action) but to really grind out that RNG and execution as well. I can take a look at this submitted run in a few days to see whether it looks like it would pass that check. I've occasionally even been able to suggest improvements that turned out to be actually possible to implement, so let's see if we're lucky this time Tongue

Well, the other issue was the video overlay I used. Evidently, you guys don't seem to like seeing the livesplit timer either. As for potential improvements, I've been grinding these missions like crazy. I did make a few mistakes here and there, but overall, it's a pretty solid time. Most of the strats have been developed for a few years, but I recently found some massive time saves that the former record never used. I decided to submit these so more people would potentially be interested in running these games.

[quote="LotBlind"]Hmm... that didn't take you very long. At this point I'd like to suggest: forget about the Speedrun.com/YouTube record. Those aren't very important for games that are not very competitive (or that haven't been looked at by sufficiently dedicated players). We can treat the new run as a quality test though if you like, although I don't know how many things could have been wrong about the other one aside from recording your commentary.

I should have given you [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdFeCaStTbw]this link[/url] earlier but I wasn't sure if you were about to submit a run here or not. In any case, if you didn't figure it out by yourself, that's the way you record a separate audio track for commentary (or indeed one for the game audio). That way you can stream with music playing or a live commentary if you like without compromising submittability here.

As to the run quality – indeed I recommend taking more time to not just beat the existing records (which in some cases we don't even require but this game clearly hasn't seen that much action) but to really grind out that RNG and execution as well. I can take a look at this submitted run in a few days to see whether it looks like it would pass that check. I've occasionally even been able to suggest improvements that turned out to be actually possible to implement, so let's see if we're lucky this time :P[/quote]

Well, the other issue was the video overlay I used. Evidently, you guys don't seem to like seeing the livesplit timer either. As for potential improvements, I've been grinding these missions like crazy.  I did make a few mistakes here and there, but overall, it's a pretty solid time. Most of the strats have been developed for a few years, but I recently found some massive time saves that the former record never used. I decided to submit these so more people would potentially be interested in running these games.

ktwo

2022-01-30 04:08:32 pm

Quote from PROX:

Well, the other issue was the video overlay I used. Evidently, you guys don't seem to like seeing the livesplit timer either.

Just would like to clarify that nothing can obscure the gameplay area in the video (for it to be eligible for SDA). If there are things like a self-cam, timer, animation or whatever on the side, it's no problem. It will be edited out before being published here though. This rule can cause a a conflict for modern games that run at modern resolutions. When the gameplay area covers the whole screen, there is effectively no free space for a timer etc (unless shrinking the gameplay area in the recording). But for old-school games that anyway have big "black pillars" surrounding the gameplay area, it's good practice to put the timer etc in these areas instead of covering any of the gameplay. This is also what you did in your first run, so that wasn't an issue.

PROX

Edit history:

PROX: 2022-01-31 04:52:22 am

PROX: 2022-01-31 04:48:45 am

2022-01-30 09:19:43 pm

ah, I see, well that's good at least. OBS is good with that sort of thing. I do have my new video ready, but I need to be able to send it. It's why I submitted a new request earlier.

EDIT: I sent it, so we have 2 videos in there now.

LotBlind

2022-01-31 12:19:28 pm

Hmm... so you're saying you just happened to get another really solid time so quickly after the first run was cancelled? That CAN happen, of course, but we've seen a lot of times where the runner was just over-eager to submit. If it really is as good as you say, and you said you are an old-time visitor so you might well be aware what our standards are, then I hope we can accept the new run. If you're confident about it, I'll wait until it's in verification to watch it then. It might appear in this same thread actually.

BTW: I think since the alternatives to any% are 100% and low%, we'll leave the any% as it is and just tack on a custom category called Bloodname. The difference between Speedrun.com and SDA is technical only for most "common sense" categories.

Sadly, SDA submission or not, while every new Nintendo game will have a ton of runners running it, older DOS games have no such guarantee. The SDA audience will still appreciate high-quality submissions as they always do but... well, you never know. On the upside, you don't easily run out of interesting games to study, even ones you get to start from scratch if you appreciate that sort of thing.

Hmm... so you're saying you just happened to get another really solid time so quickly after the first run was cancelled? That CAN happen, of course, but we've seen a lot of times where the runner was just over-eager to submit. If it really is as good as you say, and you said you are an old-time visitor so you might well be aware what our standards are, then I hope we can accept the new run. If you're confident about it, I'll wait until it's in verification to watch it then. It might appear in this same thread actually.

BTW: I think since the alternatives to any% are 100% and low%, we'll leave the any% as it is and just tack on a custom category called Bloodname. The difference between Speedrun.com and SDA is technical only for most "common sense" categories.

Sadly, SDA submission or not, while every new Nintendo game will have a ton of runners running it, older DOS games have no such guarantee. The SDA audience will still appreciate high-quality submissions as they always do but... well, you never know. On the upside, you don't easily run out of interesting games to study, even ones you get to start from scratch if you appreciate that sort of thing.

ktwo

2022-01-31 01:45:40 pm

The new video has been received and I took a quick look at it. The aspect ratio has changed and it looks stretched compared to the first video. Since this is a pretty old game, I assume the ratio in the first video is the correct one since this is a pretty old game? I don't feel like quoting another rule from the rules page, but you can probably guess that the wrong aspect ratio is a problem as far as SDA is concerned...

Both videos are in the link in the second post. I have also deleted the new submission, since it's a duplicate. Let's continue the discussion here.

PROX

Edit history:

PROX: 2022-01-31 02:24:25 pm

2022-01-31 02:13:12 pm

I wonder why it's stretched. I recorded it at 640x480 on OBS which was the resolution I was playing it in.

LotBlind

2022-01-31 02:14:47 pm

ktwo's forgetting that an aspect ratio can be corrected though so no biggie. Looks like in VLC you can just choose the aspect ratio you want and it can even correct it live. Setting it to 4:3 makes it look right I think.

I'm watching it now... will finish in some days.

LotBlind

2022-02-01 12:53:22 pm

I'm about 1/3 through while making notes. I'm being pretty detailed to help with the verification.

I see that some enemy spawns (like the end of Snow1) are somewhat random, right? Like the first run you submitted you might have gotten a slightly better spawn pattern.

Is MECH LAB a custom mech? I know some of these games let you customize mechs and use them in missions. Or is it something that unlocks after beating the game once or something like that? Looks like both the mechs you use are custom and the variants too if I'm not mistaken?

Are you controlling the game with the keyboard BTW? Does it control well? Is it easy to aim etc.? Does the game automatically cycle between guns or are you having to spam some input?

When you approach enemies, are you purposefully trying not to move directly their way but rather towards the side a little bit? To avoid too much incoming fire?

2:56 - Sniping one of the enemies mid-air looks nice of course but I don't know why you don't target the guy on the right after that, seeing as he seems to be nearest. Is it because the middle one is more likely to cause trouble or move out of view?
3:04 - Missing a lot of shots on the obscured target looks unfortunate, but depending on how the game controls, could be okay.
4:47 - Lost a few seconds cycling past the right mech in the menu.
5:32 - Video looks like MECH LAB is selected but it gives you the Stormcrow instead. Weird.
6:30 - Again, unless the controls are really awkward/laggy/something like that, looks sloppy to shoot at nothing here. I think you're generally on the mark though. Whenever it's a sure kill, starting to move before the projectiles have connected would be an IFI BTW.
6:30 - Also mathematically speaking the fastest when getting into position to shoot those two mechs that are just standing around would be moving initially in a direction that's further towards what the next destination will be, then turning to face the side to shoot them, if you see what I mean. The run takes a slight detour further towards the right. I'm only mentioning this in case you were to find a way to reduce that detour a bit. Maybe there's another reason to do what you do, like if shooting those two AFAP helps with some scripted bottleneck.
6:51 - Seeing as in the first submitted run you don't do it, looks like using the secondary view mode is an arbitrary choice? I'm seeing some garbled graphics on the screen when you're in that mode. It's the same in the first submitted video so assuming that's just the game. (?)
7:55 - Are you only completing this secondary objective for fun while waiting to be able to extract? Or is it better to do it? Was going into the mountain to shoot them like that one of the skips you found? But in the first video you don't bother with it at all. Seems counterintuitive that either way is as fast.
8:40 - Here it looks to me like you're veering to the right but maybe you're really not. Weird optical illusion...

There's some video corruption in other parts of the video too for me but sadly that could simply be my mobile connection that's not ideal for downloading large video files. If you don't see anything while in the second view mode or anywhere in the menus either, it's probably just me.

I'll watch more later.

I'm about 1/3 through while making notes. I'm being pretty detailed to help with the verification.

I see that some enemy spawns (like the end of Snow1) are somewhat random, right? Like the first run you submitted you might have gotten a slightly better spawn pattern.

Is MECH LAB a custom mech? I know some of these games let you customize mechs and use them in missions. Or is it something that unlocks after beating the game once or something like that? Looks like both the mechs you use are custom and the variants too if I'm not mistaken?

Are you controlling the game with the keyboard BTW? Does it control well? Is it easy to aim etc.? Does the game automatically cycle between guns or are you having to spam some input?

When you approach enemies, are you purposefully trying not to move directly their way but rather towards the side a little bit? To avoid too much incoming fire?

2:56 - Sniping one of the enemies mid-air looks nice of course but I don't know why you don't target the guy on the right after that, seeing as he seems to be nearest. Is it because the middle one is more likely to cause trouble or move out of view?
3:04 - Missing a lot of shots on the obscured target looks unfortunate, but depending on how the game controls, could be okay.
4:47 - Lost a few seconds cycling past the right mech in the menu.
5:32 - Video looks like MECH LAB is selected but it gives you the Stormcrow instead. Weird.
6:30 - Again, unless the controls are really awkward/laggy/something like that, looks sloppy to shoot at nothing here. I think you're generally on the mark though. Whenever it's a sure kill, starting to move before the projectiles have connected would be an IFI BTW.
6:30 - Also mathematically speaking the fastest when getting into position to shoot those two mechs that are just standing around would be moving initially in a direction that's further towards what the next destination will be, then turning to face the side to shoot them, if you see what I mean. The run takes a slight detour further towards the right. I'm only mentioning this in case you were to find a way to reduce that detour a bit. Maybe there's another reason to do what you do, like if shooting those two AFAP helps with some scripted bottleneck.
6:51 - Seeing as in the first submitted run you don't do it, looks like using the secondary view mode is an arbitrary choice? I'm seeing some garbled graphics on the screen when you're in that mode. It's the same in the first submitted video so assuming that's just the game. (?)
7:55 - Are you only completing this secondary objective for fun while waiting to be able to extract? Or is it better to do it? Was going into the mountain to shoot them like that one of the skips you found? But in the first video you don't bother with it at all. Seems counterintuitive that either way is as fast.
8:40 - Here it looks to me like you're veering to the right but maybe you're really not. Weird optical illusion...

There's some video corruption in other parts of the video too for me but sadly that could simply be my mobile connection that's not ideal for downloading large video files. If you don't see anything while in the second view mode or anywhere in the menus either, it's probably just me.

I'll watch more later.

PROX

Edit history:

PROX: 2022-02-02 03:14:54 am

2022-02-02 02:24:49 am

Here are answers to a lot of your questions:

Yes, mech lab is for creating custom mechs. It's a staple in the battletech franchise(which is where Mechwarrior comes from.) I don't use the stock variants at all except for trial 3 which can just be skipped. I do use keyboard and mouse when playing this. (It's the best way to do it imo, but some people just use keyboard, and I have no clue how they can play like that.) Yes, I try to approach enemies at an angle because this game has way smarter AI than in 31cc combat. If you're not careful, a lot of these mechs will take you out really fast.

The audio cuts out in the beginning because my headset unplugged at the beginning of mission 2. I'm using a 2016 laptop and my headset slot is a little loose.

Quote from LotBlind:

2:56 - Sniping one of the enemies mid-air looks nice of course but I don't know why you don't target the guy on the right after that, seeing as he seems to be nearest. Is it because the middle one is more likely to cause trouble or move out of view?

The Ravens are unpredictable. They will move wherever they want, and they will jet all over the place sometimes. I've had runs where one of the ravens would stay on the mountain, or they would drop down on the other side. Those ravens are huge trolls sometimes.

Quote from LotBlind:

3:04 - Missing a lot of shots on the obscured target looks unfortunate, but depending on how the game controls, could be okay.

Yeah, the explosion obscured the mech. I could target, but it would have taken a bit longer if I did.

Quote from LotBlind:

4:47 - Lost a few seconds cycling past the right mech in the menu.

Yeah, that will happen sometimes. There are times where I forget where the mech is that I want to select. The weird thing about this game is that if you're not playing a trial, you can't select a different mech, so you're stuck with that mech for a while until you get to certain missions. It's why I skip the mech lab from time to time.

Quote from LotBlind:

5:32 - Video looks like MECH LAB is selected but it gives you the Stormcrow instead. Weird.

See previous comment

Quote from LotBlind:

6:30 - Again, unless the controls are really awkward/laggy/something like that, looks sloppy to shoot at nothing here. I think you're generally on the mark though. Whenever it's a sure kill, starting to move before the projectiles have connected would be an IFI BTW.
6:30 - Also mathematically speaking the fastest when getting into position to shoot those two mechs that are just standing around would be moving initially in a direction that's further towards what the next destination will be, then turning to face the side to shoot them, if you see what I mean. The run takes a slight detour further towards the right. I'm only mentioning this in case you were to find a way to reduce that detour a bit. Maybe there's another reason to do what you do, like if shooting those two AFAP helps with some scripted bottleneck.

The aiming is ultra sensitive when you zoom in all the way. I did miss the mark, but honestly, I didn't lose any time because the dropship that's supposed to carry the battle suits shows up at a fixed time, so even if I turned to the side, it wouldn't make a difference. If I tried that while zooming in, it would really throw everything off with how sensitive it is. The goal is to just take out the 2 victors off at the distance first, otherwise, you'd have to wait for them to show up later, and it would waste a lot of time, the last few mechs before the battle suits should be taken out as soon as possible before the dropship arrives. I have to also take out my ally so the battle suits don't run off the path I want them on. If one deviates from the path, it really slows things down. They move in a consistent pattern when my ally dies.

Quote from LotBlind:

6:51 - Seeing as in the first submitted run you don't do it, looks like using the secondary view mode is an arbitrary choice? I'm seeing some garbled graphics on the screen when you're in that mode. It's the same in the first submitted video so assuming that's just the game. (?)

Wireframe makes some things easier to see, also with my cycle settings (for consistent jet recharging), sometimes my framerate will tank if I see too many particles or textures at once. This game in particular is known to have frame issues from time to time anyways. As far as the artifacting is concerned, that's OBS being weird. It only seems to happen in this game too for some reason. I don't get that issue in 31cc. If I zoom, then the artifacting disappears too. Idk, I don't get why it happens to me, but I can't seem to do anything about it. I've tried.

Quote from LotBlind:

7:55 - Are you only completing this secondary objective for fun while waiting to be able to extract? Or is it better to do it? Was going into the mountain to shoot them like that one of the skips you found? But in the first video you don't bother with it at all. Seems counterintuitive that either way is as fast.

You have to kill every mech for the mission to succeed. Also it's faster to jet slide into the mountain and take out the battle suits on top of the mountain. The missiles get to the battle suits faster if I get inside of the mountain. I can't really target the mechs while they're shut down. I can Q target them, but their bounding spheres are so small that it's a pain to do so. I end up waiting for the battle suits to power up before I lock on with my missiles. I then have to wait for them to start moving so they all end up running into the explosion which causes a domino effect. If you don't get it just right, one of the battle suits might survive and it wastes quite a bit of time. The moment I fire them, I can jet backward back to the nav point and save all kinds of time. If you notice the mission objective IGT, this method saves 7 seconds. If you use the strat in the older video, the fastest time you'll get is 2:24, but with this method, the fastest I've gotten is 2:17.

Here's a comparison of the two strats:

Quote from LotBlind:

8:40 - Here it looks to me like you're veering to the right but maybe you're really not. Weird optical illusion...

I was going completely straight, but the external camera was at an angle.

Here are answers to a lot of your questions:

Yes, mech lab is for creating custom mechs. It's a staple in the battletech franchise(which is where Mechwarrior comes from.) I don't use the stock variants at all except for trial 3 which can just be skipped. I do use keyboard and mouse when playing this. (It's the best way to do it imo, but some people just use keyboard, and I have no clue how they can play like that.) Yes, I try to approach enemies at an angle because this game has way smarter AI than in 31cc combat. If you're not careful, a lot of these mechs will take you out really fast.

The audio cuts out in the beginning because my headset unplugged at the beginning of mission 2. I'm using a 2016 laptop and my headset slot is a little loose.

[quote="LotBlind"]2:56 - Sniping one of the enemies mid-air looks nice of course but I don't know why you don't target the guy on the right after that, seeing as he seems to be nearest. Is it because the middle one is more likely to cause trouble or move out of view?[/quote]

The Ravens are unpredictable. They will move wherever they want, and they will jet all over the place sometimes. I've had runs where one of the ravens would stay on the mountain, or they would drop down on the other side. Those ravens are huge trolls sometimes.

[quote="LotBlind"]
3:04 - Missing a lot of shots on the obscured target looks unfortunate, but depending on how the game controls, could be okay.
[/quote]

Yeah, the explosion obscured the mech. I could target, but it would have taken a bit longer if I did.

[quote="LotBlind"]
4:47 - Lost a few seconds cycling past the right mech in the menu.
[/quote]

Yeah, that will happen sometimes. There are times where I forget where the mech is that I want to select. The weird thing about this game is that if you're not playing a trial, you can't select a different mech, so you're stuck with that mech for a while until you get to certain missions. It's why I skip the mech lab from time to time.

[quote="LotBlind"]
5:32 - Video looks like MECH LAB is selected but it gives you the Stormcrow instead. Weird.
[/quote]

See previous comment

[quote="LotBlind"]
6:30 - Again, unless the controls are really awkward/laggy/something like that, looks sloppy to shoot at nothing here. I think you're generally on the mark though. Whenever it's a sure kill, starting to move before the projectiles have connected would be an IFI BTW.
6:30 - Also mathematically speaking the fastest when getting into position to shoot those two mechs that are just standing around would be moving initially in a direction that's further towards what the next destination will be, then turning to face the side to shoot them, if you see what I mean. The run takes a slight detour further towards the right. I'm only mentioning this in case you were to find a way to reduce that detour a bit. Maybe there's another reason to do what you do, like if shooting those two AFAP helps with some scripted bottleneck.
[/quote]

The aiming is ultra sensitive when you zoom in all the way. I did miss the mark, but honestly, I didn't lose any time because the dropship that's supposed to carry the battle suits shows up at a fixed time, so even if I turned to the side, it wouldn't make a difference. If I tried that while zooming in, it would really throw everything off with how sensitive it is.  The goal is to just take out the 2 victors off at the distance first, otherwise, you'd have to wait for them to show up later, and it would waste a lot of time, the last few mechs before the battle suits should be taken out as soon as possible before the dropship arrives. I have to also take out my ally so the battle suits don't run off the path I want them on. If one deviates from the path, it really slows things down. They move in a consistent pattern when my ally dies.

[quote="LotBlind"]
6:51 - Seeing as in the first submitted run you don't do it, looks like using the secondary view mode is an arbitrary choice? I'm seeing some garbled graphics on the screen when you're in that mode. It's the same in the first submitted video so assuming that's just the game. (?)
[/quote]

Wireframe makes some things easier to see, also with my cycle settings (for consistent jet recharging), sometimes my framerate will tank if I see too many particles or textures at once. This game in particular is known to have frame issues from time to time anyways. As far as the artifacting is concerned, that's OBS being weird. It only seems to happen in this game too for some reason. I don't get that issue in 31cc. If I zoom, then the artifacting disappears too. Idk, I don't get why it happens to me, but I can't seem to do anything about it. I've tried.

[quote="LotBlind"]
7:55 - Are you only completing this secondary objective for fun while waiting to be able to extract? Or is it better to do it? Was going into the mountain to shoot them like that one of the skips you found? But in the first video you don't bother with it at all. Seems counterintuitive that either way is as fast.
[/quote]

You have to kill every mech for the mission to succeed. Also it's faster to jet slide into the mountain and take out the battle suits on top of the mountain. The missiles get to the battle suits faster if I get inside of the mountain. I can't really target the mechs while they're shut down. I can Q target them, but their bounding spheres are so small that it's a pain to do so. I end up waiting for the battle suits to power up before I lock on with my missiles. I then have to wait for them to start moving so they all end up running into the explosion which causes a domino effect. If you don't get it just right, one of the battle suits might survive and it wastes quite a bit of time. The moment I fire them, I can jet backward back to the nav point and save all kinds of time. If you notice the mission objective IGT, this method saves 7 seconds. If you use the strat in the older video, the fastest time you'll get is 2:24, but with this method, the fastest I've gotten is 2:17.

Here's a comparison of the two strats:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBO4SZ28sPE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC_-TlCI52E

[quote="LotBlind"]
8:40 - Here it looks to me like you're veering to the right but maybe you're really not. Weird optical illusion...
[/quote]

I was going completely straight, but the external camera was at an angle.

LotBlind

2022-02-02 12:07:35 pm

Mech lab: So everything you employ in this run is unlocked from the start on your first playthrough? Or does it require playing it through first or something?

Is the "shutting down" thing just cosmetic or do you move slightly faster or something?

4:47 - Can't switch away from a mech: Yeah, that is a bit unusual since the player doesn't know what they'll be up against in missions they haven't played yet.

6:30 - Okay, so there's a bottleneck. Nevermind that then.

6:51 - The video artifacts... Okay. So it's not supposed to have that at all or OBS is exasperating it? I couldn't immediately find other videos online to compare. It is pretty egregious so I don't think we can just ignore it. It genuinely makes it difficult to understand what's happening in most parts where you use it (though not this one in particular). Meanwhile, did you try DOSBox native video capture as an alternative? You only get the game window that way of course. And did you try using a different codec as well? There has to be a codec designed to handle this kind of vector-graphic-like effect. If neither of those helps, we can try asking nate, who knows a thing or two about capture methods. Or maybe even someone over at the DOSBox forum? I think the fact zooming helps probably contains a clue. And do any of the other runners get this issue?

7:55 - So the intuitive notion is correct: what you did in the second submitted run really is faster.

12:10 - Hahaha... so the game's plot really involves a FIGHT TO THE DEATH with your COMMANDING OFFICER because you dissed him? Can we have that in more places please? I can tell honor is a big thing in this universe.

16:08 - Nothing to do here but wait for them to get closer to you?

17:15 - The dev team was hoping and praying you would take their word on the collision detection.

19:44 - Funny it gives you "successful" on the objective you never complete.

35:12 - A short freeze and audio stutter here. This kind of thing by itself wouldn't be enough to reject a run though.

Yeah, so I can't see any massive amount of faffing about in this run and I couldn't really comment more on the strategies used without booting it up myself, so I think the only thing standing in the way of accepting it is just the video issues that make it difficult to watch. Video quality is, of course, one of our primary criteria for accepting runs. So I suggest to turn any stones you haven't yet to figure out what you could do to eliminate the garbling in the wireframe mode for now. As I said, we can try asking nate. You can simply drop one of the videos that shows it in a thread under Tech Support and he tends to look at those within a few days. We'll keep this verification thread open for a while longer in case you manage to fix it quickly.

Mech lab: So everything you employ in this run is unlocked from the start on your first playthrough? Or does it require playing it through first or something?

Is the "shutting down" thing just cosmetic or do you move slightly faster or something?

4:47 - Can't switch away from a mech: Yeah, that is a bit unusual since the player doesn't know what they'll be up against in missions they haven't played yet.

6:30 - Okay, so there's a bottleneck. Nevermind that then.

6:51 - The video artifacts... Okay. So it's not supposed to have that at all or OBS is exasperating it? I couldn't immediately find other videos online to compare. It is pretty egregious so I don't think we can just ignore it. It genuinely makes it difficult to understand what's happening in most parts where you use it (though not this one in particular). Meanwhile, did you try DOSBox native video capture as an alternative? You only get the game window that way of course. And did you try using a different codec as well? There has to be a codec designed to handle this kind of vector-graphic-like effect. If neither of those helps, we can try asking nate, who knows a thing or two about capture methods. Or maybe even someone over at the DOSBox forum? I think the fact zooming helps probably contains a clue. And do any of the other runners get this issue?

7:55 - So the intuitive notion is correct: what you did in the second submitted run really is faster.

12:10 - Hahaha... so the game's plot really involves a FIGHT TO THE DEATH with your COMMANDING OFFICER because you dissed him? Can we have that in more places please? I can tell honor is a big thing in this universe.

16:08 - Nothing to do here but wait for them to get closer to you?

17:15 - The dev team was hoping and praying you would take their word on the collision detection.

19:44 - Funny it gives you "successful" on the objective you never complete.

35:12 - A short freeze and audio stutter here. This kind of thing by itself wouldn't be enough to reject a run though.

Yeah, so I can't see any massive amount of faffing about in this run and I couldn't really comment more on the strategies used without booting it up myself, so I think the only thing standing in the way of accepting it is just the video issues that make it difficult to watch. Video quality is, of course, one of our primary criteria for accepting runs. So I suggest to turn any stones you haven't yet to figure out what you could do to eliminate the garbling in the wireframe mode for now. As I said, we can try asking nate. You can simply drop one of the videos that shows it in a thread under Tech Support and he tends to look at those within a few days. We'll keep this verification thread open for a while longer in case you manage to fix it quickly.

PROX

Edit history:

PROX: 2022-02-02 02:55:45 pm

PROX: 2022-02-02 02:41:34 pm

PROX: 2022-02-02 02:33:25 pm

2022-02-02 02:32:41 pm

Quote from LotBlind:

Mech lab: So everything you employ in this run is unlocked from the start on your first playthrough? Or does it require playing it through first or something?

Is the "shutting down" thing just cosmetic or do you move slightly faster or something?

4:47 - Can't switch away from a mech: Yeah, that is a bit unusual since the player doesn't know what they'll be up against in missions they haven't played yet.

6:30 - Okay, so there's a bottleneck. Nevermind that then.

6:51 - The video artifacts... Okay. So it's not supposed to have that at all or OBS is exasperating it? I couldn't immediately find other videos online to compare. It is pretty egregious so I don't think we can just ignore it. It genuinely makes it difficult to understand what's happening in most parts where you use it (though not this one in particular). Meanwhile, did you try DOSBox native video capture as an alternative? You only get the game window that way of course. And did you try using a different codec as well? There has to be a codec designed to handle this kind of vector-graphic-like effect. If neither of those helps, we can try asking nate, who knows a thing or two about capture methods. Or maybe even someone over at the DOSBox forum? I think the fact zooming helps probably contains a clue. And do any of the other runners get this issue?

7:55 - So the intuitive notion is correct: what you did in the second submitted run really is faster.

12:10 - Hahaha... so the game's plot really involves a FIGHT TO THE DEATH with your COMMANDING OFFICER because you dissed him? Can we have that in more places please? I can tell honor is a big thing in this universe.

16:08 - Nothing to do here but wait for them to get closer to you?

17:15 - The dev team was hoping and praying you would take their word on the collision detection.

19:44 - Funny it gives you "successful" on the objective you never complete.

35:12 - A short freeze and audio stutter here. This kind of thing by itself wouldn't be enough to reject a run though.

Yeah, so I can't see any massive amount of faffing about in this run and I couldn't really comment more on the strategies used without booting it up myself, so I think the only thing standing in the way of accepting it is just the video issues that make it difficult to watch. Video quality is, of course, one of our primary criteria for accepting runs. So I suggest to turn any stones you haven't yet to figure out what you could do to eliminate the garbling in the wireframe mode for now. As I said, we can try asking nate. You can simply drop one of the videos that shows it in a thread under Tech Support and he tends to look at those within a few days. We'll keep this verification thread open for a while longer in case you manage to fix it quickly.

Yeah, everything's unlocked at the start. Clans are spoiled. They don't need to salvage because they have the resources and technology to basically do whatever they want. Inner Sphere has to struggle to get by usually.

You build up momentum with jetting and then shut down to keep your momentum. It's a glitch that they never fixed even in mercs. Your jets also recharge while in that state. If you see me starting up multiple times, it's due to me probably having low jet fuel and trying to speed myself up by adding a couple more kph, or I'm trying to accurately time my startup as I'm approaching something.

12:10 - Yes, because you disobeyed his order to eliminate Rentoshi's Hatamoto Chi when you returned to the dropship. Honor is a BIG thing among the clans. They have trials for literally everything. They expect fair, honorable fights. It's pretty interesting. If you're interested in the lore of this series, definitely give it a look.

16:08 - Yeah, this mission's slow. I'm not a fan of it. Maybe I could run UAC5s instead of 10s for an increase in range, but idk how fast I'll take the aircrafts out. There's also a possibility that I won't destroy the transport in time before it flies away and the mission takes even longer to complete than it normally would with 10s

17:15 - Yeah, this is the only mission that does that. I never understood why because I'm not really colliding with anything, so idk why it keeps making that noise lol

19:44 - Yeah, this trial is optional. You can literally just skip it.

35:12 - Yeah, this game has a bad habit of stuttering. I think it's OBS that does it, but I'm not 100% sure.

Yeah, idk why the video artifacts. OBS just doesn't like this game for some reason when I activate wireframe. I could try native DOSbox recording, but I'm worried that I could potentially experience audio issues. I know someone who uses it, and the sound has static in certain spots. Idk, I'll have to give it a try and see.

EDIT: I know what the issue is. The problem is the bitrate settings on OBS. I'm gonna try and experiment with it.

EDIT 2: Yeah, I fixed it. It was because the bitrate was too low. I shouldn't have any more issues.

[quote="LotBlind"]Mech lab: So everything you employ in this run is unlocked from the start on your first playthrough? Or does it require playing it through first or something?

Is the "shutting down" thing just cosmetic or do you move slightly faster or something?

4:47 - Can't switch away from a mech: Yeah, that is a bit unusual since the player doesn't know what they'll be up against in missions they haven't played yet.

6:30 - Okay, so there's a bottleneck. Nevermind that then.

6:51 - The video artifacts... Okay. So it's not supposed to have that at all or OBS is exasperating it? I couldn't immediately find other videos online to compare. It is pretty egregious so I don't think we can just ignore it. It genuinely makes it difficult to understand what's happening in most parts where you use it (though not this one in particular). Meanwhile, did you try DOSBox native video capture as an alternative? You only get the game window that way of course. And did you try using a different codec as well? There has to be a codec designed to handle this kind of vector-graphic-like effect. If neither of those helps, we can try asking nate, who knows a thing or two about capture methods. Or maybe even someone over at the DOSBox forum? I think the fact zooming helps probably contains a clue. And do any of the other runners get this issue?

7:55 - So the intuitive notion is correct: what you did in the second submitted run really is faster.

12:10 - Hahaha... so the game's plot really involves a FIGHT TO THE DEATH with your COMMANDING OFFICER because you dissed him? Can we have that in more places please? I can tell honor is a big thing in this universe.

16:08 - Nothing to do here but wait for them to get closer to you?

17:15 - The dev team was hoping and praying you would take their word on the collision detection.

19:44 - Funny it gives you "successful" on the objective you never complete.

35:12 - A short freeze and audio stutter here. This kind of thing by itself wouldn't be enough to reject a run though.

Yeah, so I can't see any massive amount of faffing about in this run and I couldn't really comment more on the strategies used without booting it up myself, so I think the only thing standing in the way of accepting it is just the video issues that make it difficult to watch. Video quality is, of course, one of our primary criteria for accepting runs. So I suggest to turn any stones you haven't yet to figure out what you could do to eliminate the garbling in the wireframe mode for now. As I said, we can try asking nate. You can simply drop one of the videos that shows it in a thread under Tech Support and he tends to look at those within a few days. We'll keep this verification thread open for a while longer in case you manage to fix it quickly.[/quote]

Yeah, everything's unlocked at the start. Clans are spoiled. They don't need to salvage because they have the resources and technology to basically do whatever they want. Inner Sphere has to struggle to get by usually.

You build up momentum with jetting and then shut down to keep your momentum. It's a glitch that they never fixed even in mercs. Your jets also recharge while in that state. If you see me starting up multiple times, it's due to me probably having low jet fuel and trying to speed myself up by adding a couple more kph, or I'm trying to accurately time my startup as I'm approaching something.

12:10 - Yes, because you disobeyed his order to eliminate Rentoshi's Hatamoto Chi when you returned to the dropship. Honor is a BIG thing among the clans. They have trials for literally everything. They expect fair, honorable fights. It's pretty interesting. If you're interested in the lore of this series, definitely give it a look.

16:08 - Yeah, this mission's slow. I'm not a fan of it. Maybe I could run UAC5s instead of 10s for an increase in range, but idk how fast I'll take the aircrafts out. There's also a possibility that I won't destroy the transport in time before it flies away and the mission takes even longer to complete than it normally would with 10s

17:15 - Yeah, this is the only mission that does that. I never understood why because I'm not really colliding with anything, so idk why it keeps making that noise lol

19:44 - Yeah, this trial is optional. You can literally just skip it.

35:12 -  Yeah, this game has a bad habit of stuttering. I think it's OBS that does it, but I'm not 100% sure.

Yeah, idk why the video artifacts. OBS just doesn't like this game for some reason when I activate wireframe. I could try native DOSbox recording, but I'm worried that I could potentially experience audio issues. I know someone who uses it, and the sound has static in certain spots. Idk, I'll have to give it a try and see.

EDIT: I know what the issue is. The problem is the bitrate settings on OBS. I'm gonna try and experiment with it.

EDIT 2: Yeah, I fixed it. It was because the bitrate was too low. I shouldn't have any more issues.

LotBlind

2022-02-03 01:25:39 pm

17:15 - Ah, I meant I'm looking at the collisions not working at all for that supposed cliff face (and the other parts where you go OOB so efforlessly).

Thanks for all the answers. Take your time to give all the missions one more think if you suddenly realize there's another way to be more consistent if not save time per se, then go for another run. The questions I asked are the kind you can expect the viewers (who know nothing about the games oftentimes) to be wondering about as well in case you were going to supply commentary as well (written or audio or both). Let's hope the A/V thing really won't ruin another submission. And maybe this'll inspire someone else to run the game in the long term, or at least another game in the same series.

PROX

2022-02-06 11:21:01 pm

Well, I finished another run and I ended up breaking the record by a whole minute give or take. I'm satisfied with this one and everything looks fine more or less as far as video quality is concerned. There is no more artifacting in the wireframe modes, and I do have a timer at the side, but that can be edited out easily. There is also no commentary. Time completed is 35:20

SDAVerification

Edit history:

SDAVerification: 2022-02-07 03:58:42 pm

2022-02-07 03:28:50 am

New file available in the link in the second post (2022-02-06 20-25-51.mp4).

PROX, most speedruns hosted on SDA come with run comments, where the player explains the speedrun. For viewers that are not familiar with a particular game, this is usually very appreciated. You can look at virtually any game page to see what other people have done. But generally speaking, an explanation of tricks/glitches/skips/game mechanics that are not self-explanatory and things that went good/bad in this run in particular are often useful.

Run comments are not mandatory in any way, but encouraged, so now it has been mentioned. If you decide to write something to document your run, you can upload it via the first link in the second post.

PROX

2022-02-07 06:37:47 pm

I went and typed out some commentary on the run. I submitted the file already

Worn_Traveler

2022-02-07 07:21:37 pm

Formerly known as Skullboy

I forgot about this series.

I watched the three videos and seeing each run submitted here improve was really cool. The video quality on the third video was way better and some of the movement in the underwater level made more sense now that I could make out landscape.

There was a brief "Null segment" that flashed on to the game screen during the DNA 1 segment.

I look forward to reading the comments for this should it be published. Keep up the great work!