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Game Page: http://speeddemosarchive.com/NewSuperMarioBros.html

New Super Mario Bros. (eu/na) (ds) [Any %] [Single Segment]

Verifier Responses

Quote:
I am rejecting this run due to the audio quality. Run looks good but I hear a buzzing noise in the background. Video quality is god though. I would accept this run if there wasn't buzzing in the background.

Decision: Reject


Quote:
This run was done on June 17th and the verification was added on August 4th...

Visual quality:
OK - the game is technically 60 frames but the run looks like it was originally encoded in 30.

Audio - while the audio was direct there is a huge, disturbing buzzing noise. To the runner, please buy a ground loop isolator, it removes the buzz.
To encoders, is there a way to remove the buzz with audio editing software?

The run itself:

This game is probably the hardest 2D Mario games to get a 'god tier' run, not only the execution/precision is tighter than the later NSMB games but it is also notorious to have evil RNG that surpasses the hand trap stages in SMB3.

Basically after completing the first stage, there is a 50% chance that the Red ? Box lands on W1-2 and then a 25% chance the item inside the box is a Blue Shell. Basically 1/8th after completing the first level.

W1-1: pretty decent, the stairs have better collision detection so it is harder to speed through that part without slowing down.

W1-2: The 1/8th chance happened, my only complaint here is that shell spinning is technically slower but safer than triple jump spamming. I don't know why the player used the slower approach on the path to the secret pipe despite the lack of enemies...

W1-Tower: Another Red ? Box, gets a Blue Shell in reserve, probably to take advantage of "2nd best RNG situation"

This is the first rough stage, the runner fails to enter the door twice costing ~4-5 seconds and had to wait 1 extra in-game second to avoid fireworks.

W5-1: messed up the flagpole part because Mario was facing to the right rather than the left.

W5-Ghost: the runner didn't get the ideal Wondering Hammer Bro RNG to get a mini-mushroom to speed up the lift section, but the runner still has a blue shell in reserve for W8-3 which reduces RNG manipulation significantly.

Note about RNG here:

There's 3 key RNG spots for a 'god tier' run including:

W1-2: Blue Shell
W5-Ghosthouse: Mini-Mushroom
W8-3: Blue Shell
the chances of getting 3 ideal RNG spots is close to impossible for a rta run.

W8-1:
The nice thing about the 2nd best RNG powerup route is that this stage is pretty easy (the very best RNG route has to go through this stage as mini which is also 1 hit = death).

W8-2:
In the room full of blue brick blocks, the runner goes to the left gap and doesn't use ground pound ASAP, ~2 seconds loss there.

W8-Tower:
Something tells me this part of the run was too safe, I had a look at another run done by chronorox 9 years ago and yep, this stage is slower by over 25 seconds (this one is 414 vs 9 year old run of 440).

W8-4: A casual viewer may think the ending looks sloppy but the only way to change from Shell Mario to Fire Mario is to take damage first because picking up a Fire Flower as Shell Mario puts that item into the reserve slot.

W8-Castle: Some parts were played too slow/safe, this run reaches to the door at 465 compared to the very old run which reaches at 472

W8-5 Decent

W8-7 Big time loss here (18:35) looks really sloppy.

W8-tower 2
Uses the death abuse/checkpoint strat but I don't understand why a Fire Flower was used (20:50 in video), an extra HP was unnecessary here wasting a couple of seconds.

W8-Bowser's Castle
Messes up a good amount of time savers and gets a Fire Flower for no good reason, again over 20 seconds slower than the speed run done 9 years ago.

Overall decision:
Reject

The run needs to fix its audio problems by using a ground loop isolator and needs to play a bit faster in a few key stages including W1-Tower, W8-Tower, W8-7 W8-Castle, W8-Bowser's Castle and please raw record the next run in 60 frames.

To the runner:
Don't let this rejection disencourage you, check out the YT playlist link below, practice these time savers and make an even better run Wink

NSMB done in 23:55
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3F45B92F93F57A1F


Quote from Dragondarch:
Game: New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
Category: Any%
Cheating: Didn't see any
A/V: Video is fine, audio has a constant buzzing sound. Reject worthy in and of itself.

I ran this for AGDQ 2013, so I'm quite familiar with how brutal this game can be to run. I think my best time in practice was a 28:xx, but I'm pretty sure I never got a deathless run.

This game also has very notorious RNG that can end a run even if the runner does everything right. Need certain powerups for certain stages. Overall luck was actually decent, with getting the 1-2 Shell & 1-Fort backup shell.

However, the execution could use some work. A run done by Chronorox in 2006 just barely cut the 24 minute mark, and had a lot of time savers this run didn't use. Some because he messed them up, others because he just didn't go for them. I would highly advise he watch (or rewatch if he has already) Chronorox's run and implement the strats he uses.

Stage by stage breakdown:
1-1: Fine
1-2: Stopped to wait for the final slope to rise. I don't remember having to wait on that at all but I could be mistaken.
1-Fort: Missed getting in the door twice.
5-1: Fine
5-2: Fine
5-3: Fine
5-Ghost: Didn't need to hit both blocks below the vine. Didn't get Mini Mushroom, but that's 100% RNG.
8-1: Fine
8-2: I'm pretty sure you can jump back to the barrel before the water gets too high. Also didn't ground pound immediately in the block room.
8-Fort: Took it overly safe here. Could have gotten on platforms a cycle earlier in most cases.
8-3: Unneccesarily hit the ground about mid way through the horizontal section.
8-4: Fine
8-Castle: Overly cautious on the jumps from the moving platforms at the start. I don't remember having to wait on any but the last one.
8-5: Fine, though every fireball shot is a small amount of momentum lost
8-6: Missed jump at the end, almost caused him to take a hit from a spiny. I swear there was a slightly faster route as well...
8-7: Very slow beginning, can bounce off those Koopas to get up to the ledge without having to wait. It's hard, but significantly faster. Can also just jump immediately when on the narrow ledges instead of all the shuffling.
8-8: Fine outside of missing the star block once. Could have also waited to get a replacement flower until Fort 2, since it's basically an autoscroller.
8-Fort 2: Autoscroller, but saved some time by damage boosting to the checkpoint and dying to spawn the next moving platform quicker.
8-Final: Missed first ? Block. You can also make it past the first set of thwomps without stopping or taking a hit, but the jumps are very precise. Got the perfect bounce on Bowser Jr. at least, which is hard as balls to hit correctly.

Decision: Reject
Reason: The audio buzzing is reason enough, but the execution also needs some work. The runner definitely looks like he has the ability, so I'd encourage him to keep working on it. Chronorox's time IS beatable, and I think with enough dedication, this runner could do it.


Decision: Reject

Reason: The a/v isn't up to scratch. There was also pointed out several known time savers that were not used.

https://queue.speeddemosarchive.com/verificationfiles/1746/

This run will be available for a month. After that these link(s) will no longer work.
Thread title:  
I must have just missed getting in on this verification, but my decision definitely would have been the same.

One thing to bear in mind is that all slopes slow you down when shell spinning, and some easy opportunities to avoid slopes were missed in this run.  Otherwise, I'd say just watch Chronorox's run (linked by verifier 2) and try out those strategies.

I absolutely agree about much of the run being played too safe.  You can't get so attached to your runs that you kill them with caution, and balancing aggressive play and safety (not to mention dealing with nerves) is something that comes with time.  Good runs will die, and in many games they will die often, but that's just the nature of speedrunning.

If you have the reserve blue shell you can just save it for 9-3 and lose the first one whenever suits you.  Despite running being faster the time difference is actually fairly small in each level, but not having to wait for the platform to push you under the spikes in 8-fort alone is worth it, and it's easy to take a hit in the last water section of 8-2 and become small by touching spikes while waiting for a platform cycle early in the tower.  Going through the rest of the tower as small Mario is also more advantageous than you might expect, and you can just time jumps to defeat Bowser Jr. like in Chronorox's run.

Finally, I also encourage you to keep at it, because despite this run's flaws, I saw definite and visible potential. And perhaps you can save me from having to worry about any% when I install my capture mod and finally get around to running this beast of a game...
With respect to the buzz, you can reduce the amount of audible mains hum by chaining together enough notch filters at multiples of the mains frequency, but that tends not to eliminate it altogether (and will also mute any notes in the background music that happen to be at the same pitch as the buzz). So it's best to avoid it in the first place rather than trying to remove it later.