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Robotrek (Any %) (Single Segment)

Verifier Responses

Quote:
Category: Any% seems right, but Low% might be better. Collection of items and skills is kept to an absolute minimum. The run is actually in danger at a few points due to how few healing items are collected.

Cheating: None detected. This game has no known sequence breaks or alternate routes, so there's very little to keep track of. The runner's commentary is very detailed on what he's doing at all times, so it's easy to see that everything happens in order.

Play quality: Mostly very good. He smashes bosses with robotic efficiency. There are at least two route errors, though neither one creates a big problem. They are both described in the commentary. The first one costs maybe 30 seconds and the second costs maybe a minute plus. Given the length of the run, this is irrelevant. Also of note, neither error is visually ugly. If you're not listening to the commentary, you probably won't even know that the errors occur.

A/V: Good. Runner used a DVD recorder. There is one small problem halfway through the run. The DVD recorder could only store 2 hours of video, so the runner paused the game to switch discs. This causes a hiccup in the music. This is described in the commentary. He says that this does not affect run time. I assume this means that he edited the video together such that the pause time was the same length as normal.

Commentary quality: Excellent. Very little dead air. This is very important for a game as long and repetitive as this. The runner has obviously done his research and is very familiar with the game. The commentary is accessible to someone who has not played the game before, but it also contains many news tips for experienced players.

Time: The runner states that the run time is 3:47:01. Play time begins at 0:0:20 and ends at 3:47:56, making the time 3:47:36 by my count. I discussed this with the runner and he said that IsrealiRD has his own way of counting time that's different from both of ours.

Summary: Good quality SS run. This game is very random, and this run obviously took many tries to get right.

Verdict: Accept.


Quote:
I agree with the above verifier about everything, except the second route error is actually from 3:26:56 to 3:29:32, so it's over two and a half minutes lost. I agree that the first route error is almost unnoticeable if you're not really familiar with the game, but in the second he's pretty clearly running around not doing anything, and then backtracking over areas he was just in.

Cheating: None detected. There is a skip in the middle where the runner changes discs, but his money/experience/items/robot configuration are the same before and after the disc swap, so no problems there.

Time: I agree with the above poster that 3:47:36 is the correct time. As he stated, runner gains control at 0:0:20 and delivers the final blow to the final boss at 3:47:56.

Summary: if the game were much shorter, or if the run were not otherwise seemingly perfectly optimized, I would find a 2.5 minute route error to be grounds for rejection. However, given that it is a 4 hour single-segment run, and given the clear amount of effort and difficulty that went into perfecting the rest of the run, this one error (long though it was) should be overlooked, because I can honestly not see anything else I would improve. Great run and great audio commentary too!

Verdict: Accept.


Quote:
"Son, there are three important lessons you must learn:
1) Build robots.
2) Fight with those robots.
3) Stay off the screen, because having an army battalion ripped from space/time unload a machine bazooka on you would be instantly fatal."

ROBOTREK!

Any %, he's got some spare items left at the end (a select few) so it can't be low %.

Legitamacy: Seems solid, the runner describes tricks and techniques in both his own commentary as well as the info posted with the run. The runner has also streamed previous attempts with no sign of cheating, thus adding to his credibility.

Audio and Visual: Looks great, and you can feel the grating of the final boss theme in all of your bones. My only complaint is the lack of the Devo Room music, which makes Crazy Bus sound like a legitimate soundtrack.

Play: Epic boss luck (minus Gateau 1) and two route issues that look incredibly benign. The first one in Past Rococo is so streamlined, you'd think it was a trigger for an event. Menus are not an issue, and time/xp dependent manipulations to access R&D machines is spot on. Money is found seemingly at will, and is never a factor.

Talking: The commentary is solid, and is expansive in coverage of the games plot, tactics and shout outs. Also, if he's going to the bathroom or getting a drink, you'd likely be doing the same.

Timing: ___ begins his adventure at 0:0:20, and decods MechaGateau's codpiece at 3:47:56. Even my simple, nonrobot mind can subtract that for a total run time of 3:47:36.

Summary: RNG has a new god, and its name is EXO. Any boss fight could have added just as much if not more time to the run than his map issues, as seen by Gateau 1's trolling. The game is merciless in punishing mistakes and the damage dealt by enemies ramps up by the arctic base. Heavy shield abuse and evasion is an excellent way to remain underlevel and dominate the game.

Verdict: Accept.


Decision: Accept

Congratulations to Patrick 'PJ' DiCesare!
Thread title:  
Sandbagging
*plays the robotrek battle music* (thats some sort of congratulations..or punishment..I'm not sure)
Fucking Weeaboo
PJ! This is NOT Battletoads! What are you doing? Tongue
Is PJ
Thanks for all the kind words everybody!  I wasn't expecting such good feedback, especially from the commentary.  Thanks for taking the time to verify this, too!  I really appreciate it.  ^_^

About the timing, I was somehow way way off.  IsrealiRD was kind enough to point it out to me and talk me through it, and we got it all straightened out.  Basically, I timed how long I paused for the DVD change while in virtual dub (during the frame range cropping part of Anri's process, I just wrote down the exact times for beginning and end).  During the encoding, it apparently shortened that length by a lot because the final video didn't have nearly as much pause.  I then found the start/end points and subtracted out the pause to get 3:47:01.  Since the pause was shortened in the video encode, I ended up subtracting more time than I should have.

tl;dr, IsraeliRD's got the right time and it is not 3:47:01.  ^_^

The few route mistakes are definitely regrettable.  As I said in the commentary, I was fully prepared to destroy the world after the second error.  For those who didn't see the run, I made a wrong turn in the last screen where it is possible to make a wrong turn.  That door happens to be a one-way door and forced me to run through like half of the dungeon again.  Fortunately, my boss luck was so incredibly lucky that I definitely made up for it.

I don't think this run can feasibly be improved by too much with the same route.  The game allows for so many different options though, that I wouldn't be surprised if I somehow overlooked a better equipment route or something.  Either way, I'm really happy with this result.  Thanks again!
Cool... actually played this but kinda forgot about it since no one ever talks about it o: Grats.
Weegee Time
I am still looking forward to this commentary with glorious HQ video.  Congrats, PJ!