Rocket Knight

mike89

Edit history:

mike89: 2010-07-04 11:30:56 pm

2010-05-12 11:16:54 pm

SEGA Junkie

The purpose of this first post is now to give an indication of the best times on all three systems.

Level	PC	360	PS3
Arcade	34:36	32:12	??:??
Countryside	2:09	1:58	2:15
Tree Tops	4:17	4:19	4:23
Zephyrian City	2:34	2:24	2:38
Forest Shredder	0:14	0:14	0:14
The Counter Attack	1:26	1:19 (G)	1:29
Airship Armada	4:03	4:05	4:04
Wolf Fortress	2:34	2:27	2:26
The Wolf King	0:31	0:26	0:32
Pig Bunker	3:28	3:23	3:32
Cyberswine Labs	3:31	3:06	3:55
Axel Gear	0:29	0:35	0:45
The Pig Fleet	3:53	3:47	3:58
Enslaved City	2:58	2:38	2:58
General Sweinhart	0:53	0:52	0:53

Thread title:

The purpose of this first post is now to give an indication of the best times on all three systems.

[table][tr][td]Level[/td][td]PC[/td][td]360[/td][td]PS3[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Arcade[/td][td]34:36[/td][td][b]32:12[/b][/td][td]??:??[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Countryside[/td][td]2:09[/td][td][b]1:58[/b][/td][td]2:15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tree Tops[/td][td][b]4:17[/b][/td][td]4:19[/td][td]4:23[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Zephyrian City[/td][td]2:34[/td][td][b]2:24[/b][/td][td]2:38[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Forest Shredder[/td][td][b]0:14[/b][/td][td][b]0:14[/b][/td][td][b]0:14[/b][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The Counter Attack[/td][td]1:26[/td][td][b]1:19 (G)[/b][/td][td]1:29[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Airship Armada[/td][td][b]4:03[/b][/td][td]4:05[/td][td]4:04[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Wolf Fortress[/td][td]2:34[/td][td]2:27[/td][td][b]2:26[/b][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The Wolf King[/td][td]0:31[/td][td][b]0:26[/b][/td][td]0:32[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Pig Bunker[/td][td]3:28[/td][td][b]3:23[/b][/td][td]3:32[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Cyberswine Labs[/td][td]3:31[/td][td][b]3:06[/b][/td][td]3:55[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Axel Gear[/td][td][b]0:29[/b][/td][td]0:35[/td][td]0:45[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The Pig Fleet[/td][td]3:53[/td][td][b]3:47[/b][/td][td]3:58[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Enslaved City[/td][td]2:58[/td][td][b]2:38[/b][/td][td]2:58[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]General Sweinhart[/td][td]0:53[/td][td][b]0:52[/b][/td][td]0:53[/td][/tr]
[/table]

Spikey

2010-05-13 08:16:10 pm

Join Club Nintendo today Mac!

I've got the #2 overall arcade mode time right now at 45:08, and that's with a bunch of mistakes and a death. As of right now the #1 time is 41:31 so there's still plenty of room for improvement.

reg

2010-05-13 09:38:37 pm

You can do more than segment arcade mode, you can restart levels as much as you want, and the timer will reset each time, meaning that using Arcade All-Clear times wont really be a proper indicator of SS times in the future, since you can pretty much just IL run all the levels in a row.

Here's some levels courtesy of the steam forums

video of 1.1 in 2:13

video of 1.3 in 2:43

video of 1.4 in 0:15

Question to anyone with the Steam version: a do the leaderboard times for others not show up for you? Because I can't see any times aside from my own. Doesnt matter if I'm online or not, nothing comes up.

Edit: ok fixed the leaderboard problem, apparently it likes to hang on the friends only list for me, but if I switch it enough, eventually everyone's times appear

But in bigger news I found a nice timesaver in 3-2, and should hopefully have a video up soon.

edit #2: vid- http://www.mediafire.com/?olnjgn4kxnd Apologies for the poor quality but I'm lazy and dumb, future vids will look ok. Basically you just shoot the lower switch, and dash immediately, rather than going up and around. Its really not hard at all, even in an SS it seems like it would be worth it. (I don't know why the first switch I hit in the video reverted back twice, it doesn't always do that.

Also in 3-2, you can skip the part where you have to ride the platforms down, hit a switch and ride them back up. All you have to do is hop on the downward moving platform early, get up on top on the little end nub of the barrier, then rocket across. Its pretty easy, but I cant manage a video, because my controller kept spazzing out on me, and the trick is simple enough to do on your own.

You can do more than segment arcade mode, you can restart levels as much as you want, and the timer will reset each time, meaning that using Arcade All-Clear times wont really be a proper indicator of SS times in the future, since you can pretty much just IL run all the levels in a row.

Here's some levels courtesy of the steam forums

video of 1.1 in 2:13
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvRm4i8GgY
video of 1.3 in 2:43
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t28CaOUxNeI
video of 1.4 in 0:15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAKuz8UMcxY

[s]Question to anyone with the Steam version: a do the leaderboard times for others not show up for you? Because I can't see any times aside from my own. Doesnt matter if I'm online or not, nothing comes up.[/s]

Edit: ok fixed the leaderboard problem, apparently it likes to hang on the friends only list for me, but if I switch it enough, eventually everyone's times appear

But in bigger news I found a nice timesaver in 3-2, and should hopefully have a video up soon.

edit #2: vid- http://www.mediafire.com/?olnjgn4kxnd Apologies for the poor quality but I'm lazy and dumb, future vids will look ok.   Basically you just shoot the lower switch, and dash immediately, rather than going up and around. Its really not hard at all, even in an SS it seems like it would be worth it. (I don't know why the first switch I hit in the video reverted back twice, it doesn't always do that.

Also in 3-2, you can skip the part where you have to ride the platforms down, hit a switch and ride them back up. All you have to do is hop on the downward moving platform early, get up on top on the little end nub of the barrier, then rocket across. Its pretty easy, but I cant manage a video, because my controller kept spazzing out on me, and the trick is simple enough to do on your own.

Phoenix3568

2010-05-14 04:21:13 pm

Procrastination Nation!

I considered buying this, I am wondering if it is any good? I liked the original Rocket Knight Adventures but this one seems kinda lackluster somehow. I havn't heard any reviews though so a recommendation should be nice.

Also very interested in the run. I find it more interesting we don't have an original RKA run on the site.

Spikey

Edit history:

Spikey: 2010-05-15 05:20:38 pm

2010-05-14 08:29:02 pm

Join Club Nintendo today Mac!

I just put up a time of 29 seconds on 2-4. I think I've got the best route for him, so any future improvements will probably be based on figuring out how to manipulate his behavior.

Edit: I just tested something, In Gold Sparkster Mode your boost recharges much faster than in other modes. On Normal and Hard it takes about 11 seconds for you boost to go from half full to full. In gold mode it only takes 4 seconds.

reg

2010-05-17 12:02:00 pm

Spikey is correct, according to the steam forums, the changes in gold mode include:
"the gist of it is that bosses have 66% more health, you have 50% less health, your jetpack recharge rate is doubled, sword burst ability (ranged attack) goes 25% farther, and enemies move/fire 20-25% faster." not sure if this is 100% accurate, but it seems about right.

This means that levels can be completed much faster, though you will lose time on bosses compared to normal. It sort of sucks that all three modes have their times displayed on the leaderboards together, rather than being separate.

I think PC now has all of the fastest times of the platforms.
Almost up to date comparison list from this nice speedrunning community group http://steamcommunity.com/groups/RKSG :

Only to improvements not on the list are 1-2 in 4:17(on Hard Mode somehow, I guess Axel doesn't have more health like the bosses do)
And 2-4 in 31 seconds.
Vid of the current 2-1 WR

And no, none of those times are mine...yet.

Spikey is correct, according to the steam forums, the changes in gold mode include:
"the gist of it is that bosses have 66% more health, you have 50% less health, your jetpack recharge rate is doubled, sword burst ability (ranged attack) goes 25% farther, and enemies move/fire 20-25% faster." not sure if this is 100% accurate, but it seems about right.

This means that levels can be completed much faster, though you will lose time on bosses compared to normal. It sort of sucks that all three modes have their times displayed on the leaderboards together, rather than being separate.

I think PC now has all of the fastest times of the platforms.
[i]Almost[/i] up to date comparison list from this nice speedrunning community group http://steamcommunity.com/groups/RKSG :
[spoiler][img]http://i42.tinypic.com/xpaf5d.jpg[/img][/spoiler]

Only to improvements not on the list are 1-2 in 4:17(on Hard Mode somehow, I guess Axel doesn't have more health like the bosses do)
And 2-4 in 31 seconds.
Vid of the current 2-1 WR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAizEjtyVEE

And no, none of those times are mine...yet.

Inexistence

2010-05-17 02:29:12 pm

Yes, Inexistence is a word.

Managed to download the demo on Steam, and this is a great game. Unfortunately it's not yet released in the UK. Does anyone know if it's possible for an American account to gift the game to me, and then me be able to play it, or would Steam simply say it isn't released?

Spikey

Edit history:

Spikey: 2010-05-19 09:40:52 pm

2010-05-17 02:56:02 pm

Join Club Nintendo today Mac!

The 360 Times in that chart are a bit out of date. Here are the latest 360 records.

Arcade: 38:29
1-1: 2:05
1-2: 4:19
1-3: 2:32
1-4: 0:14
2-1: 1:22
2-2: 4:05
2-3: 2:36
2-4: 0:29
3-1: 3:41
3-2: 3:27
3-3: 0:48
4-1: 3:53
4-2: 2:55
4-3: 0:53

mike89

2010-05-20 03:57:07 am

SEGA Junkie

Damnit, I just got 38:34 in a single segment. Sad

The worst part is that I somehow missed the one-round kill on Sweinhart which would have sealed the deal. Sad

My current level times:
1-1: 2:13
1-2: 4:35
1-3: 2:43
1-4: 0:18
2-1: 1:29 (I got this one while I was offline, my best listed is 1:33)
2-2: 4:06
2-3: 2:43
2-4: 0:43
3-1: 3:41
3-2: 4:01
3-3: 1:05
4-1: 3:55
4-2: 3:01
4-3: 1:09
Total: 35:42
Arcade: 38:34

reg

2010-05-20 09:54:22 pm

A little PC Times Update, if anyone has PS3 and 360 times (or know where to find them myself) I'd love to see them:

Arcade-34:36
1-1-2:09
1-2-4:17
1-3-2:34 (Gold Mode)
1-4-:14

2-1-1:26
2-2-4:03
2-3-2:34 (By me)
2-4-:31

3-1-3:28 (By me)
3-2-3:31
3-3-:29 (By me)

4-1-3:53
4-2-2:58
4-3-:53 (the top time is 22 but that has to be hacked unless theres some instakill for the general)

Some level notes:

2-3- sub 2:30 should be do-able, but it gets pretty hectic in the 2nd half. Definitely a level where gold mode doesn't help.
3-1-This can go below 3:20, or maybe even 3:15, but it requires VERY tight execution especially at the beginning. Its hard to explain but I can get videos up of all the tricks, just not necessarily all in one run of the level.
3-3- I got the best luck I've ever had for my :29 time, and still that had 2 seconds worth of mistakes. If everything went perfect you could probably get like a :22, since I've gotten him to his 3rd phase by 11 seconds several times.

A little PC Times Update, if anyone has PS3 and 360 times (or know where to find them myself) I'd love to see them:

[spoiler]Arcade-34:36
1-1-2:09
1-2-4:17
1-3-2:34 (Gold Mode)
1-4-:14

2-1-1:26
2-2-4:03
2-3-2:34 (By me)
2-4-:31

3-1-3:28 (By me)
3-2-3:31
3-3-:29 (By me)

4-1-3:53
4-2-2:58
4-3-:53 (the top time is 22 but that has to be hacked unless theres some instakill for the general)[/spoiler]

Some level notes:

2-3- sub 2:30 should be do-able, but it gets pretty hectic in the 2nd half. Definitely a level where gold mode doesn't help.
3-1-This can go below 3:20, or maybe even 3:15, but it requires VERY tight execution especially at the beginning. Its hard to explain but I can get videos up of all the tricks, just not necessarily all in one run of the level.
3-3- I got the best luck I've ever had for my :29 time, and still that had 2 seconds worth of mistakes. If everything went perfect you could probably get like a :22, since I've gotten him to his 3rd phase by 11 seconds several times.

mike89

Edit history:

mike89: 2010-05-20 10:43:32 pm

2010-05-20 10:21:19 pm

SEGA Junkie

I went looking for an Xbox Live leaderboard that you could access on a computer and I couldn't find one, I dunno if it lets you do that. What I might do is reserve the first post for the best times on all systems, I can keep the 360 one updated and you can help with the PC one obviously, does anyone here have the PS3 version?

EDIT: The most up-to-date 360 times are with your PC times in the first post. I've also listed PS3 but all I have to go by is that chart which is surely out of date at this stage.

reg

2010-05-26 10:23:49 am

Pity bump.

I got 4-2 down to 2:40, I'll edit in a vid later.
I also got 2-1 down to 1:24, and have a vid, but I'll keep trying for the 1:21, which might barely be possible, that 1:22 xbox time is very good.
I don't see any other new top times on the PC end, but I know I can beat Cyberswine labs in 3:25 or less though, I've gotten close before.

I also got a 35:56 single segment run, but I realize now that that time is HORRIBLE. I don't think a run that's above 35 is acceptable for SDA. Even if ALL the bosses screwed you over as hard as possible, I think you could still manage a high 34. I wanna keep attempting SS runs, but I have a hard time wanting to go on past the first level, since I feel like I should be getting below 2:10, which requires some very precise moves.

I found a pretty consistent (and amusing) way to beat Sweinhart in one phase. After about an hour of tying to figure out a good strategy I came up with this: http://www.mediafire.com/?nugtn2d2tdm

Basically you just hit him diagonally when he first comes down and starts to come toward you, and from then on just stay in that one spot, even getting hit if you have to, and rocket straight up when he's in range. It's easy enough that I managed one round fights 4 times in a row, and if you miss a hit, there's still time left. As long as you stay low he stays low.

Thanks for organizing the first post mike89, if there were any changes to the 360 leaderboards I'd love to see them.

Pity bump.

I got 4-2 down to 2:40, I'll edit in a vid later.
I also got 2-1 down to 1:24, and have a vid, but I'll keep trying for the 1:21, which might barely be possible, that 1:22 xbox time is very good.
I don't see any other new top times on the PC end, but I know I can beat Cyberswine labs in 3:25 or less though, I've gotten close before.

I also got a 35:56 single segment run, but I realize now that that time is HORRIBLE. I don't think a run that's above 35 is acceptable for SDA. Even if ALL the bosses screwed you over as hard as possible, I think you could still manage a high 34. I wanna keep attempting SS runs, but I have a hard time wanting to go on past the first level, since I feel like I should be getting below 2:10, which requires some very precise moves.

I found a pretty consistent (and amusing) way to beat Sweinhart in one phase. After about an hour of tying to figure out a good strategy I came up with this: http://www.mediafire.com/?nugtn2d2tdm

Basically you just hit him diagonally when he first comes down and starts to come toward you, and from then on just stay in that one spot, even getting hit if you have to, and rocket straight up when he's in range. It's easy enough that I managed one round fights 4 times in a row, and if you miss a hit, there's still time left. As long as you stay low he stays low.

Thanks for organizing the first post mike89, if there were any changes to the 360 leaderboards I'd love to see them.

mike89

2010-06-30 12:29:40 am

SEGA Junkie

So this is the strategy for 3-2 and god damn it is awesome.

An SS of this is officially my next project. An IL table might also be of interest if for no other reason than the bosses are so fucking random, but we can cross that bridge when we get there.

Harry9397

2010-06-30 08:04:00 am

hello

Here is all I have, my 3-2 is awesome yes, xbox times:
1.1 - 1.58 dont ask I have no idea
1.2 - 4.19*
1-3 - 2.24*
1-4 - 0.14*
2-1 - 1.21* (G)
2.2 - 4.05* please tell me how to beat pc people
2.3 - 2.28*
2.4 - 0.26*
3.1 - 3.23*
3.2 - 3.06*
3.3 - 0.35
4.1 - 3.49*
4.2 - 2.40*
4.3 - 0.52
*means I have that time
and as for gold I think its only good for 2-1
The best arcade is 33.51* yes its really bad but I need to work on my 1-1 first

reg

2010-06-30 09:33:29 am

Wow, ridiculous times Harry, and the 3-2 vid is beautiful. Best of luck to you and mike on full arcade runs.

If an IL table does go up, will 360, PS3, and PC times all be listed together? My PC controller is on its last leg, but maybe I can try to record new times on 3-1, 3-3, and 4-2.

mike89

2010-07-01 11:35:42 pm

SEGA Junkie

I just hit 36:14 single-segment.

The good:
* Really good luck on the second and last bosses.
* I've finally worked out how you do 1-2's boss quickly, got 4:23 here.
* 2-3 was my equal best time (2:34)
* So was 3-1, even though I had to stop and pick up the health drop in the room with the three teleporters (3:29)

The bad:
* Axel FUCKING Gear. I hate this boss with a passion. (1:34)
* Screwed up Cyberswine Labs hardcore, I missed the shortcut jump and spent way too long (and a ton of health) trying to recover it. Would've lost at least 20 seconds here, maybe 30. (4:14)
* Died towards the end of 4-2, probably cost me 20 seconds, I think I came in at about 3:20.
* Missed the cycle with the moving platforms in 1-3 which cost me about 8 seconds. (2:49)
* Lost a few seconds on 2-1 (1:30)

It's fair to say I can get under 35, knowing what I know now. I think I'll start recording my attempts pretty soon.

Quote:

If an IL table does go up, will 360, PS3, and PC times all be listed together?

Unless there's a very compelling reason not to (ie. there are significant differences between the levels) they'll all be tracked alongside each other.

Harry: Do you happen to have a 1-3 video? That's probably the only other level where I feel like I'm missing something right now.

I just hit 36:14 single-segment.

The good:
* Really good luck on the second and last bosses.
* I've finally worked out how you do 1-2's boss quickly, got 4:23 here.
* 2-3 was my equal best time (2:34)
* So was 3-1, even though I had to stop and pick up the health drop in the room with the three teleporters (3:29)

The bad:
* Axel FUCKING Gear. I hate this boss with a passion. (1:34)
* Screwed up Cyberswine Labs hardcore, I missed the shortcut jump and spent way too long (and a ton of health) trying to recover it. Would've lost at least 20 seconds here, maybe 30. (4:14)
* Died towards the end of 4-2, probably cost me 20 seconds, I think I came in at about 3:20.
* Missed the cycle with the moving platforms in 1-3 which cost me about 8 seconds. (2:49)
* Lost a few seconds on 2-1 (1:30)

It's fair to say I can get under 35, knowing what I know now. I think I'll start recording my attempts pretty soon.

[quote author=reg]If an IL table does go up, will 360, PS3, and PC times all be listed together?[/quote]

Unless there's a very compelling reason not to (ie. there are significant differences between the levels) they'll all be tracked alongside each other.

Harry: Do you happen to have a 1-3 video? That's probably the only other level where I feel like I'm missing something right now.

mike89

Edit history:

mike89: 2010-07-03 08:17:11 am

2010-07-03 04:21:30 am

SEGA Junkie

This post is reserved for my 36:36 that I recorded earlier today. It doesn't sound good but it has 75 seconds of the most wtf play on 3-2 you will ever see. So if you take that away it's actually pretty good. Getting closer!

EDIT: http://screwattack.com/videos/Rocket-Knight-speedrun-3636

Harry9397

2010-07-03 09:55:47 am

hello

1-3 -
I am not putting up any more videos

reg

2010-07-03 05:57:28 pm

What sort of time are you shooting for in the Axel Gear fight? Because even with the worst luck, fights for me never seem to take more than 50 seconds. During the fight in your run, at 36:27, why did you dash down at him, rather than drill-dash diagonally up to the left. Doing that properly does tons of damage. I know its most of the way through the run, and its always going to be random, but I think this should be a stage that you practice a lot before attempting more full runs.

For Ulfgar, I use a different method than you, and it usually gets me times between :27 and :33 . At the start, dash twice to the left, the Ulf will either throw dynamite (you should just knock it back at him) or begin to charge( in which case dash up and let him run into the wall). After that fly all the way to the top and stand on one of the breakable platforms. Once he comes up he'll usually throw more dynamite, and if he's hit with that he'll likely come dashing toward you. Break the platform while he's dashing over it (this could seem hard but its pretty easy to time with practice. When he's down on the 2nd level he'll probably throw more dynamite, dash at you and you just need to make him fall once more to kill him. Even if he does a different pattern, or if you screw up, its not hard to get back up and hope he presents different ways to damage him. Up to you if you want to fight him a different way, but I think this is at least a good strategy to try out a few times.

Also in 2-3, around the 20 minute mark, why did you ride the platform that moves in a circular pattern for so long? Dashing up to the right, then dashing straight to the right is a few seconds faster, not hard or dangerous, and I don't think whatever rocket fuel you save by staying on the platform saves you time.

For the skip in cyberswine labs, I don't know if the skip that gave you trouble is worth it. Maybe try it once and if you don't make it through, just go normally.

Also in cyberswine, I don't see why you bother hitting the switch at 29:46, the way that harry did it (and the way you eventually ended up doing it) actually seems easier.

Other than those and the very obvious mistakes, I think this is a good start to a run. What sort of final time are you aiming for? And what time do you think is acceptable for level 1-1?

What sort of time are you shooting for in the Axel Gear fight? Because even with the worst luck, fights for me never seem to take more than 50 seconds. During the fight in your run, at 36:27, why did you dash down at him, rather than drill-dash diagonally up to the left. Doing that properly does tons of damage. I know its most of the way through the run, and its always going to be random, but I think this should be a stage that you practice a lot before attempting more full runs.

For Ulfgar, I use a different method than you, and it usually gets me times between :27 and :33 . At the start, dash twice to the left, the Ulf will either throw dynamite (you should just knock it back at him) or begin to charge( in which case dash up and let him run into the wall). After that fly all the way to the top and stand on one of the breakable platforms. Once he comes up he'll usually throw more dynamite, and if he's hit with that he'll likely come dashing toward you. Break the platform while he's dashing over it (this could seem hard but its pretty easy to time with practice. When he's down on the 2nd level he'll probably throw more dynamite, dash at you and you just need to make him fall once more to kill him. Even if he does a different pattern, or if you screw up, its not hard to get back up and hope he presents different ways to damage him. Up to you if you want to fight him a different way, but I think this is at least a good strategy to try out a few times.

Also in 2-3, around the 20 minute mark, why did you ride the platform that moves in a circular pattern for so long? Dashing up to the right, then dashing straight to the right is a few seconds faster, not hard or dangerous, and I don't think whatever rocket fuel you save by staying on the platform saves you time.

For the skip in cyberswine labs, I don't know if the skip that gave you trouble is worth it. Maybe try it once and if you don't make it through, just go normally.

Also in cyberswine, I don't see why you bother hitting the switch at 29:46, the way that harry did it (and the way you eventually ended up doing it) actually seems easier.

Other than those and the very obvious mistakes, I think this is a good start to a run. What sort of final time are you aiming for? And what time do you think is acceptable for level 1-1?

mike89

2010-07-03 07:57:19 pm

SEGA Junkie

Quote from reg:

What sort of time are you shooting for in the Axel Gear fight? Because even with the worst luck, fights for me never seem to take more than 50 seconds. During the fight in your run, at 36:27, why did you dash down at him, rather than drill-dash diagonally up to the left. Doing that properly does tons of damage. I know its most of the way through the run, and its always going to be random, but I think this should be a stage that you practice a lot before attempting more full runs.

Well that sucks, cause my best ever time on this stage is 59. Tongue

The only thing I can really strategise for in this fight is knowing when he'll stay still for a little while, or else be in a predictable position and easy to hit - that was the thinking behind drilling down at him. But as you see quite a couple of times in the fight, as soon as I dash upwards he'll move right out of the way.

Quote from reg:

For Ulfgar, I use a different method than you, and it usually gets me times between :27 and :33 . At the start, dash twice to the left, the Ulf will either throw dynamite (you should just knock it back at him) or begin to charge( in which case dash up and let him run into the wall). After that fly all the way to the top and stand on one of the breakable platforms. Once he comes up he'll usually throw more dynamite, and if he's hit with that he'll likely come dashing toward you. Break the platform while he's dashing over it (this could seem hard but its pretty easy to time with practice. When he's down on the 2nd level he'll probably throw more dynamite, dash at you and you just need to make him fall once more to kill him. Even if he does a different pattern, or if you screw up, its not hard to get back up and hope he presents different ways to damage him. Up to you if you want to fight him a different way, but I think this is at least a good strategy to try out a few times.

Now that's really interesting, I hadn't thought of using all three levels just because I found the timing really difficult on breaking the floors. I'll definitely mess around with this and see how it goes.

Quote from reg:

Also in 2-3, around the 20 minute mark, why did you ride the platform that moves in a circular pattern for so long? Dashing up to the right, then dashing straight to the right is a few seconds faster, not hard or dangerous, and I don't think whatever rocket fuel you save by staying on the platform saves you time.

I've seen videos that just move on quickly, but I don't think they save much time at all - a second at most. Doing it the way I do it means I know I can reliably get two boosts into the first set of bombs, a third over the wheel enemy, and finally a Y shot to break the second set of bombs from a distance.

BTW I need to learn the enemy patterns for this level, I lost quite a bit of time there in this run.

Quote from reg:

For the skip in cyberswine labs, I don't know if the skip that gave you trouble is worth it. Maybe try it once and if you don't make it through, just go normally.

You're right, it's not, I just froze up and kept trying it out of frustration. I think a good guide for next time is to have three attempts (I normally get it on the second attempt, which is a really good outcome because then the door is just open for you) and then just cut your losses if it doesn't work.

Quote from reg:

Also in cyberswine, I don't see why you bother hitting the switch at 29:46, the way that harry did it (and the way you eventually ended up doing it) actually seems easier.

I wasn't trying to hit that switch up there... The problem is that the 360's control stick isn't grooved, so sometimes I'll think I'm aiming upwards and the game will actually send me diagonally. This also happens in 1-1 and 2-3.

Quote from reg:

What sort of final time are you aiming for? And what time do you think is acceptable for level 1-1?

I'm thinking somewhere in the low 34s would make a quality run, maybe even lower if I can start matching your times on Axel Gear. As for 1-1, in real runs I don't think I'd accept anything higher than 2:12. That's a time I should be able to get reliably without needing too many tricks.

[quote="reg"]
What sort of time are you shooting for in the Axel Gear fight? Because even with the worst luck, fights for me never seem to take more than 50 seconds. During the fight in your run, at 36:27, why did you dash down at him, rather than drill-dash diagonally up to the left. Doing that properly does tons of damage. I know its most of the way through the run, and its always going to be random, but I think this should be a stage that you practice a lot before attempting more full runs.[/quote]

Well that sucks, cause my best ever time on this stage is 59. :P

The only thing I can really strategise for in this fight is knowing when he'll stay still for a little while, or else be in a predictable position and easy to hit - that was the thinking behind drilling down at him. But as you see quite a couple of times in the fight, as soon as I dash upwards he'll move right out of the way.

[quote="reg"]
For Ulfgar, I use a different method than you, and it usually gets me times between :27 and :33 . At the start, dash twice to the left, the Ulf will either throw dynamite (you should just knock it back at him) or begin to charge( in which case dash up and let him run into the wall). After that fly all the way to the top and stand on one of the breakable platforms. Once he comes up he'll usually throw more dynamite, and if he's hit with that he'll likely come dashing toward you. Break the platform while he's dashing over it (this could seem hard but its pretty easy to time with practice. When he's down on the 2nd level he'll probably throw more dynamite, dash at you and you just need to make him fall once more to kill him. Even if he does a different pattern, or if you screw up, its not hard to get back up and hope he presents different ways to damage him. Up to you if you want to fight him a different way, but I think this is at least a good strategy to try out a few times.[/quote]

Now that's really interesting, I hadn't thought of using all three levels just because I found the timing really difficult on breaking the floors. I'll definitely mess around with this and see how it goes.

[quote="reg"]
Also in 2-3, around the 20 minute mark, why did you ride the platform that moves in a circular pattern for so long? Dashing up to the right, then dashing straight to the right is a few seconds faster, not hard or dangerous, and I don't think whatever rocket fuel you save by staying on the platform saves you time.[/quote]

I've seen videos that just move on quickly, but I don't think they save much time at all - a second at most. Doing it the way I do it means I know I can reliably get two boosts into the first set of bombs, a third over the wheel enemy, and finally a Y shot to break the second set of bombs from a distance.

BTW I need to learn the enemy patterns for this level, I lost quite a bit of time there in this run.

[quote="reg"]
For the skip in cyberswine labs, I don't know if the skip that gave you trouble is worth it. Maybe try it once and if you don't make it through, just go normally.[/quote]

You're right, it's not, I just froze up and kept trying it out of frustration. I think a good guide for next time is to have three attempts (I normally get it on the second attempt, which is a really good outcome because then the door is just open for you) and then just cut your losses if it doesn't work.

[quote="reg"]
Also in cyberswine, I don't see why you bother hitting the switch at 29:46, the way that harry did it (and the way you eventually ended up doing it) actually seems easier.[/quote]

I wasn't trying to hit that switch up there... The problem is that the 360's control stick isn't grooved, so sometimes I'll think I'm aiming upwards and the game will actually send me diagonally. This also happens in 1-1 and 2-3.

[quote="reg"]
What sort of final time are you aiming for? And what time do you think is acceptable for level 1-1?[/quote]

I'm thinking somewhere in the low 34s would make a quality run, maybe even lower if I can start matching your times on Axel Gear. As for 1-1, in real runs I don't think I'd accept anything higher than 2:12. That's a time I should be able to get reliably without needing too many tricks.

Harry9397

2010-07-04 10:35:46 pm

hello

I spent about an hour doing axel gear and the best I could get is 43 seconds, anyway I am sure I could take mike in a SS run if I did do one but somebodys going to have to explain exactly what I have to do...

RaneofSOTN

2010-07-04 11:08:26 pm

I want off the ride....

PSX Times...
1-1 2.15
1-2 4.23
1-3 2.38
1-4 0.14
2-1 1.29
2-2 4.04
2-3 2.26
2-4 0.32
3-1 3.32
3-2 3.55
3-3 0.45
4-1 3.58
4-2 2.58//3.20
4-3 0.53

i only found like one time that had a 20+ second lead on the next one to it, so thats 4-2.. might be hacked; thats all i got for you guys

mike89

Edit history:

mike89: 2010-07-05 12:00:13 am

2010-07-04 11:47:23 pm

SEGA Junkie

Quote from Harry9397:

somebodys going to have to explain exactly what I have to do...

It's mostly summed up here: http://speeddemosarchive.com/lang/submit_en.html

In short, single segment means you have to do the entire game in one go, without restarting levels mid-run. Individual levels means one or a combination of people submit their best times for each level and the best times are put up in a table. A good demonstration of the difference is this page.

Also, PS3 and 360 times updated in the first post. PC update, anyone?

Harry9397

2010-07-04 11:56:46 pm

hello

Thanks mike and 4.2 isnt glitched on the ps3 but I really need to know how to get under 4.05 on 2-2..
also as far as a SS goes I need serious work on 1-1 and the bosses but everything else I am comfortable with, I cant understand how 1.58 is possible on 1-1, I got 2.06 and I was thinking 2.03 max Huh?

mike89

2010-07-05 08:36:35 am

SEGA Junkie

Well, folks, the bar has been set.

1-1: 2:09
1-2: 4:26
1-3: 2:33
1-4: 0:17

2-1: 1:30
2-2: 4:06
2-3: 2:37
2-4: 0:40

3-1: 3:33
3-2: 3:26
3-3: 1:08

4-1: 3:52
4-2: 2:56
4-3: 1:06
TOTAL: 34:19

I find it funny how in speedrunning, you come up with a goal, and when you attain that goal you think "wow, that could be so much better..." Looking back over the times here, there's a good 6 seconds to be had in 2-1, 8 seconds in 2-3, at least 10 in 4-2... On the plus side, I considered my Axel fight to be bad luck and got 1:08, before I was considering that good luck range. Tongue

It's not at all submittable, but that is now the bar.