Username:
B
I
U
S
"
url
img
#
code
sup
sub
font
size
color
smiley
embarassed
thumbsup
happy
Huh?
Angry
Roll Eyes
Undecided
Lips Sealed
Kiss
Cry
Grin
Wink
Tongue
Shocked
Cheesy
Smiley
Sad
1 page
--
--
List results:
Search options:
Use \ before commas in usernames
1-Up!
Game Page: Doesn't exist yet

Ultima: Exodus (Any %) (Single Segment)

Verifier Responses

Quote:
Disclaimer:  I was in the studio audience (on twitch) in the wee hours of the morning when this run happened.  IIRC the runner slammed down his controller at the beginning and said "F*** IT!  WE'LL DO IT LIVE!"  Okay that last part may not have really happened. 

This game fills the slot of "favorite game I was never really able to get anywhere in" as a kid.  Something about the music kept drawing me back though.

Video and Sound are fine.

It's really amazing how this run kept evolving over time. 

The planning, routing, discovery, replanning, rerouting cycle that was went through to make this run possible deserves just as much if not more credit than the controller inputs.  There was a lot of time and thought put into this run.
Originally the gold grind was thought to be such a fun-sucker for an Exodus run.  Create new party members... transfer gold... repeat.  20 minutes of that?  Ugh.  The fact that we have a run today with NO gold grind whatsoever is astonishing to me.
The discovery of how exactly the menu/freezing mob glitch worked is really the key.  Weapons?  What weapons?  Forget weapons.  Armor?  Ha!

Execution of the run itself comes down so much to RNG it's not funny.  Very nice luck is had on the vast majority of the run.
A minor execution point that may not be noticed is how well the runner times his spells.  Repel and Undead, the two primary XP leveling spells, hit on one monster animation and miss on another 100% of the time.  There are several times when the only mob left on the screen is obscured by the spell menu, but the runner keeps an internal metronome of the mob animation in his head and seamlessly gets his spells to hit.  I didn't see a spell miss the entire run.

No encounters in the 1st dungeon is fantastic
Two encounters in the 2nd dungeon are also managable.  2 titans - no problem.  1 snatch?  That's fine.  (Who could handle more than 1 snatch at a time anyway?)
Getting the first pirate ship to appear is a pain, but having lightning strike on every RNG moment in a run is pretty much impossible.  Better to have your ill-RNG moment be something that can't end the run (like a bad encounter)
1 pirate??!!!  I remember that being a major fistpump moment live.  Like awwww yeah we got something going this time!
3 pirate encounter.  Manageable.  A safety powder is used here and it's most likely a good tradeoff for expected run value.
After that the run is mostly about using the menu mob freeze glitch effectively, and a little mob positioning which is handled fine.

"HEY!  Jim has the ankh in their hand."  Something about the "HEY" part of that line never ceases to amuse me.



Overall, this run blows away what people thought was originally thought possible for this game.  It is theoretically possible to sit down and try to improve this run through sheer brute force in an attempt to get even better luck than the runner here got (which was really really good).  This wouldn't however improve the entertainment value or skill displayed in the run in any way shape or form.  A tremendous job planning and working this run out, and a very good job executing it. 

Accepting this run is as easy as adding two and two together.

Enthusiastic Yes vote here.


Quote:
Good luck all around.

Video and audio quality are good. No signs of cheating.

The planning is exceptional, and the luck in this run exceeds expectations. Really, only two random encounters in the dungeons is great. There are some rough spots that could be improved with more practice. Movement isn't completely optimized and menu navigation feels stiff at times. Bumping into multiple walls, heading in the wrong direction at least once, and continuing to try to kill the last pirate with melee attacks while having enough MP for a missile really shows how rough the final run feels. The last dungeon encounters didn't cooperate very well and the search for a random pirate took quite a bit of time. Even with all the faults to find, this run is a good example of substance over style, and shows how a game can be broken done into manageable parts.

Good run, I accept.


Quote:
Sorry for the delay!

Very good luck throughout the run. Very optimal path. With some more luck, time could probably be reduced. SOund and video quality are nice. Very good run, I accept.

Very sorry for the delay Smiley


Decision: Accept

Congratulations to Neil 'PresJPolk' Stevens!
Thread title:  
HELLO!
Thank you very much everyone who helped me route this, cheered in stream, helped me submit, and of course the verifiers.  This was a fun project.
Congrats, Neil S!  Just amazing design and routing work.

Any thoughts on trying to break Ultima IV?
HELLO!
Worked on it.  Feasel's route and execution are so strong I feel I need some sort of breakthrough or glitch to challenge it.
Edit history:
Boxfat: 2013-03-21 09:41:27 am
Arbitrary forum emu
Oh yeah, I remember now, it was this game that I met you with.

I still remember the run that made it all the way to the last area and then you got blocked in and died of starvation. Sad

Glad you managed to beat that anyway. Congrats! Tongue