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Posted: 12/23/2004 5:11 PM
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Unknown_User
Joined: 1/1/2022
Posts: 1716
Any news/downloads?
Posted: 12/24/2004 12:22 AM
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TheAxeMan
Ambassador, Experienced player (708)
Joined: 7/17/2004
Posts: 985
Location: The FLOATING CASTLE
I'm working on a second run-through and I just entered the Goa Fortress. It's looking pretty good so far. I am definitely faster on the level building everywhere. I also do much more killing as I move through some areas, making it faster and more interesting. Sometimes this means I have to switch swords more often. I aim to get each levelup at the last possible moment before I need it and hit this mark pretty well. In particular, I get level 5 right before fighting the giant insect, level 9 on the last enemy in the kirisa cave, and level 12 right before picking up the thunder sword. Right now I am working on level 13 in the fortress. This will be much faster and more entertaining as I don't have to spend a few minutes killing one stationary enemy over and over. However, I am still figuring out the best way to do it. I can't say when I'll be done with this version, but probably a few days into the new year. It should end up a few minutes faster. I'll be sure to post when it's done. After that I'll start over and go for a perfect run. I have the game mechanics down pretty well now, so the finished version is going to be tight. Still, about 35% of the run will be level-building, including 5 mins of ice zombies.
Posted: 12/24/2004 8:08 AM
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Unknown_User
Joined: 1/1/2022
Posts: 1716
I fully support this venture as it is one of my favorite games of all time. Keep on improving.
Posted: 12/24/2004 9:28 AM
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Blechy
Former player
Joined: 6/27/2004
Posts: 550
Location: New York
And if the mayor of minnesota supports it... you know it's important.
Posted: 12/24/2004 10:01 AM
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BillBull
Former player
Joined: 5/22/2004
Posts: 462
Funny, the image that sprang to my mind was Uncle Jesse from the old TV show Full House. It happens when you live with little sisters.
Posted: 12/24/2004 4:37 PM
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OmegaFlareX
Joined: 7/20/2004
Posts: 108
...or little 23-year-old girlfriends. I hate that fucking show.
Posted: 12/25/2004 1:18 AM
(Edited: 12/29/2004 4:02 AM)
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Mlandry
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 325
*edit* back from vacation and was able to download FCEU with blip's patch nice run, the only thing i hate is the fact that you have to level up to reach the next place but thats not your fault anyways i just fast forwarded those parts and the rest was awesome
Posted: 12/28/2004 9:34 PM
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Unknown_User
Joined: 1/1/2022
Posts: 1716
Dan_ wrote:
Funny, the image that sprang to my mind was Uncle Jesse from the old TV show Full House. It happens when you live with little sisters.
It's meant to be this one. :)
Posted: 1/2/2005 5:52 AM
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TheAxeMan
Ambassador, Experienced player (708)
Joined: 7/17/2004
Posts: 985
Location: The FLOATING CASTLE
Ok, happy new years everyone: http://home.comcast.net/~f_amoroso/Crystalis-TheAxeManv0.5.zip My second full pass for Crystalis, now down to 43:39, much faster than I ever expected. However, there is still some room for improvement which I will address in the final version. This is almost there though, so you get a pretty good idea what it will look like. With a few improvements I think I can get maybe another minute. There are quite a few reasons for the improvement: -Some improvements to warp pattern including more usage of warp boots. -Instead of building to level 13 in Styx I do it on the first level of the Goa fortress. I need level 12 for the first Mado fight and 13 for Kelbesque. -Kills more enemies as I go, reducing time spent on pure buildup. I almost always hit the needed level at the last possible moment. This was a huge improvement when combined with some of the other items on this list. -Switching swords to kill more enemies as I go. I can get in and out of inventory in less than a second so sometimes it's worthwhile even for just one enemy. -Better combat when building up. -Bosses are a little faster -I take more hits though I still can't afford to take many. Mostly used on bosses and in the tower. -I equip the Psycho armor and Sacred shield (though the shield is useless). This lets me take more hits as I get increased defense and HP recovery. -The tower is done 17 sec faster due to aggressive close-quarter combat. -Only need to shop for warp boots twice, once in Leaf (buying 2 with the glitch) and again in Portoa (buying 3). I don't buy anything else. However, in my next version I'll buy the medical herb in Portoa instead of getting it from the chest in the sealed cave.
Posted: 1/6/2005 1:52 AM
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CoolBumpty
Joined: 12/12/2004
Posts: 158
I'm surprised no one has commented yet. I really like the improvements, but I'm not a great judge for this game because I've never played it all the way through, and I haven't watched the old version in a long time. But you have some amazing work there.
Posted: 1/6/2005 3:00 AM
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Blechy
Former player
Joined: 6/27/2004
Posts: 550
Location: New York
I think nobody's commented because at this point Axeroo knows way more about the game than any of us, and other than tiny errors which won't appear in the third version, we can't offer much that he hasn't already thought of.
Posted: 1/6/2005 6:53 AM
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Hamm
Joined: 7/29/2004
Posts: 136
Location: Temple City, CA
Actually, part of the reason I've not commented yet is simply because I've not had time to watch the run clear through. I only got to the leveling up after you get the dolphin. I'm hoping to watch it tomorrow in full, and have comments at that point.
"How can you prove you exist? Maybe we don't exist..." -Vivi Ornitier (Final Fantasy IX)
Posted: 1/6/2005 10:30 AM
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TheAxeMan
Ambassador, Experienced player (708)
Joined: 7/17/2004
Posts: 985
Location: The FLOATING CASTLE
Yeah, Blechy's probably right, at this point I probably know what I need to do much better than anyone else. Posting that last run was more like giving a preview than asking for help. But hey, there are a zillion little details that someone is probably going to ask about when I publish so if anyone has a question now, go for it. For example, I have to walk out of Oak after talking to the villager for the first time before warping. Otherwise Stom won't be ready to fight. There are quite a few little quirks like this. One thing I just realized is I can save a few seconds by waiting until Brynmaer to buy the warp boots. I'll skip the starting money entirely. I can get the boots free in Brynmaer using the shopping glitch so money is no problem. In fact, I can do all the shopping I need to do in one trip this way since I can also get a medical herb for free here. Again, as Blechy pointed out, I'm probably the only one familiar enough with the game to see this. Hopefully it won't be too long before I have the final version done, but I am taking a little break to mess around with Metal Storm.
Posted: 1/9/2005 1:22 AM
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Hamm
Joined: 7/29/2004
Posts: 136
Location: Temple City, CA
Ok. I finally got time to watch this. Most of it looks good. I'm going to take your word on not needing the money, etc. When you are fighting inside Goa Fortress, you take the time to kill several spiders in a loop, then you level up, go through the next couple of screens, and bypass many lamia-type creatures. Is this because at the previous level you wouldn't be able to hurt them? Even so, why do you bypass them now? If nothing else, it'd be more interesting. Also, I'm not quite sure what parts, but there are a couple of times when you use the controller 2 warp over several places, and it seemed like warp boots would be quicker. One of them might have been to go to the female town, which would obviously be the reason why you warped (haven't been there before, and thus couldn't use warp boots, and using boots to leave would be useless, because the next time you used the controller 2 warp, it'd start off at that town). If this is the case, do you ever use the warp to go there before that? If so, can you take a few seconds and walk inside, thus activating it for warp boots later. Then you wouldn't have to use the controller 2 warp to get there and back, and it would probably save some time.
"How can you prove you exist? Maybe we don't exist..." -Vivi Ornitier (Final Fantasy IX)
Posted: 1/9/2005 11:30 AM
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TheAxeMan
Ambassador, Experienced player (708)
Joined: 7/17/2004
Posts: 985
Location: The FLOATING CASTLE
In Goa fortress, the lamias are exactly the same as the waterfall cave. That is, they only give 50 exp while the spiders give 1280. Even killing every lamia on the way won't be enough to make up for one spider. I would do it for kicks if there was no penalty, but there is. The level 2 thunder blast creates lag and other attacks would require turning around. So I just ignore them, they are little fish at that point. Remember that at levelup, experience resets to zero, so extra kills really are worthless. I've considered using warp boots more, but it is hard as I have to visit a town first. This is why I can't do it for Amazones. One place I thought about using it was to Goa since I warp there twice. However, getting Goa on the warp list would require going through the front exit, not the back one to the fortress, and this would also be where the warp boots take me in. At that point, another time through the warp points is faster. I need to warp to the desert for the power ring anyway. Another spot I considered for warp boots is another one in Portoa, warping out of the cave behind the throne the first time I go there. This would take me to the entrance faster so I can see the fortune teller. However just walking is faster since the warp boots require 1 second in inventory (but more worthwhile if I do other things in inventory) and then 3-4 for the animation. I can loop through all the warp points in about 12 sec. You might notice that after getting the ball of water I retrace my steps instead of warping back to that point. In general the optimal results come from planning the order I do things around the warp points as much as possible. I resort to other methods like warp boots or (gasp) walking when the warp points won't do. The first time I loop back through the warp points is actually pretty convenient. I use it to tie up several loose ends including Amazones and getting barrier magic. If I didn't do this I would get barrier right after change and maybe use warp boots to Brynmaer to get to Amazones. But since I'm warping anyway it works out. The main reason for the loop is to avoid walking all the way back through Shyron to the dungeon area of Mt Hydra. Well, the moral of the story is that optimizing the warp pattern is a pretty complex problem. I'm confident that I've got an optimal solution now though.
Posted: 1/9/2005 9:43 PM
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Hamm
Joined: 7/29/2004
Posts: 136
Location: Temple City, CA
Alright. I didn't know that the Lamia enemies there were the same stupid ones from before. They are worthless. I know the general gameplay of the game very well, but I honestly just never paid much attention to the warping pattern. Since that loop to Amazones is the first time you end up there, it is obviously the right choice. All of the other larger warp loops seemed needed to me, so I didn't question them.
"How can you prove you exist? Maybe we don't exist..." -Vivi Ornitier (Final Fantasy IX)
Posted: 1/10/2005 1:42 AM
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Zalien
Joined: 1/10/2005
Posts: 63
Sorry to kinda hijack the thread, but I can't seem to get the .fcm to work right. The checksum for the roms are the same, but when I start the replay the character runs into the door and nothing of note happens. Anyone know what could be the proble? I really wanna see this run!
Posted: 1/10/2005 3:37 AM
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TheAxeMan
Ambassador, Experienced player (708)
Joined: 7/17/2004
Posts: 985
Location: The FLOATING CASTLE
Sounds like you don't have controller 2 set up right. This shuts down the wild warp code.
Posted: 2/13/2005 4:26 AM
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Ouzo
Former player
Joined: 8/15/2004
Posts: 422
Location: Minnesota
How is this coming along?
Posted: 2/13/2005 5:47 PM
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TheAxeMan
Ambassador, Experienced player (708)
Joined: 7/17/2004
Posts: 985
Location: The FLOATING CASTLE
Ah, took a break from this to do Metal Storm. Just finished that, so I will start my final run now. It's taken a while but this one is definitely going to be submitted!
Posted: 2/16/2005 9:45 AM
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TheAxeMan
Ambassador, Experienced player (708)
Joined: 7/17/2004
Posts: 985
Location: The FLOATING CASTLE
Well, I've started my for real run and found a few more corners to cut and some more optimizations with the movement which will tweak out that extra little bit. Between better planning on the shopping, better combat while travelling and better planning and execution of the powerup loops, I've already managed to cut out about 30 sec compared to my last test run (which finished in 43:39), and I'm only up to the ball of wind. This was probably the most improvable section, but there's definitely room for more. I am really concentrating on getting the combat as fast possible this time around since I have the route nailed down pretty well. Since I kill everything I see and go back for more, making this run will be tough and time-consuming, but the result is looking impressive so far, it's very fast.
Posted: 2/17/2005 6:03 PM
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Hamm
Joined: 7/29/2004
Posts: 136
Location: Temple City, CA
30 seconds to the ball of wind is an impressive improvement already. I'm very anxious to see this completed. Good luck to you!
"How can you prove you exist? Maybe we don't exist..." -Vivi Ornitier (Final Fantasy IX)
Posted: 2/19/2005 11:17 PM
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TheAxeMan
Ambassador, Experienced player (708)
Joined: 7/17/2004
Posts: 985
Location: The FLOATING CASTLE
I reworked which enemies I kill to get level 3 and got the ball of wind a second faster. However, on starting to fight the warthogs for level 4, I noticed that I had to wait an extra second to spawn the first enemy I wanted to kill, negating my work! Now, up to this point I have good spots to go in and out of rooms where monsters appear close by for me to kill. However, other hunting spots, including my next one, require respawning monsters without leaving the area. In my previous tests, I did some experimentation, but never fully nailed down the spawning mechanics. I've got this just about down now though. It seems that every enemy falls into one of two categories. Either they are immediately present when you enter an area (with a fade-in) or they spawn later. Only the latter will respawn unless you leave the area and come back. There seems to be a third category that flies in, but I don't hunt them as much. Sometimes it's necessary to wait a bit after entering an area to let enemies spawn, and this may look strange in the final product. Luckily, the hero of this game is an excellent dancer. :) So my testing revealed an 8-bit counter which controls spawning for an enemy. Every 256 frames (about 4 sec) this counter resets and the enemy respawns. That is, if the previous incarnation is dead and the spawning area is off-screen at the time. Otherwise nothing happens and you have to wait another 256 frames for the next opportunity. Furthermore, the counter doesn't change on lag frames, giving a lot of incentive to avoid lag. The conclusions are that avoiding lag is more important than killing an enemy quickly. In fact, it's only necessary to kill an enemy fast enough to distance yourself from the spawning area before the counter resets. This explains several things I've observed as I made my test runs. When killing one respawning enemy, the rate is about 4 secs. Furthermore, sometimes the same enemy can be killed twice pretty quickly, but after that a pattern starts where you kill the enemy, back off and wait, go in and kill, back off and... Now I need to extend this to multiple enemies. There might be more than one counter, perhaps one for each enemy. I'll need to figure out when each enemy spawns and use the information to plan out a route that puts me in the right place at the right time. In other places I can speed things up by avoiding lag--stabbing enemies instead of using some of the sword attacks. I'd say controlling this well could easily take off a minute, probably more as I depend on spawned enemies for most of my experience. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anything here which impacts the march of 150 ice zombies (levels 6-7), so that will still take about 5 minutes.
Posted: 2/22/2005 8:46 AM
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TheAxeMan
Ambassador, Experienced player (708)
Joined: 7/17/2004
Posts: 985
Location: The FLOATING CASTLE
Ok, reached a good spot to give a preview. I'm up to about 3 and a half minutes, proceeding slowly but surely in making the master run. Compared to my last test I'm about 45 seconds faster at this point. I've also already done all my shopping for the game, so I won't have to hit any more stores. I hunt the warthogs much faster when building up to level 4 by abusing the spawning mechanics. Conveniently, it seems "the counter" is at memory location $0008. This counts down on each non-lag frame and controls when enemies spawn. By keeping my eye on this while playing, I figured out when each enemy spawns in relation to the others and planned the pattern I used. Basically, I need to make sure I'm off the screen when it comes time for the enemy to spawn, giving me about 4 sec to make a pass through. Because the left enemy (middle of the three) spawns first, it's close going left, but I have time left over going to the right. However, there are still some mysteries as far as exactly where you need to be to make some of the enemies spawn. It seems that if you are too close or too far the spawn won't happen. One of the warthogs (leftmost of the three I hunt) is a little shy, but he seems to come out when I go down to the bridge. This level of attention to the spawning really paid off, I do this area over 20 sec faster. In some hunting areas I'm sure there's even more to gain. If every levelup works out this well, it may be possible to break 40 minutes! Next up is the swamp where I'll definitely be getting a big improvement. http://home.comcast.net/~f_amoroso/Crystalis-TheAxeManv0.6.fcm
Posted: 2/23/2005 12:05 AM
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Unknown_User
Joined: 1/1/2022
Posts: 1716
I love to see games get broken down like that. :)
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