2-player run of Double Dragon, Speedrun Time of 7:35
Overview
- Emulator used: Mame-RR 0.139-v0.1-beta
- Difficulty: Easy
Highlights
- 2 Players controlled at once
- Lots of lag (well known issue with 2-player mode)
- Intentional damage and deaths taken for positioning
- Intentional damage and death to save time
- Intentional game over for 1P
Tools used
I loved the idea of using the LUA Script created by Adelikat and others for games like The Simpsons, but it didn't work for me. The Double Dragon AI is too trolly, and I got tired of re-recording sequences, only to have the AI turn the wrong way.
I opted to use a Koolertron Single-Handed Programmable Mechanical keyboard to record instead, all input recorded at the same time by me (no special tools to record single character tracks at a time)
Notes about 2 Player mode
Even though this run is (for the most part) technically more efficient than my 1P runs, the completion time is much slower, due to lag. There is no way around this unless you modify CPU settings, or speed up video playback. The lag becomes really bad when playing with 2 Players
Other things of note:
- On Stage 2, three groups of mobs come out of elevator instead of two (you're expected to kill 6 enemies before Boss spawns, instead of 5)
- Straightforward paths don't always yield the best time, due to AI tracking behavior
I don't plan to make another 2P video of this. The lag is too bad, but I thought it would be fun to share what's possible in 2P mode (esp. since there is no documented attempts of 2P speed runs AFAIK)
RAM Watch, Combos, etc
Please visit forum thread Forum/Topics/19968 - I maintain this thread for general speed run notes
Overview of key moments below!
Stage 1 Boss fight
Pauses in movement are necessary in order to set up positioning for knives. My quick route I used in 1 player TAS runs do not work in 2 player unfortunately
Stage 2 Boss fight - Intentional Death and Box Drop
This is the only position available to get the box to fall at foot of elevator. Other paths cause the box to bounce off screen or get trapped in corner (which screws up enemy tracking)
Stage 3 First fight - Purple Box
Enemy speed accelerates while tracking towards weapons - I use this quirk to speed up the battle. I also throw the box off screen to prevent the next off screen enemy from tracking to top of screen
The purple box glitch is an old trick that's been documented by others
I also use another glitch (holding kick button to freeze player) until the enemy tries to pick up the box. This sets up optimal positioning
Stage 3 Tag Team combos
Once a character is in crumpled state - the game doesn't care who grabs him. I use this to tag team combos through the game
Stage 3 Double Adobo fight
I do a lot of intentional damage here and careful positioning to ensure they are falling towards the right of screen (adobo/bolos fall forward while they're HP > 25 points)
Stage 4 Wall Traps
I see now why I rarely saw people finish this game in 2P mode. Twice as many wall pushes coming out
Stage 4 Double Bolo fight, Intentional Death
I drop the enemies with two sticks of dynamite this time - much faster (in spite of lag)
I kill both players at once to keep all enemies hovered around the dynamite
Stage 4 Intentional Billy Game Over
A player vs player fight starts if both players are alive after boss dies. I avoid this sequence and simply kill off Billy before I kill the boss - the final fight between players is simply too boring to watch, and it doesn't end (glitch in code that isn't registering death of either player??? haven't debugged)
feos: While for me personally, this movie looks more fast-paced than the starred Castlevania run, it doesn't mean its automatically entertaining either. The audience hasn't enjoyed this approach, because it doesn't seem to compensate for increased lag, by offering any unique mechanics or tricks only available for 2 players. Most of the tame it's the same thing as 1P, just slower. In a few places the second player does help, but not enough to make the branch look unique and outstanding. Rejecting.