About the game

This is Contra 4 for the Nintendo DS, it seems to be part remake of the first Contra and part new game. Anyway it's the same ol' Contra concept of a lone hero saving the world bare chested from Aliens by running to the right, sometimes jumping upward, sometimes even going forward in 3D(!) and shooting a lot. Also, once, he jumps around on a speeding rocket. It has all the ingredients of a great game, and great it is.

Details

  • Emulator used: DeSmuME 0.9.2-rr
  • Aims for fastest time
  • Uses death as a shortcut/Takes damage to save time
  • Plays at hardest level
  • Might manipulate luck... I don't remmeber

About the run

This run was started as a solo project by me (cpadolf) exactly two months ago, and since then zggzdydp has joined in as well (and all the completed stages where remade). It clocks in at just over 22.5 minutes, which is pretty good as my goal was to get under 25 minutes.
Choice of weapons: In stage 1 double M and S is picked up, F and S would have been a bit faster, but too much time has to be sacrificed in order to get double F for it to work out. In stage 2 we go for double M and double C, which we keep all the way until the last stage. The reason for this is that C+M is by far the best weapon combo in the 3D stages, and even though exchanging M for F would likely speed up stage 4, 5 and 7, the losses in stage 6, 8 and the time lost grabbing double F (as at least one would have to be grabbed out of the way in order to have it for stage 4) would be a lot bigger in the end. For stage 9 though, we get double F to deal with the final boss, as it is the best weapon there (note that the mini boss at the start of stage 9 can't be speed up, as no matter how fast you kill him he will run out of frame once then come back and die at a fixed time). Also note that single C is as strong as double C, the only difference is how long it reaches.
Tricks: There isn't much out of the ordinary here. Sometimes death is abused to cross over big gaps without having to use the grapple hook, and at some places you can do a small zip forward by dying at the right spot (in a gap between to platforms/railings, if you are far enough ahead you will be transported to the next platform/railing instead of going back). And in the climbing parts of the game you can climb faster by jumping just as you walk of a platform, there is one frame where you will jump from slightly under the platform and thus land on the next platform faster (since you don't have too fall down as far again), this usually saves 1-3 frames per use.
Something something. I don't know what to write. Ask if you have any questions.
Thanks to: Atma, for pointing out the railcar shortcut in stage 1 and Satoryu for pointing out a shortcut in stage 4.

adelikat: Accepting for publication.
ShinyDoofy: Trying to process Processing...


TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #2337: Cpadolf & zggzdydp's DS Contra 4 in 22:31.42
Former player
Joined: 9/1/2005
Posts: 803
This movie certainly gets my yes vote for publication, however entertainment wise I can't help but think that dying to save time wasn't a good tradeoff. It just seemed a bit out of place, even if it was faster than the alternative. Either way, kickass movie guys.
Sir_VG
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Joined: 10/9/2004
Posts: 1913
Location: Floating Tower
Question: Why do you not hit the boss as much as possible on Stage 5 (that fish boss)? It seems like you could do more damage to him then you do. Explanation?
Taking over the world, one game at a time. Currently TASing: Nothing
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Sir VG wrote:
Question: Why do you not hit the boss as much as possible on Stage 5 (that fish boss)? It seems like you could do more damage to him then you do. Explanation?
Well, it appears that you only have to shoot him once every round, when he stops the laser, and any more won't damage him additionally (you see that after each round he looses a pair of spikes on his back, when all are gone he dies, and he can only lose one pair each time) . So this fight is just about hitting him on the first frame that he is vulnerable every time. I did not know of this prior to making the run.
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Sir_VG
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Click the pic for an encode. Download from Megaupload: 128MB MP4 (No overlay text, but a boring intro/outro text is there. Not good enough to be posted here, though. And no, I didn't split the screens.)
Taking over the world, one game at a time. Currently TASing: Nothing
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Joined: 8/4/2005
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29.91 fps? >_> Anyway, the movie was pretty enjoyable. I was a bit surprised you decided to go with F for the last boss, was it not available earlier? Or is there something I'm missing? Shame this Contra doesn't offer much in the way of optimization (or even dodging, apart from the fish boss), but at least the presentation is nice, and you've managed to take advantage of some creative shortcuts. I'm voting yes.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Experienced player (961)
Joined: 12/3/2008
Posts: 936
Location: Castle Keep
The encode was realy cool to watch, would have been better with the "empty" space between screens but that fine, i did like sprites and musics, the game is a bit slow on some parts, but overall i realy enjoyed, yes vote
Active player (437)
Joined: 4/21/2004
Posts: 3517
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Thank you very much Sir VG! I also liked this run, although I wish the bosses could've made it tougher for you two. The dying parts did not bother me at all as they obviously saved time. Yes vote.
Nitrogenesis wrote:
Guys I come from the DidyKnogRacist communite, and you are all wrong, tihs is the run of the mileniun and everyone who says otherwise dosnt know any bater! I found this run vary ease to masturbate too!!!! Don't fuck with me, I know this game so that mean I'm always right!StupedfackincommunityTASVideoz!!!!!!
Arc wrote:
I enjoyed this movie in which hands firmly gripping a shaft lead to balls deep in multiple holes.
natt wrote:
I don't want to get involved in this discussion, but as a point of fact C# is literally the first goddamn thing on that fucking page you linked did you even fucking read it
Cooljay wrote:
Mayor Haggar and Cody are such nice people for the community. Metro City's hospitals reached an all time new record of incoming patients due to their great efforts :P
Skilled player (1098)
Joined: 8/26/2006
Posts: 1139
Location: United Kingdom
Great run. Very entertaining all the way through, even the autoscroller was awesome. The deaths didn't bother me too much and I quite liked the old & new aspect of this contra more than I thought I would. I haven't gotten around to playing through it myself yet, but judging by this run, it looks pretty awesome.
Skilled player (1410)
Joined: 5/31/2004
Posts: 1821
arukAdo wrote:
The encode was realy cool to watch, would have been better with the "empty" space between screens but that fine, i did like sprites and musics, the game is a bit slow on some parts, but overall i realy enjoyed, yes vote
I agree... maybe a place to put "TASvideos"... that will probably detract too much from the run :P Anyway, I enjoyed it, yes vote! (What is the multiplayer option btw? Would it have been possible to make this TAS with 2 players?)
Editor, Experienced player (734)
Joined: 6/13/2006
Posts: 3300
Location: Massachussetts, USA
Baxter wrote:
(What is the multiplayer option btw? Would it have been possible to make this TAS with 2 players?)
Probably bluetooth networking- aka between two DS's, not one player controlling 2 characters. When watching the original WIPs from the forums, I was not impressed at all beyond stage 1's neat music, mostly because I absolutely hate games where all you do is run to the right very slowly, and do not find the contra series to be entertaining in the slightest. I'll give this a full watch and see if my opinion changes. Edit: Ok, my vote remains at a no. I just did not find it to be all that exciting. The platforming is still a very awkward NES slow style, and all the guns a blazing' didn't help because it never felt exciting, just 'oh, stuff blowing up.' Although, I must wonder what the developers were thinking; entering the final boss by hook-shotting yourself up into his ass?
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Player (210)
Joined: 7/7/2006
Posts: 798
Location: US
Based on my observations having never played the game, the game itself is a bit meh for Contra TASing. The boss fights are long and uneventful, and there are a lot of slow scrolling sections that aren't the most exciting. The entertainment provided during the forced waits was of average quality. The game length is a bit much, and the creativity in shooting things isn't really there. A huge factor in the entertainment of the NES Contra run for me was the crafting of a death beam out of the spread gun, and that sort of creative application just isn't in this game. I'm sure this run is quite technically precise, but it just doesn't show through that well. I still think this run is of average or above average quality compared to the rest of the site. If I was judging the run based on the expectations I had of the run I'd probably go with meh, but since I'm judging the run on its own merits I'm going with Yes. Less than I expected, still pretty good. Ignoring high expectations, it would be an easy yes vote. Dying to save time was the correct choice in my opinion.
Joined: 2/11/2007
Posts: 45
Location: Iowa
Comicalflop wrote:
because I absolutely hate games where all you do is run to the right very slowly, and do not find the contra series to be entertaining in the slightest.
Comicalflop wrote:
Working on: Gunstar Super Heroes
Does not freaking compute, man. EDIT: Watched it. Liked it. Whatever the final encode looks like, I think it definitely needs the screen gap. It's a little disorienting otherwise (not faulting you, Sir VG; thanks for the quick & dirty). Would the Alien Heart at the end of the alien 3D stage die faster with 2x Crush? Would the time saved there outweigh the time saved by dying (and losing double crush) in the city stage before it? The time saved is so minor either way, I doubt it would matter much.
Samsara
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Senior Judge, Site Admin, Expert player (2238)
Joined: 11/13/2006
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Judge Ito wrote:
Does not freaking compute, man.
Nah, it's cool. Sometimes you go left. As for the run... I'm not a Contra person, and I found myself skipping a lot of the run, but I do think the run should be published. The parts I watched, at least, were entertaining. Yes vote.
TASvideos Admin and acting Senior Judge 💙 Currently unable to dedicate a lot of time to the site, taking care of family. Now infrequently posting on Bluesky
warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
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Joined: 9/15/2006
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Location: China
Judge Ito wrote:
Would the Alien Heart at the end of the alien 3D stage die faster with 2x Crush?
single C is as strong as double C, the only difference is how long it reaches.
Judge Ito wrote:
Would the time saved there outweigh the time saved by dying (and losing double crush) in the city stage before it?
Of course not, by dying he can reach high platform without using wire and get some zip forward.
Skilled player (1444)
Joined: 7/15/2007
Posts: 1468
Location: Sweden
moozooh wrote:
I was a bit surprised you decided to go with F for the last boss, was it not available earlier? Or is there something I'm missing?
In the 3D stages F does 1 damage instead of 5, the losses in the 3D stages from taking F instead of M (and getting a second F) outweigh the gains from having F in the other stages.
Agare Bagare Kopparslagare
Hoe
Joined: 7/31/2004
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Great run :) never played the game but makes me wish I did, yes vote
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Joined: 5/29/2004
Posts: 5712
Have you played a Contra game before, Comicalflop? I remember I didn't enjoy Contra 1 so much for its speed or platforming, but for all the tense moments where a hazard pops up suddenly or loads of bullets are drifting your way, and you have to stay alert and learn good timing to avoid everything. Well, and the cool weapons. Since a TAS knows exactly when and where to shoot and what will or won't come the player's way, of course it'll look like a cakewalk, but that's what makes it so different from a normal play and therefore fun to watch.
put yourself in my rocketpack if that poochie is one outrageous dude
Skilled player (1444)
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Oh, forgot to mention. In the autoscrolling water level, killing the blue guys faster doesn't speed things up. As long as they are killed within a certain timeframe the next wave appears at the same time, and the reason they aren't killed faster anyway is to remove weird lag. Youtubed
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Former player
Joined: 3/23/2004
Posts: 95
When will they fix the DS emulator so that there is a space between the 2 screens? I don't even want to imagine seeing Yoshi's Island 2 without it.
Sir_VG
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Player (40)
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Posts: 1913
Location: Floating Tower
Therealssjlink wrote:
When will they fix the DS emulator so that there is a space between the 2 screens? I don't even want to imagine seeing Yoshi's Island 2 without it.
There's an option to do that already. View -> Screen Separation
Taking over the world, one game at a time. Currently TASing: Nothing
Joined: 9/29/2005
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Location: Denver, CO
Wow... this goes back to "games played to look easy". I mean, regardless of how hard or easy this particular contra entry is in realtime, it's kinda fun to watch it get eaten alive by a good TAS. Death Abuse was the correct choice. Congratulations. Easy yes vote!
"If any man is not free, then I too, am a small pie made of chicken"
Joined: 7/1/2008
Posts: 272
agreed with the above. while Contra 4 isn't as hard as some of the others, it's still a bitch, so seeing it being annihilated like this is a real treat. and i too agree that the death abuse is correct. it's a nice change of pace because you expect a run to never die or get hit, and you get to hear some of Bill's fantastic dialogue you wouldn't hear otherwise. i also like how you used almost every weapon in the game. sure you stuck with M and C most of the time, but at some point every weapon except Homing got some screen time. i say Yes. one note, though. at the very beginning, when you selected your difficulty, your cursor was already on Hard. my memory is failing me; is it like that by default?
Former player
Joined: 12/5/2007
Posts: 716
In case anybody is wondering where submission 2336 has gone: I deleted it to only have one submission of this game left. As far as I could tell, they were the same either way.
Skilled player (1444)
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satoryu wrote:
one note, though. at the very beginning, when you selected your difficulty, your cursor was already on Hard. my memory is failing me; is it like that by default?
No, but you can change the difficult to hard before the options get on screen.
ShinyDoofy wrote:
In case anybody is wondering where submission 2336 has gone: I deleted it to only have one submission of this game left. As far as I could tell, they were the same either way.
I had some trouble with my connection when submitting the run, so I probably did an accidental double post.
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