Mercs 3 player run, now it is time to get back to RPGs. Hopefully this run covers your hankering for some Halo Warthog action until we get an XBox Emulator here.
  • No damage taken
  • Controls 3 players
  • 3 nameless, shirtless dudes save the President. Again.
  • No dinosaurs to speak of.
  • FBA v.5 (Important for sync: uncheck use M68000 assembly core)
Quick primer: Bombs do 14 damage per interval, while normal shots do 5. Bombs also clear the screen of bullets, missiles, etc. Bosses have a long invulnerability period at the start.
Level 1: A ridiculously short level. Seriously.
Level 2: WARTHOG ACTION! Only 2 Tanks can be on spawned at once, I use this to my advantage in planning my driving route. I prevent the two tanks that would have blocked my path from Spawning. I have the boss destroy the vehicle so I can fire bombs.
Level 3: I use the bomb to clear bullets trick against the tanks, to allow my team to keep walking.
Level 4: I bomb the house to allow me to keep moving faster. The water part was actually very difficult to keep the boats alive. Also, the boats are like bumper cars, so I had to be careful to have them not touch.
Level 5: It is impossible to get the Warthog past that blockade, without spending the time to destroy the tank. Thus, I let the truck kill the warthog, in the best place to keep me moving forward. Also, the first time the bar comes up for the train boss, damage does nothing. It has to move up, and then back down for damage to count.
Level 6: Lots of unavoidable tank battles here. Also, I wait to use bombs until the last moment, when the boss fires its missiles. For entertainment, ya know.

Nach: This was a tough one. Great run, and great audience response. But there is the question of how this stacks up against the Genesis run. Are they different enough? Or is one run better than the other?
I watched each run several times, and I felt each had its own uniqueness to it. While the games are quite similar, the playing fields are not completely identical. Each also seems to have different timing for different events. In terms of true competition, I would not compare the records of one against the other. In terms of entertainment, each had its own flavor to offer. The one player versus three also greatly helped to differentiate the runs. Some may feel that this game is too easy with three players, and easier to follow the action with just one, while others would prefer to see the game dominated, and enjoy the coordination.
Therefore, I'm accepted this run on its own, and not as an improvement on the Genesis version.

Brandon: Publication underway.
Spikestuff: As a warning. Compared to other FBA Movies there is notable a/v desync after dumping. Be sure to resync it.


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And the SD encode.
Brandon
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With all due respect FerretFaucet, I think there are some significant flaws with these encodes that I'd consider serious enough to prevent me from using them. Firstly, the SD encode seems to be missing a non-512kb version. Although it's a good idea to manually generate the 512kb version, it is not a substitute for the regular one, and when you provide one, you should also upload a torrent file for it. Next, the subtitle placement could be better. They should start when the gameplay starts, and they shouldn't cover anything if possible. In this case, you could easily shift them so that they don't remotely cover the players' mugshots while still avoiding covering other important things. Lastly, you should trim the video so that it finishes after the "Game Over" tune finishes playing, or if it's a loop, after two loops and at a non-abrupt time. I'm not going to fault you for the dimensions of the video because I'm pretty sure that can't be prevented. For all these reasons, I'd like for this to be re-encoded. I'm sure all of these things can be quickly and easily fixed. Thanks for using my script though, and I can't wait to see how these come out when they are made with our project! Also, do we have an optimized screenshot for this yet?
All the best, Brandon Evans
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Brandon wrote:
With all due respect FerretFaucet, I think there are some significant flaws with these encodes that I'd consider serious enough to prevent me from using them.
Moreover, from mplayer on archive 512:
Starting playback...
Movie-Aspect is 0.96:1 - prescaling to correct movie aspect.
VO: [x11] 288x384 => 370x384 Planar YV12 
Where is that 0.96:1 aspect ratio (DAR) from? 512s should always be prescaled (in this case to 288x384, which was correct) with PAR of 1:1, which would give DAR of 0.75:1 in this case. That is, the 512 should be encoded (in this case) at 288x384 with PAR of 1:1.
Brandon
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So, FerretFaucet, will you be able to reencode? We need to get this publication going.
All the best, Brandon Evans
GabCM
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If nobody is working on an appropriate encode for this run, I can do it, but I absolutely need to know the real aspect ratio of this game. I've seen stuff such as 3/4 and 5/7, but if anyone finds the real stuff, it would be appreciated to post it here.
Brandon
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Mister Epic wrote:
If nobody is working on an appropriate encode for this run, I can do it, but I absolutely need to know the real aspect ratio of this game. I've seen stuff such as 3/4 and 5/7, but if anyone finds the real stuff, it would be appreciated to post it here.
It'd definitely help lighten up my queue, considering it's safe to say that FerretFaucet will not be available soon enough. Does Ilari's post give you the information you need? I'd discuss it with him, as he seems to know a bit more about encoding on this platform than I do.
All the best, Brandon Evans
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Mister Epic wrote:
If nobody is working on an appropriate encode for this run, I can do it, but I absolutely need to know the real aspect ratio of this game. I've seen stuff such as 3/4 and 5/7, but if anyone finds the real stuff, it would be appreciated to post it here.
I don't know if this helps, but it was simply a 19" monitor turned sideways, so it should just be 3/4, at least in the physical arcade machine. Encoding, no idea...
Sage advice from a friend of Jim: So put your tinfoil hat back in the closet, open your eyes to the truth, and realize that the government is in fact causing austismal cancer with it's 9/11 fluoride vaccinations of your water supply.
GabCM
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Brandon wrote:
Does Ilari's post give you the information you need? I'd discuss it with him, as he seems to know a bit more about encoding on this platform than I do.
0.98/1 = 49/50 I don't think so.
DarkKobold wrote:
I don't know if this helps, but it was simply a 19" monitor turned sideways, so it should just be 3/4, at least in the physical arcade machine.
That's what I'm looking for, the physical screen's aspect ratio. For home consoles, it's easy, it's always 4/3 or 16/9. I'm more leaning toward 3/4. I'm doing a research about it. EDIT By loading the ROM in FBA and by setting the "Correct Aspect Ratio" in Windows Stretch, I'm getting something that is very very very close to 3/4. So I'm going with 3/4. ANOTHER EDIT Brandon, if you don't mind, I think I'll publish this one, since I'm doing the encodes and the screenshot.
Brandon
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If you'd like to take this off of my hands, by all means. Someone gave it to me, and I accepted. If you're doing the vast majority of the work, you deserve the vast majority of the credit. Is there a process we have to go through to transfer this, though?
All the best, Brandon Evans
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I thought it has been decided it is 3:4 aspect ratio a long time ago. Ah well.
GabCM
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Brandon wrote:
If you'd like to take this off of my hands, by all means. Someone gave it to me, and I accepted. If you're doing the vast majority of the work, you deserve the vast majority of the credit. Is there a process we have to go through to transfer this, though?
Words are enough. I still have access to that "Publish" button. Thanks for letting me do the work!
Aktan wrote:
I thought it has been decided it is 3:4 aspect ratio a long time ago. Ah well.
http://www.myfacewhen.com/379/
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Mister Epic wrote:
http://www.myfacewhen.com/379/
I'm confused as to what exactly you are expressing, lol.
Post subject: Movie published
TASVideoAgent
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This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [1763] Arcade Mercs "3 players" by DarkKobold in 10:23.03
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Am I the only one reminded of Halo when watching this game?
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New HD 60 FPS YouTube encode: Link to video
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For a vertical arcade game meant for a sideways CRT TV, aspect ratio should be 3:4. Post #449540 Post #451786
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.
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Redone encode: Link to video
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Good now.
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.