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[NesVideoAgent]

This is an automatically posted message for discussing submission: #775: foda's Genesis Ecco the Dolphin in 27:36

See details at: http://bisqwit.iki.fi/nesvideos/775S.html

Submission status: accepted
Last edited by: Bisqwit

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The submission message follows:

• emulator used: gens_movie_test9c
• aims for fastest completion
• takes damage... to avoid slowing down

Ecco the Dolphin, a run that i've been doing for well more than a year, (not redoing, just adding a few frames from time to time). The first thing one will notice when watching the run is that ecco kisses a lot of walls. But it can't be helped, at high speed ecco can make turns only every meter, and he has no brakes. So isntead of slowing down to be able to cut sharp corners smoothly i had to bump into a lot of walls to force cornering. Sorry about that.

I didn't have a lot of fun doing this run, but what one gotta do one gotta do. I've decided to finish what i had and submit it. I confess i was a little curious to know the fastest time to complete the game (despite the fact that it's obvious that this run is improveable).

At the auto-scrolling levels (the last 2) i killed 100% enemies and got no damage, if that matters.

[Ferret Warlord]

Very nice. Indeed the wall crashing looks awkward, but I understand why it's there and as such is forgiveable.

Otherwise I found this run to be as fast and frantic as the Sonic runs with much better pacing due to the lack of bonuses (tubes and machines notwithstanding). The last level may be long, but considering that place effectively puts poor little Ecco through a Mr. Burns-style fish grinder, it was still nice to watch. ;) Plus the way you cheated death there was sweet. Good choice of location for it. Nice going, you.

Yesh vote.

Edit: This game has some truly entrancing music. The arctic especially.

Another thing: the way you handled the block in the library was pure awesomeness. I remember trying to get that blasted thing over those pits for hours.

[/*-]

YES!!

while the autoscrolling damn near ruins the pace you worked so hard at, it is no where near enough to change my decision.

excellent work FODA.

[Gigafrost]

I thought it was very impressive, although I've never played it before so I wouldn't recognize any cumulative small mistakes.

I'll give it a yes vote once I have a better understanding of why the talking-to-the-dolphins at the end was as long as it was (I suspect a fixed waiting time of some sort...correct?)

[FODA]

That text wasn't skippable, it was auto-skipped by the game.

[Truncated]

I thought you had quit this one for good. I was going to do this game sooner or later (probably later), but perhaps now I can get some extra motivation.

The earlier parts were done at low speed instead of frame advance, and it shows. (Perhaps the later parts were low-speed too, who knows.) Which action to perform where doesn't seem that well tested everywhere - is it faster to attack or to just C-dash for example, I couldn't see any consistent pattern.

I also have memories (but they could be wrong) of grazing the diamonds and still getting the "key". That could be useful in some places. Also I think you can turn around 180 at the same time as you perform an attack and sort of hit the enemy with your tail, but that might not be so useful.

I'm not sure what to vote, because it's obviously improvable in a lot of places, but it's still entertaining and a better one isn't likely to come our way in a while.

[FODA]

This game is like the upcoming batch of 3d games to timeattack: its never gonna be perfect because it starts to depend a lot on skill. Frame advance is useless unless you want to go insane (from repeatedly having to press C to swim fast). I didnt use frame advance anywhere on this run.

I got the grazing diamonds + key at only one place, at one of the prehistoric levels. I wasn't aware that such thing was possible untill then.

Thanks for the comments

edit: btw, B should be used to accelerate from a low speed, and C was used to maintain high speed.

[MattyXB]

Yes, yes and yes.

1. Its fast and great played.
2. I love Dolphins
3. I love this game

Only problem, the game was to hard for me. Always look at energy and air. And some Levels are very hard, long, complicated and frustrating.
I loved the beginning from this game. Many Dolphins and no problems, till you jump to high.

Now I hope that someone do a run for the second Ecco game. :-)

[hopper]

You ripped that game a new one.

Very well done. It was a fun watch, but the first shark level (before the ice) gave me a headache from the screen moving around so much. The last got really old. Auto-scrolling was an unfortunate choice for a game about exploration and complete freedom of movement in two dimensions. I can't believe how detailed the background is in the final level, in spite of being just ever-repeating wallpaper. This game really shows off the abilities of the Genesis, and you made a great show of what's possible in this game. Voting Yes.

Incidentally, a pteradactyl picks up Ecco? And doesn't eat him? And sonar kills aliens? Who knew? If only Ripley had known about that.

[FODA]

Gigafrost wrote:

[JXQ]

To me, this was good but not great. That being said, I don't know if a "great" run would be possible. One big problem about going so fast in this game is that the scrolling is not smooth enough for the speed and I started getting a headache from it.

Fast, yes, but entertaining, no, for me. (Yes + No) / 2 = Meh.

[Gigafrost]

FODA wrote:

[Truncated]

I checked now and actually most of the credits skip themselves... it's only one screen that wont go away, the one with the password to the last fight (which you get earlier, so it's kind of stupid). After that the names of the makers roll themselves.

Kind of a pity since you have to record 2 minutes of nothing. But I guess there isn't much to do about it.

[FODA]

no, truncated, if they go themselves then they take a while instead of going as soon as they appear.

[Spacecow]

I never made it past the second level of this game so I can't say I saw any obvious flaws in your routes or anything. Everything looks good, good enough to publish.

...man, I never knew how much of a trip this game would be ;)

[Truncated]

>no, truncated, if they go themselves then they take a while instead of going as soon as they appear.

Well, of course... if you let them go by their own pace it's a lot slower than skipping them. They are meant to be readable. But they do disappear themselves after a few seconds, you don't HAVE to skip them.

Since the game is completed already I don't see the need to finish the end credits as soon as possible, but that's your choice. Since you already have to record up to the point where the password is given I guess it doesn't make that much difference.

[FODA]

nobody needs to read the last fight password. thats the only one that is skippable before its readable. the other ones are perfectly readable but they are just the programmers names.

[Mlandry]

ive always wanted to see a run of this but i could never remember the name :D

i always knew it was close to Evo..

watching / will vote after

[hondala]

Very great run!

It's very entertaining. I have an original ecco the dolphin, but i never could finish this game. At that time, it was too hard. I remember the seller warned me that it would be hard, and i should prepare for that, and they can't buy it back from me, if i don't like it :)
but i like it, just i couldn't finish it.
I have one question, at the inside the machine stage(the boss stage), you go to a hole, where later you can go through, but the screen goes left, and you stuck in that hole, but you can get off from there, through the pipe :)
Is it bug or what? :)
when i will be able to vote, my vote will be yes

[Dark Mana]

honestly ecco always pissed me off for some reason. dont ask why, i dont know. anyways it was well done and enjoyed it. thumbs up. now if i can only get that gauntlet game to work...