Submission #1573: VANDAL's SNES Simpsons, The: Bart's Nightmare in 14:09.30

A final run of Bart's Nightmare by Samhain-Grim (also known as VANDAL), which is about 73 seconds faster than the previous run. Improvements are all over the place in this run and also there are parts where I lose time but in the end it's all rectified.

Emulator Settings: (though they should be automatic with the windows version)

Snes9X v1.43+ v10

[*] Use WIP1 Timing 
[*] Allow Left+Right/Up+Down 
[ ] Volume Envelope Height Reading 
[*] Fake Mute desync workaround 
[ ] Sync samples with sound CPU

Movie Goals:

For the remainder of the text, there will be spoilers and possible patronizing to the reader, as I don't know whether or not you know anything about this game (even if there was a previous run, the submission text was horrible not to mention the run compared to this one).

The game starts off with Bart falling from the sky into some neighborhood (possibly Springfield) in which you need to recollect your homework (you can see this if you let the intro play out a little).

Here on the streets, you'll see I move the screen to make Bart closer to the left in order to make the first paper appear as soon as possible. The first paper is then picked (or jumped on) rather quickly while going to the right. The first level is...

Being the highlight of the run last time, it's interesting to see this level first rather than third. What I was shooting for was destroying all rockets and Krusty Balloons, with varying diversity, since dodging them prolongs lag. You'll also see I time my hits by measuring and shooting further than before.

After two sets of vertical rockets, you'll see that there are some horizontal rockets in which I don't destroy all off right away. I do this to cause a few of the other set of horizontal rockets to disappear in order to reduce lag. Now, on to the first boss.

Sherry and Terry

This boss tries to get above you and drop, what seems like, water balloons. I manipulated them to go where I needed them while I pelted repeatedly until their hot-air balloon gave away which turns out to be quite an explosion.

After the boss, more flying with not really anything different except for that cloud with lightning shooting from it. Another boss is on the way. Before the fight starts though, you'll see Nelson was coming toward me but with certain directional input (while the boss fight was loading) you'll see he somehow gets sucked up into the air, leaving without a fight.

Barney and his Pink Elephant, Pinky

Barney has an erratic pattern depending on your location, he seems to circle around in front of you while he burps out green gas and his elephant spews out peanuts. The interesting part of this fight is the location you must be in in order for the pelts to hit him, before he's on screen, otherwise they miss. I make short work of him by sending up a bunch of pelts before he comes onto the screen and then I just nail him as soon as possible each time.

More flying, more rocket smashing but this time with more rockets. The next boss is Smithers.

Smithers

Smithers comes equipped with large rocket looking darts which take half your life if you're hit by just one of them. There are two ways of finishing this fight, the fast way and the slow way. The fast way has you destroy or dodge his projectiles until he's out and then he just leaves the screen and you can continue. The slow way requires you to shoot him up until he explodes. I take the fast way as you'll see.

On my way, further on I pick up an extra life which the Krusty Balloons only drop (which I don't necessarily need). I destroy some horizontal rockets before entering a contaminated field of clouds in which shock you when you touch them. On the way through them there are vertical rockets that try to get in the way but they end up being target practice. The next boss is Smithers!?

Smithers!?

Well, he didn't die so, yeah, Smithers again. Same strategy used again and on his way I pelt him a few times for coming back.

Last time to fly on ahead. As I progress you'll see horrendous lag but there is nothing on screen or anything I can do about it either. Then there's more rockets, real abruptly, and even double sets of rockets (rockets laid right on top and beside each other in which require two pelts instead of one). The last boss is up ahead.

Mr. Burns

He flies back and forth and depending on your location is the height he flies at. This fight, I think, is optimized greatly and takes only few fly-arounds before Burns blows up. After that, I get my first paper.

Back to the streets, I walk left to find my next paper. I pick the bloodstream level next.

When comparing the previous run's bloodstream level to this run's, I shattered the old time. The trick to that was manipulating two germs to come out around the same time as I blow up the red germ (the red germ eliminates everything on screen) and this greatly progresses this level. After that it's just a little luck manipulation based on my location and where my momentum is going that determines where the Smilin' Joe Fission guy appears to be.

I apologize for this paper taking a while to get (as well as not doing anything spectacular with the Skateboard but it's frame consuming going from the sidewalk to the street. Also, for the horrible sound that is 'Z's' adding to my life bar) but luck manipulation just wasn't on my side (probably because I've saved quite a bit of time already. Also, I exaggerate the wait). I go to the left on the Skateboard to the next paper which is Itchy and Scratchy.

This level (along with the other one) is probably the low point of the run since there is waiting periods and running back and forth throughout both. I attempted to make it interesting every once in a while with quirky movements. There's also a couple of instances where I lodge myself into the wall or edge of the screen in order to hit the enemies coming sooner than possible. There's really not much to say that isn't hack and slash, more like pound and shoot.

This next paper wasn't so bad to get as it appeared fairly quickly while I walked to the right. This time it's the Indiana Bart level which you can get two papers from if you succeed.

This level got optimized really well, that's all I really can say. The pattern I used is as optimal as I could find. I guess that's it.

Now I start using certain tricks that allow a paper to appear right away since finding the paper takes longer as you progress. I blow away that quirky little walking TV with a watermelon seed and voila, a paper from nowhere. The next level is Itchy and Scratchy.

Another level of this, kind makes you think 'why didn't they make this a double page level?'. Oh well, at least this one ups the challenge a little. Now I have to deal with an Itchy and Scratchy as stationary nuisances that can't be defeated. Also, there's these bubbles that come out of the sink as well as a sort of boss at the end. The boss is just a furnace that can spew fire out of it but I don't even go far enough to let it on screen so it's kind of a waste to describe it. That's it for this level as it's not very interesting.

Last time here. This paper I get by the means of popping a bubble on someone's head, namely the old lady. The last level is Bartzilla.

In this level you play as Bart but as a monster that resembles Godzilla. The objective is to progress with as little hits as possible (not a problem) and then you get zapped, somehow turn small and that gets you a paper?! But there's more. Now that you are small, you have to climb a sky scraper in order to get another paper, the last paper. On the way up, you'll see I move to the sides to avoid a butterfly Marge and manipulate it so no one drops any crap on me. At the top, you get see Homer as a gorilla and I zap him for the last paper. The End.

Well, that's it, I hope some can enjoy this as it's my last effort running Bart's Nightmare. I'd like to thank DeHackEd for microstorage (even though I only used it once but hell, I've used before so thanks DeHackEd for microstorage), Bisqwit for keeping the site up and running, and anyone who bothered to check on the progress of Bart's Nightmare.

adelikat: Accepted for publication as an improvement to the current published movie. Maza is handling the encoding.