This is a historic movie, submitted and obsoleted before
the creation of the database-based (and wiki-based) site engine,
before July 2004.
It was inserted to the database in a history revival project
by Bisqwit in autumn 2006.
Selected comments from the author (includes suggestions from me (Bisqwit)):
Here is my 3rd attempt. It runs about 10:18, a 63 second improvement from version 2. I do not think there is a significant amount of time left to chop off, but that 10 minute mark is tempting.
> Watch your video again, and create a strategy of where to walk,
> climb and jump. Find the shortest route (timewise) to where you
> need to go.
Basically I had 2 goals in this run: try to always move forward and not shoot while grounded unless required. I think I achieved this about as well as possible. There are some points you may question so I will try to answer here:
Level 1: Where I jump and do not land on the gravestone, this was intentional. I move backwards when fighting the flying devil, but the timing on the moving platform allows for it.
The plants had to be shot.
Level 2: I go beyond the first ladder to get the big guy off of the top (sort of like Morimoto getting a mushroom instead of star in SMB3). I had to kill him so I could kill the others (they guard the bottom of their ladders).
When I was stuck between the two, climbing was the fastest and only way to survive.
You always have to wait for the lifts.
Level 5: I fought the two big guys because a) the top guy was blocking the top of the ladder anyway and b) the moving platform's timing allowed for it (would have had to wait for it anyway).
Level 6: I first had to move the big guy off of the top of the ladder. Then I fought him because you have to fight the red devil on that floor, or else other red devils appear, and in the end more time is lost, so I feel killing both the big guy and red devil are required moves.
> Keep an eye for all chances take advantage of the
> most obscure features the game has. (Find those features.)
You will see on Level 2 I shoot the 2 big guys by firing through the wall. The jumping backwards shot is still my favorite. Regarding the jumps at the ends of ladders, I don't think they improve speed, but they help prevent accidental crouching or motionlessness. Also at the start of Level 2 I am able to shoot the plant while jumping upwards to avoid the slight pause.
> After you have all that in condition, you can see if you can
> improve it stylewise :)
Sometimes you have to move backwards with the red devil or he will hit you. Most of the time improvement comes from the 6 bosses, especially the dragons (6 hits in the front of the head kills them faster than 1 in the back of it) There was also some luck in avoiding some of the big guys.
> Regarding random enemy movements, I noticed that in Castlevania,
> the game seeds the random number generator all the time from keypad
> input. By pressing some unrelated buttons at right moment, I can
> affect enemy actions. Try experimenting. Find out how to keep the
> enemies out from your ways.
The big guys seem to react solely to the knight. Where he is on the floor beneath/above them dictates where they will go (they follow). They cannot fire or move while being attacked. And, if you use the jumping backward shot at them while running away they are less likely to fire their blue balls of doom.