The current run of Bubble Bobble is well-played... well, it dispatches enemies quickly.. but that's not the point of the game. The game is all about score.
However, if you're just trying to find the quickest path to HAPPY END on non-Super Bubble Bobble, you need to understand item drops.
EXTEND happens when you collect all of the letters. The letters appear in levels with Tohru Iwatani gates, one letter per every enemy above two that is popped in one pop. EXTEND lets you skip one level, at the cost of watching a short animation. In many levels, the animation is shorter than the level, and EXTEND takes no longer to get (because the letters stay onscreen longer than most items). The solution: Instead of dispatching all of the enemies with the pop-immediately technique, bubble all of the enemies that can be clumped, destroying them in sync with the final enemy. No time lost, EXTEND gained. I have no idea how to influence which letters appear. The more letters of a single type you collect, the more canes and treasure chests appear (whcih make a huge diamond appear when the level clears - takes no extra time and adds to the score a lot).
Candy extends the bubble range, increases the rate of fire, or both. The video leeches the most useful candy very quickly because of its extra bubble-blowing. I'm not sure which candy is which, but you get them like this: One candy arises from blowing bubbles. Another candy arided from popping bubbles. The third candy arises from jumping. Do these tasks early and often (35+ times), but remember that only one candy can appear on a level, and the candy disappears when the last enemy pops. Running shoes increases run & jump speed. The current run receives these on level 20. 20!! Get these by walking a lot (384+ tiles). Very quickly.
Finally, an item that doesn't appear at all in the current run: the umbrella. Three varieties exist, and all have the same purpose: skipping levels. Umbrellas appear depending on how many Water bubbles were popped. It doesn't matter if they do anything, just pop them. If you get 15 you skip 3 levels, 20 for 5, and 25 for 7. Each time an umbrella appears, subtract its numerical value from the number of water bubbles popped. The trick is not to waste more time in the water levels than is saved by abusing their water bubbles. I have no idea how to make this look good, though it very clearly saves time if done in the right levels at the right time.
With this knowledge and running a 2-player game, the game would be completed much faster.. though I'd like to see a full run of all 226 levels (Bubble Bobble, Happy End path, then Super Bubble Bobble, Happy End path).
After level 20, I'm over 30 seconds ahead.
If an umbrella, appears, should I skip it to get a better one later on?
Thats what I am wondering
Bisqwit: Do I have to get the best ending? If not, I can skip the last 12 levels not including the boss.
I'll post a WIP sometime.
If people thing different goals might prove to be more entertaining, I can easily go back since I'm not far into the run.
