Post by Kitsune

Posted: 10/20/2006 4:55 AM

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Kitsune

Joined: 4/29/2005
Posts: 1212

What is a Castlevania game without the choice of fighting Dracula? I'd fight him any time just to kick his blood sucking ass. :3

Posted: 10/20/2006 4:58 AM

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JXQ

Experienced player (761)

Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132

Wow, I haven't felt this far in the minority since I started doing rap music.

<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)

Posted: 10/20/2006 4:59 AM

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Zurreco

Former player

Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA

Kitsune wrote:

What is a Castlevania game without the choice of fighting Dracula? I'd fight him any time just to kick his blood sucking ass. :3

Not all Castlevania games offer combat with Dracula (explicit or implicit).

hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine

Posted: 10/20/2006 4:59 AM

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pirate_sephiroth

Active player (312)

Joined: 2/28/2006
Posts: 2275
Location: Milky Way -> Earth -> Brazil

At least it's not gospel rap... Or is it?

"Genuine self-esteem, however, consists not of causeless feelings, but of certain knowledge about yourself. It rests on the conviction that you — by your choices, effort and actions — have made yourself into the kind of person able to deal with reality. It is the conviction — based on the evidence of your own volitional functioning — that you are fundamentally able to succeed in life and, therefore, are deserving of that success." - Onkar Ghate

Bisqwit wrote:

Drama, too long, didn't read, lol.

Posted: 10/20/2006 5:49 AM

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Zurreco

Former player

Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA

Dracula is above sucking blood! Antagonist =/= evil. He is just pro-nonhumanity. *gets huffy*

hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine

Posted: 10/20/2006 5:59 AM

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Kaz

Former player

Joined: 12/2/2005
Posts: 149

JXQ, I thought about it too but I came to realize a bad ending run would only be about 5 minutes shorter if even that. Plus you'll get to kick dracula's ass and grab his orb in a cool pose! You can kill him really fast with the gradius shield, even at level ~20.

Posted: 10/20/2006 7:15 AM

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moozooh

Senior Moderator

Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5777
Location: Away

I'm for the full run as well. Not everything that takes more time must essentially be more boring as well. ;)

Warp wrote:

Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.

Posted: 10/20/2006 11:04 AM

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OgreSlayeR

Former player

Joined: 7/12/2004
Posts: 524
Location: USA

I wonder ideally what items you'll want to manipulate off monsters. I'd guess mostly INT stuff to help the gradius shield damage. Also, I think from what Kaz tested charging the crushing stone isn't worth it against most bosses. It's better to just keep whipping them with critical after critical with the platinum tip.

Working on: Command and Conquer PSX Nod Campaign

Posted: 10/20/2006 2:01 PM

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OgreSlayeR

Former player

Joined: 7/12/2004
Posts: 524
Location: USA

I just found a nice time saver! I found a way to get to where the platinum tip is without the Ice Fist. It takes about a minute to get the Ice book so you could skip it all together now! Here is the movie. Pretty much you just backdash on the very edge, and it'll let you do a normal jump for a few frames while you are in mid air. Then you get far enough from the back dash where you can do a double jump and make it without the Ice Fist. Without the Ice fist you would lose some time in some places though. One thing I can think of is that gap in the Skeleton Cave where you have to hit the giant skull. You can clear that with the Ice Fist without having to hit the skull. I'm not sure if it's possible to clear without, but certainly you don't lose more time then it takes to get the Ice book.

Working on: Command and Conquer PSX Nod Campaign

Posted: 10/20/2006 4:17 PM

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JXQ

Experienced player (761)

Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132

I haven't watched this yet (I'm at work), but thank you, and feel free to continue to find time savers for me :) I'm not as educated about this game as I should be. I studied Kaz's route pretty closely today and have absolutely no ideas for improvement. I do have a couple questions, since it's been so long since I played this game: 1) What do the levitation boots do that are manipulated? Are they better/worse than or even similar to the super jump? 2) What weapon goes with the lightning book to get the Gradius shield? And when's a good time to grab this weapon? I've done up to the room after the Lizard Tail and I'm somewhere around 15 frames ahead. Still learning though. I'll have to see if I can beat Kaz's improvement up to the first key warp by more than 235 frames.

<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)

Posted: 10/20/2006 5:30 PM

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OgreSlayeR

Former player

Joined: 7/12/2004
Posts: 524
Location: USA

1) What do the levitation boots do that are manipulated? Are they better/worse than or even similar to the super jump?

They let you slowly float up to where ever it is you need to be. Slowly is key here, as the super jump is way faster for climbing vertically. I assume Kaz doesn't have the super jump at this point and uses the boots to sequence break.

2) What weapon goes with the lightning book to get the Gradius shield? And when's a good time to grab this weapon?

The holy book and bolt book are for the gradius shield. As for when to get it, I recall Kaz getting it some time after the max slimer fight. That doesn't help much so I guess Kaz is the best person to answer this. Keep it up! PS: You should be way more faster than 235 frames at the first keyhole. That is if you use my trick I just discovered, and skip the Ice book. I see no reason to get it.

Working on: Command and Conquer PSX Nod Campaign

Posted: 10/20/2006 5:45 PM

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Kaz

Former player

Joined: 12/2/2005
Posts: 149

Did you make a zombie in the hallway drop a casual wear? It improves int by 5. Not necessary if you don't plan to pick up the bolt book. I don't equip it until I also get the lucky charm. I read somewhere that luck improves the chance of doing criticals but I have no idea if it's true or not. In any case it'll be useful to make pixies and sylphs drop big mana prism in luminous cavern A. Are you ahead of my first or second version? In my second version the "Obtained Lizard Tail" message first appears on frame 8307. The levitation boots are for being able to grab the crush boots before the super jump, but more importantly, to go the back way into skeleton cave A and grab the floodgate key, also without the super jump. This saves a bunch of time on not having to go through all the box pushing puzzles. It's also useful against death who moves up and down a lot during the fight, you can just stay in mid air and whip continuously. It's also useful against dracula's wtf form to easily dodge his beam/tentacle while also whipping continously. You can't dash cancel your attacks in the air but it's better than having to jump all the time. I grab the holy book just before meeting death in the clock tower. It's the last candle just before his room. However since you should be skipping the ice book (which I'm 90% sure will save more time than you'll waste not having the ice fist in some places) then you can get it just before the skull knight fight in skeleton cave B. It's the last candle just before entering his room.

Posted: 10/20/2006 6:25 PM

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OgreSlayeR

Former player

Joined: 7/12/2004
Posts: 524
Location: USA

Apparently it's possible to clear that gap in the Skeleton Cave without the Ice Fist after all! It seems back dashing at the edge of platforms gives you good momentum. I'm sure it's useful in a bunch of other places and probably will save time in jumps like that all over. I'll see what else I can find.

Working on: Command and Conquer PSX Nod Campaign

Posted: 10/20/2006 7:11 PM

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Zurreco

Former player

Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA

In Aria of Sorrow, dashing widens your base pixelation by one, allowing you do go one extra bit off of a platform while still jumping. Does dashing in Harmony also grant you one pixel of falling before you lose the ability to jump?

hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine

Posted: 10/20/2006 7:26 PM

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Kaz

Former player

Joined: 12/2/2005
Posts: 149

IIRC it grants 7 frames of falling before you lose the ability to jump.

Posted: 10/20/2006 7:26 PM

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JXQ

Experienced player (761)

Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132

I didn't get a casual wear drop, or think of it, or knew it existed. My play was compared to your first version (I don't have a copy of your second version). I'm behind your second version by 31 frames. Your sentences use many words I'm not familiar with from this game. I really don't know what I'm doing at this point. Frown. I also failed a certification exam today. It's not my day.

<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)

Posted: 10/20/2006 7:45 PM

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OgreSlayeR

Former player

Joined: 7/12/2004
Posts: 524
Location: USA

Here you go. I'm pretty sure this is Kaz's v2 WIP.

Working on: Command and Conquer PSX Nod Campaign

Posted: 10/20/2006 7:59 PM

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OgreSlayeR

Former player

Joined: 7/12/2004
Posts: 524
Location: USA

Wow, I keep finding more stuff out. Apparently you can launch glitch off of edges if you back dash and whip right after. You should be able to abuse this everywhere with a edge like this. This saved about 6 frames vs the normal way of getting it.

Working on: Command and Conquer PSX Nod Campaign

Posted: 10/20/2006 8:56 PM

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Kaz

Former player

Joined: 12/2/2005
Posts: 149

Until you get the feather, at least, Ogre. Don't worry little JXQ. I'm here to help you figure stuff out. Here are the items to consider beyond what is mentioned in my route: Casual wears are worth collecting since you come across so many zombies and they're so easy to kill. You should be able to grab some without losing a single frame. +5 INT is nice (that's +5 damage on the gradius shield) Witches drop a +7 INT armor (loose clothing) but I don't think it's really worth getting, they fly and they're annoying to kill. You'll certainly lose time trying to get some to drop, probably not worth the time loss only for +2 more damage per hit on the gradius shield. Luminous cavern B. Clear bones drop a +10 INT armor, the best boost you can get to INT on an armor. You'll come across them in entrance B but they can be annoying to kill (they're invincible until they throw a bone). There's also war fatigues, only +9 to INT but it also has +8 to STR. They're in entrance B, outside the castle at the very spot where you speak to maxim at the start of the game in castle A. Now while you do need to go outside castle B to grab a relic, getting this armor is still a detour of several seconds. Pixies and sylphs drop big mana prisms (refills) in luminous cavern A (the hard one with death, not the easy one of castle B). It's their most common drop though, so grabbing a few should be quick and easy enough. There's also mystic brooches (+15 INT) but unless you get extremely lucky and easily manipulate a rare ghost appareance and then easily manipulate it to drop, it would probably waste too much time. In any case, you should give it a shot, you never know. There are 2 spots that aren't too out of the way: outside castle B, close to where you go grab the relic and (possibly) the war fatigues. In luminous cavern A, on the way to the place where you need to use the floodgate key, if you go left (for like 3/4 of a screen) instead of right (where you need to go), a rare ghost can also spawn there. Now that we know the ice fist isn't necessary at all I'll see if i can improve my save point/soft reset route near the end of the run.

Posted: 10/23/2006 7:18 AM

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Kaz

Former player

Joined: 12/2/2005
Posts: 149

Here's the mock run (played at 100%, I know I suck) using my route: http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/2429/hod-goodendingroute.vbm I would change one thing though. After glitching inside cavern A, instead of crouch warping and going to entrance B, I would go to entrance A first, save, kill giant bat, get the ring, quicksave + soft reset. Then I would go back to the entrance warp (using the backdash + double jump trick), warp to entrance B, get lure key, manipulate floating boots and get crush boots, then quicksave + soft reset back to entrance A, then go down the back way to skeleton cave A.

Posted: 10/24/2006 12:52 AM

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JXQ

Experienced player (761)

Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132

I have a question about the route. After fighting the shadow, is there no faster way to get to Maxim in the other castle? It seems like a long trek.

<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)

Posted: 10/25/2006 2:34 AM

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Kitsune

Joined: 4/29/2005
Posts: 1212

I wouldn't mind seeing a 100% done for this game some time. Looks like it would be fairly easy to do, and highly entertaining with the shortcuts I have seen taken in this game thus far. However, I will settle for a good ending run for now. :3

Posted: 10/25/2006 2:38 AM

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