Post by Derakon

Posted: 5/12/2012 3:34 PM

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Bootman

Joined: 7/19/2006
Posts: 21
Location: San Francisco

Cannot say that I am a fan of the darkness/headlights feature.

Posted: 5/12/2012 3:40 PM

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Bootman

Joined: 7/19/2006
Posts: 21
Location: San Francisco

Goals wise, I would like to see as close to 100% kills on as many levels including secret and bonus as possible. Kill as much as possible everywhere and collect as much money as possible without missing any kills.

Posted: 5/12/2012 6:00 PM

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Tseralith

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Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

Can't do much about the headlights as it's a part of the difficulty on the first level. Fortunately it won't appear except for one or two more levels or so. I always try to get as high destruction % as possible, but sometimes I have to choose between either getting a little higher % or getting higher score. I mostly aim for the score then and try to kill the rest afterwards, given I get the time to do it. Even though I would've also liked to see an "all secrets, all bonuses" run I think I'll stick with trying to complete the game as fast as possible for the first run. Who knows, maybe there'll be an "all secrets" run after this run? ;)

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 5/12/2012 10:00 PM

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Tseralith

Active player (458)

Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

Refinished Savara now, and Soul of Ziglon wasn't that good as I though, especially because it locked my twiddles while was recharging. So second choice was Pearl Wind, and it proved to be exceptionally much better than I though, netting me 12 000 more score and 12% more destruction compared to my first attempt. I did have to avoid killing enemies at one moment to manipulate so the right power up appears, but I didn't lose much from that. I still haven't decided whether I should skip the bonus levels or not... I'll wait until tomorrow before deciding. Encode here: http://youtu.be/pW9jjly0gRQ

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 5/15/2012 12:48 AM

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samurai_goroh

Editor, Player (54)

Joined: 12/25/2004
Posts: 634
Location: Aguascalientes, Mexico

Something I was wondering is that since you've chosen to use the Sonic Wave as your rear gun, would it be useful to switch attacking upwards to sideways in some parts of the game? As for skipping or not the extra levels, I'm fine either way. Of course, I would also like to see a longest path TAS, so making this the fastest one would make more sense to skip them (that's it if both TASes are made eventually)

I'm the best in the Universe! Remember that!

Posted: 5/15/2012 3:43 PM

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Tseralith

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Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

I think it would actually, I forgot you could use that approach too when the time needs it. Will consider where to use it in future levels. And I've decided to really aim for the fastest route, thus skipping the bonus level by dying to save time. Actually, I've already finished the level right before Delani and will edit this post when it's finished uploading on Youtube. Edit: Encode here http://youtu.be/7zTYr9cdOCs

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 5/16/2012 9:25 PM

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Tseralith

Active player (458)

Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

Finished the level now and almost managed to get 100% destruction. Almost as I probably missed out on a few slugs some enemies shoot which you can destroy, or maybe there might be targets you can't destroy, but still counts towards destruction %. Time savers on this level would be trying to get more shots to hit the repelling balls as well as getting a better shot at the boss, though that isn't the easiest as one of the balls gets in the way right as the boss appears. Fortunately, the first ball I destroyed would've gotten even more in the way had it still been around so time saved on destroying it first. At the next level I'll finally be switching my front weapon to either Lightning Cannon or Mega Cannon. The LC will do a lot more damage at each target as well as having a constant fire rate, though it'll probably drain my energy until I can get the better one. The MC doesn't do as much damage per enemy, but it'll harm all enemies in a straight line and large enemies like bosses and big ships are harmed multiple time. I might have to try out both weapons to see which one's the best choice for this run. I might change sidekicks to Charge Cannons too, given I have enough money for it that is. Encode of the current level here (when it becomes available): http://youtu.be/pgtWr0xWwHI

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 5/19/2012 4:04 AM

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samurai_goroh

Editor, Player (54)

Joined: 12/25/2004
Posts: 634
Location: Aguascalientes, Mexico

Tseralith wrote:

Finished the level now and almost managed to get 100% destruction. Almost as I probably missed out on a few slugs some enemies shoot which you can destroy, or maybe there might be targets you can't destroy, but still counts towards destruction %

I don't quite remember, but I think that maybe that map started to move again after you fight the enemy for a while & then there were more targets to destroy. If that was it, then it would go against your goal to finish the levels ASAP. When you're short of money you can always downgrade your front & rear weapons. I used to do that to buy things that only appeared on specific levels (like the Carrot ship)

I'm the best in the Universe! Remember that!

Posted: 5/21/2012 6:52 PM

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Truncated

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Joined: 4/17/2004
Posts: 3109
Location: Sweden

Hey Tseralith, just posting to let you know I watched all the movies you posted and loved it. Looking great!

Posted: 5/21/2012 8:46 PM

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Tseralith

Active player (458)

Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

samurai goroh wrote:

I don't quite remember, but I think that maybe that map started to move again after you fight the enemy for a while & then there were more targets to destroy. If that was it, then it would go against your goal to finish the levels ASAP. When you're short of money you can always downgrade your front & rear weapons. I used to do that to buy things that only appeared on specific levels (like the Carrot ship)

Hmm, probably. But as you say it'd go against my primary goal, so I'll just let them pass. And I'm actually already thinking of downgrading my rear weapon in benefit for my front weapon, given I'll actually earn more damage from it than losing it overall. Though haven't tested it yet as I was busy this weekend. And thanks Truncated, that cheers me up. :)

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 5/23/2012 6:28 PM

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Tseralith

Active player (458)

Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

So this level I manage to get my hands on a much needed front weapon upgrade. Though I was unsure at first which of Lightning Cannon or Mega Cannon would benefit me most, after some testing I came to the conclusion that the penetrative abilities of the Mega Cannon isn't worth it compared to the burst damage of the Lightning Cannon, even though it drains all my energy in less than a second (and having my shield trying to recharge in the midst won't make it easier, but it's still worth it). By downgrading my rear weapon to 7 I'm able to just about fully upgrade the Lightning Cannon to max (11) with 5000 score to spare. The reason I skip blimps at certain places and not destroy them all is that I need to have full energy to get enough damage output to destroy them before they crash into me, energy which I don't always manage to always save up in between the small ships and twin rockets. The level itself turns out to be the most profitable level yet, earning a lot of score from all those blimps and gem ships, though I'm soon approaching the point where score "won't matter" as my weapons will be fully upgraded. Because of this, the rest of the game might become a tad repetitive as my strength will still be the same after each level, apart from those few levels which hoards a better sidekick. The levels themselves will be different all the time and show some variety of course, though I'll just be blasting through each one of them at the same pace over and over. Not sure how entertaining that will be after another ten levels or so, but I'll continue and let you all comment whether this's still appealing after those "ten" levels or not. And before I forget, the next level will be the last one in chapter 1 and thus I'll be able to see my total score afterwards. Also this is another "flashlight" level unfortunately, so expect things to be a bit hard to see. Encode to the blimp blitz here: http://youtu.be/J05wzXlO2xY

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 5/25/2012 8:29 PM

Post subject: Chapter 1 of the test run is now finished

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Tseralith

Active player (458)

Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

Last level of chapter 1 finished and the final score revealed. At this level I managed to destroy everything except for one train of four parts and one twin missile (at the end), summing the destruction up to 96%... I might've been able to get them too, but unsure whether I'd gain or lose from running over to them. Apart from that, I made sure to be more efficient with my attacks, not shooting more than necessary to destroy them. This even helps me in the long run as I also conserve energy without using unnecessary shots, and thus can destroy even more! As far as I've noticed, you have to wait for his second stage after destroying his claws, so bascally it doesn't matter how fast you are on at the first stage. With this level finally finished it marks the start of Chapter 2, Treachery, and with that one fifth of the game finished in little more than 10 minutes with all secrets and the bonus level skipped. So what do everyone think? If I made a real TAS with a little better gameplay and increase the total time by perhaps 4-5 times, would this be considered a publish worthy game, even though it's obviously inferior compared to using a mouse? I'll still be continuing this test run with my keyboard either way, though I'm curious what people, and judges, think. Encode to the assassination attempt: http://youtu.be/tPtgwLD-T4U

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 5/27/2012 3:34 AM

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samurai_goroh

Editor, Player (54)

Joined: 12/25/2004
Posts: 634
Location: Aguascalientes, Mexico

I really liked these videos & wouldn't mind at all seeing a run that uses the keyboard rather than a mouse. This game is fun (I spent tons of time playing it over an over) & despite having just a few parts where you can save time (e.g. when screen stops for killing bosses/mid bosses), I don't think is a bad choice of game. Getting a high % of destruction is something to entertain the public. It also has a nice music :) As for the particular level, it was nice to see that you attacked with the Sonic Wave sideways in a few parts where it was useful :) This is one game I'd loved to see TASed, so even in the unlikely event that it doesn't get published, I would be delighted with the run :D

I'm the best in the Universe! Remember that!

Posted: 5/27/2012 8:54 PM

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Truncated

Editor, Reviewer, Experienced player (978)

Joined: 4/17/2004
Posts: 3109
Location: Sweden

I am really enjoying these movies. A keyboard run is fine to me. A lot of people played this with keyboard, especially if they ran 2 player mode. Mouse would be nice of course, but it shouldn't stop you from doing this. As for the publication of this, what I'm sort of ambivalent about is the choice of goal. It was brought up earlier already. - The primary goal is speed. I'm not sure how much the ship and equipment keeps improving in the later levels. Perhaps it would be boring to see the same ship config for the next 40 minutes? Switching weapons now and then would improve entertainment. But perhaps it would conflict with finishing each level as quickly as possible? - Is the secondary goal destruction % or score? This is important if someone else tries to beat your movie.

Posted: 5/28/2012 6:38 PM

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Tseralith

Active player (458)

Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

Hmm, between score and destruction % I think actually the latter is more interesting, as samurai goroh mentioned. IIRC in chapter two there's a place where unlimited enemies will spawn as long as you don't destroy the building spawning them, allowing you to score as much as you can bother to stay there (though of course it'd be interesting to see how much you can get in an "honest" run too), but destruction % isn't as easy to get since enemies can appear all over the place. Unfortunately there's levels where you have no chance at all to get any high % at all. Equipment wise I'm getting close to "max" power as I basically just need a good pair of sidekicks, the stronger engine and a better shield. Basically I would've stayed with this weapon and blazed through every level while changing weapon could risk not getting as high % (it might help at some too, but that depends on the weapon and the level) and it would take perhaps 0.5-1 seconds every time I do this, but it would certainly add to variety entertainment. This would in that case fall under the speed/entertainment tradeoff. ...I do believe I can switch back and forth between several front weapons every second level or so (and perhaps rear too) to keep some variations between the levels, probably at the cost of destruction % though. Not sure if I'll loose much time as firing my atom bombs helps to clear out bosses pretty nicely. This could make the run more interesting. Unfortunately this might make it harder to define a straight goal as I'd trade both speed and destruction % for entertainment purposes, but basically my secondary goal is destruction %, and then try to get higher score when time allows it. Edit: Does that sound like TAS acceptable goals, or should I reconsider some parts in them?

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 5/29/2012 5:30 PM

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Tseralith

Active player (458)

Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

Changing front weapons every level should be doable, though that'll probably end up with a tad inferior weapon from time to time. But that could actually make the run more interesting if I still manage to plow through the level with those weapons. Changing rear weapons and sidekicks would be a lot more troublesome unfortunately as you'll only recieve sideways shooting weapons as well as way more inferior weapons on many levels, though that would be even more impressive if I can manage to make even better use of those too. It's an interesting goal, which I unfortunately can't follow completely now as I've already finished chapter 1, but I could attempt it during chapter 2 and see how well I fare. I'll have to do some testing with the next level first before really deciding if I should follow it. ...and by the way, might anyone else consider this goal to be more entertaining compared to keeping the same weaponry probably for the rest of the game?

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 5/31/2012 11:12 PM

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Truncated

Editor, Reviewer, Experienced player (978)

Joined: 4/17/2004
Posts: 3109
Location: Sweden

I would find switching weapons often more entertaining, yes. That is, assuming it doesn't make the levels significantly longer.

Posted: 6/4/2012 9:58 PM

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Tseralith

Active player (458)

Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

By comparing one run where I only switch my front weapon to and another where I switch both front and rear weapon (though I only tested one of the two rear weapons) I noticed that... I'm doing just about as well on both runs even though I'm doing less frontal damagel. Since I can use my invulnerability, I'm able to fly right on top of enemies to make full destructive use of my rear weapon as it has a fast refire rate. My front weapon also benefits from this as it splits off into multiple shots which all damage the enemy additional times. All in all I actually lost 1% of destruction by switching both my weapons, though that might or might not be because of the rotating slugs the large turrets shoot if I'm not fast enough to destroy them first. A few ships were also missed and a few others gained in between, so it's not impossible it could've been those too. I'll actually continue with switching weapons every level and see how far I can get in case it gets too tedious to play through. No encode today as it's too late for me, but I'll add one tomorrow.

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 6/5/2012 6:34 PM

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Tseralith

Active player (458)

Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

So with this level I chose Mega Pulse and Starburst, the second one because of the fast refire rate. I'm struggling a little in the beginning before I reach the weapon power up, and then I need to take care as many of the ships that appear at the bottom of the screen as possible, and then the ships which appear at both sides of the screen at once. The next level should be interesting as I consider it to be one of the harder levels in the game. Encode here: http://youtu.be/leQQENV5kik

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 6/5/2012 7:27 PM

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Derakon

Joined: 7/2/2007
Posts: 3960

Looks good. :) I guess the different weapons don't change your tactics that much, but they're a nice change of pace anyway. Kinda weird how there's a massive lull near the end of the level, though.

Pyrel - an open-source rewrite of the Angband roguelike game in Python.

Posted: 6/6/2012 10:34 AM

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Truncated

Editor, Reviewer, Experienced player (978)

Joined: 4/17/2004
Posts: 3109
Location: Sweden

I like it. :) I always thought the Mega Pulse was a poor weapon because when it splits never hit anything meaningful, except possibly buildings which you can be "inside"... but now I see that you can just as well be inside the enemies.

Posted: 6/10/2012 8:16 PM

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Tseralith

Active player (458)

Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

Weapons for this level is Proton as front and Vulcan Cannon as rear. I chose Proton since it does relatively high damage compared to the Mega Cannon and Multi-Cannon. And I chose Vulcan Cannon as I could make more use of it than Proton (rear version). This is one of the "fun" levels where a lot of enemies appear at once, all which fire projectiles towards you to increase the "enjoyment". Thankfully, I'm able to handle all of them pretty well... that invulnerability sure seems overpowered when you can use it whenever you want. But with it I'm able to destroy way more enemies than would be possible otherwise. With the new weapons I'll have to adapt my positioning in order to actually hit the enemies, and occacionally more than just one enemy too. Most enemies in this level is rather weak and can be disposed of fast enough, but a few manages to get away in between. Got another weapon power up here to help increase my score, not that I actually need it now, but it's an additional goal to increase the entertainment. Oh, I can't technically kill the boss any faster than I did. If I tried I'd end up with the other half of its body still intact due to being outside of the screen when I kill it. I AM actually killing it too fast as the boss' health meter appears again right after I kill it, though the game is kind enough to not force me to kill it again. An interesting thing actually if I kill the boss so I have to kill it again. As it dies the second time its sprite animation dissapears completely instead of just switching to the destroyed version you normally see. Encode here: http://youtu.be/Cp0Y9FYyps0

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

Posted: 6/17/2012 3:30 PM

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Truncated

Editor, Reviewer, Experienced player (978)

Joined: 4/17/2004
Posts: 3109
Location: Sweden

Looking good as always. Any progress on the next level?

Posted: 6/17/2012 5:15 PM

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Tseralith

Active player (458)

Joined: 11/12/2010
Posts: 183
Location: Sweden

No progress right now unfortunately, been more interested in playing other games this week. Though... I do think I'll start playing the next level now actually. Results will be visible either later tonight or tomorrow.

"An artist who can’t take constructive critique on their work is only hurting themselves and their potential. Conversely, and artist that can’t communicate a critique in a constructive way isn’t helping anybody."

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