NES Completions thread 2021 - 665/677

[Gaia Gensouki | 1,075]

51 minutes ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

Elevator Action

Do you have any advice on beating that game? I tried it last year, but hardly ever made it past the third level and during the fourth one there were so many enemies, that I could never find a way through.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

5 minutes ago, Gaia Gensouki said:

Do you have any advice on beating that game? I tried it last year, but hardly ever made it past the third level and during the fourth one there were so many enemies, that I could never find a way through.

I just try and pace myself from the fourth level on. I'm not sure if there is really a specific strategy. I played it a lot at a kid, so I've got some good practice.

[mbd39 | 2,022]

32 minutes ago, Gaia Gensouki said:

Do you have any advice on beating that game? I tried it last year, but hardly ever made it past the third level and during the fourth one there were so many enemies, that I could never find a way through.

 

I remember someone mentioning a trick for the fourth level where if you wait long enough the enemies get easier, or it's almost impossible.

Edited January 4, 2021 by mbd39

[Gloves | 11,779]

6 minutes ago, mbd39 said:

 

I remember someone mentioning a trick for the fourth level where if you wait long enough the enemies get easier, or it's almost impossible.

This is the case, yeah. It takes like 15 minutes or so of sitting in a safe spot, then the enemies reset to base difficulty (i.e. level 1).

Makes speedrunning the game a bitch.

[mbd39 | 2,022]

2 minutes ago, Gloves said:

This is the case, yeah. It takes like 15 minutes or so of sitting in a safe spot, then the enemies reset to base difficulty (i.e. level 1).

Makes speedrunning the game a bitch.

Players who are very experienced might not need the trick such as Doug who played it a lot as a kid.

But even the Mexican Runner had to eventually resort to it.

 

[Gloves | 11,779]

Just now, mbd39 said:

Players who are very experienced might not need the trick such as Doug who played it a lot as a kid.

But even the Mexican Runner had to eventually resort to it.

 

Similar to Other Doug, as he should be called, I played a lot as a kid and also am able to get through without waiting. I only actually learned about that through NA referencing the Mexican Runner, and promptly went "aw come on", lamenting the hours and hours of playing the game to brute force my way through it.

[BeaIank | 1,621]

24 minutes ago, Gloves said:

I only actually learned about that through NA referencing the Mexican Runner, and promptly went "aw come on", lamenting the hours and hours of playing the game to brute force my way through it.

But brute forcing your way through is the fun way to do it!

[Gloves | 11,779]

8 minutes ago, BeaIank said:

But brute forcing your way through is the fun way to do it!

Gods, yes.

[BeaIank | 1,621]

Anyway, another Micronics gem done. Super Pitfall is down.
Gods, I LOVE this game.

[WashYourFace | 80]

1 hour ago, mbd39 said:

 

I remember someone mentioning a trick for the fourth level where if you wait long enough the enemies get easier, or it's almost impossible.

"In Levels 3 & 4 of Elevator Action, WashYourFace figured out that if you sit in a safe spot (far side of a wall) and wait out the enemies as they go more and more nuts trying to shoot you, the aggression counter will eventually roll over and they'll be as meek as kittens for a few minutes. Without that, Level 4 is a brutal, cheap nightmare."

Found this from last year. I'm glad somebody remembered, because I almost forgot myself, and not sure if the NA archive would still have it. I'm writing it down this time (I guess so I can beat Elevator Action years from now).

Edited January 4, 2021 by WashYourFace

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

1 hour ago, Gloves said:

Similar to Other Doug, as he should be called, I played a lot as a kid and also am able to get through without waiting. I only actually learned about that through NA referencing the Mexican Runner, and promptly went "aw come on", lamenting the hours and hours of playing the game to brute force my way through it.

When did I get demoted to Other Doug? It seems like it wasn't too long ago that you were called The New Guy when you started playing in the weekly contests. That makes me sound old and I don't really want to be Old Doug, so nevermind.

[Gloves | 11,779]

1 minute ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

When did I get demoted to Other Doug? It seems like it wasn't too long ago that you were called The New Guy when you started playing in the weekly contests. That makes me sound old and I don't really want to be Old Doug, so nevermind.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

Ms. Pac-Man and Pinball done.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

15 minutes ago, Gloves said:

[scaryice | 587]

42 minutes ago, WashYourFace said:

"In Levels 3 & 4 of Elevator Action, WashYourFace figured out that if you sit in a safe spot (far side of a wall) and wait out the enemies as they go more and more nuts trying to shoot you, the aggression counter will eventually roll over and they'll be as meek as kittens for a few minutes. Without that, Level 4 is a brutal, cheap nightmare."

Found this from last year. I'm glad somebody remembered, because I almost forgot myself, and not sure if the NA archive would still have it. I'm writing it down this time (I guess so I can beat Elevator Action years from now).

Feb 3, 2014 at 11:05:17 PM
WashYourFace (4)
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(Jay ) < Kraid Killer >
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re: Elevator Action

I am the glitchmaster
Although I wouldn't call this a glitch exactly, it's just the way the game works.
There is an aggression counter, where the enemies get progressively more difficult - Elkovsky and some others figured that out before. It gets reduced (although I don't think it resets to zero, could be wrong though) when you die or get to the bottom. However that doesn't work when you complete the level - the new level has some default starting point where the enemies will always start, and especially on level 4 that's pretty difficult.
So I wondered what would happen if I just waited long enough - how "aggressive" would the enemy get? The answer is VERY.
The way to beat the game is this: go to a level that is split with a wall in between - level 18 or 20. Get on one side of the wall, and the enemies will stay on the other side stupidly shooting at you. If any enemies are on your side, kill them until they respawn on the other side.
I prefer level 18 because on 20 the enemy can get on the elevator and go off the screen, and then respawn on your side.
Protip: on level 4 if you are on the elevator one level below an enemy, he will stupidly climb on the roof and ride wherever you take him and not get off as long as you are on the elevator. You can get all 4 enemies on top where they can't hurt you. I actually use this method on level 4 to get to level 18 safely.
The "aggression counter" increases with time - you will soon see the bad guys shooting a constant barrage of bullets at you. But here's the best part... if you wait long enough, the counter flips over to zero and all the enemies become as docile as they were when you first started the game!
It takes a little while though... about 18 minutes for a full cycle.
I estimate you have about 5 minutes where the enemies can be dealt with... and about 13 minutes of "crazy time".
So just have the NES going, while you grab something to drink, or read a book, or stare at the wall, but listen for the sound of silence - it comes abruptly and obviously. When they stop shooting all crazy, this is when they've reset back to zero aggression. You should be able to beat any level pretty easily this way, as easy as you can beat level 1.
Just remember that when you get to the next level, they will start with their default aggression level.
Pretty sure this works on every level, but I only did it on levels 3 & 4.

 

[WashYourFace | 80]

HA! Well that's a very long-winded way I had of just saying "Wait about 15 minutes".

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

I think I finished Elevator Action last year too and this is the first time I've heard of that trick. I guess I'll have to try it out sometime.

[Foochie776 | 1,052]

On 1/3/2021 at 10:17 AM, Gaia Gensouki said:

When I see these old learning softwares I'm instantly reminded of this classic:

 

I love this. I’m a huge Simpsons fan

[Khromak | 768]

So...any official Nintendo platform acceptable? I've been meaning to beat NG2 on Playchoice and it's still on the list (unless @DefaultGen beats it before I do).

[Gaia Gensouki | 1,075]

Just beat Zombie Nation.

[nerdynebraskan | 356]

Batman is done.

It's my first time 1CCing it.

[NESfiend | 1,515]

1 hour ago, Gaia Gensouki said:

Just beat Zombie Nation.

What a neat shooter. Had never played it until the weekly this year. Did you beat it then? I didnt have a lot of time that week, but remember thinking I probably wouldnt have gone the distance either way. 

[nerdynebraskan | 356]

Harlem Globetrotters is done.

[T-Pac | 7,548]

Solomon's Key 2 [Fire 'N Ice] is clear!

Happy to check-off my second-favorite NES game. I still can't get over how clever some of the puzzles are - the game design here is really top-notch.

-CasualCart

[nerdynebraskan | 356]

Where's Waldo is done.