weekly contest VGS NES Weekly Contest - Rad Racer 2!

[RH | 4,903]

1 minute ago, PII said:

Too much slow down without crashing can easily kill a run as well, particularly in later levels.  Priorities 6 - 10 are don't slow down.

Lol, it's true.  But when you find an aggie in front of you at the end of lap 1, do you go 180mph the whole run just to avoid getting bumped into a tree, or do you break down to 100mph, and then boost up as fast as you can?  Breaking and letting them has helped in lower levels.  Nothing I can do, even near perfect runs beats Vegas.  I did beat it once, but that was on a save state with a practice run.  I can get to Vegas, maybe, 20% of the time on a normal run.  That one is kicking my tail though.

Stage by stage strategies don't seem to exist on the interwebs (that I could find.)  I also thought I'd be smart and count/learn the turns on the tougher areas from the map.  Nope. Map not to scale, in any way.

[PII | 1,885]

For me, some levels absolutely require learning the turns.  It's like that scene in Cool Runnings where John Candy tells the lead Bobsled guy that when the other 3 are out drinking or whatever, he needs to be alone, in the hotel room studying those turns.  Admittedly there have been a minority of courses so far in which trying to learn the turns has actually been counter-productive; mostly earlier levels.

As for the Aggies, your best defense is good offense; otherwise you must deal with them - drop your speed a little and hope the leader will give you some space or drop it some more and pray to God you haven't conceded too much..

Also, yes you are correct; the maps do frequently leave much to be desired, but overall they are accurate enough to give you a fighting chance.

[dvertov | 205]

32 minutes ago, RH said:

Stage by stage strategies don't seem to exist on the interwebs (that I could find.)  I also thought I'd be smart and count/learn the turns on the tougher areas from the map.  Nope. Map not to scale, in any way.

Yeah I’m finding those maps almost useless.

[mbd39 | 2,020]

1 minute ago, dvertov said:

Yeah I’m finding those maps almost useless.

Maybe the tracks were further modified after they made the maps and didn't bother to update because they thought nobody would notice.

 

[NESfiend | 1,515]

5 minutes ago, dvertov said:

Yeah I’m finding those maps almost useless.

Damn! You guys are really diving into this! I never bothered learning turns or studying maps and wont, but more power to anyone who does. I generally start turning before the turn starts using the little hint directional at the bottom. That and letting off the gas while turning. Braking when you are about to run off road into something. 

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

just memorize it

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

14 hours ago, docile tapeworm said:

just memorize it

I would have tried, but I can't remember what I did yesterday! 

[Mega Tank | 960]

17 hours ago, RH said:

Lol, it's true.  But when you find an aggie in front of you at the end of lap 1, do you go 180mph the whole run just to avoid getting bumped into a tree, or do you break down to 100mph, and then boost up as fast as you can?  Breaking and letting them has helped in lower levels.  Nothing I can do, even near perfect runs beats Vegas.  I did beat it once, but that was on a save state with a practice run.  I can get to Vegas, maybe, 20% of the time on a normal run.  That one is kicking my tail though.

Stage by stage strategies don't seem to exist on the interwebs (that I could find.)  I also thought I'd be smart and count/learn the turns on the tougher areas from the map.  Nope. Map not to scale, in any way.

Running directly into the back of some cars helps. There is some Wiki guide. I think it's better than trying to wiggle around in some cases and crashing into an object on the side.

[RH | 4,903]

1 hour ago, Mega Tank said:

Running directly into the back of some cars helps. There is some Wiki guide. I think it's better than trying to wiggle around in some cases and crashing into an object on the side.

Agreed, and on that note, I know realistic physics can't be expected with an NES game, but I love when you tap a car going 220MPH, both you and them instantly slow down to 180.  I mean, yeah, you should slow down, but they should fly off due to a transfer of energy if we were to be remotely realistic.  Nope, it slows both you and your obstacle down.

[PII | 1,885]

On 5/25/2021 at 1:14 PM, RH said:

On 5/25/2021 at 10:13 AM, mbd39 said:

It's actually amazing how well the original Rad Racer holds up considering its age.

We all know it's a linear, console clone of Out Run.  Yes... I am willing to admit this even though I'm an OG fan, but Out Run is a SEGA game so I don't mind that it was a copy cat.  I've not played all of them but to me it was by far the best racer on the NES.  R. C. Pro Am probably being #2.

My Vote For Best NES Racer:  GALAXY 5000  -  Also, it would make a killer competition game.  Pro-Ams and Rad Racers Are close behind though..

[bertsampson | 345]

Course 3?  I think

Not sure why, but I've never played this before.  It feels like racing on ice...  I'm off to the lake.  Have a good weekend everybody!

[dvertov | 205]

4 hours ago, PII said:

My Vote For Best NES Racer:  GALAXY 5000  -  Also, it would make a killer competition game.  Pro-Ams and Rad Racers Are close behind though..

Probably not the best but I’ve always had a soft spot for Roadblasters. It’s basically this game but with guns. And the arcade-style box art is amazing.

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

stage 7 2nd lap 2:02 

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by docile tapeworm

[PII | 1,885]

4 hours ago, docile tapeworm said:

Kinda resembles a 42 mile Tapeworm, doesn't it?

[PII | 1,885]

So I hunkered into a chair just now to close my eyes for a bit and could still see the road flowing by; right turn, left turn etc.  Human eyes/brains might come with a warning like front or rear projection TVs:  Do not keep viewscreens trained on game for more than 48 hours or image retention may result...

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

16 minutes ago, PII said:

So I hunkered into a chair just now to close my eyes for a bit and could still see the road flowing by; right turn, left turn etc.  Human eyes/brains might come with a warning like front or rear projection TVs:  Do not keep viewscreens trained on game for more than 48 hours or image retention may result...

happens with scrolling shooters too. i think i was seeing starship hector for days.

[RH | 4,903]

21 minutes ago, PII said:

So I hunkered into a chair just now to close my eyes for a bit and could still see the road flowing by; right turn, left turn etc.  Human eyes/brains might come with a warning like front or rear projection TVs:  Do not keep viewscreens trained on game for more than 48 hours or image retention may result...

 

3 minutes ago, docile tapeworm said:

happens with scrolling shooters too. i think i was seeing starship hector for days.

A similar affect would happen to me as a kid whenever I'd go to Carowinds/Six Flags.  I remember riding as many roller coasters as I could, and that night when I went to bed, felt like I was still making banks and turns on coasters.  Odd.

[NESfiend | 1,515]

4 hours ago, PII said:

So I hunkered into a chair just now to close my eyes for a bit and could still see the road flowing by; right turn, left turn etc.  Human eyes/brains might come with a warning like front or rear projection TVs:  Do not keep viewscreens trained on game for more than 48 hours or image retention may result...

This actually makes me jealous. I just fired it up for the first time in a few days. Tough week to have a really good game on the schedule. I hope to get enough runs tonight to see the game in my sleep

[BeaIank | 1,618]

If y'all had put that much effort in Antarctic Island, all scores would have been over easy 300K points!

[RH | 4,903]

8 minutes ago, BeaIank said:

If y'all had put that much effort in Antarctic Island, all scores would have been over easy 300K points!

You joke but I honestly put many hours into Antarctic Adventure. I probably only put about 2, maybe 3 hours into RR2 (easily half as much time). Maybe it's old school RR1 muscle memory but this game gels with me better. I may only try one or two more times but I'm moving on to practicing for Battletoads. I have no bad habits to break since it's new to me and I find starting with restrictions makes me a better gamer for a game.

I'm not saying I'm doing well but I am doing better than I expected. Get hit, reset, get hit, reset has a way of quickly building correct musle-memory patterns when it's a fresh experience.

Edited May 29, 2021 by RH

[mbd39 | 2,020]

I put a lot of effort into Antarctic Adventure and the third loop still kicked my butt. It was the lag, guys.

[Mega Tank | 960]

16 hours ago, RH said:

Carowinds

Fury 325 is the best. However, The Intimidator is scarier with it's seating arrangement.

I have gotten used to the tracks on RR2, but my memory start getting hazy with the later levels. Far too much to memorize.

[NESfiend | 1,515]

Failed to get a picture before clock ran. Not sure if this counts or not. If it does, Ill move it to page 4 to eliminate multiple score posts. Hopefully Ill beat the game later today and it wont matter either way

STAGE 8 - Leg 2

[mbd39 | 2,020]

Nesfiend is gonna win two weeks in a row, guys.

[RH | 4,903]

3 minutes ago, NESfiend said:

Failed to get a picture before clock ran. Not sure if this counts or not. If it does, Ill move it to page 4 to eliminate multiple score posts. Hopefully Ill beat the game later today and it wont matter either way

STAGE 8 - Leg 2

I see that other game. I'm there too.