VGS NES Weekly Contest - Vice Project Doom!

[PII | 1,883]

1 hour ago, Krunch said:

Indeed, the only sad thing is that there is a 1-UP via 100 coins loop spot, or likely several, so the score can only be meaningful with the 1-life restriction.  Still, 1-life becomes a great scramble game of trying to do it all, knock out every enemy, combined with the quick pace getting a literally perfect rap sheet level to level with all timer considerations of course - is hard as fuck.

For sure 100%

1 hour ago, Krunch said:

Laser whip only is interesting, but I thought it got revealed in chapter 9 that the whole time it was actually the Lost Sceptre of Old Detroit?

Did not pay attention to the story at all, the glances I got seemed interesting; but this almost sounds like joking.  After all what more mystical place could a lost sceptre be from than Detroit? lol.

 

1 hour ago, Krunch said:

Those unicorns are a menace to myself and society.  I never even beat them, not the second one anyway.  And now I’m scared because, Ghosts n’ Goblins could easily be a tournament game this year 

I'll have to admit ignorance as far as how our benefactors choose tournament games.  I would welcome GnG of course.  The thing about GnG is that although its like any other game in that there are strategies to be developed and some tricks to discover it's this other caliber because the program was clearly designed by a sadist of some variety.  It "knows" when your doing well, when you've just hit a break and gotten a real shot at getting past a tough part; and that's when it'll decide to throw a random ghost at you at the worst possible moment so that you end up having to improvise an even more challenging spot that was already plenty hard, instead of sticking to a plan you've worked out.  At the end of the day its just a game for which there is no substitute for consistent longterm play.  You gotta become Arthur.

[dvertov | 205]

9 hours ago, NESfiend said:

You got 20k more in you. Make the good doctor sweat!

Eh, ran out of time. I did better this week than I expected so I’m fine with it.

[Krunch | 303]

7 hours ago, PII said:

For sure 100%

Did not pay attention to the story at all, the glances I got seemed interesting; but this almost sounds like joking.  After all what more mystical place could a lost sceptre be from than Detroit? lol.

 

I'll have to admit ignorance as far as how our benefactors choose tournament games.  I would welcome GnG of course.  The thing about GnG is that although its like any other game in that there are strategies to be developed and some tricks to discover it's this other caliber because the program was clearly designed by a sadist of some variety.  It "knows" when your doing well, when you've just hit a break and gotten a real shot at getting past a tough part; and that's when it'll decide to throw a random ghost at you at the worst possible moment so that you end up having to improvise an even more challenging spot that was already plenty hard, instead of sticking to a plan you've worked out.  At the end of the day its just a game for which there is no substitute for consistent longterm play.  You gotta become Arthur.

Hahah yeah I was just kidding on it and have no clue but I mean at the very least it’s gotta be spiritually set in Detroit right?  All the industrial backgrounds and girder platforms.  At any rate I jammed to Bob Seger while practicing

 

i don’t really know how the tourney games are picked either and how early on.  Anyway even if it does end up being GnG it’s not like anyone will speculate that hard on it coming up.  I never really put that together that it’s programmed to throw extra shit at you, but yeah that checks out, even on level 2 it seems like the surefire strategy gets muddled somehow.  Gotta be Arthur, haha.  That is so true

[PII | 1,883]

On 6/21/2021 at 10:11 AM, Krunch said:

it’s gotta be spiritually set in Detroit right?  All the industrial backgrounds and girder platforms.

Definitely feels like Detroit, yeah; the electricity level for some reason as well gets me thinkin' Detroit, but also New York.  The end of the first stage there are twin towers for your, uh perusal.  So maybe it's a composite - The Big / Rock City ? - like the Windy / Apple for Chi./York.  Def. more of a Detroit feel though...

On 6/21/2021 at 10:11 AM, Krunch said:

it’s programmed to throw extra shit at you

It's pretty much just levels 5 and 6 for that, for the first two play-throughs.  Program manipulation in gng has seemed to me to be extremely rigid.  I detailed this once before in another thread, but for an extreme example: One fair thing is that Arthur has a very small hit box at the center of the sprite so the enemies can still be killed when they are overlapping Arthur partially.  On one occasion (level 5) I killed a ghost at the last possible second with it overlapping Arthur and the program actually manifested another ghost immediately directly on Arthur for a kill.  It was quite literally impossible to defend against.

I've been meaning to suggest this to someone appropriate for a while now: If you want to get good at gng a great cross-training exercise would be to play Bart Vs. The Space Mutants.  (Reader groans here)  It's a bit more platform-y than gng and less run-n-gun but it's challenging and has a 2-hit system which I think is a great way for the gamer to be properly inspired in 2 respects: Don't get hit.  And, if you do, do not be demoralized / never give up it ain't over till its over..

 

Edited November 19, 2023 by PII

[Krunch | 303]

1 hour ago, PII said:

Definitely feels like Detroit, yeah; the electricity level for some reason as well gets me thinkin' Detroit, but also New York.  The end of the first stage there are twin towers for your, uh perusal.  So maybe it's a composite - The Big / Rock City ? - like the Windy / Apple for Chi./York.  Def. more of a Detroit feel though...

It's pretty much just levels 5 and 6 for that, for the first two play-throughs.  Program manipulation in gng has seemed to me to be extremely rigid.  I detailed this once before in another thread, but for an extreme example: One fair thing is that Arthur has a very small hit box at the center of the sprite so the enemies can still be killed when they are overlapping Arthur partially.  On one occasion (level 5) I killed a ghost at the last possible second with it overlapping Arthur and the program actually manifested another ghost immediately directly on Arthur for a kill.  It was quite literally impossible to defend against.

I've been meaning to suggest this to someone appropriate for a while now: If you want to get good at gng a great cross-training exercise would be to play Bart Vs. The Space Mutants.  (Reader groans here)  It's a bit more platform-y than gng and less run-n-gun but it's challenging and has a 2-hit system which I think is a great way for the gamer to be properly inspired in 2 respects: Don't get hit.  And, if you do, do not be demoralized / never give up it ain't over till its over..

 

Yeah so much in media defaults back to New York, maybe im just grasping at straws here, but if there even was much of an intention at the start then I can still see it being detroit even though background sprites that are definitely NY and stuff gets tacked on after.  It's a much more interesting setting than predictable New York, so I want it to be, you know?  It would be interesting to try to guess where other NES games are set, or kind of half-set if there's intentions that gets faded out.

 

That's a kind of neat idea to use Space Mutants to cross-train, wow that is a total groaner though you got that right.  Invincibility 1-hit systems being the standard definitely makes you too comfortable, resting on your laurels, and here in VPD that was what defined me getting second - couldn't glide through some of the levels easily enough to glue a better run together.

 

I don't think I even have the gumption to train at GnG this year though let alone a Bart game.  For me, the only incentive for playing GnG beyond casual this year is pre-emptively training in case it comes up as tourney.  That is a gigantic time sink, though, to put on a gambit.

 

If Bea has in fact already selected this as a tournament game, then surely she's cackling at this conversation here.   Have mercy! 

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

On 6/20/2021 at 4:23 PM, NESfiend said:

Realized I didnt have a photo loaded for my score. Fixed. Annoyed I had no time this week when we had such a good game on the schedule. July is jam packed too and worst week of the summer for me is double dragon week. Thats life I guess

It's nice of you to go easy on @bertsampson next month. The poor guy could use a win.

[BeaIank | 1,617]

Sorry this took so damn long.
Final scoreboard posted.
Congratulations to @PII for taking the win this week.