(Does anybody even care whether or not I make these posts?)
The results of the poll I posted a couple of weeks ago show that most of my viewerbase (if I can even call it that, not that having an active viewerbase has ever mattered to me, though I do appreciate anybody who bothers watching my stuff) most enjoys my Gradius content. Since I've uploaded most of my Gradius Origins replays and even have a Salamander III clear under my belt at this point, I'm sure many of you are wondering if I'm going to be showing for a clear in the AM Show version of Gradius III.
Well, unfortunately, the answer to that for now is no. (If you haven't seen anything of the AM Show version of Gradius III yet and don't want to be spoiled, you might not want to read further.)
The main reason is, quite simply, the crystal stage. As of writing this, the best known strategy for getting through that stage on the AM Show version is to not shoot any of the destructible cubes or cannons as you go through the main portion of the stage. This will cause a larger buildup of cubes and cannons, and by the time the Cube Rush segment begins, there will be just enough additional sprites on screen that, with full power and autofire (and with either the Ripple or Twin Lasers), you can generate lag during the cube rush to make dodging the cubes just a bit more manageable (note that the wall-building strategy from the final builds doesn't work on the AM Show version, both because there are more cubes that rush you from behind, and you aren't able to fight the boss afterwards).
I've spent a bit of time messing around with this strategy, and so far I just haven't been able to nail it down. Getting through the crystal maze itself basically requires having the perfect route through it memorized (far more memorization than anything else the franchise has to offer), not to mention how easy it is to accidentally crash into a wall at some point (you basically have to have at least 4 Speed-Ups to outmaneuver the cubes). As of now, I haven't been able to get through it without using the Rewind feature at least a couple of times. Of course, it's much easier if I just blast my way through it, but that just makes the cube rush even harder to get through. Not that it really matters though; regardless of what you do, the cube rush is one giant RNG check right at the end of the run, and while I have seen a recovery pulled off in that stage (I can't seem to find the video for it, though), I'm pretty sure that's far beyond my capabilities at the moment.
One might wonder why I don't just grind for it until everything happens to line up and I get the miracle run. The thing is, I'm not really the "grind-y" type when it comes to these games. I rarely ever put in more than one good attempt in any given "session" of attempting a clear, simply because I lack the patience for such a thing. For me, ideally getting these runs is a one-and-done deal (which might explain why I generally have less consistency in higher loops than I do with just clearing loop 1). Gradius III AM Show version would likely require a truly dedicated grind, featuring who-knows-how-many chokes to the crystal stage, whether it be through my fault or the fault of RNG. Then you have to consider that it takes at least a half hour to even get to that point in the game, and setting aside any failed attempts prior to that stage, the game up until that point is mostly a giant slog that's super tedious and annoying to go through. I just don't have that level of patience for it right now, especially when I have other goals I could be chasing after instead (mostly in speedrunning). So, I'm sorry if anybody is disappointed about this, but you most likely won't be seeing a Gradius III AM Show clear from me anytime soon. (And I mean it this time.)
In the meantime, there are players who have dedicated themselves enough to obtain a clear of the AM Show version, so if you want to check them out, I'll provide links to them here. Huge shoutouts to these players for enduring what I simply don't feel like going through at the moment:
This isn't to say I'll never go for it ever, I just don't want to put myself through such an ordeal for the time being. Perhaps later, after I've met some of my other goals in gaming.
Anyway, that's all. Just wanted to put this out there for the few people that care.
SuperViperT302
(Does anybody even care whether or not I make these posts?)
The results of the poll I posted a couple of weeks ago show that most of my viewerbase (if I can even call it that, not that having an active viewerbase has ever mattered to me, though I do appreciate anybody who bothers watching my stuff) most enjoys my Gradius content. Since I've uploaded most of my Gradius Origins replays and even have a Salamander III clear under my belt at this point, I'm sure many of you are wondering if I'm going to be showing for a clear in the AM Show version of Gradius III.
Well, unfortunately, the answer to that for now is no. (If you haven't seen anything of the AM Show version of Gradius III yet and don't want to be spoiled, you might not want to read further.)
The main reason is, quite simply, the crystal stage. As of writing this, the best known strategy for getting through that stage on the AM Show version is to not shoot any of the destructible cubes or cannons as you go through the main portion of the stage. This will cause a larger buildup of cubes and cannons, and by the time the Cube Rush segment begins, there will be just enough additional sprites on screen that, with full power and autofire (and with either the Ripple or Twin Lasers), you can generate lag during the cube rush to make dodging the cubes just a bit more manageable (note that the wall-building strategy from the final builds doesn't work on the AM Show version, both because there are more cubes that rush you from behind, and you aren't able to fight the boss afterwards).
I've spent a bit of time messing around with this strategy, and so far I just haven't been able to nail it down. Getting through the crystal maze itself basically requires having the perfect route through it memorized (far more memorization than anything else the franchise has to offer), not to mention how easy it is to accidentally crash into a wall at some point (you basically have to have at least 4 Speed-Ups to outmaneuver the cubes). As of now, I haven't been able to get through it without using the Rewind feature at least a couple of times. Of course, it's much easier if I just blast my way through it, but that just makes the cube rush even harder to get through. Not that it really matters though; regardless of what you do, the cube rush is one giant RNG check right at the end of the run, and while I have seen a recovery pulled off in that stage (I can't seem to find the video for it, though), I'm pretty sure that's far beyond my capabilities at the moment.
One might wonder why I don't just grind for it until everything happens to line up and I get the miracle run. The thing is, I'm not really the "grind-y" type when it comes to these games. I rarely ever put in more than one good attempt in any given "session" of attempting a clear, simply because I lack the patience for such a thing. For me, ideally getting these runs is a one-and-done deal (which might explain why I generally have less consistency in higher loops than I do with just clearing loop 1). Gradius III AM Show version would likely require a truly dedicated grind, featuring who-knows-how-many chokes to the crystal stage, whether it be through my fault or the fault of RNG. Then you have to consider that it takes at least a half hour to even get to that point in the game, and setting aside any failed attempts prior to that stage, the game up until that point is mostly a giant slog that's super tedious and annoying to go through. I just don't have that level of patience for it right now, especially when I have other goals I could be chasing after instead (mostly in speedrunning). So, I'm sorry if anybody is disappointed about this, but you most likely won't be seeing a Gradius III AM Show clear from me anytime soon. (And I mean it this time.)
In the meantime, there are players who have dedicated themselves enough to obtain a clear of the AM Show version, so if you want to check them out, I'll provide links to them here. Huge shoutouts to these players for enduring what I simply don't feel like going through at the moment:
@skalt711 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI9mf...
@JaimersSTG : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6M7o...
(there is one other video I remember seeing that was actually a 2-ALL, but I can't seem to find it)
This isn't to say I'll never go for it ever, I just don't want to put myself through such an ordeal for the time being. Perhaps later, after I've met some of my other goals in gaming.
Anyway, that's all. Just wanted to put this out there for the few people that care.
1 week ago | [YT] | 1