The First Ever No Damage Star Fox Run *Update*

[A Skeleton]

Don't take this the wrong way, but are you recording it for posterity? If I was trying something that hard, I'd wanna be able to prove it.

[Aggro Sky]

Don't take this the wrong way, but are you recording it for posterity? If I was trying something that hard, I'd wanna be able to prove it.

You mean my practice runs? Yes, I have about 10 of them saved and I update them as I get better. No one would want to see my early runs anyway... because why? LOL. I would save more but I record in 1080 60fps and the runs end up being like 8 gigs each. I also saved my 1 hit run from last night. But yeah, I see your point. Since this has never been done before legit I can see where some people may think I'm cheating or using tool assistance so having a lot of runs to show would prove that I am not. There's a good reason this hasn't been done before though, because it's just nuts...

But yeah, good question man!

[Aggro Sky]

Got another 1 hit run today... Made it all the way to Andross and got hit on his final volley of debris... UGH! So close!

[m.sniffles.esq]

A 1-hit run is fucking impressive. Like really impressive. Holy shit...

[A Skeleton]

Indeed. Very impressive. I'd love to see when you manage a no hit.

[BIL]

I can imagine the pain I'd say you must see it through but YOU KNOW THAT ALREADY MIRITE (｀ω´メ) (NOOBS WONT UNDERSTAND)

[Aggro Sky]

A 1-hit run is fucking impressive. Like really impressive. Holy shit...

Thanks! It was demoralizing to get that close and get hit though... I can usually somewhat predict what Andross will do but he acted a little differently which threw me off. Hence one of the reasons this run is SO difficult. There are so many RNG elements in this game that a lot has to go right in order to pull it off. For instance, at the end of stage 3 (Space Armada) there are dozens of bullets coming at you from the large space station that are all random every time you play. I found that the best way is to just aim down as far as you can and try to go under them but once in a while you get hit by a stray bullet no matter what you do. This just happened on my last run. Just weird stuff like that...

Anyway, here are a few tweets with some video. Both are from my 1 hit runs. The first is the spot I got hit on Andross yesterday which ruined my run. The second is from my 1 hit earlier in the week where I played perfectly on Andross but got hit once on the boss above Venom:

https://twitter.com/zfunk007/status/1192205657740660736

https://twitter.com/zfunk007/status/1191582632485806080

Andross really is my Achilles heel on this run. Not only is he the hardest part of the game not to get hit, he's also the last. So the pressure is ON when you get to him... Getting so close though!

[Aggro Sky]

Question, would you all be interested in seeing one of my 1 hit runs? I could upload it to YT as unlisted and just drop the link in here. I don't know how long it will be before I can pull this off but I'm going to keep trying until I get it. Let me know if this interests you and I'll upload it this weekend.

[BIL]

It's a seriously impressive feat in itself, would certainly be worth watching. Assuming it's not too much trouble I'd say go ahead.

[m.sniffles.esq]

Question, would you all be interested in seeing one of my 1 hit runs?

Are you kidding? Two weeks ago I probably would have said a 1-hit run wasn't even possible. So yes, that is something I would watch.

[Aggro Sky]

Alright, I uploaded my second 1 hit run from the other day as I felt it was better than the one from earlier this week. This is a damage free run for 99% of the route right up to the last 30 seconds where I get hit by a random piece of junk from Andross . Let me know what you think or if you see ways to improve it. Doing this run is incredibly difficult and taxing to do over and over again, so I'm taking a break today lol... It's kind of a miracle that I managed two, 1 hit runs in the same week, as the closest I had ever gotten before that was maybe 4-5 hits. And this is after nearly 5 months of practice almost every day.

I still struggle at certain parts. Particularly the Asteroid Field (just so much randomness and junk on screen) and Space Armada. The Space Armada in particular has quite a few spots that are really hairy with huge frame rate drops, you'll see what I mean. I also struggle on the Phantron boss above Venom because he is so unpredictable as to where he will go on screen and which direction his missiles fire (this is where I got hit on my first 1 hit run from earlier in the week). In fact, I got so scared that I accidentally fired a bomb right at the end of the fight that actually killed him lol. What usually happens when you launch a bomb on this guy is he fires an unblockable attack that kills you in one shot! I got lucky there... And of course, Andross himself is the WORST. The rest of the game I've mostly got down. Anyway, check out the run if you want but remember, I have it set to unlisted, so please do not to share it outside this forum because I only want a complete 100% no damage run released publicly on my channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoqVa81 ... e=youtu.be

One last note, I barrel roll A LOT. The more you roll, the better chance that a stray bullet will bounce off your hull. Although I do use it strategically and intentionally as well. I reflect quite a few bullets in this run, but not nearly as many as some of my previous ones. It really depends on what kind of mood I'm in and how much of a risk I want to take with it. There are also bosses, like Dancing Insector on stage 4 that on some runs will fire continuously, and other times, barely at all. So that will also determine how many times you will see me use the "spin and reflect" tactic. But reflecting bullets is my favorite thing to do and quite fun. It's just really risky due to the frame rate drops and not always responsive controls. I also skip the shield on Space Armada as I find it distracting...

Let me know your thoughts.

[parodius]

Good stuff
Hopefully you'll nail it soon.

[Aggro Sky]

FYI everyone, I DID IT! WOO HOO!

https://twitter.com/zfunk007/status/1194403111550509056

I'm going to try and get the run released as soon as I can, but I want to do commentary and have a special guest on to do it with me who is familiar with the game. So it may be a few weeks before I release the full thing. I'll drop it here though once it's ready. So excited!

[BIL]

Haha, can imagine the relief. Congratulations!

[Aggro Sky]

Haha, can imagine the relief. Congratulations!

Thanks man! Yes, it is a major relief. A weight has been lifted.. But man, it feels good!

[m.sniffles.esq]

Wow! Congratulations!
I can't wait to see that vid

[Stevens]

Bad ass AS congrats!

Also I saved you in Xeno Crisis:D

[Gamer707b]

Good job man!!

[Despatche]

StarFox is a shmup.

I've only heard of runs at this level for 64 (on hardware!), never for the other games. Congrats!

[Aggro Sky]

StarFox is a shmup.

I've only heard of runs at this level for 64 (on hardware!), never for the other games. Congrats!

Thanks! And same. I scoured the web looking for one and couldn't find anything other than tool assisted, save state and speed runs (and they take damage in the speed runs as all that matters is time). Of course, now that I've done it every silly person on Twitter is claiming they've done it too, albeit, with no proof what-so-ever lol... I can't believe my tweet about pulling this off has gotten so much attention. Coming up on a thousand likes and hundreds of responses:

https://twitter.com/zfunk007/status/1194403111550509056

Hence why all these "players" are claiming they did it as kids. I mean, maybe they did? But no one has video proof, heh...

Bad ass AS congrats!

Also I saved you in Xeno Crisis:D

I had people on Twitter telling me that too! I got my copy 2 days ago and I played a bit, (it's great right?) haven't seen myself yet. I'm glad I backed the game at that level as it's pretty awesome having people tell me they are saving me in the game

[Gamer707b]

Hey Aggro. Don't know if you've played any of the Metal Slug games or have access to them, but after watching a documentary on the series , I thought, "this series would be a perfect fit for Aggro." If you haven't tried them BTW, you're missing out. Amazing series.

On a side note, in regards to your Star Fox clear, I read some comments on twitter with people saying they've done it when they were kids and what not. While I believe them, your run will be the only "official" no hit clear. Being that it was recorded. Heck I would consider contacting Twin Galaxies as well. Mad props buddy.

[m.sniffles.esq]

Of course, now that I've done it every silly person on Twitter is claiming they've done it too

Of course...
Look, before you I questioned if it was even possible. So basically, I would just be "Well, if you did it when you were 11, you'll have no problem doing it again. And at any rate, I'm still first"

[BIL]

^ along the same lines, the only response required to the WHEN I WERE A LAD brigade in one handy URL

[Aggro Sky]

Hey Aggro. Don't know if you've played any of the Metal Slug games or have access to them, but after watching a documentary on the series , I thought, "this series would be a perfect fit for Aggro." If you haven't tried them BTW, you're missing out. Amazing series.

On a side note, in regards to your Star Fox clear, I read some comments on twitter with people saying they've done it when they were kids and what not. While I believe them, your run will be the only "official" no hit clear. Being that it was recorded. Heck I would consider contacting Twin Galaxies as well. Mad props buddy.

Thanks man! And yeah, I've tried the Metal Slug games. I love Run N Guns as much as shmups. But the pace of the Metal Slug games is just so slow compared to games like Contra, which was kind of a turn off for me. But perhaps I should give them another shot...

And I hadn't considered Twin Galaxies... Interesting idea!

Also, a little update for you all. Myself and MarkMSX will be recording the commentary tonight to go along with the run. I'm bringing him along with me since he knows the Star Fox games really well and can add to the conversation a bit. I am also going to be adding a segment before the run where we will discuss the game a bit etc. I plan on releasing this next week. The sooner the better!

[it290]

First, congrats! Amazing accomplishment. Can't wait to see the run.

Second, the pace of Metal Slug is definitely not slow, especially when it comes to the later stages in the games. Yes, they have a certain deliberate nature about them, but rest assured that if you can't calculate the proper reaction to the enemy nearly instantaneously, you will die. In a way I think they're more hectic than Contra since projectile threats in Contra are generally on and off the screen in a second or two, whereas in Metal Slug arcing grenades, bullets, and shells can pile up in a way that makes weaving through them and taking down enemies one by one even more satisfying. I would recommend trying to perfect the first one first for the most 'pure' experience.

[Aggro Sky]

FYI everyone, the video is done, uploaded and ready to go live tomorrow morning! I added a 17 minute discussion segment before the run itself where me and MarkMSX discuss the Star Fox series and obviously a lot about the original game as well. I also go over all the details of the run and play some footage of 9 of my practice runs (simultaneously) for people to see. "A Skeleton" actually gave me that idea when he asked if I had a way to prove it, and it makes sense. I also uploaded the 9 practice runs to YT and will link to the playlist with this video if anyone is interested and for proof.

Here's a screen shot for the time being:

https://twitter.com/zfunk007/status/119 ... 18336?s=20

[BIL]

Excellent stuff, looking forward to it!

Out of curiosity, did anyone else manage to DO IT NAO? Would be interesting to see this kick off a no-hit run arms race. Got a laugh out of AHNULD popping up, regardless.

[Aggro Sky]

Excellent stuff, looking forward to it!

Out of curiosity, did anyone else manage to DO IT NAO? Would be interesting to see this kick off a no-hit run arms race. Got a laugh out of AHNULD popping up, regardless.

Nope, no one has offered any sort of proof, all talk lol. But yeah, I would be curious to see if anyone could do routes 2 or 3. No way I'm doing it, at least not anytime soon. It took long enough to do this one!

[Aggro Sky]

I updated the thread and put this at the top, but figured I'd put it here too:

Here is the run! As well as a 17 minute intro section where MarkMSX and I talk about the Star Fox series and how I pulled this run off. If you'd like to jump straight to the run you can at the 18:00 mark. There is also a playlist linked in the description and at the end of the video with 9 of my practice runs for posterity and proof that I actually did this. Let me know what you all think! I'm excited to release it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-9OMn8 ... e=youtu.be

[BIL]

Great watch - authoritative play aside, to go on a bit of a tangent, I really liked the OST discussion. I'd always likened SF64's music to Ocarina of Time, but John Williams is the better comparison, with it bringing up the inherent divide between composing for films and games. The SNES game's compact, aggressive videogamey format may be ostensibly less grandiose, but I find the effect far superior when at the controls. Reminded me of something Tatsuya Uemura once said.

—I think Toaplan’s style of music, which could be called “headstrong gallantry”, had a large influence on the music of later shooting games.

Uemura: Really? If I listen to Konami or Sega’s music outside of the game, I still really enjoy it, but when I hear the music I wrote apart from the game, it sounds really lonely, cheap, and embarassing. From a technical standpoint I think we definitely weren’t on a very high level, and I personally can’t believe how many fans we still have, and how passionate they are about the music. When you said “headstrong,” again I think that was because we just weren’t capable of writing any other way.

—I think that’s because people come to know and love the game’s music when they first hear it with the game.

Hitoshi Sakimoto's RSG and Soukyugurentai soundtracks do a good job of bridging that gap... not that I don't enthusiastically blast Out Zone and Tatsujin Ou's music despite having put maybe ten minutes on each over the years.