NWC strategies- What's your high score?

[XYXZYZ]

First of all I don't own the cartridge, just play teh r0mZ on my Xbox.

Do you ever play the Nintendo World Championship game (ROM or whtever) and imagine you were competing? I've read that you needed 100,000 points or better to qualify, 300,000 to get to the finals, and I'm not sure what happens after that.

Man, I can't do better than 160,000! I can't see myself doing any better at Rad Racer, (Hold "up" all the way without crashing) and I guess I'm an average Tetris player. It seems like your score there kinda depends on if you're lucky enough to get the right block when you need it. (I guess a Tetris whizz would tell me otherwise)

I'm interested in hearing about any strategies for your highest possible score- for example, in Super Mario Bros. should I play through the first level and get more points, or take the first shortcut to get 50 coins faster? Does the SMB score make that big a difference?

[anagrama]

Never played it myself but, from what I've read, it's all about Tetris.

[dieourumov]

Anyone have any links to where i can get the rom? I can't seem to find any sites that have it.

[jajaja]

Seems like tetris is the trick to get alot of points. You get score x 25. So if you can score 10000 (if possible in that time) you get 250000 points.

[DreamTR]

It's all about getting TO Tetris fast in order to get x25 in points. You can crash at the end of Rad Racer to save around 3-4 seconds, and you can get 50 coins faster in SMB if you die twice on the first level instead of heading to 1-2. Always go for Tetrises and play FAST. You need to bring down those pieces like there is no tomorrow.

I averaged around 1,300,000 at the NWC (we were the 29th out of 30 stops on the tour) and during ther finals I choked and only got around 345,000. Winner ended up with around 1,100,000. The top players in the NWC could get 3,500,000 or higher. Best score is over 5,000,000 I believe. My best score is 3.2 million, but I can usually get above 1.7 million now each time.

[rbudrick]

Many people can use the turtle shell trick in level 3-1 to get around 900,000 points, but the best players juat have mad Tetris skills. The winner of the competition racked up around 2.8 million in the competition (Thor Aackerlund), but people like Rich Ambler can get up to 4.3 million nowadays (the second place winner).

Practice getting the coins in Mario (shave off as many tenths of a second as you can). Practice getting through Rad Racer without ever slowing down (it is possible).

I also have a scan of printout written by Rich Ambler somewhere that will allow you to know exactly which blocks youy get in Tetris...it is determined by some factors in the first two games. However, if you pull it off right, you will have an extreme advantage, as you will know exactly what blocks are coming if you memorize them.

Did you know there are easter eggs in the NWC cart? I can't remember what they are, but there's a way to see your remaining time and also to skip SMB (controller 2 needed, so it couldn't be done in the competition.\

BTW, when I got my cart a little while ago, my first try was 365,000. Come to think of it, it was the first time ever that I played Rad Racer w/o crashing. Weird. Someday I'll try to rack up those million+ scores.

-Rob

[DreamTR]

rbudrick: Thor "won" with a 2.8 million, but in practice he was getting well over 4 with his best being 5 mil plus. Still better than the second place winner gets now.

The turtle trick is stupid. Tetris is where you get the points. There is a trick in Tips & Tricks of how to start Rad Racer instead of SMB at the beginning.

[Jorpho]

(Gee, I didn't know Tips & Tricks was so open about emulation.)

I recall reading that the Game Boy Tetris engine looks at the number of times you rotate each block to determine which block you get next - the idea is that a block you rotate many times is harder to place, so if you rotate a piece many times, you'll see more of them. Is NES Tetris the same way?

[dave2236]

My first try was just over a million. I got just under 3 million on my forth try.

But I'm pretty good at tetris. I know when I got 3 million I still had about 45 seconds left to play, I just screwed up on level 22 or 25...or something. I haven't played it in a few years.

The game is awesome though

[rbudrick]

rbudrick: Thor "won" with a 2.8 million, but in practice he was getting well over 4 with his best being 5 mil plus. Still better than the second place winner gets now.

Right, that's pretty much what I was saying, though I didn't know Thor's capabilities now. PM me if you still have his contact info. I hear he got married recently...

-Rob

[DreamTR]

Remember, this cart should be 6:15, that's two down, one up, and one down on the dipswitches.


Also, Tips & Tricks is NOT open about emulation. THat code was tested on an actual NWC cart.

[rbudrick]

I haven't measured it on a stopwatch, but I have heard from many sources that the official time is 6:21 even though setting switch 3 up (the offical setting) is labelled on the cart as 6:15. Maybe this is due to the title screen lag...I've never quite figured this out, but a lot of people I've spoken to from the event say 6:21. I wonder when they start measuring?

-Rob

[poopnes]

(Gee, I didn't know Tips & Tricks was so open about emulation.)

I recall reading that the Game Boy Tetris engine looks at the number of times you rotate each block to determine which block you get next - the idea is that a block you rotate many times is harder to place, so if you rotate a piece many times, you'll see more of them. Is NES Tetris the same way?

Really? I always wondered how your next piece was determined. I guess it might be a bad habbit to play tetris using only the B button. I conisder myself to be a good Tetris player.

I always thought the NES & GB versions had some sort of AI where they rewarded you for your skills or patience. And it would punish you if you built your screen too high aiming for Tetris's by not giving you a straight piece until you blocked the hole.

[Arkaign]

Hey guys :) Thor here ;) Found this site through a Copernic search on the carts. Awesome site. Well greetings from an old timer ..

[Jorpho]

Hail Thor!


Also, Tips & Tricks is NOT open about emulation. THat code was tested on an actual NWC cart.

(And surely published for the benefit of all those people who own NWC carts.)

[rbudrick]

(And surely published for the benefit of all those people who own NWC carts.)

Well, no...it just so happens Chris Bieniek, the EIC of T&T, owns one of the carts. DreamTR, whose has had several of these carts over time, used to work with him at T&T. So basicallly, why would they try it on anything but an original, since there was easy access to them?

-Rob

[ice1605]

Hey guys :) Thor here ;) Found this site through a Copernic search on the carts. Awesome site. Well greetings from an old timer ..

You... You are Thor Ackerlund??? Awesome! I have looked up to you as a fellow video gamer (not quite my hero, but close enough). Unless you are being sarcastic... LOL .

Ice

[Arkaign]

Heheh thanks Ice ;)

Hey Rob you talk to Chris Bieniek? I remember him, editor of VG*CE .. really nice guy, met him at the winter CES I believe, maybe more than once. Standup guy. What's he up to these days?

[rbudrick]

Well, he's running Tips & Tricks magazine. I interviewed him recently about his NWC cart. By the way, check your PM box, Thor!

Yeah, Chris rocks....I was a huge fan of his back in the day.

So tell me more about when you met him...

-Rob

[Arkaign]

Lets see, would have probably been at the Vegas CES in 1991 .. I know I met him at the same time I met Alexey P. Memory is strange, I think VG&CE had a booth somewhere near where they were showing 'Alone in the Dark'. He may remember better than me, it's been well over 10 years now. I went to the CESes from 91-93, winter and summer.

[rbudrick]

Thanks, Thor!

I'll ask him about it...see if he remembers. You actually met Alexey Pajitnov?

I must ask you to tell me about that story now! :)

-Rob

[Arkaign]

LoL yes, I met Alexey several times. The first time was at the very first CES I went to, the Winter '91 Vegas show. Though I met him again at Spectrum Holobyte in Redmond.

Very friendly guy, but his English wasn't much better than my Russian (which is nonexistent!), I also remember him having the limpest handshake I've ever experienced. Maybe he was unused to that custom or something. I have pictures with him, my brother, and my dad, at the SH offices. I need to start collecting this stuff and scanning it up :)

[rbudrick]

Lol, those commies sure are strange folk. He was probably scared the KGB was watching to make sure he didn't defect or give out Soviet secrets. Handshakes are watched scrutinously by spooks. ;)

I'd love to see your pics, Thor. In fact, I'm sure you have tons of them I'd love to see. If there's too many to scan, I'll gladly extend my services. Just let me know.

-Rob

[Arkaign]

Oh, Alexey wasn't a commie :) He was a very wily capitalist! Heheh :D

[rbudrick]

Yeah, after the USSR collapsed. He didn't receive jack in royalties until years after the fact.

-Rob

[Arkaign]

Well, the USSR didn't officially collapse until december 1991, by which time he was already long in the states chasing contracts and a decent life for himself. :D

[rbudrick]

Bah, he was worried about the KGB, I say! LOL

You mentioned you met him several times. There were times other that these two?

-Rob

[Arkaign]

LoL I'd be worried about the KGB too! Or the remnants that became the new Russian mafia.

I ran into him at a couple of CESes, I remember him making an appearance for the Hatris game, and of course the meeting at Spectrum Holobyte.