Tips for speedrun

[ferala]

I would like to do a speedrun once and i was wondering what things are necessary to do a successful one.

I have seen Paul Hayes' speedrun on Youtube. It goes a bit fast so i can't always check what he does, but it is obvious that he does the following:
- tries to avoid most battles.
- when he does, he uses thrown weapons a lot (axes). He also starts with a char (Stamm) that has an axe in his starting equipment
- when monsters have to die (for a key) but are too strong he uses a trick to kill them
- he doesn't go for wizard levels as he doesn't fight so he doesn't need the wizard spells
- only magic he does is priest magic (healing pots)
- know the dungeon well, so you know what the quickest path is and know where you can lead monsters so you can pass them and avoid fighting them
- he doesn't train much as he doesn't need to be a high level to run to the end.

Can you guys give some more tips?

My first goal will be to know the dungeon by heart and plot a fastest route that fits with my playing style.

btw Does he play RTC and uses the internal rcord tool? Or did he capture the screen from outside?

I also noticed that sometimes a monster stands in front of you and then you can't get items from the floor to throw them and sometimes to step to the side and you can pick up items from the other side and throw them. Not sure how that mechanic works (how to get them to move when next to you).

[Ameena]

One note about DM is that you can't finish it with no Wizzy levels, since you need to pass "Cast your influence, cast your might" and also of course, use a Zokathra spell much later on. But you can probably use some magic-granting items to help out with this, like the various wands and staves and necklaces and stuff that give either mana or Wizzy levels.
Personally I've never tried a speed run at any of these, 'cause I never play stuff for speed so I know I'd be useless at it and that's not what makes a game fun to me anyway - I prefer to spend my time poking around in every last little corner to see what I can find .

[Jan]

I think that most of the speed-runs were made in CSBWin. It's also the best tool to record videos and reply them back. You can download and watch many record videos from: http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=node/856

(to reply a video, run the exe file, click on Dungeon, and then select Misc - Playback; you can adjust the speed of the video and other things)

Basically, the only thing you need for a record is to play DM for about 1000 times to get used to it.

since you need to pass "Cast your influence, cast your might"

No, you don't.

[ferala]

is it possible to play Dm in CSBWin?

[Jan]

Yes, of course. Under CSBwin you can play DM, CSB and various custom dungeons. Check http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=node/851

[beowuuf]

You only need wizard levels for zokathra, and you get one from the power staff and effectively another from the gem of ages

Remember that you don't need to solve cast your influence, cast your might

[Ameena]

Gem of Ages? Didn't think that gave any skill levels - Pendant Feral does, though, one Wizzy level. Firestaff also gives one, and with the gem it gives two. And I haven't played the game for ages so it's just my memory then on the "Cast your influence..." bit - I thought that was an area you had to pass to get on .

[beowuuf]

Gem of ages = hidden bonus. You don't need all the gold keys.

[PaulH]

Ah, only just seen this! The games were recorded in CSBWin, and no saves were used, it was straight through. The playback can seem rather fast but you can slow it down.

To get the ultra fast times you need a LOT of luck. There are many areas where a hold up can cost you minutes such as the first rockpile in on the worm level, and the worms at the end themselves. Similarly the last two Knights on their level, and chasing Chaos about!

Remember when you sleep the internal clock ticks 10x faster. So it is important to take a character that has good stamina levels and doesn't lose it quickly. Stamm is the best in this area, and starting with the Axe is a big bonus. You can gain priest levels easily to start basic spell casting and to top up stamina, and later in the dungeon is very easy to gain wizard levels for posion clouds to slay wasps. Starting reincarnated allows you to gain higher HP and stamina.

You don't need all the gold keys so take the quickest path through level 3, and hack that door down on level 2 that uses a gold key. Take the gold key from the hole on level 4 and use the shortcut. Pick up the items for the puzzles on level six (bow, gem, gold coin, mirrow of dawn). You can pick the coin back up to use for Filius if you require.

It is a case of doing the dungeon in sections and formulating the fastest path through. Don't bother taking time to pick more powerful weapons up than the axe or rapier. Utilise whjat you naturally bump into on the shortest route.

[ferala]

Thanx, that sounds like good advise.

I will try out WinCSB first to see how it works and to get some 1p experience.

[Adrena1in]

Personally I've never tried a speed run at any of these, 'cause I never play stuff for speed so I know I'd be useless at it and that's not what makes a game fun to me anyway - I prefer to spend my time poking around in every last little corner to see what I can find .

Exactly the same as me. I never try to complete things quickly either, (unless I'm playing Gran Turismo 5 on the PS3 or something! )

What you said about completing DM though, and having to cast the Zokathra spell...is that the rule of a Speed Run? You have to complete the game by getting to the final level and defeating the Dark Lord? Because there are two other ways to complete DM of course.

[Ameena]

Two? As far as I know you can only complete the game by Fusing Chaos. The "alternate" ending is more of a "fail" ending, and actually I've never seen it myself as I can never be arsed to backtrack aaaalll that way once I have the Firestaff .

[Jan]

I've never seen it myself as I can never be arsed to backtrack aaaalll that way once I have the Firestaff .

You can watch it - surprisingly - on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrKgHWAGoMw).

Two?

I don't know. Is it (1) with an incomplete Firestaff and (2) with a complete Firestaff? I don't remember. Others will remember.

[Adrena1in]

Yeah, that's what I meant. And I suppose it's not "completing" the game as such, but it does end when you return to the beginning with the Firestaff. Without the Gem, I think Lord Order, or whatever he's called, welcomes you back and says he'll take the Firestaff and complete the Quest for you. With the Gem he kills you and does the same. Or is it Vice Versa? Or does he take the Firestaff + Gem and say he's going to now rule the world or something? Don't know. Can't remember. But I'll perhaps try it again one day.

[Ameena]

There is an intro/background story thingy in the manual - basically this bloke called Theron was apprenticed to the Grey Lord, an uber archmage-type person. The Grey Lord was experimenting in his lab deep beneath the ground and created the Firestaff and tried to use it. But it messed up a little, causing the Grey Lord to disappear and Theron finds himself outside the dungeon entrance some years later (I think), with no clue wtf has happened - the "dungeon" was where the Grey Lord used to work and where Theron helped him out. Theron is stuck in a spirit form and can't touch anything but a figure appears before him, all clothed in white, and introduces himself as Lord Librasulus. He explains that some nasty chap called Lord Chaos resides in the dungeon below and Librasulus (aka Lord Order) can't enter because it's all...Chaos-y. So he asks Theron to recruit fallen champions from the first level of the dungeon (people who'd tried to stop Chaos in the previous years but failed and been imprisoned for it in the mirrors, by Chaos), go down and get the Firestaff for him so he can stop Chaos or something.
So if you go down and manage to get the Firestaff (without the Power Gem) from Level 7 (the Grey Lord's lab) and return to Order with it, he takes it and says something along the lines of "It is a pity you did not discover the true nature of the Firestaff. However, now I have it i have no further use for you..." and blasts you with some rather epic fireballs .
The scrolls in the Grey Lord's lab pretty much tell you that having only Order or Chaos is a Bad Thing and so you need to unite them in order to save the world. Hence needing to Fuse Chaos, which joins him back with Order, reuniting them to reform the Grey Lord, who was both of them but had become split in two when he messed up with the Firestaff, which he then destroys, as shown in a brief animation thingy shown at the end of one version of the game (not sure which but it's not the Atari version as that's the one I had and I never saw it).

[sucinum]

Is it (1) with an incomplete Firestaff and (2) with a complete Firestaff? I don't remember.

No, it's only one with the incomplete Firestaff. The completed Firestaff was never supposed to be brought to the start and so there's no alternative ending for it. That makes 2 endings, not 3.

[Adrena1in]

Is it (1) with an incomplete Firestaff and (2) with a complete Firestaff? I don't remember.

No, it's only one with the incomplete Firestaff. The completed Firestaff was never supposed to be brought to the start and so there's no alternative ending for it. That makes 2 endings, not 3.

Thanks for the confirmation, I won't bother making the journey all the way up when I get the Activated Firestaff.

(But I will anyway!)