Love this game..then hate it

[DonkeyShlong]

Anyone else..? Sometimes I sit at this game and love its simplicity and the cool retro sounds effects, then other times I want to push the machine over and set it on fire. 

I think my issue is I'm so inconsistent, and it mainly comes down to my spring deaths. It just feels so hit and miss. Last week I made it an hour with zero deaths, then this week I'm losing all my lives by 400-500k.

I've been watching lots of streams over the last few weeks, along with the great YouTube videos from the high score thread. It's evident that to master the springs, you need to dance near the bottom of the ladder and quickly flick up the ladder on a short.

Running from the safe spot seems dangerous due to double springs, and I can't seem to react fast enough to the longer springs coming in. I think the issue is anxiety by pausing in one spot. Do any of the pros agree with this thinking?

[SithOfSpades]

I definitely have a love/hate relationship with this game. The springs are a tricky thing. You have more time to retreat than you think, but it just feels so fast at first. Watch some of video tips and try save stating it. You can pick it up without save states, but it will go much faster if you can stop worrying and test out the limits. Good luck.

[homerwannabee]

One trick that not many people do is to look at the distance between the two springs. When you do that, you don't have to wait for the second spring to bounce.  You can go knowing there is enough distance between the two.

[QuikThumbs]

One trick that not many people do is to look at the distance between the two springs. When you do that, you don't have to wait for the second spring to bounce.  You can go knowing there is enough distance between the two.

Could you expand upon that, please?

[DonkeyShlong]

One trick that not many people do is to look at the distance between the two springs. When you do that, you don't have to wait for the second spring to bounce.  You can go knowing there is enough distance between the two.

That sounds interesting. Any chance of explaining via a video perhaps?

[DonkeyShlong]

I definitely have a love/hate relationship with this game. The springs are a tricky thing. You have more time to retreat than you think, but it just feels so fast at first. Watch some of video tips and try save stating it. You can pick it up without save states, but it will go much faster if you can stop worrying and test out the limits. Good luck.

Congrats on your 22 badge firstly! I guess every player has a technique that works for this, but it's finding the best reference points. I have no doubt that my reaction times are good enough, it's just finding out how I can reliably do it.

I know that you can take ladders a few frames early to give you a slightly faster run up the ladder. Perhaps a good idea would be to count footsteps from having a heel on the safe spot?

[SithOfSpades]

Here is pretty much what I do. First, I watched the springs quite a bit from a save state, to learn how to identify springs roughly from how they enter and where they hit on their first bounce. The most important type to be able to recognize are long springs. They enter low with an upward trajectory and land where their right edge is in line with the right edge of the top of the left elevator. During this I am mostly watching the springs enter and land. I get to the safe spot and stand at the right edge of it. When I notice there is a long spring I walk Mario to where he is just to the left of the ladder. Now I make a slight pause to allow the long spring to go over my head and bounce. As soon as I think I can, I move to the ladder and begin to climb. This is all done by feel as I am watching for the next spring the whole time. When the next spring comes in, if it is another long, I turn around and go back to the edge of the ladder and repeat the process of trying to climb. If it isn't long, I keep climbing. Looks like this:
https://clips.twitch.tv/CovertSincereAppleSwiftRage

I think this is considered an advanced way to do it, but that is basically what I do. Hope that helps and good luck!

[DonkeyShlong]

Here is pretty much what I do. First, I watched the springs quite a bit from a save state, to learn how to identify springs roughly from how they enter and where they hit on their first bounce. The most important type to be able to recognize are long springs. They enter low with an upward trajectory and land where their right edge is in line with the right edge of the top of the left elevator. During this I am mostly watching the springs enter and land. I get to the safe spot and stand at the right edge of it. When I notice there is a long spring I walk Mario to where he is just to the left of the ladder. Now I make a slight pause to allow the long spring to go over my head and bounce. As soon as I think I can, I move to the ladder and begin to climb. This is all done by feel as I am watching for the next spring the whole time. When the next spring comes in, if it is another long, I turn around and go back to the edge of the ladder and repeat the process of trying to climb. If it isn't long, I keep climbing. Looks like this:
https://clips.twitch.tv/CovertSincereAppleSwiftRage

I think this is considered an advanced way to do it, but that is basically what I do. Hope that helps and good luck!

That's exactly what I was after, awesome! To me, it seems that the advanced is a sure fire way to make it up, rather than relying on luck for the next spring.

Am I right in saying that you only retreat from hovering around the ladder when you get a medium spring? Longs allow you to step left then right to get ready again, then a short gives you the room to get up?

[SithOfSpades]

I was doing it differently when I got my first KS. The more basic version is to always do a full retreat on a trailing long spring and completely reset the process. Also, there are single move strategies that have advantages. If you wait at the left edge of the safe spot, notice a long spring then begin walking left when that spring is directly over your head, you don?t have to pause and you have a pretty big window in terms of types of trailing springs that you can slip past. The main reason I stopped doing it this way was because I just felt like I missed the ladder too often and then the retreat could be very tight. The way I do it is comfortable for me and the advantage I think it gives me is the ability to get up quickly. Welcome to the forum and good luck.

[homerwannabee]

The distance between the springs.  If it's a long distance you run. If it's short you stay.

So for instance, if you see this
|            |
You stay
If you see this
|                    |
You go.
When the springs are short, you usually have two long springs in a row.
When the springs are long, this means the first one is a long spring that's being followed by a short spring.

[DonkeyShlong]

Cheers for both replies. The notifications keep going in spam for this site, it could do with looking at really.

Sith, I'm just watching some of your videos now, good job!

[DonkeyShlong]

I was doing it differently when I got my first KS. The more basic version is to always do a full retreat on a trailing long spring and completely reset the process. Also, there are single move strategies that have advantages. If you wait at the left edge of the safe spot, notice a long spring then begin walking left when that spring is directly over your head, you don?t have to pause and you have a pretty big window in terms of types of trailing springs that you can slip past. The main reason I stopped doing it this way was because I just felt like I missed the ladder too often and then the retreat could be very tight. The way I do it is comfortable for me and the advantage I think it gives me is the ability to get up quickly. Welcome to the forum and good luck.

I can confirm that this is the reliable way to do it also.  By feel, I can move him to the point where his nose is touching the ladder, then simply snap the joystick right then up when I see a spring enter up high.  It's actually no longer the daunting level as it's quite easy if you take your time, it's the damn rivet stage that buggers me up now when deep into a game!!

[Ronnie S.]

Farthest I've made it so far since I got my DK Cab 3 weeks ago is level 7 at 182,500.  Man I don't know how you guys get a million points and a level 22 kill screen.  Unreal talent.  Game is def funny as sometimes the first level is just as hard as the higher levels. Guess that's why I love it so much.  It's the weekend and I can't wait to practice!

[Ronnie S.]

I was doing it differently when I got my first KS. The more basic version is to always do a full retreat on a trailing long spring and completely reset the process. Also, there are single move strategies that have advantages. If you wait at the left edge of the safe spot, notice a long spring then begin walking left when that spring is directly over your head, you don?t have to pause and you have a pretty big window in terms of types of trailing springs that you can slip past. The main reason I stopped doing it this way was because I just felt like I missed the ladder too often and then the retreat could be very tight. The way I do it is comfortable for me and the advantage I think it gives me is the ability to get up quickly. Welcome to the forum and good luck.

Where is this safe spot?  I always stand on the right edge of the yellow elevator then when it looks clear I run for the ladder and up.

[SithOfSpades]

I was doing it differently when I got my first KS. The more basic version is to always do a full retreat on a trailing long spring and completely reset the process. Also, there are single move strategies that have advantages. If you wait at the left RIGHT edge of the safe spot, notice a long spring then begin walking left when that spring is directly over your head, you don?t have to pause and you have a pretty big window in terms of types of trailing springs that you can slip past. The main reason I stopped doing it this way was because I just felt like I missed the ladder too often and then the retreat could be very tight. The way I do it is comfortable for me and the advantage I think it gives me is the ability to get up quickly. Welcome to the forum and good luck.

Where is this safe spot?  I always stand on the right edge of the yellow elevator then when it looks clear I run for the ladder and up.

I should have said wait at the right edge of the safe spot. I edited it in the quote above. https://clips.twitch.tv/CovertSincereAppleSwiftRage in this clip I wait about as far right as is safe to do. You can certainly be a step or 2 further left and be safe while still executing the strategy I described here.