Hey all,
There is something I'd like to bring to the attention of the mods here concerning the arcade version.
https://tcrf.net/Ghosts%27n_Goblins_(Arcade)#Revisional_Differences
To sum it all up, there are gameplay-impacting differences between revisions of the board, which could potentially lead to runs not being on equal footing. Indeed, the japanese version of the game is different from the US/world (save for one revision), especially on later levels. For example, Satan bosses from stage 5-6 taking 4 hits to kill on the JP version, whereas on the US/world version, they take 8 hits. The number of unicorns (ie: level 1-2 bosses) changes depending on the revision. Furthermore, some versions allow for a glitch to despawn bosses from stage 4 and 5 by taking the screen as far as possible from their spawn point. And finally, some mob spawns in stage 6 are changed from one revision type to another.
While the other glitches mentioned on the link above are not relevant to speedrunning, the ones that are can make quite the difference.
Which brings me to my question: how should this be handled? Do we leave the runner the option to use whichever revision they like? Do we split the LB between 8-hp and 4-hp Satans (as the 2-unicorn variation really is a non-issue when you can easily d-boost to the platform above) in the event that some people would run it under the "harder" versions? It appears that the boss despawn can be done on at least one of each X-HP Satans variations, so I'd argue that's also a non-issue.
For reference, the WR seems to have been done on a "Japan A" revision. I personally plan on playing on Japan C to take advantage of the spawn glitch, as it seems to work far more consistently on Japan C for some reason.
Just thought I'd bring this up for the sake of transparency, and in the event that the arcade port ends up picking up steam at some point.
Thanks in advance! :D
I'll inject a rule making it mandatory to state the revision and version you are playing on. This is so that in the event the arcade version picks up steam down the road that we are able to have the information on hand for what I personally think should be the route to go and that is to create a brand new leaderboard exclusive to the arcade version of the game.
Because sadly...we can't make a variable to address this problem as it will mess with the NES leaderboard (where this doesn't apply).
I definitely agree that the arcade version should have its own LB. There are several key differences between the two that wouldn't apply to what you folks know of the NES version.
I do have knowledge on the more technical aspects of the arcade version, so I'll go ask on the general forums how we could go about getting the arcade game its own LB. I'll link the thread here when done so you can add in your point of view on the matter. Perhaps it's going to hold weight in favor of having this done.
Meanwhile, if you agree, I'd say we can leave the current board as is, with any board revision being eligible. It would then be the player's prerogative to choose which version they'll run it on. Although I doubt there would be a whole lot of new GnG Arcade runners in the near future.
Thanks for your response on this, by the way! Much appreciated.
[EDIT: Good call on asking to state which rev the run is played on. As stated before, judging on the playstyle and what I see from the playthrough, the WR run is played on "Japan A", which seems to be the revision used on the PS2 Capcom Classics Collection.]
