Hi nesmaster-- after level 16 the game loops back to level 9 I think (I can't remember exactly which level it loops back to). That is why the all levels category only goes to level 16. I don't believe the difficulty changes; although, I haven't tested it.

I think I remember Link_777 saying something about the level counter eventually resetting back to level 1 if you completed enough loops.

Going by the smb1 calculations presented by Roopert83 per that link, you'd only lose roughly 0.1 seconds for every 1 minute played.

I should add, my opinion above assumes there are no other differences in gameplay of course... I don't own a Switch and have no ability to test it. From casually watching people play it-- it appears to be identical to the original Famicom version.

Hey Everyone,

It has come to my attention that the NES version of City Connection was released on Switch this month. I've already seen some people casually streaming it online.

I just wanted to point it out since it's possible people may want to run the game on that platform and submit runs. Personally, I'm fine with adding Switch as an acceptable platform but wanted to see what everyone else thought.

Being involved in the SMB1 community, my understanding is that Switch runs at 60 fps, which is just slightly slower than the NES at 60.0988139 fps. In SMB1, runners who choose to run on Switch just have to face a slight time loss. ( figures taken from here https://www.speedrun.com/smb1/thread/bh3h9 ).

Cheers, Bissmark

Hey Everyone,

I thought I would post a little guide on how warping works as this information isn’t readily available anywhere. Thanks to Link_7777 for helping demystify some of these. If there’s anything else I missed or anything I said that needs correction, please let me know.

Warping Guide—

How to warp: Get 3 balloons.

What does warping do?: It warps you forward either 2 or 3 cities (50/50 chance of either 2 or 3) but it only ever warps you forward 1 stage layout. So for example, if you warped in stage 1 (New York City), you may either end up in Paris or Frankfurt, but the stage layout you get will be stage 2 (which is traditionally London without warps).

Neat warp tricks— Balloon global timer: In any given stage, the balloons spawn on a global timer. It is believed the timer starts somewhere around stage screen transition. The first balloon will spawn after 29.8 seconds; balloons following spawn every 34.1 seconds. The global timer resets to 0 upon death and restarts during the countdown when starting again. The timer continues to run even as the game is paused. For a good example of how this works, refer to Link_7777’s All Levels run as he uses it many times.

London 11 oil trick: If you are in the London stage, and have an oil count of 11 when you grab a balloon, a second balloon will spawn immediately. This can be done repeatedly as long as you have 11 oil each time you grab the balloon.

Paris hearts: If you are in the Paris stage, you can summon a heart which counts as a balloon. To do this, you must have an oil count of 0, and you must press B while the car in a turning motion. You will see a small heart spawn. The heart will continue to spawn for the remainder of the stage even if you have now picked up oil.

Tokyo rabbit: In the Tokyo stage, you can summon a rabbit which counts as a balloon. To do this, you must jump over a spike wall. The spike wall appears when you get trapped by the cat on a single level. To initiate this purposely, you can just move back and forwards several times until you see the cat appear multiple times, a spike will appear from the bottom of the ground—these spikes will continue to spawn as long as you remain on that level. When you jump over the spike, a rabbit will spawn from the sky and head downwards towards your car. Once you get the rabbit or he flies off screen, a second rabbit will immediately follow. Getting the rabbit can be tough as his movement is a bit unpredictable; he generally moves downward towards the centre of the screen but can stray left or right.

FYI--- NYC UFO: Sometimes a UFO can appear in the New York City stage (it's not clear to me how this spawn works). This is an extra life, not a balloon.

FYI-- Paris Shooting Star/Comet: I am not certain how this spawns, but it does not appear to do anything (you can see it on stage 15 of my All Levels run in 21:09).

I think that should cover most of it!

Cheers -bissmark

Thanks Lack!

So an interesting scenario unfolded in the run I just submitted. The cat appeared on the very last tile in Tokyo and it got me thinking.

What happens if you get the double KO in Tokyo where you clear the final tile and die at the same time?

I'm of the opinion that the run should not be considered completed until you respawn and the music starts playing. What do you guys think? Perhaps this needs to also be clarified in the rules.

Yes I'm all for this.

Perhaps 'Complete All Tracks'? 🐱

Hey Everyone,

Nescard and I were chatting and it seems there was some confusion on when/where warping is allowed, specifically in the 'All Levels' category.

My interpretation of the rules is that warping is NOT prohibited in either '1 Loop' or 'All Levels'.

However, in '1 Loop' warping provides no benefit. This is because when you warp, you go forward multiple cities and therefore a city is skipped (the current rules state you must complete all six cities). Warping would also not help on the final stage, Tokyo, because the winning condition is painting the final tile.

In 'All Levels', my understanding is that you may warp in any level, and it counts as completing the stage layout.

If everyone is in agreance with that interpretation, perhaps it may be worthwhile to add a bit more detail to the 'All Levels' rules to reflect the above.

Cheers, -Bissmark