Improving Any%
7 years ago
England

I've been testing this game for a little while now and - even though this is on the Xbox 360, so I can't say for any playstations - I can safely say this category can easily be dropped from a sub-2h to a sub-1h30m RTA by using different routes and more aggression. Seeing as there's a video of a run here I was hoping to get some headway into putting out a faster time on video (I don't have a capture card, so I'm not going to be posting anything any time soon).

There are various tricks (not really glitches, the game is still mostly being played vanilla) to speed up various missions: -Many instances where you're asked to scan/hypno/follow a character, you can actually ignore or skip it (such as Miss Rockwell, Bert Withers, the mayor in "Alien Pool Party"). -During some downtime/autoscroller sections of the game (Pox's speech in "Televisions of Doom" and the projector in "Teenage Zombies from Outer Space"), these are very convenient times to farm DNA, to the point that over 300 DNA can be gathered between them to forego later probes. -Destroying emplacements early on-foot like in "South by Southwest" and "Furon Down" should save considerable time for the saucer later on. -There are civilian-tier humans that drop 100 DNA (or if you're lucky: 200 DNA) brainstems when live-extracted, like mayors and military generals.

There are many other strats of note, but I'd rather not write an essay if I'm the only one posting. I've already posted something like this on the SDA forums, but the DAH! thread there seems a little too inactive over there to get any real discussion started.

ROMaster2 likes this

I'm definitely happy to see some life brought into this game. I'm just now getting back into it and will do some route testing onstream over the coming few months. One thing I will post here just in case to make it public is the DNA requirements to progress to each level.

After Destination Earth 250 After Citizen Crypto 500 After Suburb of the Damned 1000 After It's a Wonderful Armageddon 1500 After Furon Down 2000

New South Wales, Australia

Im considering running this game. I already own the PS2 version from years ago but never got around to playing it. Any knowledge of which console is fastest?

England

@Paulmall The game's not excessively difficult to run, but of course it's unforgiving if you die. Between the PS2 and Xbox 360, the 360 should be faster because it's a next gen console. Both Austin (Edit: if I remember his VoDs correctly) and I think the 360 has faster loads overall but no direct comparison has been done as far as I know.

@AustinTheGamer (Enjoy my Wall of Text) Mr. Crypto Goes to Capitol City (MCGtCC) Disintegrator Ray (DR) Ion Detonator (ID) Quantum Deconstructor (QD)

With DNA requirements, my overall route is to accumulate 2,400+ DNA before MCGtCC instead of 2,000+ so I can purchase the DR1 upgrade (400 DNA, before 'Aliens Stole My Brain Stem') ASAP to blitz through enemies faster sooner. At MCGtCC I buy the DR2 and ID1 upgrades (1,500 DNA total). This is for Armquist, but buying them early might make MCGtCC go faster if something goes awry. Another 500 DNA makes up the QD1 upgrade (1,000 DNA) for the final mission, as it's technically half price (in DNA and time). So 2,900 DNA total. I haven't actually properly timed getting DR1 early and QD1 against getting DR1 at MCGtCC with DR2 & ID1 and (probably) NOT getting QD1, but I think it works.

Condensed rundown of my notes (without DNA & upgrades): M2) Earth Women are Delicious: -Holobob isn’t necessary and only makes you run out of PK carrying Miss Rockwell. -Miss Rockwell doesn't need to be hypno'd, Pox just needs to tell you to grab her.

M3) Citizen Crypto: -I answer the questions in the order 1/2/2/2/1/1, where the last two are answer 3, and so slower than getting them immediately wrong.

M4) Alien Pool Party: -Holobobbing isn't necessary if you're fast through the houses and jetpacking onto the motel roof (civilian alert, maybe flashing police alert). -The Mayor can be extracted without scanning him – Minor Warning: I got ~20-25% chance of softlocking doing this during repeated testing on a test file, but NEVER on a fresh run. -Let the police exit their cars properly (become two new entities), before destroying their car to get 5.5% for the car instead of 2.5% – each officer gives 1.5%.

M5) Televisions of Doom: -I follow the Majestic car and DR it without the PK upgrade (they move closer to Sleep Ernst). If they exit the car, you can do obscene damage to them by knocking them over with PK (grab, move, release), jump on them while they're down, and grab them again. The game launches them away from you at high speed because you're too close, smashing them around for literally ~2/3 of their tank health. -Blow up Sleepy Ernst's car directly after scanning him, the game doesn't care. -Farm during Pox's rant (possibly ~75 DNA).

M7) This Island Suburbia: -DR the scientists' cars ASAP and collect their briefcases.

M8) Teenage Zombies from Outer Space: -This is a great 200+ DNA farming segment using the Anal Probe, watch for random police cars (seriously, they cause mayhem).

M9) South by Southwest: -After destroying ten vehicles, destroying the motel emplacements with the ID can be done quickly and often with authorities spawning near them to maintain notoriety (less saucer work). -I stay near the saucer while killing Majestic.

M10) Foreign Correspondent: -I get Bert from the front and carry him out the back without disguise or hypno, most enemies can’t aim and keeping Bert high is generally safe (you’ll have enough PK). -Also, I did manage to "drown" myself carrying Bert (~waist high lel).

M11) Suburb of the Damned: -Tanks can't see you behind hedges and the chain-link fence, and tanks and robots can be blown up through the fence. -At phase 3, spawn camp the robots up tower 1's road with ID rounds to accelerate the mission (probably ~5secs).

M13) The Mutant Menace: -Destroy the Tesla Coils from back-left of the base clockwise to front-left to reach the saucer sooner. A cow can 1-shot the back-right Tesla Coil if clear and angled right (but awkward).

M14) Duck and Cover: -At the mines, lead the nuke carrier and destroy the mines on the right side of the road, the left don't get in the way. -Entering the airfield with the carrier can be done by IDing the tower and the switch, and then again to the barricades (mind the carrier) then holobob.

M16) Furon Down: -Destroy emplacements with Crypto as you're doing objectives (less saucer work).

M17) MCGtCC: -While holobobbed at the target scientist, scan him and then run to the octagon without him. (Edit: Mistake) -You can drop down the right side of the bridge and jetpack across quickly, safely, and without raising awareness, and is VERY safe on the way back. -Jetpacking across the pond currently works by jetpacking from a tree trunk. It is only JUST barely possible (read: easy death) and running out of jetpack fuel most of the way across probably stops it from saving time (slow jetpack spam). You're better off taking the bridge for now.

M18) Armquist vs The Furons: -I’ve only tried this once, but duking around the boat statue near the boss spawn seems to keep aggression and mitigate the missiles. Also, watch out for flanking troops.

M20) The Furon Filibuster: -Be hyper aggro, spawn kill the front senators down the road, and figure-eight the side entrance due to respawning soldiers (ignore the soldiers otherwise).

M21) Shocking Developments: -Hypno the console scientists, they destroy some Tesla Coils while you move on to others.

Edited by the author 7 years ago
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