Metal Slug speedrunning FAQ

Metal Slug speedrunning FAQ
===========================

Contents:

Q: What are NeoGeo and MVS and AES?
Q: Which categories are there and why?
Q: What are my options for running in the Arcade category?
Q: I hate lag and I hate you. What should I do?
Q: Why is the Steam category most popular and should I play that instead?
Q: What do you mean by “emulator used by Steam version”, it’s a Windows version!
Q: I’m paying for Steam version. Why are free emulators better?!
Q: What is the Other category?
Q: What are the different difficulty levels and how do they correspond to each
   other?
Q: Which difficulty level should I run?
Q: I’m playing in Arcade category using AES version, is it alright to use
   Vulcan Fix?
Q: What about changing slug crash from A+B to D button in AES version?
Q: I have additional questions and/or feedback, what to do?

—

Q: What are NeoGeo and MVS and AES?

A: NeoGeo is the original hardware platform Metal Slugs were released on. MVS
is the arcade version found in NeoGeo cabinets and AES the home console
version, and their hardware is virtually identical. Likewise, the games are
very nearly identical, except for some added menus and added/changed options in
the AES versions.

—

Q: Which categories are there and why?

A: There are three main categories: Arcade, Steam and WinKawaks. They
correspond to most common Metal Slug versions, and the main difference between
them is gamount of lag in the game. Original versions have some amount of lag,
but some ports attempt to remove it - with varying success.

—

Q: What are my options for running in the Arcade category?

A: This category corresponds to the original version of the game, or anything
that accurately enough emulates it. You do *not* need to invest in NeoGeo
hardware.

Recommended platforms are, in order of preference:

1. NeoGeo MVS / AES hardware
2. WolfMAME emulator
3. WiiVC / Switch official ports (emulated AES version)
4. MAME / FinalBurn Alpha emulators

In case it is unclear, using any kind of overclocking is absolutely forbidden.
This is the reason why MAME and FBA are the least preferrable option, as they
are the only platforms that readily allow overclocking. Out of the two MAME is
preferred as it emulates NeoGeo more accurately than FBA, but also requires a
more powerful computer.

WolfMAME is the most preferred option after real hardware, as MAME is known to
emulate NeoGeo most accurately and the WolfMAME fork specifically removes any
possibility of saving/loading, overclocking etc. The WiiVC and Switch ports are
also of high quality, their only downside being the lack of Level 8 difficulty
setting.

Fightcade is also allowed since it uses FBA internally, but there should be no
reason to use it. Gotvg is currently allowed, but use is not advised since its
not an open platform that can be verified easily.

—

Q: I hate lag and I hate you. What should I do?

A: Listen to Marilyn Manson and use the WinKawaks emulator at 64MHz
overclocking setting. This is the fastest known way to play Metal Slugs, and
has its own dedicated category.

—

Q: Why is the Steam category most popular and should I play that instead?

A: Because people are clueless and no, you should not.

The emulator used by Steam version of Metal Slugs is widely known to be the
worst NeoGeo emulator ever to be released for public distribution. It cannot
even play sounds correctly, never mind running at intended speed on anything
but high-end PC hardware. Yes, this means that you will lose time playing Steam
version if you have an older computer, and even then there will be some lag.

If you don’t want to play in the Arcade category due to lag, the WinKawaks
category is highly recommended instead of Steam.

—

Q: What do you mean by “emulator used by Steam version”, it’s a Windows version!

A: Aside from the originals, every single Metal Slug version ever released uses
an emulator internally.

The way it works is that an emulator and the game ROM are packaged into an
executable for the target platform, and possibly some menu or equivalent is
added on top, as is the case for the Steam version.

—

Q: I’m paying for Steam version. Why are free emulators better?!

A: Because free emulators have licenses that forbid anyone from packaging them
with their game ROMs and selling them.

Those owning rights to Metal Slug games happened to just hire the cheapest
assholes they could find to write them a proprietary emulator to sell, and sure
enough, cheap shit is what they got. Free emulators on the other hand are
written by enthusiastic hackers who are not trying to make money, but actually
just want to emulate the platform as well as possible.

—

Q: What is the Other category?

A: A dumping ground for any runs that don’t fit in the main categories.

There are more ports of Metal Slug games than you can shake a stick at, and
having separate categories for each doesn't make sense, so dedicated categories
only exist for most commonly played and easily accessible versions. Also worth
noting is that optical media based console ports are particularly bothersome
due to varying loading times, even between identical setups.

—

Q: What are the different difficulty levels and how do they correspond to each
other?

A: In the MVS version, there are 8 difficulty levels to choose from. The home
console (AES) version has only four difficulty levels, which correspond to the
arcade levels accordingly:

Easy - Level 1
Medium - Level 3
MVS - Level 4
Hard - Level 6

NOTE: This applies only to the Arcade and WinKawaks categories. Different ports
are known to implement their own ideas of matching (and inventing) names to
arcade version levels. Since the WiiVC and Switch ports emulate the AES
version, unfortunately you won’t have access to level 8 difficulty.

—

Q: Which difficulty level should I run?

A: If you’re running in the Arcade or WinKawaks categories, levels 1, 4 and 8
are highly recommended. Level 4 being by far the most competitive one, and also
the default difficulty in the original arcade version.

—

Q: I’m playing in Arcade category using AES version, is it alright to use
Vulcan Fix?

A: It is technically allowed since it’s part of the AES version of the game,
but it is not recommended, especially if you’re playing very competitively. No
known runs exist that ever used it, and there’s negligible benefit from doing
so.

-

Q: What about changing slug crash from A+B to D button in AES version?

A: Go right ahead. Just keep in mind this option doesn't exist in the MVS
version, so if you ever decide to switch to it, you have a bit of annoying
muscle memory re-education to do. Having runs die to accidental slug crash is
really irritating.

-

Q: I have additional questions and/or feedback, what to do?

A: Best bet is going to the Metal Slug speedrun Discord server. Invite link:
https://discord.gg/eUmWFZs

You may also try contacting author of this FAQ directly:
E-mail: koston (at) iki dot fi
Discord: Koston#6208
Twitch: KO5TON