Marathon Dragon Questing
March 2, 2017 4:54 PM   Subscribe

Twitch streamer Highspirits is attempting to play through all 9 installments of the long running Dragon Quest series in a single sitting. 2017 is the 30th anniversary of the series with DQ XI scheduled to release this year in Japan on PS4, 3DS and Nintendo Switch. The series has an uneven record in the west, but re-releases of DQ VII and VIII in 2016 for 3DS may signal a resurgence.

Marathon Twitch streaming is deceptively dangerous, highlighted by the loss of popular World of Tanks streamer Brian Vigneault raising renewed focus on the health of the Twitch and streaming culture.
posted by T.D. Strange (36 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
DQ1 was known as Dragon Warrior on the NES.
(Overworld theme, orchestral version.)
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:05 PM on March 2, 2017


One sitting? Shit, I barely got through Dragon Warrior in one childhood.
posted by RolandOfEld at 6:10 PM on March 2, 2017 [5 favorites]


I through IV, and VII on the PS1 were Dragon Warrior on their original releases in the US, the Quest moniker didn't make it to the states until VIII on the PS2. V and VI didn't get an original US release, much to my teenage disappointment.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:11 PM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]


Yup, watched stream of him playing II for a few moments, enemy encounters every 3 steps because 'screw you player'. Feels about like my time playing Dragon Warrior. God why am I watching this.
posted by RolandOfEld at 6:15 PM on March 2, 2017


DQ1 was known as Dragon Warrior on the NES.
(Overworld theme , orchestral version. )
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:05 PM on March 2 [+] [!]


I wonder if classical music stations around the US are thinking about licencing video game orchestral music to broaden their reach.
posted by Groundhog Week at 6:27 PM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]


I'd listen to good orchestra versions of FFIII (US nomenclature, no ability to transpose to true values and any attempt to inform/convert me will be ignored, sorry) anytime, anywhere.
posted by RolandOfEld at 6:33 PM on March 2, 2017


Already a thing. How Video Games are Saving Symphony Orchestras
posted by GPF at 7:07 PM on March 2, 2017 [4 favorites]


I remember that getting going at least 8 years ago -- the Play! symphony collection and in particular this version of the Morrowind theme (can't find the better quality version that used to be up.) The Play! version of the BF1942 theme is good too. It's a popular selection: here's the London Phil.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:38 PM on March 2, 2017


Huh. Somehow I missed this. Thanks.
posted by shmegegge at 7:46 PM on March 2, 2017


... and I haven't stopped watching (while doing other things of course). So, he seems rather unhappy huh?
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:56 PM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]


I would be too. Why would anyone want to do this? Ugh.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:07 PM on March 2, 2017


VIII is the only one I've played thus far (and it took me 75 hours!), but it's easily one of my favorite games of all time. The art direction, the music (god, the music) and the wonderful storytelling that unfolds so subtly and gradually. It was worlds better than I'd ever imagined, having always heard that Dragon Quest is "nothing special," and the closest thing I know of to a Ghibli film in games. Just a perfect, gentle fairytale of a game.

That said, I can't imagine playing through a whole bunch of them in rapid succession would be fun. I've the impression that these are rather slow-paced games not ideal for speedruns and marathons. Playing them in one sitting is not going to work.
posted by byanyothername at 8:10 PM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]


Yeah, I liked the old DWs and I liked DQ8 but I cannot imagine playing through all of them end to end.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:12 PM on March 2, 2017 [2 favorites]


VIII is by far the best, I rebought it on 3DS which is why I found this stream. The new version is worth replaying for the new characters, they're sort of overpowered but fun.

And it doesnt seem like he's having fun, he's resetting all the time to game the RNG on the NES versions, it's even more tedious than just playing the game regularly. Also I think he's running behind his target time so far.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:19 PM on March 2, 2017


Well he's trying to play through all of them in one sitting, so he needs to glitch / exploit a lot. Which yeah, to me at least seems less fun although some people find that quite enjoyable.

I'd totally play through them all normally again (not in one sitting though, heh) if I had enough time.
posted by thefoxgod at 8:39 PM on March 2, 2017


He said he estimates another 90 hours, and he's only in DQ2, so he's planning on doing this much much faster than a normal playthrough obviously.
posted by thefoxgod at 8:39 PM on March 2, 2017


So far:

DW1: 7 hours 2 min
DW2: 4 hours 49 min

I don't remember how long it took me to beat DW1 on the NES back in 1989 but it was certainly not 7 hours :P
posted by thefoxgod at 9:03 PM on March 2, 2017


Why would anyone attempt this in a single sitting? The last few games were literally multi-day affairs, and best savored over many weeks and months. Surely this guy has to eat, sleep and do other things in his life? This sounds less like a fun tribute to a great game series and more like a cry for help.
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:39 PM on March 2, 2017 [2 favorites]


God, I just clicked play to hear him talking about how he is at least six hours behind, nothing is working, and maybe he should just give up and try again. All the while walking up and down on the same bit of map and running away from monsters. He has good stamina, but he does not seem happy!
posted by fizban at 5:16 AM on March 3, 2017 [1 favorite]


Checked the feed....he's trying to take a 30 minute nap and keep going.

Last night he mentioned he's 36 years old. Well, so am I, and this is basically a nightmare.

I can sort of (rather dimly) understand the interest in speedrunning some games, but not grindy RPGs where the run is really relying on RNG not knowledge and skill.

And even then, there seems to be some confusion about what's being contested: is it about the fastest playthough, period? Or is it is really about watching the gamer try to endure without cracking up?

If it's just about setting playthrough records, then there should be an approved way to keep a game clock and still live like a human being, like other multistage, multiday marathons. People sleep and eat during the Tour de France.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:19 AM on March 3, 2017 [1 favorite]


He has good stamina, but he does not seem happy!
posted by fizban

Maybe toss him a fireball.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:48 AM on March 3, 2017 [2 favorites]


Ok. So. I'm literally hoping he doesn't die.
posted by Horkus at 6:56 AM on March 3, 2017


He's back at it. Lord knows why.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:17 AM on March 3, 2017


If it's just about setting playthrough records, then there should be an approved way to keep a game clock and still live like a human being, like other multistage, multiday marathons. People sleep and eat during the Tour de France.

There is a way to do it like that, of course. And there's really not any sort of record since he's the only one doing it. But when there are multi-game attempts, it's standard convention for them to be RTAs. A 72 hour solo RTA is admittedly kinda nuts. But humans are known for doing things just because nobody has done these things before. So to each their own.

Now, MOST speedrunners don't do these kind of things, except in limited amounts; for example, the semi-annual 602 race (which is a LOT more fun to watch than this is, unfortunately). In the case of something this long it would have been much more sensible (and more entertaining) to do a relay race instead. Relays are reasonably common and are often quite entertaining to watch.
posted by parliboy at 8:07 AM on March 3, 2017 [2 favorites]


I wonder if classical music stations around the US are thinking about licencing video game orchestral music to broaden their reach.

If not, they should. In the meantime, you should check out Super Marcato Bros.
posted by WizardOfDocs at 9:24 AM on March 3, 2017


If it's just about setting playthrough records, then there should be an approved way to keep a game clock and still live like a human being, like other multistage, multiday marathons. People sleep and eat during the Tour de France.

Not to mention that this problem was solved in console games back in the NES days. The whole point of save-games was to divide long games into manageable chunks of play to balance the demands of everyday life with those of the software. Save states and rest periods are a part of the game, and should be treated as such.

It's like if somebody tried to write a 1,000-page novel in MS Word in a single go and didn't even bother with autosave; It's possible to do, but why would you?
posted by Strange Interlude at 10:20 AM on March 3, 2017 [3 favorites]


Even more strange, bc saves aren't being avoided -- it's not a hardcore permadeath playthrough. Resets are used to game the RNG, and to allow risky gambits to skip gating etc.
posted by snuffleupagus at 10:26 AM on March 3, 2017


The whole point of save-games was to divide long games into manageable chunks of play to balance the demands of everyday life with those of the software. Save states and rest periods are a part of the game, and should be treated as such.

It's like if somebody tried to write a 1,000-page novel in MS Word in a single go and didn't even bother with autosave; It's possible to do, but why would you?


I feel the same way but I also feel the same way about those folks that do the ultra/mega/quad marathons. Why not just go eat and have a rest in a hotel/warm bed and come back the next day/week to run the rest of this distance you've arbitrarily ascribed to travel? Like I said, I think he's more than a little bit out there to do/attempt something like this but it's not necessarily more or less crazy than other things humans do for their own reasons.
posted by RolandOfEld at 11:27 AM on March 3, 2017


Well, he's on DQ8 very suddenly. Are 5/6/7 super glitchable?
posted by snuffleupagus at 12:49 PM on March 3, 2017


I think he's doing them out of order for stamina reasons that I don't fully understand:

Dragon Warrior 1 (NES)
Dragon Warrior 2 (NES)
Dragon Warrior 3 (NES)
Dragon Warrior 4 (NES)
Dragon Quest 8 (PS2)
Dragon Quest 9 (DS)
Dragon Quest 5 (DS)
Dragon Quest 6 (DS)
Dragon Warrior 7 (PSX)


The older NES versions are the most glitchable I believe, maybe he wanted to do those first because they require more concentration than the later ones that he has to simply power through? And 7 is apparently his favorite which I really don't understand, because that's the only one I actually hated and would never play again.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:00 PM on March 3, 2017 [1 favorite]


He's on 32 hours now, last time he made it to 67. But he apparently lost a lot of time on 1-3 from his targets.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:03 PM on March 3, 2017


Ugh, grinding metal slimes.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:11 PM on March 3, 2017


RolandOfEld:Yup, watched stream of him playing II for a few moments, enemy encounters every 3 steps because 'screw you player'.

I don't recall how they worked in Dragon Warrior II, but in Final Fantasy I, every time you entered a dungeon or returned to the overworld, there was a new RNG encounter rate created that remained consistent while you were in that dungeon (or maybe on each floor, it's been a while). So if you took three steps and got pulled into a fight, you could just leave and re-enter and spawn a new encounter rate.
posted by dances with hamsters at 7:20 PM on March 3, 2017


It seems like you needed to reset the NES DWs to get a new random seed, but Our Hero was doing that so yeah.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:34 PM on March 3, 2017


He's on the last game, 73.5hrs in
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:32 AM on March 5, 2017


Annnd he's tapping out, 74:13, 2hrs into DQ7. At least he's alive. Go take a nap.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:33 AM on March 5, 2017 [1 favorite]


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