My interview with Spootybiscuit

For my second interview on this blog I had the absolute pleasure of getting in touch with Spootybiscuit, the current Cadence any% world record holder and the first person to complete Coda, Coda low% and All characters low%. To put it in easier terms, if you are a part of the Necrodancer community and haven't heard of him and his massive feats in the game, you have been living under a rock.

1. Who are you and what are you known for?

I’m SpootyBiscuit, a Twitch streamer mostly known for Crypt of the NecroDancer speed and challenge runs.

2. How did you get started with speedrunning and steaming?

Like many others, the Games Done Quick marathons were a big inspiration for me. Ultimately I got started with speedrunning when I realized that there weren’t really any substantial speedruns for a number of games, both ones that I was into at the time (Ys Origin, Marisa and Alice’s Trap Tower) and ones from my childhood (the Descent series). Thus I started streaming. Things were pretty rough back then because I was forced to stream at about 300 kbps, but I got by.

3. How did you get started with necrodancer and thus, necrodancer racing?

Mudjoe2 got me into the game in the first place. When I heard about CoNDOR and the fact that they were having their first-ever lower division tournament (CoNDUIT), I decided to take the plunge and sign up. I got pretty excited when I found out I was officially on the bracket and practiced a ton, so I probably ended up being above CoNDUIT level by the time the tournament actually happened. Oops.

4. What made you become so good at the game?

An extensive rhythm gaming background (not to mention 8 years of marching band) certainly helped. Since complex patterns and 16th rhythms are commonplace in any rhythm game at a mid-to-high level, I already came into the game more than equipped to handle tapping constant quarter notes. With that aspect of the game already being pre-learned for me, I was able to focus exclusively on learning proper item usage and handling intricate combat situations. But all that really only applies to when I was first starting out the game at a CoNDUIT level. Everything after that is practice, practice, practice. Watching and talking with other high level players helps as well.

5. What are your biggest achievements in life, gaming and speedrunning?

Tying all these together, I’m extremely proud to have been a part of the Games Done Quick marathon lineup for four times now (including the run of Descent II I’ll be doing for AGDQ 2017 in about a week). Being able to be a part of such a massive charitable cause is abso-lute-ly fantastic.

6. What are the hardest parts about playing coda?

Nothing kills me more often in Coda runs than myself. Hesitation, underconfidence, panic, or an outright lack of focus - nearly all my deaths are more or less self-inflicted. There’s no room for second-guessing your own decisions - doing so will usually result in a missed beat as you try to re-evaluate your options at the last second. If you want to play Coda, you have to play her confidently with conviction.

To put it in more direct gameplay terms, avoiding missed beat deaths is the hardest part of Coda

7. You have taken part in a lot of necrodancer tournaments. Which have been your favourites?

The Coda tournament, obviously! But I’m assuming you want one I actually participated in rather than ran. In that case, despite the fact that I only *sort of* consider it a proper tournament, I probably have to go with Puzzdor 2. It really felt like more of an art show than a tournament, and I mean that in the best possible way. Seeing so many creative applications of game mechanics from such a wide variety of participants is really inspiring.

8. What tips would you give to newer players of the game?

Echoing my earlier points, it’s mainly about putting in the practice time. If the rhythm aspect is tough to keep up with, try playing some other rhythm games to help solidify your beat-sense. Even if you don’t have any other rhythm games or aren’t interested in them, something as simple as tapping your toe in time to music in your room can help. Other than that, simply talking to members of the community can help you identify problems in your gameplay. We have a very welcoming, supportive community that’s eager to help out newcomers, so don’t be afraid to ask!

9. As a speedrunner, you are not just a necrodancer runner. What made you branch out, and how did you choose the games? Speed-game selection is simply a matter of picking out the games you love the most. After all, speedrunning a game entails playing the first 5 minutes of it hundreds of times, so you better make certain it’s one you really enjoy! I’ve never first played a game with the intent to speedrun it - that always comes after at least one playthrough.

10. You have run games in AGDQ’s, including a coda clear in the marathon. How would you compare the strain on nerves to playing in tournaments?

Hard to say. Both scenarios are incredibly stressful, but for entirely different reasons. GDQ has the pressure of a ridiculous audience size, but CoNDOR events bring a competitive edge and drive to win onto the field. Ultimately, I think I feel the most stressed during the final brackets of larger tournament seasons. The pressure really starts to build up after several weeks of constant matches.

11. You were the first person to get all of the achievements in this game. How would you describe the feeling after “completing” the game? Euphoric. Nothing is more satisfying to me than conquering over-the-top challenges after hours of hard work and practice. The feeling of overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles is what keeps me interested in Crypt of the NecroDancer, and is also what led me to go above and beyond the “official” definition of completion by completing Coda Low% - something deemed so undoable that there isn’t even an in-game achievement for it. Anyone who was there for it saw how I practically broke down sobbing at the end.

12. You are the current Cadence any% wr holder, but have said many times, that you are not happy with the wr run. Why?

As a sharp contrast to the previous question, the Cadence world record was something I was not even really training for, and it didn’t really happen as a result of particularly strong play on my part. When I had a Glass Cat, Glass Torch, Glass Shovel, Miner’s Cap, Ring of Mana, Freeze Spell, and Shield Spell by the end of zone 2, the game practically played itself. I think many other players would have gotten world record with the same seed as well, some of them probably even with better times than mine. It was a world record run that showcased the strength of these items (particularly the Mana/Freeze/Shield combo) more than it did my own skill at the game, making it much less satisfying.

13. What is your favourite character to play as in necrodancer?

Is this even a question? Coda! I enjoy myself the most with extreme challenges, and nothing else even comes close.

14. What are you looking forward to in the future, both in necrodancer, gaming and streaming as a whole?

I’m definitely looking forward to the NecroDancer:Amplified DLC and all the new challenges that will come with it! Other than that, I hope to continue to build up the community (of all sizes - my personal stream community, the CoNDOR community, and the speedrunning community at large) and to participate in more charity events. Use my powers for good, as they say!

15. Who in the necrodancer community would you like to meet (who you haven’t met before) and why?

Tough question. I already met a lot of them at this past SGDQ. It also depends a bit on who you consider “community”. If you’re only counting CoNDOR racers, it’s a bit off a toss-up. I guess I’ll have to go with Staekk - if only because I really want to give him a real life HeyGuys. But if you extend it beyond that, Ryan Clark himself has always been very much in touch with the community, and his openness to feedback is one of the many things that has led to the game being as great as it is. Alternatively, Danny Baranowsky and A_Rival themselves are also on the CoNDOR Discord server, so I’d say they count as community as well. There really are too many amazing people in the community for me to choose one!

#Interview