F-ZERO 99 - Winning Knight Cup with the Grey Bumper Method

[@Master_A1]

TIME STAMPS: 0:53 Mute City 3:58 Big Blue 7:10 Sand Ocean 10:45 Death Wind I 13:45 Silence 16:08 Rankings

[@VanStolin]

Hey, I raced against you! You’re very good. Hope to see you on the track again. I’m gonna beat you one day.

[@Master_A1]

Always a pleasure to race you! See you again on the track soon :-)

[@barcster2003]

I think some people dont realize you are supposed to bully as the higher durability machines.

[@Master_A1]

That's certainly true The game is still new. I'm sure that over time more and more people will understand all the ups and dows of the gliders and use them more efficiently. 4 is a good number to not completely overwhelm the player, and luckily the game offers a tips section (and does throw good advice at you in between races)

[@excalibur493]

I just use the Wild Goose to avoid getting bumped around so damn much. Especially on Death Wind where it's crucial to hit the boost pads on the ground.

[@BooBoy456]

I personally like the extra health to utilize boosts vigorously. It's fun to get ahead of a good chunk of the pack at the end of a race

[@kamilslup7743]

not neccesarily high durability, but more so low recovery machines (wild goose and fire stingray) as they kinda need the increase in max energy to utilize those boosts or as i did on my first ever win/attempt at white land 2, stay on the back, save up energy, then move to the front by lap 3 with a super boost and boost in all the right spots to stay ahead

[@yoshigamertv]

@@BooBoy456that’s why I use fox, it recovers really well

[@jamham69]

that silence race was a masterclass. A well deserved victory

[@Altilt]

Oh hey I've seen you in a ton of my races! I've been looking for tips for this game but most videos are from beginners. Good to see you making real content for high level F-Zero 99.

[@Master_A1]

I remember seeing you as well! Glad I could be of help!

[@LCOmusic]

I am surprised by how little the skyway and KO health refills came into play later in the Prix. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on the win!

[@theedwardian]

It seems the Wild Goose really just needs to maximize KOs in the first race, then once the power bar is fully upgraded you can just focus on maintaining acceleration and avoiding collisions.

[@greenbean4422]

You dont use KOs to refill your health, you use them to maximize your healthbar Only player KOs refill health- you just get a nominal amount of boost for a cpu KO because that's how much your bar extends by, but it's barely enough to undo the speed loss you just incurred from taking out a bumper. Get bumper KOs race 1, then win race 2-5 with your superior meter The KOs ONLY MATTERED for the later races

[@d34thby1337]

I love seeing the more frantic parts of the races destroying the video compression

[@MtnSmithy]

Was hunting the Gray Bumpers myself after I saw your videos and it definitely helped - I got 2nd play overall in the Grand Prix. Placement aside, it was just fun having all that extra health to mess around with. Good stuff!

[@CRGuitarr]

You can see I came 10th place in that particular Grand Prix 😅

[@Master_A1]

I keep getting matched with you! Your name stands out with the first letters in Caps, hehe! Good races :)

[@CRGuitarr]

@@Master_A1 good races indeed!

[@xpizzapx]

Very interesting strat, def looking forward to using this in the next prix. Good stuff man

[@xpizzapx]

Update: I did pretty good :-)

[@Master_A1]

Awesome! Glad it was worth it for you!

[@lKrlal]

KOing the grey bumpers has saved me more times than I can count.

[@IanHollis]

Just ONCE I'd like to make it to SILENCE in the Grand Prix. I either go too hard and blow up, or, in trying to take it easy (and not blow up), I rank out. 😕

[@alenshirvanyan473]

Practice the prior maps on time trials to get a good grip on the movement

[@Nintenguin]

Same here. I still haven’t managed to get past Death Wind I because I start in the back and there’s no good way to catch up. And if you miss a boost panel, you’re probably out.

[@xJMFx]

I never tho that in Grand Prix killing grey bumper is cumulative for the extended boost even if the track is different. New meta lol. Congrats for the GP!

[@Retronize84]

I think ill just go for flashing ones, it seems quite risky trying to take one out that's not flashing, especially if it takes 5 hits. That's a huge set back.

[@sipherous6362]

Queen League and King League are gonna be Lit. Curently only Sand Ocean and Silence challenge players with their shap turns. Port Town II and White Land I are decent but they only feature in pro/Mini-Prix

[@Master_A1]

At the end of September we should get the first batch of new courses. Can't wait for more variety in the course selection and everyone starting at 0 basically (with the exception of the players who are already familiar with the tracks from the SNES days)

[@GabzAugustoBR]

Golden Foxes: look what they have to do to mimic a fraction of our power (just kidding) Good strat!! Did not know that the grey NPCs gave you the ko boot bonus aswell!

[@jorgesanchez7676]

Also Golden Fox: Gets hit and explodes because it had used all their energy in the turbo

[@Dr.Khalbut]

Sadly, Mute City (and Big Blue) is where you have to shine to win a GP, because of the point system On Mute City, if you are 40th, you'll get 120 points, 80 behind the first, which is a lot... And in Silence race, there is only 40 points between the first and the last player without the fear to be eliminated by the ranking, so Silence is less important if you nailed the few first races In this video, you've been lucky to don't have one or two players who nailed the first 2 race, which always happens with these 99+victories players, I often see at least one with 396 at the end of the second race (374 in this video) This same player is second at the end of the GP (Alberto) with 4 less points But you're very good of course :D

[@BrianM_3rd]

I watched NL play this game for 10 minutes and now my recommends are full of new sick F Zero tech every day. Never gonna play this game, but I love seeing a competitive meta grow and emerge in real time! It's super interesting :)

[@jorgesanchez7676]

it'd curious if we consider the super heal of the Golden Fox, literally that is insane

[@VegaPhil]

Why are you never gonna play it?

[@BrianM_3rd]

@@VegaPhil Don't have a Switch, amigo.

[@jorgesanchez7676]

@@BrianM_3rd do you speak spanish?

[@Jempai]

Thanks for the tips! I have no clue how to actually win in this game until now!

[@Master_A1]

This strategy is no guaranteed win. But it can improve your performance in a GP

[@jonathonervin7845]

damn, Silence was super clean. Nice Grand Prix

[@Master_A1]

I completely messed that one up 😅

[@elbillys]

There’s a lot of people suffering in Death Wind. Now imagine how they will be when they see Death Wind II XDDDDDD

[@inv_hana]

It's bad. But the skyway spot is better

[@dave9515]

Killing grey bumpers is always useful if you have time. Could make a difference even in a single race since it refills part of your boost gauge aside from extending it. People still aren't taking advantage of the pinball physics in this game yet and today earlier was put in a lobby full of FZero diehards and it was brutal but fun. Everyone was close together aside from first place which was barely ahead and there was so much aggression and pressure. I got Knocked out but it was still fun even losing really early. Also is there a side attack in 99 or no? I noticed strafing into people does send them further then regular bumping but outside of that and spins it feels like there isn't enough aggro mecahnics to get more knockouts but i also kind of suck still so... After trying 99 i tried GX which is why i mention side attacks in 99 cause it feels so weird and a bit bad not being able to side attack. Another peeve is not being able to boost when the skyway bar is filled but aside from that been really loving 99. Started with stingray then went goose for a bit but now go blue falcon after seeing the data on the leaderboard and deciding not to listen to a bunch of people in threads online and realized how fair the balance kind of is for the most part. Blue Falcon and stingray might be the best vehicles in the game though but the gap between vehicles is so small its insane. Never seen an official racer this balanced nor have i seen any other franchise try pinball physics with a racer. Also congrats on winning the GP.

[@WhiplashPuppet]

I've been doing that alot with the goose, strafing left and right into people. Being super aggro is the best way to play the goose imo.

[@hitybuvi7075]

Drive straight into the wall, take your foot off the gas, and put it back on and you’re back up to speed. That’s how you take F-Zero sharp turns.

[@demacy]

The most impressive to me, it's the fact you win with a 26th place on Mute City.

[@andybandy4662]

remember me when you're the best f zero 99 player. tell me when you see me! - andybandy

[@TailsMK4]

I remember racing you last night. Congrats on the 99+ wins! I am just a couple of wins myself from having that too. Kind of hard to keep winning when your first place gets sniped last second or the game decides you are playing pinball with red bumpers. lol

[@ck2399]

I had no idea the meter bonuses transferred from race to race

[@Master_A1]

It's a cool mechanic and opens doors for more strategies

[@swiftyedits4067]

You missed one :P 2:29 Just kidding with you, great race and skills as usual. You’re doing a great service to this community

[@chimericalical]

I raced against you a few times, so I subbed tk your KZbin. If you’re seen YaMomsAHo3, JstnBailey, or XTREEEEEME, online, those were probably me.

[@frost8077]

I started laughing at seeing Amazon and Yahoo, and would've died if someone like Ask Jeeves also showed up.

[@Master_A1]

Ahahaha! I laughed when I saw them so close to each other in the rankings after the race :D

[@colinmcnally4743]

The music still slaps in this game.

[@Master_A1]

Absolutely! F-ZERO games have great OSTs

[@HyruleHeroHan]

What an interesting method. I want to say I'll try doing this every time I do a Grand Prix, but I know I'll do something wrong and then forget how to do it the next day. Doesn't help that I play the game safer than I probably should 🤷‍♂

[@sehrgrossesglied5000]

Amazing drive , especially last Track lap 1 was auch a good line

[@tdogable]

So getting KO’s increases your power for the whole Cup???

[@LCOmusic]

This is correct. I think the game’s tips section explains that you can bank up to three KO’s and they carry forward to subsequent races in the same cup. I might have the maximum number wrong but that’s the general idea

[@tdogable]

@@LCOmusic that’s very good info to know. I was confused how he went from like 35th place to winning the cup. But it looks like he was holding back, stacking up KO’s for the subsequent races.

[@Master_A1]

The Tips section shows a picture with 3 KOs, though that's not the maximum amount of KOs needed for the gauge to hit it's limit. I think it's actually 5. You are not alone though. I see many people on the internet who think that it's only 3 because of that picture.

[@danielclark4880]

Actually, you can get up to 7!! The meter stops extending after that. 👍😊

[@kennycarter5682]

At 13:50 you can see a touch of purple at the end if the energy bar if you look closely Wish there were a lot more KOs ..

[@NykoMK]

Hey I remember you from the mario kart ds era. See you on fzero then :)

[@Master_A1]

Holy crap! It's been a while 😮 I see soooo many familiar face in this game, it's wild! I remember how we had intense battles back then! Wow, how time flies!

[@ElWeebDelBarri]

I love to see this. I wish you both luck in your fierce battle while i'm watching you from behind at 10th place haha

[@vitormoraes8320]

havent been able to reliably kill the bumpers. Starting to worry about how feasible it is to go after them without compromising the race

[@carmillawoo6505]

very well played but also you got so lucky. All my GPS have 2 or 3 people winning every race never dropping more than 2 places all GP long. I've finished a GP with 974 points before and still not won it. Yet you drop 50 points in the first race and are somehow still just 2 points away from winning in the end. Wish I had the easy lobbies for a change.

[@Master_A1]

This video was meant as a follow-up to my previous one. But instead of going into details like I did last time, I wanted to show that method in action. Given that I made many driving mistakes, I think this strategy is very much viable, even among Top Players. I'm also aware that (at least at the moment) the Golden Fox Meta is pretty broken. Though with a maxed out Power Meter there might be chance to catch up.

[@alenshirvanyan473]

Ya no offense but you seem a little condescending, you’re downplaying A1’s skill and strategy The first race being lower was on purpose as the goal was to build up power meter and outlast the competition

[@crookycumbles]

The cope is strong with this one.

[@TailsMK4]

I think one way to improve my own playing is to maybe hunt KOs in the first race and maybe second race since most of the time I am hanging back anyway looking for Super Boosts. I will say I did have one Grand Prix that I did not make the medal standings all because of a similar first track finish like what you had, even though I did well on the other tracks (including my first ever first place finish at Silence!). It gets tricky when you start playing with people from the leaderboard (I am not high up just because I do not play often, having two part-time jobs ensures that) and just the overall player base being just a little better overtime. I think I have seen you once, do not remember when or how the race ended, but we may start seeing each other more often since I am probably at the edge of transitioning into a "legendary" player myself. I just have to figure out how to stop crashing out so often (ESPECIALLY at the end of Mute City I), and having a higher energy bar is a good start. lol

[@Hoozenfrazen]

Is that Alberto from Mario Kart fame?

[@Master_A1]

I can't say for sure, but it's is definitely possible! Alberto is a great F-ZERO 99 player and I see him often in lobbies

[@austinfreeman8006]

Hope to run into you soon - Solid

[@Master_A1]

Me too!

[@redcobra9588]

i hate that final stage, it simple, short but has many sharp L turn that hard to avoid damage. lol

[@Eldoofus]

That's a slightly smaller problem for the more durable builds, but challenging all the same.

[@lethallohn]

Anyone know why capture cards are flickering while recording this game? I have the same issue and it's on other videos as well.

[@jorgesanchez7676]

maybe to much things moving and crashing

[@sipherous6362]

Has to do with the FPS of the game engine. Its old game so it runs on a very wonky FPS setting which results in the capture card getting tearing in the frame causing the glitch.

[@lethallohn]

@@sipherous6362 Thanks

[@Master_A1]

I had it running via OBS, so maybe it would work better directly from the Elgato. But one thing is for sure, there's too much information on the screen to process, and it can cause those flickers. The less racers on the screen, the better it looks Good to hear though that it's not just me

[@alexanderbateman5581]

@@Master_A1 just seeing this now, if you have it running via OBS, go to File > Settings > Output > Video Bitrate and change the video bitrate to a higher number. This will result in much larger file size but you will solve both the frame drop and resolution problems. I put mine at 2400 kbps, you might need more. Keep in mind, this actually really means 2400kbps, a 15 minute video like this will be multiple gigabytes of space. Make sure "Recording Quality" is set to "same as stream".

[@Moss_Dude]

How good do you think this would be on Fire Stingray?

[@yackaquacker7992]

why did you not kill more cars latter in the race? is there a limit now much energy you can gain?

[@ethanhinton4549]

You can get up to 5 increases, but you can still get your power refilled by later kills with spin. Edit: fixed an error. The game implies 3 with the tip screen, but its actually 5.

[@jorgesanchez7676]

yeah, specially if you kill another player

[@Master_A1]

Actually it's 5 increases. The game shows a confusing image of 3 KOs in the tips section. Yep, once you reach the limit, there's no need to increase it further.

[@ethanhinton4549]

@@Master_A1 thanks for the correction

[@charlescirio]

To slow down in certain bends, do you use the brake in addition to the skid? (I need to improve for those silent tight turns)

[@MannyDelara1]

i use breaks for sharper turns but if you just stop accelerating you get better traction without slowing down too much

[@VegaPhil]

There’s a brake button!? Never use it

[@AdmaniaYT]

@@VegaPhilit’s the y button I didn’t know about this until yesterday 💀

[@Master_A1]

For the Wild Goose, it's work quite well to let go of the gas and steer with the shoulder buttons. The Fire Stingray is a little more tricky regarding that specific turn on Silence. I personally do use the break for that one, since it's a bit too fast otherwise

[@LikesWafflez]

Your skill is amazing.

[@catwaluigi4756]

Mighty fine bagging strats. It is the Nintendo racing game way.

[@nguboi25]

Im dreading death wind 2 on king league😅. But cant wait for red canyon 1 and 2

[@FcoMp]

I've learned so much watching these races, basically how important is to avoid collision with the approaching enemies also how its also important to not be afraid to take damage to get advantage. but whats that about Grey Bumper? i didnt get it.

[@daletrefelnerii4001]

Killing grey bumpers increases your energy gage capacity

[@dave9515]

Grey bumper refills a bit of your boost gauge and extends its size.

[@VegaPhil]

In case you don’t know what a bumper is they are the grey ships that get in your way which are CPU controlled. He KO’d them in the first race to increase the energy meter which allows for more boosting. The meter then stays larger for the rest of the Grand Prix

[@danielpayne1597]

Is there a limit to how many times KOs increase your meter?

[@Master_A1]

5 times is the limit afaik

[@andybandy4662]

i have a question. in your opinion, do you think the golden fox is any good?

[@ElWeebDelBarri]

It's the best one but only in the hands of elite players, 'cause you need to constantly use your boost to stay in first place (best boost, worst maximum speed), draining your health and exploding if u mess up and fall again into the group.

[@andybandy4662]

@@ElWeebDelBarriyeah. i have 99+ wins with it. if you memorize where to boost, it's very good.

[@espyjump2725]

Lol didnt realize you could get a boost from killing the bots

[@DaveFallows]

Wow. These were the days when you could reach the podium with less than 960pts...

[@Master_A1]

I know, right? :D

[@wyattw5510]

how you resist magnet line on left or roght？ you go through magnet line very well

[@Master_A1]

I use L and R to strafe away from the magnets. It also helps to angle your machine to avoid being pulled hard by the magnets.

[@bossmast3rboom929]

12:48 sneaky

[@cochi2221]

1:35 How do you do such tight turns without losing too much speed? I haven't been able to figure it out :(

[@Master_A1]

You press the button for gas repeatedly and hold one of the shoulder buttons (R for turns to the right and L for turns to the left)

[@auto8709]

Master a1 Congratulations on the winning the tournament! Except for the 1st race was 26th place?

[@orb3796]

Look in the video description. His strategy was to destroy the grey cars in the first race to increase his health bar. He placed lower in the first race, but the increased health he got earned him very good races later on.

[@Master_A1]

Hi auto! Nice to see you interested in F-Zero! orb3796 explained it well. I sacrificed a Top placement in the first Race in favor for the extended Power Meter from destroying Grey Bumpers. That's the whole idea behind this method, and I think it works rather well

[@Dionysos_____Alters]

Man I wanna race against you at least once. Mal schauen, wer dann gewinnt😊

[@Master_A1]

Wir sind uns bei der kleinen Community bestimmt über den Weg gelaufen :P

[@jacobfoster1382]

there were two races in the mirror queen league that I almost won with this strat

[@Master_A1]

It can really make a difference to be backed up by extended health!

[@charliecool17]

I kneel...

[@tdogable]

Very interesting strategy. Would not work very well in single races, though.

[@jorgesanchez7676]

yeah, bur if you kill players instead of gray cars, could be more effective in single races

[@Master_A1]

That's why I featured it for the GP. There's enough races so you can profit from it, as long as you manage to not place too low in Race 1 and do well going further into the Cup. I have done this method over and over again ever since, and I can definitely confirm that it works like a charm

[@jorgesanchez7676]

@Master_A1 I have two questions: How many times can you upgrade the energy bar? And do you have any tip to how kill the Grey bumpers easier?

[@tdogable]

@@Master_A1 how come you specifically target the greys and not players? I assume they’re a lot faster to take out. I’ve been trying out boosting and spinning into players whose cars are smoking when they’re in front of me. It’s risky, but it’s worked a few times.

[@Filtersloth]

Do you have any technique tips for cornering?

[@CokeyCoke]

13:59 did you just bash that guy over the edge? The player count goes from 20 to 19 😂

[@BeretBay]

lol could've, but I think it was the lag. He might've just gone over the edge himself.

[@yackaquacker7992]

Also, are you studying german, I want learn it one day after I learn the languages I am currently learning.

[@Master_A1]

I am german and was born and raised here :-) What languages are you learning if I may ask?

[@laggianput]

I think your capture card is about to explode

[@Master_A1]

Hahaha You have to outrun the low Bitrate and better stay in the single digit rankings to avoid the Capture Card Monster 😂

[@trogdortamer48]

13:09

[@ddms06]

500

[@ZGOBRU]

german is such a scuffed language

[@Master_A1]

How is it scuffed?

[@georgejungle138]

Why isn’t the game in a normal language

[@inv_hana]

He german

[@leon4000]

Survive this League, finishing at 7th place. Funny thing is, I played the original F-zero game and finished every race in Knight League in 1st, every time. On the silence course especially. Once I got to Silence, all the practice seemingly didn't translate well.

[@Master_A1]

Last time I played it was a long time ago. Does the track feel different? Or is it the pressure since you now have human players trying everything to get first and making the narrow spaces harder to take?

[@leon4000]

@@Master_A1 Human Players, especially. Trying to overtake other players can make me reckless, and as a consequence if I mess up badly, I bounce around the track. At least I wasn't way back there on my last run. Because my previous run ended in my ranking out of the League, by not being in a safe position.

[@Master_A1]

@@leon4000 We all go through that situation at some point. I recommend to play it safe in your situation, unless you are 100% sure that both your Power Meter and your driving skills allow for a more aggressive approach. You will get better over time naturally and the more often you face the same situation, the less stressful it gets.

[@jjstarrprod]

@@Master_A1 I saw a side by side comparison with F-Zero and F-Zero 99 and it would seem that in general, 99's tracks are quite a fair bit wider, most likely to be able to accomodate 99 cars. When you run empty, it might look airy and lot of empty space, but goddamn, when you have 99 folks in there, it gets crammed real fast and it's super easy to bump left and right and back and forth and up and down. That's the number one difference between OG and 99, the human rat race. In these conditions, forget about doing a clean race where it's just about memorizing the track and do some clean turns, this is not what 99 is about.