Posts for GabCM

GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
Hi there, First of all, I was Mister Epic back when I was a publisher, and I had a name change not so long ago. However, I thought I would be back with an actual Magnetica TAS. The thing is that I have other projects to work on, and I don't have time to touch that TAS project again. The goal was to use LUA to create a tool-assisted playaround that read some memory addresses so the TASer could literally decide every marble color that came into the canon! Sure, it's as long as it doesn't break the boundaries of what the game lets the TASer use. I'm pretty sure this idea alone can make a TAS that is a contender for the "luckiest TAS of the year" award. I would like to see such a TAS happen, and sadly, as I said, I won't have the time to do it. That's why I've shared everything relevant I could find about the game, so anyone else can take them and actually come up with a TAS! First of all, I will explain the game basics. I found some screenshots to give you an idea of how the game looks like. The game functions a lot like the PopCap game called Zuma. The goal is to flick your stylus from the canon to anywhere else so you can launch marbles to a lane filled with other marbles. If you can match at least three marbles that way, they destroy, and you score some points. If there's a gap in a lane, it might go through two different ways. If the gap is surrounded by two marbles which colors are different, nothing will happen. However, if those marbles have the same color, they will attract together and possibly break, which can create chain combos, and more points! Alright, that were the basics of Magnetica. I will now explain the trick behind luck manipulation, without any tool-assisted shenanigans. You probably have guessed that when you shoot a marble from the canon, a random one spawns right in the queue. If you shoot the marble and then tap the canon while the marble is being shot, you can notice the marble in the canon will rumble. That's not even the weirdest part, and I'll get to it right now. If you do that, not only the marble will rumble, but... a new random marble appears! That's right, if you do the same exact shooting, but tap in the canon in-between the shooting and the spawning, you get different marbles! It also depends on the frame on which you tap the canon! So yeah, that's where I got the idea of making a tool-assisted playaround that exploited that part of the game's code, so I could decide everything about the canon's queue. I went pretty far in LUA scripting. Like, I was at the point of making macros to make TASing easier. I've already found almost all, if not all, relevant memory addresses. Here they are. Data Type : Signed Data Size : 4 bytes 0224389C (35928220) = Marble 1's color 022438A0 (35928224) = Marble 2's color These two are the most important. However, they can be tricky as well, since sometimes, they swap! You will have to manage that in your LUA script. Here are the values taken by these addresses. 0 = Red 1 = Blue 2 = Green 3 = Yellow 4 = Light Blue 5 = Purple 6 = White 7 = Black 10 = Detonator (special marble that eliminates all other marbles of a specific color) I have also found some more addresses that can be useful. 022438F0 (35928304) = Amount of marbles that were spawned in the canon 0223AE50 (35892816) = Total frames since the canon was unlocked at game start The first one can help you find out when a new marble has been spawned. The second one can tell you when the game actually started. The following addresses aren't important to achieve this TAS, but can be used for display convenience. Say, you want to only see the bottom screen, without missing some information, you can do that as well. 0223AE08 (35892744) = Score 0223AE18 (35892760) = Level 0223AE20 (35892768) = Max Chain So yeah, that's pretty much what I found. Reading those memory addresses can help you create the TAS I wanted to make! Also, here's the LUA script I was working on. It's incomplete and messy (it was also my first time with LUA), but maybe you can find some cool stuff for your TAS in it. http://pastebin.com/Xx9H50jT So yeah, that's pretty much it. I hope some of you guys can create an awesome Magnetica TAS with that information!
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
Mister Epic is back as GabCM. I'd like to apply again to be a publisher. I think I'll have to encode some stuff first.
Post subject: I'm leaving the staff.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
Hello TASVideos staff. I'm bringing you some bad news today. I'm leaving the staff. Why? First of all, I lost interest in tool-assisted speedruns. I've noticed that I've stopped watching them. I seldom comment on new submissions. Lastly, and most importantly, encoding as some kind of online business feels like a chore for me now. I've lost interest in encoding for this site. At the beginning, I was enthusiast, and probably addicted, for encoding. But now, I just don't want to. The time I've spent on this website has learned me a lot of things about audiovisual encoding. The knowledge I've acquired will be useful for future projects, or for other things. I've deleted my homepage, and I've removed my Google account from the YouTube channel xMisterEpicx, where I've uploaded my encodes. My channel will still exist, thought. It just won't be updated anymore. Same thing related to my Dailymotion, NicoVideo and Archive.org accounts. I've enjoyed being a part of this staff. Thank you for accepting me as a Publisher and a Site code intern. Now, feel free to remove these titles from me. Goodbye.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
No problem. Post your YouTube link once you're done and I'll publish it.
GabCM
He/Him
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
mkdasher wrote:
Okay. Actually I started to upload already since it takes about 2 days for me to upload a 2GB file to youtube, so I want to know if I should cancel it and wait for yours or letting it being finished and see if it's good. (My video is HD like TLG planned to do)
Does your encode have an encoding logo (the intro that says "The home page for this tool-assisted speedrun is HTTP://TASVIDEOS.ORG") and information subtitles during gameplay? If so, then go for it. If not, then you should either make them, or leave it to me.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
mkdasher wrote:
Since ALAKTORN and me haven't received any news from a HD encoding yet, I want to ask if I could try doing it myself. If things go right, I will be able to finish the youtube upload tomorrow. If there isn't any incovenience, I will leave the Youtube link as unclassified, and I'd like to know people's opinion about the encode, so that if it is good, it could end up being the movie for the publication, and I'd be giving the file to ALAKTORN as well.
I've contacted TLG, and looks like I'll do the YT encode.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
ALAKTORN wrote:
Mister Epic wrote:
You can keep that unlisted upload up until MKDasher and ALAKTORN upload ToonLinkGaming's official YouTube encode.
we haven’t received anything yet…
I'll contact him. I thought he has finished with the encode.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
ALAKTORN wrote:
I think one of the glitches would look better
Like these?
GabCM
He/Him
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
Dada wrote:
Say what you want about Apple, but I'll remember Steve Jobs as the person who, with the Macintosh, caused a paradigm shift in the world of personal computing. He was the first to realize that computers should be built with regular users in mind rather than people with a degree in computer science. He worked all his life to make personal computers more accessible. He wasn't a saint, nor is the company he leaves behind exemplary in every aspect. But his contribution to the world of personal computers is nothing to underestimate.
I prefer Windows and Android. But I agree with all of this.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
cwilliams wrote:
Scoured this thread for a Youtube link and could not find one. If I read your earlier comments correctly Mister Epic then posting your encode to Youtube is OK. Posted as Unlisted for others like me looking to watch the submission, will remove if anyone has a problem with that.
You can keep that unlisted upload up until MKDasher and ALAKTORN upload ToonLinkGaming's official YouTube encode.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
New standard encodes, from the latest improvement, are now available! Stream Download - Alternate link (132 MB) EDIT: I made the Stream's player a bit bigger, so it becomes easier to seek.
Post subject: Steve Jobs is dead
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/ Steve Jobs, Apple's ex-CEO, is now dead. Rest in peace.
GabCM
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Experienced Forum User
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
Noob Irdoh wrote:
I can't get this encode to work, all I see is the logo and then everything is grey, and Media Player Classic crashes eventually. I'll wait for the Youtube encode to appear.
It works perfectly with my VLC (1.1.9) and my Media Player Classic (1.5.0.2827). I don't know if something's wrong with my encode or with your stuff. At least, the YT stream is coming.
Post subject: Standard encode is... down, and coming back soon.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
Standard encode is up! Stream Download - Alternate link (134 MB) The YouTube stream is coming soon from mkdasher and/or ALAKTORN. Also, I love the new glitches you've introduced to Super Mario 64 with this DS remake. This gets a Yes vote from me.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
ALAKTORN wrote:
@Mister Epic: thanks for the encodes :) but instead of privately sending them to us, I just thought that posting the link here would be more helpful for people that have been waiting the encode
I will privately send the YouTube encode to you. The standard encode will be posted here first, and then you can post the YouTube link you'll make.
ToonLinkGaming wrote:
I'd rather see it in HD. :-)
It's not in HD for two reasons. First of all, I don't encode 3D games in HD unless it's from Mupen64 (N64), since it can upscale 3D graphics. I mean, I find the point-resized zoomed screen in my YT encode to be barely passable (Bicubic and Lanczos taps 2 look worse in this case). The most I will scale 3D games like this is twice as big as the original. Second, my YT encode is about 1.90 GB already, since it's not an (S)NES game, but a colorful 3D DS game.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
ToonLinkGaming wrote:
Could I encode this if no-one else will?
My encodes are done already. I just need to upload them.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
I'll come up with encodes. Also, mkdasher, ALAKTORN, I'll send your YouTube encodes to you once I'm done.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
CoolKirby wrote:
OK, well I guess it doesn't need HD. Nice encode, Mister Epic!
Thanks. I usually don't do 3D games in HD unless it's from Mupen64, since this emulator can upscale 3D graphics. Also, that YouTube encode weighted a bit more than 2 GB, which took me the night to upload. That's quite a lot for a lossless, 512x384 and 20 minutes encode. An HD encode would be too much for me in this case. I thought I would've published your movie today, but it would be done tomorrow, since my standard encode is too big. I'll make a smaller one tonight.
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
sgrunt wrote:
Are you thinking of subtitles for the logo itself, or something else? If it's just for the logo and won't be changing, you could use an image editor to produce a still frame of the relevant anti-aliased text and Overlay() it on top of your logo.
These subs are only for the logo. Also, I've tried Overlay on some transparent picture, and it adds black around it. I don't want this. So, I've just taken a second look at the Overlay function. Looks like the Mask parameter would do it.
Post subject: No anti-aliasing for subtitles?
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
I'm working on a new animated encoding logo, based on the beginning of a level in Mega Man 2. It's all being made in AviSynth. It's supposed to be NES-style. That means I'm using an old-school arcade font. However, when I use the Subtitle function, it's anti-aliased, and it ruins my goal. Is there a parameter or another function to keep my text sharp, without any smoothing? Sorry if my question is stupid. :P
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
DarkMoon wrote:
Mister Epic wrote:
I'm an anti-MLP, and the way I practice my anti-MLPness is to do nothing, and to hope that this fad dies or gets considerably reduced after Season 2. Because every fad has an end.
You kind of contradicted yourself by posting here.
This is my last post here. See ya!
GabCM
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Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
Vykan12 wrote:
What's even scarier is that this MLP phenomenon isn't limited to TASvideos.
For me, what's even scarier is that this MLP phenomenon has touched TASVideos. I've seen such a thread in a forum dedicated to the Nintendo 3DS, and everywhere on the net. I thought TASVideos wouldn't have such a thing, until Ferret Warlord submitted that movie. But yeah, it's happening. Anyway. Vykan12, let me explain some stuff to you. This show was made with young children and their parents in mind. Y'know, parents have to watch kids show with their children. They made this show so that parents don't get bored by watching MLP. You are seeing the results of such a mentality. Bronies. Male teens and adults liking this show. Lauren Faust, the show's producer, is even embracing them, by being in touch with them, and by bringing some of their MLP memes in the actual show! For example, Derpy Hooves was a meme made by some brony who noticed an animation error in its eyes. The producer made Derpy Hooves an actual character in the show! Y'know, it's a crazy story. My sources for these informations are Know Your Meme and some bronies. I'm an anti-MLP, and the way I practice my anti-MLPness is to do nothing, and to hope that this fad dies or gets considerably reduced after Season 2. Because every fad has an end.
GabCM
He/Him
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
GabCM
He/Him
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
This TAS is full of win. Yes vote!
GabCM
He/Him
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
Mr. Kelly R. Flewin wrote:
The tricky part is.. unless they come out and say they never watched it DUE to those reasons, you can't really say that they broke the rules as there's no proof they didn't. Just skepticism.
If I remember correctly, admins (and probably mods, I don't know) can see who voted what.