The SNES version is a better port of Original Prince of Persia released for the Apple II. This game is one of my favorites! The SNES port was developed by Arsys Software and published by Masaya (in Japan) and Konami (USA/Europe).
Game Objectives
- Emulator used: Bizhawk 1.11.7
- Aims for in-game time instead of real time
- Takes damage to save time
- Abuses programing errors
About this run
The actual run of this game isn't obsoleted for 11 years until now! This new TAS, due of more accurate emulation of Bizhawk, it's very hard to say how much time has been improved in terms of comparable gameplay improvements, because lag is much harder to notable. I estimate that the real improved time it was 49 seconds if count only gameplay improvements.
This TAS is 33.22 seconds faster (33:28:43) outright due emulation differences, but is 30.44 seconds faster (33:31:21) because this input ends 167 frames later to improve 3 in-game seconds of final level.
This run was done 100% by me. Odongdong isn't involved in this TAS, but his WIP contributed to me, and for The First 500 project. So I credited as a co-author for his contribuition.
My main motivation of this TAS it was when I found a improved run (by mintlody) on NicoNico's website. This run includes almost all improvements that I used in this TAS, including this pause abuse. But my TAS, I use pause extensively, to improves all stages on in-game time, creating a new (almost) type of TAS for this game!
General notes:
- In each level, pausing this game (using select button) on cutscenes (Stage clear, mirror path of Stage 5, Bosses of Stage 9, 16 & 18), stop 3-4 in-game seconds, but on Jaffar's appearances of Stage 15 and 19, it's possible to stop more in-game seconds!
- With pause, it's possible to save 1-4 frames, depending of a determined frame in which to unpause and depending of some stages.
Stage-by-Stage Comments:
Notice: Due of emulation differences, I failed to calculate the improved frames on each stage (expect Stage 1 and 20).
- Level 1 - Little optimization on the second room.
- Level 2 - Different (and faster) route on the middle of this stage.
- Level 3 - Little new optimizations.
- Level 4 - Little slowdown reduction, improved all guards skip.
- Level 5 - Little new optimizations, new strategy on mirror path without losing speed.
- Level 6 - Litte boss optimization.
- Level 7 - Little optimization on potion's room.
- Level 8 - Different strategy to open exit.
- Level 9 - Boss optimization.
- Level 10 - Improved almost all skeletons new skip.
- Level 11 - Improved guard and a difficulty pattern (or RNG) of flames trap.
- Level 12 - Yellow skeleton boss optimized.
- Level 13 - 4 frames is sacrified on start to manipulate the first guard, because of pause used during a stage clear of previous stage, I lacked that RNG manipulation. Fortunately, I recovered the same pattern used on published run.
- Level 14 - New way to skip the second guard without reenconter again. For same reason of Stage 13, I sacrified 4 frames again to manipulate the third guard, but to my surprise, I saved more frames than published run on this guard due of a different RNG, allowing me to defeat this guard with a simple sword attack. Other improvement is a way to active exit door switch without opening the gate that leads to that exit switch, saving a lot of time!
- Level 15 - New optimizations, including the 2nd guard on both encounters.
- Level 16 - New guard skip and a faster strategy to drink the potion of warp (ducking is faster than stopping movement)
- Level 17 - Boss Skip! To work this glitch, it's necessary to get hit with only one energy and on a correct position. Dying makes Prince to reach the exit with a sufficient distance. A lot of time saved!
- Level 18 - More optimized boss and a new last guard skip.
- Level 19 - Better optimizations. During this battle of that unavoidable guard on Level 19 (The first of 5 bosses of Throne Room), for the same reason of using pause of stage 12 (but I used more extensively time), I lacked that RNG manipulation, forcing me to defeat this guard using a different sword attack, losing some frames.
- Stage 20 - Saved 2 frames using a pause during Jaffar's appearance before the final battle.
After finishing the credits, it's possible to return to menu. In menu, It you go to Best Time, it's possible to see each in-game time of this stages,
including of Level 20!
In-game stages
SprintGod's old snes9x TAS Challenger's new Bizhawk TAS
Possible improvements
- During of midlle of this project and this game, I noted 2 mistakes on Level 2 (lost 12 frames totally), 2 mistakes on level 3 (lost 5-6 frames totally), and 1 frame lost on the last room of Stage 4. I tried to fix editing my TAS, but failed due of bad pattern of flames on Level 11.
Special Thanks
- SprintGod, for the published TAS.
- Odongdong, for his WIP of first 7 levels.
- Mintlody, for that improved run on NicoNico. This run helped me a lot! Almost all improvements I used, including that new skips!
- Alyosha, for the First 500 project. This game hasn't been improved since 2005, until now!
Another 2005 run to be obsoleted! Now only 10 (2005) runs left to be obsoleted! And left 13 runs of The First 500 to be obsoleted!
Masterjun: Judging.
Masterjun: This movie has a lot of neat little improvements, however, this doesn't make this run much more entertaining. Accepting as an improvement to the previous run into the Vault.
Spikestuff: Publishing!