Submission #6458: ninespaces's NES Solomon's Key in 11:31.68

Solomon's Key (U) NES any%

This is my first TAS. I was inspired by a couple of speedrunners of the game, and decided to dive in and finally learn. I also drew ideas and strategies from agwawaf's TAS, and from bisqwit and ktwo. Below are notes of interest and frame counts for each room. (From a room's first available input to when Dana's sprite disappears.)

Frame count: 329 to 827 = 498

Frame count: 1542 to 2009 = 467

Frame count: 2723 to 4060 = 1337

Frame count: 4759 to 5157 = 398

Uses frame-perfect vertical jumping to save time. Frame count: 5872 to 6273 = 401

Uses the super fireball to save time. Frame count: 6989 to 8076 = 1087

Uses a combination of agwawaf's strategy (before key) and metroidmcfly's speedrun strategy (after key). Gets the warp feather to skip ahead to room 13. Frame count: 8779 to 9802 = 1023

Uses frame-perfect vertical climbing, a well-timed fireball, a "natural staircase," and an hourglass to save time. Frame count: 10507 to 11789 = 1282

Frame count: 12444 to 13366 = 922

Gets the warp feather to skip ahead to room 21. Frame count: 14072 to 15237 = 1165

Frame count: 15940 to 16515 = 575

Tight timing here on jumps and movements. Thanks to ktwo for an additional 20 frame time save. Frame count: 17226 to 17974 = 748

First use of a glitch I discovered. If you're standing on the right edge of a block, face left and create a block, you'll create a block on the block you're standing on. Ordinarily, the game will push you off the block afterwards and you'll begin falling. However, if you alternate left and down inputs, Dana won't register as falling, even though the Y-position slowly increases. Importantly, you can also still jump from this state. Here, I use the glitch to get the key and jump back up afterwards. Also gets the warp feather to skip ahead to room 29. Frame count: 18683 to 19224 = 541

Frame count: 19936 to 20390 = 454

Another stage with extremely tight timing. Frame count: 21104 to 23451 = 2347

Removes several blocks in the center column to save time. Frame count: 24085 to 25476 = 1391

It is technically possible to do a perfect vertical climb (see agwawaf's TAS), but I could not replicate the necessary starting condition for the room. Frame count: 26182 to 26606 = 424

Uses the glitch to jump from the key straight into the door, avoiding the otherwise necessary fall and walk back. Frame count: 27321 to 29368 = 2047

Gets the warp feather to skip ahead to room 45. Frame count: 30064 to 31194 = 1130

Frame count: 31901 to 33288 = 1387

Another stage with extremely tight timing. Frame count: 33991 to 34761 = 770

Frame count: 35474 to 36380 = 906

Frame count: 37092 to 39987 = 2895

The final frame count here is the last input of Dana smacking the book. Frame count: 40673 to 41568 = 895

For those already familiar with previous TASs of the game, the glitch used in rooms 23 and 38 is probably the key (hah) element of interest.

ThunderAxe31: File replaced with a spiked version that removes 348 blank frames at the end, and judging.

ThunderAxe31: File replaced with a 19 frames improvement.

ThunderAxe31: Welcome to TASVideos, ninespaces!

This seems to me to be a very nice first attempt, with proficient use of TASing techniques and use of the known tricks. Good job!

While the reception did initially seem to be positive for me, I couldn't ignore the fact that current publication has Vault ratings for entertainment. After asking for more reactions in the submission thread, it was pointed out which ones are the downsides that also put this movie outside of the Moons zone, and I was unable to argue against these.

The goal for this movie is to beat the game as fast as possible, most notably thanks to the use of warps, as opposed of the current publication which instead aims to beat all levels and thus ignores the warps. However, there are two obsoleted movies which are making use of some warps, and since this means that they don't qualify for the full-completion goal, they should be moved under the obsoletion chain of this movie, after that it's published.

Accepting for Vault, as an improvement of [1] NES Solomon's Key by Bisqwit in 22:43.95.

feos: Pub.