Posts for Chef_Stef

Posted: 1/26/2007 10:15 AM

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Chef_Stef

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I'll repost this from the other topic, since it's more relevant here:

Chef Stef wrote:

A while ago, I made this TAS of the game for fun (it's up to Frosty Cave 2 or 3). Here it is, for everyone's enjoyment: http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/3480/Super%20Challenge%20World%20TAS%20v2.smv I use pretty much all the major TAS techniques, like the hopping glitch, 6/5, etc. in this movie, but I never intended this for serious publication, so I never tried to absolutely exhaust all the possibilities. The basic route I was aiming for was racing to the first cape as fast as possible (in Lava Lake 2), then going back to collect all the other exits (some of the levels are ridiculously broken using the cape). One of my favorite parts of this game is all the different ways one can skip large parts of levels. This game is very suited for discovering unique TAS routes and tricks.

I'm not really in any position right now to complete the run I posted above, but I think it at least shows some of the potential for a TAS of this game. This hack would have to be accepted first, though.

Posted: 1/24/2007 7:17 AM

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Chef_Stef

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Remember that the currently published run was not meant to be a true TAS, just a "walkthrough" of sorts to introduce the hack. Therefore, it is unlikely that any further submissions for the hack would be accepted. I quote:

Publication Text wrote:

Does not play as fast as possible. Rather, Genisto introduces this hack in a good way.

Posted: 1/24/2007 7:10 AM

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Chef_Stef

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What about an RPG with the following applications of the RNG: -Random encounters will always occur in a set order (like, 5 steps, 7 steps, 3 steps, 4 steps, 9 steps, 6 steps, etc., then repeat the pattern) -Battles are determined at the start of an encounter, but the attack patterns (i.e. miss, hit, critical) will follow one of, say, 20 patterns with a set number of misses, hits, and criticals. Another possibility, which would make the game a bit frustrating, is to make the enemy hit whenever you hit, miss whenever you miss, etc. But, most of this just makes the game pointless to TAS (i.e. a speedrun would look about the same as the TAS), not truly TAS-proof.

Posted: 1/23/2007 6:15 PM

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Chef_Stef

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I actually tried (and succeded) doing that "slide into feather" method when playtesting the level, so my friend took great pains to prevent that trick from working. The actual solution to the puzzle is: . . . . You're supposed to get a mushroom out of one of the item boxes in the beginning, then grab a cape and cape-spin the mushroom all the way to the end of the level. Once you've done that, you can power-down from the plants and power up again with the mushroom once you've passed the plants. This should explain all the strange terrain in the level that didn't seem to have any purpose. By the way, I can't speak for my friend, but I have reasons to believe that he got the idea for this puzzle from the crazy mushroom antics at the Bowser battle in most of the more recent SMW TAS's.

Posted: 1/23/2007 7:57 AM

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Chef_Stef

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Fabian wrote:

Chef Stef, Is this what you intended? Or at least close? Cause now it doesn't work obviously and I wasn't able to get it without throwing the spring down there. (SCW)

(I just want to point out that my friend did all the level design, and I just gave him some ideas. I wasn't the joint creator of this hack - I was more of a resource for testing and providing input). That's a nice trick with the springboard, but there's actually a trick for being super Mario at that point. I don't want to spoil the solution, but I will say that it isn't necessary to take the springboard or P-switch there. If you're having too much trouble with the puzzle, though, I can just tell you the solution.

Posted: 1/22/2007 10:45 AM

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Chef_Stef

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Super Challenge World is certainly a combination between puzzles and platforming. My friend tried to build levels that required both skill and puzzle-solving ability. We more or less combined our knowledge of SMW for him to build the hack, with him discovering tricks through the level editor and hacking tools, and me showing him tricks to implement that I had discovered through casual play and TASing the game. For example, he created a section of a level where swoop-flying with an item was required. I can't believe the number of times I've messed around in SMW and found a new glitch or odd property. My friend would love to implement these in his levels. Oh, and I did extensive playtesting on his levels, and was always making TAS testruns of a couple levels. I would always find ways to ruin the puzzle by skipping it or finding a different solution, so his later levels are pretty refined and virtually force you to complete the puzzles the way he intended. For example, I always used the cape to great effect in his levels, so he just placed extra blocks on the ground, never more than three in a row, to make it almost impossible to start flying. Just a bit of extra information in case people wanted to know.

Posted: 1/18/2007 11:06 PM

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Chef_Stef

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Super Challenge World is actually my friend's hack. He made it back when we were first learning to use Lunar Magic (the SMW hacking tool), so there are some level design improvements and bug fixes that could be done. Also, he miscountend the number of exits (there are actually 109). But, in my opinion, the levels are inventive and fun; some exits require knowledge of minor glitches or little-known properties to complete. A while ago, I made this TAS of the game for fun (it's up to Frosty Cave 2 or 3). Here it is, for everyone's enjoyment: http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/3480/Super%20Challenge%20World%20TAS%20v2.smv I use pretty much all the major TAS techniques, like the hopping glitch, 6/5, etc. in this movie, but I never intended this for serious publication, so I never tried to absolutely exhaust all the possibilities. The basic route I was aiming for was racing to the first cape as fast as possible (in Lava Lake 2), then going back to collect all the other exits (some of the levels are ridiculously broken using the cape). One of my favorite parts of this game is all the different ways one can skip large parts of levels. This game is very suited for discovering unique TAS routes and tricks.

Posted: 1/12/2007 7:21 AM

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Chef_Stef

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I'm currently studying abroad in Italy, so it's not likely that I can post an update until I come back to the US (about mid-March).

Posted: 1/8/2007 8:49 PM

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Chef_Stef

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I think having a separate hack forum would invite more people to introduce hacks that are not as well-done. With the current system, the only hacks discussed are particularly superb or sensational. With the introduction of a hack forum, users would be encouraged to discuss less-than-stellar (or even bad) hacks and whether they should be accepted or not. I also do not really see the need when hacks are better sorted by console. It would be as if we created a "Mario" forum for discussing Mario games... it's just not necessary. Plus, I don't think we should create a separate location to discuss hacks based solely on an increase in hack discussion in the past week.

Posted: 1/8/2007 8:24 PM

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Chef_Stef

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Twisted Eye wrote:

The maker of this didn't think of everything when he was designing the levels--you have to kill a guy to get a key, but only after you get a sword, and yet the four bombs you pick up in Kakariko do the trick just nicely instead. Not that it changes anything--even with all the pots lying around, you'd have to be able to refill your bombs somehow just to get out if you didn't want the sword, and that's not possible, as far as I can tell. Unless you can pick up more than 4 by reentering the place you got the bombs, I didn't think to check. But yeah.

Yeah, you can re-enter the area repeatedly for a maximum of 10 bombs. Did the creator of the hack really not intend for you to use bombs in the guardhouse? I guess it makes that level a little easier...

Posted: 12/23/2006 11:04 PM

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Chef_Stef

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What about a 100% run for this game? It would go through the main game, then the unlocked lost levels, then You vs. Boo mode, then get all tokens on the challenge mode. It might be a little long, but I think it would be entertaining...

Posted: 12/20/2006 8:16 PM

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Chef_Stef

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I haven't been able to work on the run at all because of a big storm in my area last Thursday that caused a widespread power outage. We just got power back at my house today, unfortunately (where I was finally able to post here). It's good to hear that you improved your bomb/arrow route, though.

Posted: 12/14/2006 5:30 PM

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Chef_Stef

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If I have extra hearts, I'll see if I can damage boost in places. As for the spinattack on the boss... I'll investigate it. I think I didn't test it thoroughly in my last run because I would always complete the first dungeon only to have someone point out a mistake from before the dungeon. Also, that boss is difficult to manipulate; I have to keep him at the top of the screen in order to pick up the heart from the best spot, and I have to jump and slash at the right place at the right time. So, I was just sick of that boss in my old run... but I'll be sure to test the possibilities this time around.

Posted: 12/14/2006 5:17 PM

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Chef_Stef

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This is why I like (and don't like :) posting WIPs; people can notice my mistakes and let me know before I get too far into the run. Thanks for telling me, it ended up being about a second faster to run through the grass. And, it saved me about 20 extra frames because most of the things I had to manipulate were now accomplished without having to wait at all (I didn't have to wait any frames for the mini bow-wow, for example). I'm currently testing the 1st dungeon. I have determined that it is faster to save and quit after getting the feather. I haven't killed very many enemies up to this point, so it won't mess up the PoP count. And, I have to adjust the count anyway to get a PoP in dungeon 2. Of course I'll also be using the feather to move diagonally. Anything else I've missed? Oh, and whether a key will bounce seems to be dependant on the frame you enter the room. I struggled with a key bounce for a long time before I finally tried entering the room 1 frame later... and I was able to collect the key without it bouncing. So, this is good to know, but it might get annoying in the later dungeons...

Posted: 12/13/2006 5:45 PM

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Chef_Stef

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Here's the WIP: http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/3112/Testrun4.vbm 550 frames (9 seconds) ahead! I tried leaving the room after the first dialogue with the mini bow-wow, but it turns out I have to get to the second one (where the bow-wow gives me the food) before the food will actually get added to my inventory. I had to wait 16 frames outside the house (the 2 frame delay position of the bow-wow was too far away), and I had to wait another 6 frames to perform the pit trick, but the time saved is worth it. Haha, that's an awesome skip :D

Posted: 12/13/2006 5:19 PM

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Chef_Stef

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I'm not sure what you mean... do you mean that I might be able to manipulate the bow-wow close enough to the door that I can exit the room before the second text box shows up? I'll test this... Edit: Woah, it worked! I can exit the room early and still have the dog food! I'll post an updated WIP in a few minutes.

Posted: 12/13/2006 4:50 PM

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Chef_Stef

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Here's the WIP: http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/3111/Testrun4.vbm Some notes: -5:15 into the run, and 358 frames (6 seconds) ahead. -Walking through the grass after the cave was actually a frame faster than moving around the grass. -I manipulated the mini Bow-wow into the best position I could get... I had to wait two frames outside to do it. It might be possible to get a better position, but I couldn't come up with anything after testing up to 20 frames of waiting. -The pit glitch worked fine, I had to wait two frames to get it to work. And I've really been testing, and I can't get it to work on any other pits so far... Edit: Oh, and I figured out a few other things. To skip the text optimally when taking a chest, I press A/B/Start/Select after exactly five frames of seeing the item pop out of the chest. And, those key bounces that plagued the previous run... I think Link has to be directly below the key at the moment the key's shadow starts to appear. That way, the key won't bounce.

Posted: 12/13/2006 4:10 PM

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Chef_Stef

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I didn't think of posting a WIP yet because I haven't really done anything differently than before... I'll post one when I reach the 1st dungeon so people can look at it, though. I had entertained the idea of ignoring money for the shovel, stealing the shovel, coming back and getting killed by the shopkeeper, and then stealing the bow. I'm not sure that would be very entertaining, but maybe everyone else thinks differently. By the way, the debate in the submission topic was about whether it was really the best ending to hav a hero called "THIEF." Using the "shopkeeper death" method, the best ending tag would not apply (without any doubt whatsoever). And Tompa, if you can improve your bomb/arrow route, go for it!

Posted: 12/13/2006 5:54 AM

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Chef_Stef

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Quick Update: I'm 4:15 in, trading Yoshi for the ribbon, and 213 frames (3.5 seconds) ahead. Which is a fair amount of time saved... I'm starting to doubt that my published version was really of publishable quality with all the simple mistakes and imprecision it had. (By the way, here's a semi-useless calculation - If I continuously saved 3 seconds per 4 minutes of game time, I could theoretically save up to a minute off the published run overall). But, I'm hoping that some new glitches and/or tricks can be discovered to improve the time even more.

Posted: 12/12/2006 11:31 PM

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Chef_Stef

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Yeah, you're right, he just talks to you when you enter the screen again. And I do need to cross that screen a few times. Oh well...

Posted: 12/12/2006 11:06 PM
(Edited: 12/12/2006 11:52 PM)

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Chef_Stef

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So, I decided to start working on an improvement to my currently published Link’s Awakening run, since in watching my run, I kept noticing small mistakes that could have been fixed by more precise playing. For example, when using the A+B+Start+Select trick, I would have to turn off frame advance in order for my keyboard to register all the keys. As a result, I was losing frames on every chest I opened. Not to mention the long list of small improvements Tompa and I compiled :) I do want to say, however, that I cannot work on this run as much as I did on the first version, as I'll be studying abroad for a few months come January. So, I'll work on this when I can up to when I leave, and then pick it up when I get back in March. Anyway, I’m currently 2:30 into the run, and about a second ahead of my published version. Currently, I’m trying to skip the owl speech at the Tail Key chest. I’ve been able to get Link about half a block away from going off the bottom of the screen, and jumping into the nearby pit gets me within a few pixels of transitioning the screen to the left, but I haven’t been able to actually get off the screen yet to skip the owl. I read the post earlier in this topic about walking down over pits... Tompa, have you discovered any new time-saving tricks? I’ll be looking too, of course. Edit: Added some information.

Posted: 12/11/2006 2:17 PM

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Chef_Stef

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Well, the scent seeds are used once or twice in Oracle of Ages... I remember using them in Dungeon 6 to lure some of those snake things into a pit, and it was necessary to use the seeds because the whole area was blocked off. Just putting that out there for future reference.

Posted: 12/10/2006 4:27 PM

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Chef_Stef

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Inzult wrote:

As per the goals, It sounded to me like a random strategy was decided, so long as it was pretty fast and gave you a pretty good score. Hypothetically: Is a much higher score in a slightly slower time an improvement? Is a slightly lower score in a much faster time an improvement? If points per frame is how the run is supposed to be measured, then it seems that the answer to both could be yes.

This is true, but the idea here was to create a run that was both fast and entertaining. I believe that the only way to make a run like this entertaining is to do exactly what comicalflop did - get a fast time while simultaneously getting as many bonuses as possible in that short timeframe. This strategy seems much better to me than just blasting through the CPU's as quickly as possible. Improving the time of the movie significantly, i.e. ignoring the bonus goal, would be too repetitive. It was the differing strategies in the levels, like going pacifist on Fox but racking up damage on Samus, that removed some of the monotony one would see in a run that would clear the game as fast as possible. Significantly improving the score of the run would, however, would be difficult, if not extremely boring. Pacifist would have to be collected in more levels, and some of the more clever tricks seen in this movie would not be seen. We would mostly see Kirby dodging enemies back and forth for this kind of movie. The only purpose such a movie would serve, in my eyes, would be a demonstration of the stupidity of the CPU's. Comicalflop's run is a healthy mix of both these goals. There is an entertainment factor with both speed and with score here. I think this run is the best a TAS can do for Super Smash Brothers, so if we are ever going to accept a TAS for this game, this would be it.

Posted: 12/10/2006 6:17 AM

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Chef_Stef

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Voted yes... I thought the run was only a bit repetitive during the polygon battle where pretty much every KO was from final cutter. But the rest of the run was entertaining. Part of the enjoyment comes from seeing interesting, perhaps odd, strategies in the individual levels, and then seeing how it all comes together to net all those bonuses at the end of the level. Also, there is a fair amound of variety in this movie. Some levels were "avoid the CPU and get it to suicide" while others were more "destroy all the enemies." The Samus battle was definately my favorite because the strategy (racking up damage and spiking into the acid) was different from the other levels.

Posted: 11/29/2006 5:36 AM

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Chef_Stef

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Wavedashing is only in Super Smash Bros Melee, since it involves air-dodging into the ground. This Super Smash Bros doesn't have air-dodging.