The RAM Watch setting of "Previous Value: Last Change" isn't working properly; it's giving the results that you'd get from Previous Frame. Windows 7, Bizhawk 1.9.0 svn 8231
This seems to be a case where it's still a work in progress and should have been posted to the game thread instead of to the Workbench. If we can figure out how to manipulate the 5th barrel so that it rolls down the broken ladder, then stage 1 can be further improved. I had gotten bonus 3300 once, but I can't replicate it from a clean start (I had died at least once, probably twice)
Also: Movie file should end as soon as you break the last block in stage 4 (frame 8052 of the submission file, 7980 of the corrected file); check your bizhawk settings to make sure you're not skipping over lag frames during frame advance.
Temp Encodes (first is submission, second is the post immediately above me)
Link to videoLink to video
EDIT: Again, if we can manipulate the 5th barrel (the one that we have to wait on) to go down the broken ladder instead of going all the way across the top, the 1st stage can be improved. The good news? The game is open-source.
So then runs on a higher difficulty would have an extra second or so in the Minecart section, with Impossible having to play the Minecart without any savewarps.
...It's incredibly strange to think that a game such as IWBTG has savewarps. I always thought you had to actually save after getting the orbs for them to count, but I'm a bad player anyway. I'm guessing that's what you did to get from the Bowserboat orb back up to the path merge?
Crashes when ran through Bizhawk, probably due to no header. Exception text below. I finagled it into running in Bizhawk; recorded a blank movie to get a header, adjusted the input log to match the current format (for each line, notaz' file was missing the reset button field and had an extra pipe at the end) and merged it all together.
The info in the file doesn't match the official stats, though - Bizhawk reported only 1 rerecord when I played it back, and I'm sure there are other header shenanigans that will need to be adjusted.
Here's the BK2 file for those interested.
Bluh. Does not sync in Bizhawk 1.8.4, so I can't do an encode with the intended drum sound sound effects.
Seriously, why is the drum sound screwy in the older Genesis emulators? Compare the YT Encode with the Console Verification video.
I'm so glad you're not doing the GBC one, it gets really same-y. Regarding the stealth segments, do the detection zones move around or are they fixed? If they move around we can pinpoint their positions via clever memory watching. (I have never played GBA Philosopher Stone before)
I'm with AKheon on this. Dragon Warrior-style games, and Pokemon in Particular, get really same-y as far as battles are involved since it boils down to "Manipulate criticals, avoid battles." In fact in this case I personally think the run suffers a bit since it doesn't play with the extraordinary good luck that's inherent to a low-level clear of the Elite 4.
With that said, it achieves a technically impressive feat and manages to be entertaining enough for me to watch all the way through, so I'm voting "Yes".
Wait, that Ghosts 'n Goblins run is in the Vault?
EDIT: This is exactly why we need a Vault Showcase (or whatever the equivalent would be) on the front page. That's not something someone would find unless they're already looking for it. Plus it can generate interest in otherwise obscure games.
EDITWO: Incidentally trying to watch that movie in Bizhawk is hilarious.
As far as the SNES/GBA argument goes, the GBA port of SMW has different glitches which are exploited during that run compared to the original, so the TAS is visibly different and can't truly be replicated across consoles. I haven't looked into the SMB2 port all that much as I'm not as familiar with how the glitches in the original look, but I think in that case it's because there's at least one changed boss plus a lot of graphical difference (which because of both makes the GBA port more... TASworthy than the SMAS port. The SMAS port would actually have the same core issue that gamerretro2 ran into here).
Unless and until unique bugs in the GBA version can be found that overcome the forced intro in it, as Tompa said the GBA route won't be significantly different from the SNES route, so Ganon-complete runs should be done on the SNES.
I'm for keeping the idea of the Vault Tier on the grounds that any game I would Solo TAS falls into it by default (Nail 'n Scale just isn't entertaining enough on its own to those unfamiliar with it, and Rugrats Time Travelers has too many anti-speed features built into it for a TAS to look significantly different from any extant Realtime Speedrun). With that said, I like the replacement name "Coin" for the Vault Tier - the line of thinking is like this:
Coin: Common, but good to find.
Moon: Rare, in SMW one of these is worth 300 coins.
Star: Very rare - you can't recreate the effect with coins or even a Moon, but only by finding a Star.
I guess this kinda goes along with r57shell said, though I would point out that Gruefood is the loser tier when not deliberately sought for (such as with the April Fools' submissions).
I beleive feeuzz is another example. His first TASes used only slow mode with no frame advance. Today, he’s one of the best Sonic TASers with very good skills, especially at controlling 2 (or even 3) characters at once.
But the difference is that feeuzz never submitted anything before he became good at it. He only shown his work to others. I beleive this is exactly “the right way” or learning about making TASes.
Yup, you make a submission only when you're ready for it to go up on the site.
IMO when a newbie makes a submission of low quality, instead of what happens now (everyone dogpiles on it to poke fun at them), this should happen instead (only one moderator/whatever makes a response (can be pre-made) which lays out what the purpose of TAS submissions is, and what you should do instead (post WIPs in the relevant game topic, research, ask for feedback, etc))
I think the problem is that it's far easier less work to submit a WIP to the workbench than it is to put a WIP into microstorage and post in the relevant thread, moreso since microstorage does not (yet) accept the new bizhawk playback format.
Counterexamples/counterarguments, please?
Domain WRAM
SystemID GB
033B b u 0 WRAM Vert
033E b s 0 WRAM Vert Veloc
033C b u 0 WRAM Horiz
033D b s 0 WRAM Horiz Veloc
0116 b s 0 WRAM Kill Meter 1
0117 b u 0 WRAM Kill Timer 1
0136 b s 0 WRAM Kill Meter 3
0137 b u 0 WRAM Kill Timer 3
0156 b s 0 WRAM Kill Meter 5
0157 b u 0 WRAM Kill Timer 5
Spike's position (to my knowledge) is given by 033B (y pos) and 033C (x pos) and are given relative to the top left corner. As far as I've seen, Spike's velocity is either -1, 0, or 1, regardless of the direction(s) of travel, so diagonal movement costs nothing. With all that said, I haven't really looked for subpixels yet and I suspect that if they do exist they'll exist only for the nail velocities and Lore's fireballs - and they're probably more than likely not going to see use in the next wip unless they prove to be the key to the Block Swap glitch.
Why can't you specify?
Have you tried using Bizhawk? Alternately, if you're trying to watch a movie someone else made, are you sure your settings match the ones the movie was recorded under?
If we do keep the Recommended for Newcomers category, why not do a slightly animated variant of the Star icon? Or am I incorrect in thinking that most-if-not-all RfN movies are also of Star quality?
If Star's too lofty, an animated variant moon instead. Either of those do at least keep the quality level requirement in mind.
As for the Infobox idea, that one's good too, but should be listed after the tier listing.
EDIT: Messageboxes!
Of these four, I think the fourth one looks the best. The problem is that the SMW messagebox is too colorful in comparison with the star/moon icons we have now.
Thank you Solarplex; now I can stop fiddling with syncless recording and work on tightening up the run ^^
Level Notes so far
All levels - tighten up, clean start, get monster kill timers
Level 3 - clean up start, test rblock or lblock
Level 6 - Kill Minidragon
Level 7 - Paths
Level 8 - Middle column earlier
Level 9 - Psths
Level 10- Figure out RNG (6 hits)
Level 12- Bomb blast range
Level 13- Paths
Level 16- Test time without bomb shortcut; bomb may be better used in 24 due to Forced Wait otherwise
Level 19- Don't break far gate block; can get to door before Ww catches up/faster to kill Ww
Level 20- DO EXACTLY THAT BUT FASTER (2 hits)
Level 21- Do a Ww Block Kill instead of waiting
Level 23- RNG Manip 2nd minidragon?
Level 24- See Level 16
Level 26- DO EXACTLY THAT BUT FASTER
Level 27- Test jumps without aid; may be able to climb directly to slime platform instead of crossing
Level 29- Kill Ww before it becomes a problem. Keep route as-is due to extra bomb
Level 30- RNG (7 hits?)
Level 32- Dump White Nail
Level 34- Faster without white nail
Level 36- Paths; this bomb is used to shorten level 43
Level 37- Clean and Tighten; looks better and probably faster to carve away all blocks as I go in
Level 38- You're on EASY, use EASY's jump height
Level 39- RNG manip minidragon?
Level 40- RNG turnarounds, figure out hitboxes
Level 43- Most likely level for pinning down block swap glitch mechanics, dump white nail
Level 44- Test if this level or if 43 is a better candidate for the bomb from 36
Level 45- Examine layout
Level 46- Dump white nail from 43 here
Level 47- Examine layout; may be a better level to skip than this one.
Level 50- Manage Lag; may be able to 1 cycle this with favorable RNG
Level 51- Tighten up this fight; make sure no dragonjumping.
Here's a route test. My copy has a graphical mod to it so the game checksum isn't going to match, but I don't think it'll screw with syncing. If it does say so and I'll redo it. Went ahead and fixed it; please let me know if it desyncs.
This can be tightened up a lot, and there are at least two regular levels where Luck Manipulation can be used to reduce waiting on the minidragons. Plus I need opinions on what level to skip instead of 47 (I skip it out of sheer annoyance; there's forced waiting in 34 due to tight tunnels and an invincible wall-walker right at the end and 48 is just too long to not skip). There is an additional skip in 25 but it's so far out of the way it's probably not worth it.
If we move one of the bomb nail uses around, we can probably skip the second half of 44(?).
Known Pointers:
WRAM 0118 - timer relating to bosses
WRAM 0394 - hits boss has taken
(Youtube encode being replaced due to audio issues)
Also; I saw one instance, in level 43, where I tried to cornerbreak one block and it broke the unbreakable block next to it in error; if this can be reproduced and figured out it'll make a huge difference.
Of these four, I think the fourth one looks the best. The problem is that the SMW messagebox is too colorful in comparison with the star/moon icons we have now.