Editor, Skilled player (1936)
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Commander Keen 6 TAS (Easy mode) (link fixed) I am not even sure of the movie time, but since I calculated Bisqwit's Star Control II TAS to be ~90.92 fps (191257/2103.5 ~ 90.92), I assume my movie is about 4:18 long (23415/90.92 ~ 257.5). For comparison, non-assisted speedrun stands at 4:52, not counting pre-time or post-time. The movie extensively uses the "impossible bullet" trick which is basically standing in mid-air after landing on a shot sprite. Shooting upward allows Keen to ride the bullet upward, and then it is possible to warp through some ceilings and walls (may be necessary to duck). The level is considered beaten if you glitch through the side of a level, but any necessary in-level trigger must be touched or the game will be stuck. The previous shot must be cleared before Keen can "ride the bullet". In the second level, I wait because glitching the level end didn't seem to work for a while. There are possible improvements, and I may attempt another version. Both the movie file (movie.dof) and the corresponding dosbox.conf are included. Note that mouse "sensitivity=0" is required in dosbox.conf (the game goes crazy otherwise). Playing back movie file: I used DOSBox rerecording version a5 (Windows). The folder should look somewhat like this: (Hint: Make a new folder) In other words, the following files must be present: (DOSBox) - dosbox.exe - dosbox.conf - movie.dof (Keen 6) - Keen6.exe - Audio.ck6 - Egagraph.ck6 - Gamemaps.ck6 Keen6.exe must not be a cracked version. It must not begin with spam. It must ask for the name of an enemy after starting a game. The following files must not be present: - Keen6.com (Keen 6 crack) - config.ck6 - Savegam* (Probably irrelevant but why keep them?) Also, make sure to download Keen 6 and not Keen 6 demo. I may make DOS TASes for other short games (Keen 1, Keen 3, Keen Dreams, Sierra adventure games). Long games are out of the equation due to DOSBox struggles. I cannot resume from a savestate; doing so causes a crash. So I must play the movie from the very beginning. Add to that the forced reset rate being very high (mostly caused by video freezing but may also be caused by failure to turn off read-only or accidental movie stoppage) and saves taking 15s each. P.S. This is also intended to be an inquiry into the reliability of DOSBox movies. For Star Control II, I'm pretty sure that of everybody who watched, only one person watched the movie in the emulator.
Post subject: Re: Commander Keen 6 (TAS)
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For the record, I got the movie length for SC2 by recording it as an AVI and then observing its length. The TASvideos submission handler had the length hardcoded; it cannot derive it from the movie file.
Editor, Skilled player (1936)
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I fixed the top link now. Looks like my attempt to hotlink a file on a commercial site failed miserably. I figured out that DOSBox only crashes on resume savestate if you do it first thing. If you let the movie run a bit and then resume, it will work (although if you do it at the DOS prompt, it will give video garbage). So it looks like a long game may be feasible now. :) Strangely, I ran the movie on my other slower computer (Win 98) and it synced perfectly. Even more strangely, saving states there took as little as 2 or 3 seconds, despite an increase in loading times as well as really slow playback. The only thing left is to test it on a Linux.
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Commander Keen ftw, but my version is hacked :S
"No love for the game gear"
Editor, Skilled player (1936)
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You mean the one with the "RawCopy PC TSR Patch" thing? Delete Keen6.com and config.ck6.
Joined: 8/7/2006
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Is there an AVI available of this anywhere? I don't have Commander Keen 6 so I can't watch the movie file. :(
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desynchs when entering the name of the creature for me...
Editor, Skilled player (1936)
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ShadowWraith wrote:
Is there an AVI available of this anywhere? I don't have Commander Keen 6 so I can't watch the movie file. :(
Sorry, but I had a really bad day (in terms of computing) yesterday. No AVI for you. OK, I'm just joking, but I am unable to produce an AVI, and probably never will. To make an AVI (even disregarding movie speed), I need to: - screencap (Fraps and Camtasia cost $$$$ and Camstudio can't cope). - go to a Linux, compile DOSBox (I haven't even succeeded; "make" has problems with this one .cpp file), run the movie, and hope it syncs. - get someone with a Linux DOSBox to run the movie, and hope it syncs. Or another option is to borrow Bisqwit's computer and start TASing. :)
Phallosvogel wrote:
desynchs when entering the name of the creature for me...
Not good news, but I couldn't thank you more for giving feedback.
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Re: desync, same here, both with the Linux version of dosbox compiled from sources and with the EXE downloaded from the link provided by FractalFusion (run under Wine). MD5-sums of my game files are: 8078f8106cca87fe7bea6b0dca798e5b audio.ck6 81cd87b78405655a66bdbfed7862585a egagraph.ck6 99e5514817e46f619d62237052679757 gamemaps.ck6 6a35a80189915ca4cec1a578ec0774c6 keen6.exe They appear to be roughly the same size as FractalFusion's. This was on Athlon platform. Will try Intel as well... EDIT: Identical desync on Intel (and true Windows) as well.
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Bisqwit wrote:
EDIT: Identical desync on Intel (and true Windows) as well.
Which Windows is it? It worked on every Windows computer I tried. My system: Did you run DOSBox with any special parameters? (i.e. "dosbox -xxx") Does it have any special parameters?
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No special parameters (as seen in that screenshot), Windows XP, Intel Pentium M, don't remember MHz but it is significantly slower than yours. I used the SDL DLL from my website: http://bisqwit.iki.fi/kala/sdl-dll.zip To maximize compatibility with your recommendation, I moved the dll into c:\windows\system although normally I keep it where dosbox is. By the way, I just realized that of the two computers which I ran Star Control II on successfully, both were the same CPU and approximately same MHz: (Athlon XP, 1600-1700 MHz). The other was Linux desktop and the other was Windows XP laptop.
Editor, Skilled player (1936)
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With kkapture, I achieved a partial success: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCkDEYAV88E The speed is all wrong, unfortunately. The run is just as bad.
sgrunt
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I'm going to resurrect this thread with the intent of using it as a base point for future runs of the game. It can be completed astonishingly quickly by means of a glitch known as the Impossible Bullet Trick (by analogy of the Impossible Pogo Trick). There is a YouTube video which completes the game in 3:26: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ywDELqAass It would make for a good short project for someone who wants to familiarise themselves with the emulator.
arflech
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The test TAS looks like it uses the same trick, with the exception of one place near the end.
i imgur com/QiCaaH8 png
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Levels where you can use the IBT to glitch-complete the level: Guard Post One - Go to where green key is, do IBT in corner, duck First Dome of Darkness - Go to right end of stage, IBT, duck Bloogdome - Here, you don't actually glitch to directly complete the level. You just use the IBT and duck to get through some walls. Go to corner of starting platform, IBT, duck, fall, go to closest UPPER corner on right, IBT, duck, get to exit. Bloogton Manufacturing - Pogo to first ledge on right where red key is, corner IBT, duck Bloogton Towers - Go to arrow on right, IBT, land on right side of top floor, go to right corner, turn around, IBT, duck Bloogfoods Inc. - It is very complicated, so I have posted a picture. Guard Post Two - Another "glitch through walls" level. Go through the middle entrance, fall, IBT on closest UPPER corner to right, duck, IBT to get to ledge on right, fall through hole, get to locked exit, IBT in corner, move right, get to exit. Bloogville - The simplest one to IBT-complete. Just IBT, duck, move right until level is complete. Bloog ASA - Get to locked yellow key door, IBT, duck, move right until level completes. Guard Post Three - Same as Bloogville. Bloogbae Rec District - Get to electric wall thingy, IBT, land on top ledge, go to door on left, exit. Bloogwaters Crossing and the secret levels cannot be completed any faster by IBT. Bloog Control Center can be completed with IBT, but it will gltich the game to where it can't be beaten.
Games to TAS: 1. Rampart (NES) 2. Pokemon Yellow (GB) 3. Aladdin (SNES) 4. Shadowrun (SNES) ----- <sonicsonic3> and please tell me...WHAT IS THE BACK LONG JUMP CODE!? [on SM64's BLJ]
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Question on your Bloogfoods route: Couldn't you just pogo up to that top ledge, run across, and grab the sandwich? Seems like it'd take less time than going across, all the way down, and IBT all the way back up.
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Actually, yeah. Thanks for catching that!
Games to TAS: 1. Rampart (NES) 2. Pokemon Yellow (GB) 3. Aladdin (SNES) 4. Shadowrun (SNES) ----- <sonicsonic3> and please tell me...WHAT IS THE BACK LONG JUMP CODE!? [on SM64's BLJ]
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Double post Bump. Quick question. If I was to do an all levels run of CK6, Would the Bean with Bacon Megarocket hidden level count? (You access it by "entering" the ship like you would any normal level.) It has absolutely no effect on the game, it is just an easter egg.
Games to TAS: 1. Rampart (NES) 2. Pokemon Yellow (GB) 3. Aladdin (SNES) 4. Shadowrun (SNES) ----- <sonicsonic3> and please tell me...WHAT IS THE BACK LONG JUMP CODE!? [on SM64's BLJ]
Patashu
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If entering it changes the game state (i.e. marks the level as complete) I'd say you'd need to do it.
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If you did BwBMR, would you be doing the actual level, or just leaving once you came in?(IPJ up to the right boundary of the level, there's a secret passage leading underground to the actual level) For that matter, would all levels be just "enter and exit asap", or would you play the levels to their proper conclusion?
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FreezerBurns wrote:
If you did BwBMR, would you be doing the actual level, or just leaving once you came in?(IPJ up to the right boundary of the level, there's a secret passage leading underground to the actual level) For that matter, would all levels be just "enter and exit asap", or would you play the levels to their proper conclusion?
Yep, I'd be doing BwBMR, the actual level. And I'd have to complete BloogFoods, FDoD, and Bloogton Tower properly because those levels have the items needed to finish the game. I'd also have to complete BloogWaters Crossing properly because there's no faster way. All other levels would use the IBT routes I posted earlier.
Games to TAS: 1. Rampart (NES) 2. Pokemon Yellow (GB) 3. Aladdin (SNES) 4. Shadowrun (SNES) ----- <sonicsonic3> and please tell me...WHAT IS THE BACK LONG JUMP CODE!? [on SM64's BLJ]
LSK
Joined: 4/17/2006
Posts: 159
Given that most levels are skippable, I think a straight-out TAS would be far more entertaining than a 100% that just uses silly jumps to pass most levels anyways.
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Version 1.4 features a glitch that allows Keen to skip all keystones in the final level without using IBT. This could be useful in a 100% run that forgoes some or all forms of bullet collision abuse. Version 1.0 features numerous clipping errors that were fixed in later releases; it is definitely the version of choice for glitched runs. For a low-glitch run, defining the goals is tricky. IBT isn't the only way to abuse bullet collision; the rest aren't quite as game-breaking, but they do make enormous time savings possible.
Pokota
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Out of curiosity, why does IBT work in AAMB but not the other Goodbye Galaxy games?
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Pokota wrote:
Out of curiosity, why does IBT work in AAMB but not the other Goodbye Galaxy games?
I'm not entirely sure, but I read somewhere that it is because of the enemy called 'Gik' (those yellow bugs), and the fact that Keen is able to stand on the sprite of this enemy. https://www.commander-keen.com/keen-6-enemies.php Somehow this would allow you to stand on bullet sprites as well. Also, I think bullets go faster in Keen 4 and 5.