• 1.7.2 re-recording v19.3
  • Aims for fastest time
  • Collects 100% of the items
  • Takes damage to save time
  • Abuses programming errors in the game
  • Manipulates luck
Here is the second version of my 100% Metroid Fusion TAS. It took a bit less than a year of on and off work (mostly off). I did a lot more testing and had much more attention to detail. The in-game completion time is 56 minutes and 15 seconds, which is 4566 frames faster or 1 minute and 11 seconds faster.
Originally, Deign and I were working on a TAS together for this but he lost interest. I restarted the run and this was the result. So, I have to give Deign some credit and thanks.

Techniques

Here I will list the techniques used in the run. Much of the time saved came from new techniques and more abuse of the old ones.

Grabbing Platforms

I accidentally discovered a way to go from a standing jump to a spin jump. While jumping, I let go of A for one frame and turn in the opposite direction instead. I then press A which continues the jump but also puts Samus into a spin. Apparently, turning in midair keeps Samus' vertical momentum for 1 frame. This is mostly helpful when grabbing platforms because it saves 2 frames per platform over the old method. Otherwise it doesn't have much other use.

Double Shots

Double shots are used the same as in the old run. They're still used for eye doors (before charge beam) and core-x's.

Force Falling

Spinning and unspinning in midair will force Samus to move down. This is mostly used for crumble blocks and underwater. It is also used for short falls or in other situations to give Samus quick vertical momentum.

Unique Projectile Firing

Firing a beam or missile when Samus jumps will put it at the bottom of the sprite. It works diagonally, and it also works while spinning in midair and when morphing. The charge beam can be fired while spinning by pressing R. New to this run is firing the charge beam straight down, not just forward or diagonally.

Running off Platforms

Deign accidentally found this one. If nothing is pressed immediately after Samus runs off of a platform, she will keep some of her momentum. So, instead of just holding the same direction constantly, it's better to hold nothing for 4 frames then go into a spin. Up or down can also be held during this, which I do, but it has not point really.

Jumping off Platforms

Just like the old run, however, this time I used it with the morph ball in tunnels to save a few frames here and there.

Jumping with Speedbooster

This is used in the same way as the old run. It is used a few more times for some new speed tricks.

Single Wall Jump

Used in the same places as the old run. The morph ball is also used as a method to fall slower and to slightly extend some jumps.

Luck Manipulation

A new method of luck manipulation was very helpful to this run. Instead of wasting in-game frames before a room, I waste real-time frames during the computer conversations. This has its limits, however, because I can only manipulate so much. Occasionally I still had to waste real-time frames. Trying to avoid that would take many wasted real-time frames and way too much effort.

Notes

  • Doors have a 2 frame rule, so in a certain room I will always leave on either an even frame or an odd frame.
  • Sector 2 shows the rare use of bomb jumping in Fusion. I lay a bomb in mid-air twice to save time instead of bombing the pillar in the ground.
  • Damage boosting off of BOX helped me to leave the fight earlier. I actually had to wait a bit because if I left the room right away the fight would have reset.
  • Delaying a bit for the Mega-X fight kept it on the left and provided a quicker kill.
  • One of my favorite parts of this run is when I get the power bomb expansion early on the main deck. The reason I do this is because it allows me to do Dragonfangs' speedtrick near the end of the game.
  • It's slower to run on slopes, so I try to jump over them when I'm speedboosting.
  • Nightmare is annoying. No matter what I tried (and I tried a lot), I couldn't duplicate the fight from my old run. I settled for a different method that was very slightly slower. Eventually I will look into this.
  • I use Dragonfangs' trick before BOX II, which has to be absolutely perfect (1 frame slower and it wouldn't work).
  • The second time around Dragonfangs' trick doesn't work because the screw attack screws things up. It prevents me from quickly jumping off of the frozen creature, so I have to recharge in the save room.
  • In-game ending time is 0:56.
Thanks to...
nate, for running Metroid2002.com and for appreciating Fusion,
Deign, for working on this run at one time and for your discoveries,
Dragonfangs, for your speedtricks,
and P.JBoy, for your help and tricks here and there.

DeHackEd: Have ROM, will publish.


TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #2148: BioSpark's GBA Metroid Fusion "100%" in 1:35:49.53
Joined: 5/9/2005
Posts: 751
Hay BioSpark. I love you. I'll give numbers when I have watched and am sober. That said... BioSpark. I love you.
Joined: 4/30/2006
Posts: 480
Location: the secret cow level
Now that's starting to look more like a proper Metroid run, getting into all sorts of places you don't belong.
Joined: 6/9/2006
Posts: 614
Location: Mettmann
*note to self* watch this instantly after arrinving at home! *end note* after reading those tricks iam really excited to watch this! edit: vote done!
Joined: 3/22/2008
Posts: 17
Location: Finland
I really liked the whole movie, especially the Nightmare battle was cool looking. Really great.
Metalheads are the only ones to survive.
Joined: 4/26/2008
Posts: 46
Location: Glasgow, Scotland.
That was absolutely fantastic. I hadn't seen much room for improvement in this game, never mind THAT much.
Emulator Coder, Site Developer, Former player
Joined: 11/6/2004
Posts: 833
It takes real talent to keep me watching a long video, especially if it's a game I've never played. Good job. I'll probably claim this one for publishing.
P.JBoy
Any
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Posts: 850
Location: stuck in Pandora's box HELLPP!!!
Loved the 3 main boss fights (Yakuza, Nettori and Nightmare), that's what 100% is all about. Couldn't see any improvements to the route either, so good job. Entertaining the whole way through, too bad you didn't you didn't manage to show me any new techniques, but there were those mid-air bomb jumps in TRO, and when getting that missile tank in the room above the 1st BOX fight. My suggested screen shot is either this or this
Skilled player (1604)
Joined: 6/11/2006
Posts: 818
Location: Arboga, Sweden
I really can't watch this. I sit down and watch it. 4 minute intro. Then some chatting with a computer. Then some high class action which is frigging awesome. Then some more chatting with the computer. Repeat for a while. Then I stopped watching. And I remember the last run reaaaally dragging when it came to the final run-around-and-get-items. I dunno if this run has that, but if it has, then meh. I mean the actual parts that _can_ make a good TAS, the action parts, are fucking awesome, and a great job with that. But the game is a can of fail, in my opinion. Well I will abstain from voting and wish for an encode which skips all the computer cutscenes, intro and speeds through text boxes. That one, I most likely will like, since it is the actual TAS. Oh well \o/ Will abstain from voting.
Warp wrote:
omg lol this is so fake!!!1 the nes cant produce music like this!
Joined: 4/26/2008
Posts: 46
Location: Glasgow, Scotland.
P.JBoy wrote:
My suggested screen shot is either this or this
The second screen shot is awesome, totally agree.
Editor, Player (95)
Joined: 5/27/2006
Posts: 240
Cardboard: See, I always exclude those slow parts when I consider the entertainment of the game or of the run. I always assume people just fast forward through those parts. But if that's how you feel then that's cool too.
Joined: 7/16/2006
Posts: 635
I always fast-forward through those parts. Anyways, amazing run. And I agree with that second screenshot. I was actually going to recommend that same one.
Joined: 4/2/2008
Posts: 103
Location: The Netherlands
When I watched the published version I went through the text boxes in slow motion as I've never played the game and wanted to know what was going on. In that way, it was more like a phenomenal Let's Play than a normal TAS, which is entertaining in its own right. I will watch this submission sometime tonight.
Active player (377)
Joined: 6/5/2006
Posts: 188
Location: Malmö, Sweden
Oh wow, I didn't think this game had so much that could surprise me left in it. I'm seriously at a loss for words trying to describe exactly how I feel about this run. But I know you keep pushing for how great Fusion is deep down, and after giving up on it quite some time ago, this run rejuvenated my faith for the potential in this game, thank you for that. Absolutely excellent work from beginning to end. But there's still that problem with tons of unskippable text I've already read, while not something you can do anything about it sadly detracts from the entertainment of the run, fast forward or not.
Even the best player is limited by the speed of his fingers, or his mind's ability to control them. But what happens when speed is not a factor, when theory becomes reality?
Joined: 11/28/2004
Posts: 138
There was a lot of awesomeness in this run, some points where I was asking my self "how did he do that?".
The best time you have is the time you share with other people.
Editor, Emulator Coder, Expert player (2154)
Joined: 5/22/2007
Posts: 1134
Location: Glitchvania
For some reasons, this movie seems to out-perform Zero Mission "100%". It's imperfect as the author described, though.
<klmz> it reminds me of that people used to keep quoting adelikat's IRC statements in the old good days <adelikat> no doubt <adelikat> klmz, they still do
Tub
Joined: 6/25/2005
Posts: 1377
nice one, I really enjoyed it. I'm going to click some numbers roughly translating to "yes".
m00
Player (79)
Joined: 7/7/2008
Posts: 873
Location: Utah
Why isn't there a regular TAS of this game?
Senior Moderator
Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5775
Location: Away
You mean 0%? It's there.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Joined: 7/2/2007
Posts: 3960
To clarify, all of the upgrades that count towards percentages in Metroid Fusion are E-tanks or ammo upgrades (and you have a small but non-zero initial capacity for both missiles and powerbombs). Since taking damage is not generally helpful and Samus' beam weapon outperforms her missiles damage-wise, there's no point in getting any of the upgrades if your goal is speed. Hence the any% TAS is also a 0% TAS.
Pyrel - an open-source rewrite of the Angband roguelike game in Python.
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Well, actually some additional missile packs save some time (a few seconds per pack? P.JBoy had the numbers somewhere) at later bosses, but the difference it makes is negligible on a large scale, and 0% is a much more interesting concept as a whole.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Player (79)
Joined: 7/7/2008
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Location: Utah
I see.
Editor, Player (95)
Joined: 5/27/2006
Posts: 240
Any% would be faster, but not by much, maybe not more than a minute faster.
Player (150)
Joined: 11/27/2004
Posts: 688
Location: WA State, USA
I like how the BOX 1 fight lasts less than 10 seconds from the moment you enter the room to the moment you leave. 9.7/9.4
Nach wrote:
I also used to wake up every morning, open my curtains, and see the twin towers. And then one day, wasn't able to anymore, I'll never forget that.
Post subject: Movie published
TASVideoAgent
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This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [1234] GBA Metroid Fusion "100%" by BioSpark in 1:35:49.53