Submission Text Full Submission Page
Neo-Geo OverTop, a racing game, played as fast as possible.

Game objectives

  • Emulator used: FBA-RR v0.0.3.01 (alpha version) built on Jun 2 2009
  • Plays all the level and gets to the finish line as fast as possible (mainly in-game time)
  • Contains one speed/entertainment tradeoff: I write "TOM" in the high score table instead of "AAA"
  • Manipulates luck
  • Uses a bug, though only once
  • Car selected: ASUN Dominator
  • Total in-game time: 3'16"72

Comments

This is a Speedrun of OverTop, for the Neo Geo, entirely played in frame advance mode (except for the tunnel cutscenes since there is no input there). This game consists of 7 levels, with different kinds of pavement and variable weather conditions. There are 8 cars (or rather, 7 cars and a motorbike). Each of those cars has strong and weak points. The Ferrari goes very fast on good pavements, but it sucks in the desert; the Jeep vice versa doesn't have a very high top speed, but it's the best vehicle on bad pavements. I play with the "ASUN Dominator" which is a balanced car, it doesn't have an incredibly high top speed, but it keeps a reasonable average speed throughout the whole game. 8 colors are available; the color of choice will also set the background music. I play with the yellow car because the number of key presses to get there gives me a starting grid with cars I like. Not to mention that the yellow car gives me the best background music, so it's a win-win. The controls are rather simple, there is a throttle (obviously used and never released while in-level), a brake (never used), a horn (useless and never used), and two directional arrows (left and right, guess if I used them or not, lol). Anyway there is a collision bug in this game that can give you ridiculously high speeds for some seconds if you collide with other cars in a certain way. Manipulating the starting grid served for this purpose, I soon collide with the pink car and the truck, giving me a speed of 300+ km/h (while that car can't normally go faster than 210 km/h on that kind of pavement). So let's start talking about the levels. I don't know the official names for them (I doubt they even have official names to begin with) so I'll just give descriptive names.

Stage by stage comments

Level 1: The City (24.74)

Collision bug used at the start as said above, and a few seconds later with the pink car again. This is a simple level, without shortcuts, and just two curves, probably it serves to get confidence with the controls. I crash a couple of road signs near the end just for the sake of it.

Level 2: Forest (23.20)

In this level there is a shortcut, taken by going right when it says to turn left at the beginning. The shortcut is faster than the normal path, and I exploit an useless bug while I'm at it, jumping through the trees without breaking them (see suggested screenshot below)

Level 3: Swamp's Outskirts (22.74)

This level has a couple of shortcuts. One of them is the exact same as the previous level; the other one isn't good for me because it goes through the sea. Only the jeep can successfully take that shortcut, other cars will go painfully slow. This level features interesting curves, played as frame perfect as I could.

Level 4: Snow Mountain (27.03)

A very good shortcuts allows me to cut like half of this level. This level also features slippery roads. Those curves are (almost) impossible to be played in real time at full speed.

Level 5: Desert (26.85)

This level also features a shortcut that cuts half of the level. While I'm there, I destroy a skeleton

Level 6: Another City (26.20)

This level features several shortcuts, I take only the ones that better suits my car. The rain at the end isn't a major bother, but the aid of tool-assistance helps me to take the best path between the curves.

Level 7: Yet Another City (45.96)

A nice shortcut with haystacks, and frame perfect curves, in a level somehow linear for the most part.

Other comments

<Explain here things the audience would probably like to see>A racing game with shortcuts and full speed on all the curves. <Explain also things that could be improved in your movie>For sure, not the shortcuts. In levels where two paths were possible, I was sure to take the fastest one (tested). Maybe some curves which looked frame-perfect to me are improvable. I can't think of anything major, though. I'm happy with it as it is. <You may also suggest screenshots.>http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3470/932.png

mmbossman: A very uninspired racing game without much going for it. I don't think this makes a very good TAS no matter which car is chosen. Chalk this one up to poor game choice. Rejecting.

TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 14875
Location: 127.0.0.1
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #2269: nineko's Arcade OverTop in 05:14.90
Banned User
Joined: 8/2/2008
Posts: 420
Location: italy
Here is an encode of this run. I'd add it to the submission itself but I fail at editing pages. I will edit this post eventually with a Youtube link, though.
Gone.
Skilled player (1307)
Joined: 9/7/2007
Posts: 1354
Location: U.S.
Joined: 7/2/2007
Posts: 3960
I have to say I didn't find this particularly interesting. It doesn't seem like the physics of the game are very complicated, and your car has a sharply limited number of angles it can point in, so most of the game is spent watching a car drive down a perfectly straight road while itself being perfectly aligned with that road. It seemed competently-enough executed, but the enjoyment just wasn't there for me. Meh.
Pyrel - an open-source rewrite of the Angband roguelike game in Python.
Joined: 10/3/2005
Posts: 1332
What Derakon said. Also, shouldn't this have been played on level (i.e., difficulty) 8? I don't remember exactly how it worked when I released 0.0.2, but I thought FBA would allow you to access the dipswitch screen?
Skilled player (1404)
Joined: 10/27/2004
Posts: 1977
Location: Making an escape
I saw a car. It was on a road. I saw a car on a road. It hit some hay. Hooray? Then the car wasn't on a road... I appreciate your enthusiasm, but this game is dull to watch. Basic steering, no crazy physics to abuse, very monotonous. Better luck next time.
A hundred years from now, they will gaze upon my work and marvel at my skills but never know my name. And that will be good enough for me.
Player (120)
Joined: 2/11/2007
Posts: 1522
It's not a mind-bendingly entertaining movie, but rather a seemingly competent execution with a few interesting moments. I think some people would find this very entertaining. Maybe it should have a disclaimer.* *Warning to Non-Racing-Car-Game Fans: You may be bored by this video. :D I vote Yes for "publish it" -- good job nineko, i sincere congraturate you!
I make a comic with no image files and you should read it. While there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free. -Eugene Debs
Joined: 11/4/2007
Posts: 1772
Location: Australia, Victoria
I give a yes vote, it was mildly entertaining and gave me the feeling I should be thankful you aren't driving in Australia.
Banned User
Joined: 8/2/2008
Posts: 420
Location: italy
Sonikkustar wrote:
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFY8EFiPltA&feature=channel You can thank me later!
Ok, thank you :) I started the upload and I got asleep with the computer on, lol.
Dromiceius wrote:
Also, shouldn't this have been played on level (i.e., difficulty) 8? I don't remember exactly how it worked when I released 0.0.2, but I thought FBA would allow you to access the dipswitch screen?
Yes, it should have been played in level 8 if this would have made it more interesting, but the only difference between level 4 and level 8 in this game is that level 8 gives you less time to beat the levels, and I'm way faster than that limit anyway, so level 1 and level 8 are the same deal for me, since the other cars' behaviour isn't modified. Now that I think of it, a level 8 run would probably be a few frames faster than this in real-time because of the fewer seconds added between each level. But I aim for in-game time.
Gone.
Banned User, Former player
Joined: 12/23/2004
Posts: 1850
The worst part about this was skipping the non-timed scenes at the end. :( By far. The best would probably be the exploding decors at the edges of roads. Exploding piles of hay? yes. The music isn't bad and it isn't that long. Too bad the AI isn't seen at all after the first few seconds, though. :( Voting yes.
Perma-banned
Player (208)
Joined: 7/7/2006
Posts: 798
Location: US
I don't think this game provides anything great through tool assistance. I would guess that someone could easily get within 5 or 10 seconds or your completion time with enough practice. I agree with these statements:
Xkeeper wrote:
The music isn't bad and it isn't that long. Too bad the AI isn't seen at all after the first few seconds, though. :(
Ferret Warlord wrote:
I appreciate your enthusiasm, but this game is dull to watch. Basic steering, no crazy physics to abuse, very monotonous.
Meh vote leaning towards no.
Editor, Experienced player (894)
Joined: 1/23/2008
Posts: 529
Location: Finland
"Let's go next level!" A pretty good game choice, from the fun music to the speedy gameplay to the engrishy congraturatory winning message. To be honest, I mostly enjoyed it as a playthrough, with uncanny perfection a bonus, or perhaps an aftertaste. The previous replies indicate that this sort of effect is not altogether desirable at TASVideos, and I can sorta see where they are coming from... From my viewpoint, it's good enough to be published, so 'yes'.
Joined: 11/26/2004
Posts: 7
The combined time of the seven stages is 3:16.72. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the record using WolfMAME, an emulator that prevents cheating at the MAME Action Replay Page is 3:10.21. I don't need to watch this... I have to vote an EMPHATIC no.
Banned User
Joined: 8/2/2008
Posts: 420
Location: italy
Link to that page please, I want to see what car he used. edit: found that page: http://replay.marpirc.net/r/overtop Unless I'm mistaken, the fastest record for the "Dominator" (which is the car I used) is 3'26"24. The other records refer to other cars. I never said I picked the fastest car. The car I picked is an arbitrary choice. Add "plays with a suboptimal car" in the categories, I guess. edit2: confirmed. The 3'10"21 has been played with the truck. I wonder why there must always be someone who tries to throw shit on the TASes I make. When I said in irc that there is a bias against me I wasn't joking. When other people make TASes there isn't a whole storm of detectives trying to find errors at any cost (even inventing them like in this case). I'm tired of this.
Gone.
Joined: 12/1/2006
Posts: 26
You are Batman. Yes vote.
Former player
Joined: 12/5/2007
Posts: 716
If it wasn't for that nice techno tune in the background, I'd have voted no. But because of the catchy tune, I'm gonna vote meh in spite of repetitive driving without that much action.
Joined: 11/26/2004
Posts: 7
nineko wrote:
Link to that page please, I want to see what car he used. edit: found that page: http://replay.marpirc.net/r/overtop Unless I'm mistaken, the fastest record for the "Dominator" (which is the car I used) is 3'26"24. The other records refer to other cars. I never said I picked the fastest car. The car I picked is an arbitrary choice. Add "plays with a suboptimal car" in the categories, I guess. edit2: confirmed. The 3'10"21 has been played with the truck. I wonder why there must always be someone who tries to throw shit on the TASes I make. When I said in irc that there is a bias against me I wasn't joking. When other people make TASes there isn't a whole storm of detectives trying to find errors at any cost (even inventing them like in this case). I'm tired of this.
OK, I'm easily considered a newbie here, and I've never created any TAS's, but I thought one of the biggest aims of this site is to beat the game as fast as possible. That surely has to include picking the right vehicle in this case. I'm sorry if I insulted you, but, as far as I'm concerned, you still lose by six and a half seconds, and my no vote stands.
Banned User
Joined: 8/2/2008
Posts: 420
Location: italy
In games where you can pick a character of your choice it's not uncommon to see multiple TASes published alongside, like it happens for Super Mario Bros 2 or Castlevania. Ideally there might be up to 8 movies for this game, as long as they're done by people without "nineko" in their screen names.
Gone.
Senior Moderator
Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5770
Location: Away
This wasn't a chore to watch, but there wasn't much that would discern it from a very good unassisted video, either. The soundtrack is a bit odd for a racing game (in most cases it's either horrible or nonexistent), but it ultimately wasn't enough to offset the simplicity of the game. Besides, why not use the fastest vehicle in the first place? That's hardly a speed/entertainment tradeoff. Voting meh.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
gia
Player (109)
Joined: 5/3/2006
Posts: 223
I enjoyed it specially the music and the random events and the low fps birds. It gains 10 secs over the record which I guess its good. Maybe should use the truck since I bet people don't like the game to be accepting one run per car, despite it should be possible.
Player (120)
Joined: 2/11/2007
Posts: 1522
I would redo it with the truck, sorry. It doesn't seem like it took that long for you to do anyways.
I make a comic with no image files and you should read it. While there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free. -Eugene Debs
Former player
Joined: 12/5/2007
Posts: 716
nineko wrote:
In games where you can pick a character of your choice it's not uncommon to see multiple TASes published alongside, like it happens for Super Mario Bros 2 or Castlevania. Ideally there might be up to 8 movies for this game, as long as they're done by people without "nineko" in their screen names.
You're joking, right?
SXL
Joined: 2/7/2005
Posts: 571
nineko, what that guy must say, may be related to the rule that says "don't get caught uneducated", which you just did. It is nothing personal, actually the run is good and entertaining, but it could be faster. I'm betting that any TASer submitting a run with the truck would be faster, and probably replace your run. Still, as of now, it's the fastest ever submitted, so it should be publishable. What do the judges say ? Let's hear them out.
I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death - NAS
Banned User
Joined: 8/2/2008
Posts: 420
Location: italy
Yes. I'm not going to redo the run with the truck. But I agree that if someone does, it should obsolete this one (if this game isn't given 8 categories).
Gone.
Player (147)
Joined: 11/27/2004
Posts: 688
Location: WA State, USA
I voted yes because of the music. Very nice. However, I am against publishing the movie on the grounds that it uses a suboptimal vehicle. Using the SMB2 "princess only" movie as precedent is fallicous, as (IIRC) it was faster than any of its contemporary runs.
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.