(There is no sound, and the start looks like it is frozen. These are expected behaviors.)
BlockDude v1.2
for the TI-83 Calculator
in 2:41.917
I had planned on 'Mega Man 83' and 'Super Mario' being the only TI-83 games I was going to TAS, but heck I played more than just those two games back in high school! To be fair there's a hair more flair there to share, if you dare to stare at my wares.
FILES USED IN THE MULTI-DISK BUNDLER FOR THIS SUBMISSION:
BLCKDUDE.83P
ION.83G
^^ In that order.
I am linking to them for judging simplicity because none of the files are paid-for licensed products, this is all homebrew. Oh, I also used the TI-83 v1.02 firmware rom, in case that matters.
ION.83G
^^ In that order.
I am linking to them for judging simplicity because none of the files are paid-for licensed products, this is all homebrew. Oh, I also used the TI-83 v1.02 firmware rom, in case that matters.
THE GAME
Block Dude is a tricky puzzle game, despite its mechanical simplicity. It's kind of like a side-scrolling Sokoban, in a way. 11 levels of block manipulating moves to help Block Dude reach each exit door. He can move left or right, pressing Up will let him climb up a single block in front of him (which is why most levels end up being about building and dismantling staircases), and pressing Down will let him pick up a single uncovered block directly in front of him or let him drop the block he is carrying. Dropping a block effectively places it one space in front and one space ABOVE Block Dude (which lets you stack a block higher than Block Dude can climb or grab from, so not often useful unless you already know where the rest of your staircase is building) and then the block drops immediately to the floor.
That's it, there's no jumping, no enemies, no switches, no trampolines or pipes or water flow, just four buttons some boxes and gravity. The level design is good enough that each level feels trickier than the last, and there's even room for advanced thinkers to save a couple steps here or there over what might seem the obvious play. The final two levels also have unnecessary areas to consider that only serve as red herrings.
That's it, there's no jumping, no enemies, no switches, no trampolines or pipes or water flow, just four buttons some boxes and gravity. The level design is good enough that each level feels trickier than the last, and there's even room for advanced thinkers to save a couple steps here or there over what might seem the obvious play. The final two levels also have unnecessary areas to consider that only serve as red herrings.
THE RUN
Being a puzzle game, there's not a ton to say about the run itself. I cut as many movements as possible and hit keys as quickly as possible. At full speed, the run is kinda fun to watch, like observing a little ant do a bunch of work really quickly. You go, little guy. I was even temped to add in sounds from those 'machine sorting algorithms' videos on youtube to amuse myself as Block Dude flitters back and forth, but not on a serious upload video, no no no.
e: Randomly found a nice article about this 20+-year-old calculator game online from 2023 https://www.superjumpmagazine.com/block-dude-gaming-legacy-ti-83-plus/
nymx: Claiming for judging.
nymx: This run is so fast, You almost can't tell what is going on. I always like to see games that have the ability to be super fast, under TAS conditions. In this case, the human to TAS difference is amazing! You have destroyed all human capabilities by cutting 5 minutes over the WR. Great job!
Accepting to "Standard".
inconsistent: Processing...