Submission #10718: arnaud33200's SMS California Games "Maximum Score" (392611) in 08:56.808

Game objectives

• Emulator used: Bizhawk 2.11.1
• Get the max score for each sport events (regardless the order)
• Manipulate RNG to reach max score
• Skip high score bonus game to avoid boring time

Final Scores

Comments

• Used knowledge from California Games All Events TAS, for logic and ram addresses.
• Do “Compete In One Event” to go faster between events, I can do a soft reset to skip the high score bonus game (which is slow and boring). Also allow me to do the events in any order, especially keeping the RNG manip at the end
• use SMSHawk instead of Genplus-gx because the reset input is a proper soft reset (see discord thread)
• only use the bonus for BMX for high jump, other bonus either make things more boring (Foot Bag) or complicated to get max score (Surf)
• Got all the voice audio in the event intro screen, because it’s fun!
• Alternate between button 1 and button 2 when menuing to the next event, it’s faster.

Event by event comments

Half Pipe

• The max 999 points can be reached only after getting enough speed, so I do the hand plant trick until I get this speed.
• Alternating between air turn and hand plant gives the most point in a go and return, the hand plant makes the return faster.

Flying Disk

• The less you run, the more you get points with the disk distance (as the manual says). Funny enough you get the max points per throw (160) by not moving at all.
• Overhead catch gives de most point (350), it’s great for not moving and get all the most points from the disk
• We can also get the max points with max speed and max angle, the distance to run is short enough so we still get 160
• Left diving also gives 350 points but it involves running which is not good for the disk distance points.
• Get the new bike bonus and reset immediately after the flag is set to quickly move to the next event (BMX)

BMX

• There is a time bonus, we get more points if we finish earlier, but we must stop at the end line. So we must pedal as much as possible between jumps
• We want to jump as much as possible and prioritize the following tricks: front flip (6000), back flip (3000), 360 (2000) tabletop (1000).
• Sometimes we skip a jump so we got enough time to a front flip, it would happen if 2 bumps are close to each other.
• Put some wheely in between jumps if cannot jump as soon as possible, it gives between 100 and 200 points
• Break at the last moment to get highest time bonus by holding left and smashing button 1

Skating

• goal is to spin jump every obstacle, so we get 4x points
• obstacles has different points value: 10, 20 or 30
• no need to jump over, simply jump on the same vertical line, 2 obstacles can be jumped at once
• falling on an obstacle or the side of the road brings you back exactly where you fell, so it won’t allow us to redo an obstacle again
• Need to go slower for some obstacles so I can make sure I jump over them properly, especially when they are very close to each others

Surfing

• The manual clarifies about the maximum score of 9: Jumps 2.5 points, Number of turns 2.5 points, Tubes 2.5 points, Time on the Surfboard: 1.0 points & Stay until the end: 0.5.
• Looking at the assembly code I was able to figure how the requirements for max score (see Other Comments section)
• Doing up and down constantly, the game requires this all the time
• The most difficult part is staying in the tube, not sure if anyone can do it casually
• I would have showed case the different animals when we fail (seagull, dolphin, shark) but failing once doesn’t give you the max score

Foot Bag

• Keeping the most RNG event for the event, so I don’t need to resync the other events
• I’m manipulating the RNG to get as many seagull as possible, they give 1000 when hit.
• This is a count base RNG, only soft reset can manipulate it, this is why I got a bit of waiting time
• I start the event much later so I get the first seagull right when the timer starts
• need to do all the stun to get the bonus point of 66k, then I grind doda and reverse doda to get the biggest points (5000)
• Do the jester trick at the last moment because the ball goes too far off to chain other tricks

Other Comments

potential improvements

• go faster on BMX to get a better time bonus, maybe there is a better strategy to consider when bumps are close to each other
• Better RNG manipulation for Foot bag to get more seagulls, also I’m wondering if there is a way to get a doda trick faster or if there is a better way to get more points faster.
• For flying disk, if there is a way to trick the game so we can run without without getting a penalty, then we can get more disk distance points.
• There might be a way to do surfing with the new surf board bonus, you cannot stay in the tube long but might be possible by doing full circle. I would be difficult but fun.

Flying Disk

BMX

Surfing

Foot Bag