My third version of this game. This time 474 frames, 7.9 seconds faster than my currently published movie.
Significant improvements
- 1 less turtle change in level 3 - I end level 2 with Raphael instead of Mike. This saves 1 less turtle change when dying in level 3. This saved 60ish frames. Thanks to Spider-Waffle for pointing that out.
- better rope scene in level 4. I used a new strategy to skip the 2 ropes. It saved 60 frames, and looks much more polished.
- better technodrome fight. I manipulated the technodrome to open its eye immediately and to last long enough for two hits. Also, I manipulated the up+down glitch so that the blinking pattern is in sync with the eye openings. This saved 4 more frames. All in all, it was 74 frames faster
- Final corridor of lv 6. This is the loooong room with jetpack guys. I saved about 140 frames here. The result is also very nice looking in comparison.
- New luck manipulation strategy. You will see me press select to select/deselect shurikens for seemingly no reason. This is to manipulate enemies, particularly boomerang guys. By doing this I make them not throw boomerangs, which prevents lag. Not sure how much was saved from this, but it is rather small. Maybe 20ish frames total.
The rest is from minor 2-10 frame improvements here and there.
Future improvements
- I picked up recording from the 2nd turtle change in lv2. Everything before is v2. There is one spot prior to this where I didn't get inside the wall upon downscrolling. This is a 4 frame error left into the movie. Oops. Also, it may only save 2 frames because it may mess with the timing of the black screen at the end of the level.
- At one spot in level 4 I spend 4 frames manipulating shurikens. Later, I was able to get extra shurikens that I didn't plan on without losing time. So I didn't need to spend those frames. Though, even if I were to do a v4 with this hindsight, I might get them anyway. There is no guarantee of mainpulating shurikens without losing a few frames since the randomness will be different.
- I found a spot in lv6 where my subpixel position was such that I could press left 2 frames after walking right to a ladder and get on the ladder 3 pixels futher into the wall. In this spot, I didn't need to get into the wall so it was useless. But perhaps there is a ladder where I do need to that I also have the same subpixel position. If so, I could save 2 frames.
- Manipulating the "random" enemy sets. After extensive debugging of ram addresses, I found the variables that store and determine the enemy set. I use this to make sure that I have the best choice of enemies whenever it is possible to do so. This saves no time technically since v2 had that ideal set (by dumb luck mostly ;P). But it did mean that a 20 frame improvement in lv3 had to be removed in order to manipulate the "proper" enemy set in lv4.
Non-improvements that may be claimed as improvements
- Currents in lv2. Seaweed (either type) does not create "currents". There are some in the levels, but only in certain places. Only the one at the end is in such a a place as to be useful (and unavoidable anyway) in a TAS
- The jump in the 2nd sewer of lv1. I jump and downstab to hit an enemy after the mini-boss. This is required. You can't hit him without jumping. Jump + regular stab and jump + downstab cost the same amount of time.
- Killing of turtles to save animation time in the blimp cutscene after level 4. The cutscene time is fixed. If a turtle is dead, a pause will be put in his place.
- Possibly a mega-shortcut in lv4 using the scrolling glitch. I posted in the TMNT thread showing how I skipped from room 2 to room 17 but got stuck in a hole in the ceiling. I revisited this glitch and used a cheat code to fall through the through the ceiling (becoming unstuck). To my surprise I couldn't scroll right to the door. This isn't actually room 17 it turns out but just some extra room layout in room 2. Perhaps put there intentionally to tease :P So even if I could get out of the ceiling, I would just be stuck in a the room. :(
Summary (same as v2)
- Aims for fastest time
- Manipulates luck
- Take damage to save time
- Death as a shortcut
- Abuses programming errors
- FCEU .16