Lunar Ball / Lunar Pool.
It is a minigolf-esque pocket billiards game.
Game objectives
- Emulator used: FCEU version 0.98.ihavenoidea
- Complete all 60 boards starting from 1
- It is possible to begin from any board, including 60, but you have to complete all 60 to get the ending
- Single player
- Friction setting: 0 (NONE)
- See below for notes on this
- Fastest time
- Uses death to save time
- Does not utilize glitches (there exists one, but it was not invoked in this movie)
N/A game objectives
- This game is completely deterministic. There is no "manipulates luck".
- There are no dinosaurs in this game.
Comments
This movie was created mostly using a computer program,
the development of which took several months and several iterations.
Lunar Ball has this interesting feature, that on the configuration screen,
its friction setting can be arbitrarily selected from integer values 0 to 255.
The default value is 32.
The value 0 in particular is very interesting:
It literally means "no friction whatsoever.
This movie was created in the frictionless mode.
A pool game played in completely frictionless setup is a very different game
from a normal pool game.In a frictionless game, it is more than possible, that a careless shot makes the game completely unwinnable. Indeed, it is easy to demonstrate such a shot that will leave the game into an infinite loop, much resembling the effect that happens in the popular gadget, "Newton's cradle". In such a loop, there is no choice but to reset the console, terminating the game.
From a computer player's viewpoint, this means that the searching space for
valid moves is drastically smaller than it is for a regular game: most shots
produce either an infinite loop, or they result in the eventual demise of the
cue ball. Due to the law of conservation of energy, so called "preparation shots"
simply cannot be done, either. This also means that unless you "suicide" once
in a while (intentionally pocket the cue ball), you get a "PERFECT" message
in all boards, and that the scores skyrocket. Also, the timeout for shots
should be set considerably longer than in a default-friction game, because
the balls can be gliding for a long time before they eventually find a pocket.
Score and RATE
In Lunar Ball, each successful shot increases the "RATE" value of the player; each unsuccessful shot resets it. The higher the "RATE" value, the more points the player is awarded for the next successful shot. Points are awarded at a rate of 10 points per frame.
The RATE value maxes at 99, at which point completing a single
6-ball board gives 20790 points ((6+5+4+3+2+1)*99*10), plus the PERFECT bonus.
Tallying that amount takes more than half a minute.
Because nobody wants to watch 15 minutes of score tallying, it is a good
idea to reset the RATE value every once in a while.
However, because this game mode is frictionless, the only possible
method that a finite shot can be unsuccessful,
is when it shoots the cue ball into a pocket.
This I call "suicide", and this movie features that action
every once in a while, and it is completely intentional
for the aforementioned reason.
Board by board comments
Board 1
Board 1 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 2
Board 2 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 3
Board 3 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 4
Board 4 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 5
Board 5 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 6
Board 6 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 7
Board 7 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 8
Board 8 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 9
Board 9 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 10
Board 10 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 11
Board 11 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 12
Board 12 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 13
Board 13 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 14
Board 14 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 15
Board 15 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 16
Board 16 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 17
Board 17 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 18
Board 18 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
At this point, 43.6 % of viewers have started fastforwarding the movie.
At this point, 43.6 % of viewers have started fastforwarding the movie.
Board 19
Board 19 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 20
Board 20 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 21
Board 21 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 22
Board 22 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 23
Board 23 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 24
Board 24 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 25
Board 25 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 26
Board 26 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 27
Board 27 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 28
Board 28 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 29
Board 29 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 30
Board 30 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 31
Board 31 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 32
Board 32 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 33
Board 33 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 34
Board 34 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 35
Board 35 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 36
Board 36 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 37
Board 37 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 38
Board 38 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 39
Board 39 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 40
Board 40 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 41
Board 41 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 42
Board 42 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 43
Board 43 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 44
Board 44 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 45
Board 45 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 46
Board 46 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 47
Board 47 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 48
Board 48 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 49
Board 49 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 50
Board 50 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 51
Board 51 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 52
Board 52 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 53
Board 53 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 54
Board 54 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 55
Board 55 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 56
Board 56 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 57
Board 57 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 58
Board 58 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 59
Board 59 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
Board 60
Board 60 is completed by depositing each ball on the board
in any of the pockets on the board.
After shooting the last shot, the input is terminated. The triumphal ending is seen after the board is completed.
After shooting the last shot, the input is terminated. The triumphal ending is seen after the board is completed.
Other comments
Thanks to:
- qFox
- Derakon
- Xkeeper
- Adelikat
- Nach
- Bisqwit
- Jemini, Teramoto, Miyamoto, Yunoki and Niitani -- the Compile crew credited in the game
Baxter: A very novel concept. Not only impossible for a regular player, but also for a regular TASer. Very different to any other TAS on the site, accepting for publication.
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