Submission #3750: MESHUGGAH's NES Battletoads "Glitched" in 00:56.94

Introduction

Game objectives

• Emulator used: FCEUX 2.1.6, syncs on 2.1.4a (thanks Ilari)
• Aims for fastest possible time
• Entertains without losing a frame
• Uses warps
• Manipulates luck
• Manipulates cutscenes
• Manipulates musics
• Manipulates game

Detailed informations

• minimizing the actions (jump length) to get better subpixel positions and do actions (pressing B) as fast as possible to recover from it's animation and go forward.
• running faster as soon as possible rather than going to the right side (it's faster because the camera doesn't moves forward if it's blocked by the 2nd player)

The possible improvements

• The only thing I tried without luck or even close to the resolution is manipulating the game end without pressing input at the manipulation part (after the lagframes around 3406). The problem is that the complexity of the manipulation. You have to reset pointers, get correct values for different objects. Most of the time when I thought it will works, it suddenly either stopped the manipulation.
• And of course, you can try to reduce the manipulation part, but that's will results in a much longer wait until the end, if it would be possible, but the same happens as earlier mentioned. And this has something to do with the actual framecount (lower framecounts are harder to manipulate)

The impossible improvements

• A 1P run would be much slower
• Resetting at the 1st possible frame when the intro finished costs frames
• Because of the timers, Level 1 (enemy spawn) and Level 3 (rat spawn timers) is impossible to improve

List of techniques and oddities appeared in chronological order

Manipulating cutscenes/texts

Using different input, it's possible to save 1-3 frames by loading those texts that gives fewer lag frames.

Manipulating music/background

Pausing very fast alternating on thetwo joystick mutes the music channel. The sideffect is flickering the background on level 3.

Synchronizing actions that costs lag frames

Kicking, dashing, brutal hit etc costs lag frames so hitting something with both toads in the same frame halves it.

Optimizing movement

Starting fast running earlier is always faster, but sometimes it needs different input (LR instead of UL, empty, UL).

Z-order mess up

Pressing left and right simultaneously brings up or down the player rapidly. Also used to get different subpositions.

Manipulating the game end

I have to depress you, but I don't know the technical side of this. I've done it with a "visual test" that sometimes changes depending on odd or even frame is the last frame before the respawn or different input before the manipulation begins. You should ask DjTheZlomus.

Miscellaneous

• look the input of the beginning and cutscene manipulated parts (TASeditor is adviced)
• P2 joins later
• Level 1 music changed to play 1 note
• P1 falling blow
• Level 3 music muted, soundeffects added (by unmuting) to jumps and spawns
• Level 3 background flickers
• random jumps