Game/run description: There are cleverly disguised Mega Man clones, there are blatant Mega Man clones, and then there's "Widget". Based on a bad 1970's TV show, everyone's favourite purple shape-shifting hero goes on a mission to rid the Earth of Ratchet's evil world-taking-over plans. The author uses wall zips and other interesting tricks to save time and have Widget go into place he shouldn't be going and manages to keep the audience amused, despite the hero character moving really, really slowly.
- Aims for fastest in-level time
- No deaths
- Takes damage to save time
- Abuses programming errors in the game (tons)
- Manipulates luck (mostly on bosses and item collection)
- Aims for entertainment during unavoidable waits
This is my tool-assisted speedrun of "Widget". This is my first completely independent TAS and my second submission (and hopefully my first publication as well). There are no acknowledgements as such, but maybe Bisqwit needs one for hosting this site ;)
Widget is surely the most bug-infested game I have ever played (metaphorically and literally). The music is terrible, the controls are abysmal, and Armake21 listed it as his least-favourite NES game of all time. But it's still fun to play really, really fast.
I mainly use Normal Widget and Mouse Widget, due to his insane speed, but I also use Dolphin Widget and Rockman Widget (as if I need more evidence this is a Mega Man clone) when necessary to complete a specific level.
Bug description
Here is a list of the bugs I abuse during the run and how they work:
Holding left/right at the same time will occasionally cause Widget to fall through a platform onto the one below. This is abused heavily to create shortcuts throughout the run.
Wall Zipping/Warping
Alternating between left/right and right on consecutive frames will cause Widget to zip forward (this does not work with left/right and left). On one-screenful rooms, this works as an extra warp to zip through the level. However, this does not work all the time, because the game is subject to crash if you start zipping from certain points in the room. You can also use zipping to take damage early and bypass a backwards boost, and can also be used to bypass ground and wall checks and go right through walls
Self-inflicted damage
As Mouse Widget, it is possible to inflict one bar of damage upon yourself by holding left/right at the same time. This is used to bypass enemies which would normally inflict heavier damage.
Premature Level End
When a level has finished scrolling and the ending door is in sight, pressing left and right simultaneously will trigger the entering-door movement early. Sometimes this is impossible since occasionally you take extra damage after entering the next room. I usually do not use PLE if I am down to one bar of health.
If this run gets published, more extensive comments will be available in an audio commentary.
NOTE: Enable “Allow left+right/up+down” before playing this movie!
That’s all I have to say for now. Hope this movie does well!
adelikat: I'm afraid this must be rejected. Reasons are addressed in my post. Good luck on a new version.
