Times in bold indicate an in-game timer improvement, with the number of time units improved represented by the number of asterices next to them.
Levels marked with a # are entirely unchanged from the prior TAS.
General Improvments
Shortly after the previous run was submitted, a subtle trick which can be used to reach top speed 5 frames faster from a standstill was discovered -- on the ground, Sonic accelerates at a rate of 12 per frame (this is increased to 24 while in air), but he brakes at a rate of 128 per frame. So pressing the "wrong" direction for a frame, and then immediately reversing it causes sonic to have a speed of 128, instead of the 24 (or 36, given a jump to increase acceleration) that holding that direction for two frames would achieve. This was used to shave 3-4 frames off of most levels.
Some further improvements were achieved by better optimization of rolling at the start of slopes, and downslope jumping for the speed boost.
The improvements were performed by Upthorn, but levels, and level segments, which could not be improved, were left as they were in JXQ's recently published TAS.
Specific improvements
Green Hill 2 - New strategy of zipping from the wall to the goal discovered by Upthorn and optimized by JXQ
Marble 1 - A freak accident while attempting to gain back frames lost due to a bat desynchronization lead to the discovery of a four second shortcut.
Labyrinth Zone 3 was modified very very slightly to recover from a lag variation. You probably won't notice the difference.
Starlight 3 - Better optimization of slope roll and slope jumping allows for some sick speeds here.
Final Zone - A method similar to what is used here to avoid being crushed allows the player to fall through the floor and die.
Thanks to
Adelikat, Fabian, Moozooh and Xebra for their tireless words of encouragement over the long and hard five days that went into making this run.
The acceleration trick couldn't be used to save time in the levels copied from JXQ's TAS because it would have meant a longer forced waiting time somewhere, is that correct?
Very good job Upthorn.
Don't you just hate it when that happens? All that hard work done and a few days, instead of a few months, later, someone finds something to make it better.
Now can we PLEASE have a Chaos Emerald run accepted? They published the one for Sonic 3 & Knuckles after all!
Why, oh, why do I even <i>try</i> to understand my own species?
Yes. Levels that were copied could not be improved due to timed objects, and/or differences in lag.
For the record, lag differences are the reason spring yard 1 is a 1 frame improvement, instead of 4.
How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks.
Now can we PLEASE have a Chaos Emerald run accepted? They published the one for Sonic 3 & Knuckles after all!
In Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic and Knuckles and Sonic3 & Knuckles, chaos emeralds serve a function in-game, which means that an all-emeralds run is significantly different from a no-emeralds run.
In Sonic 1, the only difference is that the author cannot take the fastest routes, or take damage to save time, in six of the first nine levels (and also must play the 6 special stages). It was ruled that this does not make an all emeralds run different enough to accept side-by-side with the current run.
Although, that may also have been partially due to the poor stylistic choices made by the author of that submission.
AKA wrote:
Fat chance of it ever being accepted now. Plus it would also be hyphocrisy to accept a new one anyway.
The word you want is hypocrisy. But it would only be hypocrisy if the new submission were as boring as that one. (It was explained in that submission's thread what traits besides the all emeralds were not up to par)
How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks.
Joined: 6/21/2004
Posts: 247
Location: New Hampshire
Great improvement! Obvious yes.
May I request that when the AVI is made, can the sound setting be set so that 'PSG High Quality' is unchecked? Sonic's jump sound effect sounds odd when that's enabled, and the last AVI used that setting.
well really great job on this Upthorn & JXQ. I like the musics of Sonic series and gameplay and this run looks pretty nice and fast so voting YES :) let's hope i can see much more of your runs soon
Fat chance of it ever being accepted now. Plus it would also be hyphocrisy to accept a new one anyway.
Upthorn wrote:
The word you want is hypocrisy. But it would only be hypocrisy if the new submission were as boring as that one. (It was explained in that submission's thread what traits besides the all emeralds were not up to par)
The whole point of the run much like the S+K3 emerald run was to differenciate it from the previous run as much as possible.
Joined: 11/11/2006
Posts: 1235
Location: United Kingdom
Nice improvement Upthorn. Got my yes vote all the way.
Spacecow wrote:
May I request that when the AVI is made, can the sound setting be set so that 'PSG High Quality' is unchecked? Sonic's jump sound effect sounds odd when that's enabled, and the last AVI used that setting.
I second this notion. The 'PSG High Quality' Isn't what I consider to be accurate sound emulation, which is highly noticable with Sonic's jump sound. It just doesn't sound right, and can even get annoying.
<adelikat> I am annoyed at my irc statements ending up in forums & sigs
AKA, I think if you hadn't stopped before the signpost to avoid 50k point bonuses it would have been rated higher. That wait may make the movie faster but it makes improvements much harder as any stage in the 23.33-30.00 window (do I remember those numbers correctly?) would have to be pushed out of it to bring an improvement. Additionally there'd be less pressure on the runner as he has a seven second window in which to reach the goalpost in these stages that removes any need for squeezing every last frame out of the level.
Shortly after the previous run was submitted, a subtle trick which can be used to reach top speed 5 frames faster from a standstill was discovered.
Don't you just hate it when that happens? All that hard work done and a few days, instead of a few months, later, someone finds something to make it better.
Now can we PLEASE have a Chaos Emerald run accepted? They published the one for Sonic 3 & Knuckles after all!
Oooh, thank you! It desyncs (that's what it's called, right?) for me after awhile but thanks anyway!
Hmmm.... Maybe it would be faster if the Special Stage was entered in other Acts.
Why, oh, why do I even <i>try</i> to understand my own species?
Joined: 4/21/2004
Posts: 3517
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Spacecow wrote:
May I request that when the AVI is made, can the sound setting be set so that 'PSG High Quality' is unchecked? Sonic's jump sound effect sounds odd when that's enabled, and the last AVI used that setting.
And, in my opinion, sometimes the background was too blurry although since Im certainly not a encoder, Im not sure if that could be fixed.
Nitrogenesis wrote:
Guys I come from the DidyKnogRacist communite, and you are all wrong, tihs is the run of the mileniun and everyone who says otherwise dosnt know any bater! I found this run vary ease to masturbate too!!!! Don't fuck with me, I know this game so that mean I'm always right!StupedfackincommunityTASVideoz!!!!!!
Arc wrote:
I enjoyed this movie in which hands firmly gripping a shaft lead to balls deep in multiple holes.
natt wrote:
I don't want to get involved in this discussion, but as a point of fact C# is literally the first goddamn thing on that fucking page you linked did you even fucking read it
Cooljay wrote:
Mayor Haggar and Cody are such nice people for the community. Metro City's hospitals reached an all time new record of incoming patients due to their great efforts :P
I actually was not aware that I would be co-author on this run until I saw it submitted. :)
Upthorn has really outdone himself on these improvements and I was very entertained by his additions to my previous run. Star Light 3 was almost reminiscent of later, faster Sonic games, and very fun to watch.
I actually tried to see if the previous submission could be stalled in encoding once I learned of this one to save encoders some time. However, the AVI had already been encoded, and so now at least the game will have a proper chain of obsoletion.
I voted yes.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
Good job, upthorn and JXQ. 9 seconds on a run which was just published is a good improvement.
What impresses me the most is that you guys are playing for entertainment, not for ego.
Yes vote.
Edit:Now I vote yes (after 3 or 4 hours). Shows how much I regard voting.