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Emulator settings:

  • Jabo's Direct3D8 1.6
  • TAS Input Plugin 0.6
  • Jabo's DirectSound 1.6
  • RSP emulation Plugin
  • recorded with Mupen64-rerecording v8

About the game

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is the third installment of the successful skater game and the last game released for the Nintendo 64 in the U.S.
It is the first part to include reverts, which allow to chain verts (tricks done, while vertically jumping up) to other tricks, which enables big combos netting many points. However, since verts are time consuming and points can be gathered also through other tricks, this new feature is only rarely used in this TAS. Unlike THPS 2, goals do not have a weighting. This allows to go for the fastest goals.

Short info for watcher, who are unfamiliar with the game

  • there are 8 levels: five areas with goals and 3 competitions
  • to get the credits screen, the skater has to win gold in all competitions and achieve 35 of 50 goals to enter these tournaments
  • performable tricks, seen in the run:
    • grinds: slide along edges
    • grabs: grab the board midair (grants many points)
    • flip tricks: spin the board (short, but nets only few points)
    • manuals: wheely on the floor (allows to continue a combo, while going)
    • reverts: spin after landing a vert (chains verts with other tricks)
  • competitions consist of 3 runs ("heats"), where the skater has to perform tricks to get points during a minute. After rating each heat (max. 100 pts.), the points for the best two runs are added and compared to other skaters. Each heat can be ended at any moment or skipped. Thus in this TAS, the first two heats are ended after acquiring enough points and the last one is skipped.
  • combo system: the total score is calculated as "points times multiplier". Each trick adds some points the the total count and increase the multiplier by one.

About the run

  • aims for fastest time
  • starting a grind speeds up the skater
  • combos are ended, if continuing it would slow the skater down
  • tricks are varied, as they lose value each time they are used
  • though even mentioned during the run, the player does not always go faster when crouching. On some occasions it is even slower

Goals of each level

Foundry (end score: 108023)

  • Rather compact level, so I get 9 goals here, due to shorter ways
    • High Score
    • Pro Score
    • find the secret tape: I get this first, due to easier access to the higher platforms early on
    • grind the control booth
    • Sick Score
    • activate press
    • collect s-k-a-t-e
    • cannonball over the halfpipe: done while collecting the "S"
    • valves unjammed: takes some time, but complement well the SKATE letters

Los Angeles (end score: 278271)

  • Large level, so no collection goals done. 6 goals collected
    • find the secret tape: Again I get this first, due to easier access to the higher platforms early on
    • grind the electric rail
    • High Score
    • Pro Score
    • Sick Score
    • kickflip over elevator lobby

Competition: Rio de Janeiro

  • good grinding setup. Unfortunately, I could not find a medium combo to be done twice, but a long and short one. Together they add up to the needed points
    • first run: 94589 pts.
    • second run: 37785 pts.

Suburbia (end score: 234186)

  • Medium size. However, there are 3 collection goals, which makes exploring the map worthwhile. 9 goals are done.
    • ice the ice cream man
    • find the secret tape: I have to wait for the crane to fall, so I can stay in the slower manual before
    • High Score
    • Pro Score
    • Sick Score
    • collect s-k-a-t-e
    • appal the appliances
    • disrespect the dishes
    • 360 flip the weathervane

Airport (end score: 390440)

  • very long and linear. Many grinding possibilities help to get through that level fast. 7 goals collected.
    • High Score
    • Pro Score
    • Sick Score
    • grind the plane
    • find the secret tape
    • nosebluntslide the airport sign
    • collect s-k-a-t-e

Skater Island

  • First a vert with gap to get points, then chained with a revert into many fast tricks to increase the multiplier
    • first run: 83547 pts.
    • second run: 86247 pts.

Canada (end score: 154734)

  • only the 4 fastest goals where collected in this level
    • blow up the tree
    • nosegrind over the tree
    • High Score
    • Pro Score

Tokyo

  • Great skating area, but the gap over the entrance makes a perfect spot for building high point combos
    • first run: 97740 pts.
    • second run: 97740 pts.

Comparison issue

Ports of different consoles (like the SDA run on the Game Cube) differ a lot and have mostly different goals. Thus, runs on different systems are not comparable.

Credits

  • flip: for pointing out a mistake I made in suburbia
  • nitsuja, DeHackEd and co: for their work put into the development of a rerecording N64 emulator
I cancel this submission. Thanks for your time watching and judging this movie. I appreciate it and hope I can make up for this with my redone version #1733: emu's N64 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 in 14:35.22.


Former player
Joined: 11/13/2005
Posts: 1587
Wouldn't it have been faster to skip one of the collecting goals in Suburbia and do the Flag goal in the airport instead, or do you need all those goals to access Airport?
emu
Active player (386)
Joined: 1/2/2007
Posts: 188
Location: Germany, Munich
Suburbia is has three collection goals, with one only requiring to collect 3 things ("disrespect the dishes), making it feasible to stay in the level longer. Plus they can be linked in a very fluid path; so taking one out won't save much time. "Taking the flags" is indeed a considerable goal, but during test runs, the collection procedure needed comparatively much time. I might be wrong about it though. (Accessing the airport due to number of goals would not have been an issue)
Joined: 5/9/2005
Posts: 752
emu wrote:
As previously stated, a 100% run is unfavourable, as it should include also all gaps (plus the ones from the bonus levels)
Probs a silly question. Why would that be a bad thing? Anyway, meh vote for same reasons mentioned, and agreed a 100% run (Whatever that may be.) would be favorable. It was really quick though.
Tub
Joined: 6/25/2005
Posts: 1377
emu wrote:
A consensus of the run, some of you propose would be "complete 100% of the game except the gaps and with one skater only, completing as fast as possible but skating the full minute in the competitions and allowing to sacrifice speed to chain combos, not doing the same combo again, even if it takes longer for the same benefits and not jumping so often while grinding." :)
What defines 100% is always a matter of debate. Not everything that's listed somewhere in some statistic has to count (just like a 100% GBA castlevania run wouldn't pick up all items or level to 99). There is an unassisted THPS 2 speedrun that gets all goals and all the pickup money, but not the gaps, so following that example is a non-arbitrary option. THPS 2 even had the "100% goals and cash" message to support the definition, no idea about THPS 3 though. I'd propose these three goals, in order of importance: * completes all goals * does not end competition runs early (but skips the third) * Aims for fastest time Those goals are simple, clearly defined and much less arbitrary than your example. A run following that goals will show pure speed on the regular levels and huge combos on the competitions. That way the run won't be as short as this and it'll show more variety.
Everything between time attack and 100% tends to be arbitrary and a bad basis for obsoletion.
An obsoletion would have to improve the regular level times and the competition scores, no problem there. If a future run decides to end competitions early, it's still possible to compare the regular level times. (I haven't played THPS3 in a while, have I missed something? Additional pickups, skater-specific goals, ...?)
m00
Joined: 5/9/2005
Posts: 752
Tub wrote:
(I haven't played THPS3 in a while, have I missed something? Additional pickups, skater-specific goals, ...?)
After a quick look at GameFAQs I believe there is a secret level unlocked upon your 3rd gold medal called downhill which features no goals but has 10 stat points to be picked up.
Joined: 6/22/2007
Posts: 181
Location: Eastern Michigan University
I voted yes, however I would rather see a run, where you played every level for the whole time, and went for max score.
Joined: 4/12/2007
Posts: 78
Location: Atlanta, GA
In addition to what everyone else said about a 100% run, I'd also like there to be some supers used as well. I'm voting no on this due to ending both the levels and competitions early.
Joined: 10/16/2006
Posts: 174
I second the notion of a 100% run. Until then, I won't vote.
Chamale
He/Him
Player (182)
Joined: 10/20/2006
Posts: 1355
Location: Canada
Whoa. I had no fucking clue what was going on most of the time, but I'm not complaining.
Joined: 8/27/2006
Posts: 883
I voted Meh, it was a little annoying, the levels ends too abrutly. You should go for the 100% run.
Joined: 8/29/2006
Posts: 13
I don't know - maybe not even a 100% run. I think this is the sort of game that's better played like Mortal Kombat. Just show off as many of the game's insane quirks as fast as possible.
dot dot dot EXCLAIMATION POINT
Joined: 5/27/2005
Posts: 465
Location: Turku, Finland
Wow! I honestly didn't believe it was possible to finish this game under 6 and ½ minutes, even with TASing capabilities. The run kept me entertained the whole and most of the time I was able to follow where emu was skating. A very nice N64 add to TASvideos' archive, if you ask me. (Yes vote from me)
Which run should I encode next? :)
Experienced player (828)
Joined: 11/18/2006
Posts: 2426
Location: Back where I belong
Having played this game a little bit (but playing THPS 1,2 and 4 until my thumbs bleed), I can't say I wasn't entertained, but I thought that it was too short and hyper. Short levels are great, but those "loading" scenes where there's 5-10 seconds of dead space make this a pretty disjointed run. I think if you added more goals (possibly all gaps), and it would be a much more fulfilling run to watch, and help make the waiting times not as noticable, at least for fans of the series. I give it a meh.
Living Well Is The Best Revenge My Personal Page
Active player (315)
Joined: 2/28/2006
Posts: 2275
Location: Milky Way -> Earth -> Brazil
Yeah, that song is great, indeed. And, yeah... the more you repeat the same trick, the less points you get.
"Genuine self-esteem, however, consists not of causeless feelings, but of certain knowledge about yourself. It rests on the conviction that you — by your choices, effort and actions — have made yourself into the kind of person able to deal with reality. It is the conviction — based on the evidence of your own volitional functioning — that you are fundamentally able to succeed in life and, therefore, are deserving of that success." - Onkar Ghate
Bisqwit wrote:
Drama, too long, didn't read, lol.
Joined: 4/14/2010
Posts: 146
Location: France
Here is an encode, as Zeupar requested one: Dailymotion Archive.org There is a graphical bug due to Jabo's Direct3D8 1.6 (borders are not refreshed).
TASVideosGrue
They/Them
Joined: 10/1/2008
Posts: 2785
Location: The dark corners of the TASVideos server
om, nom, nom... blech, stale!