I don't think TASing becomes more fun if it's necessary to beat a game.
I think it's more about using complex algorithms for calculating f.e. speeds (so that it's hard/impossible to find the absolutely fastest solution) and to have lots of abusable glitches (that still can be explained somehow, but require frame-perfect input to be executed or RAM-watching to be abused in efficient ways) or game mechanics that can be abused by TASing such as cancel-able lag after attacks.
Also, if the main character has different forms or other restrictions on using particular moves, the TAS will get more diverse and thus more entertaining to watch and create.
I don't think TASing becomes more fun if it's necessary to beat a game.
I think it's more about using complex algorithms for calculating f.e. speeds (so that it's hard/impossible to find the absolutely fastest solution) and to have lots of abusable glitches (that still can be explained somehow, but require frame-perfect input to be executed or RAM-watching to be abused in efficient ways) or game mechanics that can be abused by TASing such as cancel-able lag after attacks.
Also, if the main character has different forms or other restrictions on using particular moves, the TAS will get more diverse and thus more entertaining to watch and create.
So the best example of the game you're talking about is Super Metroid. But such game would be impossible for TAS-newbies to... oh, I think I misunderstood the purpose of the topic. I thought we were talking about a game that would be easy to TAS even for inexperienced players. My apologies.
There's the Flash game called Tuper Tario Tros that's just about that. It's not very fun though.
I looked it up on Youtube, and am inclined to agree.
It was designed with human limitations in mind— you can only do the platforming or the tetris at any given moment. If a TASer were doing it, they would have a pointing device to control the tetris pieces while doing the platforming, and the pace could be much quicker.
There's also the randomization, which sucks the interest out of it. The viewer won't wonder "how is the player going to solve this problem?" but rather, they'll know that all the challenges in the game can be overcome by dropping pieces until they've built a staircase or whatever.
Instead of infinite pieces, the player should have a store of tetrominoes to use, which would be collected as consequences of route choices, or some other conscious decision on the player's part.
Limne wrote:
I've been waiting for such a game since high school...
It occurred to me at some point that a judicious mix of features from RCR and Secret of Mana could have all the good points of both games, and none of the crippling flaws. RCR's plot and characterization were vacuous, and its difficulty scaling was broken.
SoM on the other hand had battle mechanics that rendered the bosses trivial. Y'know— magic spam, or that charge glitch. Kind of like bringing a bazooka to a knife fight.
I could actually imagine building "River City of Mana" explicitly for the purposes of TASing. It could be visually stunning to see a tool-assisted performance, and non-trivial to plan and execute.
So the best example of the game you're talking about is Super Metroid. But such game would be impossible for TAS-newbies to... oh, I think I misunderstood the purpose of the topic. I thought we were talking about a game that would be easy to TAS even for inexperienced players. My apologies.
Oh, yes, now that you mention it, it pretty much fits the description. Super Metroid actually seems to be TASable to some newbs, but the reason TASing it seems so hard is just because of the insanely high standards of the community imo. And because of annoying stuff like lag, door transitions etc.
I was actually more thinking of basic platformers, megaman-, castlevania- or zelda-esque games (even kirby) with an extra TAS friendly touch. The engine could be reused and refined, so yay. A TAS tutorial game might also be a great idea though. ^^
