(Link to video)
The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle is a frustrating action puzzler. In this run, I attempt to complete the game as fast as possible while trying to also maximize my score. I primarily use heavy luck manipulation to achieve this in around 40 minutes, which is impressive considering that the game is 60 levels long.

Encode With Input Display:

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to my first submission! I started this run during a break from my other WIP, Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge. Although many think this might not be the best game choice, I disagree for the following reasons:
  • The luck manipulation in this game makes it far from trivial.
  • There are ways to spice this up a little, and I do my best to use all of them.
  • Regardless of the AVGN's opinions, I liked this game a lot as a kid, and I bet a lot of other people here did too, so I thought a proper run should be made for it.
So, I went for it, and I think I was fairly successful. For more information on the run, please read watch the encode with subtitles enabled, as I document nearly everything I do in the run throughout.

Game Objectives

  • Emulator used: FCEUX 2.1.4a
  • Attempts to complete the game in the fastest time possible
  • Aims to maximize score / kills without losing time
  • Heavy luck manipulation

Results

In the thread for this game, Mysterypea had already constructed a 33 level WIP. Using it as a model, I tried my best to obsolete it. Here is a table of our respective times. Note: I define a level's length as the difference between the frame in which Bugs' sprite shows up and the one in which the "1UP" bubble appears.
LevelMy VersionMysterypea's VersionDifference
116821686-4
221172209-92
316281669-41
412891329-40
519812282-301
616211829-208
712621492-230
821723166-994
919032638-735
1016821974-292
1114601980-520
1212001400-200
1317102768-1058
1424872663-176
1521232519-396
1620702120-50
1717201879-159
1819692325-356
1924892618-129
2024843547-1063
2122992553-254
2222032372-169
2320192515-496
2414391579-140
2517831949-166
2618522223-371
2717201724-4
2815741894-320
2919392093-154
3012441589-345
3123172345-28
3218532149-296
3313371446-109
341882
351670
361913
371692
382296
391614
401843
412863
421527
432801
441462
451606
461774
471371
482055
492145
501887
511364
522416
531674
542232
552656
561834
572247
581540
593799
602003
Total94537705249896
Average15762137300
In addition to this, I ended the game with 77000 points. It should be noted that the re-record count is unknown as it was lost somewhere in the editing process.
It's worth noting that Level 26 of could take a different path and get the exact same time. Here is a YouTube stream of that path, and here is the movie file.

Future Runs

If the reception to this run is positive, I might attempt a quad run of the Crazy Castle GB games. Considering that you can move forward using up or down as opposed to pressing left and right, and that there are many frames in which input is rendered moot, this would be the perfect candidate for such a run. UPDATE: Crazy Castle 4 apparently does not move forward when pressing up or down, so a triad run of the first three games would probably be a better option.

Possible Improvements

Although I have a fairly strong understanding of the AI for this game, I certainly don't have an exact formula. If I had such a thing, it might be possible to make every enemy irrelevant. It would also be helpful if I had a script that allowed me to see other segments of the screen so I can see how my input influences an enemy that is off-screen.

Known Improvements

nitrogenesis has reported that I transition from level to level incorrectly. Instead of pressing Start, I can press A and save one frame per level. If this was implemented for this run, then, it would be exactly a second shorter. Still, I don't think this improvement alone warrants a new submission, so this will have to wait until a bigger improvement is found.

Special Thanks

Thank you to Mysterypea for his original WIP, Randil for his not so accurate, yet helpful lost frame calculating script, andymac for his "AVI Heads Up Display" script, and feos for his work with andymac on the aforementioned script. I also appreciate all the feedback I've gotten so far.

Suggested Screenshot

Closing Statement

I put a lot of work into this run, so I hope you enjoyed it! However, if you didn't, all I can say is...
Haters gonna hate. Credit to NrgSpoon.

Nach: This was a tough one, tons of yes votes, but several strong dissenters as well. I have to agree, this isn't the most entertaining of games. However, this game is deceptively simple. Everyone who knows this game well (which seems to be the majority of viewers) knows how tricky it really can be. The lousy play control, unpredictable enemies, and confusing route chooses make this game tricky to play, let alone play well. Just paying close attention to level 27 for example shows how the game isn't so clear cut as it may seem.
Since this run requires TAS techniques such as route planning (which changed WIP to WIP), and luck manipulation, I feel this run deserves consideration to be published. The question is then down to: "Did it entertain?"
It definitely had its moments, and knowing the game well really enhances that. But it was rather long and repetitive. Although I sat through this run twice, most people won't want to watch this in a single sitting. Thinking about whether that is acceptable or not, I realized we have published several multi-hour RPG TASs in the past, which no one is going to be sitting through in a single sitting. Therefore I feel that this should not be a barrier to publication, especially since the levels in this game are pretty short, and can be watched individually without missing anything.
Those that don't know the game will probably skip this run, and those that do will probably enjoy it immensely. I decided to err on the side of caution and go with the majority of the audience, and accept this run as a first run for this game. I hope future runs will improve the routes further and find more exciting ways to manipulate the enemies and shave off two or three minutes.

Brandon: Publication underway! Thanks for allowing me to do the one thing I haven't done for TASVideos; make a published TAS. :)

Joined: 2/20/2010
Posts: 209
Location: I'm in space
I loved enjoyed played hated this game back in the day, so it was nice watching Brandon destroy it. The youtube commentary was really a nice touch, and is generally a really helpful bonus for any TAS, as it kind of correlates the submission text with the actual run in real-time, and makes it easy to appreciate the degree of effort invested. I'd love to see such a thing on more subs. Also - I love the to-the-wire timing at the very end of level 42 (27:54), looks like Wile E. Coyote was a millimeter from maiming you. (yes vote)
Oh, play it cool. Play it cool. Here come the space cops.
Skilled player (1468)
Joined: 12/30/2007
Posts: 485
Location: Hubei,China
This game has a glitch that taking death can get warped. I don't know whether it could use in the correct rom.Because I only experienced it in real play.
Do the work.
Warepire
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I hated this game so much after playing it at a friends house, watching Brandon just blazing through it like it's nothing is an amazing feeling. Well done, you have my yes vote.
JXQ
Experienced player (749)
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Posts: 3132
What program (if any) did you use to construct your YouTube subtitle file? I ask because I haven't found one myself. I made one, but it's not ideal for long videos.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
Brandon
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X2poet wrote:
This game has a glitch that taking death can get warped. I don't know whether it could use in the correct rom.Because I only experienced it in real play.
As I explain in my subtitles, using the No Carrot Sign may bring you to a bonus level, which can be played in place of the regular one, but even if we ignored all the menu navigation that resulted in, those levels are usually much longer than the regular ones. As such, I avoid them.
JXQ wrote:
What program (if any) did you use to construct your YouTube subtitle file? I ask because I haven't found one myself. I made one, but it's not ideal for long videos.
I just wrote them into the FM2.
All the best, Brandon Evans
Skilled player (1468)
Joined: 12/30/2007
Posts: 485
Location: Hubei,China
I like this game,thanks for figuring out what I didn't understand in my childhood. Yes.
Do the work.
jaysmad
Other
Experienced player (832)
Joined: 12/1/2006
Posts: 629
Location: Mom's
I remember this game being so long. At first i thought it would be hellish to watch but it turned out to be pleasant enough. I love how you play with the glove. It's crazy, how big this thing is, next to Bugs. Anyways, i found this was very well planned so yes vote. Nice going, on your first run, Brandon.
Editor, Experienced player (851)
Joined: 8/12/2008
Posts: 845
Location: Québec, Canada
Greatly TASed, but poor game choice.
Joined: 3/17/2011
Posts: 24
I enjoyed watching the run so far. I will watch the end of it later. Great work! I would vote yes if I could. EDIT: I can finally vote, so yes vote.
Joined: 5/29/2004
Posts: 757
I voted Meh. I was honestly very bored watching the movie and had to stop it several times and come back later. I mean I can SEE the luck manipulation in effect and I know how batshit this game can turn on the fly... but definitely not a good game choice imho. There genuinely never came to any point a part where I was entertained... the levels were boring as hell. Even Lolo/Eggerland had one or 2 stinker levels, but more then enough good to ignore them. This? Not so. Bad choice, well executed.. = Meh Mr. Kelly R. Flewin
Mr. Kelly R. Flewin Just another random gamer ---- <OmnipotentEntity> How do you people get bored in the span of 10 seconds? Worst ADD ever.
GabCM
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I've watched your run, and I have a question for you, Brandon. What kind of luck manipulation is used in this run? I've seen you did a great job avoiding enemies considering you can't jump at all, and you can't get caught in a dead end. Is that the manipulation?
Brandon
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Mister Epic wrote:
I've watched your run, and I have a question for you, Brandon. What kind of luck manipulation is used in this run? I've seen you did a great job avoiding enemies considering you can't jump at all, and you can't get caught in a dead end. Is that the manipulation?
If you watch the video with captions on, you'll have all the details you'll need. In short, the trick with this game is that every AI except for the Green Sylvester follows you based on what direction you are "moving" in, even if your movement takes no actual effect, such as when you're falling or going through a staircase. Because of this, very few situations have unavoidable enemies. In those cases, I try to find the best solution possible, and I've documented my choices in the captions. Hope this helps.
All the best, Brandon Evans
GabCM
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Oh nice! Thanks for the info. I'll vote Meh for your run. I like how you made this game look easy, while it's, in fact, impossible to jump and it's possible to get caught in a dead end because of an enemy. But, I think this game is just boring to watch.
Skilled player (1468)
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I like this type of puzzle game. What about Rode Runner?
Do the work.
Brandon
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X2poet wrote:
I like this type of puzzle game. What about Rode Runner?
I'm not sure what game you're referring to.
All the best, Brandon Evans
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Joined: 9/11/2004
Posts: 2623
Lode Runner?
Build a man a fire, warm him for a day, Set a man on fire, warm him for the rest of his life.
Joined: 4/30/2008
Posts: 39
This isn't the most interesting game, but with the levels taking about 30-40 seconds it's not nearly as tedious as I expected. This was a lot better than I thought. Yes vote.
Joined: 5/8/2010
Posts: 177
Location: Entropy
I used to play this game when I was a kid, never had the Patience to finish it! Yes vote from me!
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Posts: 389
[offtopic]
X2poet wrote:
What about Rode Runner?
Did you mean Road Runner? If you want to, you can try an "all flags" run for the SNES version. I don't have enough time right now for it, but I posted lots of helpful stuff in the game specific thread. For example, I created some maps showing all the flags and hidden paths.
Brandon
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partyboy1a wrote:
[offtopic]
X2poet wrote:
What about Rode Runner?
Did you mean Road Runner? If you want to, you can try an "all flags" run for the SNES version. I don't have enough time right now for it, but I posted lots of helpful stuff in the game specific thread. For example, I created some maps showing all the flags and hidden paths. [/offtopic]
I thought that's what he might of meant, but that's not really a puzzle game, right? Also, why did you link to Bonk's Adventure?
All the best, Brandon Evans
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You can reply faster than I can fix wrong links... Getting all the flags makes Road Runner some kind of puzzle, many of them are hidden quite difficult... [/offtopic]
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Lode Runner, gentlemen. The gamplay is kinda similar to Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.
Qlex
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Ok, well then! I have nothing to say, this run was really perfect for me. I'll change my very yes vote to a big yes vote =)
GabCM
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NitroGenesis
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Mister Epic wrote:
Link to video
I vote no. That TAS is horrible. Be ashamed. lol
YoungJ1997lol wrote:
Normally i would say Yes, but thennI thought "its not the same hack" so ill stick with meh.