Timecop is a Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game that is based on the movie of the same name. Intending to be a semi-sequel, this game offers many stages not shown in the major motion picture.
Game Objectives
- As fast as possible by any means
Looks like my real time playing skills are getting worse by the minute, that's why this TAS was done; I was playing some first person shooter games with my nephews, but I suck big time playing in real time, so, before I get my ass kicked again by one of my ten year old nephews, I think it's better to do another TAS :)
Tricks
Buffer Bug
The full amount of time that a story cutscene is being played directional inputs and other persistent inputs (gun) can be buffered just by holding them. You can also buffer non-persistent inputs (jumping) by pressing them on the last frame before the game stops accepting inputs.
Enemy/Corner Boost
Landing on enemies/objects will shift you one direction or the other. This is important because the effect is instant, and the camera scrolls at a constant rate. Overscrolling past the screen boundaries preserves the stage layout, but most enemies and platforms/elevators do not spawn.
Useful Addresses
FBI GET ON IT
The amount of unavoidable lag in this stage made me think that it would be the most difficult thing to worry about in this run, the incoming stages proved it wrong.
Floormaster
A really short stage, it's possible to fall trough the elevator's floor by jumping as soon as you can get below the uper platform. That bomb used was not meant to reduce lag, but to kill a turret that was on my way.
Roundabout
Man, this stage is kinda long... other than that it's not a difficult stage to TAS; run right for justice, run left for great justice and right again for even greater justice!
TIMECAR
After a gigantic stage comes this somewhat small one. The objective here is to reach the Timecar, avoiding some lag along the way of course.
Octopi Parade
The first stage with a boss. I don't know why this boss have so much health points since it's the first one, but it's not a difficult boss to dispatch.
Reverse Touhou
No, it's not a bonus stage, but there's nothing wrong to use it to increase my score a little bit.
Gangsta Paradise
I almost made this stage lag-free, if I have just one more bomb... anyway, this stage is kinda complex to TAS, I hope you enjoy watching it the way I came up with.
Low Rider
The first stage that is possible to stay ahead of the camera. There's lots of lag at the end that may be reduced using a bomb, but using the bomb where I used is faster overall.
ATM
Another short stage, with another boss! Um... boss, what boss? by the by, this is the only boss that can be hurt by the use of a bomb.
GERMAN
Time to face some "modern weaponly" and another boss! Okay, I said that the previous boss is the only one that can be hurt by the bomb, but this time I used it just for show.
Brainblast
Nothing really special about this stage, run right, use some thugs to give me a small boost and destroy some flying robots, thats' all.
Timecar's Revenge
Oh, oh... I thought the timecar was mine. In any case, a really straightforward stage; run right and kill a boss!
If it's not for the first conveyor belt, I would say that my luck here was perfect!
Conveyor belts in this stage switch every time a 0 occurs in the RNG sequence. I don't know how to manipulate the RGN other than wait a few frames for it to change by itself. So, this stage is now 200 frames slower.
Corner Trap
The boss on this stage have one strange energy bar, I don't even know if the memory address that I found is the right one... sometimes he goes down with 120 HP, sometimes with 90. The fastest I got is 89.
Sky High
Wow, you can create huge amounts of lag in this stage with a single bullet, but it's now lag-free! Yeah, not even a single frame of lag.
Jetpack Hug
The final boss! The physics of the jetpack is weird; hit the boss and he goes up no matter where you hit him. oh, and it creates a lot of unavoidable lag... Well, that's it. I hope you enjoy the run.
Special Thanks
Omnigamer, if it was not for his interest in this game, tricks and memory addresses I would probably be playing (and losing...) Call of Duty with my nephews. Eye Of The Beholder, he always have something kind to say about my runs, thank you for your support.
Possible Improvements
I was estimating to save ~300 frames restarting the run, but as explained on Super Scroll stage, I lost ~200 frames there. The run is still faster than the old one, 92 frames, but if you can find a way to manipulate the RNG, or if you are luckier than me, there's some frames to be saved in this stage.
Dooty: The file was replaced with a 92 frame improvement.
Ilari: Encodes done&uploaded. Holding for tier to be decided...
