Due to insufficient QA when R&D-ing the dimension's teleporters, Captain Viridian manages to teleport himself into walls and avoid most of the health hazards that are usually in his path.

Game objectives

  • Emulator used: Hourglass r81
  • Game version: VVVVVV 2.0
  • Aims for fastest time
  • Uses death to save time
  • Avoids game state manipulation

Comments

After improving the current any% skip-the-entire-game run, I decided the current skip-somewhat-less-of-the-game run needed an update. This is that update, reducing the time with 4:44.38 to a mere 8:45.87. The route used for the run is the same as the current real time SS route, so any time saved over that is purely by optimization. That said, the in-game time of this run is 7:55, which beats the current world record (8:21) by 26 seconds.
As Masterjun has repeatedly pointed out, optimizing this game (by which I solely mean going around corners) is annoying as hell. Luckily, there are plenty of platforms and enemies that require some degree of waiting, meaning that you often only have to make sure you enter a room as early as possible and any further position optimization is pointless.

Tricks & Glitches

There are not that many tricks used in this run, but together they amount to a large portion of the game being skipped. Most of these glitches are made possible by the suicide function (R). Originally intended for player levels only, its presence is the main game in version 2.0 was considered a bug. Although it has been fixed in the (never officialy released) beta 2.1 patch, Terry Cavanagh (the developer) will probably keep it as a feature for the official 2.2 release, purely for speedrunning purposes. I like him.

Space Station 1 skip

By suiciding when you enter Space Station, you are respawned at the ship, allowing you to completely skip this level. You do have to come back eventually to save Violet, though.

Gravitron skip

Rescuing Violet is normally the first thing the player does and as such, there is a short cutscene after that explaining that you have to save the other crew members too. Fortunately for us, this cutscene overrules any other thing that might happen after saving someone, such as going to the Gravitron.
However, sometime during the cutscene, your progress is reset. This is prevented by suiciding as soon as the cutscene begins.

Inversion plane clip

Inversion planes (the white bouncy lines) that are close enough to the floor (4 tiles maximum) can be clipped through by pressing action for one frame, releasing and pressing again.

Teleflinging / telejumping

By suiciding upon using a teleporter, the timer that regulates the teleport sequence is delayed, resulting in a different "teleport state" upon its expiry. This results most commonly in the player being flung further out, which can, in some places, be used to enter walls. The game pushes you out upward or downward (in which case you can flip to go up again), which allows for some pretty big skips.

Level-by-level

... To whatever degree the word "level" still applies.

Intro

Skipped, as mentioned before. After this I visit two teleporters I need for teleflinging: one below the laboratory and one near the start of the Warp Zone. I only have to see the first one, so I suicide upon entry of the room. The second one is used to death-teleport to the first one, clipping us into the Laboratory.

Laboratory

The Laboratory is completed as normal, there isn't anything special here. After saving Doctor Victoria, I go to yet another teleporter I need for clipping, the one below Space Station 2.

Warp Zone

The teleporter below Space Station 2 is used to death-teleport to the one at the start of the Warp Zone, clipping into the wall and pushing us up to Chief Verdigris. It doesn't matter which teleporter you use after saving someone, so I suicide to get back to the one I used for the clip.

Space Station 2

The ship teleporter is used to death-teleport to the one below Space Station 2. A second suicide is needed to delay the teleport timer even further, as a different state is needed for slightly different, higher fling. After this I simply go to save Professor Vitellary. The only TAS-only trick done here is standing on the edge spikes at "Exhaust Chute", which for some reason don't kill you.

Intermission 1

Escort missions always suck, and this game is no exception. However, the AI is at least predictable and consistent, which means the TAS has little problems guiding Vitellary through his trials and tribulations. The route taken in "...Not as I do" requires high precision, and is never used in real time. Apart from that the route is normal.
When waiting for Vitellary at the end of a room, there is a barrier that prevents you from going to the next room. The specifics of this barrier are odd, but backing up for a run-up is used to save time in some way for every room.

Space Station 1

While going through Space Station 2, I passed the room that contains the teleporter at the end of Space Station 1 and as such, I can teleport there. Touching the checkpoint triggers the dialog, and using the teleporter starts the cutscene with Doctor Violet.

Intermission 2 (the Gravitron)

Overruled by Violet's cutscene. To prevent a reset of progress, I suicide as soon as possible. Suiciding in a room with a teleporter disables the teleporter, so I have to leave to room to use it. Most real time runs go back to the teleporter by suiciding, but with TAS-precision, walking back is slightly faster due to the lengthy death animation.

The Tower

Skipped by teleflinging from the teleporter at the end of Space Station 2.

Final Level

Nothing special here. The only difference is flipping down to the inversion plane in "Origami Room", which save 1 frame over "falling" up.

Credits

Yay, you did it!

feos: Accepting as an improvement over [2368] Windows VVVVVV by Masterjun in 13:30.25. But that was a Star, which this run isn't getting. People were missing some awesomeness from Masterjun's movie here, but at the same time it's a good improvement. So we will expect the 100% run and most likely resurrect the Star with it.


TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #4302: Scepheo's Windows VVVVVV in 08:45.87
Spikestuff
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Ah V times 6 how I still don't understand anything. Improvement over previous TAS yup. Beats WR? Yup. Deaths being an unlucky number? Yup. Fine by me. Yes Vote.
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Not to be that guy, but this run feels a lot like a Super Mario 64 16 star submission from long after 0 stars has become common. The question is whether this route has enough unique tricks and entertainment to be published alongside the 47 second and the 13 minute runs, or whether maybe it should obsolete the latter. As it stands, the run was very well made, I especially enjoyed the little playarounds during waiting sections, they were a nice touch. I'm voting yes for entertainment. It's just I'm aching all the more for a deathless TAS playing through the 'full game' now.
Eszik
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The run was fast-paced, optimized and entertaining. Voting yes. And this sould obsolete old Masterjun's run.
I problably made mistakes, sorry for my bad English, I'm French :v
mklip2001
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I basically agree with scrimpeh here. This is a good run. It beats Masterjun's run. But it feels like a bad compromise between the any% run that glitches everything out and a 100% deathless trinkets run. I was amused, at first, to hear how the music wouldn't change properly when you got into areas through glitches, though I also got sick of hearing that one theme the whole time. I'm going with Meh on this. It's neat, but for a run trying to show off more of the game, it doesn't feel like it's following the spirit of a full run.
Used to be a frequent submissions commenter. My new computer has had some issues running emulators, so I've been here more sporadically. Still haven't gotten around to actually TASing yet... I was going to improve Kid Dracula for GB. It seems I was beaten to it, though, with a recent awesome run by Hetfield90 and StarvinStruthers. (http://tasvideos.org/2928M.html.) Thanks to goofydylan8 for running Gargoyle's Quest 2 because I mentioned the game! (http://tasvideos.org/2001M.html) Thanks to feos and MESHUGGAH for taking up runs of Duck Tales 2 because of my old signature! Thanks also to Samsara for finishing a Treasure Master run. From the submission comments:
Shoutouts and thanks to mklip2001 for arguably being the nicest and most supportive person on the forums.
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Masterjun's run isn't 100%, right? If so, will a 100% run be as entertaining as Masterjun's movie? If so, we could accept this submission and just wait for 100%.
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.
Masterjun
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Good job with this movie. Though, I don't know how I feel about the goal. It obviously takes away a bunch of entertainment when you see cool rooms just being skipped. Personally I think I'd prefer a "100%, no Esc" run or something, because there are a lot of routes that are possible.
Submission wrote:
there are plenty of platforms and enemies that require some degree of waiting, meaning that you often only have to make sure you enter a room as early as possible and any further position optimization is pointless.
You also have to make sure that you optimize your position around the platform or enemy. I saw a few movement errors and I suspect that ~3s can be saved just from them. Voting Meh.
Warning: Might glitch to credits I will finish this ACE soon as possible (or will I?)
sack_bot
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Game is fucked. Voting yes.
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I kind of feel like VVVVVV is one of those games where the only interesting categories are "snap it over its knee" and "play it the way it's meant to be played" (which in this case would probably include 100%ing it). This partially-broken run just occupies an uncomfortable middle ground -- if I want to watch the game get destroyed, then it's not really satisfying; similarly it's not satisfying if I want to watch the game get played because most (but not all!) of it is subverted.
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Zarmakuizz
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Just because the game didn't say no… Doesn't mean it did say yes. Don't be that guy. On another note, what a rape! Yes vote.
Buddybenj
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Eszik wrote:
The run was fast-paced, optimized and entertaining. Voting yes. And this sould obsolete old Masterjun's run.
Yup that's exactly how I feel. It also kind of reminds me of #4252: Masterjun's SNES Super Mario World "11 exits" in 08:07.53 because is abuses the bad naming of a branch name added to a non-glitched any% run.
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Spikestuff
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Actually I'm against on waiting on the 100% run and having this obsoleted on it. We have a few games that have an any% route and a 100% route (and maybe a bit more) on this site that are not obsoleting each other. So why can't we do the same thing to VVVVVV?
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Standing in the spikes at 3:47 was pretty cool. What about an “Esc” branch that uses clips, like this? Yes vote.
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Masterjun wrote:
Personally I think I'd prefer a "100%, no Esc" run or something, because there are a lot of routes that are possible.
I'm still rooting for a 100% with Esc run, as a 100% no Esc run would feel very similar to the 100% no death run. Storage would only be used to skip the intro (maybe, might not even be faster as you need to go to Space Station 1 anyway) and the first 2 intermissions. Apart from that it'd allow a few neat clips (Tower to Warp Zone trinket) that you otherwise never see.
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Spikestuff wrote:
Actually I'm against on waiting on the 100% run and having this obsoleted on it. We have a few games that have an any% route and a 100% route (and maybe a bit more) on this site that are not obsoleting each other. So why can't we do the same thing to VVVVVV?
That's not what I suggest. I suggest that this submission obsoletes Masterjuns, and all the star content will be present in the 100% run when it's done. So there will be 3 runs.
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.
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Nice run and nice improvement, yes vote! And I think this should obsolete Masterjun's run. Like feos said, when the 100% run is done, it can be published as a third branch.
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To me, it feels like if you're going to skip this much of the game, you may as well skip it all.
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You done borken it.
Post subject: Movie published
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This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [2597] Windows VVVVVV by Scepheo in 08:45.87
Buddybenj
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I still think in addition to a 100% run there should also be an any% run that doesn't use the glitch (like Materjuns run). I also think the 100% run shouldn't use the glitch. That's like having a 96 exit SMW run that still utilizes the arbitrary code bug but completes all the exits. What I'm saying is there should be glitched% runs but not glitched 100% runs.
Projects: Interested in TASing N64 Mario Golf. GBA Mario Tennis: Power Tour is on hold.
Eszik
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Buddybenj wrote:
I also think the 100% run shouldn't use the glitch. That's like having a 96 exit SMW run that still utilizes the arbitrary code bug but completes all the exits.
Clipping through the walls has absolutely nothing to do with arbitrary code. A 100% run should use glitches as it would make the run faster and more entertaining.
I problably made mistakes, sorry for my bad English, I'm French :v
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Eszik wrote:
Clipping through the walls has absolutely nothing to do with arbitrary code. A 100% run should use glitches as it would make the run faster and more entertaining.
There's arguments for both sides. Personally I'd rather see an unglitched 100% than a glitched one, but ultimately it comes down to what the TASer wants to do. Maybe there's room on the site for both.
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Buddybenj
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Eszik wrote:
Buddybenj wrote:
I also think the 100% run shouldn't use the glitch. That's like having a 96 exit SMW run that still utilizes the arbitrary code bug but completes all the exits.
Clipping through the walls has absolutely nothing to do with arbitrary code. A 100% run should use glitches as it would make the run faster and more entertaining.
Yeah that was a bad analogy... Here's a better one: It's kind of like having a 70 star sm64 run, but still BLJing in the process to get 70 stars faster. Which means you could BLJ to places and get stars you usually couldn't get without more stars. And during a level BLJ to reach the star quicker. Then at the end of the run instead of BLJing through the 70 star door you open it without the BLJ glitch. So you are collecting 70 stars but when using a glitch like that you might as well utilise the glitch to it's full potential (0 stars) or not use the glitch at all (70 stars, BLJless), don't just use a kind-of-glitched/only-uses-part-of-the-glitch run (16 stars (side-BLJless) after 0 stars has already been made). Anyways it is just my opinion and you probably have reasons you think a 100% run and any% (any% not being glitched%) should use glitches. Or one way to think about this run is the glitched run with some extra padding. However I still think the run is entertaining and probably took some hard work, I just need to document my opinion (even if no one reads it lol).
Projects: Interested in TASing N64 Mario Golf. GBA Mario Tennis: Power Tour is on hold.
Patashu
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You don't need any amount of trinkets to beat the game, though, so it's not equivalent at all to the stars in sm64.
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Eszik
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Well the 120 stars uses the BLJ to reach stars raster. I think this is exactly the dame case : using glitches to get all the 100% elements‚ but in a 'legit' way.
I problably made mistakes, sorry for my bad English, I'm French :v