Anubis II (read "Anubis the Second") is a fast-paced platformer by Data Design Interactive, the creators of the infamous Ninjabread Man. The evil spirit Mumm'hotep has plunged Egypt into darkness, and Anubis, the guardian of the tombs, sets out to stop him!
As this run demonstrates, this quest is made much easier through the use of a couple of heavy glitches.
About the run
- Emulator used: Dolphin 4.0-2235 (A/V sync build (Windows 64-bit))
- Dual Core and Idle Skipping off
- Official DSP ROMs
- No GameCube controllers connected
- Takes damage to save time
- Uses death to save time
- Abuses programming errors in the game
- Abuses major skip glitch
- Skips final boss
- Genre: Platform
Note: Don't worry if the checksum mismatches. It should still play correctly as long as you're using the NTSC-U ISO/WBFS.
Also, if you have previous save data for this game, you will need to remove it before playing the movie, as it seems to throw off sync. You can do this by right-clicking the game in Dolphin, selecting "Open Wii save folder", and moving or deleting that folder.
I chose this version of Dolphin because it had the most recent corresponding A/V sync build and incorporates both the more accurate loading times from 4.0-1592 and the tick fix from 4.0-1902.
After seeing the Ninjabread Man speedrun on SDA and Kurabupengin and got4n's TAS work, I decided to run this suspiciously similar game. Along with its engine and some of its assets, all of NBM's glitches are present in this game.
Both this and Ninjabread Man use DDI's GODS, a game engine created for quick and cross-platform game development. Using GODS, DDI was able to release 62 games in 2008 with a team of only 40 people. Of course, this short development time for games like Anubis II left them full of unfixed bugs.
There are five platforming levels, four bonus levels, and a training level. In the platforming levels, your goal is to collect eight pyramid spheres in order to progress. In the bonus levels, you have limited health and your goal is to lead as many scarabs into the lava as you can before you run out of time or health.
I used a gamepad with joysticks to control the Wii Remote cursor and Nunchuk stick. It's the most accurate available method of TASing a Wii game, especially when compared to the alternative (using the mouse as a Wiimote cursor, and the keyboard as the Nunchuk joystick).
Memory addresses
These didn't end up being very useful, as everything in Training Temple is placed at an angle anyway, but I'll post them here regardless:
| Offset | Name | Value Type |
|---|
| 0x0044ED1C | X-Position | Float Big Endian |
| 0x004BE7C8 | Y-Position | Float Big Endian |
| 0x00796440 | Z-Position | Float Big Endian |
| 0x031B706C | Speed | Float Big Endian |
I also made
a map of the Training level to use with these values, though it was also of no use.
Tricks and glitches
Level skip glitch (found by our own Mr. Kelly R. Flewin!)
With precise timing, you can press Continue twice on the level end screen and it will advance two levels instead of one. This makes the run at least ten times shorter than an "all levels" run. It essentially turns this:
Training>Level 1>Bonus>Level 2>Bonus>Level 3>Bonus>Level 4>Bonus>Level 5>End
Into this:
Training>>Bonus>>Bonus>>Bonus>>Bonus>>End
Even though the bonus levels are completed, the glitch tricks the game into thinking you completed the main levels instead, which is why skipping Level 5 gives you the "ending" (spitting you back at the main menu).
Walking atop walls
The same collision used for floors is applied to surfaces that you shouldn't be able to walk on, like the level boundaries. This allows you to skip parts of levels. You can even walk on top of paper-thin BSP walls like the ones in the last level (Final Confrontation).
Movement
- Anubis always starts out moving slowly no matter which direction you face before breaking into an all-out sprint. I use the slow frames for angling Anubis so that he can sprint in a straight line to his destination.
- Sprinting is always faster than jumping for horizontal distances, as jumps kill your sprint speed. This is why I sprint for most of the run, even off of ledges.
Training Temple
- The main menu screens are optimized with a joystick.
- The Training skip was found by me. Using some conveniently placed decorations, I bypass the level and run over the closed gate into the level end trigger.
- I perform the level skip glitch to skip the first platforming level.
Valley
Bonus Level 1
- The fastest way to beat these bonus levels is to lose both of your hearts as fast as possible. This counts the level as "complete" and allows you to perform the level skip glitch to skip right to the next bonus level.
- Despite the lack of TAS input, these levels are simple enough that they should be optimal or close to it. There are always 45 VIs (1.5 seconds @ 30 FPS) until your invulnerability wears off, and then all you have to do is get hit again.
- Because of how these levels are laid out, running into a scarab is the fastest way to lose your first heart. After that, you can either run into another scarab or the lava to lose the second one. I chose a scarab this time.
Crank
Bonus Level 2
- This time, I run into the lava instead, just for entertainment (no time lost).
Temple
Bonus Level 3
- I shake things up by dying to a scarab this time.
Great Wall
Bonus Level 4
- After this level, I perform the final level skip glitch and end input.
- There is no ending to this game. There are credits, but they are only accessible through the main menu.
Final Confrontation
Possible improvements
Training Temple might be improvable since Dolphin doesn't have a TAS input window for the Nunchuk yet. However, I didn't see this as a big enough problem to stop a TAS of this game from being made.
Suggested screenshots
886, 907 (click for full size images)
Thanks to
- Fog for the 2235 A/V sync build and the tick count so this run's time can be correct
- Mr. Kelly R. Flewin and SCXCR for laying the groundwork for this run with the Ninjabread Man speedrun
- All of the Dolphin developers for their hard work improving Dolphin
- Data Design Interactive for making this game
- You, for watching
Noxxa: Synced. Some interesting glitches, but in the end, a not so interesting run to watch. Accepting for the Vault.
