(Link to video)
Pipe Dream (aka Pipe Mania) is a 1989 puzzle game that was massported to several consoles in the early 1990s. This TAS plays one loop of the hardest/fastest accessible round of the NES version.

Game objectives

  • Emulator used: FCEUX 2.2.2
  • One player in a multiplayer game

Info

This run is 2458 frames faster than the previous movie by Explosion Pills. I found a trick that enables the flooz to start flowing much quicker than in the published run, and decided to run the entire game since it's short and fast. Another improvement discovered was not ending stage 6 facing the bonus pipe, because the x2 bonus takes a good chunk of time to vanish. Because of this game's RNG all the puzzles are completed quite differently, so this run might be worth a watch even if you're very familiar with the last movie.

Other comments

For some reason, FCEUX 2.2.2 glitches up the graphics on the opening copyright message. This doesn't affect gameplay and the run will still sync regardless. I used FCEUX 2.1.5 to record the YouTube video (there are probably other versions that it works with, too) and suggest encoders do the same.
This was a pretty fun but challenging TAS to make. Trying to solve the puzzles with turbo was quite the challenge, and required a fair amount of planning. The amount of time I put into this run definitely made it feel longer than 3 and a half minutes.
Thanks to Explosion Pills for his run of this game. Enjoy!

Samsara: I was silently hoping that someone named Poison Pills would obsolete this run... At least Secret Medicine... Sakura Attack? ...Pillory. Whatevs. Judging.
Samsara: I always liked the old movie, and not just because the author named himself after a Killer Move in Star Ocean 2. Excellent improvement, though, with less downtime and adorable playarounds. The audience likes it a lot too, it seems, so I'm gonna accept this to Moons as an improvement to the published run.
Fog: Processing...

TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #5056: Jules's NES Pipe Dream in 03:15.23
mklip2001
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Amazing job. This run is frantic but somehow produces a workable solution in each stage. I liked one playaround where your cursor followed the flooz at the end, and the end stages get nuts with the long paths and the wraparound parts of the grid. How did you end up getting the flooz to start faster? Also, if I'm not mistaken, this is absolutely optimal, right? You use exactly the minimum number of pipes in each map and start the flooz at max speed each time. I couldn't tell if any time was being spent for RNG manipulation, if that's even possible in this game. Without a new game exploit, there shouldn't be any way to improve this time-wise.
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.
Jules
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mklip2001 wrote:
How did you end up getting the flooz to start faster? I couldn't tell if any time was being spent for RNG manipulation, if that's even possible in this game.
Oh, yeah, I should've explained that. It's just a small frame window when the level is starting up where you can get the flooz to start flowing as opposed to having to wait for the little jingle to end like Explosion Pills did. The layouts depend on the pipes placed on the field when the level ends. The only time I modified this on purpose was at the end of level 15 when I place a vertical pipe at the very end when the flooz is going through the last pipe. It affects nothing timewise but changed the next level to something manageable.
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I am disappointed in the game for having end pipes but not requiring their use. But the run? Fast and clearly impossible to pull of in real time.
Joined: 12/10/2006
Posts: 118
Yeah, what about the end pipes. You probably could reach them faster and end the level right then? Why don't you? Is there a cutscene or something?
Jules
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Joined: 7/13/2015
Posts: 102
Location: California
thommy3 wrote:
Yeah, what about the end pipes. You probably could reach them faster and end the level right then? Why don't you? Is there a cutscene or something?
End pipes don't instantly end levels, you still need to reach the required distance. The only incentive to make the last piece an end pipe is that it multiplies your score by 2, and the little "2x" that appears after you do it takes its time to go away, so a TAS has no reason to bother with them.
Joined: 12/10/2006
Posts: 118
Ok, thanks.
Post subject: Movie published
TASVideoAgent
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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. ---- [3114] NES Pipe Dream by Jules in 03:15.23