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Space Quest: Chapter II - Vohaul's Revenge

Introduction/Story

Sludge Vohaul is an ugly, evil genius and original brain behind the Star Generator of Space Quest Chapter 1. He's got a bit of a grudge against the people of Xenon for re-purposing the Star Generator into a mechanism to sustain life instead of being used as the weapon Vohaul originally designed it to be. Vohaul is also slightly peeved toward Golden Mop recipient, Roger Wilco (aka TAS), for foiling his plan of having the Sariens steal the Star Generator back for him. Mr. Sludge devises a new plan to infest Xenon with an army of robot Insurance Salesmen, which he somehow believes will sap the desire of life out of the people of Xenon. Vohaul also kidnaps Roger to prevent him from again foiling the plan.
Unfortunately, as he did with the Sariens in Space Quest 1, Vohaul doesn't hire the brightest goons; and Roger is marooned on the planet Labion. Will Roger survive? Will he escape the planet? Will he be able to stop the evil mastermind of Vohaul? STAY TUNED!

Game objectives

  • Aims for fastest time.
  • Speed/Entertainment trade-offs:
    • The speed eliminates nearly all possibility of reading the humorous text that would theoretically add entertainment value.
    • Possible trade/off in caverns (see below)
Emulator used: c-square's modified JPC-rr 11.2 with mouse and typing support
Game Version 2.0F

Challenges and Opportunities

Text Entry The game doesn't display typed text every frame. However, multiple keystrokes can be buffered into emulator memory on a single frame and will all be displayed when the game polls for this input. This rarely hinders progress as text input can usually be accomplished during periods of movement unlike games as Quest for Glory or Space Quest 3 where the text input box can pause movements.
Desyncs As c-square has mentioned before, JPC-rr is horrible for being able to splice in changes after the fact. Making a change causes many desyncs down the line. Therefore, it is imperative to make sure every screen is fully optimized before moving on to the next.

Area Specific Comments

Space Station: This is basically an interactive prologue to the game, but there are necessary items that must be collected from the lockers in the airlock to complete the game. One of the few skipable events happens here. I don't look at Roger's communicator watch when signaled at the very beginning.
The Mugging: This is all story exposition.
Labion - Crash site to Canyon Rope: There are a couple actions skipped here. I don't turn off the alarm beacon in the crashed ship. I also don't free the alien before getting berries. This saves time by not having to watch the alien pick berries or demonstrate rubbing them on himself to avoid being eaten by the water creature.
  • Side Note: I was absolutely floored that I was able to navigate the root maze at 'fastest' game speed without dying or having to change speeds.
Labion - Caverns and Canyons: I have not tested this theory, but it may be possible to navigate the secondary set of cave tunnels without re-acquiring the glowing gem (after you drop it falling through the first cave). This would, however, force the player to navigate those tunnels without the gem in Roger's mouth; resulting in as a series of plain black screens which--while being technically more impressive--would be less entertaining as there would be nothing to see. So this is potentially a very minor speed/entertainment trade-off. EDIT: Radiant confirmed that this is not a possibility.
Labion - Back on the surface: The slingshot method is used to kill/knock out the guard at the platform instead of waiting around for him to be in a position to be unable to see Roger entering the elevator.
Labion Escape & Travel to Vohaul's Asteroid: This is the insanely long portion of this TAS! It's roughly three and a half minutes of watching Roger sit in one place. He takes the shuttle off the planet and tries to escape but has the shuttle controls overridden by Vohal which brings Roger to the asteroid. It's a really boring portion to watch...I highly recommend fast-forwarding it or watching the clipped encode instead.
Vohaul's Asteroid: Surprised that there's no goons waiting for him upon arrival, Roger goes off exploring the Asteroid's various floors and finds....the janitor's closets. Once a janitor....never mind. He also briefly stumbles into a unisex bathroom before finding his way to Vohaul's control chambers.
Vohaul's Control Room: Though being shrunk and imprisoned by Vohaul, Roger manages to escape while simultaneously cutting off Vohaul's life support and getting himself re-enlarged. Unfortunately Vohaul is able to initiate the launch of the Robot Insurance Salesmen before he expires.
Escape the Asteroid: Roger makes a run for it and manages to find the escape pods...which for some stupid reason are guarded by a robot. Unable to both open a pod and enter before being caught, Roger must flee the robot. Once it stops chasing him, he makes another run for it to the escape pod.
The End: Roger has safely escaped the asteroid and can breathe a sigh of relief...but wait...no...there's precious low oxygen in the pod and Roger must put himself into cryo-sleep to survive. Asleep and drifting alone through the universe...Roger's fate is unknown.

Potential Improvements

  • Moving at the 'Fastest' pace is extremely difficult, and hard to end up where you want to go. There may be better movement patterns which I have not found.
  • There's also not much choice in different paths to take, the game is fairly linear. Exceptions below:
    • In the cave tunnels after meeting the alien king, there are multiple path options, but few. I've chosen the one I perceived as fastest.
    • The upper levels of the asteroid can be accessed from elevators on either side of the shuttle bay. I chose the side that got me to the needed rooms/closets the fastest while also avoiding the lip-alien (not seen in this run).
  • There are a couple places where alternate methods of solving a problem exist; I've chosen the actions I found fastest. i.e. the slingshot to the guard.
  • If there is a way of shortening the shuttle flight sequence without altering game files, over half this run could potentially be eliminated.

Other Comments

  • There are no arcade sequences in this SQ game. (The only SQ game not to have one unless you count the root maze.)
  • THANKFULLY this game has very little RNG that affects the run.
  • EVEN BETTER...THERE'S NO SLOT MACHINE to overcome.
  • As this game foregoes a mere 2 point gathering opportunities, it's not a 100% run.
  • An earlier SQ1 TAS was canceled due to a text display glitch with Sierra's AGI interpreter. This glitch has been overcome as is demonstrated in this submission which also uses the AGI interpreter.
    • A new run of SQ1 is in the works with anticipated time improvements over the cancelled submission as well.
  • I'm hoping we can get at least one run of each official game in the SQ series published on the site. Official SQ1 VGA remake included.

Suggested Screenshot

[dead link removed]

Files:

HDD TRACKS 16 - SIDES 16 - SECTORS 63
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Posted: 11/22/2017 7:28 AM
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TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #5718: DrD2k9's DOS Space Quest II: Chapter II - Vohaul's Revenge in 02:58.05
Posted: 11/22/2017 10:14 AM
Post subject: Re: #5718: DrD2k9's DOS Space Quest: Chapter II - Vohaul's Revenge in 02:58.05
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Radiant
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Joined: 8/29/2011
Posts: 1206
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Very interesting, looks like a great run. To confirm your suspicions, it is not possible to navigate the maze without the gem; Roger can't move until you are able to see something (his sprite isn't even placed in the room...) Also, the whole shuttle sequence appears to be on a non-manipulatable timer. I don't believe it's possible to speed this up. I suggest typing in random stuff on the command line to entertain the player through this boring sequence (what is it with Sierra and non-skippable cutscenes, anyway?) Some suggestions... disabling the alarm on the crashed shuttle alters the timer for the other shuttle in the room with the two big trees. This means you can possibly skip him entirely by disabling the alarm, saving some time. Once the Labion terror beast is present, you can deal with him by leaving the room to the left and reentering; he'll be gone; this may be faster than tossing the puzzle, or maybe not since you cannot blow the whistle from within the water. Finally, when the escape pod robot starts chasing you, you can hide out in the tunnel you came from, instead of the tunnel to the far right. This may be faster too? FWIW I would be happy to see a 100% run of this game.
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Posted: 11/22/2017 11:00 AM
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FractalFusion
Editor, Skilled player (1939)
Joined: 6/15/2005
Posts: 3247
Glitchy TAS of 2013 Gameboy TAS of 2013 PSX TASer of 2010
Actually I prefer watching at 0.5x speed. (This TAS really is super fast.) Unfortunately for you, I have played this game to death as well as speedran it on "fast speed max" many years ago. So I have a lot of comments.
DrD2k9 wrote:
This is basically an interactive prologue to the game, but there are necessary items that must be collected from the lockers in the airlock to complete the game.
The items in the locker are not necessary to complete the game. There are alternate solutions for the Labion Terror Beast and the platform guard on the next screen. It is unknown which strategy is faster. - Getting the keycard: You don't need to get the keycard off the dead guard at the crashed hovercraft. I think it is faster to get the keycard from the platform guard if you stone him, especially in your TAS where he falls right in front of the door (if you lure him down, you don't even need a keycard).
DrD2k9 wrote:
Side Note: I was absolutely floored that I was able to navigate the root maze at 'fastest' game speed without dying or having to change speeds
You do not need to do the root maze or get the berries at all. By taking advantage of a glitch, you can enter the deep part of the swamp before the monster gets you, then "hold breath" to escape. (To do this, enter the screen from the bottom, going to the right, then go up-right when you are about 1/4 of the way across, before the monster gets you. Going diagonally makes it harder for the monster to get you.)
DrD2k9 wrote:
This is the insanely long portion of this TAS! It's roughly three and a half minutes of watching Roger sit in one place. He takes the shuttle off the planet and tries to escape but has the shuttle controls overridden by Vohal which brings Roger to the asteroid. It's a really boring portion to watch
If it is strictly timed based on the system clock with no way to speed it up, then I think there are fun things you could have done during this sequence, without slowing down the TAS.
DrD2k9 wrote:
He also briefly stumbles into a unisex bathroom
About that, since you came from the right side of the screen, you could have entered the right door and exited the left, instead of entering and exiting the left door. - About stopping the salesman launch: IIRC, it is possible to make it to the end of the game before the salesman launch timer runs out. (On Version 2.0F anyway; I recall that different versions had different timer amounts.) The game at the end simply says something like "Unfortunately, you failed to stop the launch of the clones dooming Xenon to the most horrible of fates! Way to go, %s1.", then continues with the ending. It is not a death. - About the oxygen mask and the tube glass cracking sequence: If the game is on a fast enough speed like "fastest", I think it is possible to make it to the door after the cracking occurs but before the game kills you off. I could be wrong; the timing of some events seems a little different in JPC-rr (as opposed to DOSBox), so it could simply not be possible on JPC-rr.
DrD2k9 wrote:
Unable to both open a pod and enter before being caught, Roger must flee the robot.
This is why lower speeds exist. It should be possible to "press button" then quickly "go pod" in time, without having to flee the robot. If not possible on "fastest", it should be done on "fast". Speaking of "fastest" being hard to control, I'm not sure why the input fps is set so low. On PC, you should be capable of an input fps of 1000 at least. IIRC the last time I used JPC-rr, I think there was a way to change the input fps.
Posted: 11/22/2017 11:53 AM
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Radiant
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Joined: 8/29/2011
Posts: 1206
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FractalFusion wrote:
- Getting the keycard: You don't need to get the keycard off the dead guard at the crashed hovercraft. I think it is faster to get the keycard from the platform guard if you stone him, especially in your TAS where he falls right in front of the door (if you lure him down, you don't even need a keycard).
I'm pretty sure that using the slingshot is fastest, as it involves the least waiting for the guard to move. Oddly enough, this guard only carries a keycard if you don't have the one from earlier.
timing of some events seems a little different in JPC-rr (as opposed to DOSBox), so it could simply not be possible on JPC-rr.
If the timing is different then that would be an emulation bug; I don't think that is the case here. That said, there's nothing in the script stopping you from leaving the room before the cracking animation completes (which kills you), assuming it can be done fast enough.
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Posted: 11/22/2017 2:56 PM
Post subject: Re: #5718: DrD2k9's DOS Space Quest: Chapter II - Vohaul's Revenge in 02:58.05
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DrD2k9
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The BEST part about this website is the willingness of others to help! And apparently I don't know this game as well as I thought I did. Thanks to both of you for your input. While some may claim this submission was premature, I wouldn't have figured out these potential improvements on my own.
Radiant wrote:
To confirm your suspicions, it is not possible to navigate the maze without the gem; Roger can't move until you are able to see something.
Thanks for the confirmation.
Radiant wrote:
Some suggestions... disabling the alarm on the crashed shuttle alters the timer for the other shuttle in the room with the two big trees. This means you can possibly skip him entirely by disabling the alarm, saving some time. Once the Labion terror beast is present, you can deal with him by leaving the room to the left and reentering; he'll be gone; this may be faster than tossing the puzzle, or maybe not since you cannot blow the whistle from within the water. Finally, when the escape pod robot starts chasing you, you can hide out in the tunnel you came from, instead of the tunnel to the far right. This may be faster too?
I'll check into these things. At the given speed setting, I couldn't get back into the cracked tunnel to hide without the robot catching me.
FractalFusion wrote:
The items in the locker are not necessary to complete the game. The're are alternate solutions for the Labion Terror Beast and the platform guard on the next screen. It is unknown which strategy is faster.
What is the other solution for the terror beast? The puzzle is the only one I know of and I can't find anything on another option.
FractalFusion wrote:
You don't need to get the keycard off the dead guard at the crashed hovercraft. I think it is faster to get the keycard from the platform guard if you stone him, especially in your TAS where he falls right in front of the door (if you lure him down, you don't even need a keycard).
I assumed (but will admit that I didn't test) that luring the guard would be longer than stoning him. As far as getting a keycard, the crash-site guard's can be gotten without movement modification making it an easy pickup. It would likely take extra movement inputs and time to get it off the guard by the elevator due to the 3 frame movement/input cycles.
FractalFusion wrote:
By taking advantage of a glitch, you can enter the deep part of the swamp before the monster gets you.
I thought this was the case as well, but I couldn't get it to work...I'll revisit this idea. Maybe I can shorten this run.
FractalFusion wrote:
I think there are fun things you could have done during this sequence, without slowing down the TAS.
You're right...I'm still new enough to TASing that I don't always think about how to entertain during these kind of sequences.
FractalFusion wrote:
DrD2k9 wrote:
He also briefly stumbles into a unisex bathroom
About that, since you came from the right side of the screen, you could have entered the right door and exited the left, instead of entering and exiting the left door.
It actually took more movement inputs to do that and made taking the extra distance to the left door faster. Again this was the 3 frame movement/input cycle's fault.
FractalFusion wrote:
it is possible to make it to the end of the game before the salesman launch timer runs out....
I hadn't even considered this as a possibility...it would definitely save time if indeed possible.
FractalFusion wrote:
About the oxygen mask and the tube glass cracking sequence: If the game is on a fast enough speed like "fastest", I think it is possible to make it to the door after the cracking occurs but before the game kills you off.
I'll have to check on this. Roger's motion is stopped when the tube starts to crack. I think I tried moving him again before it finished, but couldn't. I didn't try surviving without the mask though.
FractalFusion wrote:
DrD2k9 wrote:
Unable to both open a pod and enter before being caught, Roger must flee the robot.
This is why lower speeds exist. It should be possible to "press button" then quickly "go pod" in time, without having to flee the robot. If not possible on "fastest", it should be done on "fast".
The robot always got to me before the pod door was open far enough to enter, but I will look into this more using your suggestion of a slower setting.
FractalFusion wrote:
Speaking of "fastest" being hard to control, I'm not sure why the input fps is set so low. On PC, you should be capable of an input fps of 1000 at least. IIRC the last time I used JPC-rr, I think there was a way to change the input fps.
Um...I'm not even sure what you mean here. If you're referencing the 3 frame input cycle, I believe the situation is game related not emulator related. ANYWAY...It looks like I have more testing to do on this run....should I cancel this submission?
Posted: 11/22/2017 3:19 PM
Post subject: Re: #5718: DrD2k9's DOS Space Quest: Chapter II - Vohaul's Revenge in 02:58.05
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Radiant
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Joined: 8/29/2011
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DrD2k9 wrote:
I'll check into these things. At the given speed setting, I couldn't get back into the cracked tunnel to hide without the robot catching me.
Maybe you could swap speeds.
What is the other solution for the terror beast? The puzzle is the only one I know of and I can't find anything on another option.
Leave the screen then return.
You're right...I'm still new enough to TASing that I don't always think about how to entertain during these kind of sequences.
Type tired old memes into the command line. People love tired old memes. :D Oh, and if you're considering cancelling this, I should mention that Roger's random movement in the first room can probably be manipulated by setting the system time.
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Posted: 11/22/2017 3:33 PM
Post subject: Re: #5718: DrD2k9's DOS Space Quest: Chapter II - Vohaul's Revenge in 02:58.05
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DrD2k9
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Radiant wrote:
Oh, and if you're considering cancelling this, I should mention that Roger's random movement in the first room can probably be manipulated by setting the system time.
Yep, I can confirm this...<sigh> EDIT: Interestingly, after testing about 30 various initial RTC times, I cannot find a position that results in Roger triggering the airlock any sooner. It may still be possible, though I don't believe that it would save more than a couple frames.
Posted: 11/23/2017 3:26 AM
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c-square
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Speedy TAS of 2015
Nice run, DrD2k9! Looking forward to the updated one.
Posted: 11/23/2017 4:33 AM
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DrD2k9
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OK, I'm officially cancelling this run. Disabling the distress beacon does allow Roger to get beyond the big tree screen without the goon showing up. Also, after trying various means for around 1.5 hours, I was FINALLY able to accomplish the bog-monster glitch without using berries. (Although I must admit, I'm going to miss seeing the root maze in the final run.) Now I've got to explore whether the puzzle or leaving/exiting is faster than for the terror beast.
Radiant wrote:
...or maybe not since you cannot blow the whistle from within the water.
You can blow the whistle from the water, but you can't throw the puzzle. I'm hoping I can blow the whistle and immediately leave the screen and come back to have the hole in the boulder without having to watch the animation of the beast arriving. (Wishful thinking? We'll see.) Then on to the asteroid. I have an idea for the shuttle sequence. Thanks everyone for the input...keep it up!
Posted: 11/23/2017 4:36 AM
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TASVideosGrue
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om, nom, nom... blech, bitter!
Posted: 11/23/2017 6:40 AM
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Radiant
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DrD2k9 wrote:
(Although I must admit, I'm going to miss seeing the root maze in the final run.)
That's a good reason to do a 100% run then :)
I'm hoping I can blow the whistle and immediately leave the screen and come back to have the hole in the boulder without having to watch the animation of the beast arriving.
Yes, that should work.
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Posted: 11/23/2017 7:19 AM
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DrD2k9
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Radiant wrote:
DrD2k9 wrote:
(Although I must admit, I'm going to miss seeing the root maze in the final run.)
That's a good reason to do a 100% run then :)
I thought the same thing!
Radiant wrote:
I'm hoping I can blow the whistle and immediately leave the screen and come back to have the hole in the boulder without having to watch the animation of the beast arriving.
Yes, that should work.
It does! I've worked my way back to the shuttle sequence. I'm typing stuff in the command line that I hope will be entertaining...but no spoilers.