After 6 months, my first "serious" TAS is finished !
About the game
In -50 before J.-C., Asterix and Obelix, famous Uderzo's and Goscinny's characters, missed their dog Dogmatix. They will search him in six worlds : Armorica, Lutecia(Paris), Massalia(Marseilles), Alexandria, Memphis and Roma. Each world has 3 levels, a boss, a tavern and a mini-game. To finish a world, you have to collect keys in levels and beat the boss of the world without dying. At the tavern, you can exchange for money to restore your life or buying a password. The mini-game is unlocked when you collect all letters of your name's character in levels of the world.
Goals
- Aims for lowest time
- Take damages to save time
- Uses glitches and tricks
- Luck Manipulation
- This game is only released in Europe
Controls
You can choose your character by pressing Select in the world menu.
In levels :
- "A" : 4 jumps are possible in this game, a longer pressing cause an upper and longer jump.
- "B" : a punch
- "double B press" : a super punch
- "B -> release B + direction" : throw a pebble with Asterix, Mega punch with Obelix.
- "Up" : useless
- "Down" : bending down, Asterix can move but not Obelix.
Velocity :
Asterix :
- walking : 2
- jumping : 3
- crawling : 1
- magic potion : 4
Obelix :
- walking : 1,5
- jumping : 3
- crawling : none
- magic potion : none
World 1
Level 1
I ascend the first tree and use the cam advantage trick to prevent a spawn of a Roman. I ascend the third tree to collect the key and use again the cam advantage to control how the Roman spawn. At the last hole, I use sencondary platforms to dodge the shield Roman but I let him loaded in the memory to prevent a spawn in front of me.
Level 2
A Roman turtle chase you, it looks like an auto-scroll but it's not. If you are faster than the Roman turtle(with jumps), it will be replaced where it has to be for the game.
Level 3
I use a bouncing jump on the second tour. On the last tent series, I use cam advantage to have a velocity of 4.
Boss 1
I use Obelix who is faster than Asterix for the boss ( doesn't need to drink magic potion to take boss's rocks ). On the boss, it's a pixel and frame perfect strat. if I move, I loose the frame. I jump on the pontoon to catch the loading zone faster.
World 2
Level 1
On the second taurus, I have to jump one more time to get his head's move. On the last Roman of the level, I hit him one time before his combat cycle begins. I just press "down" on the only useful frame where he hits me but we can't see it.
Level 2
If I don't jump as soon as I can, it's because these jumps are frame perfect.
Level 3
I take a damage on the fourth raven to push me on the next jump.
Boss 2
I kill the first Roman before he begins his combat cycle. I use the cam advantage for fun after, I don't lose time. On the last ennemi of the floor, I punch and super punch just after. On the Gladiator just before the boss, I use the Mage punch because he has too much life for other punches. On the boss, I take a damage with fire to pass thought the boss.
World 3
Level 1
nothing special
Level 2
I go on the top way as soon as possible because there are big ennemis on the ground way. be hitten by window shutters can push you by contact boosting and can allow you to use the bouncing jump.
Level 3
Same mechanics as the level 1-2.
Boss 3
Go to the top of the tower as fast as possible and when you touch the top, the boss will fall. You have to manipulate what is the direction of his fall. When the boss's animation starts, game freezes you in an infinite loop of animation of your last action. I decided to use the only action I won't use in the entire run.
World 4
Level 1
Same mechanics as level 1-2 and 3-3. Here, you can use the mouse opening of crocodiles to be faster.
Level 2
You can use fountains to ascend walls.
Level 3
Here, at the same time I reach the key of the level as fast as possible, I prepare a deterministic mechanic to reach the key of the level 5-3. The game wants us to break 8 vases in these two levels before level 5-3's key appears (with the last vase boken in the level 5-3). In these two levels, the first vase breaks by itself and initialize the counter address at 6 on this level and at 8 on the other level. But if you are fast, you can break these vases before they break by itself :
- If you break vases before the initialisation of the counter, game will initialize it at 255, ( you now what happens next )
- If you break vases at the same frame as the game initialize the counter, this breaking will be counted and there will be a display bug like the vase never be broken as it is in the level 5-3.
- If you break vases 2 or 4 real frames (1 or 2 inputs possible frames) after initialization, breaking will be counted and the display bug like it is in this level of my run.
Boss 4
Life is important on this level so I have to sacrificce some frames to do not die.
World 5
Level 1
You need to do this level before the third one to save two broken vases. On the first raven, I take a damage to be pushed on the punch after. In little corridors, I jump with a bouncing jump to be able to do normal jumps after. I lower the levers to open hatches.
Level 2
I press R most as I can to be faster in the level (If you are too low, You won't finish the level due to the timer).
Level 3
In this level, I break last vases I need to get the key and I take the ring to unlock the boss of the world. A display bug on the first vase as I explained for the level 4-3. I can do not kill the second fire thrower but when I'll come back, I will have to kill him but it's faster in this way.
Boss 5
Here, you have to break snake statues to beat the boss.
World 6
Level 1
I control ennemi's spawn with one cam advantage and other things to be faster
Level 2
I use Obelix here because there is a lot of robust ennemi.
Level 3
this level is the reason of the TAS's life. You only have to hummer the B button.
Boss 6
You need to knock out the boss when he is under on of the brick stack to beat him.
Glitches and tricks
Cam advantage
Going to the opposite direction on one frame or two : most of the time, you can control spawns of ennemis and delay their appearance on the screen. Lua file here to be more understandable :
userfiles/info/45485586057924693
Bouncing jump
When you are hitting by a wall or other things, You can rejump in the air so you can go upper than normal jumps.
Like a lot of game, when you touch an ennemi, you can have a boost. On Romans, window shutters and campfires, you'll can have a velocity of 4 on some frames.
display bugs
There is a lot of display bugs in the game, some times they are visible, some times they are on 2 or 4 frames.
Screenshot suggestion
Frame 18766 or 18767
RAM Watch addresses
- 0210 : Velocity
- 153A : keys you have
- 0007 : Character you are
- 1536 : HP Asterix
- 1537 : HP Obelix
- 143D : Vase
- 1530 : World where you are
- 7041 : one music address (used for the level 5-2)
Special Thanks
- zoboner who helped me so much on TASing methods, he discovered the cam advantage trick, found the vase counter and music addresses.
- Mistertutotest who found the bouncing glitch (Youtube).
- Rridgway who tried a TAS on this game 10 years ago but he abandonned it.
- Lignage (my cousin) who found the boss 2 skip and others platforms at the end of the level 1-1.
ThunderAxe31: A lot of care was put in the routing and optimization, putting this run far ahead of real-time attempts. I also have to note that the run is very entertaining, thanks to all the noticeable tricks and the fact that the game features nice graphics and music, and the audience agrees. Accepting for Moons.
