(Link to video)
Submission Text Full Submission Page
This is currently under development, so the things that are written here are outdated. Look in the discussion for more up-to-date info.
Iji is an action-packed strategic platform shooter with a detailed story, large levels with multiple paths, powerful bosses and lots of secrets. There are alternate gameplay events, dialogues and scenes depending on what you do, a wealth of extras and bonus features, and seven stats to upgrade through a leveling system. Iji herself has superhuman strength and abilities, and can crack Nanotechnology, use her enemies' most devastating weapons against them, and be a pacifist or a killer - the story adapts to how you play.
Perhaps All Items is not the greatest name for this category, but 100% isn't accurate either, though it's about the closest thing to it you can do. The rule is that you need to collect all Ribbons, Posters and Supercharges. These are all optional, Ribbons and Posters don't give you any benifits but Supercharges give you 1 Skill point. I use Normal difficulty because on the game's hardest difficulty (Ultimortal), an All Items run is impossible because you cannot get most posters/supercharges since they require nanoweapons which you cannot get. On the Hard and Extreme difficulties, an All Items run would be far more time-consuming, due to required Nano farming and other factors, without a significant gain in difficulty under TAS conditions. This would result in a far less entertaining movie in comparison to one on Normal difficulty.
The .wtf file submitted is the one used for timing, if you want to get to the credits use this file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1O3qVnq0-hgDkH3egh4SsCvIbo6ieKv5C
To get the run to sync, set Multithreading to Wrap. Also before you run the TAS, you need to:
  1. Go into the settings and set Screen shaking to low, Show time to on, go to more... and set Gamma and special effects to off/low.
  2. Go into a game and exit whenever (this is to save these settings).
  3. Exit out of the game and run the TAS.
feos: Judging...

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Posted: 5/16/2019 3:49 PM
(Edited: 5/19/2019 12:24 PM)
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Matslo123
Player (103)
Joined: 3/10/2019
Posts: 73
feos wrote:
So this movie is going to be canceled I guess, until a full run is made?
Yes, but please don't remove it until we sort out all of the issues. I will remake the TAS and make a new submission once that is the case. Currently that is the difficulty.
Posted: 5/17/2019 12:19 PM
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Radiant
Player (26)
Joined: 8/29/2011
Posts: 1206
Location: Amsterdam
Matslo123 wrote:
Could you provide your reasons for why you would find it more entertaining on a higher difficulty (I assume you mean extreme)? This is not only targeted towords Radiant, any feedback is appreciated but please make your reasons justified.
Since TAS'es are supposed to be superplays, default difficulty is not whatever is fastest, but whatever is the most superhuman. As our guidelines state, When a game has multiple difficulty levels, it is preferred to play on the difficulty that would make the most interesting and entertaining run. Usually, this is the hardest difficulty, and as such it is the most preferred choice for a TAS. The main exception is when higher difficulty is "the same but longer" (e.g. all enemies get twice the HP) but that's really not the case in Iji, as the difficulty affects enemy AI and boss movesets, and reduces your healing. That's also why [2529] Windows Hyper Princess Pitch "Reallyjoel's Mom difficulty, best ending" by Tseralith in 15:40.48 (another game by the author of Iji, played at an absurdly high difficulty) gets such high ratings.
Indie game developer
Posted: 5/17/2019 3:47 PM
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Matslo123
Player (103)
Joined: 3/10/2019
Posts: 73
Radiant wrote:
Matslo123 wrote:
Could you provide your reasons for why you would find it more entertaining on a higher difficulty (I assume you mean extreme)? This is not only targeted towords Radiant, any feedback is appreciated but please make your reasons justified.
Since TAS'es are supposed to be superplays, default difficulty is not whatever is fastest, but whatever is the most superhuman. As our guidelines state, When a game has multiple difficulty levels, it is preferred to play on the difficulty that would make the most interesting and entertaining run. Usually, this is the hardest difficulty, and as such it is the most preferred choice for a TAS. The main exception is when higher difficulty is "the same but longer" (e.g. all enemies get twice the HP) but that's really not the case in Iji, as the difficulty affects enemy AI and boss movesets, and reduces your healing. That's also why [2529] Windows Hyper Princess Pitch "Reallyjoel's Mom difficulty, best ending" by Tseralith in 15:40.48 (another game by the author of Iji, played at an absurdly high difficulty) gets such high ratings.
Most importantly doing this on ultimortal is impossible for obvious reasons but doing it on extreme is impossible too. In sector 6 you need 27 points for velocithor in order to get the poster. You are capped at level 18 and would have 6 supercharges max. This means a maximum number of 24 points. While it is true that doing the run on hard is possible, Iji is very much the same but longer. Because of the level cap you would have to just spend extra time collecting nano and killing enemies. Bosses would be the same except for Tor, which would have 1050 hp instead of 900, causing a more dragged out fight. Krotera would remain identical because of rng manipulation. The only change here is the amount of damage the turret heads deal to Krotera, but it isn't optimal to use those anyway. Asha 1 would just get nuked anyway. Proxima would be identical as the only change is the amount of damage done to proxima by lightning, which I don't use since I wouldn't get the supercharge. Iosa 1 would be the same fight just dragged out because lasers from the ceiling deal 35 instead of 40 dmg. Iosa 2 would be the same. While Asha 2 could attack faster, I can already use rng manipulation to shoot the buster gun almost all the time anyway, meaning that the fight wouldn't differ much. There would have to be more nanofield reboots, meaning wasting time on leveling up skills. The only difference would be that health pickups restore 1 hp instead of 2. This is insignificant and doesn't change the gameplay in any way. There is never a situation where you have to rely on health pickups. Overall hard difficulty would be identical but slower due to the above reasons. If you don't believe me, look at what it changes and cosnider the impact of those changes.
Posted: 5/17/2019 7:34 PM
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Svimmer
Joined: 9/27/2011
Posts: 207
Location: Finland
Sometimes people get a bit TOO officious, their noses stuck deep in rule books because they don't have the imagination to see where all rules came from.
Posted: 5/19/2019 4:05 AM
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FractalFusion
Editor, Skilled player (1938)
Joined: 6/15/2005
Posts: 3246
Glitchy TAS of 2013 Gameboy TAS of 2013 PSX TASer of 2010
Radiant wrote:
Since TAS'es are supposed to be superplays, default difficulty is not whatever is fastest, but whatever is the most superhuman. As our guidelines state, When a game has multiple difficulty levels, it is preferred to play on the difficulty that would make the most interesting and entertaining run. Usually, this is the hardest difficulty, and as such it is the most preferred choice for a TAS. The main exception is when higher difficulty is "the same but longer" (e.g. all enemies get twice the HP) but that's really not the case in Iji, as the difficulty affects enemy AI and boss movesets, and reduces your healing.
As already mentioned here, I enjoyed the normal difficulty run over the Ultimortal difficulty one. I imagine that for me it would be the same case here regarding difficulty. Though this "all items" TAS doesn't really interest me all that much, in my opinion. (I don't know the game a whole lot since I never played it.)
Posted: 5/19/2019 12:42 PM
(Edited: 5/20/2019 6:42 AM)
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Matslo123
Player (103)
Joined: 3/10/2019
Posts: 73
About the nano overloads: I think they shouldn't be required for this run. There are none in sector 1, there is one in sectors 3, 4, 6, 8 and X; there are two is sectors 5, 7 and 9. Also they are quite inconsistantly placed. Some are on your path and take no extra time to collect (one is sector 2, 7 and 8 but there is also one in sector 8 you have to collect (there is no way around it)). Some take very little extra time (5-10 seconds) but some (like one in sector 2 and 5) which take 20+ seconds, most of them you have to go there and then backtrack the exact way you came from. Not to mention the fact that they don't do anything useful, they may even be harmful (in some cases you don't want to revive or you don't want to tech damage/reflect projectiles because you want to damage boost).And after the effect runs out it's like you didn't collect them at all. All in all they would add on an additional 2-3 minutes for nothing in return.
Posted: 5/19/2019 5:15 PM
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feos
Site Admin, Skilled player (1236)
Joined: 4/17/2010
Posts: 11267
Location: RU
NES TAS of 2011
Undesired powerup is an interesting con, even though sticking to strictly one and not two instances when defining a collectable feels a bit weird. I'm not opposed to avoiding this thing, but I want others' opinions too.
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.
Posted: 5/20/2019 6:40 AM
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Matslo123
Player (103)
Joined: 3/10/2019
Posts: 73
feos wrote:
Undesired powerup is an interesting con, even though sticking to strictly one and not two instances when defining a collectable feels a bit weird. I'm not opposed to avoiding this thing, but I want others' opinions too.
It's easy to avoid getting the undesired powerups, it's just rng (by firing weapons on certain frames). And I suppose I will remove my point about 2 per sector, it wasn't the main point anyway.
Posted: 5/20/2019 7:36 PM
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Svimmer
Joined: 9/27/2011
Posts: 207
Location: Finland
Nano overloads: Are there really lots of TASes that collect these kinds of ephemeral power-ups, even if they have fixed locations? Are we all on the same page here? It's like collecting every invulnerability sphere, invisibility, light goggles and berserk in Doom... or every star power-up in Mario Bros. I'm probably influenced by RTA-runs where they're never considered at all.
Posted: 5/20/2019 7:42 PM
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feos
Site Admin, Skilled player (1236)
Joined: 4/17/2010
Posts: 11267
Location: RU
NES TAS of 2011
Svimmer wrote:
I'm probably influenced by RTA-runs where they're never considered at all.
Why are they not considered though?
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.
Posted: 5/20/2019 8:17 PM
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Matslo123
Player (103)
Joined: 3/10/2019
Posts: 73
feos wrote:
Svimmer wrote:
I'm probably influenced by RTA-runs where they're never considered at all.
Why are they not considered though?
Because they are useless and would add on time for no reason. They are besically useless powerups. The only thing that seperates them form other "items" is their rarity (there are lots of nano, armor and health pickups).
Posted: 5/24/2019 10:15 AM
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TASVideosGrue
They/Them
Joined: 10/1/2008
Posts: 2738
Location: The dark corners of the TASVideos server
om, nom, nom... juicy!
Posted: 5/25/2019 3:23 PM
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Svimmer
Joined: 9/27/2011
Posts: 207
Location: Finland
feos wrote:
Svimmer wrote:
I'm probably influenced by RTA-runs where they're never considered at all.
Why are they not considered though?
For the record, the primary reason is NOT because it tends to lead into dull gameplay unlike what matslo said. The two primary reasons are: 1) Less arbitrary 2) Easier to verify These tend to go hand in hand. If the game keeps track of something (e.g. by permanently changing something in the UI), it serves both needs. Non-permanent power-ups are not tracked by anything and so it takes a lot of game knowledge to know (or have to patience for) checking if someone has actually gotten all of them. Dull gameplay is a tertiary reason whenever there is room for interpretation otherwise. E.g. most 100% definitions don't require a full inventory, which tends to be somewhere half-way between very easy and very difficult to verify. Aside from valuing entertainment in a far more overt way, TASes also differ from RTA runs if you think about quantity: there's only going to be one TAS per every dozens and dozens of RTA runs... and so verification isn't such a hassle in the end.
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