Submission Text Full Submission Page
Here is my run for ActRaiser 2. I would have done an ActRaiser 1 movie, but the simulation levels required more timing and randomness than I was willing to put effort in to. This is played on the hardest mode* and aims for the fastest time. Hits are taken to save time occasionally. I apologize for how long the movie is, but there are way too many levels + there are mandatory periods upon entering and exiting levels that chew up lots of time.
The only two areas I am unhappy with and can not seem to fix are level 4-2 (underground river) and the final miniboss fight in the tower (the shielded lion-goat demon). Otherwise, any parts where I take time to kill something, stand still, or take a hit, it has been weighed time wise to see if other options would be faster. The last fight with Tanzra had originally been over 2 minutes, so I decided to employ a few strategies until I cut it to below a minute.
Thanks to OgreSlayeR and blechy for giving me some great feedback on the movie.
  • European version has an "Expert" difficulty that the US versions seemed to exclude.

Bisqwit: cleaned the message markup...

Truncated: This one deserves to be judged after being ignored for so long. Impressions:
  • Feedback has been mixed, but 25% no-votes is quite high.
  • The game is too long and the gameplay and levels are repetitive.
  • After a while I started watched it at 165% speed but even then it felt slow and was not very entertaining to watch.
  • It's just not impressive enough.
Therefore, I think the judgement will be rejection.


TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 15585
Location: 127.0.0.1
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #304: Zurreco's SNES ActRaiser 2 in 55:47.73
Former player
Joined: 5/22/2004
Posts: 462
It desyncs for me at the final boss battle.
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
Can you give any more information? Frame number/Approx time/What was going on? This is further proof that the SNES9x gods hate me.
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
caitsith2
He/Him
Player (47)
Joined: 3/26/2004
Posts: 194
I didn't have no problems with desync at all.
Joined: 5/15/2004
Posts: 30
Location: USA
I would have done an ActRaiser 1 movie, but the simulation levels required more timing and randomness than I was willing to put effort in to.
You should do that movie next. Just play Professional Mode. Beat the game once, and reset (make sure to find a way to keep the completion - When I tried this, I reset and it acted like I just opened it up) I also think it should be published. While I would rather see a no-damage run, tacking the time up to 60+ for it isn't worth it. I liked how you played.
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
Proffesional mode only opens up once you beat the game. That means that the movie would have to start from a savestate, which is against the rules. Also, OgreSlayeR is working on an ActRaiser movie right now, and it is coming along very well.
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Post subject: the last boss...
Joined: 10/4/2004
Posts: 17
... is sort of Dali's surrealistic figures, ha, I love it. There is a lot of surrealism in this game... I think that speedrun movie should be published.
We are here only to improve the battleground for next generations. Ifa
Editor, Active player (297)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
This movie is 3 times longer than it should be for its kind of content. It's all just labour. Nothing really impressive, considering that this is a tool-assisted movie after all... And since there isn't simulation levels, it's not even interesting in the way Actraiser 1 is... Just labour. Hack, hack, slash, slash. 7 people have voted "yes", one "no". Do the "yes"-voters have any explanation for their votes?
Fihlvein
He/Him
Joined: 7/28/2004
Posts: 135
Location: Finland Realms
I'm slightly afraid some of the yes votes might be simply because its another "Actraiser" game, unfortunately it's much less. Without the simulation parts it's not even worth it's name. Hopefully I'm wrong, after all I haven't seen the video myself yet. ;)
Former player
Joined: 8/12/2004
Posts: 651
Location: Alberta, Canada
I agree with Bisqwit, and Fihlvein. I think the majority of the yes votes are based on the previous speed run, or the people didn't watch the whole movie. I could be wrong however. As Bisqwit said, this movie is VERY long for this type of game. This was a very long hack-and-slash platform game, and the levels didn't have much variation between them. The whole movie consisted of jumping twice, then gliding, and if an enemy got in the way it was killed. This gets extremely dry in a movie which is an hour long. Some of the boss battles where fun to watch, but having to kill all the bosses twice in the game was a bit of overkill. I do beleive Zurreco did a good job of trying to make it entertaining though. There were things that were done in the movie which broke the manotany. Examples of this would be when Zurreco dove down a large section of the cave level avoiding platforms, or after the flying demon boss was killed in the volcano the character ended up landing in a pit without dieing. I personally think that the entertainment factor of the movie is just not there because of it's extreme length. It would have been much more entertaining if the game was shorter.
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
To be fair, I had my movie submitted before Ogre officially began his movie. I really have no say on whether it is to be published or not.
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Former player
Joined: 8/12/2004
Posts: 651
Location: Alberta, Canada
Ahh good point, but I still do feel that the game was a bit to long for the game type.
Former player
Joined: 6/27/2004
Posts: 550
Location: New York
I haven't seen the movie(minus the first few stages when its development began), and I haven't voted. But from watching the Actraiser 1 video, and knowing this game, I would probably opt for this one because I think the constant platforming would be more entertaining than the occasional simulation sequences of the first's, despite its familiarity.
Player (102)
Joined: 3/25/2004
Posts: 189
Location: Austin
I find this movie more interesting than the Actraiser movie that was published, to be frank, simply because the player has more moves (it's just jump and slash in the first game), there's more actual fighting instead of just running through the enemies... and I don't think the sim parts were nearly as interesting as you thought they were, Bis. ^^; Not a great movie, but not that bad either; I voted "Yes".
http://girlyyy.com/ The El Viento TAS is the only decent thing I submitted here.
Joined: 11/20/2004
Posts: 236
Location: United States
Argh. Seriously desynch problem using SNES9X v1.43.(Not the WIP version. Just 1.43.) It doesn't even go into Modero or anything. It floated near it, but never went in. Just kind'a sits there for a while, then the Sky Palace moves a bit, blah blah blah. Anyway! It works perfectly with the WIP version, of course. Now then, let's get into things: Actraiser 2 is, of course, the sequel to the action/simulation game Actraiser. A2 is missing the Simulation scenes from the original, decidedly sticking with the Action scenes instead. One would think this would make for much faster and more exciting gameplay, but oddly enough, it does not. Though the Master has much more moves in this version than he did in the original(and a new form, apparently), this game plays much more slowly than the original by far, thus becoming rather tedious and boring after a while. However, Zurreco tries to keep it as interesting as he can. Modero • You took a hit from one of those critters on purpose, I notice. I didn't really see any other way around it, either. • Nice job on dispatching the first Giant Bird boss. Equally nice in making the game scroll back to the Left after you jumped in that hole. XD • Hah, the hero looks like he's having a seizure. • Are those spikes in the second part of Modero just there for decoration, or what? Sheesh. • Nice job in quickly destroying the Hunger.(I guess that's what it's called.) Demon's Cave • Very nice navigation skills in those ant tunnels. • Exceedingly efficient way to take care of Gluttony! Industen • I'm not sure if it's possible, but if it is, you could have easily hit the Vile Weed boss with that third fireball. • Very quick work in tiring out Fatigue. Hah, bad joke. :x • Anyone else notice Fatigue's cloud came back after the level was over? Benefic • It looked like you got a little hung-up on that underhanging slab of rock after you let yourself get nailed by that bat, there. . . • Very nice job on destroying the Death Adder. • Did you purposely take one of those hits while crawling up-stream? There was one hit that didn't quite look like it was done on purpose, to me. . . • Also, nice job of destroying the Giant Snail. Tortoise Island • It never fails that whenever I see all those stoned people(turned to stone, not drugged-up, duh), I can't help but feel a little bad. • Nothing like squishing a little demon-squid for fun, eh? Nice job in quickly dispatching it. Altheria • Ya know, it just dawned on me. How can your fly while underwater? *is suddenly reminded of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Miles "Tails" Prower. :x* • Nice disposal of the Flame of Jealousy. • Did anyone else notice the hero's spirit hung out under the score once the level was over this time? Death Field • God, I hated this level. Playing it, I mean. Watching you blaze through it, though, was fun! • That first bit of fire? I think you could've jumped over that a little better, perhaps. • "Hey. . . Didn't we kick this guy's ass in Actraiser? Ah well, I guess we'll kick it again! In record time, of course." • You missed one of your Magic Balls of Doom on your first spell against the King of Justania, but his death pose was pretty nifty. Almetha • Nice heat-lightning-dodging there! Jumping off-screen to avoid it works like a charm. • Geezus. Which one of you is "Fury" again? Heh. Nicely done. Lovaous Palace • Out of the frying pan, and into. . .the freezer? Qué? • Huh! Learn something new every day. . . I had no idea you could crack those mechanical crab's claws. • Meh. I think you might've been better off using the Magic Energy Balls instead of the Firestream spell against the Demon Saytr Knight(?). • I'm not sure if there was actually much you could've done to speed up the battle against the Frozen Queen. Lovaous Palace(King's Mind) • You got hit fighting the Dark Spirit boss. And it didn't look like it was done on purpose. But that's just my outlook. • Whoa. . . Mode 7 at its best. Neat crap! • Nice defeating of Deception! You took a hit, but this time, it looked like it was planned. Gratis • Nice Ice Spirit defense! • As with the other Demon Satyr, I think this one could've been damaged more by the Magic Energy Balls than the Firestream, but again, that's just me. • Heh, excellent way to put the King of the Goblins in his place. Stormrook • Man, they must've run out of bosses if there's another Death Adder here in Stormrook Castle. . . • Yep. Ran out of bosses. Another Demon Satyr! Geezus. Glad to see you didn't waste time or magic on this one, though. • You missed one of your Magic Energy Balls while fighting Doom, but somehow, I don't think that it really matters too much. You also took a hit that seemed unnecessary to me. • Damn, but that was an excessively long level. Tower of Souls • In the Sub-Boss Battles, your fight with the Flying Centaur could've gone a bit faster, I'd think. . . • Hm. And you missed a couple of attacks and took a hit taking down the Demon Satyr. Bad form. • Interesting tactics on the Mechanical Entity boss. Death Heim • So many fallen angels. . . • Mm. Projectiles. • I'm not quite following why you nuked the mini-Jealousy heads before going after the flame itself, here. . . But whatever. • Looks like you took an unnecessary hit against Gluttony, to me. . . If this were a Zelda game, you'd stop shooting Sword Projectiles, now. Heh. • It's amazing how often using the same tactic twice works, as seen fighting Fury the second time. • Pretty good tactics fighting Doom. • I don't think some of those hits against Deception could've been avoided, so nice job. • Wasn't there some way to avoid getting hit by the Mechanical Entity's Clock attack? • Whoa. Tanzra got a serious upgrade! Still seems like a cream puff to me, though. Nice use of rapid-fire Projectiles, by the way. • Isn't that the same cliffside from Actraiser? My Vote: Yes. Reasons: Though the game itself may be exceedingly dull, dry, and boring, Zurreco does a good job of playing it as quickly as possible. There are very few glitches to exploit, but the one glitch he does exploit(the Rapid-Fire Projectiles glitch), he exploits in a very nice manner. "Expert" schmexpert. This run makes the game look easy, but doesn't make it look any less cheap.(As far as "impossible-to-avoid" hits go.) Advice: Try and take less hits when possible. You can't avoid all of them, but those you can, try harder to avoid.
I'm not that hard to find... if you know where to look. -=( http://jolikmc.tumblr.com )=-
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
Joseph Collins wrote:
Industen • I'm not sure if it's possible, but if it is, you could have easily hit the Vile Weed boss with that third fireball. • There was one hit that didn't quite look like it was done on purpose, to me. Lovaous Palace • Meh. I think you might've been better off using the Magic Energy Balls instead of the Firestream spell against the Demon Saytr Knight(?). Tower of Souls • Hm. And you missed a couple of attacks and took a hit taking down the Demon Satyr. Bad form. Death Heim • I'm not quite following why you nuked the mini-Jealousy heads before going after the flame itself, here. . . But whatever. • Wasn't there some way to avoid getting hit by the Mechanical Entity's Clock attack?
• Any and all magic attacks were tried at least 12 different ways to see how I could get optimum damage. The problem with the energy balls is that for all three to hit, they have to pass through the enemy/boss at a certain arc that can only be done in certain areas. That is why when I cast the energy ball spell, I tend to only hit with 2 of 3 balls. It happens. • All hits, aside from the waterfall area, were taken to either make me invincible or were because it was faster than stopping to attack/dodge something. In the waterfall area, I was basically trapped in a chokepoint that was unavoidable. I still took the hits fairly well, but I feel that that is the ugliest part of my whole movie. • The energy ball spell NEVER works on the goat/saytr knights. Their shields will block the spell 100% of the time. I simply opted for the firestream since any combo of slashes put him into a defensive frenzy. • All missed slashes in the movie were either for entertainment or to manipulate the game. In the saytr fight, I had to keep him from hiding in the corner the whole fight. I also had to opt for a whole new method of attack when he started trying to use his terrain against me. • The whole Jealousy fight is a bit skewed in Death Heim. After a certain amount of damage, the spirit of Jealousy stops taking damage until the minions are sufficiently 'stfu'ed. I had to dispose of them before the boss would take damage again. • No, the Clock attack is unavoidable. It took around 50 rerecords attempting to manipulate the first attack, but to no avail. My only hope was to find a nice spot where I wouldnt get hit while I waited for the timer. and uhh... thanks for the compliments.
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Joined: 11/20/2004
Posts: 236
Location: United States
Zurreco wrote:
• Any and all magic attacks were tried at least 12 different ways to see how I could get optimum damage. The problem with the energy balls is that for all three to hit, they have to pass through the enemy/boss at a certain arc that can only be done in certain areas. That is why when I cast the energy ball spell, I tend to only hit with 2 of 3 balls. It happens.
Fair enough.
• All hits, aside from the waterfall area, were taken to either make me invincible or were because it was faster than stopping to attack/dodge something. In the waterfall area, I was basically trapped in a chokepoint that was unavoidable. I still took the hits fairly well, but I feel that that is the ugliest part of my whole movie.
It is. Heh. But at least you're not trying to make excuses or anything. Invalid ones, anyway. :x
• The energy ball spell NEVER works on the goat/saytr knights. Their shields will block the spell 100% of the time. I simply opted for the firestream since any combo of slashes put him into a defensive frenzy.
I didn't know that. What about the Phoenix Dive? Or any of the other spells?
• All missed slashes in the movie were either for entertainment or to manipulate the game. In the saytr fight, I had to keep him from hiding in the corner the whole fight. I also had to opt for a whole new method of attack when he started trying to use his terrain against me.
Hm. Some worked, some didn't. Some looked like you were trying to hit and missed. But there are those where it's easy to tell you were screwing around, of course.(Slashing frenzies while waiting for the auto-scroll to catch up with you, for example.)
• The whole Jealousy fight is a bit skewed in Death Heim. After a certain amount of damage, the spirit of Jealousy stops taking damage until the minions are sufficiently 'stfu'ed. I had to dispose of them before the boss would take damage again.
Hm. How odd. That explains it, though. Thanks.
• No, the Clock attack is unavoidable. It took around 50 rerecords attempting to manipulate the first attack, but to no avail. My only hope was to find a nice spot where I wouldnt get hit while I waited for the timer.
That bites. . .
I'm not that hard to find... if you know where to look. -=( http://jolikmc.tumblr.com )=-
Player (71)
Joined: 8/13/2004
Posts: 205
voting yes, simply becuase this is an extremely hard game that is enjoyable to play, but too hard to have fun with. i've never seen the entire game and he went through it in a way that i personally found very entertaining.
Joined: 3/14/2005
Posts: 43
I have to agree with Joseph Collins on this one. The movie plays out kind of slowly, but the game was designed that way, and you've made the best attempt with speeding through it as fast as possible. Not to mention I remember this game being very tough when I was little..I could only get so far in it, and that was on easy ^^; Anyway, nice job, you get a yes vote from me.
TASVideosGrue
They/Them
Joined: 10/1/2008
Posts: 2785
Location: The dark corners of the TASVideos server
om, nom, nom... blech, stale!