(Link to video)
This is an update of my previous Any% TAS of Rayman 3 GBA created with BizHawk 2.6.2 on 9 August 2021. I planned to submit an updated TAS if the improvements were greater than 5 seconds. To this day, I saved 487 frames or 8.15 seconds from new tricks and better RNG. Another 8 seconds are cut for skipping the final dialogues.
The movie is truncated at Frame 200169. The new run starts at frame 866 and ends at frame 199832. So 198967 frames in total or a time of 55:31.25.
The new tricks & improvements over my previous Any% TAS:
  • This time I skipped the last dialogues. At my first submission, I didn't know that those dialogues would count in the final time of the TAS. I just wanted to show the end of the game since that doesn't count in the final time of a RTA speedrun.
  • A better understanding of the frame rule system at the end of most levels that is 4 frames long. Meaning that a group of 4 frames have to be saved at once to actually save them. A frame rule is applied when living a blue curtain. Several times, I saved 1 to 3 frames in a segment. But then I either lose them after the last transitioning load of the level (living the blue curtain), or I saved extra frames to sum up to a multiple of 4 frames saved.
  • A new fast trick I named Slippery Slope Fast Jump. Rayman gets a huge speed boost when he does a normal 1 to 6 frames jump at the end of a long slippery slope while not pressing a direction. I saved 160 frames in Razor Slide screen 2. Using this trick has positively modified the RNG of the final Boss.
  • A faster cage route in Hoodlum Hideout, it is faster to break the last cage in screen 2. I saved 30 frames.
  • A new fast helicopter landing trick used when Rayman lands on moving platforms from under. The trick saves 2 frames per use. I saved 26 frames throughout the game. This trick is mainly used in Boulder Brink and Void of Bones.
  • A new fast damage boost + fist charging trick on plums in River of Fire resulting in 3 better optimizations that saved 34 frames.
  • A faster way to fully charge a fist right after Rayman has landed on any surface, it saves 3 frames per full charge. I saved 8 frames in River of Fire, 6 frames in The Mettleworks.
  • 3 frame rules are saved from faster swings on 2 purple lums in Razor Slide screen 2. However I deoptimized the last swing by 1 frame rule in order to manipulate my best RNG seed for the final Boss.
  • 1 frame rule saved in Razor Slide screen 1. A buffer punching at the start saved 3 frames, and I already had 1 frame built in the next frame rule.
  • Better optimized movements between the levels in Pirate Stronghold that saved 3 frames.
  • A faster Magma Mayhem 2. The main save is from a better movement with the rolling balls at the end of Lap 1. I ended up saving 2 frame rules.
  • A better movement saved 1 frame in Void of Bones screen 1, another movement saved 1 frame in screen 2. There isn't a frame rule at the end of Void of Bones, the next frame rule is at the end of Jano's Nest. I don't remember if I saved a frame rule thanks to those 2 movements.
Much better Final Boss RNG, I can't believe I found a RNG seed that fast, I saved 192 frames! I got everything I wanted.
Phase 1:
  • OK first bomb drop, could be slightly better.
  • Fast 2nd bomb drop, I can barely find a better one.
  • 25 fire balls thrown and only 4 sets of beams! That case happened on a few seeds and it's the best case I experienced. Usually I get 6 to 8 sets of beams that make me lose 80 to 160 frames. So really good Phase 1.
Phase 2:
  • Decently fast fire balls, not the best for sure, 30 to 50 frames could be saved.
  • Very fast bomb drop! Finally a very fast bomb drop on such good RNG pace like that one! Usually I lose 100 to 200 frames on that drop bomb.
What is left to be optimized:
  • Saving the remaining 1 to 3 frames lost at each frame rule.
  • Find a better seed for the RNG in the final level (good luck!), I estimate a potential time save of 1 second.
  • Both Magma Mayhem aren't the fastest because I don't know how to perfectly optimize them. I estimate a potential 12 to 20 frames left to be saved. My time left in each lap are:
    • Magma Mayhem 1: Lap 1: 00:24.48; Lap 2: 00:20.60; Lap 3: 00:15.55.
    • Magma Mayhem 2: Lap 1: 00:21.20; Lap 2: 00:17.20; Lap 3: 00:12.21.
I hope you'll enjoy this updated TAS. Regards, NinjaCocktail

slamo: Claiming for judging.
slamo: Cutting off one frame of blank input.
Skipping the last cutscene is kind of a trivial improvement, but there are some legitimate gameplay improvements other than that, nice job! Accepting as an improvement over the current publication.

EZGames69: Processing...

TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #7596: NinjaCocktail's GBA Rayman 3 in 55:51.37
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What's Hash of GBA Bios and Game Rom?
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Excellent work again, great improvement. I have two questions: 1. Can you hit a ring on the return swing of your fist to get a really long tether? Does anything interesting happen then? 2. Is there a reason you take so much damage in the early autoscrollers? Or is it just for messing around? Anyway, yes vote again. Keep it up!
NinjaCocktail
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scrimpeh wrote:
Excellent work again, great improvement. I have two questions: 1. Can you hit a ring on the return swing of your fist to get a really long tether? Does anything interesting happen then? 2. Is there a reason you take so much damage in the early autoscrollers? Or is it just for messing around? Anyway, yes vote again. Keep it up!
1. It is possible to hit a ring that way, I did it once in Razor Slide in my 100% TAS. It doesn't make any difference compared to a regular hit. Whatever the way Rayman hits a purple lum, on the next frame he will recover the same position. However, if Rayman is moving on the opposite direction from the lum while his fist hits it, then he will swing backwards as if he arrived from the other direction. So not much interesting things happen. The problem with a very long tether is that Rayman can reach the bottom of the screen. If the bottom is lava or a pit, then he will die. If it is regular land, then Rayman will cross through the ground and eventually die. The only benefit is that it creates a longer and faster swing. 2. I took damage for messing around yes, but also I wanted to minimize inputs wherever I could except where I tried to manipulate RNG. Pressing A, L and R for entertainment only during both autoscrollers had an impact on the lag frame count of the level and modified the RNG for Jano and/or the final Boss.
Yo, I'm a French dude speedrunning and TASing old unpopular 2D games.
NinjaCocktail
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TheAmazingAladdin wrote:
What's Hash of GBA Bios and Game Rom?
I don't even know what is Hash of GBA Bios, sorry. The Game Rom is named "0985 - Rayman 3 - Hoodlum Havoc (U)(RDG).gba".
Yo, I'm a French dude speedrunning and TASing old unpopular 2D games.
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Hash info can be seen by opening up the bk2 like a zip file and looking at Header.txt.
ROM SHA1: 1A8FB488AAC9AF4D3D42046750BDF429F48AC391
GBA BIOS SHA1: 300C20DF6731A33952DED8C436F7F186D25D3492
Post subject: Movie published
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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. ---- [4794] GBA Rayman 3 by NinjaCocktail in 55:51.37