Who doesn't like capybaras?
Capybara Quest is a GBC homebrew by Maxthetics, in which you must hop, climb and avoid enemies in a pastel world to rescue your baby stolen by a criminal pelican.

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Speedrun premises and general strats

  • This branch intends to take all Yuzus, a collectible fruit inside each level. The game is short and easy, so it's more interesting showing the strats to take them all;
  • Crouching can make the game lag a bit, specially when uncrouching, and sometimes when you have to crouch you can try delaying the uncrouch to mysteriously avoid the lag frame;
  • If you can reach a ladder at the peak of a jump, better climbing it at this moment, otherwise it's faster to start climbing your Y speed is -0x10 (since climbing speed is -0x10);
  • Ladders can be unclimbed to the platform on the side earlier than you'd think: just need to have your feet above the 8th pixel of the block;
  • Capybara's hitbox is indeed smaller when crouching, so that may help during tight maneuver around solid tiles and enemies;
  • Early Level End: the level ends much earlier (9~11 frames earlier) if you hit the flag right in the corner, with a 3-frames jump;
  • Taking damage then getting the flag is way faster, since it will be already preparing to (re)load the level;
  • Ceiling Clip: you can clip the ceiling by jumping and crouching and uncrouching on the right time;
  • When you pause (69 total frames necessary), your X and Y speeds are set to 0x00 and +0x1C respectively, and the enemies positions are resetted;
  • You can trick the game to think you got all Yuzus by going back and forth in the same Yuzu 19 times, it will increase the total ($0B1C) that is displayed after you beat the game, but for the sake of real completeness and entertainment this trick was forgone.

Level specific comments

  • 1-3: at the start you can't jump over the Turnip Bandit (thanks to me that's their name now) in a single jump at max speed, that's why I had to jump on the platform border first. Also Ceiling Clip to get the Yuzu earlier, saving 223 frames;
  • 1-4: Ending level earlier by taking damage then getting the flag;
  • 1-5: Jumping on the platform then jumping to the ladder to reach extra heights earlier (thanks to Alyosha)
  • 2-1: it's 220 frames faster to die after taking the Yuzu, since the only way to get back to the upper platforms is using the first tree right at the level start, and the game conveniently remembers if you already took the Yuzu for the current level. Note: I need to wait 65 frame for the Yuzu to compute, I can't simply take it and die immediately;
  • 2-3: TWO Ceiling Clips with the same purpose: to skip the slow narrow tunnel with two Turnip Bandits, plus the second clipe enables getting the Yuzu earlier;
  • 2-5: Ceiling Clip to escape the Yuzu "dead-end" way quicker than the intended route; Early Level End didn't work here, maybe due the flag being so close to the border;
  • 3-2: Pause Abuse to avoid the bat, so I can take the Yuzu 23 frames faster than the previous strat; Ceiling Clip to get the Flag earlier, saving 424 frames;
  • 3-4: It's faster to hop on the wall of cannons instead of climbing the ladder;
  • 3-5: Jumping on the platform then jumping to the ladder to reach extra heights earlier (thanks to Alyosha);
  • 4-1: Skipping the springboard by jumping directly to the platform with a little brake (thanks to Alyosha);
  • 4-3: Ceiling Corner Clip to skip the final section and get the Flag earlier, saving 138 frames;
  • 4-4: VAN SHORTCUT!!!

My disaster

ONLY NOW, as I wrote this submission text, that I found the game was updated to 1.1, and it doesn't sync in this new version but I managed to update the movie for this new version, fortunately it's 25 frames slower due a Turnip Bandit position change in 2-3.
UPDATE: The game was updated to 1.2, introducing a "Slight increase in walk acceleration and deceleration", so I abused that and indeed I got a faster run.

My conclusion

This game is very easy and short enough, but the TASing experience was quite surprising, with all these tricks I found during the research. Speaking of research, you can try out my Lua scripts, both the utility one and the Atlas display one. I'll analyze the differences in v1.1 to see if there's any substantial improvement exclusive to the update.
Go homebrews!

Suggested screenshot

13585
Frame 13585

slamo: Replaced file with 160 frame improvement, and judging!
slamo: Nice work! I thought this game would be too simple but there's a surprising amount of tech and there were some really cool moments.
Collecting all the yuzus seems like the only thing to complete in this game, so it's a valid Standard category. Accepting as a Full Completion branch.

despoa: Processing...


TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #7612: brunovalads's GBC Capybara Quest "all Yuzus" in 08:23.32
Alyosha
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Pretty neat game, could use some sound effects though. Around frame 7450, its faster to make a small jump up to the ledge and then jump up the ladder.
Editor, Player (175)
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Alyosha wrote:
Around frame 7450, its faster to make a small jump up to the ledge and then jump up the ladder.
Oh thanks for poiting out, and while revising I found another Ceiling Clip at 2-3 that I first thought was impossible, so i'll update the movie with that as well.
Games are basically math with a visual representation of this math, that's why I make the scripts, to re-see games as math. My things: YouTube, GitHub, Pastebin, Twitter
Alyosha
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similarly around frame 23080, take a small jump off the spring then a big jump up the ladder.
Editor, Player (175)
Joined: 4/7/2015
Posts: 331
Location: Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
I have the movie for these improvements.
  • 1-5 Alyosha's suggestion: 21 frames
  • 2-3 Extra Ceiling Clip and better maneuver in the clips: 20 frames
  • 3-5 Alyosha's suggestion: 29 frames
  • A couple of lags shaved here and there: 2 frames
  • TOTAL: 72 frames
Games are basically math with a visual representation of this math, that's why I make the scripts, to re-see games as math. My things: YouTube, GitHub, Pastebin, Twitter
Alyosha
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https://tasvideos.org/UserFiles/Info/637948905739299716 saved a couple more frames in 4-1 with better jumping at the start, but i messed up the ending and don't know how to fix it (fade out takes longer), i think the level can still be a bit faster too. Also since you can clip in 2-3 now, can the 1.1 version be used?
Editor, Player (175)
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Location: Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
Alyosha wrote:
saved a couple more frames in 4-1 with better jumping at the start
Oh that's clever, i got tunnel vision due the springboard galore from world 3.
Alyosha wrote:
but i messed up the ending and don't know how to fix it (fade out takes longer)
Yep, it's a precise jump when you're 41 pixels to the left of the Flag and press A for frames (the script has visual cue for that).
Alyosha wrote:
i think the level can still be a bit faster too.
I'll see what I can do, I tried slowing down instead of pressing left as you did but my best was 1 frame slower than your method.
Alyosha wrote:
Also since you can clip in 2-3 now, can the 1.1 version be used?
Oh definitely, i'll try these improves in 1.1 and see if the whole thing is faster.
Games are basically math with a visual representation of this math, that's why I make the scripts, to re-see games as math. My things: YouTube, GitHub, Pastebin, Twitter
Editor, Player (175)
Joined: 4/7/2015
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Location: Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
Forget 1.1, we have 1.2 now baby, I'll check how the new acceleration and deceleration affect movement
Games are basically math with a visual representation of this math, that's why I make the scripts, to re-see games as math. My things: YouTube, GitHub, Pastebin, Twitter
Editor, Player (175)
Joined: 4/7/2015
Posts: 331
Location: Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
I did the measures, considering X speed between 0x00 to 0x19 (max), v1.2 is considerably faster:
 				v1.0~1.1	v1.2
- Acceleration	43 frames	40 frames
- Deceleration	31 frames	28 frames
The other changes in this version doesn't seem to impact the run.
Games are basically math with a visual representation of this math, that's why I make the scripts, to re-see games as math. My things: YouTube, GitHub, Pastebin, Twitter
Reviewer, Expert player (2435)
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brunovalads wrote:
I have the movie for these improvements.
  • 1-5 Alyosha's suggestion: 21 frames
  • 2-3 Extra Ceiling Clip and better maneuver in the clips: 20 frames
  • 3-5 Alyosha's suggestion: 29 frames
  • A couple of lags shaved here and there: 2 frames
  • TOTAL: 72 frames
So is this the version you want to use? Or is there going to be a resync for v1.2?
Editor, Player (175)
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Location: Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
In time, I have a 30119 frames movie for this game, and on version 1.2. The faster acceleration realy helped here. Encodes were recorded, YT video will be updated soon YT videos were updated as well.
Games are basically math with a visual representation of this math, that's why I make the scripts, to re-see games as math. My things: YouTube, GitHub, Pastebin, Twitter
Post subject: Movie published
TASVideoAgent
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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. ---- [4813] GBC Capybara Quest "all Yuzus" by brunovalads in 08:23.32
Editor, Player (175)
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I just made an "any%" adaptation for this TAS, for the sake of documentation. It proves the "All Yuzus" is more suitable for the site due showing more content (game-wise and trick-wise) while not being much slower.
Games are basically math with a visual representation of this math, that's why I make the scripts, to re-see games as math. My things: YouTube, GitHub, Pastebin, Twitter