Submission Text Full Submission Page
    * fceu-0.98.12
    * Abuse luck
    * mostly pick up "speed" upgrades
    *Use laser
    *Use shield
    * kill almost every enemy
    * Play around with perfect reflexes (this time for sure)
    *teasing enemies = P then kill them
    *Try to kill some enemies real fast to avoid lag 
    *fast as possible
    *Pick up upgrades exactly when they appear
    *sometimes I kill enemies exactly when they appear

Did not go so well with my other run.. Got most no votes and when I watched what it stood on the posts I could understand why. I don't now why the heck this run is slower??? I did everything I could to make this run entertaining and faster as well but I failed at the time... = (
Hope you like it anyways

adelikat: It might be unprecedented for a movie that is a minute faster than the current run to get rejected. But in this case, it is appropriate. While I consider Morimoto's run improvable, this run is not the answer. Diman's run is too literal. He plays gradius. The problem is that gradius by itself is not a publish worthy game. Morimoto's run is entertaining because he transcends the game itself. What Morimoto himself is doing becomes the focus, not the game itself. As stated in the discussion forum, Morimoto makes music :)
I am rejecting this submission. Diman, if you want to pusue this game further consider taking the playaround aspect to a higher level. Shooting enemies is not relevant, collecting items is not either. The main emphasis should be on doing something create and interesting with the fast movements possible in this game. Also, post a wip on the forums and get feeback from others.
I do like that you destroy the bosses quickly and speed up the completion of the game, but combine that with the above mentioned aspects. Good luck.


TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #1003: Diman's NES Gradius in 13:25.08
Former player
Joined: 9/1/2005
Posts: 803
I voted 'meh'. Stuff I didn't like: In the earlier levels, if you could call them that, you destroyed a ton of stuff before it got on screen, and generally just dragged the sceen along behind you. I thought that be un-entertaining to watch. While in later levels you improved that, the earlier levels left an impression that made me think 'I wonder if he's going to drag it along again for a while' at the beginning of later ones. With the part just after you go the laser you left many many red balls on the screen, and more or less just carved yourself a straight path through them. I think that destroying a hell of a lot more of them or making a weird pattern through them would've been better. Stuff I did like: The first volcano part. I thought it was rather entertaining how you destroyed as much as possible while moving damned fast. The earlier half of the red ball area with the clouds looked nice, you destroyed practically everything, although you missed a part. Random stuff: I kind of think that you should've utilized more powerups, like options and a different weapons perhaps, it seems kind of wasteful to only get one weapon and use it the entire time. Overall, while I can see that a fair bit of effort was put in, given the nature of the game I think it's hard to keep the viewer entertained, since whatever you do can get rather stale after a while.
Former player
Joined: 3/30/2004
Posts: 1354
Location: Heather's imagination
This is a yes vote from me. Plenty here is improved, plenty here I like ^_^ I DON'T like: not warping through stuff to show you can, not playing the Moai level, using Laser and Shield. I DO like: "playing" the game rather than playing the game, showing that you are in control of everything. I'm interested in adelikat's run of this game as well, but this one was good enough that I watched the whole way through without feeling it was wasting my time.
someone is out there who will like you. take off your mask so they can find you faster. I support the new Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun.
Tub
Joined: 6/25/2005
Posts: 1377
Much better than your last submission. The poll asks "Did you like watching this movie?", and to that I'd reply yes. If the poll asked about obsoleting the current gradius run, I wouldn't know, as I didn't watch the old run for a long time. If the poll asked whether this run is as good as it can get, that'd be a no. I'm mostly with Atma there, so I won't repeat things. Another thing you could have done is carve weird narrow tunnel systems into shootable walls and fly through them, the blue diagonal nettings on the later levels seem fitting for it. You did that a little, but IMHO it could be used more. On the other hand, I think the shield was a bit overused this time. Avoiding hits looks better than deliberately taking them, and an unsuspecting viewer might think you needed those shields to survive and dismiss the run as "noobish". I won't vote yet.
m00
JXQ
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Much improved. I liked how you seemed to have a different "theme" for your style of play on each level, that kept things interesting. Things that could further improve this run:
  • Using options
  • Using double gun (back and forth with laser)
  • Using not as many shields
  • Moving through walls in the blue level
  • Shooting the walls to create some kind of pattern
Even so, I enjoyed watching it, so I'm voting yes. You have quite a bit of determination, Diman!
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
Hoe
Joined: 7/31/2004
Posts: 183
Location: USA
I did enjoy your orignal movie, and I found this movie to be even better. I do not mind that you did not extensively show off some of the things Morimoto(sp) did in his run, such as the ability to pass through small objects, though a single instance would of been nice. My feelings, aside from that, are very inline with what has already been said. I have not voted yet because I need to rewatch the morimoto run again.
Player (58)
Joined: 6/15/2005
Posts: 312
Location: Sweden
Thanks for your advice and for your positive comments here! I will improve this movie in the future. Very soon I hope I end on the list for the best movies... = )
Player (25)
Joined: 4/23/2005
Posts: 435
Location: Germany
Voted yes. This movie is much better. Great that you not lost your motivation from the bad votes in the past and try it again. This movie looks great. The movements looks now much better as in your first try. And you try to make it entertainment. Too great, that you aims for the fastest time and try to kill near everything what is possible. Only to much uses from shields as other already says. In a TAS there is near no use for a shield I think. When you don't want do die, then try it again and again with re-recording, till you done it without dieing. Other problem, I am not sure, which movie is better. Morimoto or this one. Both are great. Morimoto show some tricks, which are missing here. But you show too some new tricks & play for the fastest time. And in entertainment they are both near the same. Good, that I must not judge this. I can only say, that this movie looks good.
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Here are the problems I have with this:
  • A lot of the movement only used diagonal directions, so all the circling and zig-zagging didn't look as smooth as it could have with more gradual angle changes that don't look so obviously limited by 4 directions.
  • didn't kill those 2 enemies that appeared around frame 11500, looks out of place since he'd been killing everything else before that. This run is so close to being 100% kills already, and I'm sure the ones that weren't killed wouldn't be impossible to kill.
  • staying all the way on the right side of the screen the first level intros was kind of boring, especially because he did it the exact same way more than once before doing something else
  • clearly wasn't minimizing lag around frames 29300/29900/30500/31200/31800/23400, despite saying he tried killing some enemies fast to avoid lag (this is probably where he lost the time he was confused about)
  • shooting up lots of barriers that could be glitched through instead... The only instance of glitching through them I saw was around frame 39863, which was followed by backing out and shooting random holes through it for no apparent reason, and never showing it off again. I think it's important to show it off more, considering how few quirks the game has besides that one.
  • laser's maybe not the best choice, and trying a larger variety of weapons would help
  • ending the input so early just to sit there for the final "boss" really isn't interesting to me.
Player (80)
Joined: 2/8/2005
Posts: 130
I don't know if its possible, but I think it would be cool if you could move the ship in a way that when you glazed your eyes over and look it spells out something or draws a picture. Cuz it seems like you mostly did figure 8s, and otherwise it looked like some sort of insect was moving around randomly on the screen. The only part that made me laugh was when you played with the guys who move slowly and turn to follow you. Could you have toyed with them any more?
Former player
Joined: 3/30/2004
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So, did I enjoy this movie? yes. And I voted accordingly. But between adelikat's and Shinryuu's... Quick! Someone do Gradius II! And Fantasy Zone series! And Parodius series! And NOT R-Type!
someone is out there who will like you. take off your mask so they can find you faster. I support the new Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun.
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tool23 wrote:
I don't know if its possible, but I think it would be cool if you could move the ship in a way that when you glazed your eyes over and look it spells out something or draws a picture.
Too bad there's no motion blur.
Player (58)
Joined: 6/15/2005
Posts: 312
Location: Sweden
Thanks for the yes votes and your opinions! Now I know what you guys like about this movie and don't like! I will make a gradius TAS in the future but I won't cancel this submission. I want to see where it goes.
Joined: 4/11/2006
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I personally don't want currently published run to be removed... Good Gradius TAS can not be "better" than another one, it can only be "different"...
JXQ
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zefiris wrote:
I personally don't want currently published run to be removed... Good Gradius TAS can not be "better" than another one, it can only be "different"...
Hooray! An un-obsoletable movie!
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
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Actually, I think Morimoto's Gradius is here mostly for historical reasons rather than to show something really meaningful (aside, maybe, being a proof of the concept — but we already have plenty of movies like that). It's more like "look, this is a mother/father/predecessor of the tool-assisted runs, made by Morimoto himself, yay!" The problem is, even if you outperform Morimoto on every account, there wouldn't be anything really worth publishing here anyway, cause Gradius itself is dead boring. But I agree that making really good Gradius movie is something many of us (including myself) wanted to do, just to obsolete the dust-covered Famtasia playthrough.
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Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Player (58)
Joined: 6/15/2005
Posts: 312
Location: Sweden
I personally don't want currently published run to be removed...
No I don't think it should be removed either. My movie doesn't even have to be in the list for best movies! I would be happy if the movie gets in at all!
Player (206)
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That's the spirit! Because you know I was getting tired of people whining about which movies get stars.
put yourself in my rocketpack if that poochie is one outrageous dude
Player (58)
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Posts: 312
Location: Sweden
Really? well okey I also think folks should be happy and really thank the judges who accept their movies. All though it would be the best day in my life if it would get in the list of best movies, but that doesn't mean that I would be disappointed over my self if it end on the movie page.
Former player
Joined: 11/13/2005
Posts: 1587
Diman wrote:
I personally don't want currently published run to be removed...
No I don't think it should be removed either. It doesn't even have to be in the list for best movies! I would be happy if the movie gets in at all!
Your reply doesn't make any sense. Zefiris was talking about Morimoto's Gradius movie, and he doesn't want it to be removed.
Diman wrote:
All though it would be the best day in my life if it would get in the list of best movies
You should really get a girlfriend or something...
JXQ
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GB, we can't all be the debonaire pimp skillet that you are.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
AnS
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moozooh wrote:
Actually, I think Morimoto's Gradius is here mostly for historical reasons rather than to show something really meaningful (aside, maybe, being a proof of the concept — but we already have plenty of movies like that). It's more like "look, this is a mother/father/predecessor of the tool-assisted runs, made by Morimoto himself, yay!" The problem is, even if you outperform Morimoto on every account, there wouldn't be anything really worth publishing here anyway, cause Gradius itself is dead boring. But I agree that making really good Gradius movie is something many of us (including myself) wanted to do, just to obsolete the dust-covered Famtasia playthrough.
Hey, I can't agree with that! Morimoto's movie is something that differs from all those "aimed on fastest time", its aestetic value consists not only from tool-assistance handling, but more from player's creativity and sense of harmony. I especially appreciate the systematics of Morimoto's actions - it's not like he was doing everything to entertain the public, looks like he just played the game as he felt its spirit. These systematics make the movie look similar to music patterns - sometimes it's just not appropriate to show everything you can show. And like in music, there's no need to rush if whole tempo is defined at the beginning. If you decide to change the tempo, then you should preserve this mood in every action you perform, or else you'll produce cacophony - that's why this movie is hard to obsolete.
adelikat
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I like the music analogy :) Makes me feel that I am the perfect person to do it! A gradius run SHOULD aim for fastest time though. There is so few times that you can affect speed, why not maximize it during those times. This is a run that can be frame perfect as fast as possible and still be in the playaround category. During the bosses, morimoto wastes time. It is not necessary to do so. Ans is right on with what should be the goal of a run of this game. It is not to play the game (as Diman does here) but to make music :) Here diman plays a shoot em up, morimoto doesn't. He pushes boundaries until the game itself is less important than what Morimoto himself is doing. I don't believe that a game should remain unobsoleted because of historical reasons. If you want to see the "godfather"'s amazing runs, they are still here, just not the published ones. And his smb3 or megaman runs will be far more appropriate. I will vote no on Diman's run.
It's hard to look this good. My TAS projects
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AnS wrote:
Hey, I can't agree with that! Morimoto's movie is something that differs from all those "aimed on fastest time", its aestetic value consists not only from tool-assistance handling, but more from player's creativity and sense of harmony.
Well, I have nothing to object. On the other hand, it doesn't guarantee the entertainment value of the run cause there's not much really enjoyable action, at least for me. Anyway, I'm not saying that Morimoto's movie particularly is boring. I, however, think Gradius itself is. Of all the sidescrollers available, it's one of the most boring and slow-paced ones (and the music gets really annoying near the end).
AnS wrote:
I especially appreciate the systematics of Morimoto's actions - it's not like he was doing everything to entertain the public, looks like he just played the game as he felt its spirit. These systematics make the movie look similar to music patterns - sometimes it's just not appropriate to show everything you can show. And like in music, there's no need to rush if whole tempo is defined at the beginning. If you decide to change the tempo, then you should preserve this mood in every action you perform, or else you'll produce cacophony - that's why this movie is hard to obsolete.
Heh, I can understand what you're talking about. Not that it helped me enjoy any of the Gradius runs, though… :)
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
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I don't think the original run is on the site for historical reasons. I think that it was just the first Gradius run published and aesthetical runs are extremely hard to obsolete. How can you decide which run is better? Diman might do something better than Morimoto in his run but then again Morimoto could be better at some other parts. This is why speed is automatically the main focus of TASes: entertainment can't be measured subjectively.