Given the depth and variety of skills in this game, I think it's possible to do a run that continues to stay original and surprising. A solo Ramza run would be impressive to watch, anyway. Keep in mind that it wouldn't be a huge time loss to beat all enemies but one, then sleep the last foe and wait a couple seconds for bodies to crystallize (thus allowing the chance to learn new abilities later on). The abilities you can learn from an enemy change with the RNG, so you could theoretically pick up some expensive skills with a little manipulation.
Also, I don't really see how Crimson Pain would work...by the time you have enough battle points for it you can't inflict damage on most bosses/enemies normally. It'll help for places like in the city walls after the Snowfly Forest where you have to clear out a room full of lizards though.
I guess I didn't remember the order in which battle abilities unlock. I've probably beat this game 20+ times but my memory of it is a little hazy now, even with all that time put in...
I'll probably watch the SDA run again and look at the enemies on the route. It's always possible some enemy item drops can be manipulated to get some decent weaponry, but IIRC most of the good stuff is dropped in optional or new game + only areas.
You may want to make a list of what teleports you plan on using, and how much MP they'll cost--that way you know at which point to switch from STR boosting after boss fights to MP boosting. You really don't want to have to use two teleports where one will do, and the STR bonus is probably going to be negligible in boss fights, where it would most matter--especially assuming you're going to count on Raging Ache. For reference, it's 15 MP to teleport to the nearest magic circle, and an additional 4 MP for every location beyond that one. So later in the game you end up needing something like 65-80 MP to make some of the bigger trips...
I don't remember what weapons are convenient enough to pick up that still allow you to do damage. Generally speaking, you do almost no damage to bosses past the beginning of the game unless you've geared properly, and since you won't probably be entering any workshops I imagine Raging Ache/Crimson Pain would be the way to go.
Any idea how easy it is to manipulate critical hits or hit rate? I messed around with this game some in emulator a while back and it seemed like the RNG was moving every frame--should be pretty easy to get the results you want just by using trial and error. Tedious, though.
Even if it cannot be submitted, it will surely be useful for reference for future runs, as well as provide us with great entertainment value.
Publication is always ideal, but don't let that be your only goal. Moreover, any work you do now will be useful one day should you decide to do the project properly (once the tools are actually reliable for producing TASes).
Just finished watching the run. Very entertaining. I only fast forwarded once or twice through the later parts just to skip past the enemy/other phases.
The elaborate commentary helps quite a bit. I had to go back and rewatch Chapter 19, where you had Colm dragged to the left so that Riev could be seen by Vanessa; I didn't know at first why you'd moved the thief left, until I remembered that Fog of War was on. I'm also not quite sure why you moved the three pegasi up at the very last fight... I'm guessing it has something to do with the "delta attack" I've heard the pegasi knights can use in some games in the series.
Anyway, you deserve more than one yes vote just for writing out such great commentary, but as I only have one to give that will have to do.
Bheszt, don't let the fact that someone else is TASing the same game discourage you from taking it yourself. People can share and it's not unusual for a run to be published with co-authors; even if you aren't interested in working with another person directly, you can learn more about how to optimize a game from another runner's work, and friendly frame wars benefit just about everyone.
Given that we have previously published a JPN version of this game before, I can't imagine any reason we wouldn't be able to do so again. Granted, that was a controversial decision that didn't set well with many people, but I think if it's put forth by someone in our own crowd and is thoroughly optimized then a lot of that resistance will fade away.
I certainly am excited to hear you're working on the game still. I'd figured the Zelda series was going to be stagnant for a while...
"massive special" huh? I've never heard that before.
Slowking: I'm more than happy to hear your side of things, but right now you've accused him of doing it without giving us any actual evidence of where it happened. Can you give us specific examples of where people "confirmed that" it looked "directly hexed or copied"?
It's just not really clear to the average forumgoer yet where he actually did this. From what I watched of both videos it doesn't look like the input is that similar. What you're saying conflicts with what we see, so it's only natural we'd want you to show us WHERE we are mistaken.
While I'm glad you're interested in this game, please try to avoid looking for generic help here. These forums are generally for TAS discussions, not normal gameplay.
Go to a site like http://www.gamefaqs.com/ if you're looking for game advice.
Has there ever been any reason to believe abeshi has intentionally and blatantly tried to claim credit for Bloob's input as his own? I am sincerely asking, because I can't remember.
I know a lot of the OoT runners don't like him, and I can understand why. I'm just curious if he's the scum of the earth or just a guy who's limited by the language barrier. Maybe someone can clarify this for me?
46 re-records and the most helpful submission text in site history.
Can I vote WTF? I'd like to vote for WTF.
Submitter, certainly we are glad to have you here, but I might suggest you take some time, get to know the community, discuss runs before submitting, and learn the general sense of how things work here. This is not a submission that many people will take seriously.
If you look back at my past track record on submissions of this nature (where I've bothered to comment, at least), I've generally been opposed to their publication for exactly the reasons I'm citing here - that there's little room for technical innovation or entertainment. Games such as Mega Man are a different story, in that there are additional factors at work such as route planning (for the initial stages), weapon selection, and (in may cases) substantial abuse of glitches (a look at the most recently published Mega Man 1 submission being a wonderful illustration of the latter).
But since Mega Man games are at the upper spectrum of entertainment for a relatively simple platformer (mainly due to glitches involved), a valid question would be: should we still publish runs of games that don't allow as much as Mega Man does? Historically the answer to this has been "yes", but what is your opinion and where do you draw the line?
I think this is really the key question. There is no clear precedent for where to draw this line, because we are told "past publications don't justify current decisions." So it becomes this relativistic argument and we get pages and pages of these threads, because in lieu of any clear rule we are left feeling that our arguments might make the difference.
I'm personally okay with this practice but I can't help but wonder if there isn't a better option to please everyone.
Yes, and those submissions are significantly slower (and duller) than ReneBalow's runs. I realize this may not be pertinent, but you provoked my response and I must reply.
That is your opinion. There are many opinions on this subject. Let's just leave it at that for the sake of this thread.
moozooh makes a good point. Hasn't there been some precedent for publishing games that are very difficult to play, regardless of how hard it seems to a casual viewer? I don't remember that being a hotly-contested issue.
To be fair, you're also equally determined to be right, which sort of undermines your whole argument. I actually do agree with your general stance on this game and I think that most people opposed to publication aren't interested in really doing anything besides staunchly defending their position; however, ad hominem probably isn't going to change that.
I'm sure sgrunt feels he is justified in his reasoning. I don't actually agree with his view, and I think he's being unduly harsh, but it's not much more than personal opinion. If he finds the game boring, that's how he feels... the humor and novelty of the run is lost on him. That in and of itself is a shame, for sure, but it's not a reason to attack him.
