No problem - everyone makes mistakes. Please enjoy your stay. :)
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
Invariel [mod time]: Please don't double- or triple-post in the same forum in quick succession. If you have additional information to provide, please do so by editing your post (which you can do if it is the last post in the thread) and un-checking the "This is a minor edit" button.
Thank you.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
I am happy to say that I acquired the game on the day it launched, but I am sad that the thing has been shut down.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
and because we are curious how far a game can be pushed. The process of creating them is also a form of problem-solving and challenge to our intellect and ingenuity.
feos wrote:
Second, I didn't mean "game hasn't reached its 'completed' state" when suggesting null%, I meant the game has never been played, it hasn't even entered the first level, where the actual gameplay starts, it just skipped to the end right from its start hands down.
You're applying the RTA definition of "game start" to a TAS, when you should be applying the TAS definition of "game start", which is "power on".
Wiki: MovieRules wrote:
The movie must begin from console power-on
feos wrote:
Also, "game end glitch" using arbitrary code has obsoleted non-ACE "major glitch" category at leasttwice, based on the first point, as long as all of them aimed for speed.
Invariel wrote:
There have been documented cases where ACE has obsoleted gameplay, but those were not decisions made arbitrarily by the judges, and instead came out of intense discussion on the fora by the community.
Yes, I covered that.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
I can put it another way. There's a difference between zero and null. Zero is a valid number, null is absence of any valid entity. So, regarding completion, we have any% (fastest completion), 100% (full completion), 0% (lowest completion), but do we want to have null% (completion is for pussies) competing with those?
The problem is clearly and unambiguously defining the difference between any% and null%.
— We can't go by run length (absolute, relative, doesn't matter) because it would be an arbitrary variable which will bring more problems than it will solve.
— We probably can't go by glitch type or method, because in some cases the glitch in question is only triggerable 20-30 minutes into the run, and in others right at the start screen. This is arguable, though.
— We can't go by the amount of skipped content because 1) every speedrun skips some; 2) it's impossible to gauge precisely; 3) it's impossible to draw the line most people would agree with.
It might be that, regardless of the accepted publication/categorization paradigm, it will have to be decided manually by the judges, if only because every other mechanism is even less reliable.
Once again, this branch of the conversation (I'm sorry) seems to be heading into categorization territory.
On the one hand, we have numerical categorizations: 100%, any%, low%, 0%, which look at some measurable content of game completion. In Super Metroid, it is those categories (minus 0%); in Super Mario World, it is 96 exits and 11 exits.
On the other hand, we have restrictions: glitchless, no major glitches, major glitches but not ACE, ACE, and the recently demonstrated DPCM glitch.
We also have sub-categories (or speed/entertainment tradeoffs): Warpless (a routing thing which, in some cases could be likened to a percentage category), deathless (potentially a routing thing), pacifist (an entertainment thing), and so on.
What the Vault specifically allows is 100% and any%, and the Vault is only considered after a game fails to be entertaining enough to the audience to be in Moons. There are no "direct-to-Vault" masterpieces, as much as comment threads like to suppose and joke that there are.
There is definitely an argument to be made about there being "too many runs" for a given game, but that discussion falls under categorization and not the definition of a "speedrun", which is really just a blanket term applied to attempting to beat a game with less time spent than anyone else in your chosen category and under your preferred restrictions. Nobody debates (for example) that 100% Map Completion is a category in Super Metroid, but what people debate here, on this site, is whether or not that category is worth publishing.
There is also a discussion to be had about what constitutes a minor or major glitch, and whether glitches should be reclassified as non-TAS players are able to more precisely and accurately perform them, or as their effects as they pertain to the game become better understood.
Where I feel there shouldn't be a discussion at all is in whether ACE (or DPCM glitching) should obsolete a glitched or glitchless run, as those restrictions define how quickly the game is going to be beaten (or exploited, in some cases), and thus puts those records in different categories. The site has sometimes deemed that one category can obsolete something in another category, but to my recollection ACE has yet to obsolete gameplay by default. There have been documented cases where ACE has obsoleted gameplay, but those were not decisions made arbitrarily by the judges, and instead came out of intense discussion on the fora by the community.
Talking specifically to the distinction between 0% and null%, where null% is defined as "completion is for pussies" and 0% is "lowest completion", the distinction tries to make a good argument for a demo tier, but it misses a critical point - a null% run doesn't complete the game. A null% run, by its own definition ("completion is for pussies") has its completion timer continue to increase until someone kills the run because the end condition of the game hasn't been met. Would I like to see null% runs showcased on the site? Absolutely. But they would not fall under the umbrella of "speedrun", as the game is never completed. Should the work that goes into these runs be promoted? Absolutely! But, again, they don't demonstrate a speedrun of the game being played to completion.
As was recently demonstrated in Super Mario Bros. 3, the input "exploit(s) the workaround code to avoid the conflict between the DPCM and the game controller" (thanks, ange_, on IRC) and jumps from the title screen to the end credits. While this doesn't follow the conventional definition of 'play', it does follow the definition of 'superplay', as set out by our site. The game is turned on, input happens, the game's completion state is shown. Pressing buttons as quickly as possible, thanks to sub-frame input is what "a god player would do". Should that run obsolete 100%, or any%, or low%? No. Should it obsolete ACE? Probably, because the setup is different, but the end goal is the same - get the game into a state where it accepts controller input as code (instead of as input within the defined input handler subroutines) and jump to the ending scene. Is it null%? No, as it completes the actual game.
Conversely, as was demonstrated at AGDQ 2014, programming Pong and Snake into Super Mario World is an example of null%, as the game is not completed. It is reprogrammed into two other games (with less presence on the site, mind you) which are then played (and not even completed!). Should that be showcased on the site? I would argue that yes, it should. But not as a speedrun. This is where feos' constant request for a demo tier comes into play, except that it shouldn't be a tier because tiering implies stratiation and these aren't above or below Moons or Vault, though 'demo' is probably the correct term for demonstrating a particular vector of attack. That these runs shouldn't be tiered is important because it also suggests that they shouldn't obsolete runs that exist in the existing tiers, though they might still need to obsolete each other, when faster ways of deploying the payload using a particular vector are realized.
What does this have to do with speedruns? Really very little, except to note that people are interested in these particular ways of approaching games, but they shouldn't scare people away from looking for more conventional ways of playing through a game. ACE isn't likely to obsolete 100%, and glitchless isn't likely to be obsoleted by major glitches unless the resultant submissions both end up in the vault. (Which would say something about the game or the quality of its glitches if neither of those categories can make it to Moons.) The obsoletion fairy isn't lurking around the corner to offer fewer and fewer ways to complete games until only one game exists (that is, in turn, ACE'd into any other game you want and then beaten quickly).
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
Because anything I say publicly gets viewed under the lens of also being a moderator, so I have to be a bit more guarded in what I say. In PMs, if I am not dealing with someone under that particular mantle, I can be less guarded with my tone.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
So... What is wrong with moozooh's really well defined ... uhh ... definition?
Warp wrote:
It continues to amuse me that you choose to focus on the parts of my reply where I give you my opinion on the subject, yet you ignore the one question I have about a post in the thread that directly talks about the subject you seem to want a discussion about.
moozooh wrote:
The entire history of speedrun communities is the history of compromises between that which is objectively quickest and that which is best subjectively appreciated, which is not at all always the same thing (especially when pushed to extremes where entire games are skipped). There will inevitably be grey areas involved that have no clear resolution.
Of course, but art also has its share of people who will sit back and debate for years about what is or isn't art, what does or doesn't fall within particularly stringent guidelines. With TASing, we have the author(s) of the piece present their work (the movie file/input file/playback file/replay file/keypress file/button press file/emulation movie file/alternative option (post in thread)) and their justification for their work being considered a speedrun worthy of being published on the site. Each of these submissions comes with some amount of discussion, sometimes not very much discussion, sometimes a lot of discussion, and the piece of work is judged on these merits to either be a speedrun (within a particular set of established categories) or not to be a speedrun (within a particular set of established rules).
Warp wrote:
Do you want this hobby to grow or shrink in popularity?
My actions speak quite loudly as to my preference on this particular topic.
Warp wrote:
Do you want to appeal to the largest possible audience, or do you want to rules-lawyer?
There is nothing appealing in taking the current trend of a hobby and trying to force it into rigid guidelines defined by the largest audience, because there are members of that audience who do not understand what speedrunners (not TASers specifically -- speedrunners at large) do. If "the largest possible audience" gets to define how things work, think about what would happen in other areas of life if "the largest possible audience" got to define how things worked.
An intersection with a four-way light would have its state determined by the majority of cars sitting at that light, which would heavily disrupt traffic systems. A person's guilt or innocence would be determined by the court of public opinion and not objective facts. pi, one of the most important numbers in mathematics would be redefined to 3.14 or even 3 depending on how many people exist that don't care to learn the number's true definition. Appealing to the largest possible audience is not the ideal move. Appealing to the community's better judgment, when the community is ostensibly the thing that keeps the hobby alive, is the better solution in this case.
Warp wrote:
I think this hobby should be flexible and adapt, not be rigid and set-in-stone damn the consequences.
I don't really appreciate your passive-aggressive tone.
I don't really appreciate your "the sky is falling!" approach to change, but I work with what you give me. I don't feel the need to go into specifics because mud-slinging will solve no purpose here, but as always I invite you to talk with me in PM where I can talk more candidly.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
No, you can discard ROM because it can't be changed. Which console are you working with? If I have access to the game, we might be able to coordinate over PM.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
Video file of the run? Do you mean the visual representation of gameplay resulting from applying the <to> to the game, starting at power-on and terminating when input is no longer supplied?
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
Perhaps a better worded form of the topic title, and the question I'm posing, is "how should "speedrun" be defined?" And the point I was trying to make was to question the generally accepted definition of "get from the beginning to the end of the game as fast as possible by whatever means possible".
So... What is wrong with moozooh's really well defined ... uhh ... definition?
Warp wrote:
That simplistic definition does on the surface seem completely fine, and for like 10 years it was completely fine. However, as more and more techniques are being found that allow skipping large parts of games, and sometimes even the entire game, the sensibleness of that definition can be questioned.
Except that the community has itself adapted to include concepts like "category" and "classification", which make these arguments easier to handle.
Warp wrote:
That's why I asked who the target audience for tool-assisted speedruns is. Is it a small group of people who are trying to hack the games and find out technical ways to get to the end of the game (ie. most of us)? Or is it the larger audience of casual viewers? Who are we making these TASes for?
Who is art made for? The artist, a particular viewer, a larger audience? You make art to make art, and other people decide whether they want to appreciate it or not. "I don't like the colour brown!" So ... don't look at art that prominently uses brown to make its point.
Warp wrote:
If one of the primary aims of TASing is to attract a larger audience of casual viewers, and entertain them, then techniques that just outright skip the entire game may go contrary to that goal. It may satisfy our technical curiosity and sense of achievement, but it might not be that enticing to the larger public.
The primary aim of the site is to host TASes that are interesting and/or entertaining, while also maintaining speed records in their respective categories. This is why we obsolete material (speed records) and don't allow known sub-optimal work (records again). It's the people that keep coming back to the site that determine the community, and it is the people who step up and try to produce something amazing that determine where the hobby is heading. If you don't like where that is going, you have three options:
1) Get off the ride.
2) Make a TAS of your own following the rules that you find most pleasing.
3) Sit back, relax, and see where things go.
Warp wrote:
As I commented in my original post, many[citation needed] casual viewers don't like extreme glitches that break the game (eg. by going OOB). Of course this is an extreme view, and there are at least equally many viewers who are fine with it, and like seeing games broken like that. But should we dismiss the former group of people without even hearing them? I ask once again: Who are we making these runs for?
Nobody is being forced to watch these movies. Further, if going out of bounds yields a faster completion time, that's what speedrunners will do in categories that allow it. If people want to be annoyed by a particular category, those people are more than welcome to avoid it.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
1. When RNG updates itself varies from game to game. Some games have it change (multiple times) every frame, some games only have it change when an RNG value is used.
1. I assume there's no easy way to determine it? As in, for all I know I could be searching for a static value, and everytime I press "different from previous value" would've been futile?
It's a bit easier to track down these errant values by, for example, making a save state, quickly approaching an event that you know is not consistent (an enemy that jumps sometimes and walks other times; a damage value that is within a range; an enemy that sometimes drops an item, sometimes drops another item, and sometimes drop nothing) and tracking values. You know that the RNG had to have changed, because you got a different result, so you know that you can update and narrow your search.
jlun2 wrote:
Invariel wrote:
2. Transfer memory addresses that you are interested in from RAM Search to RAM Watch. Search will continue to update itself when you reload a state, but I don't know why it clears itself when you load another file (assuming you mean input file and not ROM).
2. I'm doing that, but having hundreds of addresses there seems to slow down a lot. Also no way to filter them out like RAM Search.
It's true that having a lot of RAM watch addresses slows things down, but you should only be noticing real slowdown while trying to play the game at any reasonable speed - if you're simply frame advancing, you shouldn't notice anything. If you want to play back your input file at some percentage of speed, you can minimize the window and things should play normally. Also, I wouldn't advise storing hundreds of addresses there if you can avoid it, drawing known values to the screen with Lua might be faster for you. (Yes, I realize this forces another tool into your arsenal, but it's also a very helpful thing to have. Here's a screenshot of my Faxanadu screen, which I honestly need to get back to soon.
(click to go to imgur and enlarge)
I've drawn the actual numbers over the health and mana bars, and for each of the eight potential enemies on the screen (E8 through E1), I am tracking their health and their three internal phase values, which correspond to behaviours. I am also tracking my X coordinate and subpixel, my Y coordinate (we don't have Y subpixels), my speed, my invincibility frames, my ointment counter, and lastly the RNG value. Below that, in faded colours, are the values from last frame. This ensures that I maintain the highest possible speed (384) whenever possible, lets me know immediately when RNG changes, and lets me ensure that I moved last frame, which is really useful when the main character is not yet drawn, or when moving after attacking. I also have hitboxes for the enemies, which makes them easier to hit or avoid than guessing. Furthermore, it means not tracking 47 (plus hitboxes, which are calculated) values in RAM Watch. Drawing all of this information on the screen doesn't slow my game down at all when re-watching at 100% speed, or even when fast forwarding.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
1. When RNG updates itself varies from game to game. Some games have it change (multiple times) every frame, some games only have it change when an RNG value is used.
2. Transfer memory addresses that you are interested in from RAM Search to RAM Watch. Search will continue to update itself when you reload a state, but I don't know why it clears itself when you load another file (assuming you mean input file and not ROM).
3. If you're referring to the memory trace log, it's convoluted because it's spitting out assembly which requires some effort to parse. It can be relaxing though, looking up op codes and figuring out what a particular block does.
4. That likely varies by the game, but you probably want RAM for anything that changes and a ROM bank for anything static.
5. I'm not sure what you are asking here. The RNG's location, how many RNGs there are, how frequently they're polled, what they are used for, what their effects are, etc. are different for every game; investigating the game, trial and error, and recording results are likely to be your best bets for games that aren't well researched.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
You would be doing exactly the same thing with TAStudio that you have done with other games.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
I quite agree with Samsara's decision to obsolete 2p with this run. I was trying to formulate an argument to obsolete based around the two characters being locked to the same screen and not sharing inventories, heavily reducing the ability to make two players interesting, coupled with the fact that other multiple-players-on-the-same-screen games actually do speed things up in terms of damage dealt or objectives completed, when resources are shared.
For example, Contra 2p at least doubles on-screen damage, without sacrificing speed, Pocky and Rocky 2p has slide comboing, Double Dragon 2p has both players able to handle threats on opposite sides of the screen, and suchlike.
I'm not saying that there is no way that 2p ZAMN can be interesting, but it would require the levels to actually support alternate paths for both players, and I am not sure that the game really offers enough opportunities for that to be possible.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
By having a copy of the exact version of the emulator used, and playing back the input file in that emulator.
In the case of the quite obsoleted run, that emulator is Famtasia 5.1. In the case of the existing pacifist run, that emulator is FCEU 0.98.28, but the downloadable .fm2 file synchs with FCEUX 2.1.5.
Since the .fm2 file in the downloadable zip is just a text file, you can read the inputs at each frame and compare what was done in that run to what you did in yours.
There may be some timing issues between FCEUX 2.1.5 and whichever emulator you are using, but you should still be able to see the strategies that were employed by carefully reading the input file and using frame advance with the emulator to see the results on-screen.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
You're welcome to think that, but you have to also remember that the judging process involves somebody that is not a creator of the run synching the gameplay with their own setup, including their own ROM, which drastically reduces the probability of a bad dump being used on both sides. Then there are the other members of the site who might try to optimize gameplay on their own machines, with their own ROM dumps, further reducing the possibility of someone sneaking a run made from a bad dump onto the site.
While there may be an emulation error that is resulting in things possibly having fewer hit points, I have difficulty believing that is the case, because it would mean critically mis-reading specific values in the ROM consistently.
Lastly, as noted, your submission has a known optimization, namely the thing I posted just above.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
Stages 10, 11, and 12 look like complete ass because of the palette, and the entire hack's design goal seemed to be, "What if we removed half the floors and stuck bats and Medusa Heads everywhere?" with the added effect of embedding half of the bone pillars in the ground (and one in mid air).
To your credit, you played through it well.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
If you press start or select on frame 11, you can press start on frame 16 to start the game. This saves scrolling the title screen and lets you start playing much sooner.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
Hi, Wraith, and welcome to TASVideos.
As Challenger pointed out, your submission is slower than the currently published TAS of the same category, and cannot be accepted as such. This is unfortunate, but honestly, expected.
With that said, I've watched your submission, and you definitely have "run right and jump" down as a solid concept. You have some understanding of how Mario moves, and how to keep him moving, and that information will serve you well if you want to make another attempt at this game. You do, however, forgo a lot of time-saving glitches in your run (which is one of the reasons that it is slower than the existing published file) and I feel you might not understand why some decisions in the existing route are taken, such as why a Mechakoopa is kept around for Bowser's second phase.
I strongly encourage you to read the Game Resources page for Super Mario World, as well as the extensive thread for the game to further your understanding of it.
Again, welcome to the site, thank you for your submission and your attempt; while it isn't publishable here, it is definitely a good start.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
I agree with Derakon's assessment of VVVVVV - when the game (because of difficulty or optional challenge) offers no room for error, then human play of the game and TAS play of the game are going to look strikingly similar, unless a gamebreaking glitch is found.
VVVVVV also wasn't helped by the couch commentary basically saying, "Yeah, there's nothing novel here, this is all what the RTA does." I wonder if a more enthusiastic commentator would have helped things, but it doesn't change the underlying fact that the 20 trinkets no death gameplay is going to look very similar, maybe with less precise movements from the RTA.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
The cutscene actually starts when you enter the door,
Oh, neat. I apologize in advance for when I ask the same question in the next submission.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
Loved the run, as always.
A question: when you're entering Sigma's room, you take the door on the right - is there a particular reason for this? It would seem that taking the door on the left would mean less walking.
A joke criticism: You are terrible at minecarts. Do you even know how minecarts work? The spikes are on the sides so that you don't stand there, and yet, ... ugh. And those jumps. Right into a bird in one case, short-hopping it in another... This is why we have tools, friend.
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
I am still the wizard that did it.
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." -- Satoru Iwata
<scrimpy> at least I now know where every map, energy and save room in this game is
(click to go to imgur and enlarge)
I've drawn the actual numbers over the health and mana bars, and for each of the eight potential enemies on the screen (E8 through E1), I am tracking their health and their three internal phase values, which correspond to behaviours. I am also tracking my X coordinate and subpixel, my Y coordinate (we don't have Y subpixels), my speed, my invincibility frames, my ointment counter, and lastly the RNG value. Below that, in faded colours, are the values from last frame. This ensures that I maintain the highest possible speed (384) whenever possible, lets me know immediately when RNG changes, and lets me ensure that I moved last frame, which is really useful when the main character is not yet drawn, or when moving after attacking. I also have hitboxes for the enemies, which makes them easier to hit or avoid than guessing. Furthermore, it means not tracking 47 (plus hitboxes, which are calculated) values in RAM Watch. Drawing all of this information on the screen doesn't slow my game down at all when re-watching at 100% speed, or even when fast forwarding.