Posts for JXQ


JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
It only gains time when used at the end of a spiked area. Had I not been able to avoid all the spikes on the last run, I would have taken a hit then, but I didn't need to. Taking a hit in the middle ends up being slower (in this case, slow enough that I would have had to pause an extra spike oscillation).
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
GM2 page wrote:
Hexedit-friendly The GMV format is relatively hexedit-friendly, although GM2 should store a button press as a 1-bit instead of a 0. However, the format may be hedexit-unfriendly as long as there is a portable editor or GM2<->text convertor available. Alternately, the ability to directly load and save an ascii verion of GM2 would also fulfil this requirement. Compression Button-press recordings compress very well, but GMV does not allow for compression. GM2 should allow movies to be optionally compressed for publication. This prevents the need for separate compression/decompression steps when submitting movies or viewing submitted movies.
These two goals conflict each other, to me. I am against compression. The reason is that it does not take long to compress a movie file before submitting it. It takes much longer to run a pre-compressed movie format through a converter a total of 2X number of hex-edits you want to try, which are usually more than one if you try any at all. Very annoying. (I'm looking at you, FCEU/Nesmock.) Otherwise this looks very nice.
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JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
sargon wrote:
Are you going to take another stab at this game as you give many ideas of improvement?
I will probably test the ideas of improvement some time, but not immediately. I would guess only the last three ideas work, and less than a second would be gained altogether if they do. If I come back to it at a later time, I'm hoping to come up with more ideas, so the list will be larger and I could improve it by a more substantial amount. And adelikat, I think Guybrush was working on a hack called Soon Crystal... :)
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
Well, that was fun! http://tasvideos.org/1122S.html
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
Alright, this is more like it. First four levels. Regarding the sword 3X damage strike: Each hit costs ~44 frames, regardless if taking the hit forwards or backwards. So to make up for the time of 2 hits + getting a sword, it will need to be at least 88 frames, plus the cost of getting a sword, which varies by level. The first bosses' life meter is not large enough to make this idea work even if there was no need to pause for a sword powerup. The second (barely) and third boss could help from the sword, but there is no sword close enough to the main path to be worth it. The fourth boss ended up saving 44 frames due to a fast sword and the nature of the second half of the fight. I'm 267 frames ahead of myself when I was 158 frames ahead of my original self. Equals 425. Woot. NrgSpoon, thank you for letting me know about this strategy.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
Good to know Nrg, thanks. Although I don't think the first four levels could benefit from it. Redone up through level 4. The memory position 061F is the key to the strange boss vulnerability. After hitting a boss, it turns from 00 to 01. Usually it immediately reverts back to 00, but sometimes it stays 01, meaning the next hit is useless. I'm going to try to figure this out, or at least use it as an aid in the boss fights, because the boss fights are not as lucky as the previous WIP.
		          old	  new	  diff
level 3 start	8285	 8052	 233
level 3 boss	 12526	12275	251
level 4 start	13464	13261	203
level 4 boss	 16420	16206	214
level 5 start	17142	16984	158
Edit: @ moozooh, you can't go through the masts on the ship, you have to go over them instead. Edit squared: I have figured out the reason for the missed hits. The counter will reset to zero upon the completion of the sword-stabbing animation. Certain things can cancel this animation early - double jumping during a jump-strike, or swiping very low to the ground during a jump - and skip the reseting of this variable. Attacking again completed the animation and reset the variable. (The attack doesn't even have to "hit" the boss) This unfortunately will make boss battles a little less strategic, but a lot less frustrating. I also found a lag-flag (I think) in memory: 01EF. So I'll be starting over now. Hopefully I can still finish this tonight...but I'm not sure now.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
Post subject: Moon Crystal (J)
JXQ
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Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
Alright. I have nothing to do today, and I mean nothing. Quite a change from the last couple months. Here's my WIP up to the end of Level 4. I discovered that you can die after the boss's explosion disappears to enter the cinema a few seconds earlier, so I have to redo things from Level 2's boss (a boss that also has a cliff). I'm going to attempt to hex in Level 3 and 4...we'll see how that works. You'll notice "missed" hits on some bosses. It's very strange, but sometimes bosses require an extra hit that doesn't affect their energy before they are vulnerable again. I haven't fully figured this out yet, but I'm trying to manipulate it to my advantage. I think I can do Level 2's boss faster, but the other three bosses are pretty well optimized. On Level 3, I was trying to use the jump boots to avoid all the boss's attacks, but only half the hits would register, so it was much slower. It is faster in every level so far to grab the jump boots (although just barely in Level 2). Comments?
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
My first attempt at a TAS was Smash TV, but not the one published here. It was a 1-player, not turbo, very boring (and often desyncing) TAS. I quit after three rooms. But it makes me happy to read what DK64_Master wrote :)
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
FCEU, SNES9x, GENs and VBA all have this "bulletproof" feature in their latest versions.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
Check the download section of the site, although there are sometimes broken links.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
But when they see me rolling, they're hating, patroling, and trying to catch me riding dirty.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
The game is pretty colorful, and the music is ok. This is good. Parts looked improvable but I'm guessing they aren't. Most notably were areas that it seemed you could take more time running to full speed before jumping on the 2nd-to-last level. Unfortunately, the bosses are boring and much of the play is slow just because of the game, and this is enough to sway me away from yes vote. I give this a meh.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
I love watching runs of this game. Yes.
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JXQ
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Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
Hooray, the run is accepted! It was submitted on 7/18/05, so it would be neat to have it published on 7/18/06... Just a suggestion :)
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
Too bad the Rambi trick didn't work on Castle Crush, but 93 seconds is a crazy improvement! And at least you'll be able to use the up-zipping in other levels with that backwards trick. This is officially on my list of "can't wait to see". Good luck Arne!
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JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
SmashManiac wrote:
Somebody told me pnce that we was able to press left and right in one frame and that it does do a left+right. But I've never been able to do that.
If that could be verified, it would quiet a lot of arguments around here. It sounds logical to me, but I don't know how electronic circuits inside controllers work. Do they only check for presses once every 1/60th of a second, or do they collect information constantly, turning on flags of any button pressed during that time?
SmashManiac wrote:
And if you remember, Bisqwit didn't even wanted to publish his speedwalk in the first place, but did so when he realized that, whatever the reason, many people liked it and have voted YES for publishing.
I remember it was never submitted, just published, because it was an April Fools joke. To answer your question about the chances of this run being published...I would ask how many versions of Zelda does the audience demand? I think the two we have are plenty, and some argue that a 100% run would also be a nice addition. So I think the chances are slim.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
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Posts: 3132
Yes, and Guybrush made some interesting/hilarious pictures in MSPaint while I was away regarding un-said activities. +Nudge.
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JXQ
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Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
Fabian wrote:
Insert joke about fat (and silly!) americans here.
I gained five pounds on the honeymoon. It was a cruise and all there is to do is eat. Frownsnake. Seriously I need to move.
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JXQ
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Owned with a capital P. I agree that the shortcuts you took were very nice. Yes vote!
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JXQ
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1) I'm pretty sure the flights ascend at the same speed, although I don't remember VIPer's run enough to answer the other questions. 2) I use the 8/5 trick there, so I'm sometimes pressing forward and sometimes not. I do this because I have to drop the P-switch at a speed slower than I am traveling in order to land on it. Mario also can't make that last jump without grabbing the fence, and it's one frame faster to 8/5 that middle part than it is to hop-glitch and run back to speed.
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JXQ
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How about some Miracle Whip?
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
Hot dogs! Baseball! Cowboys! I hate this damn place.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
Fabian wrote:
15 is the legal age in Sweden. I'm not too sure this helps my case though.
Wow, and we use Fahrenheit? I need to move.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
After watching Saturn's preview, I think this will make a more interesting TAS than I originally thought. If nothing else, I'm interested to see the weapon management, especially when purple doors rear their ugly heads. But I hope that the RBO run is completed first :)
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
JXQ
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
This is looking good! I never would have thought so little time would be sacrificed to get the extra rings. I especially liked Marble Zone 1. Good luck in stomping my times in the remaining levels! Edit: Since you are going for absolute time over game time, you may want to finish Star Light 3 in 45 seconds instead of a high 44, unless you can gain enough frames to make it worth it.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)