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I do think the moon issue causes a bit of an overcategorization.
Certain publications are "improvements to popular runs", certain publications are "innovative new concepts", and certain publications are "the first run on a new console." I think it may be important to point out all of the aforementioned at the time, but to determine retroactively how the submission fit seems silly.
If a site page documenting "First run to W,X,Y, and Z" is wanted, why not make it. I tend to agree with the notion that moons should be temporary, but then this would require us to go back and remove them or something. It's all rather arbitrary business.
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NrgSpoon wrote:
On peaches_ latest speedrun attempt, he found himself missing a lot against Shilf and Guilty. After that he tested what affects your shots missing, and it turns out your own agility matters, not just the opponent's.
We need someone to test if the Agi+ from the Evade spell affects hit%, or if it's just dodge%. Dumping the 7 points into wind after Nepty might actually be worth it if it means hitting more often on the harder bosses without needing to Agi grind.
Using Evade goes like this: Magic Barrier, Evade, Magic Barrier, Avalanche, Magic Barrier, Evade, Magic Barrier, Avalanche, Magic Barrier. Essentially you cast half as many avalanches, and if one of your magic barriers fails you cast 0 avalanches. Also, don't forget to add in the fact that Guilty's close range attack destroys all your stat boosts if magic barrier isn't up. Evade does seem to increase hit%, but I can't see it being worthwhile.
I don't like drain magic, but Peaches does. My numbers below try to reflect the 40 water for drain magic a bit.
In Battle Speed: 0096763C
In Battle Elements: 0096763E
In Battle Attack: 00967640 (always starts at 16)
In Battle Defense: 00967642
Power Staff Lv1: (Self Attack 16 -> 24) (1.5x)
Power Staff Lv2: (Self Attack 16 -> 32) (2.0x)
Evade Lv1: Double Self Speed
Evade Lv2: Quadruple Self Speed
Spirit Armor Lv1: Add 50% to Self Defense
Spirit Armor Lv2: Double Self Defense
Weaken Lv1: Reduce Enemy Defense by (20-25%?)
Weaken Lv2: Half Enemy Defense
I collected some data on Solvering, I'll probably move this to a new post later. 59 HP, 9 Defense, and 14 water should be enough to go in with water pillar for non-TAS. I cannot guarantee these ranges are 100% accurate, but they are close. The damage ranges can skew. In the case of Wind Cutter 3 level 12 and 13, level 13 will hit more 4's than level 12, but at the same time the fact that it is seemingly unable to deal 5 damage at all makes the jump to level 14 much better.
I honestly at this point think that 50 earth and some items is enough to beat this game Tool-Assisted. 24 earth by Zelse should be optimal. Glencoe forest is probably unnecessary. Fight Solvering at something like 15+ earth with a few MP regen items. It just seems wasteful to put points in anything else. Gathering 11 elements to put into wind surely takes longer than the amount of time wasted at Solvering. (This would probably mean Glencoe Forest later plus some less than preferable spirits.)
More to come.
SOLVERING (200 HP, 15 Def, 6 Atk, 17 Agi)
Proposed Non-TAS: 61 HP, 9 Def, 14+ Water, 8 Agi, Giant's Shoes, 3-4 Bread, 1 Mint Leaf
SOLVERING'S ATTACKS
Defense, HP, Distance, Near, Worst Case, Average Case, Best Case
6, 54, 12-15, 19-23, 2, 2, 2
7, 56, 11-14, 17-21, 2, 2, 3
8, 57, 10-13, 16-20, 2, 3, 3
9, 59, 10-13, 15-18, 3, 3, 3
10, 61, 9-12, 14-17, 3, 3, 4
11, 63, 8-10, 13-16, 3, 4, 4
WATER PILLAR (1 MP)
Level, Damage, Most Hits Req, Average Hits, Least Hits
12, 14-17, 15, 13, 12
13, 15-18, 14, 13, 12
14, 17-21, 12, 11, 10
15, 18-22, 12, 10, 10
16, 20-24, 10, 10, 09
17, 22-26, 10, 08, 08
18, 23-27, 09, 08, 08
19, 25-31, 08, 08, 07
ICE KNIFE (3 MP)
Level, Damage, Most Hits Req, Average Hits, Least Hits
17, 12-15, 17, 15, 14
18, 12-15, 17, 15, 14
19, 14-17, 15, 13, 12
WIND CUTTER 3 (3 MP) (6 cutters, divide total hits by how many will connect)
Level, Damage Each, Most Hits Req, Average Hits, Least Hits
12, 3-4, 67, 58, 50
13, 3-4, 67, 58, 50
14, 4-6, 50, 40, 34
15, 4-6, 50, 40, 34
16, 5-7, 40, 34, 29
LARGE CUTTER (3 MP)
Level, Damage Each, Most Hits Req, Average Hits, Least Hits
13, 21-25, 10, 09, 08
14, 24-28, 09, 08, 08
15, 26-31, 08, 08, 07
ROCK 1 (1 MP)
Level, Damage Each, Most Hits Req, Average Hits, Least Hits
12, 5-7, 40, 34, 29
13, 5-7, 40, 34, 29
14, 6-8, 34, 29, 25
15, 7-9, 29, 25, 23
16, 7-9, 29, 25, 23
17, 8-10, 25, 23, 20
18, 9-12, 23, 20, 17
19, 10-13,20, 19, 16
FIRE BALL LV3 (3 MP) (3 Fireballs, divide total hits by how many will connect)
Level, Damage Each, Most Hits Req, Average Hits, Least Hits
16, 8-10, 25, 23, 20
17, 9-12, 23, 20, 17
18, 11-14, 19, 16, 15
19, 11-14, 19, 16, 15
-----------------------------
ZELSE (680 HP, 30 Def, 22 Atk, 60 Agi)
Proposed Non-TAS: 81 HP, 16 Def, 25 Water, 24 Earth, 18 Agi
(38 spirits by Zelse, need 9 levels = 875 exp aside from Solvering)
Defense, HP, Distance (x5), Mid, Near
15, 79, 4-6, 43-48, 35-40
16, 81, 4-6, 42-47, 34-39
17, 83, 3-4, 40-46, 33-38
18, 84, 3-4, 39-45, 32-37
19, 86, 3-4, 38-44, 31-36
20, 87, 3-4, 37-43, 30-35
(Split: 25 Water, 24 Earth)
AVALANCHE: 66-74 per rock (4 rocks hitting per cast confirmed possible.) Average 10 rocks.
ROCK 1: 42-51
MAGNET ROCK: 33-38
WATER PILLAR 1: 43-49
(36 Earth, 13 Water)
AVALANCHE: 102-112 per rock (4 rocks hitting per cast confirmed possible.) Average 7 rocks.
(35 Water, 14 Earth)
WATER PILLAR 1: 62-69
(35 Fire, 14 Earth)
FIRE BALL LV3 (3 Fireballs): 28-33 ea
(35 Wind, 14 Earth)
WIND CUTTER LV3 (6 cutters): 6-8 ea
LARGE CUTTER: 34-39
-----------------
NEPTY (880 HP, 65 Def, 24 Atk, 80 Ag)
(63 spirits by Nepty, 35 spent on magic barrier, leaving 28)
Proposed: 97 HP, 20 Def, 25 Water, 40+ Earth, 18 Agi
Defense, HP, Distance (x3), Near
19, 96, 17-21, 43-49
20, 97, 16-20, 42-48
21, 99, 16-20, 41-47
22, 100, 16-20, 40-46
23, 102, 15-18, 39-45
24, 103, 15-18, 39-45
25, 105, 15-18, 38-44
AVALANCHE: (4 rocks per cast confirmed possible.)
Elements, Per Rock, Best, Average, Worst
(36 Earth, 25 Water): 69-77, 12, 13, 13
(37 Earth, 25 Water): 72-80, 11, 12, 13
(38 Earth, 25 Water): 76-84, 11, 11, 12
(39 Earth, 25 Water): 80-88, 10, 11, 11
(40 Earth, 25 Water): 84-93, 10, 10, 11
(41 Earth, 25 Water): 88-97, 10, 10, 10
(42 Earth, 25 Water): 92-101, 9, 10, 10
(43 Earth, 25 Water): 96-105, 9, 9, 10
(44 Earth, 25 Water): 100-110, 8, 9, 9
(45 Earth, 25 Water): 105-115, 8, 8, 9
(46 Earth, 25 Water): 110-120, 8, 8, 8
(47 Earth, 25 Water): 114-124, 8, 8, 8
(48 Earth, 25 Water): 120-130, 7, 8, 8
(49 Earth, 25 Water): 125-136, 7, 7, 8
(50 Earth, 25 Water): 130-141, 7, 7, 7
--------------
SHILF (1000 HP, 77 Def, 27 Atk, 90 Agi)
Proposed: 115 HP, 22 Def, 25 Water, 40+ Earth, 21 Agi
Defense, HP, Distance (x5), Near
20, 112, 10-13, 52-59
21, 114, 10-13, 51-58
22, 115, 9-12, 50-57
23, 117, 9-12, 49-56
24, 118, 9-12, 48-54
25, 120, 9-12, 47-53
AVALANCHE: (5 rocks per cast confirmed possible.)
Elements, Per Rock, Best, Average, Worst
(50 Earth, 50 Water): 190-203
(50 Earth, 50 Fire): 190-203
(50 Earth, 26 Water, 25 Fire): 190-203
(50 Earth, 50 Wind): 172-183, (Wind is opposite synergy of Earth)
(40 Earth, 40 Water): 115-125, 8, 9, 9
(45 Earth, 25 Water): 121-132, 8, 8, 9
(46 Earth, 25 Water): 126-137, 8, 8, 8
(47 Earth, 25 Water): 132-143, 7, 8, 8
(48 Earth, 25 Water): 138-149, 7, 7, 8
(49 Earth, 25 Water): 145-156, 7, 7, 7
(50 Earth, 25 Water): 150-162, 7, 7, 7
(50 Earth, 30 Water): 155-167, 6, 7, 7
(50 Earth, 35 Water): 165-177, 6, 6, 7
(50 Earth, 50 Water): 190-203, 6, 5, 5
---------------------
FARGO: - (1500 HP, 88 Def, 32 Atk, 100 Agi)
Proposed: X Water, Y Earth, 24 Agi
Defense, HP, Distance, Near
22, 135, 37-43, 51-58
23, 137, 37-43, 50-57
24, 138, 36-42, 49-56
25, 140, 35-40, 48-54
26, 141, 35-40, 48-54
27, 142, 34-39, 47-53
28, 144, 34-39, 46-52
29, 145, 33-38, 45-51
30, 147, 33-38, 44-50
31, 148, 32-37, 44-50
32, 149, 32-37, 43-49
AVALANCHE: (5 rocks per cast confirmed possible.)
Elements, Per Rock, Best, Average, Worst
(50 Earth, 50 Water): 143-154, 10, 11, 11
(50 Earth, 50 Fire): 143-154
(50 Earth, 50 Wind): 129-140 (Wind is opposite synergy of Earth)
WATER PILLAR 1:
(50 Water, 50 Earth): 142-153, 10, 11, 11
-----------------------
GUILTY: (1800 HP, 88 Def, 34 Atk, 120 Agi)
Proposed: 170 HP, 32 Defense, X Water, Y Earth, 25 Agi
Defense, HP, Distance, Near
25, 160, 43-49, 86-95
26, 161, 42-48, 85-94
27, 162, 41-47, 83-92
28, 164, 41-47, 82-91 (Will die in two hits)
29, 165, 40-46, 80-88 (Can take +4 = Die 66/81 times = 81.5%, Danger Always)
29, 166, 40-46, 80-88 (Can take +5 = Die 60/81 times = 74.1%, Danger Always)
30, 167, 39-45, 79-87 (Can take +8 = Die 36/81 times = 44.4%, Danger 8/9 times)
31, 168, 39-45, 78-86 (Can take +11 = Die 15/81 times = 18.5%, Danger 5/9 times)
32, 169, 38-44, 77-85 (Can take +14 = Die 3/81 times = 3.7%, Danger 2/9 times)
32, 170, 38-44, 77-85 (Can take +15 = Die 1/81 times = 1.2%, Danger 1/9 times)
33, 171, 38-44, 76-84 (Can take two hits)
AVALANCHE: (6 rocks per cast confirmed possible.)
Elements, Per Rock, Best, Average, Worst
(50 Earth, 50 Water): 71-79
(50 Earth, 50 Fire): 71-79
(50 Earth, 50 Wind): 64-72 (Wind is opposite synergy of Earth)
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 8 Wind): 74-82
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 8 Fire): 76-84
(50 Earth, 30 Water, 1 Fire): 57-64, 29, 30, 32
(50 Earth, 35 Water, 1 Fire): 62-69, 27, 28, 30
(50 Earth, 40 Water, 1 Fire): 65-73, 25, 27, 28
(50 Earth, 45 Water, 1 Fire): 67-75, 24, 26, 27
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 1 Fire): 71-79, 23, 24, 26
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 8 Fire): 76-84, 22, 23, 24
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 50 Fire): 104-114, 16, 17, 18
(Staff and Water Pillar 1 are worth considering for reliable hits)
Magic Barrier failed 9/100 times with 5 Agility, 50 Earth, 35 Water against Guilty
Magic Barrier failed 8/100 times with 25 Agility, 50 Earth, 35 Water against Guilty
Magic Barrier failed 7/100 times with 255 Agility, 50 Earth, 35 Water against Guilty
Magic Barrier failed 8/100 times with 25 Agility, 36 Earth, 1 Water against Guilty
Magic Barrier failed 8/100 times with Base Stats, 50 of each element against Solvering
8% seems to be roughly the failure rate all of the time. It may be 20/256.
At 25 Agility, 68 rocks connected in 60 avalanche casts or about 1.13 rocks per cast.
1 Dew Drop = 1 Avalanche, 2 Magic Barrier, +1 MP (If a magic barrier fails it is near worthless)
1 Mint Leaf = 3 Avalanche, 4 Magic Barrier, -1 MP
--------------------
BEIGIS (1900 HP, 100 Def, 36 Atk, 140 Agi)
Proposed: (Whatever beats Guilty)
Beigis will constantly use his close range attack at a range that is good for avalanche anyway if you let him.
A failed magic barrier in the first couple turns could be dangerous though.
Defense, HP, Distance, Near
23, 182, 99-108, 82-91
24, 183, 97-106, 81-90 (Can take 2 near)
25, 185, 96-105, 80-88
26, 186, 94-103, 78-86
27, 187, 93-102, 77-85 (Can take 1 near, 1 far)
28, 189, 91-100, 76-84
29, 190, 90-99, 75-83
30, 192, 88-97, 74-82
31, 193, 87-96, 73-81 (Can take 2 far)
32, 194, 86-95, 72-80
33, 196, 85-94, 70-78
AVALANCHE: (5 rocks per cast confirmed possible.)
Elements, Per Rock, Best, Average, Worst
(50 Earth, 30 Water, 1 Fire): 108-118, 17, 17, 18
(50 Earth, 35 Water, 1 Fire): 116-126, 16, 16, 17
(50 Earth, 40 Water, 1 Fire): 124-135, 15, 15, 16
(50 Earth, 45 Water, 1 Fire): 127-138, 14, 15, 15
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 1 Fire): 135-146, 14, 14, 15
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 10 Fire): 147-158, 13, 13, 13
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 50 Fire): 200-212, 9, 10, 10
WATER PILLAR 1
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 1 Fire): 137-148, 13, 14, 14 (Lots of misses)
25 Agi At Beigis slash range 56 rocks in 60 avalanches or 0.93 per cast
-------------------
MAMMON (2300 HP, 100 Def, 41 Atk, 150 Agi)
Defense, HP, Missiles (x8), Flame Wall, Ball
23, 207, 10-13, 102-112, 68-76
24, 208, 10-13, 100-110, 67-75
25, 210, 9-12, 99-108, 66-74
26, 211, 9-12, 97-106, 65-73
27, 212, 9-12, 96-105, 64-72 (Will survive 2 hits)
28, 214, 9-12, 95-104, 63-70
29, 215, 9-12, 93-102, 62-69
30, 217, 9-12, 92-101, 61-68
31, 218, 9-12, 91-100, 60-67
32, 219, 8-10, 89-98, 60-67
33, 221, 8-10, 88-97, 59-66 (Small chance you could guaranteed survive a third hit)
AVALANCHE: (5+ rocks per cast confirmed possible.)
Elements, Per Rock, Best, Average, Worst
(2.5 rocks on average per cast is a fair estimate)
(50 Earth, 30 Water, 1 Fire): 54-61, 38, 40, 43
(50 Earth, 35 Water, 1 Fire): 58-65, 36, 38, 40
(50 Earth, 40 Water, 1 Fire): 61-68, 34, 36, 38
(50 Earth, 45 Water, 1 Fire): 63-70, 33, 35, 37
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 1 Fire): 67-75, 31, 33, 35
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 10 Fire): 73-81, 29, 30, 32
(50 Earth, 50 Water, 50 Fire): 99-108, 22, 23, 24
-------------------
BLOOD JELLS (20 Atk)
Getting hit by 200 projectiles from blood jells (No Healing, 15 Agi, Hacked HP): ~190 Seconds
30 fps in Mupen for Quest 64
(Frames not exact)
A/Z to blood jell = 23 frames
Healing to blood jell = 58 frames
= casting heal in battle costs 35 frames = 1.2 seconds. Probably 1.5 seconds per cast non-TAS.
Chaining heals costs ~40 frames outside of battle = 1.3 seconds. Probably 1.5 seconds per cast non-TAS.
Defense, Attack (x5)
0*, 6-8
1-4*, 5-7
5-10, 4-6
11-20, 3-4
21-40, 2-3
41-100, 1-2
100+, 1
------------
FROG KNIGHT (5 Atk)
Defense, Attack (x3)
0*, 4-6
1*, 3-4
2-5*, 2-3
6-15, 1-2
16+, 1
------------
MARIONASTY (6 Atk)
Marionastys have a sweetspot you can stand at and take 3 hits every time without them walking towards you.
Frog Knights will walk towards you at this same range, which makes them bad for this application.
Getting hit by 100 projectiles from Marionasty: ~125 Seconds
3x always if you stand in a good spot (No Healing, 7 Agi, Hacked HP):
Defense, Attack (x3)
0*, 4-6
1-2*, 3-4
3-6*, 2-3
7-18, 1-2
19+, 1
------------
WERE HARE (3 Atk)
Defense, Attack (x1)
0* 3-4
1* 2-3
2-6*, 1-2
7+, 1
--------------
EDIT: Healing also has to do with total HP or something, I'll look into it later.
Healing: (Only Water Level Matters)
Water Level, Lv1, Lv2
7, 4
8-9, 5
10-11, 6
12-13, 7
14-15, 8-9
16-17, 9-10
18-19, 10-11
20-21, 11-12
22-23, 12-14
24, 13-15, 16-19
25, 13-15, 16-19
26-27, 14-16, 17-20
28-29, 15-17, 18-21
30-31, 16-19, 19-22
32-33, 17-20, 20-24
34-35, 18-21, 21-25
36-37, 19-22, 22-26
38-39, 20-24, 23-27
40-41, 21-25, 24-29
42-43, 22-26, 25-30
44-45, 23-27, 26-31
46-47, 24-29, 27-32
48-49, 25-30, 28-34
50, 26-31, 29-35
--------------
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Here is my working document complete with all spirits, and I think all the chests. I also wrote directions to follow for non-TAS. The spirit counts before the early bosses assume no encounters. If I missed any chests please let me know. (The FAQs aren't terribly reliable.)
http://pastebin.com/gwgXYGrh
In general, only grab items that are needed. Giant's Shoes are probably only usable at Solvering, Silent Flutes are worthless, Silver Amulets and Celine's Bells are worthless. Use Mint Leaves before Larapool and grab a free one in the inn. Replicas on the path may be useful for running from the enemy 'Rocky' in Boil Hole non-TAS. Any spirit costing ~45 seconds or more after Fargo is definitely not worth it.
I think I found out why encounters are so strange.
00977FFA (unsigned short)
This value increments each time you walk 50 units. It also increments when the encounter values (7FF4 and 7FF6) rollover. It seems when this number gets larger, your probability of getting an encounter on the next rollover gets higher. So I think this number sort of represents "Probability of encounter on next rollover." This number refreshes any time you enter a battle, or enter a new loading zone.
Donamer's attempts to dodge enemies, as it would have rolled to:
Plains: 1200, 650, 800, 1050, 1050, 550, 200 (Intentional?)
Connor Forest: 1100, 1950, (1450 no encounters), (Intentional at 250)
Plains: (1400 no encounters)
Connor Forest (1200 no encounters)
Dondoran Flats: 1200, 1150, (1700 no encounters)
Glencoe Forest: 1250, 1550, 1600, 1550 (1550 no encounters)
Dondoran Flats: 1150, 800, 1400, (1100 no encounters)
It seems getting over 2000 is very difficult. I'm trying to figure out how to see if certain corners of the map have no encounters or not. I tried searching for a byte that is "in a no encounter zone vs in an encounter zone", it doesn't seem to exist.
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- What element will be used to kill Solvaring?
Water and Earth seem to be the most profitable in the long run. Wind and Fire happen to be the best against solvering though, which sucks.
- Do we go to Glencoe Forest? I think it is be required for fast Zelse and Nepty battles, there are just too much spirits in there.
In a TAS, avalanche can 2 shot Zelse and 3 shot Nepty if earth is high enough. It's a lot of time, we would have to measure a fair gain somewhere for it to be worthwhile.
- Would using the Blue Wings really be faster? The way from the forest to the town isn't that long.
It depends whether you get exit or not I think.
- Theres that spirit, number 51 in the gamefaqs guide. It's somewehre on the ship, but I don't remember it exactly. Can this be collected on the first trip to West Carmagh?
GameFAQs: "Now, before you get off in Limelin, there's another weird spirit element here. I'm not convinced it's not a glitch. However, to get this element, get on the boat at West Carmagh and go below. Come back up and see you're at Limelin. Get off the boat, get back on and go below again. Now look in the crate to the right of the door and there's a... SPIRIT ELEMENT? No, it wasn't there before and no, I don't get it either. Anyway, travel back to Limelin again and get off the boat." --You have to ride the boat in a full cycle to get back to Limelin. It's dumb, but it doesn't cost a terrible amount of time compared to some other spirits.
- Will we go to Limelin? If we do, getting the Red Wings should save time.
Hard to tell right now. I am aware of the potential of the wings. I really don't see any reason to do anything but get magic barrier, avalanche, and a few MP regen items. Dealing with random battles is a huge factor too though. I have a couple theories on this that I will look into in the coming days. Instant casting during the battle intro is a good start.
- We need someone to test if the Agi+ from the Evade spell affects hit%, or if it's just dodge%
I can maybe look into that. The thing is that Agi+ costs a turn, and avalanche is already random enough. I can't see any gain being worth the loss of a turn and the investment into wind.
--
I have a working document going for non-TAS, presumably the things necessary in a TAS are almost entirely a subset of the things needed for TAS for this game. I'll post that when I get it semi-finalized. I was going to time out many of the spirits eventually, too.
Side Note: Guilty is extremely powerful.
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It's worth noting that with a reasonable amount of points in Earth, it is possible to kill Zelse with 2 avalanches and kill Nepty with 3. I think most of the run planning required is in the early portion of the game (up to Zelse), and planning which spirits and items to grab. Avalanche is leagues beyond any other spell in the game.
Overworld strategies:
1: It is possible to take two turns at the start of the fight if you were going to go first. Open the menu just before the battle starts and cast quickly from where you're standing. On this note, it is possible to cast escape during the battle entry cutscene to end the battle in about 2 seconds.
2: (If we decide to get the escape spell) Go to Larapool before Cull Hazard and get wings. After Zelse, cast exit and then in Normoon use the wings to Larapool.
3: Go to the inn just after entering West Carmagh and die right after beating Nepty. This saves a ton of time.
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Enemy item drops are already documented here for the most part, please don't waste your time: http://www.gamefaqs.com/n64/198386-quest-64/faqs/3288
A couple tricks were found today: Chaining multiple heals together is much faster than healing, running, and healing. After you are entirely done healing and ready to run again, make Brian search with A and he will cancel the animation and start running about 0.2 seconds sooner.
These values below have some mysterious connection to enemy encounters.
NO ENCOUNTERS HACK:
00977FF4 (unsigned short)
00977FF6 (unsigned short)
Lock: Lock type Exact: Check Locked, Value = 0 for both addresses
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I added some more data to the previous post. I'll probably continue editing that post with further information for the coming days.
I made a fairly good savestate collection (The Shilf savestate sucks, sorry, and the Guilty one is inside the battle, which is bad for staff attack power as stated previously.)
http://www.mediafire.com/?dr33v4bg279sfsb
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The author's creativity throughout the run enhanced the quality of the run greatly beyond just fast play. This is what separates a great TAS from just a good one. Great job, Diggidoyo, on an awesome first submission and a site landmark for the first submitted Wii TAS.
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andypanther: Was your method of skipping battles able to get rid of ALL random encounters for the whole game with some manipulation? (or were you still forced to get in a battle, just less often?)
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The time ends on the final input necessary to get the credits roll. If input isn't required to get to the ending you can let the game scroll it slowly automatically. That's the general case, I don't know how this game ends exactly.
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The stigma regarding nuclear power actually stagnates the industry. I think it is the case that you can't build a new plant because people will protest, so the older less safe plants continue to be operational. Also, the extreme limitation on the plants likely hinders research and development of safer plants.
Side Note: I recall reading an article about how living within a mile or two of a wind farm seems to have a tendency to induce headaches and sleep problems in the population nearby. Could just be speculation though.
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Have you tried hex editing the input file to see if the result synchronizes? If you can confirm this is possible you can probably go back and hex edit in a pause and use the W tank after the input for that section has already been completed.
Why is it preferable to use a W tank over getting large refills? Going to the menu is time expensive.
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Unfortunately there is nothing particularly notable when watching this game. As far as I can tell, you are just optimizing boosts, moving to the right, and avoiding enemies.
My first thought was to compare it with this rejected submission: http://tasvideos.org/2571S.html I have not watched the runs Lex posted for comparison though.
My vote on this is Meh leaning towards No. I think the site has a precedent of rejecting submissions with no particularly notable TAS qualities, but some have slipped through in the past. This is the case where we question whether every game should have a run.
Is there much worth watching for an average viewer? No not particularly. Is there much worth watching for someone who has played the game? Maybe to a small extent.
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Banjo-Tooie in (4:54:13) - Emulation Problems
Blast Corps in (0:28:17) - Emulation Problems
Bomberman 64 in (1:34) - 100% Test run on youtube by zvsp
Bomberman Hero in (0:49:29) - In progress by me.
Donkey Kong 64 in (0:54) - Emulation Problems
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards in (1:30:39) - Some groundbreaking work done
Mario Kart 64 in (0:20:41) - Eternally incomplete.
Pokémon Snap in (0:24:02) - Emulation Problems
Quest 64 in (2:47:52) - Some groundbreaking work done
Star Fox 64 in (0:25:16) - Eternally incomplete.
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire in (0:51:59) - Poor graphical emulation, still works I think?
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When you "Stop movie" the movie is saved. Make a backup of the file just in case.
When you go in "Read-only" mode you can make savestates wherever you want to record from. (Savestates previously made during "Write" mode are also valid. If you load a savestate that is during the movie while in "Write" mode, you can begin recording again from the point in that savestate. If you "Stop movie" again, whatever you just did is recorded and everything else is lost. Backups are very important when you are just getting started.
Please use a single thread for all of your "getting started" questions, multiple threads only clutters the forum.
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The "missed shots" are absolutely necessary to construct the spread gun into a beam to defeat things optimally. I only saw one or two stray shots being made that were not necessary to construct the beam, and they seemed like okay choices to me.
After watching this run, I then rewatched adelikat's run mostly to compare entertainment choices.
adelikat wrote:
Every jump costs one frame in this game (as opposed to Super C), and there is not much wait time either, so this game doesn't lend itself as well to 2 player interaction. That being said, I do feel it could be done better than this movie (as well as my movie).
I tend to agree with adelikat's assessment of the entertainment value. This run is very easily of the same quality of entertainment as the previous run. I was actually having trouble visually discerning differences between them to be honest. It's definitely solid on the entertainment portion, though probably with a bit of room for improvement.
The technical quality is probably very good, being that it beats the previous submission. I'd speculate that it is probably faster in all comparable portions, and that any time lost is due to universal timers and limiting game mechanics. It would take someone very knowledgeable on the game mechanics to confirm that, though.
Definite yes vote.
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I picked out just a few spots where I didn't like the camera choices.
1:26 - During an especially confusing BLJ, the camera flips almost 180 degrees, complete disorienting what is going on. (Most people probably have no clue what is going on here either way.)
2:35-2:44 - I somewhat disagree with the choice of camera angle here.
4:26 - I think this one is the worst offender. Seeing Mario clear the huge gap would be far more entertaining.
I was pretty neutral about the choices during the bowser fights; they chose to synchronize with the sound effects which I thought was an alright choice.
The camera is a bit hyperactive at times throughout the run, and there are a couple camera angles that stuck out as worse choices to me.
After contemplating this at various times throughout the week, I concluded that I personally don't find that entertainment choices to be detrimental enough to merit rejection. I decided to consider the three frame improvement and entertainment choices separately. I think this run is optimal enough that a 3 frame improvement is worth accepting, so I did not put any weight on that in considering the entertainment choices. The camera angles in the run are not easily modifiable, so requesting small changes is out of the question.
As they claim in the submission text, the authors put forth clear effort into doing what they perceived as entertaining. I think this case is worth considering separately from completely neglecting obvious entertainment opportunities. I do think it is important to consider entertainment as compared to the previous submission, but I find this submission to be reasonable enough to be accepted.
If we consider "three frames of improvement" and "entertainment" together or separately we might reach different conclusions. One may argue that some level of entertainment loss may not be worth trading for such small gain. I see it as a gain that should be accepted unless there is a significant (whatever that means) flaw in entertainment.
I ultimately decided to vote yes, though I do recognize the validity of some of the other arguments in this thread. I'd encourage the authors to try to sort through the garbage pile that is this thread and try to understand the viewers' underlying constructive criticisms for their next project.
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I personally think the goal of the site should be to feature the best movie to a general audience of 10,000+ instead of presenting something "different" to the 100 or so people who constantly follow the Mario 64 TASing scene. You're welcome to disagree.
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Zavalix wrote:
but the fact the movie IS faster is a heavier reason to vote Yes until someone else figures out another faster and more angle free way.
The movie's existence in itself demonstrates that it is possible to save 3 frames without any restrictions on camera angles. The camera angles are entirely "entertainment choices." It is NOT "changes camera angles to save 3 frames."
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feos wrote:
Does the 3-frame improvement necessarily affect the camera movements? Was it at all possible to get different angles holding the same speed
You can perform any set of movements at any camera angle as far as I know. The joystick positions are extremely dependent on the current state of the camera though, so redoing this is quite a time investment. If the camera is behind you, you might hold up and right, while if the camera is in front of you, you might hold down and left to traverse the map in the same fashion. 2 of the 3 frames saved in this submission are in spots where the camera was largely unchanged.
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3 frames - My two cents.
Saving 3 frames is good for TASing, and I'm happy that the authors are submitting their 3 frame improvement. How does one save a frame in a 3 dimensional game? X and Y positions in an N64 game are floating point variables. Any movement you make in the level will have lasting effects on your decimal position depending on the precise angle you move. This decimal position could vary by say 0.001 of a pixel. By optimizing angles and combinations of moves such that position values are perfect enough to clear the destination threshold one movement increment earlier, the frame is saved.
If I spend 24 hours just trying random angle improvements for a BLJ and happen to save a frame in the 0 star run, does this automatically make me better than the whole zero star team? No, I personally would still suck at TASing this game. The Japanese players are all phenomenal TASers, probably roughly equal (+/-) to the zero star team in skill, but it is completely arbitrary to say that the last person to find a small improvement is better than the previous person to find an improvement. The run was never "maxed", and it was overly boastful if anyone said this at any point in time. The 0 star team worked very hard to maximize the run to the best of their capability within reasonable time constraints. The run cannot be maxed if they do not spend near infinite time, so there was never a doubt that the run was at least a little bit suboptimal somewhere.
The Japanese players have been quite respectful about this. The (old) 0 star team has been a little irritable at times, but for a decent reason. Wouldn't you be a little irritated too if you spent an obscene amount of time improving a run, to be improved upon and told that someone is better than you? The corollary would be saying that you are worse than someone.
As soon as recognition is taken away, people will stop encouraging others to improve upon their work, and you the viewer don't get to see amazing runs.
This way of thinking is really just insulting to the author. Can't we just appreciate a good run for what it is? It is a contribution of various individuals over time to an entertaining product. That's what I'd like to continue seeing on the workbench.
