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NESAtlas
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Here is a new Deja Vu discovery. The Capsule Warp! Link to video You can MOVE or OPEN in a few different areas of the movement HUD. I was able to reach these areas, but there may be more: It seems to only work if you click on certain frames. In the video, I first open a mysterious door, then end up at the West End which is still in a glitch state. Then I move through that phantom door to go to the mansion where the glitch has been resolved and the game can be continued normally. Doing this does seem to overwrite your last collected item though. This glitch also works in the torture room too. There is probably more to uncover with this, but it definitely opens up new routes to try out! EDIT: I need to give proper credit to Emptyeye for initially pointing out that using capsules on an untaken medicine bottle starts the glitch state. I then found that using MOVE or OPEN will cause warps.
NESAtlas
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I have created an Atlas Encode for this TAS: Link to video I was able to make the video in just 3 days thanks to writing a Lua script which extracts map positioning based on addresses 0x0024 & 0x0025.
NESAtlas
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Lord Tom never ceases to amaze me! Obvious YES vote for not only improving this run by a huge amount, but also the ridiculously impressive "live atlas" encode!!!
NESAtlas
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Truncated wrote:
Are you working on any upcoming Atlas map encodes?
I have a feeling you will like the next video :) I am featuring this run of Castlevania: Bloodlines while putting in a lot of extra effort to retain most special effects! I am pretty excited about this one and will hopefully have it premiere in about a week from now. Here's a few screenshots:
NESAtlas
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That is really cool, thanks! I have been keeping track of atlas videos made by others with this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL22mOECceF92vfBFTBoVAKDxip1Wzr4T0 Not all of them feature a TAS, but I believe these may be relevant for the flag: Umihara Kawase (176M): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z9QRSCrj0I Pocket Bomberman (2329M): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcNaUIzc0js Super Mario World (577M): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_SNGA0ywRQ Super Mario Bros (1349M) - Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8u4SyclFNs Super Mario Bros (1349M) - Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eTXiWmfcZI
NESAtlas
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After truncating the empty space on the input file, I think this comes in at 51.44 51.47 seconds. For such a short game, it's nice to see new time saves being found and I always find it funny that going slower can make a run faster overall. It's one of those quirks about "seeded" games that is easy to overlook. I have watched ShesChardcore do RTA speedruns for years on Twitch and am looking forward to more submissions from this author!
NESAtlas
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Notch tweeted about this TAS :)
NESAtlas
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I'm guessing this will take me a few weeks, so feel free to reject for now!
Heisanevilgenius wrote:
How did you go right through that tree?
I'm guessing it's just an illusion as I don't press a single button on that stage until way after the tree passes on by.
NESAtlas
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Damn, the nitro boosts all in a row seems painfully obvious to me now *facepalm*, but I don't feel so bad about not figuring out to slow down before the finish line. Nevertheless, thanks for the tips everybody! I'll see if I can salvage the run after adding in these improvements though I'm not sure if destroying additional enemies is such a good idea as that would increase the amount of frames as my reserve tank is filled back up. Hopefully it won't take me too long to fix this, otherwise feel free to reject my submission as I don't want to clog up the forum with my crappy TAS's ;)
NESAtlas
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Scepheo wrote:
This looks good, and I have only one question: in level 29, why did you take the leftmost route (17 moves) instead of going down the middle (15 moves)?
Like goldenband mentions, it's pretty difficult to line up your orb at the correct angle to shift the ball down. But this is a TAS so you'd think even the hardest moves are still possible given enough time. Yet the case with the shorter path like you describe actually appears impossible when you reach a certain point. I'm on a train so I can't pull up an image of that level, but I think it was getting into the middle square two squares from the bottom that I completely hit a roadblock. The downward movement would just not work from that position no matter the angle or direction you setup. I don't even know how much time I spent on that one spot, but if someone pulls it off then I'd really like to know how it's done! EDIT: Here's the move I can't seem to accomplish for whatever reason:
NESAtlas
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I've since gone back to the beginning and further optimized each fight leading up to Town 3 Orb 2 by implementing those jump kicks and better death locations I mentioned earlier. I was able to save 2,278 frames, which is way more than I expected, but unfortunately changing any inputs affects the timing of later enemy movements. So I'll have to re-do the rest again, but that's probably a good thing considering I've already saved over half a minute with the first 3 towns. Here's a chart showing my progress:
NESAtlas
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Ferret Warlord wrote:
Anybody remember that one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that involved that bizarre video game involving getting these tuba like things to eat these discs? Remember how inexplicable the whole thing was? This game is giving me the same vibes as that episode? What the devil is this? What's going on? What are the rules? All I'm seeing are a couple of random balls floating around while things disappear, then suddenly, level over! I guess what I'm saying is I'd appreciate an explanation of how the heck the game is played.
The player can only move the paddles up & down to deflect the orb, or hit the A button to turn the orb mid-flight. So what you're actually doing is just using your ship to manipulate the objects on-screen. Also, each level has a different solution that you must complete before running out of gas which is slowly running out. While it's possible to refuel by pressing the B button to go to Vern's, it takes a lot of time and sometimes you even have to battle a spiky monster guy which I can only assume is a disgruntled gas station attendant. EDIT: I found the long-winded back story here:
You are an Explorer First Class, on assignment in a remote corner of the
universe. Space stations, Colonial Cruisers and whole solar systems have
mysteriously disappeared in this region. A nearby planet is buzzing with rumors
of an evil space wizard, Krohn. He controls an enormous Black hole which has
already begun to double in size.

Your ship, the Millennium Orb, is the only space craft capable of withstanding
the energy forces of Krohn's Black Hole. There are 30 Enigma Chambers
separating you from Krohn. Each chamber will test your wits, skill, cunning and
courage. You must keep the Millennium Orb in position by manipulating force
shields at the top and bottom of each chamber in Krohn's domain. You must keep
within the plane and deal with the dangers hurled at you by the malicious
wizard.

As you bounce off the force shields in each chamber, you will notice your Orb
travels on an orbital path around the center plane of each chamber. You can
alter this path by diving into and out of the center plane. You can also put
some "English" on your Orb by cleverly moving your force shields. Use these
techniques to hit the targets in each Enigma Chamber.

As you conquer each chamber, you encounter a staggering diversity of targets
and puzzles, the inventions of Krohn's twisted sense of humor. You find
yourself battling Eye Spy, Balloonacy, Roamin' Numerals and the Cheshire Cat,
not to mention other wily opponents. Remember, keep within the force shields,
conserve fuel and complete all the chambers. You MUST defeat Krohn.

Refuel at Vern's Orb-O-Rama when necessary. Vern and his service station/
restaurant are, like yourself, now trapped in the vacuum of the Black Hole.
Once at Vern's, navigate your Orb through as many fuel bays as possible to fuel
up. Note that Vern's has a strong gravitational pull - your force shields are
unnecessary here. Steer your Orb and dive from the front and rear of Vern's
Orb-O-Rama to fuel up.

Although his life depends on the success of your mission, Vern is still a
businessman, and prefers payments in credits. You gather these credits by
solving Enigma Chambers. If you're low on credits, you'll notice Vern's fuel
bays are closed when you arrive. You can obtain credit by hitting the "$" icon
on the right side of Vern's. You must pay for credit immediately with your next
1000 points. If you haven't paid for your fuel, the next time you go to Vern's
you'll be out of luck.

Other creatures may hamper your Orb's progress. In particular, be aware of
"Chasers". These space pirates save gas money by chasing down hard-working,
interstellar travelers like yourself and robbing their fuel tanks. Chasers can
also hit targets on the center plane... be careful, this may do you more harm
than good.

One last word of caution... Remember to navigate Krohn's corridors
courageously, conserve fuel and refuel wisely, battle the wizard's evil brood
and, finally, defeat Krohn. The fate of the entire Universe is in your hands.
Herbal Jazz sold separately.
NESAtlas
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franpa wrote:
I'm assuming they're playing on an actual NES and not emulation.
I'm pretty sure they are on an actual console as a few episodes earlier they had a visual glitch which made Dan contemplate resetting the console after saving just in case it got worse.
NESAtlas
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If you were to pick just one upgrade to get, would it be the spin kick? I'd like to limit an upgrade detour as much as possible. Also, it seems waiting until the later levels to collect scrolls would be fastest as they give out much more in one go than in the earlier levels, but of course there's the trade-off of using only basic attacks until that point. It seems like the most efficient route would be to save just one villager if it means I collect enough scrolls to get the upgrade I need. Some info from GameFAQs:
Town 1 (2scr)
=2 Thrust - punch and you will hit the enemy twice
=2 Kick - same with 2 Thrust but you kick instead
=High Jump - self-explanatory
=Wolf Move - speed up

Town 2 (6scr)
=3 Thrust - three fists-of-fury in one swift delivery
=Turn Kick - most versatile move in the game
=Wind Jump - jump and hold left/right to do a spin jump
=Tiger Move - more speed up
=Mirage Move - combine with Tiger Mv. for better effect

Town 3 (18scr)
=Mirage Walk - move while crouching
=Dragon Move - whoosh! last speed upgrade

Town 4 (50scr)
=Wind Kick - jump then kick furiously in mid-air to form a spin kick
=Mirage Thrust - punch while crouching

Town 5
=<no>

Town 6 (80scr)
=Jump Kick - hold left/right then kick to see this fantastic move

Town 7 (90scr)
=4 Thrust - most powerful move in the game

Town 8
=<no>
I've just finished watching a playthrough and this is what I've gathered in terms of collecting scrolls: I may just shoot for the turn kick in Town 3 and see how that works out for me. EDIT: I've since changed my mind and went for 12 scrolls in Town 4 in one go. I was then able to purchase: 2 Thrust (2 scrolls) Wolf Move (2 scrolls) 2 Kick -> Turn Kick (8 scrolls) I calculated this detour took 7971 additional frames compared to just skipping upgrades, but I already saved close to 2000 frames getting the first orb. So upgrading definitely seems like to route to take since the turn kick seems to do triple the damage, but I still haven't figured out which RAM addresses to watch unfortunately. Okay, back to the grind... EDIT 2: And now the game has been beaten after 127094 frames. I've learned a few things on how to get through this as fast as possible like setting up enemy placement near exits upon their death and jump kicking to save a few frames when possible. Now I just need to start back at the beginning and implement these ideas better in a few places. I'd consider this run maybe 80% optimized so I can probably save a thousand or so frames before I make it an official submission. Here's the movie file in case anybody is interested. And an encode on YouTube: Link to video
Post subject: Phantom Fighter
NESAtlas
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I've just reached the 4th town in this game in around 12 minutes by not collecting any scrolls needed for upgrades and just going straight for the orbs & boss. So far it's going pretty well and I even stumbled upon a missing sprite glitch that reduces the constant lagging for a few seconds, but I'm starting to think the extra few minutes needed to unlock additional moves may actually save time in the end. Whatever route I go, I'll keep this thread updated as I progress.
NESAtlas
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Link to video This is my first attempt at a TAS. Orb-3D is a puzzle game in the style of Pong where you must complete 30 levels of varying challenges. While the gameplay is very simple, determining the most efficient course to take can be time consuming. There's about 5 levels where I can see easy improvements with not that much work, but I'd first like to understand how certain elements are determined by RNG as seen on the bowling (getting a strike on the first hit), chess (layout), card match (layout), and a few other stages. Perhaps somebody may be able to help me find what causes this? The addresses I've already figured out are:
03FA:	Flipper Y Position
03EB:	Ship X Position
03E0:	Ship Y Position
03F3:	Ship Depth
03EF:	Ship Speed
03EC:	Clone X Position
03EE:	Clone Y Position
03F4:	Clone Depth
03F0:	Clone Speed
03D6:	Gas Counter
03FD:	Gas Level
046C:	Gas Level (Duplicate?)
04A0:	Speed again? (It's slightly off sometimes)
And here's a quick breakdown of the levels:
Level 01	"Bubbles"	Pop all of the bubbles
Level 02	"Bowlling"	Knock down all pins within 2 moves
Level 03	"Shields"	Destroy all shields
Level 04	"Metamorphosis"	Help caterpillars change into butterflies
Level 05	"Cheshire Cat"	Hit the Chesire Cat before he disappears
Level 06	"Dice"	Get 24 points
Level 07	"Tic-Tac-Toe"	Beat the CPU at Tic-Tac-Toe
Level 08	"Connect 5"	Connect 5 dots in any direction
Level 09	"Billiards"	Sink all balls in the order specified
Level 10	"Skulls"	Destroy the skulls in the order specified
Level 11	"Fireworks"	Destroy all of the fireworks
Level 12	"8-puzzle"	Simple slider puzzle
Level 13	"Mask Flip"	Destroy all masks
Level 14	"Animals"	Choose the active animal's adversary
Level 15	"Ducks"	Align the ducks in a row
Level 16	"Magnets"	Destroy all magnets
Level 17	"Bombs"	Defuse all bombs
Level 18	"Eyeballs"	Poke out all of the eyeballs
Level 19	"Spelling"	Spell the word shown
Level 20	"Arrows"	Destroy all arrows
Level 21	"Bingo"	Collect a Bingo
Level 22	"Balloons"	Burst all balloons
Level 23	"Targets"	Destroy all targets
Level 24	"Bunnies"	Fill the screen with bunnies
Level 25	"Ring Toss"	Get each ring around the pole
Level 26	"Chess"	Defeat the CPU at Chess
Level 27	"Race"	Have the blue car win
Level 28	"Slot Machine"	Match 3 of a kind
Level 29	"Ball Maze"	Get the ball out of the maze
Level 30	"Match Game"	Match up all sets of cards
End Boss	"Krohn"	Defeat the boss
I chose to work on this game since I played it for quite awhile as a child and I have many fond memories trying to beat it. I'm also surprised at how little this game appears across the internet so I guess I'm trying to bring attention to it in case others may find it enjoyable. --------------------------------------------- Objectives Emulator used: BizHawk 1.9.1 Aims for fastest time Takes damage to save time Clone Ships Proper use of a clone ship can save a ton of time by being able to juggle two ships simultaneously. Since more than one clone can be uncovered on the same level, it's good to keep it alive as you can't hit targets for a few frames when one does appear. You just can't have more than one clone active at a time. Speed Boost When the ship misses a paddle, it loses some fuel and immediately enters full speed from the right at the same vertical position. Exploiting this behavior becomes a time-saving technique. Speed Loss I believe paddle movement and/or the presence of a clone ship slightly may affect ship speed every few frames. This can help when you need to make a tighter depth transition than normal. Exit Stage Left You can save well over 100 frames by setting up your ship to exit the left side of the screen right as you complete the level. Bowling I manipulate a strike by first hitting two specific pins to set up what I assume is an ideal RNG. I'm guessing it may be possible to set up this shot in one go by changing how earlier levels are played, but I have yet to figure out how. Chess I manipulate the opponent's final placement of the Queen to my advantage by bumping the piece with my ship before their turn. Bonus Points During the later levels, the count down of remaining bonus points really starts to drag on. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way to reduce these points any quicker than running out the time which is slower either way. Vern's Gas Station You can refuel gas by pressing B to go to Vern's. There's no reason to waste time going here in a speed run. --------------------------------------------- Eventually, I'd like to submit this, but feel I may be able to improve it just a little more. Unfortunately, it's pretty easy to de-sync later sections after fixing something earlier. EDIT: Here's the movie file in case anybody is interested. --------------------------------------------- EDIT#2: I've since saved 371 frames on Level 12 and 1 frame on Level 13, but it desynchs on the very next level. This was a common problem when I first started TAS'ing this game and unfortunately makes splicing levels together from different runs incredibly time consuming. Level 16 with the magnets is another one I can see easy improvements from, but that would still leave almost 50% of the game left to fix again. So I will submit the run as-is in the hopes it's at least worthy enough for Vault status. It would take many hours to shave even a few seconds off in my opinion. --------------------------------------------- EDIT#3: Here's a comparison chart between the various revisions: Unless more interest is shown, I think I'll leave this run for somebody else to try improving. Revision #2 is what I submitted.
NESAtlas
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Here's a nice Atlas Video by vervalkon of BobWhoops' TAS: Link to video
NESAtlas
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Thank you all for blowing my mind again :) Not sure how it's possible to top this for 2016, but somehow I know it will happen.
Post subject: Re: I'm gifting games to donors!
NESAtlas
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dwangoAC wrote:
...so if there's something that interests you just let me know!
That's so kind of you! I'll take Antichamber for Steam if it's still available.
NESAtlas
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Donated! I really enjoyed the TAS Block last year and thought you did a great job presenting so I will gladly donate for next time.
NESAtlas
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I'm definitely looking forward to uploading @60FPS, but that effectively doubles the amount of time required for me to make an atlas video. Better get started on it now ;) Also, there's a bunch more features being integrated like a "tip jar" and creator credits which I find to be quite useful.
NESAtlas
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I think I found what you're looking for, but I'm not sure how to test it:
img:get_pixel(x, y)

Gives the color of the pixel at the given (x,y) coordinates. The origin - (0,0) is at the top left.

Return an instance of imlib2.color matching the color at the given coordinates.
Found it here. Also, there's no rush on figuring this out as I can wait many months if it means some time in the future we'll have a cool new tool to use. I'll help out the best I can, but I have 0 experience with Lua. And feel free to go down whatever path you think would would be best as I'm willing to play around with anything including just a top-down view of the map!
NESAtlas
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I was hoping we could somehow orient the map in 3D space like it's already shown in-game. I would overlay the players afterwards with a simple avi dump of whatever layer is needed. Here's a really rough pic of what I mean:
Post subject: Recreating Mode 7 effects
NESAtlas
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Would it be possible to recreate Mode 7 effects by piping X/Y/Z values through a LUA script to affect an image like this: http://vgmaps.com/Atlas/SuperNES/SuperMarioKart-MushroomCup-MarioCircuit1.png I'm sure you can guess where I'm going with this ;)
NESAtlas
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Missing a few effects, but I'm still happy with as far as I got into making this: Link to video