Hey, what if we released two TASes at the same time? One with both players 100%, the other is single 100%? Then again, it would be kinda difficult to go through the game without taking Gooey out, with someone playing as him..
Also, I figured out how to properly work the left and right turbo. You only turn the turbo on for like, one frame.
Just so ya know, one frame can only act like it's pressing one button. (XD Sorry, I just wanted to say that. I'm terrible at explaining things.)
Personally, if you do 2 runs, I say do 1P Low% and 2P 100%.
Strange, cause I have no issues with desyncing. Make sure you're using VBA v20, and the UE [!] ROM. And don't use too much fast-forwarding, cause that seems to break it.
Outside of that, don't know what to tell you. Worked fine for me, even on this crappy PC I'm on right now.
Though I have improved the #1 issue. I was up some like 60 frames at the door after the collapsing bridge, but I lost about 40 of that by the time I beat the boss. I have an idea where, just not how. I'll figure it out later.
Oh well #2, it desynced. Emulator version difference I guess.
I wonder if the VBM header can indicate emulator version?
Otherwise, NVA has no hope of determining the right emulator to make screenshots with.
I thought I noticed something in 19.3's text file that there was a spot for this. Could this be implemented?
Wait wait wait...what happened to that frail-wielding mini-boss in 2-3?!
Couple things I thought were possible improvements:
1 - I thought that the password screen could be skipped faster then that, but that could be just falty memory.
2 - The middle sections of the 2nd level boss weren't completely destroyed, which I believe if they are, he goes off screen faster.
Just a couple ideas, but I'm probably not right on either.
Completed Stage 2
A couple of spots come up that I had some issues with, so I may go back and try some different things.
1 - The room before the split between the rope to the pocketwatch and the continuation of the level. Both going up through the room and going from the pocketwatch room to the collapsing bridge seemed...off.
2 - Boss battle didn't go as smooth as my cancelled submission.
If anybody has any ideas, speak up. I'm willing to try something.
Edit: Tried a new idea I just came up with for #1, saved 52 frames. I used the pocket watch at the beginning of the room, then took damage (with a quick face to the left) when the bat was to hit me. I tried getting an extra heart in the section, but it looks like it halted me for a couple frames, gonna try to redo and see if that cuts a few more off.
Yep - minor change and some better manipulation of the one bat saved me 4 more frames (and 1 lifebar). :)
How about publishing this as a concept demo, since it's not a true "TAS"?
As for what I thought of the run, I enjoyed it. It was different and somewhat funny. All I didn't like was all the major sprite glitches.
Also to note in regards to jumping:
1 - Jumping off of a ledge doesn't gain you frames.
2 - The lower the jump, the better.
3 - In Stage 1, jumping to kill the two bats after the one door saved me I believe a frame or two. That's even with my head bonking on the ledge, in comparison to standing on the ground.
Whipping while jumping pushes your sprite back slightly, roughly a frame's worth of movement. Therefore, its slightly more advantageous to just jump over enemies instead of killing them if possible, assuming you aren't also getting hearts or something.
I did a retrial of Stage 1.1 and compared my times from my submitted run to using your method. I checked the frame timer when I hit the door. Using your method (jumping over lower flames and hitting the higher ones, jumping over the slugs), I wound up 30 frames behind my run. Therefore, right now I disagree with your theory.
Update: Ran it through again, my way. Beat your method by 74 frames, and my prior attempt by 44.
Completed Stage 1. Ahead of my cancelled run by 176 frames (based upon when the Wind Soul appears in the lower left).
Probably got deleted, because FileFront loves to delete things when you aren't looking (bastards).
Back on topic, on some of the bosses, especially the dragon in Stage 3, hitting them with a Lv 1 whip is gonna be a nightmare, as he has a HUGE box around him (especially behind) where you can take damage. That's why the huge pause before I jump in my run.
There was one place in Stage 2 that somehow, I managed to hit A on a frame which Sonia couldn't jump, then I pressed UP+B to use the Wind Soul, in which I wasn't hindered at all. I was only able to actually execute it once though.
BTW, a good shortcut for you to know is Shift+8. This puts your video in read-only mode (or out of it, if you have it in such).
I'll check out the look back theory though.
T'will be fun to work on a project with somebody.
I second some of mbossman's comments. Especially in regards to taking damage to save time. If you take your damage correctly, it seems to propel you forward very quickly. This would be especially helpful in the earlier stages.
And with the ability to turbo attack (as noted in the prior post) I think you could use that on other bosses, especially the final boss.
The game, unfortunately, was a bit repetitive for me too. It's also a bit obscure to US people, due to some of Asian legends involved.
I have to vote NO on this.
I was wondering, at around 8400, what did that bat do, or what did he intend to do which made him lose his life like that?
Whenever I passed by him, I would always take damage (and be pushed backwards). I noticed on somebody's any% run they could do it, but I'm not sure whether it's caused by them playing in GB mode and me in SGB mode, since there is a playback difference in real hardware that seems to apply on the emulation too.
Also at 10000-isch, wouldn't it have been faster to take damage? Or jump down as early as possible and beat the living hell out of that soldier?
It took longer to go down there and him him twice (since I would be hit for damage twice) then to wait. I also can't jump over him, as I get pushed backwards, as I noted on my last post.
For a more than 26 minutes run, 1500+ re-records was a bit less. I don't think it's perfect, some movement can be optimized.
Actually, I did do a fair amount of hexediting, which has affected the count.
You stop too many times to kill enemies. Given that you have magic to freeze enemies, instant kill/wound them, give yourself full healing, and every candle holds a heart, there should be no need for this. You pass up a lot of hearts that would cost you no time to get, esp. on the earlier levels.
Full Healing costs 20 hearts - way too costly.
Instakill doesn't show up until after the hidden level, and I use it as much as possible.
Freezing only stops time, I still have to kill them.
I only stop whenever taking damage will cost me more time, there are obstacles in the way, or if I don't have the life to take the hit. For instance, the pause at the rope in Stage 1 (before going for the axe) is absolutely necessary, otherwise I take 2-3 hits. I can't jump over the spearman either, due to the direction and positioning. If we were going opposite ways (see the return trip), then I can.
Using the burning mode on bosses instead of walking probably costs more time than it saves, plus the boss fights are the best part, so why rush them? Furthermore sometimes you finish the boss with burning time left over.
The only reason I use it on the bosses I do is because taking damage would be worse (health and time wise) Death can do 3-5 damage per hit (depending on what hits me). Medusa is a nightmare to fight without just sitting in the corner.
In the room where you have to survive the flame monsters in stage 5b, can't you be nearer to the exit rope (or climbing up it) when they stop coming?
No. When you reach the center of the room, you are inhibited from moving left or right. I can only whip, duck, and turn left/right. The stall tactics I use are to manipulate positioning of the flames and I end with the last one on the right, which is where I need to move.
I do have one issue, which is that when I pick up the file again, I have to fast forward all the way to the end, then hit 'begin recording here', to pick up where I left off. Am I missing anything? Seems a little clunky.
Create a save state before you quit, then when you load the movie, load up the save state and continue recording from there.
Notes:
1 - Intro text can be skipped.
2 - Map screen can be skipped.
3 - Don't whip while descending, unless you have plenty of room. If you're too low, you'll halt for a few frames when you hit the ground. Whip while ascending.
4 - Every rope in Level 1 can be reached w/o jumping.
5 - Burning mode can be used in a much better spot then the boss. I can beat it only taking 1 hit.
6 - Plenty of other tidbits. The way the level flowed was different between my run and your video, but it could be that you're using GB mode and I used SGB.
While U.N. Squadron isn't my favorite flying shooter on the SNES (I give that to Phalanx), I can say I enjoyed this run. It was well played and very well thought out. Great job.
YES vote.
Strange that it would be different considering I'm using identical settings (I've got both v19 and v20 in the same folder, so they use the same INI). But then again, I didn't program the emulator.
Edit: Yep. Removing the Lag Reduction mark in v19 changed it from 20 to 30.
One thing I did notice, looking at the vbm-format.txt document (for v19.3):
004 4-byte little-endian unsigned int: version number, must be 1 (for now)
Looks like it's capable of doing it, but it's not programmed in. :(
I think it's possible Bisqwit.
I did a test sample of a GB game in VBA 19 and VBA 20. I loaded up three different games and made a 1 frame movie in both VBA 19 and VBA 20. There was one hex address that stood out to me and it something that should be looked at. Hex address 17 returns "20" for a v19 movie, and "30" for a v20 movie. There were other changes between the movies, but these differences varied between games.
Edit: Tested a 3rd game, same results.
While I'll admit, the glitch was interesting, it was oddly used, and the game (which could have been interesting) wasn't because of it. I don't have a problem with TAS shooters (such as Contra III) but this game lost its potential luster.
And there's also lag that IMO seems potentially avoidable.
Voting NO.
Requirements for an open path to area 16 are (1) getting the communicator from area 15 (which requires the gun from area 12) and (2) beating area 13 to rescue Joe. Also I might have messed some of these numbers up.
OK, as long as there was reasoning. I've never played Bionic Commando (shame on me, I know), so I wasn't sure on route. I certainly couldn't complain on the gameplay level.
YES vote then, not that my issue has been cleared.
If he honestly picked those himself, maybe #13 should actually be considered.
Bisqwit has stated before (see majora's mask submission) that incomplete-dialog screenshots do not make for good publishing screenshots. Dialog in general, since not only english speakers frequent this site.
I wasn't being completely serious. I just thought it would be hilarious if that actually ended up there automatically because I remembered talk about a similar shot for one of the NES Bionic Commando submissions.
Now I feel kind of bad for ruining a good in-joke. Ah well.
I don't see why all of those poor coins went to waste...
Because they have no effect on the game at all, since I don't use the bonus games. Collecting them at the end of boss fights doesn't save frames at all.
During the volcano parts, can't you shoot the rocks over your head while jumping instead of ducking to save time?
Because the rocks are invulnerable to normal attacks (including like the power fireball and such). I can only use the umbrella to block them.
During the long vertical lifts part, when you have to cross five lanes, why did you needed to hold down to get past?
Because if I don't, I hit the spikes up top and die. The 2nd row I'll hit the ceiling (barely) and the 3rd row I'll hit the spike and meet my demise.
And before anybody asks, the movement backwards in Stage 8 after the 1st alien creature (the one I destroy) is necessary. If I'm too far forward, one of the later aliens will hit me, sending me backwards, to which I will die.
I understood that the boss is invulnerable until the mouth is open, but is it also invulnerable for a short time after the mouth opens up?
In the first part of the battle, I can only hit him twice every time he opens his mouth. I'll double check the 5th hit though.
The 2nd part I can't hit him from the sides, only from underneath. And since he has a huge zone he can damage me with and a small zone I can damage him, I have to wait until he's over me to shoot him. Why don't I just take damage? Because it kills my power charge.
I'll investigate the 5th shot in the 1st boss fight again, just to make sure though.
I was concerned about the use of frame advance and various small optimizations. The battle around frame 40,000 in particular was odd. Wouldn't picking up the coins and using a different weapon reduce lag?
Poor Kid Dracula can't shoot as fast as he can here with normal shots compared to the NES version. I did catch the lag, now that you pointed it out. The weapon is definitely necessary, but I'll investigate how many frames are lost due to lag though, if any.
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Yep, the lag in Stage 5's Space Invaders section is atrocious. I would save about 200 frames playing at normal speed even. I don't wanna have to go into a dodge fest to save time (since that would be more boring then the route I took) but if I have to, I have to...I guess.
I'll go back and improve this and check out the final boss fight, as those two sections are the spots that I can't counter with proof of why at this point, then look over everything again just to make sure.
