Posts for Sizux

Posted: 5/2/2010 7:28 PM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
Mitjitsu wrote:
Too simplistic a game from TASing point of view. Voting no
I disagree. Entertainment is what matters, not how simple the TAS is. Though running it may be easy, the game played normally is far from it. Timing the jumps and having good perception when moving left/right in air is quite a feat. Doing the levels at full speed while taking difficult routes and jumps makes it thrilling, but it can look easy to those who have not played the game. I'm not saying that you haven't played the game or that your objection because of the game's simplicity is wrong, but I do believe entertainment is the biggest factor, even if the game only uses the directional keys and the space bar.
Posted: 4/28/2010 6:42 PM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
Nice job, lapogne. It's nice to know you were able to complete this project after I lost motivation so quickly. I watched the run, and here's my feedback. The gem route is something we've discussed before and it can be improved I would imagine but your route is very good. Skipping the first speedway was definitely a good investment and it is nice to know you only had 1 or so gems left over at the end. Of course, any actual improvements would have to factor in which gems to not collect in your route to balance it out. Yeah, I hate gem routes, they're too complicated. I thought the lack of speed-increasing techniques that most TAS runs seem to come as standard would make the game boring, but cutting edges, timing jumps to the frame and quick camera work made it fun to watch. Fracture Hills was probably one of my favorite levels in the run. The bosses, as expected, provided the most entertainment, though. For Crush, I'm positive your tactic for killing him is optimal. Gulp is also quite impressive. I notice you said one of the possible improvements was luck manipulation. I'm not sure if you are talking about Gulp's battle, though. I would have to disagree with manipulating luck on Gulp to be that difficult, although I haven't tested it myself. As long as you don't get two rockets, you will kill him in the same amount of time since he has a brief "pause" after each attack is inflicted. I think you would lose a few frames if you have to use two rockets in one round of eggs, but again, I have never tested it. As for Ripto, I like how you were able to use the speed booster to harm him in phase 1. Doing that on a console is very tedious because of how small he is. I also like the strategic use of the green flame ability. Arcing it makes it so that two hits land at separate times so they both deal damage. Good job on the run. If you ever consider making a 100% run, I think I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Just post in the Spyro TAS topic.
Posted: 3/19/2010 1:11 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
lapogne36 wrote:
The only levels that can't be done 100% in one time are : Summer Forest (climb) Fracture Hills (headbash) Shady Oasis (headbash)
What about sunny beach? Is it possible to reach the turtles without climb?
Posted: 3/18/2010 11:07 PM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
lapogne36 wrote:
All the swim in the air glitches require an Out Of Bound, and Autumn Plains is know as a non-OOB level, so I don't think we will be able to swim in the air in this level... After some tests, the "sparx glitch" which appear in magma cone is an error with the sparx counter ( 6A248 ), when it go to -1, spyro will die, but with the glitch, he is warp and is counter is always to -1, so we can't do thing we are not able when we die (start, swim, eat butterflies, ...), so an useless glitch for a speedrun
Sizux wrote:
If it were possible, the run would be very quick and require no levels aside from glimmer.
Maybe another level to get enough gems to swim ^^
Oh, right. Swim is required for the swim in air, duh. Sorry, I haven't been too into the game lately and seem to be forgetting the basics. I was thinking, because of how loose Spyro's movement is, that there HAS to be a way to clip through walls with frame-precision input. I just don't have the patience/knowledge to figure out how it could be done. If you could, try figuring out how Spyro reacts to solid objects. If he could clip through them, the run wouldn't require swim or any levels (except glimmer). Also, I have been thinking of ways to complete a level 100% without having to return for a potential 100% run. It's just a side project right now, but we will see where it leads me.
Posted: 3/18/2010 8:46 PM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
JBertolli wrote:
I've just started experimenting with TASes and I, of course, plan on doing some Spyro TASes. And, of course, I will start with a 0 orb run. We all have so many discrepancies with the gem route for this run. I'm sure I saw plenty of things I would have done differently in lapogne's runs. I didn't see one of the videos, though (with Colossus, I've yet to see the first door skipped as well). I also had a good feeling swim in the air could be done somehow in Winter Tundra without headbash. Mostly because I wanted there to be a way. But, it looks like it could be done non-TAS, but with a two frame window, it would obviously be troublesome. If it is possible to somehow get swim in the air out of the little pool in Autumn Plains, then Gulp could be reachable. Though, just like clipping through the door itself, I'm sure it is unlikely. I'm not sure how known it is, but it is something I didn't pick up on at first (though it was obviously programmed into the game). While charging, you can make sharper turns by hold left/right and down (as opposed to just left or right). It was just a little thing I overlooked for the longest time and want to know if everyone else knew about it, as I'm sure they do.
Although you cannot go through Gulp's room through the sides or top, I am confident that you can swim up through the floor of his room to reach it. Even if you couldn't, you have to drop down a tunnel to enter his room, anyways, which can be passed through. I don't think it's possible to swim in air in autumn plains, however. If it were possible, the run would be very quick and require no levels aside from glimmer.
Posted: 3/17/2010 1:40 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
lapogne36 wrote:
here is the .avi link (TAS sound plugin 0.2) : http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UDBJ2AV0
I see the sound issues still haven't been resolved. I am sure it isn't something that will get in the way of the run's acceptance, though. I have heard about the method to skip the first door in Colossus but have never seen it until now. Also, that's a neat trick to skip to the end of Hurricos. I can't believe I never thought of it. The gem route looks solid, but I am sure there could be some improvements. For example, was getting a single orb to unlock Ocean Speedway a good investment in your testings? I haven't done any testing with the route in awhile so you will have to decide for yourself. The battle with Crush was also pretty cool. I can't wait to see Gulp's battle. It's going to require a lot of luck manipulation, though. Once the weapons are free for all (after the third hit, I believe), you'll probably want to manipulate the drops so that you get two rockets. That way, you can shoot one at Gulp and quickly eat the other one before it explodes for 2 attacks in one round. I am sure the same could be done with a rocket and a bomb, but you would have to be quick to use the exploding barrel and eat a rocket before it's gone. Good luck with the rest of the run. I look forward to seeing the end result. I still check this topic almost daily so if you have any questions or other information, go ahead and post it.
Posted: 3/16/2010 9:05 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
lapogne36 wrote:
WIP after Crush battle : http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ISJBK6SG 11:30 to beat him + get 6 talismans + get 650 gems (600 used) I think it will be my last WIP before complete the game
It is nice to know you are progressing on the run, but I will have to wait until you complete it and the torrent is released before I can comment because I cannot get the input file to run without desyncs/crashes. The PSX emulator is too unstable at the moment for me to even replay it which is a good explanation as to why I abandoned my own run. Even without watching it, I can give you this piece of advice: don't rush it. People tend to get real anxious when working on something and want to see the end result badly so they overlook small errors and cut corners (in a bad way). Even if it's the first run for the game and there is no set record to beat, there's still a quality standard people look for.
Posted: 2/4/2010 9:18 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
Looks good so far. But I am still not sure how well people will like the sound issues in the game. I recommend doing a summer forest segment (up until or after Crush) and asking in the IRC channel for people to give opinions on its quality sound-wise. The sound issue was the main reason I didn't test the game more thoroughly.
Posted: 2/2/2010 9:21 PM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
lapogne36 wrote:
very good news, just see the vid to understand : http://www.megaupload.com/?d=U03CQZ75 they are only 2 frames to do this glitch
Wow. I could have swore I tried doing that a million times at different frames with no success. So, this effectively eliminates the need for head bash (since you can skip the first door). That is 1000 less gems. So that means you only need 1400 gems, which is much more bearable. 500 Swim (same route as always) 100 Aquaria Towers (easy to get) 400 Shady Oasis (taken care of from Ocean Speedway) 400 Zephyr (probably taken care of from running through the levels. I doubt Icy/Metro speedway is necessary) A note for Zephyr. When you finish Shady Oasis, you can glide down and get the 75 gems before purchasing Zephyr. You seem to be better at running this than I am so I recommend doing a WIP test run of the route that isn't perfect frame by frame to just demonstrate the route and how many gems you have at various points. I am sure some of us would be able to offer great info that will improve your run when you do the actual one.
Posted: 2/1/2010 10:58 PM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
lapogne36 wrote:
.avi file : http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KKYETTM6 and I have a very good knowledge of this game, of course skip all moneybags except swim, aquaria towers, zephyr, shady oasis and headbash (I will do some tests to see if we need headbash to swim in the air), so it's not a problem
Looks pretty good so far. You will only need 125 gems from Colossus before you can purchase swim, assuming you get the pink gem from Summer Forest. It might be beneficial to collect 3 orbs for access to the speedway in Summer Forest. I know you can get two quick and easy orbs from Hurricos but I am not sure about the third one. Most likely the "Behind a Door" one would be fastest. The emulator is just way too buggy for me to test my run. The emulator sound issues and the crashes are very annoying. Hopefully you have better luck on your run. I will give you any advice if you keep doing videos.
Posted: 2/1/2010 8:36 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
lapogne36 wrote:
I started an any% run of this game, because I would like to know what are its limits (some useful glitches are like impossible to do in non-TAS runs), but because I am a beginner TASer, I need to know if my actual work is good or not, so here is the pxm file after complete Glimmer and Idol Springs : http://rapidshare.com/files/344015899/spyro2tas.pxm.html All the comments are welcome Note : for some mysterious reasons, sometimes the movie desync at the first gems of glimmer, but it's very rare if you play the movie after open PCSX and without run CD
It still desyncs for me. You collect the few gems on the middle structure then miss the jump on the ledge, where it starts going crazy because of the desync. Could you record with to .avi and upload it? It looks like a good run and I want to see how you do it. Also, any% does require good knowledge of the game but it is easier simply for the fact that it is shorter. Longer TAS runs would require a lot more work (and, in some cases, a lot more planning) to do.
Posted: 1/21/2010 3:47 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
I have been testing a bit here and there with TAS tools and I have decided to just go with the glitches I have. If I can get a video out there to use as a base then maybe some competition will come and improve on it with new glitches. I know I have shown interest in both an any% and 100% run but I have yet to make a decision. If it will be an any% one, I already have a good route planned. I will let you guys know if anything changes. I am posting this to inform you guys that I am still interested in running this game but it is a huge undertaking for a beginner TASer and for someone who doesn't have much patience and can become unmotivated very easily.
Posted: 12/10/2009 2:51 PM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
DDRKhat wrote:
Would it perhaps be worth studying some of these glitch abuse videos? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFLmWzXeZQc ; Crush Early Battle
The problem with skipping to Crush is that you need all of the talisman from Summer Forest to reach Gulp anyways. You also need the swim ability for a few levels. So, unfortunately, that method is not of any use unless someone can find a way to reach Gulp without the talisman. I have already seen all of bob's Spyro videos and have seen/read about practically every Spyro glitch out there so all of them are kept in mind when making the route.
Posted: 12/10/2009 1:05 PM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
Bobmario511 wrote:
I did try TASing this game a little while back and got decent results, though I'm not sure of all the tricks the game has to offer. Glimmer 100% Colossus 100% The route planning for the gems is probably the toughest part of this game. For any% we need 2400 gems or so correct? Then this just comes to testing each stage (since all of the first two worlds are required) to see what gems are best to get while obtaining the tailsmans of each world. I would also think you would need a higher gem count from the first three stages so we can get swim and not need to reset or something to get back from the castle. I am in favor of an any% run if we can come up with a solid route and completly test glitches like that "super jump."
Those are some nice videos. I see a few spots you could optimize but overall they are great. I have been thinking about both any% and 100% runs and have thought about how to tackle both. Since this is my first TAS, if I were to do any of them, the any% would definitely be easier. The original problem I had with any% was how to collect gems with the least amount of side tracking. After much brainstorming, I finally have an solid idea. Basically, I am going to draw out all of the purple (5), yellow (10) and pink (25) gems on each level. I am going to mark them all with something. I am then going to draw a line from the start of the level to the finish. I will take note of which marked gems are closest and examine how many other gems are near it before determining if I should get them. So far, I have just been counting the number of purple, yellow and pink gems and came up with an interesting figure. In Glimmer, Colossus and Idol Springs, the purple and yellow gems total exactly 250 each level. Each level also has 400 gems total, so they make up for 60%. If we assume that I will always get 60% of the gems in each level (and that the isolated purple, yellow and pink gems are made up by collecting green and red ones) then we can determine how many gems can be made through this. Of course, this is a wild assumption and won't be the case but let's think about it for a minute. 10,000 gems, minus the four levels I won't enter in Winter Tundra (1600) and the four speedways (1600) comes to 6800. 60% of that is 4080. I need 2400. That essentially makes a linear route possible. Getting 500 gems from two levels for swim will mean more sidetracking, but for the the submarine I have plenty of levels to get gems from, and head bash is way late in the game, so this run may be enjoyable to watch. Anyways, this is just an assumption so we'll have to see what happens. I am still working on the run slowly, but I believe it will get done on of these days.
Posted: 11/6/2009 7:08 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
I can't believe no one has mentioned Peggle Dual Shot yet. A TAS run on it would be awesome IMO.
Posted: 10/29/2009 2:15 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
I don't think an adventure mode run would be too interesting because the only thing that is really different is the CTR challenge. Plus, traveling between levels seems very unnecessary. I could see a 100% or 101% completion run being done because of the CTR challenge, but doing an any% run is basically just doing each race with a little traveling in between. Arcade mode is just like time trial except you are racing against other people. The time to complete each level would be very similar except for manipulating luck to get a speed boost each time, which would be kind of stupid. The time trial and 100%/101% adventure mode runs are the only ones I think would make for good runs.
Posted: 10/28/2009 5:15 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
There is no Spyro 2 run on SDA, but there are runs for 1 and 3. Since the route I have been planning on and off for the last 4 years is any%, I will have to take some time to plan a 100% route if that's what I will be doing, which is likely the case. I have been very busy lately so I did not do much testing, but I will get back to trying new tricks and stuff eventually. When I do have a route for 100%, I will post it, which will make it much easier for people to comment and criticize. Until then, giving me any tips will help, but if it is a trick that is very popular or very obvious, I will probably already know about.
Posted: 10/27/2009 9:45 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
MezzoDragon wrote:
Since you mentioned 100% run in your post, Sizux, is there a chance you will do a 100% run after this one?
I have been experimenting with the emulator and with the any% route and realized that it is harder to get the required gems than I thought. I was under the impression that I would have close to enough gems just by running through the levels with the optimal corner cutting/area skipping, but I was off by a large amount. I may consider doing 100% instead. For 100%, I was thinking about drawing out each map on separate pieces of paper and marking every single gem location so I can easily plan it with pen and paper. I would imagine that most levels can be completed in one visit using glitches and I would have to experiment with other tricks to do this with the levels that are not currently possible (such as reaching the turtle soup game without climb on the first visit to Sunny Beach). Traveling back to the level and going through the loading screen for both entering and leaving the level is a serious time waste so you understand the importance. I don't know much about memory searching, but I was able to find the values for Spyro's vertical location, which I used to determine at which frame it is best to dash when performing the dash jump (or double jump, however you want to call it). More height means more distance. I was trying to find the value that activates Spyro's swimming mode (which I assumed was a Boolean value) but I ended up finding some weird value that changes the tint of the game and does some other freaky stuff. Finally, I experimented with the "proxy jump" in Hurricos by recording myself performing the trick and then replaying it frame by frame, watching the button input and movement of Spyro, but I was unable to determine what actually causes it. I believe it is when Spyro briefly gets caught on the button and being pushed under--apparently, when Spyro jumps at the right time, the jump is registered at being below the location where the button jump was pressed and the value is reset to 255. I am not sure, though. The combination of emulator sound issues, the complexity of Spyro's movement and the lack of motivation means this run will take a long time to finish. I probably should have picked an easier game to run for my first TAS, but we'll see what happens.
Posted: 10/23/2009 1:40 AM
(Edited: 10/27/2009 9:46 AM)
Post subject: Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage (any% or 100%)
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
Two things before you start reading: 1. I type a lot 2. I haven't tested the game much with the emulator as of this post I had a route for Spyro 2 for several years now which was posted on SDA and has been optimized by me and various others over the years. I figure that, since there is not even a SINGLE Spyro TAS run on the site (though it has been discussed often), this might be a good start to a bigger speed run future for Spyro. In my opinion, if the series was more popular, Spyro would make for a VERY competitive game to run because of the crazy amount of possible gem routes, especially for 100% runs. Anyways. The only testing I have done with this game on an emulator was for only about 30 minutes. Currently, a friend is borrowing my copy of the game, but when I get it back (tomorrow or the following day), I will test it out more thoroughly. The only thing that might hold me back is technical issues with the emulator. The route is pretty simple. The run will mainly be me getting all of the talisman throughout each level. There is no way to skip this step. You can skip to Autumn Plains without getting a single talisman but the whole room around Gulp's entrance is solid and cannot be glitched past. I thought perhaps you would only need the talisman from Autumn Plains to access Gulp and not the ones from Summer Forest (since, when played legitimately, you are supposed to have them) but that's not the case. So, I am required to get all the talisman from Summer Forest and Autumn Plains. However, I can skip just about everything else, including Moneybags. Off the top of my head, the abilities I will need to pay for are Swim (for getting past Aquaria Towers and Sunny Beach) and Headbash (for reaching Ripto without collecting orbs). I am not 100% sure if I need climb or not. I can skip the part you must climb to reach the second half of Autumn Plains, but I do not know if it's required for any other levels. Skipping Moneybags will minimize the amount of gems I will need for completing the game and will reduce the amount of sidetracking that is necessary. However, I cannot (or might not want to) skip Moneybags each time. For example, paying Moneybags a measly 100 gems in Aquaria Towers will be faster than swimming and much safer. I don't even know if there's a way to swim past the sharks and I am not going to worry about it because 100 gems isn't a big setback. I can easily make that by collecting random gems in my optimal running path. REQUIRED GEMS Swim: 500 Submarine: 100 Headbash: 1000 Two Levels in AP: 400 each (I think) Total Gems: 2400 From what I remember, all other occurrences with Moneybags can be skipped. These include the Glimmer bridge, Aquaria Towers wall, Crystal Glacier bridge, and the Magma Cone elevator. I am not sure if paying Moneybags for access to a speedway is a good gem investment so I will need to test my gem collection in my route before making a decision. Aside from skipping Moneybags and collecting talisman, I will be cutting corners as much as dragonly possible. I will have to test various possible movement increasing techniques that would definitely make the run more interesting. Since all the tricks in my preliminary route were discovered on the console, I will need to also test any possible new tricks that might be manipulated using the emulator. One in particular has to do with the "super jump" technique in Hurricos. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5_V8t63udE I will have to do some frame advance and memory testing to figure out what exactly causes Spyro to jump like that. It appears that he is in his falling animation when moving vertically so I guess that's a good place to start. In addition to those glitches, I can also skip many large portions in each level and possibly even more if I can find some new tricks with the emulator tools. This actually concerns me, since a large chunk of the run might be the level loading screen. It reminds me of the Resident Evil 3 run where it is just Jill opening doors throughout. Time will tell. Well, I pretty much covered as much as I can. I will probably have many changed opinions when I actually get to testing the game. My show comes on in 25 minutes so hopefully one of the ten Spyro fans on this site reads over this and offers any type of support to motivate me.
Posted: 6/19/2009 11:03 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
Interesting glitch. For those using an emulator, it can be performed fastest by moving diagonally towards the stump for 9 frames until Link goes into his "pushing" animation, then holding down the Pegasus Boots with no direction for 1 frame, then finally holding the Pegasus Boots and down until the glitch is activated. Like "eternaljwh" said, there doesn't seem to be many uses for the glitch currently. I have been experimenting with a possible method for being able to move freely and shrink at any location after performing this trick, but it doesn't seem likely. I have also tried to access the menu and move at different frames during the glitch animation process (since Link seems to suffer a little push off the stump after performing the glitch which may be exploited to move quickly and/or through objects), but still no luck. I cannot find a glitch to save my life. I will try a few more ideas I have when I get more free time.
Posted: 6/14/2009 9:22 AM
Quote
Sizux
Experienced Forum User
Joined: 2/24/2009
Posts: 21
The English translation patch has a hard mode added so I am sure it would be accepted if someone were to TAS it with that mode enabled. It has probably already been mentioned before, but Flint's Power Smash ability could easily be manipulated to kill the first few bosses quickly. I will play through the game again later using save states and such to see if there are any tricks that might formulate a route here shortly. Sadly, there has not been much contribution towards a potential run in this topic other than translation acceptance talk.