http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/1239052105/Monster%20Party%20Test%20Run%202.fm2
Complete Test Run: 52820 Frames (14:38.89)
ROM used: Monster Party (U)
FCEUX 2.1.4a
5,831 ReRecords
There are a few parts that I'd like to redo, but I'd like to get some feedback first. Here are some of my notes on the run:
WORLD 1
I take damage to save time (and get a slight boost) at several points in the level. I have to have at least 3 life left over so I can take ten hits in the next area, so I can't take advantage of all the possible damage boosts.
EGGPLANT: This boss is killed using the hover glitch, activated by alternating between A and B every other frame while ascending from a jump.
DECEASED CRAB: This isn't even really a boss. He just apologizes for being dead (so polite!) and then you leave. Too bad you can't skip him (I tried)...
PUMPKIN HEAD: All of the bosses that hop around are tough to optimize. I had to kill him when he got as close to the left side of the screen as possible in order to minimize the time spent walking to the door. I was able to kill this one right after he turned around.
WORLD 2
This area, along with World 4, are probably the hardest to TAS because of the tight spaces involved. I used two warps to bypass long stretches of damage boosting, allowing me to come in with less life from stage 1. There are lots of enemies (the puking mouths and the alien eggs) that can't be dodged and take upwards of six hits to kill, so I had to boost through them or else lose a bunch of precious time. I got a nice 2-for-1 boost off a "reverse mermaid" right at the start.
The one glaring flaw in this stage, to me, is the fact that I couldn't boost in the proper direction off the mouth after the Medusa fight. This is because I'm on a ladder, which limits my options drastically. I couldn't jump and attack it, because the ladder wouldn't let me move down in time to enter the enemy in order to gain the boost. In the end, I had no choice but to boost in the opposite direction and pass through while invincible. It still saved about a second (as opposed to killing it) but I'm still not happy with this result.
MEDUSA: A pretty easy boss - I used the Hover Glitch at the farthest possible point to minimize the time spent walking back to the door. I also had to find a spot that would deflect all of the snakes.
TEMPURA: Probably the weirdest boss of all, you have to fight three bosses in a row - a fried shrimp, an onion ring, and three on a stick! They all appear in the same place, so positioning isn't as crucial as in other boss battles, so I concentrated on pure speed here, getting in as many hits as possible with as little delay as possible. I used the hover glitch to deal damage multiple times without having to move, most notably against the skewer.
HAUNTED WELL: Just like the Medusa, this battle consisted of finding a spot that deflected the projectiles (plates in this case) and was as far away from the boss as possible to minimize travel time.
WORLD 3
This stage wasn't too hard - I only took a few damage boosts because I needed lots of health for the following stage. Not that there are terribly many opportunities, anyway...
In the part where the road splits (after the Umbrella Bats) it's about a half second faster to take the low road.
MINOTAUR: This boss is the first one so far that doesn't have a set pattern - he reacts to your actions, and thus can be manipulated to move as far to the left as possible. I jumped over him a few times to move him to the left, saving lots of time in the end.
MUMMY: This boss is one of the harder ones to optimize - he moves like the Minotaur, but also shoots lots of projectiles, limiting your movement possibilities. I think I did pretty well against him, though... I got him to the left side of the screen and trapped him there.
SPIDER: This boss, unlike the other two, has a pattern. He's similar to the Pumpkin Head except that his projectiles seem more accurate. This will not be the last time you see him, either, so beware...
WORLD 4
This was probably the hardest stage to TAS in the game. This is the first time that I take pills to transform into Bert, a flying dragon-bird-thing-guy that shoots lasers. I do this to take advantage of a shortcut that saves far more time than the six seconds lost to the transformation sequence.
I had an extra point of health left over. This is because I was going to boost through the last moving block. but it turned out to be a few frames faster to just fly over it. I might try to edit in another damage boost, but that might desync things. We'll see...
SLOWPOKE SAMURAI: This boss is the slowest of the moving bosses, so I was able to use the hover glitch to practically double (or even triple) my damage output against him.
CAT: Another stationary boss - as a cat owner, I feel bad having to harm a kitteh, but that's what the game wants me to do, so I guess I have to do it. Also, it appears to throw dead mice at me, which is kinda nasty.
PUNK ROCKER: This is the first boss that I fight as Bert, and he's a nasty one. His pattern isn't that different than the Spider's, but the fact that I'm playing as Bert, who can't deflect projectiles, makes it a frustrating battle, indeed. This battle could probably be improved.
WORLD 5
ZOMBIES: No, the movie hadn't desynced... to beat this boss, you just have to wait about 30 seconds and watch their dance. If you hit them, they'll start all over again. I decided, out of my own free will, to hump the floor in time to the music instead of just standing around.
HANIWA: I tried approaching this boss from the front, but it's actually faster to go around back and hit him in the shoulder. This is the last boss that I fight without transforming...
WORLD 6
This level is a maze of doors with only one boss. I transformed into Bert for the last time - I take pills at strategic locations to keep my transformation through the rest of the game.
CHAMELEON: He dies in like 4 hits. Yawn...
WORLD 7
This level is vertical, and thus the flying Bert is a huge help here. There are three bosses in this stage, but you only have to kill two of them. Because of having to keep my transformation going, I decided to take on Royce and the Spider, leaving the Grim Reaper out of it.
ROYCE: If I do this run again, I'll try taking a hit against him to see if it saves time (as opposed to having extra health to damage boost in the next stage).
SPIDER II: For some reason, this guy has the number "II" written on him. He's even easier than before...
WORLD 8
This is the last stage - just three regular bosses, and then the final boss!
DRAGON: This is the only boss battle in which I take damage to save time. I was able to manipulate him into staying to the left, thus saving oodles of time.
ZOMBIE: Ducking and shooting as Bert gives a short-range shot that can be rapidly fired. This is put to good use here.
MUMMY MASK: Like Royce, I could PROBABLY take some damage to save time here. I'm not sure if it's really worth it, though.
FINAL BOSS
This boss's weak point is his nose. He has to open his nose in order for you to hit him. I was able to manipulate him into opening his nose as frequently as possible (as far as I've tried...). He only takes seven shots - I did four the first time, and three the second.
