Posts for WarHippy

Posted: 11/5/2020 11:26 AM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

It doesn't sound like the game suffers from sub-optimal play. You just found a new strategy for 5 out of 16 levels. I think the best solution would be to un-claim this submission and go into co-authorship with artbreeder. Another option is to let artbreeder try to implement these improvements and retain sole authorship. Since he would have to re-do the whole run due to rng manipulation this seems fair. Otherwise, I think it would be fine to move forward even though there's a known improvement.

Posted: 10/15/2020 11:02 AM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

Personman wrote:

"... but I don't see why it can't be its own branch, assuming people like the video." "...debug features exist on the shipped cartridge and are accessed via normal controller inputs."

That puts the door wide open for cheat codes since the developers intentionally put them onto the cartridge, too. I don't want to see another 20 branches added to every game due to some combination of cheats/debug stuff.

Personman wrote:

There's no principled way to distinguish "debug tools left in" from any other glitch or even normal behavior.

Using Player 2's controller for debugging stuff seems to be a relatively common practice in early games.

Personman wrote:

...there's no reason at all that a high-quality, entertaining run that does use them shouldn't be published on its own branch.

This is called a Play-around. And this movie definitely doesn't qualify for that title since it tries to beat the game as fast as possible (using debug inputs).

Posted: 10/6/2020 9:52 PM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

I know it’s pretty late for this, but there are several levels where on the final screen you simply land and walk all the way to the end. Is there a reason you don’t try using up fuel during these sections? And does it cost time to fire the laser? Just another way to use up fuel before the end. (I’m assuming less fuel equals faster level end)

Posted: 9/25/2020 1:31 AM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

Fantastic! I'm looking forward to the final form, as well.

Posted: 8/30/2020 11:19 AM

Post subject: Re: Dream Team Contest 9 - Game revealed!

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

RetroEdit wrote:

Having the most Start inputs in the input log of your movie is also a purely objective criteria. That doesn't mean it's a meaningful way to compare movies, or that it should be used as a tiebreaker.

A higher score is the only way to tell the difference between two equally fast submissions at the end of the game.

RetroEdit wrote:

Generally, the winning movie is modified to utilize the best strategies from the collective pool of contest movies.

Exactly. The final movie will have all optimizations AND entertainment added in. There is no requirement to have Hi Score as part of the goals of the final movie. It's just a tie-breaker for this contest.

Posted: 8/30/2020 3:33 AM

Post subject: Re: Dream Team Contest 9 - Game revealed!

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

Memory wrote:

Dacicus wrote:
In the event that two or more runs tie for first place based on time, the combined final score (P1 score + P2 score on the trophy screen) will be used as a secondary determinant of rank; the higher score will have a higher ranking.
I really don't like this rule tbh. It means in the event of two equally as fast strategies, I have to go with whatever gets the most score rather than whatever is the most entertaining. Same with downtime.

This is a contest, and winning by score is a purely objective criteria. It’s not like the winning movie has never been modified before submission to the site.

Posted: 8/29/2020 8:47 AM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

This game throws an error on BizHawk 2.4.1 and 2.4.2. Note: It will still run, but you can't use TAStudio. In order to run this game you need to use BizHawk 2.4 with prereqs 2.1 installed (using more recent versions of the prereqs don't have the required Visual C++ 2012 Update).

Posted: 8/20/2020 11:08 PM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

I'll be joining team 🐻🐦 this year.

Posted: 7/28/2020 6:08 AM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

RetroEdit wrote:

But that leaves a question: We have gotten a movie file that represents more accurate emulation, namely the movie file that has been resynced to real-console. How do we proceed? How do we treat the original publication?

Both files can still live alongside each other in harmony. The console-verified file can be added to the Published page of links below as a new line. [BizHawk Movie for console (.bk2)] https://i.imgur.com/vbGY17U.png But I'm not necessarily a fan of adding the console verified flag since the actual submission itself doesn't do that. MOD EDIT: Unembedded large image -Mothrayas

Posted: 7/23/2020 7:41 PM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

Yes vote for beating previous submission

Posted: 7/18/2020 12:05 PM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

For reference on exactly what's being used, here's the description of the cheat code. I am very much against allowing this cheat for several reasons. First, and foremost, it is used purely for entertainment purposes. All this does is circumvent the 'Bad Game Choice' tag. There are many games that just aren't interesting as a TAS. This doesn't feel like an exception. Secondly, I think this would set a bad precedent for allowing codes that make a game easier... (i.e. almost every cheat code ever made). We truly do not need people to tag TAS's as cheating any more so than usual. Third, being able to use a code in this fashion cuts motivation for finding creative solutions to the game's natural barriers.

Posted: 7/9/2020 7:31 PM
(Edited: 7/16/2020 12:46 PM)

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

Alright. Here's the updated submission.

Posted: 6/27/2020 3:52 AM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

@Blaze That kind of reasoning in your edit is exactly what was ruled on in [4173] SMS Zool: Ninja of the "Nth" Dimension "game end glitch" by The8bitbeast in 00:21.61 Even if it matches what a human can do, it's still acceptable.

Posted: 6/25/2020 2:59 PM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

Whelp, I accidentally found a 154 frame improvement on the second half of the Red Ribbon Army Base. Going to work on getting it synced again. Will update this post when complete.

Posted: 6/2/2020 10:52 PM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

While writing up submission notes I accidentally found another ~~200~~ 121 frames of savings on the mini boss in the Underwater Caverns... yay? Anywho, I've been working on getting the RNG to sync up instead of re-doing half the run again. -Edit- I meant to say I saved around 2 seconds, not 200 frames. I also was finally able to get the RNG lined up, but it de-synced again halfway through the final level when I got another purple turtle shell. As a side note I'm now only 102 frames ahead. I lost 10 frames to RNG manipulation and another 9 frames from extra lag. Re-doing half a level is just going to be easier than getting the rng lined up again, especially since I'll be getting a second purple shell later in the level. There was one part of the final fight with Piccolo that seemed slow, so hopefully this change in rng will allow for an ideal fight.

Posted: 5/16/2020 10:38 AM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

Trial and error :P Also TAStudio spoiled me.... hard. I was fully expecting to learn save states when I started my first TAS, but it never came to be. More than a few times I've considered starting a pay-for-lua thread. After spending so long working with the .lua that Thunderaxe and xy2_ created for DBAA, and after working extensively with the .lua Cyorter (and later Blazephlozard) created for DTC 8 I can't in good conscience continue working on TASes without one. I'm almost assuredly going to request help to create a .lua for me for my next project.

Posted: 5/16/2020 10:09 AM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

I'm interested. I strongly believe I can be objective and rules-oriented in my judgement. My concern is that I have zero experience with emulators outside of BizHawk nor can I use RAM search or savestates for checking values or optimization. In short, I would need a lot of help on the technical side of things.

Posted: 5/10/2020 9:28 PM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

I only noticed the clock-stop glitch happening on one of the fights (Don Flamenco), and only then because I had time to look around while Mac was down. The point being that the glitch has no noticeable effect on game play (except for it being longer). There is no new content that this glitch showcases. And even if there was, it'd still be less than 50% different from the regular run at 4 out of 13 fights. It was a little entertaining watching Mac toy with his opponents a bit more.

Posted: 5/6/2020 11:14 AM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

bonecrusher1022 wrote:

...I'm not too familiar with hex editing in TAS Studio. There's no real RNG so it should be easy once I learn how to do it...

Hex editing is an old school term that simply means editing, so modifying your earlier inputs with TAStudio is exactly that. The lack of RNG makes it really nice. Back to 6:08 in the first wip, though. Getting hit causes a 31 frame hit stun whose timer only begins when you touch the ground. I was able to discern this using youtube's frame advance feature and comparing it to when you get hit the second time by the snail in the second wip. Where I'm going with this is that you should instead run into the starfish enemy as low down as possible to land on the ledge sooner. I think this can save ~10 frames which might be just enough to beat the platform cycle at the end. The wip for world 2 looks pretty good. There might be a chance to abuse the checkpoint at 0:31. You get 45 frames of invincibility to move around with once you recover from being sent back to a checkpoint. If you fall down and get hit by the purple crystals as soon as possible this looks like it'll let you beat the cycle for the rings. If it works you'd save about 40 frames. Best of luck!

Posted: 5/5/2020 9:33 AM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

The work looks good so far. That speed boost looks like it can be deliciously broken. I have a few questions, though. Is there any way to conserve your momentum while turning around? I ask because bouncing back and forth underneath a low ceiling could allow for some massive speed build up. At 2:56 instead of just standing at the gate couldn't you build up some jump momentum using the platforms on the left? There were a few other spots in the movie where I felt this could apply. At 4:05 in the encode is there really no way to damage boost through the snail or attack it in some way? ~~At 6:08 is there a reason why you stop on the ledge even though you're already invincible?~~ Edit - Nvm, those recovery frames are terrible. ~~At 6:20 do the purple crystals 1-hit KO you?~~ Also nvm, from the RTA I see that it sends you back to the check point. But, at 6:20 it does seem like there's enough time to get hit once so that the golden heart doesn't get counted at the end of the level.

Posted: 5/5/2020 8:50 AM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

This run is almost complete. I'm now at the final battle with Piccolo, and I just got the run fully synced on BizHawk 2.4.1 (mGBA 0.8.1). In a pleasantly surprising turn of events I removed all the lag frames that were created from syncing to mGBA 0.8. Expect a completed submission by the end of the month!

Posted: 3/29/2020 12:51 PM
(Edited: 7/16/2020 1:33 PM)

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

I just beat Tao Pai Pai again which is originally where I left off to start this TAS all over again with a new strategy for the one-on-one fights. In total, I am 1019 frames ahead of the published run. Note that the total in-game improvement is closer to 1100 frames. I lost ~100 frames to lag from more accurate emulation, but I don't know how to figure out the exact amount. Underwater Caverns pt. 1 - The bulk of improvements in this level over the published run can be found here. Nearly every fight in this level was improved beyond that by either spawning enemies on the optimal side of the screen or better use of the ki blast. Underwater Caverns pt. 2 Above Ground - Not much change compared to the previous improvement of this section. Just some different RNG manipulation. Underwater Caverns pt. 3 - Minor improvements and RNG manipulation Tao Pai Pai (1st time) - Minor changes Catch-a-kitty - I was able to manipulate every spawn to be an instant appearance instead of a slow fade-in. Tao Pai Pai (2nd Time) - 223 frames saved by keeping him on the ground and using ki blasts for optimal damage. ~~I still feel like I can do better on this fight, so I'll keep working at it before moving on to the next level (the Nimbus cloud stage)~~ -Edit- I saved an additional 94 frames by changing the ki blast pattern which caused a better set of movements from the enemy.

Posted: 3/22/2020 12:41 PM
(Edited: 7/16/2020 1:33 PM)

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

Now that I'm back from the Dream Team Contest 8 I can make headway into project again. Muscle Tower is completed 94 frames faster than the published run. In total, I'm 269 frames ahead. After getting the lvl. 3 Ki blast I choose to not to charge up a shot because I was losing a bunch of frames to lag. I still ended up 3 frames slower after the fight. I ended up 4 frames faster after the second fight. I needed one less hit against the two robot enemies at the end of the fight since they spawned closed together. 14 frames lost after the third fight mostly due to more lag from more accurate emulation. There's a bunch of RNG manipulation before the screen transition. It costs a lot of time, but it's well worth it for the next fight. The 1st Mini-boss fight against a big bruiser (Lieutenant Metallic). I discovered a new quirk in the boss's behavior. He will execute a chain of attacks with very limited move sets. In this chain he will start it with a Missile or an Overhead Pound. RNG will then determine if he then does nothing, fires a missile, or does an overhead pound. He will keeping chaining these attacks until the RNG picks the 'nothing' option, so I keep manipulating him to fire missiles all fight so that I can reflect them. 73 frames saved in this fight. 11 frames were saved in the fight before the second transition. In the published movie I punch an enemy near the end of the fight for RNG manip. This delayed the body from hitting the ground and disappearing so that the next wave of enemies could spawn. I didn't realize the spawn time was related to the bodies fully disappearing during that part of the fight. Saved 5 frames in the second phase of the Murasaki Ninja fight. I needed to use one less hit on the group of 3 ninjas since they were closer together. I saved 19 frames in the next fight by getting all of the enemies to spawn on the right side of the screen. In the published run there was one set that spawned on the left side. Saved a few frames by taking out one set of enemies with regular attacks instead of waiting to reflect a grenade. Minor changes to the boss to maintain good RNG damage manipulation. That's it for now. Halfway through this next level is where my sync ended in trying to get the published run synced to BizHawk 2.4 (mGBA 0.8). There was a change in RNG that I couldn't duplicate in mGBA 0.8. There had only been changes in the amount of lag up to this point. I tried syncing this new run on the latest dev build of bizhawk which has mGBA 0.8.1. It unfortunately desynced on level 1, but hopefully it's only just lag frames. If there's a change to the RNG, then I don't know if I have it in me to re-do the whole run... again... We'll see Until next time!

Posted: 2/28/2020 12:50 PM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

SonicFan53 wrote:

... I wanted to get it submitted quickly after finishing.

There's no reason to do that (especially when it doesn't beat a known record). There is no one racing you on making a TAS for the same game. Even if there was, only the fastest of the two would get published. Take your time and focus on quality. On the submission page use the 'Prefill Submission Text' button. It will give you an excellent framework to follow for writing submission text. Use it to help explain what tricks were used in each level or any oddities that made the tas easier/harder to make.

Posted: 2/25/2020 12:55 PM

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WarHippy

Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Experienced player (994)

Joined: 1/9/2011
Posts: 227

Hello SonicFan53. I very much applaud you for putting yourself out there. It's always great to have new blood in the TASing community. As for your game choices, (Mario and Sonic) you have decided to specialize in two of the most iconic game franchises out there. These games and their sequels have been TASed to the point of near perfection. Any attempt to surpass them requires an intensely deep and expansive understanding of the underlying game mechanics. This is in addition to being able to utilize multiple tools at once in an attempt to create a perfect run. Simply put, it is not possible for a brand new runner at your level to challenge these records. Your demonstration of Green Hill Act 1 is 2 seconds slower than Aglar's current video. I highly suggest finding a game that has no current publication on the site and making a TAS out of that. Make sure to take your time. If you get from beginning to end in a couple days or less, then it's guaranteed to be sub-optimal and almost guaranteed to be rejected. Keep going back over sections and trying again. It should take a couple weeks to make a worthy submission. When you become really good at fine-tuning and optimization it should be starting to take 1-3 months for more high quality submissions.