If I play the video in anything but VLC, the video almost seems to run at around 200-300% speed,
Wow, this is a poorly encoded video. I loaded this into VirtualDubMod and saw that every second frame (sometimes more) is a dropped frame. This means that the video isn't really 60 fps anymore since you'll only get maybe 30 unique frames in a 60 frame window. edit- Maybe it's not the encoder, but the game itself doing this, but you still have to question why it's published in 60 fps at all.
Kles, your media player probably skips these dropped frames, so it plays at double the speed or even faster.
Has tasvideos ever considered using x264/neroaacenc in mp4/aac format? It puzzles me why you still use H.264 in the avi container.
Did you never play Where's Waldo as a kid? :-/
VFW codec configuration -> H.264 disabled. Click on disabled and change to libavcodec.
Alright, let this thread get back on topic. If you still can't find the screen with the time, trust those that could.
Don't download those mega codec packs... eww.
Install FFDShow, if you want it to be the default h264 decoder, make sure the checkbox is turned on while installing. You can change it later by going to start->programs->ffdshow->video decoder configuration and setting H.264 to disabled.
Now, to view it in virtualdub, go to start->programs->ffdshow->vfw codec configuration and setting H.264 to libavcodec.
Sadly I don't think I'll ever get around to doing 17:xx now... I watched the TAS run and it was just at a level that can never be matched. For me, a speedrun isn't about the endtime so much as it is about having great, impressive tricks in it. All the stuff in the TAS was just so crazy and inventive, and anything I did would pale in comparison. If I recorded a 17:43 run I'd feel slow and stupid, and if I mastered a few of the new TAS tricks to squeeze out another 20 or 30 or whatever seconds, I'd feel like an unoriginal copycat tool. Originality's kind of my thing I guess.
Don't blame it solely on the new TAS though. Life's gotten really busy lately with senior year and college applications and stuff, and I honestly haven't done any speedrun stuff in over a month.
I still might send in 18:08 sometime, if Marius doesn't top it (and assuming I didn't record over it in my arrogance at eventually beating it).
Doesn't this site use x264 for its new videos? I use x264 from the doom9 forums with virtualdubmod.
There is no FFDshow for Mac, maybe you could try Mplayer.
Anyways, here's BWT04a encoded with divx6: http://rapidshare.de/files/7639689/BWT04a513divx6.avi.html
I don't think your BWT01 strategy will work, but it's worth a try.
The vulture mine trick is superb!! In a time attack it could probably be exploited even more and save almost all if not all of the units. Making this level done extremely fast indeed.
At the top, I somehow managed to kill 3 ghosts with 1 spidermine, try to figure out how to do that.
Is it enough though to make up for the previous level? I don't know but it will be close, I estimate the make em kill their own buildings trick will be over 2 minutes faster than killing the physics labs, but this vulture trick will easily make this level 2 minutes faster than the other version. Its looking like we will just have to try both methods and choose the faster.
I got BWT5b in 5:39, and BWT5a in 4:21 (using saves) with 2 tanks. If you can somehow save more tanks, it'll go even faster, and possibly not needing to bring the scvs along to deter the ghosts.
I think your dropship strat for BWT4a might be possible. The problem is that when I did my testing, there was always these 2 wraiths that came to attack the tanks about halfway into the siege. Hopefully there's some way to avoid those wraiths, maybe by luck manipulation, or AI manipulation. I got fed up and used power overwhelming just to see what kind of time you would get without those wraiths, and it's somewhere between 5:20 and 6:20, I say this because I forgot what time I got.. But I know it's roughly the same as my BWT4b 5:52. Here's the strat:
- Work your way up to 2 dropships and 2 tanks, 1 in each dropship.
- Bring dropships and wraiths to the right edge of the map, below the red base.
- Move dropships up to platform that is touching the edge of the map.
- Use wraiths to take enemy damage (use luck manipulation here, sometimes the A.I. gets stupid)
- One of your dropships should be taking more damage than the other, use this one to drop the first tank.
- Use the tank to kill the marine on the platform to make room for the second tank.
- Kill the bunker that is firing at your tanks.
- With the tank on the left, use comsat scan so it can destroy the farthest phys lab. 4 comsat scans will be just enough.
- Pray to god that the enemy wraiths don't destroy your tanks.
edit- The strat works, did it in a test run using a save before the drop. This gets 5:25 or lower.
edit2- Ok, this works for sure, just recorded a 5:13. :) Took me 100+ tries.
Holy shit! I think I found a crazy strat for BWT5a!
Get scvs mining, do not make extra scvs, research spider mines, make 2 vultures, lay spider mines at the top, when 2nd vulture is done, raise factory and float to the top. This kills about 5 or more ghosts, saving you a bunch of units including 2 tanks.
At first I tried blocking the ghosts by floating the buildings but Blizzard cleverly put burrowed zerglings to stop you. They didn't catch the vulture strat though. :)
Hopefully this will save some time.
edit- well damn. I managed to get the 2 tanks to the command center using saves, but then red drops about 5 ghosts on the platform..
edit again- I figured out the end part with all the enemy ghosts. You have to bring scvs along in another dropship and attack enemy ghosts as soon as they land. The ghosts will react by using lockdown on the scvs instead of the tanks. With this strategy you can get 4:21 or lower.
I could try BWT5a, but first BWT4 needs a fast time with the phys labs and a 1.13 strat. I read your strat from the previous page, so I'll try and get that to work.
I knew about the observer trick, but not that it works for anything. I'll have to be on the lookout for places to implement this.
Flagitious, I really like your strats. :D I just beat BWT05b in 5:39 with one dropship. I think I found a way to manipulate the enemy A.I. so that one of the ghosts that I pass doesn't use lockdown (most of the time).
I'll describe it: When you choose to use the path through the middle and not the sides, you have to go up between two turrets. Now, when you go through those turrets you'll see a small block of high ground above, where you'd need a dropship to get to. Park your dropship there for a second or two. My theory is that this causes the A.I. to wait for a dropship to transport its ghost, instead of just waiting for you to go by. From the block you should be able to figure out the path.
Actually, after looking at my 4:15, there were some ugly mistakes in it and I decided to try again. Current record is 4:10. :)
When you see my vid, you'll think it was easy to get that time, but I got lucky. The enemy units seemed to stay out of my way, whereas in other attempts I was just totally outnumbered. Sub 4:10 is possible, but it won't be me to get it.
Something I noticed when Duran is shooting the Command Center, the scv that repairs the CC consistently goes to repair it when it's between 1250-1300 hitpoints.
I got a 4:15 and I'm happy with it. Video will be uploaded later.
I did a practice run on BWT01 with a time of 5:25. Here's what I did:
- Start mining with scvs
- Send tanks and marines to Duran base
- Build a refinery
- Send Duran to top left, position him between the 2 mineral patches, so as to block units trying to get through.
- While getting gas, make some marines at Duran base.
- Research siege mode
- Send the 2 tanks + marines + scvs to top left, try not to attack anything on the way to avoid drawing other enemies.
- With the 2 tanks, start pounding away at the Command Center.
There's no point in getting +1 upgrade since you need the gas for siege mode, and the upgrade probably wouldn't finish in time.
Try to time it so that siege upgrade is finished just as the 2 tanks make it to the top left.
You have to swap more than the exe.
If my memory is correct, you have to swap starcraft.exe, storm.dll, patch_rt.mpq, battle.snp, and maybe standard.snp.
Hmm sorry, I meant BWT05 B, the one with battlecruisers. Still, you should try navigating through the middle instead of the edges.
BTW, I just did BWP07 in 1:10. After reviewing it, the execution looks very clean. It will be uploaded some time today.
I did some practice runs on BWT01 and BWT05 using saves.
For BWT01, attacking the command center and getting +1 attack got me a 6:21. Slow, but still a minute faster than the current record. There was always 1 scv that went to repair the command center, but you just have to wait for him, shoot him once, then go back to attacking the CC. The scv will get scared and not do any more repairing. Shooting the scv doesn't trigger a comsat scan. The pause trick only works when the gameplay isn't frozen.
BWT05A, I think it's possible with 1 drop ship and 2 tanks using a certain path. Instead of going all the way to the bottom right and up, you navigate through the middle. If you study the turret locations you'll see the path. This avoids that turret that you would fly over when going bottom right and up. The major problem is the ghosts along the way that will *almost* always lock you down. I did manage to navigate through the middle, but only once or twice out of 50+ tries.
BWP07 strat sounds awesome.. I will try it out.
edit, forgot to mention-
For BWT06, when the tanks are being dropped, try to get them to immediately attack the Command Center, and then immediately going into siege mode. The CC has default 1 armour, so you'll end up doing 1500 - 116, 1384 - 276, 1108 - 276, 832 - 276, 556 - 276, 280 - ~5 - 276, just enough to destroy it.
I registered just because of this topic. :D This project has me very excited! I always wondered what Starcraft would look like as a TAS.
You have some good strategies. I can't believe Marsh and I never thought of sending 2 tanks on BWT05. :P
For BWT01 you send Duran to the top left and slowly kill the Command Center? Is it really that simple? I haven't tried but you could build an engineering bay and refinery to get +1 attack. I'm not sure if the upgrade would finish in time, but if it does, every little bit helps.
Do you plan on sending legit runs of the BW terran campaign to SDA? If not, would you mind if I gave a shot at missions 1 and 5? I would credit you for the strat, like I did for mission 8.