What was the estimate for "hacked/hard 100%" again?
It will definitely be needed in submission text when it's done, but since we're discussing the fate of that submission in advance, it makes sense to have a list in advance too, and have people assess it.
Forgot if I asked but is there any kind of an in-game cheat code or a password to unlock NG+ right away?
1) An initial estimate is in the range of two hours maybe. However, it might be less if better strategies were discovered along the way.
2) Okay I'll prepare it.
3) AFAIK there is none.
I checked the link Samsara posted. Both NG and NG+ are any% and they are following the same strategy. Both fought the minimum number of bosses and at no point accessed any content that doesn't contribute towards finishing the game as fast as possible. Since the NG+ content is peppered across the entire game you'd have to do any% NG and then 100% NG+. I would say a super optimized TAS NG following the current world record from RTA would be around 1h30m. I'm currently experimenting with strategy that utilizes TAS but not sure how far I can push sub 1:30 if possible even. Add around 45 minutes for the NG+ content and you're looking at around 3:40 ~ 4:00.
To define the 100% here are in-game verifications I aim to achieve by the end of the run. They are in the form of achievement titles:
1) Seeker of Truth (finish the game once)
2) Successor of the Legacy (loot every chest in the game)
3) Finder of Dark (100% map)
4) (various titles specific to NG+ bosses including the game's superboss)
5) (various titles specific to key items)
6) Conqueror of time (beat all time-trials with an Excellent rating)
Additionally, just to give you an idea of what's locked behind NG+ doors here is an example:
Fairly early in the game you enter "Undercity West" where you find enemies like Ghast (125 HP) which is a rehashed version of the garden-variety zombie you meet in the first 5 minutes of the game. By accessing the NG+ content you come in contact with Death (350 HP). It might not seem like much until you realize it has very high affinity (resistance) to multiple elements, it can teleport to anywhere in the room, and it has access to level 4 magic (some of which you only get in NG+2). The best part? There are TWO Deaths in the same room. You need ungodly level of magic power to kill it with a spell and you need to exploit the AI to be able to kill it with a melee attack. Furthermore, you need to equip an adequate weapon and it needs to have the exact affinity of enemy type and opposite affinity of element type. Otherwise, you'll be inflicting zero damage or the probability of landing an attack will be zero. I don't need to mention you can kill a Ghast with your bare hands with your base character.
If you want a list of NG+ content and why it can categorically be listed under hard mode to allow a "hard mode hack" entry I can do it. I'm still on the lookout for help to locate the hex address for the Rood Inverse to see if the game will behave weirdly if toggled on in a fresh save.
Let me first thank Samsara because he understands exactly what I am going for and it helps a lot of course that Samsara is familiar with the game. Additionally, I'm thankful for the sensibility feos is showing. I want you to know that I hear your concerns and it's my belief that this request aligns perfectly with the spirit of TAS: The thrill, challenge, problem solving, and optimization.
feos wrote:
It's theoretically possible to approach it as a hard mode NG+ hack, but I don't know if there will be an agreement about it.
What if I found the hex address of the Rood Inverse key item and toggled it on to access the restricted areas as an alternative method to the one suggested earlier? Would this be allowed as a hard mode NG+ exception since the restricted areas feature stronger enemies, mightier bosses and the game's superboss?
Hello, this discussion started on Discord and I was recommended to move it here.
I am trying to make a base character base stats base equipment 100% TAS for Vagrant Story (PSX). I want to start fresh like how a new player would. However. there are multiple issues with that:
1) Around 1/3 of the game is accessible only in NG+
2) This NG+ exclusive content isn't situated in one location (e.g. bonus dungeon). Instead, you gain access to multiple locations scattered around the entire game. i.e. 14+ locked doors you encounter them all over the entire map.
3) There is no way to legitimacy finish the game without raising any of your stats because after you finish each boss an unskippable screen appears and one of your stats is raised randomly. This means around 30 bosses and around 30 times your stats are increased randomly.
Each one of these points is problematic and here is why:
1) TAS runs that go through the game twice contain a lot of repeated content and are boring to watch
2) You can't edit the video to include the extra content because your character in NG+ is vastly different from your character in NG. There are some unskippable gains that drastically change the experience and such jumps back and forth will negatively impact the quality of the run more than improve it.
3) These stat gains defeat the purpose of going through 100% of the game with base character/stats/equipment. I either do NG+ with OP character that insta-kills everything or a fresh character to simulate the experience of new players. My goal is to do the latter.
Now after looking at the Rules for Movies (http://tasvideos.org/MovieRules.html) it seems like exceptions were made for "save-anchored movies" and "Record from SRAM". I'm appealing to this exception because I'm proposing the following:
I illegitimately jump to the final boss and defeat it. This will allow me to get the key item needed for the NG+ exclusive content without altering my base character AT ALL or in any way. After accessing the NG+ save file, there will be no further interference of any kind. My goal is to bypass the in-game restriction and do an honest and fun run with lots of interesting strategies super unique to Vagrant Story that makes it an especially challenging/rewarding game to TAS.
If there are any questions or specifics you need to know before making up your mind, I'll be happy to answer. Here are some points below that came across the discussion on Discord:
1) Everything carries over to NG+ except consumables and key items.
2) Progress is reset to zero with every NG+. However, the game keeps track internally with your best progress across all NG+ (The game keeps track of various stuff because of the in-game achievements)
3) AFAIK there are no reproducible in-game glitches that allows me to get the endgame screen or skip all bosses.
Thank you very much!