That was a really weird game...
Anyway, nicely done TAS. The fights agaisnt bosses are a little repetitive, but the rest is nice enough for giving it a yes vote.
As someone who has played this game before, the boss fights are actually one of the more interesting parts to me. I expected them to be just punch spam through invincibility bug abuse, but the dodging, luck manipulation, and Kamehameha use make them more fun to watch. I did not know before this run that damage was randomized, or that enemies had invulnerability periods. Strong yes vote from me.
The Alexis encounter at Ruins Area 4? I am not in reach of an open square past the trigger spot, as the map doesn't have any explored spots past that trigger, and the only tiles in reach from the doorway are walls and the scene trigger. Warping to the scene trigger square does not let me skip it.
That's odd. I know I've done it before (see http://i.imgur.com/x9NhYvz.jpg ), but I don't remember how. I started a new file to try to reproduce it, but simple warping doesn't work. In this screenshot the script is broken - stepping on the trigger square does not activate the scene, and her NPC sprite is just standing there forever. (you can see I backtracked since I have the best equipment) When the arrow hits her sprite it produces an invincible *tink* sound, and her sprite is invisible when facing any direction other than south. I wish I remember how I did this. It may have involved getting into the area through the pit somehow? I'm not sure.
I recently got a new desktop, so I was finally able to watch the most recent WIP. Two things jump out at me:
Is there a particular reason why you didn't skip the Alexis encounter in the Ruins? IIRC you can just teleport around the trigger point like in the Tower, and that would remove a fairly lengthy cutscene.
At the Alexis encounter in the Fortress, is it faster to save her or kill her? (You have the option of attacking her yourself; she'll drop the key on death and won't show up in the ending.) I don't remember how the two versions of the scene compare in length, or whether you still have to deal with the Rakshasa afterwards. If Alexis is dead then the ending will be significantly shorter, but player input has already ended by that point so that part is moot.
A flat 255 power? Very interesting.
I don't suppose the secret shop in the Fortress could be useful in a TAS? (On floor 3 or 4, in the big room where you build a "bridge" over lots of pits with hidden switches, there's a fake wall off to the side where hides a shopkeeper goblin.) That shop sells Hardening Potions, making it possible to farm infinite gold by buying those and Swords of Flames, using the potions, and selling the swords. This might come too late or take too long to be of use to a TAS though.
Ah, I should have known that would be a problem. Oh well.
I think it would be good to have commentary on parts of the run that aren't obvious from just watching it. Stuff like the Warp spell being a secret, floor gimmicks like not being able to sleep in Ruins Area 6, or the fact that a good amount of optional objectives are skipped like the Headless and Arachness boss fights. I'd be interested in making a commentary if you don't want to. I quite enjoy this game (despite its flaws).
The little room with Double is a tricky one. When you first pass by that 2x1 chamber it's sealed airtight, but after you've passed it one of the walls will change to be fake. You can confirm that the room unseals itself as the map will show the difference. However, if you take the teleporter soon after that takes you back to the start of the 3-floor maze, the room will reseal itself permanently. The fact that it is permanently missable is probably why most players never find it.
Edit: When I say "first pass by", I mean at the end of the maze where the three pillars are.
Nice work! I can't watch your playthrough yet because my laptop can't run lsnes, but I'm looking forward to an encoding. Since I can't watch, I want to ask;
Did you get the hidden Double spell late in the Fortress? IIRC it's at the end of Fortress:8.
Does the strength boost from Double cap your str at 99, or can you go above that?
Also, how does that southeast pit on Ruins:1 actually work? Sometimes it takes me to the small normal area, sometimes to the big secret area, and I don't know what controls that.
