Alright, this run deserves a hundred yes votes from me, it's hilariously hilarious! No, seriously, it's so silly that it almost rivals Altered Beast in its silliness.
I absolutely loved every aspect of this game, from moronic sound effects to ridiculous animation. The main character is made of pure gold as well (not to mention that he evidently suffers from acute haemorrhoids). Oh, and Jennifer with her… everything, including the incredibly high-pitched noise she emits when she sees the main character. Oh man…
I adored the autoscrolling sections whose main theme was "they voluntarily drop onto my fist and stumble upon my foot". I laughed at the elevators until I choked. The bosses are as funny as they can be. The boat scene in the end was worth a million (thank you!). I don't think there was anything I didn't like about this run.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Just outta curiosity (and I don't want to derail this thread too much), what would constitute a "stylish" run? Vatchern's run got shot down pretty hard, even though it was faster, because it apparently lacked the style that Sleepz' run had.
It is inarguable that Vatchern's run sacrificed variety for speed, and RCR isn't impressive under such conditions, not to mention that there are not too many opportunities for a good fight (I can only remember three). Sleep showcases very good combos, juggling and using the pickup items. With two players, there's even more potential for entertaining fights, with each player beating and exchanging the foes, or juggling a single enemy. It only takes a creative mind to unleash the entertainment potential of this game (I'm pretty sure that players with very good sense of style, like JXQ, would make it really a star-worthy run).
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
RCR has star potential no less than, say, Arkanoid or Gradius, but it has yet to be unfolded. Basically, it just needs a very stylish run, which the game has the means for.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
I will submit only one run for which I let me time as much as I need, and this run will make everything clear once and for all.
I will always find improvements in your runs! You will never beat me! HA HA AH AAHA ahA HAH AAhaaha!!!
Seriously, though, there's a WIP available, and it's waiting for your comments. ;)
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Although I mostly agree with the things Hero said above, I would like to discuss them a bit.
hero of the day wrote:
#1 - Do not keep secrets. People who keep secrets are playing for pride or ego. Keeping secrets just so your run will be better than someone else's when you are done is just foolish and counterproductive. All information should be shared with the community in order to produce the best possible movie, regardless of author.
It only makes sense between players who actually need the indepth data, but not always so when it comes to watchers (at least until the movie is released). For instance, as a watcher, I like surprises and don't see much reason in spoiling the singular/local techs beforehand, since it makes a run more predictable (and when it comes to nth generation improvements, they already get pretty predictable by that point). WIPs are a bit different in this respect, since they are integral, and I, as a watcher, still have a chance of both seeing things in order, rather than knowing about them beforehand, and, as a player, incorporate them in my movie or suggest improvements. Generic techs are also different, since there can be numerous applications the viewers wouldn't have an idea about (the shortest charge goes here).
hero of the day wrote:
#2 - ENJOY SEEING YOUR MOVIES OBSOLETED. How many people here say that? not very many at all. I enjoy TASes because they push the game to the limit. If someone manages to improve upon a game that I really like, then this is a good thing. There is no reason to get angry. If you are so full of pride that you fear seeing your runs obsoleted, that is just sad.
I agree. The only thing I would like to point out, though, is stylistics. A popular example people know well is JXQ's Crocomire fight. Normally a boring event, it's looks hilarious in his movie. Accepting a run that will be faster, but won't contain such artistic goodness, as an improvement wouldn't be too easy for me. Flagitious's Big Boo battle is also a good example. I also liked the previous version of 2-p Contra III run more for that matter. Also, FODA's SM64-120.
hero of the day wrote:
#3 - Never make claims of how good you are, or how perfect your run is. Arrogance is absolutely useless, and it is a fine way to piss off your fellow TASers. Beside, claiming perfection is the EPITOME of pride.
Agreed. You've yet to match my time, though. ;P
hero of the day wrote:
#4 - Do not become emotionally attached to your work. It's just a fucking game. If someone beats you to the punch, don't cry about it.
Fully agreed. The old movie is still there, anyway.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Sorry you feel that way Micheal, but to a MK64 newbie this movie looks nice to watch. I'm sure alot of viewers would like to watch it.
However, "Micheal" has a point. A TAS should beat known world records if aiming for speed, and if it isn't the case, as he has reported, then it shouldn't be published.
Rules say:
If your movie is going to beat something, be sure it beats it.
If your tool-assisted movie is slower than the non-tool-assisted world record of the game you play, your movie will almost certainly be rejected.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
IMO, there's no reasons to keep a single player run there, since it's very outdated, not even closely as entertaining as 2-p, and isn't even considerably faster.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Hmm… The game is very cool by itself, much better than one would expect from NES, with relatively good graphics, music and story (rather truthful in regards to the movie), not to mention 4 different gameplay modes.
The run is decent as well, though I believe 1-on-1 fights (and maybe some overhead fights) could be improved a bit.
But somehow I couldn't watch it without fastforwarding. :( My vote is meh with a tilt towards yes.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
To put it simply, I'm doing it because it is an awesome brain game. Saving frames compared to TASers like Hero of the day, Saturn and JXQ is a joy by itself, even if the result has no future. Not to mention the fact that it's my favorite game and I really like how the result looks.
Even if someone (though it is highly unlikely) will manage to improve it in the future, I personally will accept it rather easily (except if they ruin the style).
I assume it has something to do with ego in either way, but since I'm doing it mainly for myself, I don't care much about publicity and thus don't actively announce my accomplishments (except between some of my TASing friends, including the aforementioned people).
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
The less personal affection you have for a run you make, the easier it is both for you to have it obsoleted and for the author who decides to do so.
That being said, people do need motivation.
I can fully understand Comicalfop's case: "everyone becomes happy and surprised when they see this movie" is a very motivating event to anticipate, whereas "achieving the frame-perfect timing" is more like "what's the point".
That being said, they're not mutually exclusive, as I have stated in my post in the submission message. :)
I myself use that as a motivation for the run I'm currently producing as well, but I will continue working on it even if someone will submit a run only marginally slower than mine (I refuse to believe someone can make it faster, definitely not in this case). Moreover, the recent events related to it, including Kejardon solving a possibility for 9% run, didn't stop me as well, even though they easily could.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
I think the intention of "owning" a movie (something we discussed with mmbossman a bit in the Vectorman thread), some of its particular aspects — tricks, strategies, stylistic choices, etc. — or the priority in submission or publication makes a movie a pride movie. Ethics aside, this community is pretty much "open-source" in many aspects (the main of them being the availability of movie files after they're submitted in their entirety), so nothing technically prohibits anyone from copypasting a chunk of a completed movie into their own, and people understand that.
That being said, claiming rights for a run, the submission priority or anything like that is useless and noticeably counterproductive, and it leads to "dramas" like the one in MK64 submission. The less personal affection you have for a run you make, the easier it is both for you to have it obsoleted and for the author who decides to do so.
Also, consider the point that for "putting one's heart into a run", Comicalflop considered gaving up on it way too quickly, whereas I, for example, would go on without regard to anything, exactly for that same purpose.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
This game should get an award for the most hilarious sound effects, particularly that "AWESOME…" moan. :D
Regarding the run, it didn't impress me much, but seemed to pick up a bit starting with the 3rd level. It can be a fine run if it keeps the pace on that level or above.
I can't provide any feedback on quality, just keep in mind that it's always faster to keep one character running as close to the "forward" side of the screen as possible, with the other doing "side jobs" on the way while the screen is scrolling, rather than alternating them or something (NES Contra/SuperC runs are a good example). Also, I've noticed a bit of lag during some jar throwing sequences, have you tried something to decrease it? And I assume you have all the needed memory addresses to ease the positioning/speed optimization?
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Comicalflop, from your message(s), it's rather clear you're attending psychology studies, and putting many things like a politician would, but it's still clear that you're effectively substituting concepts and categories to make them appear differently than they appear to others. Which includes Upthorn's and BoMF's points.
Please consider the difference between making a run because you want to make it, and making a run for audience. These are two entirely different sets of goals which are in no way mutually exclusive, and the guidelines of the site unambiguously favor the first set. Why? Simple: to avoid crushing comicalflops' egoes. You have unambiguously stated that you wanted to be the first and that it was your run. Excuse me, since when do we have rights and patents on runs, tricks, strategies? I wouldn't be the part of this community if everyone claimed their projects and the means of accomplishing them as their own. Now I know it wasn't your point, and you had good intentions (to surprise audience, etc.) throughout, but it doesn't mean you have any more rights to submit than Weatherton, since it's his work, too. He made it and he wanted to make it public, and you should respect his choice, even if it's not awesomely convenient for your project. Waiting for you for a year to submit a short run that is already done? Come on, is that how you are treating your partners only to become the first to "surprise audience"? That's very cool, indeed.
Another point to consider is: if you think people will get spoiled by this run and would want to watch the full run less because of it, then maybe they didn't have that much desire to watch the full run anyway. I've yet to see Fabian's upcoming SMW-96 improvement less favored due to the fact that there already are two other 96-exit runs published before it that feature all the same levels, and a handful of 11-exit runs in addition to that. And he takes enough pride in his work not to quit halfways only because a good portion of the levels won't be drastically (or even at all) different, and that surely deserves respect.
Oh, and regarding this particular submission: I am a bit disappointed, although I can't say I couldn't see this coming. The only race I actually liked was the third one, all the others were interesting as concepts, but very unentertaining to watch. I'll have to vote meh.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
That's because faac sucks terribly, and is being surpassed by everyone: Nero, Apple, Coding Technologies and 3GPP AAC implementations. See also: "Results of Public, Multiformat Listening Test @ 48 kbps (November 2006)" (one of my samples, "eig", ended up being used for that test).
I used Nero's encoder, version 1.0.7.0, ABR, 2-pass @ 24 kbps. So far it's only available for Windows, but I seem to remember you had a Windows box around, so you could use it for audio encoding, or think about some another option.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Ahh, what can be better to vote no on, than a run, showing boss refights for about 1/3 of its length! \o/
Seriously, though, I agree with what JXQ and Upthorn have said. A full run which doesn't use the password would probably be better, IMO. That, and I'm not sure if the 2nd player controller things used in this run are actually cheats.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Umm… yeah, right. I'm not sure what planet did you get that information from, but let me say it's outdated by about 3 years.
So, before I hear another "obviously you've never actually tried it" argument, here's my example:
• Nero HE-AAC, ABR (24 kbps);
• LAME MP3, -V6 --vbr-new (68 kbps).
(Yes, this is Akumajou Densetsu title track.)
Still so sure AAC suffers on the low end?
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
How are those questions actually relevant? Making a four-channel soundtrack is at least not harder than mixing four channels into two, and the filesizes will not differ much since AAC allows for higher compression ratio.
Basically, what you're saying is "I don't want to do that" in a form of a question. I say it will be at least of no less use for those who can deal with MKV freely.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
MP4 and MKV have some encoding issues, plus there's the whole codec pack thing. MKV or OGM have been used on occasion (check the Rad Racer publication) but it's never really stuck.
Hmm, how about two video files then? One is mix&mulch AVI, the other is surround sound MKV (with AAC for 4-ch sound)?
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
That way, we will still get to see what ratings did the movie receive in full detail, but won't be able to identify people who rated it non-publicly. In other words, such solution will give all the useful information for statistics lovers, and won't spoil any personal/private data on non-public voters.
RT-55J wrote:
Neofix 11 11
LOL!
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
