Fun fact: thanks to two decades of improved optimizations/understanding of the game, this buster-only TAS is faster than the first published any% TAS (by Wodball) as well as the second published any% TAS (by Frenom), despite both of those runs utilizing special weapons.
After playing and clearing the romhack myself, there are a few notes/questions I have. Maybe longbao or someone else can answer for me.
1. In the Doc Robot stages (Shadow?/Spark?/Gemini?/Needle?), I noticed that Doc Heat Man (usually fought in Shadow?) and Doc Metal Man (usually fought in Spark?) are completely absent.
The other 6 MM2 bosses (Wood/Bubble/Air/Crash/Flash/Quick) are all present and accounted for.
2. Rush Marine (usually gained from Shadow Man) is also absent in this romhack.
Rush Jet is still obtained from Needle Man, though it consumes weapon energy at a much faster rate, which I assume is intentional, given the other weapon re-balancing.
Are either of these absences/quirks (No Heat/Metal + No Marine) an indication that this romhack is still a WIP?
In the (intended) Rush Marine section, how are you able to slide on the spikes when clearly not abusing temporary invincibility?
i.e. 21:26, when your lifebar is still 100% full, shown here?
The author notes don't clarify what these "sliding tricks" are: "Castle 1 Skip – In sections where Rush Marine is normally required, we intentionally took damage to bypass the need for it and used sliding tricks to progress faster."
Are these (1-frame?) collision exploits? Can they be used elsewhere in the hack?
In the old 2013 TAS by KFCMario (34:52.69), Luigi ends 1-1 at 348 ticks left.
In the new 2021 TAS by DaSmileKat (34:45.63), Luigi ends 1-1 at 347 ticks left.
Is the 2021 TAS 1-1 not slower? Is the difference between 347/348 just barely not enough to lose a framerule (21 frames)?
If this submission and argument of allowing the use of in-game (non-password, non-cheat-code) level skipping were from a newcomer/rookie to TASing/speedrunning (or even a troll), I'd at least understand the potentially innocent nature of the question.
But HappyLee has *checks notes* 17 active publications here on TASVideos at the time of posting, primarily of the original Super Mario Bros. games and its sequels/variants/hacks.
Heck, one of them was published less then 24 hours ago!
If this isn't an out-of-season April Fool's joke, it is a very bizarre hill to die on for someone as knowledgable of TASing as HappyLee.
So strange that you commented after 9 years and at the same time HappyLee's movie is getting intentional no votes (feels like voting pole abuse has started with multiple accounts which is against the site rules)
I come back to this topic not even a full day later and HappyLee being permabanned for ban evasion is only the second most surprising thing in this thread.
Although, I'm not sure exactly whose sockpuppet I'm accused of belonging to LMAO. Perhaps Pankaj can clarify?
If this submission and argument of allowing the use of in-game (non-password, non-cheat-code) level skipping were from a newcomer/rookie to TASing/speedrunning (or even a troll), I'd at least understand the potentially innocent nature of the question.
But HappyLee has *checks notes* 17 active publications here on TASVideos at the time of posting, primarily of the original Super Mario Bros. games and its sequels/variants/hacks.
Heck, one of them was published less then 24 hours ago!
If this isn't an out-of-season April Fool's joke, it is a very bizarre hill to die on for someone as knowledgable of TASing as HappyLee.
I can't help but think that this romhack either introduced new glitches, or made previously obscure glitches in MM4 more useful. Minus Infinity and Super Demo World are the two most extensive rom hacks I've ever seen, and SDW (and SMW) are very broken. I can't help but think there's a place to save a minute with Rush Jet by clipping into a wall. But I can't find the improvement, so it's not grounds for rejection. I just feel like Mega Man games ought to be more broken on tasvideos.org.
Just so you know, Rush Jet doesn't exist as a selectable weapon in Rockman 4MI.
You get Rush Search, Rush Cannon, and Wish Star.
The only Rush Jet segments are in Toad and Cossack stage 1, and those are pretty much autoscrollers.
And also brief cameos in Cossack 4 (prior to Cossack fight) and Wily Machine phase 2 (not seen in this TAS due to R.Cannon and Balloon override), but there aren't any real zipping chances there either.
Wait, last I heard, the hack was incomplete.
According to this extensive Rockman hack listing, the last update was in 2008, with only 6 out of 8 bosses completed.
http://rockman2ips.tripod.com/hacklist.html
Love how the in-game timer freaks out and jumps twice. (to 00:02:05.xx --> 4971:08:15.52 --> 4972.21:04.65) Yes vote!
Four thousand hours!
Desert Bus, you better watch out! We got a new challenger!
Run that blew my mind: Bisqwit's Rockman TAS (18:xx.xx)
I had no idea Magnet Beam was that abusable.
Similarly, the Rockman 5 TASes with Super Arrow abuse out the wazoo.
So, no bosses (other than Flying Armor) are fought at all now?
No Balore, no Dimitrii, etc.
I imagine it's just a matter of time before even Flying Armor is somehow skipped.
So, I hate to point this out, but there seems to already be an obsoletion of this TAS, by the same author, no less.
[TAS] 悪魔城ドラキュラ 蒼月の十字架 in 4:42.77 [ｍｔｂりｃ]
Link to video
It was uploaded March 18, only a few days ago, so maybe he hasn't submitted the improvement yet.
Also, Dimitrii is skipped completely, so Kriole, don't worry about testing Slaughterer vs. Yorick anymore.
In the new 2021 TAS by DaSmileKat (34:45.63), Luigi ends 1-1 at 347 ticks left.
Is the 2021 TAS 1-1 not slower? Is the difference between 347/348 just barely not enough to lose a framerule (21 frames)?
