(Link to video)
The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle is a frustrating action puzzler. In this run, I attempt to complete the game as fast as possible while trying to also maximize my score. I primarily use heavy luck manipulation to achieve this in around 40 minutes, which is impressive considering that the game is 60 levels long.

Encode With Input Display:

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to my first submission! I started this run during a break from my other WIP, Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge. Although many think this might not be the best game choice, I disagree for the following reasons:
  • The luck manipulation in this game makes it far from trivial.
  • There are ways to spice this up a little, and I do my best to use all of them.
  • Regardless of the AVGN's opinions, I liked this game a lot as a kid, and I bet a lot of other people here did too, so I thought a proper run should be made for it.
So, I went for it, and I think I was fairly successful. For more information on the run, please read watch the encode with subtitles enabled, as I document nearly everything I do in the run throughout.

Game Objectives

  • Emulator used: FCEUX 2.1.4a
  • Attempts to complete the game in the fastest time possible
  • Aims to maximize score / kills without losing time
  • Heavy luck manipulation

Results

In the thread for this game, Mysterypea had already constructed a 33 level WIP. Using it as a model, I tried my best to obsolete it. Here is a table of our respective times. Note: I define a level's length as the difference between the frame in which Bugs' sprite shows up and the one in which the "1UP" bubble appears.
LevelMy VersionMysterypea's VersionDifference
116821686-4
221172209-92
316281669-41
412891329-40
519812282-301
616211829-208
712621492-230
821723166-994
919032638-735
1016821974-292
1114601980-520
1212001400-200
1317102768-1058
1424872663-176
1521232519-396
1620702120-50
1717201879-159
1819692325-356
1924892618-129
2024843547-1063
2122992553-254
2222032372-169
2320192515-496
2414391579-140
2517831949-166
2618522223-371
2717201724-4
2815741894-320
2919392093-154
3012441589-345
3123172345-28
3218532149-296
3313371446-109
341882
351670
361913
371692
382296
391614
401843
412863
421527
432801
441462
451606
461774
471371
482055
492145
501887
511364
522416
531674
542232
552656
561834
572247
581540
593799
602003
Total94537705249896
Average15762137300
In addition to this, I ended the game with 77000 points. It should be noted that the re-record count is unknown as it was lost somewhere in the editing process.
It's worth noting that Level 26 of could take a different path and get the exact same time. Here is a YouTube stream of that path, and here is the movie file.

Future Runs

If the reception to this run is positive, I might attempt a quad run of the Crazy Castle GB games. Considering that you can move forward using up or down as opposed to pressing left and right, and that there are many frames in which input is rendered moot, this would be the perfect candidate for such a run. UPDATE: Crazy Castle 4 apparently does not move forward when pressing up or down, so a triad run of the first three games would probably be a better option.

Possible Improvements

Although I have a fairly strong understanding of the AI for this game, I certainly don't have an exact formula. If I had such a thing, it might be possible to make every enemy irrelevant. It would also be helpful if I had a script that allowed me to see other segments of the screen so I can see how my input influences an enemy that is off-screen.

Known Improvements

nitrogenesis has reported that I transition from level to level incorrectly. Instead of pressing Start, I can press A and save one frame per level. If this was implemented for this run, then, it would be exactly a second shorter. Still, I don't think this improvement alone warrants a new submission, so this will have to wait until a bigger improvement is found.

Special Thanks

Thank you to Mysterypea for his original WIP, Randil for his not so accurate, yet helpful lost frame calculating script, andymac for his "AVI Heads Up Display" script, and feos for his work with andymac on the aforementioned script. I also appreciate all the feedback I've gotten so far.

Suggested Screenshot

Closing Statement

I put a lot of work into this run, so I hope you enjoyed it! However, if you didn't, all I can say is...
Haters gonna hate. Credit to NrgSpoon.

Nach: This was a tough one, tons of yes votes, but several strong dissenters as well. I have to agree, this isn't the most entertaining of games. However, this game is deceptively simple. Everyone who knows this game well (which seems to be the majority of viewers) knows how tricky it really can be. The lousy play control, unpredictable enemies, and confusing route chooses make this game tricky to play, let alone play well. Just paying close attention to level 27 for example shows how the game isn't so clear cut as it may seem.
Since this run requires TAS techniques such as route planning (which changed WIP to WIP), and luck manipulation, I feel this run deserves consideration to be published. The question is then down to: "Did it entertain?"
It definitely had its moments, and knowing the game well really enhances that. But it was rather long and repetitive. Although I sat through this run twice, most people won't want to watch this in a single sitting. Thinking about whether that is acceptable or not, I realized we have published several multi-hour RPG TASs in the past, which no one is going to be sitting through in a single sitting. Therefore I feel that this should not be a barrier to publication, especially since the levels in this game are pretty short, and can be watched individually without missing anything.
Those that don't know the game will probably skip this run, and those that do will probably enjoy it immensely. I decided to err on the side of caution and go with the majority of the audience, and accept this run as a first run for this game. I hope future runs will improve the routes further and find more exciting ways to manipulate the enemies and shave off two or three minutes.

Brandon: Publication underway! Thanks for allowing me to do the one thing I haven't done for TASVideos; make a published TAS. :)

Brandon
He/Him
Editor, Player (189)
Joined: 11/21/2010
Posts: 913
Location: Tennessee
OK, back to the TAS at hand...
All the best, Brandon Evans
Editor, Emulator Coder, Expert player (2101)
Joined: 5/22/2007
Posts: 1134
Location: Glitchvania
[offtopic]
NitroGenesis wrote:
Mister Epic wrote:
Link to video
I vote no. That TAS is horrible. Be ashamed. lol
How could you even call that thing a TAS? But indeed it was hilarious to watch.
<klmz> it reminds me of that people used to keep quoting adelikat's IRC statements in the old good days <adelikat> no doubt <adelikat> klmz, they still do
Skilled player (1468)
Joined: 12/30/2007
Posts: 485
Location: Hubei,China
Load Lode Rode Lord Road All of them read "ro-do" in Japan... I'm talking about Lode Runner,sorry for wrong spell.
Do the work.
Joined: 1/27/2011
Posts: 78
Location: Minnesota, USA
X2poet wrote:
Load Lode Rode Lord Road All of them read "ro-do" in Japan... I'm talking about Lode Runner,sorry for wrong spell.
Those Japanese sure are wacky!
Joined: 5/4/2005
Posts: 502
Location: Onett, Eagleland
I respect the effort and work put in to the run, but the game is just flat out boring and not much can keep me watching past 5 levels. Meh vote.
I think.....therefore I am not Barry Burton
Player (147)
Joined: 11/27/2004
Posts: 688
Location: WA State, USA
I'm always amazed at how runs of slow-paced puzzle platformers that I've never played can be so entertaining. Trying to intuit the game's rules; preemptively trying to guess the solution; the tension of all the close calls... good stuff. The game looks like it could have benefited from a "stumbling" animation for when you land from a fall and are forced to walk forward one square.
Nach wrote:
I also used to wake up every morning, open my curtains, and see the twin towers. And then one day, wasn't able to anymore, I'll never forget that.
Player (183)
Joined: 12/24/2010
Posts: 144
Location: Brazil
Yay nice to see our Mass Encoder are now in TAS business too, watched it, I really belive there is a lot of luck manipulation and a lot of effort went into it to endure all this long work, most cases looking how careful he was to make his way with good strategies and careful manipulation... congratz Brandon, as I can see it surely will be accepted, turned out great.
My main objective here is to TAS the most obscure games titles!
GabCM
He/Him
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
Brandon wrote:
I put a lot of work into this run, so I hope you enjoyed it! However, if you didn't, all I can say is... Haters gonna hate. Credit to NrgSpoon.
Joined: 7/25/2007
Posts: 109
Wasn't really amused by this at all. The NES version is just slower paced, and overall more poorly designed than the Gameboy version. I found myself falling asleep at multiple points in the run, and eventually just said "forget this" halfway through. Have to give it a "no" vote. I would like to see a run of the Gameboy version, whatever happens with this one. It's leagues better than the NES version, has a little more musical variety, and doesn't have as many annoying quirks like taking a step after you drop down. Not to mention playing much faster (which would make for a better TAS).
Dwedit
He/Him
Joined: 3/24/2006
Posts: 692
Location: Chicago
I watched this thing in 10 minute intervals, it's the only way to watch something as long and repetitive as this. But this is a very well-made TAS for this game.
Brandon
He/Him
Editor, Player (189)
Joined: 11/21/2010
Posts: 913
Location: Tennessee
System Error wrote:
I would like to see a run of the Gameboy version, whatever happens with this one. It's leagues better than the NES version, has a little more musical variety, and doesn't have as many annoying quirks like taking a step after you drop down. Not to mention playing much faster (which would make for a better TAS).
But all of the keys are in doors, which is redundant and takes forever.
All the best, Brandon Evans
Joined: 5/14/2011
Posts: 8
Nicely done, Brandon. Yes vote.
NitroGenesis
He/Him
Editor, Experienced player (550)
Joined: 12/24/2009
Posts: 1873
YoungJ1997lol wrote:
Normally i would say Yes, but thennI thought "its not the same hack" so ill stick with meh.
GabCM
He/Him
Joined: 5/5/2009
Posts: 901
Location: QC, Canada
Brandon wrote:
Regardless of the AVGN's opinions, I liked this game a lot as a kid, and I bet a lot of other people here did too, so I thought a proper run should be made for it.
AVGN'S opinons Of course it's biased. It's simply supposed to be funny. By the way, there's violence and a coarse language. Plus, it's the follow-up to this episode.
Brandon
He/Him
Editor, Player (189)
Joined: 11/21/2010
Posts: 913
Location: Tennessee
NitroGenesis wrote:
lolwut
This.
Mister Epic wrote:
Brandon wrote:
Regardless of the AVGN's opinions, I liked this game a lot as a kid, and I bet a lot of other people here did too, so I thought a proper run should be made for it.
AVGN'S opinons Of course it's biased. It's simply supposed to be funny. By the way, there's violence and a coarse language. Plus, it's the follow-up to this episode.
Yeah, I don't have a problem with him; I just think it's silly that some people will immediately discredit the game without playing it because he reviewed it. He reviews a lot of good, yet frustrating games. People should take his words with a grain of salt.
All the best, Brandon Evans
Joined: 7/25/2007
Posts: 109
Brandon wrote:
System Error wrote:
I would like to see a run of the Gameboy version, whatever happens with this one. It's leagues better than the NES version, has a little more musical variety, and doesn't have as many annoying quirks like taking a step after you drop down. Not to mention playing much faster (which would make for a better TAS).
But all of the keys are in doors, which is redundant and takes forever.
That's Crazy Castle 2 you're thinking of. What I was talking about was this game. It has none of the door nonsense.
Brandon
He/Him
Editor, Player (189)
Joined: 11/21/2010
Posts: 913
Location: Tennessee
System Error wrote:
Brandon wrote:
System Error wrote:
I would like to see a run of the Gameboy version, whatever happens with this one. It's leagues better than the NES version, has a little more musical variety, and doesn't have as many annoying quirks like taking a step after you drop down. Not to mention playing much faster (which would make for a better TAS).
But all of the keys are in doors, which is redundant and takes forever.
That's Crazy Castle 2 you're thinking of. What I was talking about was this game. It has none of the door nonsense.
I knew 2, 3, and 4 had doors, so I assumed this one did as well. Either way, I was possibly going to do a Quad Run of the Crazy Castle GB games. Sorry that you didn't like the NES version.
All the best, Brandon Evans
NitroGenesis
He/Him
Editor, Experienced player (550)
Joined: 12/24/2009
Posts: 1873
Congratulations Brandon!
YoungJ1997lol wrote:
Normally i would say Yes, but thennI thought "its not the same hack" so ill stick with meh.
Post subject: Movie published
TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 14776
Location: 127.0.0.1
This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [1813] NES The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle by Brandon in 40:50.61
Brandon
He/Him
Editor, Player (189)
Joined: 11/21/2010
Posts: 913
Location: Tennessee
Thank you all! Now that it's accepted, I can say this freely; Arcade's Revenge is going to be 1000 times more entertaining than this. Keep your eyes open for it! We should have it submitted in 2 weeks or so.
All the best, Brandon Evans
Emulator Coder
Joined: 3/9/2004
Posts: 4588
Location: In his lab studying psychology to find new ways to torture TASers and forumers
Brandon wrote:
Thank you all! Now that it's accepted, I can say this freely; Arcade's Revenge is going to be 1000 times more entertaining than this. Keep your eyes open for it! We should have it submitted in 2 weeks or so.
After this run, I'm sure you sound like a broken record.
Warning: Opinions expressed by Nach or others in this post do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or position of Nach himself on the matter(s) being discussed therein.
Joined: 4/1/2010
Posts: 96
This game is a cruel exercise in graph theory. Your explanations really add something to it. Good job!
Joined: 6/29/2010
Posts: 24
Location: Chicago, IL
this game offers no technical entertainment value - it should be a speedrun game only. I guess this is what I get for not checking the site in awhile! Nicely done, but again, this should not be TAS, but a speedrun
If at first you don't succeed, load your savestate and try again!
Brandon
He/Him
Editor, Player (189)
Joined: 11/21/2010
Posts: 913
Location: Tennessee
Gamerskillsfull wrote:
this game offers no technical entertainment value - it should be a speedrun game only. I guess this is what I get for not checking the site in awhile! Nicely done, but again, this should not be TAS, but a speedrun
If you read the captions, you'll see that this is all based on luck manipulation, which can't be done in real time.
All the best, Brandon Evans
Emulator Coder
Joined: 3/9/2004
Posts: 4588
Location: In his lab studying psychology to find new ways to torture TASers and forumers
Gamerskillsfull wrote:
Nicely done, but again, this should not be TAS, but a speedrun
I dare you to complete these levels anywhere near this completion time without rerecording.
Warning: Opinions expressed by Nach or others in this post do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or position of Nach himself on the matter(s) being discussed therein.