Submission Text Full Submission Page Publication Page
Also known as "Cat Mario", Syobon Action is an extremely difficult mario-clone platformer that usually takes many tries to complete. This run aims to do so in the fastest possible time.

Game objectives

  • Emulator used: Hourglass - r71
  • Fastest Time For Real
  • No Deaths
  • Minor Glitch Abuse

Comments

First of all, I would like to thank the people in the Syobon Action Thread and the japanese TASers in Nicovideo. Without them, I would have been stuck with a time of 1:52. I would also like to thank nitsuja for the hourglass emulator that made this possible.
Secondly, the reason why I used the "4 stage" version instead of an extended one is because the "official" [dead link removed] site only has this version. Also, a source claims that Syobon Action only has 4 stages, implying that the extended version is a fan-game.

Glitches/Tricks

Wall Jumping

With enough horizontal velocity, you can clip slightly into a wall if you turn around for ~1 frame. Then simply hold onto the jump button ("Z" or "UP") to jump again once inside the wall.

Quick Turn

To turn quickly, bump into a wall for 1 frame then immediately turn around. It's faster than turning without bumping into a wall. Used once in stage 1 - 1.

Stage by stage comments

1 - 1

The first stage of the game. I tried very hard to improve this stage, but I couldn't. It seems that the strategy I used in the other run was optimal.

1 - 2

The second stage takes place mostly underground. Somehow, I managed to save 1 frame at the first screen, and ~3 frames underground. Savings maybe due to lag avoidance.

1 - 3

The third stage takes place above ground. The strategy I used to kick the shell may seem sub-optimal, but it's actually 24 frames faster.

1 - 4

The final stage resembles the castle stages in Super Mario Bros. The overall strategy remains the same, but with minor savings from slight optimization.

Other comments

Possible Improvements

  • Lag Reduction (Needs Lag Counter)
  • Speed/Pixel Management (Needs RAM Search)
  • Further optimization (Needs more stable SaveStates)

Suggested Screenshot:

Actual Screenshot:

Frame 3001
adelikat: Claimed for judging
jlun2: Uncancelling to compare it with this run.
adelikat: Reclaiming for judging. You are making it a challenge to claim this one!
adelikat: Ideally I would make a verdict about whether or not to use the speed up (spacebar) option and set some kind of precedent. But in this case I think there was too much confusion to get a consensus and the game had a negative response anyway. So I will dodge that issue completely and reject purely on game choice. See also, #3288: jlun2's Windows Syobon Action "x2 Speed" in 00:56.87.
adelikat: Unrejecting this submission for consideration into the Vault tier.
adelikat: The verdict for this game specifically, random mode and 2x speed mode are considered cheat codes; therefore they are not eligible for fastest completion. That makes this the fastest any% movie and I am accepting it to the Vault due to good tech quality and goal choice, but poor audience support for the Alternative tier.

Show more

Hide
1 2 3
Posted: 9/17/2011 2:33 PM
Quote
TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 14854
Location: 127.0.0.1
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #3286: jlun2's Windows Syobon Action in 01:51.63
Posted: 9/17/2011 2:44 PM
Quote
moozooh
Senior Moderator
Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5770
Location: Away
Just the right length for a TAS like this, imo. Voting yes.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
Posted: 9/17/2011 2:55 PM
Quote
ALAKTORN
He/Him
Player (99)
Joined: 10/19/2009
Posts: 2527
Location: Italy
DS TAS of 2012
I liked it but there were some parts that seemed unnecessary to slow down
Posted: 9/17/2011 3:31 PM
Quote
fsvgm777
She/Her
Senior Publisher, Player (221)
Joined: 5/28/2009
Posts: 1185
Location: Luxembourg
Encode is up on Mediafire. I guess I'll give this one a Yes vote as well, as it's an improvement to the cancelled run.
Steam Community page - Cohost profile Oh, I'm just a concerned observer.
Posted: 9/17/2011 3:31 PM
Quote
scrimpeh
Editor, Skilled player (1404)
Joined: 3/31/2010
Posts: 2086
TAS of 2017 First edition TAS of 2017 PSX TAS of 2017
Voted yes for reasons stated in the previous submission.
Posted: 9/17/2011 3:34 PM
Quote
Lex
Joined: 6/25/2007
Posts: 732
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Yes!
Posted: 9/17/2011 3:46 PM
Quote
jlun2
Skilled player (1705)
Joined: 9/17/2009
Posts: 4952
Location: ̶C̶a̶n̶a̶d̶a̶ "Kanatah"
GBA TASer of 2010
Suggested ScreenShot: Frame 3001 The emulator settings are the same as the previous submission; 30 FPS, System Time 0, and everything else default.
LLCoolDave wrote:
This seems to be competing for the "Worst looking TAS of 2011" Award.
Posted: 9/17/2011 4:24 PM
Quote
CoolKirby
Editor, Experienced player (608)
Joined: 11/8/2010
Posts: 4012
Exotic platforms TASer of 2014 NES TAS of 2013
OK, I'm going with Yes. This run is very good technically (I'm surprised there are SMB-style walljumps in this game) and it's short enough to still be entertaining.
Posted: 9/17/2011 4:33 PM
Quote
Noxxa
They/Them
Moderator, Expert player (4137)
Joined: 8/14/2009
Posts: 4083
Location: The Netherlands
Exotic platforms TASer of 2018 Exotic platforms TAS of 2018 Exotic platforms TASer of 2017 Exotic platforms TAS of 2017 Exotic platforms TAS of 2017 Exotic platforms TASer of 2016 Exotic platforms TAS of 2016 Gameboy TASer of 2013
It feels odd that it looks like the first to-be-published Windows TAS is going to be what visually looks like a crappy Mario clone. (Not that there's anything wrong with the game itself, mind.) Anyway, yes vote. The "Everything Trying To Kill You" aspect of the game remains surprisingly visible in the TAS.
http://www.youtube.com/Noxxa <dwangoAC> This is a TAS (...). Not suitable for all audiences. May cause undesirable side-effects. May contain emulator abuse. Emulator may be abusive. This product contains glitches known to the state of California to cause egg defects. <Masterjun> I'm just a guy arranging bits in a sequence which could potentially amuse other people looking at these bits <adelikat> In Oregon Trail, I sacrificed my own family to save time. In Star trek, I killed helpless comrades in escape pods to save time. Here, I kill my allies to save time. I think I need help.
Posted: 9/17/2011 4:45 PM
Quote
LSK
Joined: 4/17/2006
Posts: 159
The game loses some of its punch when you can TAS around all the traps, but it's still a great video.
Posted: 9/17/2011 5:14 PM
Quote
Warepire
He/Him
Editor
Joined: 3/2/2010
Posts: 2174
Location: A little to the left of nowhere (Sweden)
Due to the fact that the most entertainment (and agony) comes from playing the game the TAS is somewhat lacking in the entertainment department. However, it's really short and seems to be very well made. I am giving it a weak yes, borderline meh.
Posted: 9/17/2011 5:35 PM
Quote
Synahel
She/Her
Former player
Joined: 1/19/2011
Posts: 259
Location: France
Same comment for Kaizo Mario: Yes it provides entertainment, but the main objective of such a game is the agony you endure playing it for real. Thus, I don't think it's a very good choice for TASing, though it's still OK. I'll give it a Meh.
Posted: 9/17/2011 5:47 PM
Quote
mklip2001
He/Him
Editor
Joined: 6/23/2009
Posts: 2224
Location: Georgia, USA
LSK wrote:
The game loses some of its punch when you can TAS around all the traps, but it's still a great video.
That's pretty much how I feel. As I mentioned in the previous submission for this, it would be amusing if the publication description could link to a movie of somebody struggling through the game (akin to the "Super Mario Frustration" video). Yes vote.
Used to be a frequent submissions commenter. My new computer has had some issues running emulators, so I've been here more sporadically. Still haven't gotten around to actually TASing yet... I was going to improve Kid Dracula for GB. It seems I was beaten to it, though, with a recent awesome run by Hetfield90 and StarvinStruthers. (http://tasvideos.org/2928M.html.) Thanks to goofydylan8 for running Gargoyle's Quest 2 because I mentioned the game! (http://tasvideos.org/2001M.html) Thanks to feos and MESHUGGAH for taking up runs of Duck Tales 2 because of my old signature! Thanks also to Samsara for finishing a Treasure Master run. From the submission comments:
Shoutouts and thanks to mklip2001 for arguably being the nicest and most supportive person on the forums.
Posted: 9/17/2011 7:36 PM
Quote
Lex
Joined: 6/25/2007
Posts: 732
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
There's been a lot of competition for this game in the relatively short time it's been TASable. This is extremely well-optimized.
Posted: 9/17/2011 8:08 PM
Quote
errror1
Active player (292)
Joined: 12/16/2008
Posts: 458
Location: Houston
I'll vote yes, beacuse this was well done, but I think if someone does a Syobon Action 2 run this run should be obsoleted
Posted: 9/18/2011 1:40 AM
Quote
Vykan12
Player (98)
Joined: 3/20/2008
Posts: 466
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Voting no. Perhaps I'm the only one out of the people who've posted that hasn't played the game, but that wasn't impressive to watch. The game looks like super mario bros meets MS paint, and we're treated to "run right for justice in a graphically abhorrent game".
Posted: 9/18/2011 3:50 AM
Quote
Noob_Irdoh
Joined: 6/4/2009
Posts: 570
Location: 33°07'41"S, 160°42'04"W
Definite yes vote, this game is fun. And this TAS now contains glitches too, which makes it even better.
Posted: 9/18/2011 4:35 AM
Quote
X2poet
Skilled player (1469)
Joined: 12/30/2007
Posts: 485
Location: Hubei,China
Exotic platforms TAS of 2015 TASer of 2011 Arcade TASer of 2011 Arcade TAS of 2011
Vote no because I prefer the 8 levels version. The 4 levels is just like "run right for justice" But if it add the new 4 crazy stages,it would be better. Maybe that is a hack version,but I like that one better.
Do the work.
Posted: 9/18/2011 5:52 AM
Quote
Canar
Joined: 4/1/2010
Posts: 96
Voting yes, I enjoyed watching this nice, brief TAS. I'd enjoy moar.
Posted: 9/18/2011 6:00 AM
Quote
corronchilejano
Joined: 12/1/2007
Posts: 43
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Vykan12 wrote:
Voting no. Perhaps I'm the only one out of the people who've posted that hasn't played the game, but that wasn't impressive to watch. The game looks like super mario bros meets MS paint, and we're treated to "run right for justice in a graphically abhorrent game".
I had never seen it before either. There are probably more. EDIT: I love how Pedobear just comes out of a random tube you, the little kitty, just came out off.
When human lurking is not enough
Posted: 9/18/2011 6:12 AM
Quote
Sir_VG
He/Him
Player (39)
Joined: 10/9/2004
Posts: 1911
Location: Floating Tower
I like this, but I think the harder stages are the 5th - 8th, so please run that version instead - it would look more impressive IMO.
Taking over the world, one game at a time. Currently TASing: Nothing
Posted: 9/18/2011 6:41 AM
Quote
jlun2
Skilled player (1705)
Joined: 9/17/2009
Posts: 4952
Location: ̶C̶a̶n̶a̶d̶a̶ "Kanatah"
GBA TASer of 2010
Sir VG wrote:
I like this, but I think the harder stages are the 5th - 8th, so please run that version instead - it would look more impressive IMO.
I'm not sure if that version is the "official" one. I just took the link wikipedia had. Here's the site I got the exe from. Btw, how did I know which version is "official"? Well, several sites including Wiki mentions only 4 stages. So I thought the versions with the extra stages were "fan-games".
LLCoolDave wrote:
This seems to be competing for the "Worst looking TAS of 2011" Award.
Posted: 9/18/2011 8:04 AM
Quote
Jungon
He/Him
Player (40)
Joined: 4/2/2009
Posts: 376
Location: Porto Alegre - Brazil
Vykan12 wrote:
Voting no. Perhaps I'm the only one out of the people who've posted that hasn't played the game, but that wasn't impressive to watch. The game looks like super mario bros meets MS paint, and we're treated to "run right for justice in a graphically abhorrent game".
I never played this game too, and found it ridiculous too, but I'm voting Yes, first because of the obvious technical value, and second because sometimes ridiculous is fun anyway =P But really, if this is just the first stage, a complete version should really obsolete this later..
*Jungon*/*Johnnyz* smilie weirdo =P ^^ o.o @__@ +D
Posted: 9/18/2011 8:12 AM
Quote
jlun2
Skilled player (1705)
Joined: 9/17/2009
Posts: 4952
Location: ̶C̶a̶n̶a̶d̶a̶ "Kanatah"
GBA TASer of 2010
Found it. It seems that stages 5 - 8 are part of another game, and that other game doesn't seem to have the first 4 stages. I'm not sure if there's even a version with all 8 stages, but I'll check again.
LLCoolDave wrote:
This seems to be competing for the "Worst looking TAS of 2011" Award.
Posted: 9/18/2011 11:32 AM
Quote
Tangent
Joined: 3/9/2009
Posts: 530
Vykan12 wrote:
Voting no. Perhaps I'm the only one out of the people who've posted that hasn't played the game, but that wasn't impressive to watch. The game looks like super mario bros meets MS paint, and we're treated to "run right for justice in a graphically abhorrent game".
To build off this, like the recently turned-down Kaizo hack, for the majority of the game, there's only a narrow window of options actually available, so a TAS looks nearly identical to a non-TAS besides running over the top of the last level. The point of the game is discovering all of the things that can kill you and toying with player assumptions. Without that... Also, is there any reason you didn't use the acceleration key? That seems like a strange decision for a TAS.
1 2 3