The Story So Far...
Billy Blaze, Eight year-old genius, working diligently in his backyard clubhouse has created an interstellar starship from old soup cans, rubber cement, and plastic tubing. While his folks are out on the town and the baby sitter has fallen asleep, Billy travels into his backyard workshop, dons his brother's football helmet, and transforms into...
COMMANDER KEEN -- Defender of the Universe!
In this episode, Billy is out in his clubhouse, busily working on his handy new ComputerWrist wrist computer. He hears Molly, his baby sitter, calling him to supper but he keeps on working. He hears a strange noise in the backyard and decides to investigate. On a patch of scorched grass he finds a note:
Keen --
Thanks for dinner.
--The Bloogs of Fribbulus Xax
P.S. Next time get one with more meat, please.
He puzzles over this for a moment, then notices the baby sitter has stopped calling. Suddenly, he realizes that aliens are having her over for supper – and when they say “for supper” they mean “FOR SUPPER”! If he doesn't save her, his parents will be furious. They'll never believe that “Aliens Ate My Baby Sitter!”
“This is a job for Commander Keen!” he declares. Once again, he dons his brother's football helmet, hops in the trusty Bean-with-Bacon Megarocket and starts the launch sequence for Fribbulus Xax. He's got to save Molly from becoming a snack for creatures from another planet!
This is a heavily glitched tool-assisted speedrun of Commander Keen 6: Aliens Ate My Baby Sitter!.
- Plays on the hardest difficulty
- Abuses programming errors
- Heavy glitch abuse
- Manipulates luck
- Aims for fastest time
- Genre: Platform
JPC-RR v11.6 was used to make the movie.
This TAS uses version 1.0 of the game. Keen 6 is the only Commander Keen game to include funny copy protection; a cracked copy won't do.
Here is the ImageMaker report on the disk image used:
Type : HDD
Tracks : 16
Sides : 16
Sectors : 63
Total sectors : 16128
Primary extent size: 2472
Storage Method : 3
Sectors present : 1442
Calculated Disk ID : F2C8E1557E713666AEE05287B3BBC3D8
Claimed Disk ID : f2c8e1557e713666aee05287b3bbc3d8
Comments section:
Entry: N/A N/A 4 /
Entry: 19900101000000 8078f8106cca87fe7bea6b0dca798e5b 56265 /AUDIO.CK6
Entry: 19900101000000 81cd87b78405655a66bdbfed7862585a 457309 /EGAGRAPH.CK6
Entry: 19900101000000 99e5514817e46f619d62237052679757 95421 /GAMEMAPS.CK6
Entry: 19900101000000 6a35a80189915ca4cec1a578ec0774c6 104938 /KEEN6.EXE
Tricks used
Impossible Pogo Trick
Tapping ALT and CTRL near-simultaneously while holding Left or Right allows Keen to perform a humongous pogo jump.
Continuous Vertical Pogo
When approaching a static soft platform from below under certain conditions, Keen can land on it without having to wait for gravity to deplete his vertical momentum.
Cornerboosting
Landing on corners and hitting them in midair can slightly boost Keen forward.
Slope mechanics
Keen moves forward 7/6 times faster when traversing a downward slope. When traversing a sharply downward slope, he moves forward 1/3 times faster.
Conversely, he moves forward 5/6 times slower when traversing an upward slope and 2/3 times slower when traversing a sharply upward slope.
Bullet collision abuse
In Commander Keen 6, the Neural Stunner's projectiles have the same collision property as the Gik.
Because of this, Keen can stand on bullets.
Impossible Bullet Trick
When standing on top of a Neural Stunner projectile until it disappears, the game becomes confused as to where the bottom of Keen's clipping box might lie.
When Keen fires a second shot that's in the same vertical column as he is, the game thinks Keen is standing on it and clips him there.
Keystone carryover
In Keen 6 v1.0, acquired keystones aren't cleared when exiting a level.
Boot
The title screen is omitted due to a glitch in version 1.0.
Bloogwaters Crossing
Due to how ejection works in Keen 6, this level cannot be completed faster with a silly jump.
Guard Post One
When zipping using the IBT, ducking and walking result in slightly different zips.
The latter usually requires frame precision.
First Dome of Darkness
The Blooglet is manipulated to push Keen forward.
Usually, getting pushed by blooglets in midair is highly unpleasant; howewer, the bullet's height is just right for avoiding trouble.
Bloogfoods, Inc
Both IBTs featured precise subpixel positioning to work as advertised.
Level entry is delayed by a few frames in order to manipulate luck.
Bloogton Manufacturing
Jumping off the switch might look slower; however, pogoing would result in a higher jump, making Keen reach the moving platform a few frames later than desired.
Entering the wall by walking is usually faster; howewer, the distance between the bullet and the wall is too high, necessating ducking.
Precise subpixel positioning is needed for the zip to be possible.
Bloogton Tower
I don't know why realtime speedruns don't usually use the route shown here; even with poor precision, it should be much faster than what's most commonly seen.
If the second zip isn't frame precise, the Bobba will kill Keen.
Guard Post Two and Guard Post Three
The featured zips warp Keen outside level boundaries.
The "floor" there is glitchy and often lethal.
Bloog Control Center
Entering the level is delayed by an absurd amount of frames in order to manipulate luck.
This is the only viable way to manipulate luck because of ammo scarcity.
The first area's background is a very interesting level design choice.
This is the only area in Keen 4-6 in which the background is completely black.
The red keystone collected in Bloogton Manufacturing is finally used.
Keen learns that his rival Mortimer McMire was behind the kidnapping, providing a sequel hook.
Broken dreams were never this toasty.
Suggested screenshots
[dead links removed]
Nach: Excellent, and surprising run. Accepting.
natt: PUBLICATIONS FOR THE PUBLICATION GOD
