This run improves the currently published movie by 3695 in-game frames (1 minute 1.58 seconds). It breaks down as follows.
Level
New Time
Previous Time
Frames Saved
Green Hill 1
0:23::43
0:23::48
-5
Green Hill 2
0:13::03
0:13::03
0
Green Hill 3
0:30::45
0:30::45
0
Marble 1
0:15::04
0:15::04
0
Marble 2
0:10::57
0:15::19
-262
Marble 3
0:27::25
0:27::25
0
Spring Yard 1
0:21::31
0:21::31
0
Spring Yard 2
0:26::10
0:26::12
-2
Spring Yard 3
0:40::15
0:42::31
-136
Labyrinth 1
0:34::06
0:34::07
-1
Labyrinth 2
0:25::34
0:25::50
-16
Labyrinth 3
0:27::26
1:03::34
-2168
Star Light 1
0:15::36
0:15::36
0
Star Light 2
0:10::20
0:10::21
-1
Star Light 3
0:26::22
0:26::37
-15
Scrap Brain 1
0:28::39
0:31::19
-160
Scrap Brain 2
0:11::45
0:27::14
-929
Scrap Brain 3
0:09::42
0:09::42
0
Final
1:12::01
1:12::01
0
Total
7:50::24
8:51::59
-3695
860 frames were lost due to longer score tallies and 416 on grounds of the longer transition to Scrap Brain 3. The gains and losses through capsule animals manipulation evened out. 3 less lag frames. My choice for a different ending lengthened the input file by 205 frames.
All in all this results in a saving of 2217 real-time frames (36.95 seconds).
Level Comments/Improvements
Green Hill 1
I hit the Buzz Bomber from the bottom and gain extra speed towards the ground (0:09), this makes the following jump just high enough to hit the spring → 3 frames
Higher exit speed out of the loop → 2 frames
Marble 2
Different setup for the level wrap → 262 frames
Spring Yard 2
Slightly higher speeds (0:11-0:17) → 2 frames
Spring Yard 3
New zip (0:20) → 136 frames
Labyrinth 1
Jumped a frame earlier in front of the third Burrobot (0:11) → 1 frame
Labyrinth 2
Jumped on the button from the right side (0:23) → 16 frames
Labyrinth 3
I saw a video by "SonicBoom737" where he used a cork in Scrap Brain 3 to attain zipping speed. I applied it in this level and succeeded in the level wrap → 2168 frames
Star Light 2
A marginally lower jump (0:01) got me into zipping position a frame earlier → 1 frame
Star Light 3
Subpixel positioning made me get the good zipping speed on the first possible frame of zipping (0:07) → 5 frames
While glitching through a wall, I got ejected 64 pixels further downwards (off-screen) → 5 frames
Same as the first zip (0:12) → 4 frames
The spike ball hit Dr. Robotnik one frame earlier (7th hit), since I jumped on the seesaw at a higher point → 1 frame
Scrap Brain 1
I managed to get to the upper route after the zip → 160 frames
Scrap Brain 2
Jumping off the cogs gains enough speed to pass through the wall. At first I thought, jumping off the second one would be disadvantageous, since it disallows the level wrap but zipping to the right, across the whole level, turned out to be 13 frames faster compared to a hypothetical level wrap → 929 frames
Concluding Comments
Thanks to my sis for introducing me to Sonic when I was a child :)
I'd also like to thank Mike89, watching his performance of Sonic 1,2,3&K at CGDQ sparked my interest in Sonic speedrunning and eventually tasing, Aglar and marzojr for their run on this site, latter especially for his two lua scripts that eased tasing a lot. FuzZerd, Upthorn, Carretero and JXQ for their TASes of this game, NitroGenesis for his comment that made me push the Marble 2 time down to 10, SonicBoom737 for his video that displayed the cork zip and ultimately TimpZ for his streaming of Sonic 2 attempts, which was the perfect relaxation between tasing sessions.
Without all of you, this run wouldn't have been possible <3
I love unexpected submissions like this. Though I guess it makes sense that you have created this TAS considering it was you who found most (if not all) of the improvements over the previous run. I'm surprised to see the first act of Green Hill was improvable when several excellent TASers have tried optimizing it over the years. Anyway, this movie was awesome. Good job!
AzumaK wrote: I swear my 1 year old daughter's favorite TASVideo is your R4MI run :3
xxNKxx wrote: ok thanks handsome feos :D
Help improving TASVideos!
Joined: 10/6/2011
Posts: 1697
Location: RU · ID · AM
One more real-time speedrunner applying his skills to the TAS scene. :)
I am really glad to see your run on the bench. You probably know me on Youtube as sylabulus. I never commented on your channel, but saw most of your recent realtime runs.
The fact that your run beats Aglar&marzojr’s TAS, and that in some levels you managed to get improvements from pure precision improvements, makes me really admire at the job you’ve done. I’m not afraid of to claim that I have to give this submission the strongest Yes I ever gave.
I also love the brilliant level endings which remind me of Aglar’s S2 TAS.
(upd) I suggest frame 31866 as the screenshot :)
S3&A [Amy amy%] improvement (with Evil_3D & kaan55) — currently in SPZ2
my TAS channel · If I ever come into your dream, I’ll be riding an eggship :)
Joined: 11/9/2007
Posts: 375
Location: Varberg, Sweden
I'm certainly not surprised you were able to take the game to such an incredible level. Your IL TAS of MZ2 already showed it as it was certainly something that not anybody would come up with. Biggest surprise was the creative way using the wheels in SBZ2, LBZ3 shouldv'e been even bigger but I looked at the time before watching the run and expected the zip to be there. I'm definitely not sure I would've matched this time if I'd given it another go - deeply impressed about your precision work!
For the acts where you didn't gain any time I suppose you at least tried to - except for maybe MZ1 and SLZ1? In that case I guess you gained some pixels/subpixels but it wasn't enough to save any frame?
This also makes the no-zip run even more worthwhile, hope you'll take on that as well - you'll have a fun time with it:) Though one might have to change the rules for it slighty as one can now level-wrap in SBZ2 without using zips so banning level wraps would pretty much be a must as it's supposed to be a kind of low-glitch run.
Great job once again, and hope this is only the start of an awesome TASing career.
Joined: 4/21/2004
Posts: 3517
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
I liked EVERTHING about this run. Very very nice job Tee-N-Tee! I appreciated your art after you finished a stage. The zig zag method made this run so much fun to watch :) Easy yes vote and I would certainly not object if this run recieved a star. All we need now is people to tas and submit sonic runs for Gamecube.
Edit: I also would kindly request a high quality encode of this lovely run :)
Easy yes vote for me too!
By the way, I'm throwing an idea like that: How about a real-time TAS of Sonic too? It may sound counter-intuitive, but the movie could be as impressive and more entertaining if Sonic waited as much as possible before starting each level and maintain a low score afterwards to reduce the overall waiting time. And of course, it would be faster! :D
Can you elaborate on that? I'm not a Sonic connoisseur, and not only do I not understand the reasoning behind this decision, but I don't see anywhere in your comments where those 205 frames are located.
I tried to improve every act, also the ones where improvements seemed to be unlikely like MZ1 and SLZ1, in latter act, I tested the technique from MZ2 and came very close (10-20 subpx iirc) from getting the level wrap to work from a roll-jump, which could've saved several frames.
Sometimes, due to the level layout (platforms, springs, certain enemies) pixel/subpixel improvements couldn't be kept throughout the whole act.
Technically, no input after frame 51744 is required to beat Final Zone in 1:12::01 and thus the game, but the outcome would look dull imo, that's why I did an ending I'm happy with.
At this time, no.
I tested many possibilities which might work to double hit him, like glitching through the ground, but unfortunately there's nothing to stand on and Sonic falls to his death. You're probably referring to the fact that Robotnik can be hit again after hit 8, since he retracts slower, but this results in a hit counter underflow and it would require an additional 255 hits to defeat him :D
This is a very nice work indeed. Out of curiosity: did you try the MZ2 technique in MZ3? It seems like it could work:
(but not necessarily save time)
Edit 2: Now that I watched it in frame advance it seems that it won't work, so nevermind.
Edit:
This is only possible to do on the last hit: on all other hits, Eggman keeps flashing far longer than he needs to in order to get back into the ground (or would, except that he stops flashing once he is safe).