Topic by dwangoAC

Posted: 3/21/2015 6:07 PM
(Edited: 6/4/2015 4:06 PM)

Post subject: TASVideos involvement at SGDQ 2015 (preparation phase)

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

Edit: This initial post was a call to see if anyone else wanted to present, but no one requested the role and I was encouraged to represent TASVideos again. I have offered to attend SGDQ 2015 from Thursday July 30th through August 1st, returning home Sunday (although I may ask for help). The list of games I'm pitching is a few posts below. Further Edit: Three games were accepted (Mega Man, Sonic Advance, and Ikaruga) and can now be seen on the official schedule at http://gamesdonequick.com slated for the final day during prime time viewing - I'm very happy with this placement! The theme of this thread has now shifted to preparation for these three games, and like last time I've created a thread to thank donors - donors can get any and all games of their choice from this games list which now includes some fresh 3DS titles like SteamWorld Dig. Original post below: Calling all well-spoken and knowledgeable TAS'ers in the upper midwest! SGDQ 2015 will be held at the Crowne Plaza / InterContinental in St. Paul, MN the week of July 26th through August 1st. Unless something goes awry, future SGDQ's will be held in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area. While it was a bit of a trek for me to fly from CA to Washington, DC to present at the past couple of AGDQ's I had the benefit of local support from people like micro500 and Weatherton. For SGDQ 2015, I'd like to offer the role of presenter to anyone who wants it, but we only have until April 2nd to submit runs for consideration. So, are you in that area (or willing to travel to it) and do you have the skills and desire to present to a couple hundred people in the room and tens of thousands on the live stream? If so, please let me know right away - I don't want to hog the presenter spot, but if no one else wants it I need to immediately decide if I'm financially able to commit to the travel and schedule time off from work. Here's what I'm thinking of pitching for SGDQ 2015: - A ~10 minute introduction to the principles of TAS'ing in the form of a well-rehearsed live demonstration using something like FCEUX or BizHawk - A replay, in emulator, of a < 20-minute TAS or two that demonstrates basic TAS'ing techniques; I'm looking for suggestions from *any* emulator, but perhaps something like VVVVVV (but, ugh, Hourglass :) or US SMB2 - A 21:29 replay of Ikaruga, presuming it is accepted For a good game that demonstrates TAS'ing techniques, I'm looking for suggestions here from *any* platform, not just ones where we've had console verification in the past. As I've noted previously, console verification is no longer a hard requirement. For SGDQ 2015, while TASBot might be there as a mascot, I do not anticipate any console verification work at all unless something changes between now and then. This is in large part due to the huge workload needed to produce something like Pokemon Plays Twitch and the fact that what we're planning for AGDQ 2016 is just now coming into focus and will not be ready in time for SGDQ 2015. So, any thoughts? Any takers? I'd love your feedback!

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/23/2015 4:30 PM

Post subject: Should I re-pitch the TAS race idea?

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

One other thought - I might re-pitch the TAS race idea - you can see the original pitch description as well as the AGDQ 2015 pitch video starting at 1:45. I had condensed it down to: A normal TAS is like a grand master in an untimed chess match playing perfectly. A speed TAS is like the same grand master playing speed chess slightly less perfectly. During a set time any viewer + Tompa can submit a TAS of a just-announced game, ending in a four-way race of the fastest viewer TAS, Tompa's TAS, and two already prepared human runners. See: http://tiny.cc/TaS I had to condense it down to 400 characters; this year, Tompa wouldn't be available, and I have 420 characters to work with, so I'd re-work the pitch. Any thoughts on the idea as a whole?

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/26/2015 6:18 AM

Post subject: Only a few days left until I submit and present myself...

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

I've received minimal feedback on IRC and no feedback at all here in the forums. The minimal feedback I've received is that everyone seems to think I'm the best candidate to present at SGDQ 2015 because no one else wants to do it. :) So, last chance - is anyone at all interested in presenting? If I don't hear from anyone by this weekend I'll be submitting the ideas I've already presented here along with (hopefully) a pitch to run Scribblenauts, although I'd like to get permission from the authors first as that's my normal approach. As of *right now*, it'd be pretty tough for me to afford the trip alone for the week and far less feasible if assassyknitter comes with. Based on the time of year it's likely I'd go for the last part of the week (say, fly in Thursday morning the 30th of July and fly out on Sunday the 2nd) so there would only be three hotel nights, but even then, I could sure use some help with offsetting airfare. I definitely don't like pandering for money all the time and I hope to eventually be at a point where I don't have to. I'm extremely appreciative of the support I've received and I'll do my best to represent TASVideos well. As noted, for SGDQ 2015 I'm substantially limiting development time and instead hoping to focus on presentation and smooth delivery, as in, a well-rehearsed talk. Hopefully something really technical can be ready for AGDQ 2016 - if you're of a mind to help out, please let me know. And with that, I'll stop rambling. If you'd like to present in my place, no problem, just let me know by Saturday, and likewise if you don't agree with my game choices. Otherwise, I plan on submitting over the weekend and we'll see what happens. Thanks again to everyone for the support!

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/26/2015 6:50 AM

Post subject: Re: Only a few days left until I submit and present myself...

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exileut

Joined: 2/15/2009
Posts: 329

dwangoAC wrote:

I've received minimal feedback on IRC and no feedback at all here in the forums. The minimal feedback I've received is that everyone seems to think I'm the best candidate to present at SGDQ 2015 because no one else wants to do it. :) So, last chance - is anyone at all interested in presenting? If I don't hear from anyone by this weekend I'll be submitting the ideas I've already presented here along with (hopefully) a pitch to run Scribblenauts, although I'd like to get permission from the authors first as that's my normal approach. As of *right now*, it'd be pretty tough for me to afford the trip alone for the week and far less feasible if assassyknitter comes with. Based on the time of year it's likely I'd go for the last part of the week (say, fly in Thursday morning the 30th of July and fly out on Sunday the 2nd) so there would only be three hotel nights, but even then, I could sure use some help with offsetting airfare. I definitely don't like pandering for money all the time and I hope to eventually be at a point where I don't have to. I'm extremely appreciative of the support I've received and I'll do my best to represent TASVideos well. As noted, for SGDQ 2015 I'm substantially limiting development time and instead hoping to focus on presentation and smooth delivery, as in, a well-rehearsed talk. Hopefully something really technical can be ready for AGDQ 2016 - if you're of a mind to help out, please let me know. And with that, I'll stop rambling. If you'd like to present in my place, no problem, just let me know by Saturday, and likewise if you don't agree with my game choices. Otherwise, I plan on submitting over the weekend and we'll see what happens. Thanks again to everyone for the support!

Having a well rehearsed presentation is a great idea. Even cue cards work. You did a fine job explaining what was going on the night you streamed ais523's nethack progress. Of course, a marathon environment is entirely different than in your own bed relaxing before sleep. It is tough to show someone something they have never seen before. To excite them without confusing them. Choosing a target audience isn't easy. I am not sure where I was going with this. The thread seemed very lonely, and you are a cool dude. I am not sure how much I can help, but I enjoy typing a lot.

Working on: Legend of Legaia, Vagrant Story

Posted: 3/26/2015 4:05 PM

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feos

Site Admin, Skilled player (1256)

Joined: 4/17/2010
Posts: 11495
Location: Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg

Am I the only one who thinks that once SGDQ feels problematic to afford for dwangoAC, there's no hard need to travel? I, for one, don't have a right to require AC to spend his efforts (and money) on a less meaningful event, if those efforts (and money) will anyway be spend on a more meaningful one later too. SGDQ feels more like a way to spend "spare" resources on, and I'm not sure there are on dwango's side (not to disparage your abilities, Alan, I'm just caring about SGDQ not becoming a trouble).

Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.

Posted: 3/26/2015 4:48 PM

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

feos wrote:

...SGDQ feels more like a way to spend "spare" resources on, and I'm not sure there are on dwango's side (not to disparage your abilities, Alan, I'm just caring about SGDQ not becoming a trouble).

On the one hand, Doctors Without Borders (the beneficiary of SGDQ 2015) is an organization that, by all accounts, needs financial resources even more than PCF because Doctors Without Borders were and continue to be on the front lines of the Ebola outbreak and they have lost a number of their own doctors fighting the epidemic. From an altruistic standpoint, I consider it a very worthy cause to go raise money for, and I anticipate that based on the smaller size of SGDQ events and the type of content I'm suggesting that it should be possible to raise $20k through our efforts alone. To that end, if I can scrounge up the extra ~$1,000 I suspect it will take me to travel I feel it would be a worthwhile expenditure. In other words, yes, I agree that SGDQ is typically viewed as the "lesser" of the events and the type of content I'm proposing reflects this, but the cost to benefit is overall conductive to have *someone* from TASVideos run a TASBot block, and if no one else wants the opportunity, I will gladly serve (although I may ask for, but not expect or demand, assistance to offset travel costs). That's my take, and I greatly appreciate the feedback - keep it coming! :)

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/26/2015 5:50 PM

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EEssentia

Joined: 4/13/2009
Posts: 431

I haven't noticed this thread until today, so that's my excuse. Anyway, regarding feedback: I like TASes. I don't like the idea of Speed-TAS (i.e. creating a TAS within a time limit). That said, explaining what a TAS is and showing some cool TASes I'm all for. Re SGDQ: I don't feel it is a less meaningful event. Both AGDQ and SGDQ are very popular and bring in a lot of money. But even if not, why would it be a less meaningful event? I honestly think we shouldn't think in a meaningful or not meaningful kind of way. These events are a fun gathering of speedrunners. If AC wants to go, I say, why not? It should be a personal decision, not an official mission. That said, just don't let it be a burden. Don't feel like you have to go because of reason X. Do it if you really WANT to and nothing else. Put only down as much time as you feel you'd like to do. That's how I feel.

Posted: 3/27/2015 5:48 AM

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darkszero

He/Him

Joined: 7/12/2009
Posts: 181
Location: São Paulo, Brazil

Personally, I prefer Doctors Without Borders to PCF because it's a more international organization. On the other hand, you should only go if you actually personally want to go. Don't feel forced to go. For what to show if you do go, 'Speed TASing' feels weak to me.

Posted: 3/27/2015 4:59 PM

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

Thanks for the feedback, all. For me, my biggest concern is the impact these events have on my family. AGDQ 2015 was an especially heavy toll due to the number of hours needed to test out and prepare such an ambitious project (which I fully blame myself for, of course :). For SGDQ 2015 my highest priority is ensuring that whatever I do does not take me away from my wife and kids for a large period of time over the summer. Having said that, I'm extremely motivated to support Doctors Without Borders this year in particular as they really need the help and they are a fantastic, well-run international aid organization. When I referred to SGDQ as the "lesser" of the two events I was referring to viewership and donation totals compared to AGDQ events, not to the importance of the charity involved or as any slight to the substantial funds that are raised. Thanks for the feedback on Speed TASing. I've found that the concept has been far more divisive than other suggestions, in part because some people are interested in participating or watching it and some people would rather see a well-polished TAS shown off. I will still likely pitch it as an idea, but it's up to the SGDQ organizers to accept it or not. If it gets in I'll do my best to make it awesome, and if it (again) doesn't make it in I won't be too bothered. I plan on submitting everything over the weekend, no later than Sunday night. I'll try to post each pitch here to solicit feedback, although there likely won't be more than about 24 hours between when I pitch it here and when I submit it officially. Thanks again to everyone!

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/30/2015 7:04 AM

Post subject: SGDQ 2015 submission descriptions, feedback needed

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

No one else has shown an interest in presenting but plenty of people have provided me insight on IRC as to what games would be good choices to pitch for SGDQ 2015, so here are the 420 character limit descriptions: Game: TASBot plays Castlevania Category: Minimalist Pacifist by Grincevent Estimate: 12:53.41 Encode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntHcF5TU2mc Description: As a minimalist variation of a pacifist goal, this movie does not contain any destruction in the levels: candles and walls are left intact, items stay untouched, and no enemy is harmed - with the exception of the bosses, who are killed mercilessly with the help of the "critical hit" glitch. Category: TAS tools explanation by dwangoAC Estimate: 22:53.41 Description: Prior to exhibiting Castlevania, I will take ~10 minutes interacting with the FCEUX emulator to demonstrate TAS techniques and show how TAS tools can assist in practicing for realtime runs, followed by the Castlevania Minimalist Pacifist run described in that category. For SGDQ 2015, all submitted TASBot runs will be played back on emulator or using an encode with commentary provided. Category: Speed TAS race by dwangoAC Estimate: 20:00 Description: A normal TAS is like a grand master in an untimed chess match playing perfectly. A speed TAS is like the same grand master playing speed chess slightly less perfectly. During a set time any viewer + Tompa can submit a TAS of a just-announced game, ending in a four-way race of the fastest viewer TAS, Tompa's TAS, and two already prepared human runners. See: http://tiny.cc/TaS Game: TASBot plays VVVVVV v2.0 Category: Game end glitch by Masterjun Estimate: 00:45.33 Encode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPPP0CFFLGQ Description: This movie by Masterjun utilizes a glitch that increments the current game state to trick the game into warping to the end cutscene. The glitch is triggered by pressing the Escape key to bring up the quit prompt while a dialog box is onscreen. Category: any% by Scepheo Estimate: 08:45.87 Encode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SDF9w7Xqdg Description: In this run, Scepheo blazes to the ending in 7:55 according to the in-game timer, skips the fearsome Gravitron, and rescues the crew in a fraction of the length of the ship's regulated lunch break using a glitch that allows the captain to be flung out of a teleporter into a wall. This run avoids using glitches that require pressing the Escape key. Category: 20 trinkets no death mode by Masterjun Estimate: 17:33.77 Encode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVh6_iM6trU Description: There are 20 collectable "Shiny Trinkets" hidden throughout the game. There is also a no death mode which cuts off your gameplay if you die once. This run by Masterjun collects all 20 trinkets in no death mode while simultaneously triggering several graphical glitches. Game: TASBot plays Super Metroid Category: Game end glitch by total, sniq, cpadolf Estimate: 07:15.95 Encode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJrobn8ZLaI Description: By abusing a glitch involving going through a door as the game is returning from the pause menu, total, sniq and cpadolf manage to corrupt the game's memory and make it jump to controller input. Once they gain control, they execute arbitrary code to tell the game to immediately jump to the ending. It also finishes with a record ingame time of 00:02 and a completion rate of 2%! Category: any% by Taco and Kriole Estimate: 38:41.52 Encode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JsGQiFxq6g Description: Taco and Kriole achieve an in-game completion time of 23:29 with a completion rate of 18%. This run does not use the X-Ray glitch or GT code and has been the basis for a number of runs since it first came out in 2009. Game: TASBot plays Super Scribblenauts Category: Playaround by Chef Stef and Kiwisauce Estimate: 1:01:52.63 Encode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrTvCqPtxao Description: Super Scribblenauts revolves around spawning any object from a database of thousands of possibilities (from "chair" to "God") to solve given situations. This TAS completes the 10 main worlds of Super Scribblenauts. Speed is not the main goal; instead, the levels are completed in funny or unusual ways. Game: TASBot plays GC Ikaruga Category: Maximum score by keylie Estimate: 21:29.4 Encode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5C_e-qTv9U Description: Ikaruga features a polarity mechanic where only bullets of an opposite polarity can kill the player. Same-color bullets are absorbed and converted into energy for the game's special weapon, a homing laser. In this run, keylie plays as two players at once and pulls off superhuman feats nearly constantly. Some quick notes: I picked these game choices based on discussions in IRC with a number of people. All game names are "TASBot plays..." to firmly establish to viewers at all times that this is not a normal run. as was the usage at AGDQ 2015. As noted, TASBot will be on-stream but there will be no console verification. I have a maximum of 5 games and 10 categories I can pitch, so I've overloaded Castlevania substantially. I'm looking for feedback on better descriptions that can fit in 420 characters (some of the ones above are stretching it). I'll be submitting no later than the evening of the 31st, so please let me know what you think. Thanks!

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/30/2015 3:46 PM

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Warp

Banned User

Joined: 3/10/2004
Posts: 7698
Location: Finland

Btw, is the Megaman TAS out of question? We may be sick of seeing it over and over, but how many viewers of SGDQ have seen it? I think it would be impressive, especially when run on the real console.

Posted: 3/30/2015 3:50 PM

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Derakon

Joined: 7/2/2007
Posts: 3960

I get the impression that "real console" runs aren't going to be on display for the core block, at the very least. Let's save dwangoAC a few gray hairs. :) But yeah, the Megaman 1 TAS isn't a bad option.

Pyrel - an open-source rewrite of the Angband roguelike game in Python.

Posted: 3/30/2015 3:56 PM

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

Warp wrote:

I think it would be impressive, especially when run on the real console.

I happen to agree that it would be a good choice, but I'm limited to 5 games I can pitch and I'm trying to stick to games that are generally not console verifiable. I have hopes of showing off Mega Man with console verification so I'm holding off on that one for now. For the record, I have a lot of respect for how difficult it is for the GDQ organizers to pick the games to show. It's been very difficult trying to decide what to take and what to save for a future GDQ because there are so many great runs out there. In general, this time around I tried to avoid Mario games (as we've done a few too many of those :) and I tried to give the organizers a wide range of content types to pick from. We'll have continued opportunities to showcase TAS's in future GDQ's, so fret not. Having said all that, if I *were* to put Mega Man in for SGDQ, what game would you pull from the list I've suggested to make room? This might help me weed out the least desirable game I'm pitching, and if there's a convincing reason why I should put Mega Man in instead of <that> I could still make a change. Thoughts?

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/30/2015 4:26 PM

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Derakon

Joined: 7/2/2007
Posts: 3960

Honestly, the VVVVVV runs were underwhelming for me. The TASes mostly look like optimized skilled speedruns, or else they just skip large portions of the game for difficult-to-comprehend and not-very-broken-looking reasons. Scribblenauts is a fantastic TAS, but it's also very long. I don't know if that's a factor in deciding what gets selected, though -- I mean, AGDQ had multiple hour+ runs, and not always of especially high-profile games.

Pyrel - an open-source rewrite of the Angband roguelike game in Python.

Posted: 3/30/2015 4:34 PM

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adelikat

He/Him

Emulator Coder, Site Developer, Site Owner, Expert player (3577)

Joined: 11/3/2004
Posts: 4754
Location: Tennessee

Derakon wrote:

The TASes mostly look like optimized skilled speedruns

I think this is a very important consideration here. It is critical that whatever TAS chosen differs drastically from what the top tier speedrunners are doing.

It's hard to look this good. My TAS projects

Posted: 3/30/2015 4:35 PM

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

Derakon wrote:

Honestly, the VVVVVV runs were underwhelming for me..

Interesting, you're the first person to say that - the SDA IRC channel was definitely more interested in VVVVVV than most of the other suggestions. I'd be interested to hear if others share your opinion.

Derakon wrote:

Scribblenauts is a fantastic TAS, but it's also very long.

Hmm... I have no more games but I do have a spare category, I could propose a "Fast-forward fun" category where I replay it but skip the "boring" parts, with the minor problem that there really aren't any and I had hoped to show the encode where the touchscreen is shown larger on the left and both screens are shown on the right. I'll have to ponder this. Yes, Scribblenauts would be a "big ask" but it's always possible it will be reviewed and accepted, so we'll see. Thanks for the feedback!

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/30/2015 4:39 PM

Post subject: Should VVVVVV stay?

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

adelikat wrote:

It is critical that whatever TAS chosen differs drastically from what the top tier speedrunners are doing.

This is one of the reasons I'd prefer the 20 trinkets, no death mode category as it's the most different from realtime, but that's the longest category of them all and I wanted to give the organizers the option to select a shorter category as needed for time constraints. It's not too late to pull VVVVVV for something else if others agree, though. Any other voices on the topic? (I confess, I'd really rather not fight with Hourglass if I don't have to. :)

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/30/2015 4:41 PM

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ais523

Editor, Player (44)

Joined: 7/11/2010
Posts: 1029

I feel that if we're not console verifying, we probably shouldn't be there at all. I also feel that we shouldn't jump through hoops to get TASvideos representation at a GDQ; if nobody's available to go, then we can just give it a break for that event. (And yes, a TAS should be doing something that clearly can't be done by top speedrunners.)

Posted: 3/30/2015 5:18 PM

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

ais523 wrote:

I feel that if we're not console verifying, we probably shouldn't be there at all.

ais523 and I exchanged a conversation about this on IRC. He's strongly of the opinion that we should have some form of verification, but he tends to feel that Hourglass is close enough and is a suitable platform. Atma suggested Braid, not sure about this one. Any other thoughts?

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/30/2015 5:25 PM

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thatguy

Editor

Joined: 11/3/2013
Posts: 506

As brilliant a run as it is, I think Super Scribblenauts is too long to be appropriate. There are multi-hour runs at A/SGDQ, but I kind of see the TAS block as a time when you have to show off as many different things as possible, rather than just one run. If you wanted to show a "funny" TAS then Brain Age might surprise the audience a little. I'd suggest the Pokemon Yellow dancing pi's as well but obviously it's already been done, with a more impressive payload to boot.

Posted: 3/30/2015 5:27 PM

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ais523

Editor, Player (44)

Joined: 7/11/2010
Posts: 1029

I believe that Hourglass pretty much is console verification, given that what it's mostly doing is replacing the keyboard, mouse and timer inputs into the game. So I'd be happy with that much.

Posted: 3/30/2015 5:57 PM

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

thatguy wrote:

As brilliant a run as it is, I think Super Scribblenauts is too long to be appropriate. There are multi-hour runs at A/SGDQ, but I kind of see the TAS block as a time when you have to show off as many different things as possible, rather than just one run.

I'd like to challenge this general concept - the marathon is many hours long and TASVideos participation is a small fraction of that time, way less than 1%. I'm not saying that TASVideos content should suddenly take up 10% of the marathon, but I see no reason why this hour-long, extremely entertaining run couldn't be shown in, say, a graveyard shift. There is no requirement that all of the TASVideos / TASBot content happens in the same block. The real question is, does Super Scribblenauts provide an hour's worth of consistent entertainment, to which I'd say it does. It's up to the organizers to decide if there is room in the schedule for it.

thatguy wrote:

If you wanted to show a "funny" TAS then Brain Age might surprise the audience a little.

This game is being intentionally held back for reasons that will hopefully become clear for AGDQ 2016. Thanks for the suggestion!

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/30/2015 6:00 PM

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EEssentia

Joined: 4/13/2009
Posts: 431

dwangoAC wrote:

ais523 and I exchanged a conversation about this on IRC. He's strongly of the opinion that we should have some form of verification, but he tends to feel that Hourglass is close enough and is a suitable platform. Atma suggested Braid, not sure about this one. Any other thoughts?

I strongly disagree. What I believe TASVideos should be doing is representing TASes--not console verficiation. That is to say, it doesn't matter if it can be played back at a console or not. It's the entertainment that counts--and that's where TASes differ widely from real-time runs. We shouldn't have to make something console-verifiable and then bring that to GDQ. It takes a lot of time and effort, most of it most likely not that appreciated by the viewers. That said, while Ikargua seems like a good goice, most of the others, to me at least, seems like the lack the "wow" factor. I strongly believe a Mario 64 is the perfect game for showing off was all kinds of crazy stuff a TAS can pull off because you have to much freedom. I realize there may be too many mario games, though, but I still feel that mario 64 is the only game that can truly give you a wow factor. Still, super metroid isn't that bad when you pull off feats that leaves the player with one energy left. Just short of dying, so to speak. A reverse boss order may also be kind of cool. I'd love to find some other good games, though.

Posted: 3/30/2015 6:36 PM

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dwangoAC

Moderator, Senior Ambassador, Experienced player (926)

Joined: 9/14/2008
Posts: 1014

EEssentia wrote:

That said, while Ikargua seems like a good goice, most of the others, to me at least, seems like the lack the "wow" factor... I'd love to find some other good games, though.

If you do come up with specific games that exemplify TAS strategies better, please let me know. My current leaning is to remove the VVVVVV pitch and replace it with Mega Man 1, but I can be swayed either way. Keep the feedback coming - I'll be making the submission tomorrow, so you have at least 24 more hours to sway my decisions. :)

I was laid off in May 2023 and became too ill to work this year and could use support via Patreon or onetime donations as work on TASBot Re: and TASBot HD is stalled. I'm dwangoAC, TASVideos Senior Ambassador and BDFL of the TASBot community; when healthy, I post TAS content on YouTube.com/dwangoAC based on livestreams from Twitch.tv/dwangoAC.

Posted: 3/30/2015 6:38 PM

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EEssentia

Joined: 4/13/2009
Posts: 431

Well, I'm mostly thinking Mario 64 due to the god-like movemement, because it's the most obvious. Don't know if there are any other good games that show off the same kind of movement.

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