Um, sorry about the wait for my submission of this TAS, uh... At least there's subtitles!
  • Emulator used: lsnes delta18 epsilon2
  • Aims for fastest time
  • Takes damage to save time because it's mandatory
  • Uses death as a shortcut because otherwise I'd have to grind for levels
  • Contains subtitles

About the game

You control Varik, who fell down into the ruins when Alexis chased him down and accidentally blew a hole in the ground. Now it's up to you to get Varik back out, with no shortage of monsters along the way. You're not alone -- There are many others who have also fallen, and are willing to sell items that may help you.
The game is in a top-down view, monsters move about in real time, and the game certainly has RPG elements in that you level up from defeating these monsters. You have three stats that increase separately from level, gaining strength by physically attacking, knowledge by hitting with attack spells, and magic endurance by being hit with magic. The controls are difficult to figure out, with one aspect being the same button that brings up your shield will also attack if you're standing in front of a monster, but once you figure it out, it's not that bad. To reach the end, you travel through over 40 zones, each bearing their various challenges with monsters or traps, and the occasional puzzle.

About this run

I've completed this TAS over a year ago, but I'm only now submitting it when I regained interest in finally finishing my subtitles. Enjoy them, I say, while I hide my embarrassment for taking so long! Still, I had the file available in the userfile storage here at TASVideos, but this submission has subtitles.
Unfortunately, since it's been a long time between completion and submission, there's a lot of details that inevitably slip. Most of what I know are in the subtitles, so I'll suggest reading that as the bulk of my submission text. I suppose that makes this submission text smaller than my usual fare.
For some reason, I recall thinking the lobsters had 200 defense, when my later RAM reading reveals 90 instead. Maybe I was looking at the wrong number, or my memory is faulty. Ah, whatever...

Potential Improvements

Better luck manipulation than what I've done is probably a standard area to look at. Bezal Hydra was my lazy spot in particular.
I hate how I ran out of M.Potions for the ninja battle. The one I spent in Ruins Area 6 might be better spent on the ninja. It might be worth actually giving a few punches and make the later Arm Strength training less potent, as I actually was still going through growth when I met the lobsters.
The main change, however, would be making a route that aims for increasing levels to pick up and actually use Double Magic. Most of this is probably best done after the ninja, since that's where the high EXP monsters are, and we have high powered Fire Magic to use, too. I recall counting the monsters and finding out that, skipping the lobsters and their absurd defense, there are exactly enough monsters to get the required level 27 to cast Double Magic.

Noxxa: Adequately positive feedback. The subtitles help a lot for understanding of the run. Accepting for Moons.
feos: Pub.


TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #4656: FatRatKnight's SNES Brandish in 38:42.41
ars4326
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I'm happy that you finally decided to submit this one! Can someone provide a temp encode?
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." - 1 Corinthians 2:9
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Posts: 803
Having watched various wips of this as it progressed, I'm glad to see it finally submitted. Also the subtitles are quite solid on this run, definitely fits the "bulk of my submission text" comment. Easily a yes vote.
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An obscure and complicated game done quickly with a really nice commentary explaining everything. Very nice. You should put the ending stats in the submission text, it might be interesting.
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So is there a way to convert lsnes subs into something sane?
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.
Editor, Skilled player (1198)
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If it helps anyone, lsnes can record .lsmv as a pile of text files in a zip. If opened as a zip file, there is a subtitles file in there (no extension), where the first two numbers in each line indicates which frame the subtitle starts and how many frames it lasts. May as well answer with what I am aware of, I'm hoping this information makes it easier to convert it. EDIT: Of note, the .lsmv I've submitted is itself in a zip. This will require that you first extract the .lsmv, then extract the subtitles from the extracted .lsmv file.
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1. The lines in that subtitle file are in reverse order. 2. They aren't formatted in compatibility with, say, srt.
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.
Site Admin, Skilled player (1250)
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Posts: 11473
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I came up with some insane juggling. 1. Install TextFX to Notepad++. 2. TextFX -> Tools -> Insert line numbers. 3. TextFX -> Tools -> uncheck Sort ascending. 4. TextFX -> Tools -> Sort lines case sensitive. 5. TextFX -> Tools -> Delete line numbers. We have them sorted right now. 6. Hold Alt, put mouse cursor to the first column, select all the lines by moving down the cursor, with Alt and LMB held. 7. As you see the huge tall cursor, type in the following text: [module:frames|amount= 8. To allow further manipulations, pad the duration frame column with spaces so that it is perfectly aligned throughout the whole file, and first line duration frame is at the same horrizontal position as the last one. Use Alt+LMB for that too. 9. Select the column right before duration frames now, type there the following: |fps=60.1]%%% where 60.1 is whatever fps that system uses: http://tasvideos.org/PlatformFramerates.html You will get something like this:
[module:frames|amount=60    |fps=60.0988]%%%240 This run aims for fastest time to ending. (Standard any% run)
[module:frames|amount=360   |fps=60.0988]%%%240 For the uninitiated, this is a TAS (Tool-Assisted Speedrun)
[module:frames|amount=660   |fps=60.0988]%%%240 TAS: Frame-by-frame, memory reading, scripting, that stuff.
[module:frames|amount=960   |fps=60.0988]%%%240 But TAS does not use cheats or modify the game at all.
[module:frames|amount=7300  |fps=60.0988]%%%240 The basement of Area 1 is actually shared by Areas 3 & 4.
[module:frames|amount=7580  |fps=60.0988]%%%240 I can't go Area 1->4 by basement, as there's no connection.
[module:frames|amount=9400  |fps=60.0988]%%%240 My inventory can only hold 12 items, but it's plenty for me.
[module:frames|amount=9700  |fps=60.0988]%%%240 Outside of speedruns, 12 slots feels really, really cramped.
[module:frames|amount=10100 |fps=60.0988]%%%240 Boulders are instant death. I bypass it using Warp Magic.
[module:frames|amount=10360 |fps=60.0988]%%%240 A Dimensional Box is here. Has 12 inventory slots. (I skip it)
[module:frames|amount=10620 |fps=60.0988]%%%240 Taking a detour to pick up Fire Magic.
[module:frames|amount=10900 |fps=60.0988]%%%240 I will use Fire Magic much, much later in this run.
[module:frames|amount=11200 |fps=60.0988]%%%240 It shoots a ball of fire forward. Damage based on Knowledge.
10. Now select the whole module, before [ and after %%%, for all the lines, with Alt+LMB, and Copy. 11. Go to http://tasvideos.org/SandBox.html, Edit it, clear the contents, and Paste, then Save the page. You have the frames perfectly converted to times, considering the exact fraction framerate, even AegiSub can't do that! 12. Copy the result, go to your file, select everything but the subtitle text, again with Alt+LMB, delete that mess, press Space for 50 times to create free space on the left. 13. Put cursor to the very beginning and paste. Start times are there now! 14. Pad all start times to format: 00:00:00.0 (mass adding characters with guess which method?) that corresponds to hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds. 15. Select all dot columns and press the comma key, it will mass replace the characters. 16. Select the whole column after start times, type: --> 00:00:00,0 with 1 empty space before the arrow. 17. TextFX -> Tools -> Insert line numbers. 18. Mass select the first column, put there: %%% %%% 19. Select the column before subtitle text, put there: %%% You'll see someting like this:
%%% %%%00000001 00:00:02,990 --> 00:00:07,990%%%This run aims for fastest time to ending. (Standard any% run)
%%% %%%00000002 00:00:07,990 --> 00:00:12,980%%%For the uninitiated, this is a TAS (Tool-Assisted Speedrun)
%%% %%%00000003 00:00:12,980 --> 00:00:17,970%%%TAS: Frame-by-frame, memory reading, scripting, that stuff.
%%% %%%00000004 00:00:17,970 --> 00:00:22,960%%%But TAS does not use cheats or modify the game at all.
%%% %%%00000005 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:28,290%%%Basically, be the master of the game, all within its rules.
20. Copy all that, again put to http://tasvideos.org/SandBox.html and save the page. 21. Select all the result, Copy, create a new file in Notepad++ and Paste. 22. You now have properly formatted srt!!! Save it with that extension. 23. Drag it into AegiSub. 24. Timing -> Shift times. Time: 0:00:02.00. Forward, All rows, Start and end times. OK. 25. Select all the lines (Ctrl+A), Rightclick -> Make times continuous (change end). 25. Save the file with the same full filename as your encode, and .srt at the end. 26. Simply replay the encode to see if everything is okay, if it's not, edit the styles and save as .ass.
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.
Post subject: Movie published
TASVideoAgent
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This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [2833] SNES Brandish by FatRatKnight in 38:42.41
Samsara
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Per this post on the currently published run and the recent rules update that allow runs foregoing major skips as standard branches, I'll be taking another look at this run for potential un-obsoletion. EDIT: Pretty cut-and-dry case of a no major skips run. I have restored it to publication and re-branched the other run accordingly.
TASvideos Admin and acting Senior Judge 💙 Currently unable to dedicate a lot of time to the site, taking care of family. Now infrequently posting on Bluesky
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