Info to sync the TAS

  • Use Dolphin 4.0-4167
  • Memory cards are off
  • Uses LLE recompiler audio
  • Dual Core and Idle Skipping turned off
Thanks to TheRobMan 07 and whokilledthekitty for their videos of runs of the game which I was able to use for reference.

My comments on the run

I'm so glad that I finished this run, because I can remember thinking and feeling that it would never get done. I can remember starting it just about 6 months ago and being excited to even be able to play it. I used to love this game when I was younger but hating to have to go through the entire game not knowing any way to go through it faster. Now that I revisited it with some tools, it was much more excruciating exciting. I know that it's improvable but only to a certain extent, with the current route at least. With the current route and tricks/glitches, runs will never sub 2 hours. They will get close, but there is only so much that can be done to reduce time lost. There is probably a relatively small timesaver in the beginning with the Whomping Willow or somewhere in another one of the spell chambers. When I come back to the game again or when it gets more attention, I'm hoping more useful glitches will be discovered. I was also a bit annoyed at a small emulation error (I'm assuming) where Harry would start "stuttering" as he was running. It happened frequently.

About the TAS

  • Aims to complete the game in as little time as possible
  • Manipulates enemies to take or avoid damage to save time
  • Abuses glitches

Techniques or tricks

The only real techniques that I used in this run were a quick turn-like movement that I use to change directions in a matter of a few frames and skipping the dialogue boxes. The quick turn movement happens when Harry is running and I press the L-trigger and hold a different direction. It happens because pressing the L-trigger is supposed to center the camera behind Harry, but if he's running it'll make him instantly change directions. It can also be used when Harry runs and jumps off a ledge. Harry will still jump off the ledge, but pressing the L-trigger on the right frame and holding a different direction will make Harry jump in that direction but still face the same way as running off the ledge. Also, during the run, when a help box pops up, I press Z to open the menu and then close out of it to make the box go away instead of just waiting to press A. Opening and closing the menu saves time over waiting to press A.

Level by level comments:

The Burrow
This area was fairly easy. It was just an introductory level, teaching the basics to the player. Nothing here could be skipped. Though, I do think I did the "washing machine duel" fairly quickly. The gnomes in the garden probably could have gone better, but I tried to spend as little time hitting and throwing them beyond the wall.
Diagon Alley
This area was a bit annoying just because of all the unskippable cutscenes.
Whomping Willow
Nothing too unpleasant about this area except for the final fight. I feel like I could get an early cycle somehow.
Flying Lesson
Simple and straightforward.
Saving Neville
This task was actually really annoying because it seemed like there was so much unnecessary running around (going to the Library to get the book, then going to get the Diffindo spell, then running all the way back to Neville who was stuck behind a big hanging carpet).
Expelliarmus Challenge
This chamber was really fun and I feel I did it really quickly. The beginning with the flying spiked balls was very solid in my opinion because I manipulated them to hit them in groups instead of one at a time. The major skip was done quickly, and the fight against the statue was done quickly as well.
Quidditch Practice
Practice was also straightforward.
Skurge Spell & Hogwarts - A History
This area was also pretty annoying. The very first section felt incredibly slow but there was nothing that could be done about it, and there were so many sections after that that I felt I could have saved time on if there was a way to avoid all the wall sneaking. Otherwise, the room with the enchanted bookcase was alright, and the room with Slytherin duel was solid. The most fun part was running past the prefects going towards the restricted section of the library.
Avifors Challenge
This challenge wasn't so hard. Not too much to say about it.
Quidditch Match 1
Very simple.
Questioning Draco
This was probably the most fun I had in the entire TAS. It was all supposed to be based on sneaking past the prefects and not getting caught, but instead I taunt them and run past them.
Incendio Challenge
This chamber wasn't that bad either. The initial statue fight was fast, the gate skip execution was good, and getting the spell book was quick as well. The only problem that I had was that I feel that pushing all the switches could have gone faster somehow. I think there will be a way to get past the door early without having to stop the fire from blocking it.
Quidditch Match 2
Again, nothing complicated about it.
Forbidden Forest & Aragog
sigh... I hated this area. There are a ton of enemies throwing projectiles at you that can still hurt you if you run into them, and often there was very little space with no room to dodge them. I still think it looked neat just skipping almost all the enemies, not having to stop for them. The fight with Aragog was excellent. I was able to manipulate him so that I could attack 4 times in a row without waiting, which is very fast. I'm happy with the fight.
Quidditch Match 3
Nothing much to comment on.
Final Battle
I honestly think this fight was terrible, yet I don't think there is really anything I can significantly improve on. I couldn't manipulate the basilisk to be open to attack early, so it seemed like it was very slow when it's supposed to be like that. All the "stuttering" during the running animation didn't help either. I hope I can get some kind of early attack cycles later on.

GoddessMaria: *commits suici*--I mean, Judging!
Noxxa: Unclaiming and resetting to new due to judge inactivity.
ars4326: Judging!
ars4326: Hello, USTA2877. Apologies for the delay in judgment. Good effort done on this one, overall! Some parts, such as the TAS-optimized Quidditch matches and the executed sequence breaks, were especially nice to watch. As stated in the thread though, the game is rather cutscene-heavy with considerable amounts of downtime. Nonetheless, the effort put in here is certainly worthy of publication.
Accepting for publication to the Vault!
RGamma Publishing with all my disk space...

TASVideoAgent
They/Them
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Spikestuff
They/Them
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bihan wrote:
I didn't plan on submitting though :/ there's a cutscene skip near the beginning of the run that I didn't use that saves a lot of time (1-2 minutes I think). It wasn't discovered until later on, when I was way past that point.
Other than that minor error, I thought the TAS was well played, I haven't done my normal scavenger hunt through the input due to Yaife crashing for me, so I'll just give it my Yes on the Entertainment.
WebNations/Sabih wrote:
+fsvgm777 never censoring anything.
Disables Comments and Ratings for the YouTube account. These colours are pretty neato, and also these.
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Oddly enough I just watched the movie just a few mins ago before seeing this TAS.
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emulator has shitty drawing distance?or it's the game?
TAS i'm interested: megaman series: mmbn1 all chips, mmx3 any% psx glitched fighting games with speed goals in general
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That encode has a really bad A/V desync.
bihan
He/Him
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grassini wrote:
emulator has shitty drawing distance?or it's the game?
That's just because I tried to dump frames with the widescreen hack on, so that's why things are popping in and out.
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Unfortunately, the game itself isn't very entertaining to watch, especially due to all the cutscenes. The route looks optimal, and movement for the most part is good. Some of the regular walking angles are suspect, e.g. running into a wall at an angle instead of straight down the hall. Meh vote (if it would let me), I suggest Vault.
Fog
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can confirm the game syncs
Fog
Experienced player (625)
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Link to video Temp encode with proper sync.
Joined: 10/14/2013
Posts: 335
Location: Australia
There are a few versions floating around out there, what's the checksum of the one you're using Fog?
I'm not as active as I once was, but I can be reached here if I should be needed.
Fog
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thecoreyburton wrote:
There are a few versions floating around out there, what's the checksum of the one you're using Fog?
MD5: 233351FD9856337AC9FF799F520A52D3
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I think the any% category should be removed from the submission.
Here, my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/dekutony
Fog
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Kurabupengin wrote:
I think the any% category should be removed from the submission.
It will be once proper publication is completed.
Editor, Experienced player (893)
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Alright, I watched this TAS. It's practically a Harry Potter-movie thanks to its numerous cutscenes. This could be considered a good or a bad thing, depending on if you like Harry Potter... Some parts of the TAS are pretty fast-paced and impressive, and the run easily beats the current record of this game, so it seems to be well enough made to be published. Despite high production values, I personally can't say the game itself was that entertaining to watch. A basic platformer with an annoying amount of downtime, really. Featuring Harry Potter. Diagnosis: vault it?
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It has been quite some time since this got accepted... Wondef who will publish this...
Here, my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/dekutony
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Kurabupengin wrote:
It has been quite some time since this got accepted... Wondef who will publish this...
GC/Wii Games take a lot longer than other consoles to get published and stuff.
Fog
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I was planning on publishing it but because of the length of the game and the free space on my HDD I'm not able to do a HQ dump of it.
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Location: Germany
Any favorite screenshot?
All syllogisms have three parts, therefore this is not a syllogism.
Joined: 2/3/2013
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Quick update: I also seem to have insufficient space. Will find a solution...
All syllogisms have three parts, therefore this is not a syllogism.
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Now we just need dolphin developpers to fix Harry Potter 3 and we should make a PoA TAS!
Current: Rayman 3 maybe? idk xD Paused: N64 Rayman 2 (with Funnyhair) GBA SMA 4 : E Reader (With TehSeven) TASVideos is like a quicksand, you get in, but you cannot quit the sand
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It seems I can't free up enough space on my laptop to make enough space without compromising quality. I'll dust off my desktop computer, install everything on it to get this working and do it from there... Expect publication by the end of the coming week.
All syllogisms have three parts, therefore this is not a syllogism.
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Thank you a lot, this dedication is gold.
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.
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I don't know this game at all but if you're saying it's cutscene heavy, any chance on a cutscene-less encode?
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MUGG wrote:
I don't know this game at all but if you're saying it's cutscene heavy, any chance on a cutscene-less encode?
Seems like a good idea. I'll see to it.
All syllogisms have three parts, therefore this is not a syllogism.
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Nearing 5 months now. I don''t mean to nag, but how's it going with this?
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