This TAS is a run of the 9 Hole course in Wii Sports, with the goal of completing the course as fast as possible. Time begins when "9 Hole Game" is selected and ends when the ball completely enters the cup on Hole 9 and does not come back out.
Game objectives
- Emulator used: Dolphin 5.0-9186
- Complete the 9 Hole course as fast as possible
- Uses Water Hazards to save time
- Does not aim for lowest score
Prior to beginning the run, I choose to enter the Expert course 2 times. Once is so that the "AB Check" is cleared before the run begins, and the second time is to generate a new set of RNG for the winds on the course. All wind speed and direction is determined and locked as soon as "9 Hole Game" is clicked. In most holes, I opt to hit the flag and drop into the hole rather than go for a direct chip-in. This is because the direct chip-in camera slows down the transition into the next hole and wastes a slight amount of time. Throughout the entire run, I only use the Driver as it launches the ball farther and faster than any other club. On certain holes I use "redline", which refers to the wobbling red line that appears on the power meter if the shot is too hard. Redline shots are the same power as full power meter shots but curve to the left or right. On two holes I purposefully land in a Water Hazard instead of onto the fairway because it begins the next stroke more quickly.
Hole 1
Wind: 28mph North
Before the first swing, a tutorial is skipped the instant it is about to appear leaving only a "ding" sound. The first swing lands the ball into the bunker but rolls it onto the fairway before coming to a rest. This allows the next swing to reach the necessary power to hit the flag and achieve an Eagle.
Hole 2
Wind: 12mph Southwest
One swing achieves a Hole in One.
Hole 3
Wind: 4mph South
The first swing lands the ball on the OOB grass, slowing the ball down so that it comes to a rest on the very edge of the fairway on the shortcut island. Then the second swing hits the flag and we get a Double Eagle.
Hole 4
Wind: 0
One swing achieves a Hole in One.
Hole 5
Wind: 10mph Southeast
The first swing hits hard and redlines to the right, allowing for less turning before starting the swing. The ball lands just outside the rough, and on the fairway. The second shot hits the flag and we get another Double Eagle.
Hole 6
Wind: 2mph East
The first shot redlines right, and the ball lands directly into the closest edge of the river, getting a Water Hazard. We are placed in the rough on the edge of the river, and with a well aimed shot we redline into the flag and achieve a Birdie.
Hole 7
Wind: 14mph Northeast
The first swing hits at maximum power and the ball lands directly into the bunker. We chip from the bunker with a Driver to achieve an Eagle.
Hole 8
Wind: 26mph West
We turn against the wind and hit a shot at nearly full power to bounce off the fairway and achieve a direct chip-in hole in one.
Hole 9
Wind: 24mph Northwest
The first shot hits the cliffside on the lefthand island, bouncing over the fairway and landing down into the ocean for a Water Hazard. We are placed on the fairway on the lefthand island and from there make a direct chip into the cup, completing the run.
Improvements
Most notable timesave is available on Hole 7, by getting a Hole in One instead of an Eagle. This requires both good wind and pin RNG. Another timesave is found on Hole 8, where a flagshot would have saved time over a direct chip-in if the wind made it available. On several holes I appear to take a moment before hitting the ball, this is because I have not found a faster way to use the emulated motion controls to swing instantly. Additional timesave is available with more favorable winds on holes like 9.
Thanks
Thanks to Alaskaxp2 for discovering flag hits. Thanks to DannyH09, the current World Record holder for being a TAS before this was released. Thanks to all members of the Wii Sports Speedrunning community for developing the speedrun and helping me get through this TAS.
Memory: Replacing with trimmed input file.
Memory: The optimization of the actual gameplay seems good. However the TAS is optimized for RTA timing (start of 9 holes) rather than TAS timing (power on). The TAS does a bunch of additional menuing to affect winds. Waiting does not seem to affect the winds. It is not known whether or not this additional menuing is particularly necessary in a TAS aiming for TAS timing but figuring that out would require redoing the whole movie, since later courses can be heavily wind dependent. This menuing strategy was done as optimally as it could but a future TASer might discover it is not needed.
The movie also sacrifices score for time, something that some folks found detracting from the entertainment value. In other words, this TAS might take additional shots or land out of bounds or in the water to save time. I did personally wince slightly at those instances but I understand why it was done and the votes are overwhelmingly positive.
This is an individual mode in the game and can be said to have been played to completion.
Accepting to Moons.
