Twitch Stream Commentary with Worsel

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/777977254

Take 2! grrrrrrr

This TAS improves my previous submission by 4557 frames. I got re-involved in this TAS, because I was annoyed that it appeared to have unaddressed lag. I started shortly after it was published 3 years ago and made the discovery, a few months later, that it was more unoptimal than I thought. So, here I am again trying to put a bullet in this game so that I never have to come back to it again. Why? I'm not a fan of this version, like I am the original arcade. But...I have OCD problems and I need to correct it. :)

Special Thanks

Thanks goes out to Worsel for helping me stream this TAS and to put commentary to it.

Game Details

Q-Bert 3 came from the concept of the classic arcade game. Even though this game is classified as a puzzle, it had action qualities as well.
The object of the game is to change the color of each cube to the designated color, noted at the top of the screen. As the game progresses, the coloring patterns change.
During the quest of completing each screen, enemy avoidance is necessary to stay alive. The basic concept of identifying enemies, would be to note their color...which Q-bert 3 veers a bit from. Basically, Purple and Red (Coily, the purple snake, Ugg and Wrong way are bad...with the exception of red fruit. With Q-bert 3, the addition of new enemies include non-purple/red enemies...such as the Frog (which follows you around slowly), Pipes (which shoots tiny red balls) , Hats (which bounce back and forward in a defined/static pattern), and purple kisses (which move around in a defined pattern and then drop off of the cubes).

Goals:

  • any%
  • Real-Time

Tools Used:

  • lsnes Emulator rr2-B23

Improvement Strategies:

  • Heavy experimentation led to some rounting changes
  • Found better ways to use Slick/Sam (green guys) more to my advantage
  • Found that "resisting" the green "freeze" ball was a much better option in some places, as the layout of the screen changed for the better and improved routing and reduced bonus tally drops.
  • Enemy manipulation was pushed beyond efforts of the previous submission.
  • Some deaths were removed and actually showed faster times, with great adjustments to accomodate.

Level Coloring Patterns

Note: A is the first color (original starting color), and B & C follow suit. Parenthesis indicates a repeating color changes for when continuous hopping occurs.

Levels 1,3,10,15: AB
Levels 2,4,11,16: ABC
Levels 5,7,12,17: (AB)
Levels 6,8,13,18: A(BC)
Levels 9,14,19,20: (ABC)

Frame Improvements

Stage Total Frames Cut (Cumulative) Stage Frames
1-1 0 0
1-2 0 0
1-3 -4 -4
1-4 -4 0
2-1 -9 -6
2-2 -9 0
2-3 -113 -104
2-4 -113 0
3-1 -115 -2
3-2 -114 1
3-3 -115 -1
3-4 -124 -9
4-1 -127 -3
4-2 -187 -60
4-3 -276 -89
4-4 -300 -24
5-1 -412 -112
5-2 -418 -6
5-3 -502 -84
5-4 -662 -160
6-1 -884 -222
6-2 -957 -73
6-3 -963 -6
6-4 -1018 -55
7-1 -1016 2
7-2 -1151 -135
7-3 -1157 -6
7-4 -1170 -13
8-1 -1247 -77
8-2 -1501 -254
8-3 -1530 -30
8-4 -1713 -183
9-1 -1965 -252
9-2 -2259 -294
9-3 -2283 -24
9-4 -2410 -127
10-1 -2409 1
10-2 -2411 -2
10-3 -2417 -6
10-4 -2480 -63
11-1 -2480 0
11-2 -2541 -61
11-3 -2633 -92
11-4 -2710 -77
12-1 -2711 -1
12-2 -3035 -324
12-3 -3064 -29
12-4 -3205 -141
13-1 -3212 -7
13-2 -3244 -32
13-3 -3272 -28
13-4 -3347 -75
14-1 -3350 -3
14-2 -3374 -24
14-3 -3377 -3
14-4 -3506 -129
15-1 -3512 -6
15-2 -3507 5
15-3 -3509 -2
15-4 -3509 0
16-1 -3547 -38
16-2 -3551 -4
16-3 -3572 -21
16-4 -3570 2
17-1 -3568 2
17-2 -3605 -37
17-3 -3607 -2
17-4 -3616 -9
18-1 -3718 -102
18-2 -3803 -85
18-3 -3805 -2
18-4 -3806 -1
19-1 -4044 -238
19-2 -4061 -17
19-3 -4061 0
19-4 -4061 0
20-1 -4257 -196
20-2 -4360 -103
20-3 -4515 -155
20-4 -4557 -42

feos: While the feedback was positive, this movie doesn't feature any significant improvements in entertainment, and the old movie only got 3 votes in 3 years, and they're not incredible. Gameplay is just as monotonous as the last time, since it's all this game has, aside from the constant background barf. Accepting over [3574] SNES Q*bert 3 by nymx in 54:04.02.
Zinfidel: Processing...


TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 15577
Location: 127.0.0.1
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #6918: nymx's SNES Q*bert 3 in 52:48.20
EZGames69
He/They
Publisher, Reviewer, Expert player (4460)
Joined: 5/29/2017
Posts: 2761
When I first joined this website, the old TAS was something I watched alot, and this new TAS is strangely giving me nostalgia for that time. For some reason I find watching puzzles TASes like this super relaxing to watch, even though realistically I should be bored by it. But I’m not here. I’m preparing to be the only person here that really likes this movie, so I vote yes.
[14:15] <feos> WinDOES what DOSn't 12:33:44 PM <Mothrayas> "I got an oof with my game!" Mothrayas Today at 12:22: <Colin> thank you for supporting noble causes such as my feet MemoryTAS Today at 11:55 AM: you wouldn't know beauty if it slapped you in the face with a giant fish [Today at 4:51 PM] Mothrayas: although if you like your own tweets that's the online equivalent of sniffing your own farts and probably tells a lot about you as a person MemoryTAS Today at 7:01 PM: But I exert big staff energy honestly lol Samsara Today at 1:20 PM: wouldn't ACE in a real life TAS just stand for Actually Cease Existing
psx
Joined: 9/26/2020
Posts: 24
as the only person who in the world enjoys Q*Bert 3 on some weird poopy game spirtual level, i'm voting yes.
xxezrabxxx
He/Him
Joined: 7/15/2017
Posts: 199
Location: Kentucky
Nice improvement! Yes vote
I like to comment on submissions and look around the site. You have probably seen me before (if you have been around for a while) either on the site, Discord, or any other social media. I recently took up making temporary encodes for new submissions. Also, I never forget to greet Tompa wherever I find him! "when resyncing stuff sucks it's called Resuccing" - EZGames69 “If an emulator stops being accepted to the site it should be called an emuLAMEr” - EZGames69 "oh no discord, everything I say will now be logged forever, sdfsdf, time to hide" - Masterjun "just had to give therapy to a taxi with daddy issues" - psx Current Projects: Mother 3 (75% complete)
Player (13)
Joined: 6/17/2006
Posts: 508
Great run, and love Q*Bert 3! Yes vote!
Joined: 6/4/2009
Posts: 893
i can't believe i just watched that... yes vote good job nymx and see you in, 3 years for your next q*bert submition.. (maybe you'll be using a watercooled cpu this time :D)
nymx
He/Him
Editor, Judge, Expert player (2234)
Joined: 11/14/2014
Posts: 932
Location: South Pole, True Land Down Under
Nicos wrote:
i can't believe i just watched that... yes vote good job nymx and see you in, 3 years for your next q*bert submition.. (maybe you'll be using a watercooled cpu this time :D)
LOL That is why I hope the bullet did the trick this time around.
I recently discovered that if you haven't reached a level of frustration with TASing any game, then you haven't done your due diligence. ---- SOYZA: Are you playing a game? NYMX: I'm not playing a game, I'm TASing. SOYZA: Oh...so its not a game...Its for real? ---- Anybody got a Quantum computer I can borrow for 20 minutes? Nevermind...eien's 64 core machine will do. :) ---- BOTing will be the end of all games. --NYMX
Post subject: Movie published
TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 15577
Location: 127.0.0.1
This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [4335] SNES Q*bert 3 by nymx in 52:48.20