sobble_p completes the Flash game Bloons as fast as possible in 4:26.400s. Join the millions of other players enjoying Ninja Kiwi's Bloons game. Bloons is based on the very simple fact that popping balloons is fun. Pop your way through all 50 puzzling levels in this exceptionally fun new puzzle adventure!
- Emulator used: Ruffle nightly-2022_10_28-linux-x86_64 (through libTAS v1.4.4)
- Emulator operating system: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (libTAS ran through the terminal.)
- Emulator configuration: libTAS > General options > Frames per second > set to 50 / 1. Runtime > Time Tracking > enable only clock_gettime() monotonic. I set no conditions for the Command-line options. Include only the directory of the SWF file.
- SWF MD5 hash: f369c0af41b80fd2080f05e1642286b5
Game Objectives
- Complete Bloons by completing all 50 levels without enabling Unlimited Darts Mode in the game.
- Time starts after the first level is clicked and the first frame of level 1 is visible, time ends on first frame of the monkey disappearing in level 50. This is the same timing as human any% no udm runs on speedrun.com.
Bloons was the first game in the Bloons series that was created and released by Kaiparasoft (Now known as NinjaKiwi) in 2006. This would later turn into the now very successful game series Bloons Tower Defense (which is a series I've been following for over 10 years!). The original Bloons Flash game has a few versions from what I understand. The version featured in BlueMaxima's Flashpoint Flash game archive contains the newest version, which uses ActionScript 3 which is not fully supported by Ruffle and will currently fail to load in the emulator. The version used in this TAS comes from crazygames.com which features an older version of the game that does not contain ActionScript 3! One of the first things you might notice in this TAS is me throwing my extra darts away off the screen, which does save time. Throwing darts at the metal or ceramic blocks is slower as you cannot throw another dart under the previous dart that hit the block fades away completely. Occasionally, you don't have to toss darts if you destroy all Bloons in the level but usually once you meet the target amount of bloons. It's generally faster to dispose extras off the screen... especially if the bloons are in a tricky place. Another thing to mention with throwing darts is the invisible trigger zones where the darts will collide with off-screen to reset them, allowing you to throw the next dart. They are not all the same, as the trigger zone on the right is fair bit closer to the screen than the left side or bottom screen zones. To test this, simply play the game and throw the darts off the screen to the left, right, and down and you will see this. I thought I'd mention this because it saves some frames at a few points where you have to dispose extra darts or hit darts near the right of the screen. Another thing you may notice is that some levels, after you complete them, take a bit for the level complete screen to appear. I'm not sure why this happens and as far as I know, it's still a mystery. It could be similar to frame rules in Super Mario Bros. but that is just a guess. Below are my comments for each level. I have a lot to talk about for some levels.
Level 1
- Pretty simple level. I throw the darts with less energy as to throw them faster so I can throw the next one a little faster while also meeting the target. After, I toss the extra darts.
Level 2
- Kinda the same thing as Level 1, but with more bloons and a higher target amount. Then I toss the extra darts.
Level 3
- I throw the first dart as early as possible and as low as possible to get my second dart a little earlier. I finish off the extra five bloons nearest to me to match the target, then I toss the extra darts.
Level 4
- Similar concept to the first two levels in the game, but a little more tricky. I hit the lower triangles to get some bloons from them, then I throw an upward-angled shot to the top triangle while also getting the extra remaining bloons on the bottom ones. Then I toss extra darts as usual.
Level 5
- I simply hit the closest tack bloon as low and as fast as possible then quickly dispose the extra dart.
Level 6
- I throw the first dart at an upward-angle to hit the most amount of bloons in the first strip of them. I do the same for the second dart but for the second strip. I throw the first dart at the remaining bloons in the first strip so I can meet the target. Then I toss the extra darts.
Level 7
- The first level with triple dart bloons! I throw the first dart as fast and as low as I can while getting the first triple dart bloon. With the second dart, I then quickly throw my triple darts at the other triple dart bloons also as fast and as low as possible, to get my final triple dart attack which I then also throw as fast as possible but also to meet the target. Then I toss extra darts once again.
Level 8
- Another simple level. I throw the first dart to break the ceramic block then wait until I can throw my second dart, then I shoot the tack bloon on the other side as fast as possible. This is a rare case where tossing the extra dart isn't necessary as I destroyed all bloons in the level already.
Level 9
- I shoot the first dart as fast as possible while getting as much bloons as possible. Then I throw the second dart to meet the target. Then I toss extra darts.
Level 10
- I throw one dart to destroy all the bloons. I threw my extra darts anyway even though I already completed the level, out of habit.
Level 11
- I throw one simple throw a dart to bounce off the bouncy blocks to hit the tack bloon that destroys the rest of the bloons. I toss the extra darts out of habit once again even though I already met the target.
Level 12
- I make a precise dart throw to meet the target bloons with one shot without hitting the tack bloons that would hit the freeze bloons that would end up freezing the regular bloons. Then I toss extra darts.
Level 13
- Another precise dart throw to hit the tack bloons that will meet the target exactly. Then I toss extra darts.
Level 14
- What a pain in the butt this level is! The strategy is to throw the darts through the bouncy block maze without them bouncing too much as that wastes time. Most angles will end up making the darts bounce all over the place for like 10 seconds inside the maze which will then they will eventually fade out. You also have to hit a good amount of bloons too. The target is pretty strict here. I was SO CLOSE to being able to do this level within two dart throws but could not get ONE MORE BLOON no matter how I threw the damn thing. I then opted to throw an extra dart to quickly clear out the top part of the maze. I then throw the final third shot which was the best angle I could find that that wouldn't make the dart bounce for all eternity.
Level 15
- The first level with a boomerang bloon! I throw the first dart as low and as fast as possible while also getting the boomerang bloon. I throw the boomerang with as little force as I can while also being able to reach the target. Unlike regular darts, you can't throw these off-screen so throwing them as fast as possible is important but throwing them as low as possible doesn't matter.
Level 16
- Similar to the previous level. I throw the first dart as quick and as low as I can so that it falls off the screen faster so I can throw my next dart faster. I then throw the boomerang as fast as I can while also meeting the target. Unfortunately, you have to wait for the boomerang to fade once it gets back to you.
Level 17
- With my first dart, I hit a somewhat precise shot to hit three of the bloon shapes with the tack bloons in them. Then I throw a second dart to finish the other two. Then I dispose of the extra darts.
Level 18
- Simple chain reaction level. I throw the first dart at the top ceramic block then with my second shot, I throw it at the tack bloon.
Level 19
- Another chain reaction level. I throw the first dart as low and as fast as possible also making sure I don't hit the metal block so that I don't have to wait for it to fade.
Level 20
- I throw a precise shot with the first dart as low and as fast as possible to hit all three tack bloons.
Level 21
- First Pac-Man bloon level! I throw the first dart as low and as fast as possible to hit the Pac-Man bloon as quickly as I can. I then control Pac-Man to finish off the rest of the bloons as fast as I can, I wait until the Pac-Man powerup runs out before the level finishes. This technically means I don't have to do the level as fast as possible in the Pac-Man section, but I did it anyway.
Level 22
- Another boomerang level. I throw the first dart at the boomerang bloons as low and as quickly as possible. I then throw the boomerang around as lightly as I can without touching the freeze bloons. Then I dispose of the extra darts.
Level 23
- I precisely throw the first dart over the spike bloons to hit the tack bloons on the bottom to avoid making the spike bloons fall, which I believe wastes some time.
Level 24
- This one scared me when I first saw it but I realized it's not as tricky as Level 14. I throw the first dart at a precise angle to the left to hit some bloons while also hitting the ceramic block so that I don't have to wait 10 seconds for the dart to stop bouncing. I then throw the second dart to the right to pop the tack bloon and get the triple dart bloon. I then throw the triple dart bloon above me to match the target. I then dispose the extra triple dart into the ceramic beneath me since I can't shoot it off-screen.
Level 25
- I throw a very precise shot at the spike bloons to make pop as many as I can. I then hit an extra shot to the extra bloons on the right side of the screen to match the target. Then I dispose of the extra darts.
Level 26
- Another one that's a pain in the butt. You have one dart to hit 63 bloons, which is really hard to do fast. The angle I threw it at was the best angle I could find that could meet the target while also making the dart bounce pretty fast.
Level 27
- I hit a precise first dart shot to the bloons inside the ceramic blocks to get some bloons. Then with the second shot, I quickly shoot three ice bloons to meet the target.
Level 28
- Somewhat similar to the first two levels in the game. I try to hit as many bloons as I can with as little darts as I can while also doing it as fast as I can. Then I dispose of the extra darts.
Level 29
- I simply hit each bomb bloon as fast as I can with my darts. The darts reset instantly when you hit a bomb bloon so that you can immediately throw another one. Which is fun.
Level 30
- I throw the first dart through the metal wall to clip and hit the bomb bloons, then I quickly throw my second dart to the extra bloons to meet the target.
Level 31
- I quickly throw some darts to the top-left to reach the bomb bloons. I throw a shot in the corner of the ceramics which manages to touch the bomb bloons hitbox. I then throw a second bloon at the top tack bloons to pop some more bloons to reach the target, then I throw a very short and precise shot at the bottom tack bloon to reach the target. Then I dispose of the extra darts as fast as I can into the ceramics as fast as I can since I can't throw them below me.
Level 32
- With the first two darts, I throw them at the top part of the bloons and get as many as I can. I then throw a tricky third bloon at the bottom to get some more bloons. Then I hit all the freeze bloons with the fourth dart which give me the exact amount I need. Then I dispose of the extra dart.
Level 33
- I shoot around the tack bloons to both avoid triggering the freeze bloon and get my next darts faster (it would take longer as they would bounce all over the freeze bloons). But the last one, I throw a tricky dart shot to hit some bloons near the top while also getting some bloons on the bottom (and also hitting the tack bloon in this case) to meet the target.
Level 34
- I quickly throw my first dart at the lower bloon cluster on the bottom to make the bomb bloon explode, then do the same with the top cluster. Then I dispose of the extra dart.
Level 35
- I throw my first dart as low and as quick as I can to get the boomerang bloon and explode the bomb bloon. I then throw my boomerang as fast as I can and hit the metal block which is sligfhtly quicker than waiting for it to come back to you since in both cases, you have to wait for it to fade out. Since I got all the bloons, I don't have to dispose my extras.
Level 36
- I throw my a tricky first dart to hit the two spike bloons and also bounce off the platform off the screen to avoid having to wait for the dart to bounce or fade from hitting the metal blocks. I then go directly for the tack bloon behind the ceramic block with my other two darts.
Level 37
- I throw my first dart as quickly as I can to the Pac-Man bloon then, as precisely as I can, pop all the bloons. You will see me popping two at once my positioning precisely between two of them. I then wait for the power-up to run out at the end of the level.
Level 38
- Another first tricky dart throw where I hit the tack bloon as soon as I can. Then I dispose of the extra darts.
Level 39
- Yet another first tricky dart throw where I aim it as far to the right as I can while not hitting the metal block while also popping the needed amount of bloons as fast as I can. Then I dispose of the extra darts.
Level 40
- I throw some somewhat two precise darts at the freeze bloons to reach the target. Notice how I aim my first one to make it over the bouncy blocks to make it to the right side of the screen quicker. I then dispose of the extra darts.
Level 41
- I aim my first dart at the bloons above me while also hitting the triple dart bloon along with the other bloons around it. I then do a tricky triple dart throw to hit enough bloons while also hitting the tack bloon which will hit the spike bloon that will hit a Pac-Man bloon which I have just enough bloons popped to reach the target. I then dispose of the extra darts.
Level 42
- I first throw a dart to get the triple dart bloon. I then use my triple dart shot to take out all the bloons at the top region of the bloon cluster without hitting the freeze bloons. I then throw another dart to the middle to get some more bloons popped, then the shot after that, I hit some freeze bloons to get more to the target. I then dispose of the extra darts (shocker).
Level 43
- I throw my first dart at all the spike bloons as fast as I can. I then throw another dart at some bloons in the bouncy blocks, reaching the target. I then dispose of the extra dart.
Level 44
- I throw my first dart on the right side of the level to hit three of the spike bloons. The second dart, I throw it the same way but for the other side. I then throw another dart on the right side, making sure I don't hit the ceramic block as that will lose time. I do the same for the other side, which then I meet the target amount. I then dispose of the extra darts.
Level 45
- I hit a precise first throw to pop all extra dart bloons and hit the Pac-Man bloon. I then precise navigate the bloons with Pac-Man to pop two at once. I then wait for the power-up to run out as I meet the target. I then dispose of the extra darts.
Level 46
- I throw a first precise dart throw at an upward angle to hit the bloons on the back of the cluster. I then do the same thing with my second shot but with the front bloons. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how to make it to 25 bloons within those two throws. I could only come up one short... So I quickly threw a third dart to meet the target.
Level 47
- I throw the first dart straight at the ceramic block to get rid of it as fast as possible. I then throw a precise dart at the bomb bloon while avoiding the freeze bloon. I then throw a shot to hit the ceramic in front of the tack bloon then a VERY PRECISE shot at the tack bloon to hit it.
Level 48
- I throw the first dart as quickly as I can at the Pac-Man bloon. I then take a pretty normal route to completing this level but do it as precise as I can. As far as I have tested, this is the best route to take.
Level 49
- I throw a very precise shot to hit the tack bloons while avoiding hitting the freeze bloon. I then dispose of the extra bloons.
Level 50
- With the final level, I simply throw a dart at the tack bloon through the ceramic block as quick as I can, thus, ending the movie... and game.
It was a journey to TAS this game with some levels being easy to do fast and others... not so much. Some routes that I took are different than what I've seen on some speedruns of the game. I couldn't get a couple clips to work... possibly because I'm playing on a different version of the game than the ones they are playing. Though, I managed to find some faster routes that don't use them for some of the clips I couldn't get to work (ex: level 49).
Possible Improvements
- Throwing the dart a little shorter on level 10. I realized it's probably a little bit unoptimized.
- Possibly a faster two-dart or three-dart route for level 14.
- Possibly better and faster dart bounce patterns on level 24 (mainly the first dart throw to the left).
- Possibly better and faster dart bounce pattern on level 26.
- Throwing the second dart on level 30 a little lower.
- Possibly using an alternate route with clips for faster time on level 44.
slamo: Claiming for judging.
Optimizing this game looks really difficult. There are some impressive trick shots that RTA runners wouldn't dream of trying. There are possibly some improvements due to the complexity of the game, especially in the bouncing dart levels, but the current solutions look good enough.
The choice to not use unlimited darts is somewhat understandable when you consider it's the default choice. However, it just adds more time with no added entertainment, and the difference in difficulty is only applicable to RTA. To be clear, I don't think it should be rejected over this, because there's a lot of redeeming things about this run and I think the audience would like to see it. I hope any future attempts at this will use UDM, and I would personally obsolete this run if using UDM was the only improvement. I'm going to make this a branchless fastest completion run, because I don't think a "no UDM" branch offers different enough content from an any% run, and we'll just chalk up UDM as a known improvement.
Accepting!
