(Link to video)
This submission file has been improved by 330 frames: https://tasvideos.org/UserFiles/Info/638373008411820267

About the Game

5-STAR is an NES homebrew puzzle-platformer created by Wendel Scardua for Ludum Dare 53, with the theme "Delivery". You play as a pizza delivery guy who has to deliver pizzas to 5 neighbourhoods and overcome different obstacles along the way such as hills and angry black cats.

About the TAS

This TAS aims to beat the game as fast as possible while delivering every pizza successfully.

Movement Tech

Different Speeds

We move at different speeds based on how many pizza boxes we're holding. We move slowest when we're holding 4 boxes and, every time we remove a box from the stack, our speed increases.

Acceleration

Again, the acceleration is different based on how many pizza boxes we're holding. We start each level at full acceleration, but if we hit a wall (which this TAS doesn't) the speed value on the X axis is automatically set to 0, and after that our speed slowly increases on a decreasing logarithm until the maximum speed based on how many boxes we're holding is reached.

Box Jump

By jumping and picking up a box at the same time, it's possible to jump from the box's height while still picking up said box. This can be used to make things much easier than intended.

TAS Strategy

The strategy here is to keep placing and picking up boxes without letting go of R/L (depending on what direction we're heading). This way, we can produce tiny waves of speed to travel slightly faster than intended on average. With this trick, I managed to save 46 frames in the first level over my 1st attempt, where I just held the boxes all the way.
Input ends on frame 7392 when we press start on the final tips screen.
That's all from me. Thanks for reading.

nymx: Claiming for judging.
nymx: Replacing movie file with an improved version.
nymx: LogansGamingRoom, thanks for making that change. This puts this TAS in a position for me to judge it positively. I don't see anything else that can be improved. Good Job.
Accepting.

despoa: Processing...

TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #8757: LoganTheTASer's NES 5-STAR in 02:03.01
nymx
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LGR...this movie is suboptimal. Your 3 stage has a lot of backtracking. I was able to cut 144 frames off easily by setting down all my boxes and going back to quickly pick the "left behind boxes". Check out my changes here. https://tasvideos.org/UserFiles/Info/638372607955244918 This is still not optimal, as I did it in a hurry to prove that the "back-tracking" you perform is slower.
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
LoganTheTASer
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thanks for pointing this out. i’ll fix this after school.
LoganTheTASer
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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. ---- [5703] NES 5-STAR by LoganTheTASer in 02:03.01