Player (209)
Joined: 2/18/2005
Posts: 1451
Looks good. You show nice tricks in 3rd track of the new class again and lot of variation between the races. I have no complaints and look forward to see the harder levels and how you will handle them by hopefully still mixing some show in the races.
See my perfect 100% movie-walkthroughs of the best RPG games on http://www.freewebs.com/saturnsmovies/index.htm Current TAS project (with new videos): Super Metroid Redesign, any% speedrun
Joined: 10/3/2005
Posts: 1332
edit: Drom, the link you gave for your current run was the exact same run as you posted earlier. The game ends for me at frame 29595 with you jump jetting off the first track in Division A.
Crap. Savefile has screwed me yet again. Just as well, I guess. All the crazy stuff happened after the desync. I restarted and managed to do the first track. I'm going to look into a glitch(?) with the shift+8 function that somehow erased tracks 2 and 3 before I go any further with this run. *grumble* Idea: In one race, lap everybody. It would be quite a feat, if it's actually possible. I'm sure it would require extensive use of pushing everyone into going the wrong way. I also learned today that if you're rolling backward down a hill and someone runs into you, you don't (apparently) take any damage, but they do.
Active player (278)
Joined: 5/29/2004
Posts: 5712
Shift+8 function? Is that the "shift from reading to writing" function that supposedly doesn't work? You know, I never really understood why it was always assigned to Shift+8. Maybe it's a Nitsuja thing.
put yourself in my rocketpack if that poochie is one outrageous dude
Joined: 10/3/2005
Posts: 1332
You can view my run up to the first track in Drakonis here: http://detachd9.homestead.com/files/video/rrrCHEM.zip
OMG! That was completely insane. Very nice shooting.
Shift+8 function? Is that the "shift from reading to writing" function that supposedly doesn't work? You know, I never really understood why it was always assigned to Shift+8. Maybe it's a Nitsuja thing.
Yeah, that's the one. But I found out that the problem has already been addressed and solved elsewhere, so it's my own fault, really.
Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
Drom, I really liked the final lap on the new run. You're on one of the first hills on the track and roll back into Viper. He blows up upon impact and boosts you ahead. I've completed the first track of Drakonis now. I'll post the run after I complete the planet. Because of Grinder and his neverending nitros there will be more clean racing, but also different tricks to stay ahead or catch up. I'm very satisfied with how the first track turned out, and I finished it in a record time (for me) of 20 minutes.
Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
Division B of Drakonis is now complete. I put a lot of effort into varying my play. For instance, some laps I'll be a pacifist, other laps I will put all my effort into harassing Grinder or Shred. You can view my progress here: http://detachd9.homestead.com/files/video/rrr103b.zip Track 2: The 2nd lap I do not bump a single wall, the 3rd lap I zig-zag whenever possible. Track 4: This is probably the most entertaining track I've done so far. I majorly harass Grinder and even gain a lapping bonus! It would be insanely difficult to lap EVERYONE, but I'll attempt it in Division A's track 4 and see what I can do. Theoretically, if I have enough armor I should be able to block all the AI from climbing a steep hill, thereby forcing them the wrong way. Some stats on my run so far: Length = 24:01 Re-records = 1513 I forgot just how long it takes to finish this game! The final run will probably be close to 3 hours!
Joined: 10/3/2005
Posts: 1332
Track 4: This is probably the most entertaining track I've done so far. I majorly harass Grinder and even gain a lapping bonus!
Yeah, that was awesome. Shooting him from behind after knocking him down the hill is a bit like adding injury to insult, isn't it? :D I had a look at your FAQ...
An opponent is close to you over a jump? When you're both about to be airborne (side-by-side), you can lean in their direction to potentially knock them in the wrong direction (or off the entire track!)
Any plans to do that later on?
Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
I wouldn't have been able to lap him without those blind shots behind him. Grinder has to understand I have priorities here. The timing is tough, but hey, this is a TAR. Since I'm already planning on having a "lap everybody" race next division, I'll probably do it then.
Player (70)
Joined: 8/24/2004
Posts: 2562
Location: Sweden
I think you missed some shots right? Doesn't look cool. The run in general seems like much fun though, allthough I suspect it can be very repeditive. Also.. Why aren't you playing shred or something? I recon he has mines or something like that instead of oil. You do get more money from killing people right?
Player (209)
Joined: 2/18/2005
Posts: 1451
Highness wrote:
Also.. Why aren't you playing shred or something? I recon he has mines or something like that instead of oil. You do get more money from killing people right?
Shred is a computer character who you can't pick to drive yourself just like Rip. They both travel together with you through the Planets (unlike Grinder, Viper etc. who are the hosts of their own planets). In order to have mines instead of Oil you have to buy a new car. The first one that supports it is the "Air Blade" which EscapePlan won't buy though. And yes, for every kill you get 1000$ which is like a Money-Pack. Escape: I really wonder how you can manage to overlap everybody and wait for the surprise if you indeed can do it, good luck.
See my perfect 100% movie-walkthroughs of the best RPG games on http://www.freewebs.com/saturnsmovies/index.htm Current TAS project (with new videos): Super Metroid Redesign, any% speedrun
Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
There's very few missed shots in, and the few left in are the ones that lead to entertaining situations. For instance, I missed one shot against Viper back in Chem VI, placing myself in 2nd on the last lap. But I ended up catapulting myself into 1st by using a jump jet.
Player (70)
Joined: 8/24/2004
Posts: 2562
Location: Sweden
I suppose there are many strategies to acheive entertainment in this run then. Carry on! :D
Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
Saturn wrote:
... look forward to see the harder levels and how you will handle them by hopefully still mixing some show in the races.
I'm happy to say - there still is plenty of show. I would even say more show than before! This is partly because I have a better car so I can risk more, Drakonis' tracks have many good places for jump jetting, and the AI has Airblades with nitros so you can force them to boost you. Remember how I said I'd try to lap everyone? Well... I DID IT! On track 4 (same one I lapped Grinder on in Division B), within the first three laps I lap everyone except Rip. The final lap... I don't want to ruin the surprise. I'll just say it seemed impossible for me to lap Rip there, but hey, that's what TARs are for, right? Check out my current run here: http://detachd9.homestead.com/files/video/rrr111LB.zip The only changes I've done is adding Division A of Drakonis, so feel free to fast-forward. I still have one last track on Drakonis before advancing to Bogmire. As you'll see from the other tracks in Division A, I've tried even more ways to vary my run. I often use the "bumping" tactic by the forcing the AI to boost me ahead, and I make more liberal use of my jump jets. Otherwise, I just do fancier ways of obliterating my opposition. Fun! Lately I've been bogged with personal matters and not working much on this project. I still try to put in at least a few hours a week on this. Add to this... school is creeping back up soon, but I usually end up having a good amount of free time in my apartment. I'll try my best to stay dedicated to this project. It'll just take longer to complete than I originally thought, and that's fine. Current movie stats: Length- 31:02 Rerecords- 2487
Player (209)
Joined: 2/18/2005
Posts: 1451
That was great! I really notice the entertainment value has increased in the last tracks. The overlaping was great and the thing with Rip at the end (I don't want to spoil it) was also very cool. I already had a suspicion you would do it like that. Keep it up EscapePlan, I very much enjoy your project!
See my perfect 100% movie-walkthroughs of the best RPG games on http://www.freewebs.com/saturnsmovies/index.htm Current TAS project (with new videos): Super Metroid Redesign, any% speedrun
Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
After watching my WIP in entirety again, I noticed there are a few missed shots that do not add to the entertainment value, and really just seem to hurt my run. I've had very little prior experience with hex editing, but thanks to help on this page, and my little experience, I was able to hex edit out most of the missed shots without problems. However, there still is one egregious missed shot and one insignificant missed shot that I haven't successfully been able to hex edit out. Well... the problem isn't hex-editing out the shot. Allow me to clarify... I can hex edit out the shot. No problem there - no more missed shot! But later on in that track or the next one, there will be a desync. I'll post more details tomorrow. Anyone here good with hex-editing and willing to hex edit out two separate shots (without getting desyncs)? I'll give you the specific frames. If I can't figure it out tomorrow, I would greatly appreciate your help. Also, I have now completed Drakonis and the first track of Bogmire.
Joined: 10/3/2005
Posts: 1332
You should first make sure that your editing disabled ONLY the fire button rather than deleting the frames in question, or setting them to 00 (when you're supposed to be pressing the accelerator button, that is.) Now that the obvious stuff is out of the way, I suggest you try hexing out the shot, and then hex it back in somewhere else where it won't be ugly, if you can. I'm guessing the AI acts differently depending on how much ammo you have, so if you can get rid of the bullet, that might take care of the desync. It's a long shot, though, and probably isn't going to work.
Former player
Joined: 7/29/2005
Posts: 459
Location: Brazil
yeah, i was going to talk exactly about the missed shots.. it really look sloppy.. if you cant get it to synch after hex editing that part, i think you should redo it i.i
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Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
Like I said... I have already edited out a few of the missed shots. What I did was replace the shot with the accelerate button, which is something I usually have held down the entire race anyway, so it does no harm. Well, except for those two shots that somehow lead to desyncs later. The first one really baffles me since the missed shot is on last track in Division A of Chem VI, but the desync doesn't happen until the first track of Drakonis! I have no idea how a desync happens that much later! At least from Division A of Drakonis and on I have no missed shots and aim to keep it that way. I have three examples where my hex-editing did NOT lead to desyncs (frame numbers): 18721 25723 67610 And here's the frame numbers where hex-editing DOES lead to desyncs (HELP!): 51150 81924 In the 51150 one, it doesn't desync until the first lap of Division B in Drakonis! If anyone can figure that one out, you are a genius! What happens in the desync is the car makes a sharp turn after the first ramp on that track. I don't know how an R button got in there from a desync? That's the only way I can think of taking that turn so sharp. In the 81924 one, it desyncs around the next turn while firing at Rip. It fires one less shot (keeping Rip alive) and then the timing of the turns are too early and botches the entire race. You can view the hexed version of my SMV here: http://detachd9.homestead.com/files/video/rrrhex.zip I'll give you full credit for the help and be very appreciative. I know now how laborious and time-consuming those hex edits can be. Also, on that SMV you can view my last track on Drakonis as well as first one on Bogmire. The Bogmire one I throw in a lot more playing around and fancy shots, so that should be fun to watch. I know I had fun making it!
Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
I'm doing a lot of trial and error to fix the 51150 error. I keep narrowing down the error, but not finding a solution. When I replace the B+Y (acceleration and shot) with just B there, for some reason it's almost like I've missed a frame. On the last lap, I'm supposed to fire at Rip twice, BARELY miss being slammed into by him, and then fire at him the last second before he crosses. But when I hex-edit and replace the B+Y (in hex: 00 C0) with B (in hex: 00 80), I no longer have a missed shot on Shred, but on the final lap I fire at Rip twice [good], and get slammed into by him [bad]. This obviously throws off my timing on the final stretch and the races after that. Perhaps B+Y does something different to your acceleration speed than B alone? That's the only way I can make sense of this. But if that's the case, then why did my other fixes not lead to desyncs but this one did? It has to be something more specific. Perhaps because I'm also clearing a ramp?
Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
Okay, now I think I'm finally getting somewhere. My "fix" on that 51150 error was never really fixed. In my "fixed" version (that lead to desyncs) I end up firing later than usual, but at least not doing the missed shots. But this late firing is messing with the timing. I have to find EXACTLY where the missed shot is, and ONLY take that out. Right now when I look at EXACTLY where the missed shot is, all I see is a bunch of 00 80s (Bs). I don't know what I'm doing wrong... I'll recalculate everything again and see what I can find out.
Active player (278)
Joined: 5/29/2004
Posts: 5712
Maybe it wasn't your shot! Maybe there was a cloaked ship like in Star Trek 6!
put yourself in my rocketpack if that poochie is one outrageous dude
Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
HOOOORAY!! EVERYBODY CELEBRATE!!! This is fun!! After thorough examination, frame advancing, input display, and lotsa hex-editing trial and error, I FINALLY fixed the 51150 error! Only one more to go.
Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
That last one was much easier to ... uh... "fix". The solution? Don't change it. It wasn't a missed shot! It looks like a missed shot, but it actually hits Rip. Now that my run has no missed shots and no desyncs, I can finally continue. So here's my current run with no missed shots. Same file name as the last one, but this is the improved version (i.e. ZERO missed shots instead of one). http://detachd9.homestead.com/files/video/rrrhex.zip I am now up to Bogmire's 2nd track (haven't started it). I can't imagine anyone really wants to watch all of Chem VI again to see my fixed up missed shots, but at least I've added the last track of Drakonis and the first track of Bogmire. Once again, fast-forwarding is your friend. As Drom suggested, I have added a situation where while side-by-side with Rip, I push him off the track. This is found on the final track in Drakonis. On the first track of Bogmire, I make use of a programming error (to the best of my knowledge it is). If you approach a turbo arrow at an angle, you shoot ahead further and faster than the straight ahead approach. You'll notice it a few times on Bogmire. On Bogmire I also do some crazy zig-zagging, make some fun use of the water puddles, and do some fancy kills and jumps.
Former player
Joined: 7/29/2005
Posts: 459
Location: Brazil
I think you should manage to do a lap backwards, by hitting the car in the others.. is it possible? would be entertaining imho^^
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Joined: 12/29/2005
Posts: 119
daniayaw wrote:
I think you should manage to do a lap backwards, by hitting the car in the others.. is it possible? would be entertaining imho^^
Thanks for the suggestion! It's really tough to pull off, I do it for about a quarter of the first track on Bogmire (did that inspire this suggestion?). I only stopped because I thought it probably would be boring if I continued for too long. Unless you mean literally going backwards for an entire lap and then trying to catch up. I found that was damn close to impossible on warrior difficulty with the marauder. Perhaps I'll try it again sometime. I know if I do, I need to have a neer optimized run of the track - as if I'm doing a speed-run of the game. Another problem, since I'm going backwards, I essentially am going two laps with only 7 seven missiles (no $200, I mean, no missile reload if you don't pass Go).