Submission Text Full Submission Page
The Forth installment to the zero universe.
This is quite a crazy movie, its a single run of the game in the normal difficulty, i tried to make it look as fantastic as possible by using as many attacks variations possible, yet its still preaty much an all-sabre run.
This movie is a perfect run, all 100% of the points are gained and i didnt take a single hit while doing so, Enjoy !

Truncated: Like many people have noted, this run is fairly unoptimized and cannot be accepted. I have only watched three stages so far, but the mistakes are many and obvious. I recommend seeing the published run for some pointers on what you are doing wrong.
For starters, the the intro can be skipped.

TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 14898
Location: 127.0.0.1
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #1333: Vector188's GBA Megaman Zero 4 in 59:24.45
Former player
Joined: 9/20/2006
Posts: 287
Location: Singapore
Rules wrote:
If it does not conflict with the above rules, it is best to use an NTSC version (USA or Japan) instead of a PAL version (European) mainly because of the higher framerate, unless there is a good reason for using a PAL version (for instance, if the NTSC version does not exist or has fewer shortcuts).
Hmmm, any specific reason for choosing the European version of the game instead of the US/Jap version? The existing non-100% run used the Jap version... GBA Megaman Zero 4 (JPN) in 41:27 by Frédéric G. (aka. Xaphan). Will take a glimpse of it now anyway... EDIT: Right at the start of the movie, you should have set start to autofire to skip the intro, there is no point showing it. The first boss doesn't seem like it was hit on the first possible frame on some occasions, go watch the published one first, you should get much inspiration from it even if it isn't 100%... Btw, around frame 10500, you seem to have wasted an extra slash on machines. You seem to be killing too many enemies, while it is needed for the 100% objective, have you ensured you have killed the bare minimum? Your movie seems unoptimised i nthe first few stages... I don't think I can give it a YES. You seem new to the forum, good attempt at your first TAS but I don't think its up to the standards yet. Go refer to the Rockman Zero 4 thread for more information... you can ask for help from there too.
Truncated wrote:
Truncated is the most fiendish instrument of torture ever devised to bedevil the days of man. -- xoinx
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
Voting no right away. The first level is very very suboptimal. Don't use dash slashes, don't rip the shields from the flamethrowers, the boss fight was slower than necessary. It goes on like this. I've watched the first few levels, and it's very obvious that this is improvable. Have you seen Xaphan's published run? It's faster, and not just because it isn't a 100p run. You shouldn't be 20 minutes slower just because of enemy farming and damage avoiding... e: At least you didn't make the mistake that Xaphan made in the beginning of Lunaedge's level: you didn't waste time using the fire VShot to melt the ice.
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Joined: 4/11/2006
Posts: 487
Location: North of Russia :[
Even my run (hard mode, 100% S-rank) was 9 minutes shorter
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
zefiris wrote:
Even my run (hard mode, 100% S-rank) was 9 minutes shorter
100p or 100%?
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Joined: 4/11/2006
Posts: 487
Location: North of Russia :[
Is there some difference?.. It was 100-point run, right.
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
100% includes subtanks, upgraded elf whatnots, and collecting every fusion material, including Junk. It's a lot more work, to be sure.
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Joined: 4/11/2006
Posts: 487
Location: North of Russia :[
Sorry then ) There are no such things as elfs in hard mode :D
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
zefiris wrote:
Sorry then ) There are no such things as elfs in hard mode :D
LIES! You still have to name your stupid elf, sine it's part of the plot, so elves do exist in hard mode! semantics ftw
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Sir_VG
He/Him
Player (39)
Joined: 10/9/2004
Posts: 1911
Location: Floating Tower
Hmmm, any specific reason for choosing the European version of the game instead of the US/Jap version? The existing non-100% run used the Jap version... GBA Megaman Zero 4 (JPN) in 41:27 by Frédéric G. (aka. Xaphan).
There's no regional differences in GBA stuff other than language. The reason that rule exists was for older consoles that followed a 50/60 frame rate rule. GBA is region free, so it doesn't really matter much. Heck, sometimes the USA and EUR releases are identical except the box.
Taking over the world, one game at a time. Currently TASing: Nothing
Former player
Joined: 3/30/2004
Posts: 1354
Location: Heather's imagination
Sir VG wrote:
GBA is region free, so it doesn't really matter much. Heck, sometimes the USA and EUR releases are identical except the box.
Rather, it has its own display hardware so it doesn't need to work on PAL hardware. Anyway the Z series games are different in Europe (different logos, possibly some voice/music changes, I don't actually know what all changed other than the title screen) so in case there's a significant difference that we don't know about the same version should be used as any existing runs.
someone is out there who will like you. take off your mask so they can find you faster. I support the new Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun.
Joined: 2/13/2006
Posts: 39
Location: Finland
I don't have a possibility to watch this movie, but I've seen the Rockman Zero 4 run by Xaphan. I'd vote no for the reasons stated above plus that this run wasn't played at the hardest level. Was there a good reason to use the normal difficulty level?
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
Turambar wrote:
Was there a good reason to use the normal difficulty level?
You need SRAM to access hard mode, which is (generally) a no-no on the site. Xaphan plays on normal as well.
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Joined: 2/13/2006
Posts: 39
Location: Finland
Alright, I got confused. The submission text mentions that the player selects normal mode, so I directly thought that hard mode was available. Whereas hard mode isn't available by default.
Sir_VG
He/Him
Player (39)
Joined: 10/9/2004
Posts: 1911
Location: Floating Tower
Actually, I'd rather see an English version over the Japanese version (which if I remember right, when the Rockman Zero 4 TAS was done, the USA and PAL versions weren't available yet), but that's just my opinion.
Taking over the world, one game at a time. Currently TASing: Nothing
Joined: 4/11/2006
Posts: 487
Location: North of Russia :[
In (e) version first few title screens can not be skipped. And all the text is in english :D That's the only differences I noticed between j and e
Former player
Joined: 9/20/2006
Posts: 287
Location: Singapore
zefiris wrote:
In (e) version first few title screens can not be skipped. And all the text is in english :D That's the only differences I noticed between j and e
Oddly, the version I downloaded that claimed to be (e) could skip the title screens...
Truncated wrote:
Truncated is the most fiendish instrument of torture ever devised to bedevil the days of man. -- xoinx
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
xoinx wrote:
zefiris wrote:
In (e) version first few title screens can not be skipped. And all the text is in english :D That's the only differences I noticed between j and e
Oddly, the version I downloaded that claimed to be (e) could skip the title screens...
Yep. The ROM that this submission uses can skip most cutscenes. However, the submitter must have really liked the scenes, since most of them aren't skipped.
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Joined: 4/11/2006
Posts: 487
Location: North of Russia :[
All cutscenes can be skipped. I mean that Capcom and Inticreates screens when you launch game ^^
Active player (433)
Joined: 4/21/2004
Posts: 3517
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Zurreco wrote:
Voting no right away. The first level is very very suboptimal. Don't use dash slashes, don't rip the shields from the flamethrowers, the boss fight was slower than necessary. It goes on like this. I've watched the first few levels, and it's very obvious that this is improvable. Have you seen Xaphan's published run? It's faster, and not just because it isn't a 100p run. You shouldn't be 20 minutes slower just because of enemy farming and damage avoiding... e: At least you didn't make the mistake that Xaphan made in the beginning of Lunaedge's level: you didn't waste time using the fire VShot to melt the ice.
Zurreco summed up pretty much what I intended to say about this submission. Dont give up though!
Nitrogenesis wrote:
Guys I come from the DidyKnogRacist communite, and you are all wrong, tihs is the run of the mileniun and everyone who says otherwise dosnt know any bater! I found this run vary ease to masturbate too!!!! Don't fuck with me, I know this game so that mean I'm always right!StupedfackincommunityTASVideoz!!!!!!
Arc wrote:
I enjoyed this movie in which hands firmly gripping a shaft lead to balls deep in multiple holes.
natt wrote:
I don't want to get involved in this discussion, but as a point of fact C# is literally the first goddamn thing on that fucking page you linked did you even fucking read it
Cooljay wrote:
Mayor Haggar and Cody are such nice people for the community. Metro City's hospitals reached an all time new record of incoming patients due to their great efforts :P
Joined: 4/17/2004
Posts: 275
Zurreco wrote:
Turambar wrote:
Was there a good reason to use the normal difficulty level?
You need SRAM to access hard mode, which is (generally) a no-no on the site. Xaphan plays on normal as well.
If TASes of Chrono Trigger and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow were accepted with the SRAM that allowed them to access special modes, I see no reason why a hard run mode of MMZ4 wouldn't be accepted.
Emulator Coder, Skilled player (1300)
Joined: 12/21/2004
Posts: 2687
Anon wrote:
If TASes of Chrono Trigger and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow were accepted with the SRAM that allowed them to access special modes, I see no reason why a hard run mode of MMZ4 wouldn't be accepted.
As long as the author provides a from-start movie or uses an existing published one that creates the same SRAM used by the movie, I see no reason not to allow that in general, because it proves that the SRAM was not tampered with. So I agree, but only if a hard mode run of MMZ4 would be somehow more interesting than a normal mode run of it. This particular movie could not have used hard mode without changing its goals, as some things to collect are missing in hard mode, right? It looks like it will be rejected for doing lots of suboptimal things, anyway.
Joined: 4/17/2004
Posts: 275
nitsuja wrote:
As long as the author provides a from-start movie or uses an existing published one that creates the same SRAM used by the movie, I see no reason not to allow that in general, because it proves that the SRAM was not tampered with.
This is more along the lines of what I meant; I just failed to put it in proper words.
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
nitsuja wrote:
So I agree, but only if a hard mode run of MMZ4 would be somehow more interesting than a normal mode run of it. This particular movie could not have used hard mode without changing its goals, as some things to collect are missing in hard mode, right?
The goals of each stage remain the same between difficulties. So, in respect to the 100p goals, the only thing that would be more challenging is the mission times, but those are really lenient as is. However, by switching to hard mode:
  • You lose the ability to charge any of your weapons
  • You lose the ability to use EX Skills
  • I'm pretty sure you lose the ability to craft items
  • Nothing changes for the better
Therefore, running any of the Zero series after 1 in Hard Mode is retarded, since it slows every boss fight (and even some normal enemy encounters) by a lot, since your best modes of attack are jump slashes or charging your shield boomerang (which kills your ability to dash). You also can't combo or affix the Galacta Armor, so the best chance you have of killing anything is in increments of 4 damage. Hard Mode = boring mode
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Former player
Joined: 5/24/2005
Posts: 405
Location: France
Well, I won't vote for it though, if I had to, it'd be no. All the main reasons for it have alreaby been stated here. It's clear that it has to be improved a lot. I did not watch the whole thing though for the only first level you could have done it a lot better : - No dash slashes need to be used - You did not grab the bombs to destroy the first boss faster. - You should use buster a lot more to destroy enemies, it does not stop the game on contact and does not slow the run... - You do not need to pull off the shield of the flamethrowers to destroy them... And many more... You should play at a slower speed I think and use Frame advance to improve your run...
Not dead yet... still very busy... damn...