Kirby's Dream Course TAS by gocha

This is my first run, and first submission.

Essentials

  • Aims for lowest score (primary goal), and fastest time
  • Takes damage to get lower score, or save time
  • Uses a game restart sequence
  • Emulator used is Snes9x 1.43 rerecording v9 (v17 is also supported)
  • Let the ROM run for a few seconds before playing the movie
  • Use WIP1 Timing: ON (IMPORTANT)
  • Allow Left+Right / Up+Down: ON (IMPORTANT)
  • Volume Envelope Height Reading: ON
  • Fake Mute desync workaround: OFF
  • Sync samples with sound CPU: ON

About the game

Kirby's Dream Course (known as カービィボウル in Japan) is a very innovative golf game. The game combines elements from the Kirby series (enemies, environments, and Kirby's ability to absorb skills) with the rules of golf, creating in a unique style of gameplay.
Don't be fooled, this game is harder than it looks.

About the run

My primary goal is to get the lowest score possible with the secondary goal of finishing the game as fast as possible. The following table shows the achieved scores.
CourseScoresTotal
Course 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Course 21 1 1 1 2 1 1 19
Course 32 1 1 1 2 1 1 110
Course 41 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Course 51 1 2 2 1 1 1 110
Course 61 1 2 1 1 1 1 19
Course 71 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Course 81 2 1 1 1 1 1 19
Extra 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Extra 21 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Extra 32 1 1 1 2 1 1 110
Extra 41 1 1 1 2 2 1 110
Extra 51 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Extra 61 1 2 1 1 1 1 19
Extra 71 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Extra 81 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
The final battle with Dedede is not necessary to unlock all of the secrets in the game, but it is required to see the ending, so I have included it for completeness sake. Besides, Kirby must defeat Dedede to fulfill his goal of restoring the beautiful starlit sky, right? I fight Dedede in normal mode rather than extra mode. In extra mode, Kirby deals half as much damage to Dedede, which prolongs the battle but makes it none the more interesting.

Improvable Holes

People who can read Japanese can refer to wipe's Kirby's Dream Course page, for the details of the strategies.

Thanks

  • Nanahocha: His beautiful walkthrough movie inspired me. I appreciate it.
  • Revned, wipe, zabon: Great players, who tried to get lowest score. Thank you very much.
  • Friend K.: Ninja, helped me in every respect.
Finally, I hope you enjoy the run!

Truncated: Very interesting show of ingenuity. As some people said, it is quite long, but it seems to be well liked despite that. Accepting for publication.

Joined: 4/17/2004
Posts: 275
Wow, that was pretty bleeding awesome. The solutions were interesting and creative, and it kept me enthralled from start to the time when I passed out in my bed because I needed sleep. (Don't worry, I do this to nearly every TAS I try to watch in bed, so it has nothing to do with its entertainment factor.) Definite yes vote on this end.
Emulator Coder, Site Developer, Former player
Joined: 11/6/2004
Posts: 833
Figured it out. You need to let the emulator run for a bit before calling up Movie Replay. Played back fine with sound sync off. I have to admit, I kinda skipped the Extra half. But I watched the main courses and loved it. Yes vote.
Player (104)
Joined: 6/7/2005
Posts: 290
Location: New York
I applaud this. I was playing around with the game myself to see if it was TASable, without looking on the threads or anything, thought it would be pretty cool to see and bam! here it is! Nicely done. I see a few places where maybe you could save a few frames,but I'm not complaining with what you do have. :) Voted yes.
Soft Blue Dragon
ventuz
He/Him
Player (123)
Joined: 10/4/2004
Posts: 940
Hmm, I could put "yes" vote if it didn't include Extra.
Active player (277)
Joined: 5/29/2004
Posts: 5712
Wait, you're downvoting a movie for giving you MORE than you wanted?
put yourself in my rocketpack if that poochie is one outrageous dude
JXQ
Experienced player (750)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
I forgot to mention this, but as I was watching, I remembered about a conversation that was had here sometime about which smv had the least amount of "button press data" for its size, or something like that. Anyway, I think this game would win that.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
Sir_VG
He/Him
Player (39)
Joined: 10/9/2004
Posts: 1911
Location: Floating Tower
I haven't quite finished it, but from what I've seen I must say yes to this run. Though the game is repetitive to some people, it's less than Bubble Bobble. There's variety in the holes and the runner uses the full special abilities that Kirby has to accomplish things well. One thing that should be brought up for those that feel they can improve the run, I feel that score should take priority over time. If the run can be improved while maintaining the score (or getting rid of some of those twos, though what I've seen that's unlikely), then it'll be fine for improvement. Great job. I'll finish it a bit later.
Taking over the world, one game at a time. Currently TASing: Nothing
Former player
Joined: 9/20/2006
Posts: 287
Location: Singapore
29 Yes votes, and 1 meh... and this isn't accepted yet???
Truncated wrote:
Truncated is the most fiendish instrument of torture ever devised to bedevil the days of man. -- xoinx
Former player
Joined: 8/12/2004
Posts: 651
Location: Alberta, Canada
I enjoyed it, this is one of those games which I was never very good at, but wanted to play.
Editor, Reviewer, Experienced player (968)
Joined: 4/17/2004
Posts: 3107
Location: Sweden
xoinx: I will judge it as soon as I finish watching it. I got to the extra levels when I had to take a break, but then forgot about it.
gocha
Any
Emulator Coder, Former player
Joined: 6/21/2006
Posts: 401
Location: Japan, Nagoya
I am glad that the run was accepted. Thank you, audiences and judge. By the way, I made the following video before for my youtube upload. You may use the video for the AVI of the run, if you like. kirbysdreamcourse-movieinfo.avi (removed) I may improve the run in the future (I'm now working on other game :P). If you have great idea to improve, write them in Topic:Kirby's Dream Course or here, and let me know, please.
I am usually available on Discord server or Twitter.
Emulator Coder, Site Developer, Former player
Joined: 11/6/2004
Posts: 833
I already have a full encoding of it done, ready for publicatoin at any moment. I've just been waiting for an appropriate time to put it up.
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
DeHackEd wrote:
I already have a full encoding of it done, ready for publicatoin at any moment. I've just been waiting for an appropriate time to put it up.
T-mins 73!
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Post subject: Movie published
TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 14884
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. ---- [737] SNES Kirby's Dream Course by gocha in 1:11:36.52
Joined: 3/17/2006
Posts: 243
Location: Back to good old Germany
Wow, the encoders seem to be on fire recently. So many published movies in the last days!
Senior Moderator
Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5770
Location: Away
spockybiemmichab wrote:
Wow, the encoders seem to be on fire recently. So many published movies in the last days!
Note that Maza and adelikat has recently joined the publishing camp. :)
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
gocha
Any
Emulator Coder, Former player
Joined: 6/21/2006
Posts: 401
Location: Japan, Nagoya
Too late to post :P It has been published, Thank you. And, my status will be a "Player", right?
I am usually available on Discord server or Twitter.
Joined: 8/27/2006
Posts: 883
It is really a great tas. I think I saw some minor error where it could be optimize, but not a lot. Really a great TAS !!!
Editor, Reviewer, Experienced player (968)
Joined: 4/17/2004
Posts: 3107
Location: Sweden
gocha>And, my status will be a "Player", right? Yes, it should be changed shortly. If Bisqwit and DeHackEd somehow forget it, just send a PM to one of them.
Joined: 12/29/2006
Posts: 119
Location: Japan, Anjo
このムービーは日本人が作った記録です。 This movie is a record made by a Japanese person.
DiffCalc .NET Frameworks 3.5 required.
Editor, Active player (296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Naohiro19 wrote:
このムービーは日本人が作った記録です。 This movie is a record made by a Japanese person.
No kidding. (Meaning: Isn't that a little too obvious?)
Glitcher
He/Him
Joined: 3/24/2007
Posts: 216
Location: London, U.K.
Uh... I don't get it. This movie desyncs for me right on the first course. I'm using the correct emulator, the correct ROM and I followed the playback instructions to the letter. (I don't even know why it's necessary to let the game run for a few seconds before loading the movie, but I did it anyway.) What am I doing wrong?
Former player
Joined: 10/6/2007
Posts: 330
Location: B.C Canada
This is an ooooooold thread. But since it's been brought back, I will say that this is one of my all time favourite TASes. I played this game like crazy to get all gold medals, and it took years. This run made me laugh a lot, but at a few times it made me say "jerk" to myself on the holes that caused me so much trouble to get in like, three shots, where you would get in one. So I loved this run, but it pissed me off at times. That's the sign of a good TAS when a run seems completely impossible, even more so than other runs. And I agree with what you said. Don't be fooled. This is a VERY hard game. I found it strange how the battle music with Dedede managed to make it into Avalanche and Dream Land 3, since it was an obscure game. It took forever for Kirby to get a real game on SNES. Kirby always seems to get on a system near it's death. Kirby BARELY made it to the NES, and he BARELY made it on the N64. The SNES sequel to Kirby's Star Stacker didn't make it overseas since the SNES was killed earlier than in Japan. I'm amazed that Dream Land 3 even made it since the N64 killed the SNES pretty quickly. I think the only Nintendo Systems Kirby didn't make it onto were the N64 Disc Drive, and the Virtual Boy. (still waiting for Kirby Wii to get finished)