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Goof Troop TAS by Randil

This run is 10 331 frames (2min 52sec) faster than the published run. Improvements come from lots of things, most noticably optimized movements and switching roles for Goofy and Max. More details on what has been improved can be found under the "Improvements and tricks" section below.
  • Takes no damage. (stylistic choise)
  • Aims for fastest possible time.
  • One player controls two characters.
  • Manipulates luck.

Emulator settings:

  • Emulator used: SNES9X 1.43+ v9
  • Settings: "Use WIP1 timing" checked, everything else unchecked.

About the game:

Goof Troop is a really fun game in which you control Goofy and Max. The goal is to make your way through 5 levels, and kill the boss at the end of each level. You usually need to pick up items such as keys and hookshots to advance through a room, that's what makes this game more non-linear.
Max is faster than Goofy when they're not carrying anything, but when carrying an item, Goofy is fastest. To put things short, Max is a fast and agile character, while Goofy is a strong and slow character. Goofy deals 5 damage per thrown pot, while Max deals 4 damage. Goofy also picks up items a little faster.

Improvements:

I'll add more detailed comments on what has been improved sometime next week, there is quite a lot to comment on, and I don't have a lot of time right now, so I'll put things short:
Overall, I saved time in almost every room. By watching RAM addresses, I moved exactly as many pixels as necessary. In many rooms it's just to move from one door to another, so there isn't anything else to improve here besides optimizing movements.
Puzzles are completed a lot faster. I kick the blocks as soon as possible, and in a position that allows me to reach the next block faster. In some puzzles I also modify the solution a little, making it even faster.
I switch roles of Goofy and Max sometimes. For example, I pick up the board with Max on level 2, instead of with Goofy. These strategic changes are done mainly because Max moves faster, making me reach the place where I need to use that item a little sooner.
Bosses are killed faster. This is because of better luck manipulation. Some bosses can be a pain to manipulate, the skeletons on level 3 is a good example. I did my best to manipulate optimal behaviour from them, but it's likely that they can still be somewhat improved. The boss on level 4 does not die when you have drained all it's HP, instead it dies after a certain number of hits. In fact, I deal more damage to them than Frenom does, but they still die at the same hit. :(

Some comments on how this run was made:

This run was at times very hard to make. It's hard to have an overview of both's characters X and Y position, on a subpixels level. I controlled Goofy with my gamepad and Max with my keyboard. I've gotten quite used to this was of TASing by now. :) I used gocha's memery viewing tool throughout the whole run, and it was invaluable. I also used TAS movie editor a few times, and it worked just fine.
I think I've covered everything now, but just ask in the thread if I missed something.
Enjoy the movie! :)
Randil: I'm cancelling this due to known improvements posted in the discussion thread. I will make an improved version.

TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #1737: Randil's SNES Goof Troop in 17:36.90
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You wouldn't believe this, but I've been working on this game for the past month also, and for the most part, your run puts my run to shame (however in my defense, mine was going to be a first draft, and it was damage taking, which allows for some slightly faster methods for a copule rooms). Despite that, I've found a couple solutions in my run that are faster than yours so far, and I haven't looked at some of the more questionable ones. One room is improvable by at least 333 frames, and the other is improvable by at least 63 frames, so I have to vote no. I can't really describe them here, but PM me and I'll send you my movie file. Unfortunately this game has been a pain in the ass for me to hex edit, so I hope you don't have to do too much of it over (or maybe I could help out, if you'd want the help). Oh, and before I sound like an ass, I was amazed at how much you manipulated the skeletons, that was incredible. EDIT: Just did some more testing, and I've found 5 more rooms where my run was faster for a total of 154 frames faster (although a couple of them rely a little bit on enemy manipulation).
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How much do you think the run could be improved by taking damage instead of not?
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I would venture a guess of anywhere from 2-5 seconds, depending on where the damage was taken. Two spots stick out in my mind, one in level 4 about half way through, and one in level 5, near the very beginning. But Randil did an excellent job of enemy manipulation in a couple of the other rooms that I took damage in, making it not necessary. It doesn't play a very large part in this game, other than a couple places where maneuvering around the enemies is impossible.
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Yeah, I'd say around 2-5 seconds too. Avoiding taking damage was a stylistic choise that Frenom used too, and I personally think it makes the run more impressive and fun to watch. But, if others think that taking damage should be prefered, I might implement it. Oh, and I am cancelling this submission due to known improvements that mmbossman found. I will make an improved version, which will be around 10 seconds faster, or more. I don't know when it will be done though, but hopefully before 2008. ;) It depends on how much luck I have with editing the moviefile.
Editor, Active player (296)
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Ok. Looking forward to seeing it. I liked your idle acting in this movie.
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I guess since Randil is going to make the revisions to his version (with help from me whenever he wants it), I may as well show my run off. Like I said, it was only intended to be a rough draft, so it's not optimal (duh). And I may be biased, but I do kind of like my "idle acting" more in some parts, so maybe they'll get included. Especially finding out Goofy has an alternative lifestyle about a 45 seconds into the movie;) My slow version
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The 3 places I took damage in my run saved 155 frames (~2.5 seconds), so if it's used at least once more somewhere throughout the run, it's reasonable to expect 3-4 seconds total saved. It's my personal belief that taking damage leads to one more level of optimization, especially with this game, since you get only one hit to work with (no matter how many hearts a character has). However, it's up to Randil whether the 3-4 seconds saved is made up for by the style a no damage run receives.
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Great run! For the record, I liked the no-damage aspect and would like to see it in the improved run as well.
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Really fun to watch, hope the improvement will be ready soon.