I'm a fan of TAS and somewhat into making TAS' (TASi? :P), but I was wondering...
Let me use an example, say for NES. Is there any sort of program or anything where I can have a large chart, having the vertical side being the frame numbers, while the horizontal side being the different buttons, and then simply putting in what buttons are pressed at each frame? From there, you could just simply load up the demo file and see how it works. Of course, this would require a lot of redoing and re-watching the WIP, but I would much rather be doing this than playing slowly and just redoing sections.
I'm aware of hex editing, but is there a simple program that makes doing this much more user-friendly? No crazy re-recording or absolutely taking apart a demo file, just simply inputting what is pressed at each frame. I suppose the problem would be manipulating luck though, and such.
Any comments, suggestions and help is appreciated.
;>_> Thanks a ton!
Two more questions.
1) There is 2 columns for each button. I assume it's for each controller?
2) What type of ROMs am I getting ( [U], [E], etc)? Sorry if this is in an obvious spot, but I couldn't find an answer.
Off to make my first TAS. o/
Joined: 4/20/2005
Posts: 2160
Location: Norrköping, Sweden
apples wrote:
1) There is 2 columns for each button. I assume it's for each controller?
Yeah, if the movie-file conatins input from two controllers, then the second column is for controller 2. (It should say Controller 2 at the top of the column too). Perhaps that wasn't what you were talking about, if so, could you post a screenshot of what you mean?
Good luck with your TASing. :)
EDIT: Oh, I thought we were talking about TAS movie editor. Well, it's a program you might want to check out, since it does what you were talking about.
Emulator Coder, Site Developer, Site Owner, Expert player
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Unfortunately TASEdit for FCEUX is an unfinished product. It potentially would overhaul current TAS methods with something that is full of awesome.
Right now it is in a "Use at your own risk" state :(
I just have a follow-up question, now that I've been trying a few things. I'm finding that the emulator is running faster than 60 FPS, but I can't find a way to set it to NES speed. How do I change it.
1) There is 2 columns for each button. I assume it's for each controller?
I would imagine so. Consider experimenting.
2) What type of ROMs am I getting ( [U], [E], etc)? Sorry if this is in an obvious spot, but I couldn't find an answer.
Quick guidelines:
1. If the game has J, U, and E, and none are exceptionally different from each other (outside of text), use U.
2. If the game has J, U, and/or E, and one of the versions has a "feature" or "glitch" which speeds up time significantly*, use that version.
3. If the game does not have a U version, J is preferred. E is a good choice if the game is text-heavy, though.
This should set you up fairly well, I'd imagine.
Also, thinks to keep in mind:
- Post WIPs on the forum. Others are usually happy to help or offer advice.
- It's generally best to play a "rough outline" of a game in slow speed for your first run, to get an idea of what you will be doing.
- ...and then playing again in frame-advance mode to do a more refined version. This should be a close approximation of the final run.
- Do a final run, taking into all the observations you made during the above two steps.
It's very time consuming and (often) very boring, but the results can be quite rewarding, even if your movie isn't published here. Some of us still watch movies the majority isn't interested in ;)
* This doesn't include text or other cutscene-like delays in most cases.
