Improvements come from various small optimizations and some large route changes in level 9 (turns out the maps are a bit wrong, and a key is not even required)
I was inspired to do a TAS of this game when I watched the Angry Video Game Nerd's Transformer review. As he describes in the video, this game notoriously difficult to play. Poor hit dection, 1 hit and you are dead, awkward controls, and very little in the way of power-ups make this game frustrating for the average player.
Summary
Emulator used FCEUX 2.1.0a
Aims for fastest time
Uses Warps
Robots in disguise
Notes
One hit and you are dead, period. And many enemies are designed/placed to make sure that happens, a lot. There are a number of awkward looking moments in the run as a result. Each situation is the fastest method (that I was able to come up with).
I use warps in level 2 & 7 to skip levels 3 & 8
Level 9 one is a lot like smb 4-4 where you have to pick the right path... Except in the most assiest example in gaming history!
Joined: 3/9/2004
Posts: 4588
Location: In his lab studying psychology to find new ways to torture TASers and forumers
You dare insult our new overlord's submission message? We've banned or killed for less than that! :D
Warning: Opinions expressed by Nach or others in this post do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or position of Nach himself on the matter(s) being discussed therein.
I somewhat thought that another submission of this would be made because of either from the release of the second movie, or because of the AVGN. :)
Glad to see this. Will watch it asap.
Edit: watched now, and I'll give it a YES. Pure pwnage.
Joined: 6/23/2009
Posts: 2224
Location: Georgia, USA
I'm especially amused by the backwards foot-sliding in Level 1 and the end-of-boss poses in Levels 5 and 6. That boss in Level 5 looks like he's getting a special ending to his fight, and Ultramagnus is definitely getting a good stare at the last boss too. Nice touches.
Used to be a frequent submissions commenter. My new computer has had some issues running emulators, so I've been here more sporadically.
Still haven't gotten around to actually TASing yet... I was going to improve Kid Dracula for GB. It seems I was beaten to it, though, with a recent awesome run by Hetfield90 and StarvinStruthers. (http://tasvideos.org/2928M.html.)
Thanks to goofydylan8 for running Gargoyle's Quest 2 because I mentioned the game! (http://tasvideos.org/2001M.html)
Thanks to feos and MESHUGGAH for taking up runs of Duck Tales 2 because of my old signature!
Thanks also to Samsara for finishing a Treasure Master run. From the submission comments:
Shoutouts and thanks to mklip2001 for arguably being the nicest and most supportive person on the forums.
I still don't understand why Grimlock is the final boss, especially since Megatron is the second to last one. Terrible game, nice short run very enhanced by familiarity with the difficulty involved. Yes vote so I can add to the AVGN list as an official publication :)
Here's my attempt at an encode.
I still don't understand why Grimlock is the final boss, especially since Megatron is the second to last one. Terrible game, nice short run very enhanced by familiarity with the difficulty involved. Yes vote so I can add to the AVGN list as an official publication :)
Here's my attempt at an encode.
Not Grimlock. Grimlock was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy smaller.
This is a Decepticon named Trypticon. It turns into a mobile battle platform or a city. Yes, I am serious.
To make it sillier, in the cartoon it was made FROM a city that early one morning the Decepticons hooked up to cybertron tech.
I am not making this up.
Joined: 4/20/2005
Posts: 2160
Location: Norrköping, Sweden
Nice improvement. However, I'm wondering something: Around frame 5840 it looks like you miss a shot. Did you intentionally miss with this shot to manipulate luck later on?
Joined: 6/23/2009
Posts: 2224
Location: Georgia, USA
Thanks for the encode, but there's an audio desync near the beginning of the video on YouTube. There's a delay of a few seconds before the stage-starting music happens, and at that point the video is already past the "Stage 1" screen.
Used to be a frequent submissions commenter. My new computer has had some issues running emulators, so I've been here more sporadically.
Still haven't gotten around to actually TASing yet... I was going to improve Kid Dracula for GB. It seems I was beaten to it, though, with a recent awesome run by Hetfield90 and StarvinStruthers. (http://tasvideos.org/2928M.html.)
Thanks to goofydylan8 for running Gargoyle's Quest 2 because I mentioned the game! (http://tasvideos.org/2001M.html)
Thanks to feos and MESHUGGAH for taking up runs of Duck Tales 2 because of my old signature!
Thanks also to Samsara for finishing a Treasure Master run. From the submission comments:
Shoutouts and thanks to mklip2001 for arguably being the nicest and most supportive person on the forums.
Emulator Coder, Site Developer, Site Owner, Expert player
(3584)
Joined: 11/3/2004
Posts: 4738
Location: Tennessee
Randil wrote:
Nice improvement. However, I'm wondering something: Around frame 5840 it looks like you miss a shot. Did you intentionally miss with this shot to manipulate luck later on?
Wow, How did I miss that? Yeah that wasn't luck manipulation, that was an error that I didn't catch. Well, I removed the bullet from the movie and it synced fine. I updated the submission file with this new movie.
Joined: 9/23/2006
Posts: 207
Location: Moreno Valley, California
God bless you for playing such a terrible game for nothing more than our accolades.
Question, is that robot in the cut scenes supposed to be Bumblebee or Wheelie? I guess it's Bumblebee, but since the way he moves just pisses me off, it might be Wheelie xD
I don't know enough Japanese to know what the hell the final scene is saying. The first line says "emergency orders" and the rest is some blather about Destron's power that was resurrected, and how Rodimus' energon cube destroyed it, but you still have to fight? I dunno.
edit: Turns out Destron is what Decepticons are called in Japan, like how Optimus Prime is called "Convoy".
"The way to move out of judgment is to move into gratitude." — Neale Donald Walsch
DannyLilithborne on IRC
I am in the middle of doing a TAS of the game in getting all the RODIMUS letters. I followed the designated route in stage 9 of what the walkthrough tells me to, but it sent me back to the beginning of the stage instead of taking me to the boss. I think I found a glitch. Really Takara? Did they have to have the check in the middle of a gap instead of directly at the edge?
Adelikat, I need your help.
This is my WIP I posted.
