Lunar Ball / Lunar Pool. It is a minigolf-esque pocket billiards game.

Game objectives

  • Emulator used: FCEU version 0.98.ihavenoidea
  • Complete all 60 boards starting from 1
    • It is possible to begin from any board, including 60, but you have to complete all 60 to get the ending
  • Single player
  • Friction setting: 0 (NONE)
    • See below for notes on this
  • Fastest time
  • Uses death to save time
  • Does not utilize glitches (there exists one, but it was not invoked in this movie)

N/A game objectives

  • This game is completely deterministic. There is no "manipulates luck".
  • There are no dinosaurs in this game.

Comments

This movie was created mostly using a computer program, the development of which took several months and several iterations.
Lunar Ball has this interesting feature, that on the configuration screen, its friction setting can be arbitrarily selected from integer values 0 to 255. The default value is 32. The value 0 in particular is very interesting: It literally means "no friction whatsoever. This movie was created in the frictionless mode.
A pool game played in completely frictionless setup is a very different game from a normal pool game.
In a frictionless game, it is more than possible, that a careless shot makes the game completely unwinnable. Indeed, it is easy to demonstrate such a shot that will leave the game into an infinite loop, much resembling the effect that happens in the popular gadget, "Newton's cradle". In such a loop, there is no choice but to reset the console, terminating the game.
From a computer player's viewpoint, this means that the searching space for valid moves is drastically smaller than it is for a regular game: most shots produce either an infinite loop, or they result in the eventual demise of the cue ball. Due to the law of conservation of energy, so called "preparation shots" simply cannot be done, either. This also means that unless you "suicide" once in a while (intentionally pocket the cue ball), you get a "PERFECT" message in all boards, and that the scores skyrocket. Also, the timeout for shots should be set considerably longer than in a default-friction game, because the balls can be gliding for a long time before they eventually find a pocket.

Score and RATE


In Lunar Ball, each successful shot increases the "RATE" value of the player; each unsuccessful shot resets it. The higher the "RATE" value, the more points the player is awarded for the next successful shot. Points are awarded at a rate of 10 points per frame.
The RATE value maxes at 99, at which point completing a single 6-ball board gives 20790 points ((6+5+4+3+2+1)*99*10), plus the PERFECT bonus. Tallying that amount takes more than half a minute. Because nobody wants to watch 15 minutes of score tallying, it is a good idea to reset the RATE value every once in a while.
However, because this game mode is frictionless, the only possible method that a finite shot can be unsuccessful, is when it shoots the cue ball into a pocket. This I call "suicide", and this movie features that action every once in a while, and it is completely intentional for the aforementioned reason.

Board by board comments

Board 1

Board 1 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 2

Board 2 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 3

Board 3 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 4

Board 4 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 5

Board 5 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 6

Board 6 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 7

Board 7 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 8

Board 8 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 9

Board 9 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 10

Board 10 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 11

Board 11 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 12

Board 12 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 13

Board 13 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 14

Board 14 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 15

Board 15 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 16

Board 16 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 17

Board 17 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 18

Board 18 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.
At this point, 43.6 % of viewers have started fastforwarding the movie.

Board 19

Board 19 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 20

Board 20 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 21

Board 21 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 22

Board 22 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 23

Board 23 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 24

Board 24 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 25

Board 25 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 26

Board 26 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 27

Board 27 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 28

Board 28 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 29

Board 29 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 30

Board 30 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 31

Board 31 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 32

Board 32 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 33

Board 33 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 34

Board 34 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 35

Board 35 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 36

Board 36 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 37

Board 37 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 38

Board 38 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 39

Board 39 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 40

Board 40 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 41

Board 41 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 42

Board 42 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 43

Board 43 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 44

Board 44 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 45

Board 45 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 46

Board 46 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 47

Board 47 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 48

Board 48 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 49

Board 49 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 50

Board 50 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 51

Board 51 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 52

Board 52 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 53

Board 53 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 54

Board 54 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 55

Board 55 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 56

Board 56 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 57

Board 57 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 58

Board 58 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 59

Board 59 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.

Board 60

Board 60 is completed by depositing each ball on the board in any of the pockets on the board.
After shooting the last shot, the input is terminated. The triumphal ending is seen after the board is completed.

Other comments

Thanks to:
  • qFox
  • Derakon
  • Xkeeper
  • Adelikat
  • Nach
  • Bisqwit
  • Jemini, Teramoto, Miyamoto, Yunoki and Niitani -- the Compile crew credited in the game

Baxter: A very novel concept. Not only impossible for a regular player, but also for a regular TASer. Very different to any other TAS on the site, accepting for publication.
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