Table of contents
Emulator used for this guide: BizHawk 2.3
Emulator settings
- None
Missing emulator features
- ComLynx - 2 or more Lynxes connected for multiplayer games
- Debugging tools (trace logger and debugger)
Note: Handy emulator (Lynx core used by BizHawk) has these tools
Input combinations
- Option 1 + Pause = 1+p = Restarts the game
- Returns to second title screen after 0~50 lag frames (game dependent)
- Usable after first title screen; sometimes only in-game (game dependent)
- Option 2 + Pause = 2+p = Flips the screen and reverses controls
- Your input will be reversed!
- Simply flipping the screen won't save time
Game workflow
- First title screen
- Teaser screen displayed for 172~186 frames (game dependent)
- Pressing a button makes the screen go black but still need to wait for a fixed amount of time
- For entertainment purposes, don't make it disappear so fast
- Avoid holding down a button, it will probably delay your next first non lag frame!
- Second title screen
- Most games contains an animated title screen aswell, usually skippable / speed up (game dependent)
- Menu screen
- Games' manual usually details what buttons you need to press to advance from here
- Try A/B/Option 1 with or without spaces (A,B,1...) for starting / speeding up (game dependent)
- For entertainment purposes, don't disable the music
TASing tips
- Disabling music (most games)
- Some games can run faster with music disabled, saving you from lag frames (game dependent)
- Right at the menu screen you can disable music usually with Option 2 (2); sometimes you need to pause the game first (game dependent)
- Invisible lag frames (most games)
- Most games have lag frames not flagged as a lag frame
- When this happens, usually only the pause and the two input combination has any effect
- Left+Right/Up+Down
- There's only two known examples of this:
- Basketbrawl: only the graphics glitch out, probably doesn't affects the gameplay TASing wise
- Xybots: severe glitches can occur as illegal opcodes being executed
- Pressing UD or LR and some other buttons (not all combinations) either crashes the game or let's it restart after a few seconds. I'm not sure but I think there was a Lynx version without a "middle pivot" http://www.old-computers.com/museum/photos/atari_lynx2_1.jpg
- Unlike in BizHawk, Handy 0.95 windows contantly popping up "C6502::Update() - Illegal opcode (33) at PC=$0065."
Links
TODO
- Missing emulator features: needs investigation: sub frames input on console?
Miscellaneous notes
- Cart swapping is not investigated at all. No information about having a "cart lock" (plastic piece preventing cart swapping).