See the Article Index for other information maintained on the site.
Table of contents
- Site and movies
- Troubleshooting
- The community
- TASing
- What is necessary to create a TAS of a game?
- How do I configure my emulator?
- How do I start a TAS?
- How do I continue a TAS after I stopped?
- How do I convert a TAS to an AVI? / How do I record my TAS into a watchable video file?
- How do I show the button presses in my AVI?
- What is Lua / Lua scripts / LUA?
Site and movies
What is this site?
TASVideos is a community for creating and publishing Tool-Assisted Speedrun (TAS) videos - emulator (and other tool) assisted run-throughs that resemble superhuman-like playing sessions - of classic and modern video games.
For a more comprehensive introduction, visit Welcome To TASVideos.
What does TAS/movie/input file/(other term) mean?
Our Glossary contains definitions of most of the terms in use at this site.
Why can't I find the TAS for <game>?
Probably because no-one has made it yet!
Remember, tool-assisted does not mean automatic. A TAS can take a lot of time to plan, execute, and optimise, and while it is work, it's not a job—anyone making a TAS is doing it in their free time, simply because they enjoy it.
The more popular a game is, the more likely it will be TASed. Your favourite game could simply be an obscure title. We invite you to "be the change you wish to see" and try it yourself.
It could also be that there is currently no method for TASing games for that system (XBox, PS3, Dreamcast...), or other technical reasons.
Finally, it's possible that there is already a TAS for your favourite game, but it hasn't been published on this site.
The author(s) of a TAS first need to submit it (which they can choose not to do!), then it needs to spend a few days in the judging process to ensure it meets the site's quality standards (these were relaxed recently), and only then is it added to the publications list.
How are these movies created?
The movies on TASVideos are created with the help of emulators that have the capability of recording sequences of key presses - it is the key presses that are recorded, and the video and audio resulting from the emulator playing this back is what can be seen through the videos provided on the site.
The emulators involved have been crafted to provide features specifically designed for optimal game play. The most common features are save states, allowing the author to return to an earlier point in the run (and thereby revert mistakes that are made), and the ability to play one frame at a time (known as frame advance), which removes the limitations of one's reflexes. Where even this isn't enough, some emulators allow for programming and 'bots' to further enhance the process.
Our players often post work-in-progress runs as they work on them; tracking such a run can be a good first step in getting a feel for the process.
How can I create one of these movies?
We maintain the TASing Guide meant for new visitors to get started on creating their very own TAS.
Troubleshooting
I tried to play back one of the MP4/MKV/AVI files but it didn't work. What can I do to get it to play back?
This is often caused by your computer not possessing the proper codecs required to play back the movie. Go to Downloads for what you can do to install the proper codecs.
I tried to play back a run in the emulator, but it doesn't play back as intended. What can I do?
You are probably experiencing a desync, meaning the emulator is not behaving as the input file expects it to. Visit Desync Help for suggested approaches to fixing this.
The community
Who creates these runs?
Visit our list of authors to find out. You are also encouraged to visit the Forum, where much of the discussion surrounding the creation of these runs takes places.
How can I help?
Excellent question! We are always in need of people willing to help out the site. The Helping page details ways you can assist the site with everything from simply watching the movies to creating new runs. Everybody has something valuable they can contribute.
How can I change my alias?
PM an Administrator.
TASing
What is necessary to create a TAS of a game?
- An emulator with TAS features such as movie recording, savestates and frame advance.
- A ROM file of your game.
- Sometimes: A BIOS file of your system. (The emulator will tell you if you need one)
How do I configure my emulator?
If you never used the emulator before, you will need to configure your buttons and hotkeys. You also want to enable viewing the Frame Counter, Lag Counter, and Input.
Useful hotkeys are: Frame Advance, Savestate and Loadstate (even multiple ones), Toggle read-only/read+write, Fast Forward, Pause/Unpause.
How do I start a TAS?
You need to record your inputs into a movie file. Start a ROM and find the option called "Record Movie" or similar in the emulator.
How do I continue a TAS after I stopped?
- Load the ROM and the movie in the emulator.
- Make a savestate where you want to continue.
- Set the emulator from read-only to read+write mode (check the hotkey configurations).
- Load the savestate you created.
How do I convert a TAS to an AVI? / How do I record my TAS into a watchable video file?
Instead of screen recording your emulator window, you use the emulator feature "Record AVI".
- Pause the emulator.
- Load your TAS. Make sure you are paused at the first frame.
- Choose the "Record AVI" option to start recording.
- Unpause the emulator (and fast forward, don't worry about the speed, the AVI will be in normal speed even if your emulator is slower/faster).
- Once your movie is done, select "Stop AVI Recording" to save the AVI file.
How do I show the button presses in my AVI?
This is usually done with a Lua script. There is no emulator feature to include the button presses in the AVI, so people need to create their own Lua script to display the buttons every frame. Then they record the AVI with the option "Include Lua drawings in AVI recordings".
What is Lua / Lua scripts / LUA?
Lua is a popular programming language in emulators. It allows displaying various information about the game and the emulator. A Lua script is the file containing the programming code with a .lua file extension.