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Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins in 25:38 by Soulrivers.

  • Recorded on VBA 1.72 v19.3
  • Takes damage to save time
  • Aims for fastest time
  • Abuses programming errors
  • (!!!) Is in black and white (!!!)
  • Features kickass music
  • Uses japanese version
So, this is the first (real) submission of this game. This run does not use the pipe glitch which the red team used in the TAS competition a while back (causing VBA v20 to be created). I'm surprised no one has attempted it before, actually. As you'll probably notice when watching, the game lags A LOT. Not to the extent of e.g. Kirby's Dream Land, but you get the picture. There are some places where lag was unavoidable, such as in the last level of the water stage, when I take the flower.
The reason why I picked the (J) ROM is simple. When a boss dies, it flies up, and then down, quite slowly. In the (J) ROM, if the boss is sent outside the screen on its way up, the battle will end there, saving ~2 seconds each fight it's applicable (Moon boss and the three pigs). There is close to no text in this game anyway, so no entertainment value is cut off.
One possible improvement would be in the castle, when going up to the first floor. The jumps here are badly timed as I discovered later. However when I optimized that part, the next room was out of rythm. You see, Mario moves at 1 pixel, 2 pixels, 1 pixel, 2 pixels. This rythm wasn't the same after I corrected the earlier room, and so the next one was messed up too. 15 frames could potentially be saved if this was somehow done better.
Anyway, I'm tired of writing long submission texts. This'll have to do. Ask if you need more info.

Thanks to

Swordless Link - For support and (somewhat) reviewing my WIPs.
Tompa - Also support and reviewing my WIPs, and for having me redo countless of times when you found some faster route that saved 1 frame.
NesVideoAgent: Hi! I am a robot. I took a few screenshots of this movie and placed them here. Oh! I also corrected the ROM name.
  • You indicated Super Mario Land 2 - 6tsu no Kinka (J) (V1.0).vbm
  • I updated it to Super Mario Land 2 - 6tsu no Kinka (J) (V1.0).gb
adelikat: Viewers like this one. Accepting for publication.

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Posted: 5/14/2008 3:52 AM
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ugetab
Emulator Coder
Joined: 1/12/2007
Posts: 95
Seems there's a bit of controversy over this run, but I voted yes because even if some tricks are missing, it's better than having no run of the game at all. I found it entertaining, even thought my untrained eye spotted a few questionable tactics.
Posted: 5/14/2008 5:46 AM
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Soulrivers
Former player
Joined: 12/27/2006
Posts: 532
Location: Göteborg, Sweden
ugetab wrote:
Seems there's a bit of controversy over this run, but I voted yes because even if some tricks are missing, it's better than having no run of the game at all. I found it entertaining, even thought my untrained eye spotted a few questionable tactics.
Feel free to mention any I haven't mentioned in this topic already.
My published movies [03:45:05] <Naohiro19> Soulrivers: ... [03:45:19] <Soulrivers> ? [03:46:35] <Naohiro19> <Soulrivers> No! <Naohiro19> So? <Soulrivers> Yes! [03:46:48] <Naohiro19> joke
Posted: 5/14/2008 10:53 PM
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MUGG
Editor, Expert player (2328)
Joined: 5/15/2007
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Location: Germany
Gameboy TASer of 2015 NES TAS of 2013 Gameboy TASer of 2011 Gameboy TASer of 2010
You didn't go through the spot with the platforms where you have to duck as fast as possible. There was another platform you have to wait for in this level - But it has to spawn first. So maybe you thought, it didn't matter how fast you manage the first platform spot? (not sure about this anymore)
Well, I compared times of both your run and the Japanese run and it turns out you already lost time after the platform parts. And it looks like you didn't go through the first platform part as fast as possible. So I was actually right when I first stated this. As for your water level problem, it looks like it has to do with spawning times as well. I didn't look into this matter much, but you can see, before the wall glitch, the Japanese player goes to the total right (so that the first spike spawns maybe), then goes back and performs the glitch whereas you didn't go to the right. I think some testings are required to get good spawning times of the spikes. I did a testrun of the first Macro Zone level (it's incomplete, though) http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/1620490857/sml2%20macrozone1.vbm Some stunts I perform in this movie don't cause lag frames at all, and I missed exactly such stunts in your run.
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Posted: 5/16/2008 1:59 PM
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minglw
Joined: 4/3/2006
Posts: 269
I never thought a GB game can be entertaining. Thanks for proving me wrong! YES vote obviously!
Posted: 6/4/2008 7:57 AM
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Sir_VG
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Joined: 10/9/2004
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Questions: 1: Could you have gotten into the pipe at the end of the last level of Space Zone any faster? 2: Macro Zone 1: Were the weird waits necessary for the platforms? No way to get though faster? 3: Turtle Zone 2: Was the wall glitch (and assumably 2 hits you took in order to do it) necessary? If so, why and how much time did you save?
Taking over the world, one game at a time. Currently TASing: Nothing
Posted: 6/4/2008 5:51 PM
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Soulrivers
Former player
Joined: 12/27/2006
Posts: 532
Location: Göteborg, Sweden
Sir VG wrote:
Questions: 1: Could you have gotten into the pipe at the end of the last level of Space Zone any faster? 2: Macro Zone 1: Were the weird waits necessary for the platforms? No way to get though faster? 3: Turtle Zone 2: Was the wall glitch (and assumably 2 hits you took in order to do it) necessary? If so, why and how much time did you save?
1. I don't think you should be asking me that, I did as fast as I think is possible. 2. Yes, they unfortunately were. 3. From my tests it saved one wait for the spikes.
My published movies [03:45:05] <Naohiro19> Soulrivers: ... [03:45:19] <Soulrivers> ? [03:46:35] <Naohiro19> <Soulrivers> No! <Naohiro19> So? <Soulrivers> Yes! [03:46:48] <Naohiro19> joke
Posted: 6/4/2008 7:20 PM
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MUGG
Editor, Expert player (2328)
Joined: 5/15/2007
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Gameboy TASer of 2015 NES TAS of 2013 Gameboy TASer of 2011 Gameboy TASer of 2010
1. When I just checked that out, it appeared to be improvable by 6 frames..
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Posted: 6/4/2008 7:29 PM
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Soulrivers
Former player
Joined: 12/27/2006
Posts: 532
Location: Göteborg, Sweden
MUGG wrote:
1. When I just checked that out, it appeared to be improvable by 6 frames..
Quite a miss. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about that now, the game is very hex-unfriendly.
My published movies [03:45:05] <Naohiro19> Soulrivers: ... [03:45:19] <Soulrivers> ? [03:46:35] <Naohiro19> <Soulrivers> No! <Naohiro19> So? <Soulrivers> Yes! [03:46:48] <Naohiro19> joke
Posted: 7/4/2008 4:06 AM
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alden
Player (121)
Joined: 2/11/2007
Posts: 1522
"Voted yes", liked the movie a lot. This game is really neat and I appreciated seeing more of it this time. Not too many "extra"ordinary events, but certainly it appears to be fast. So is anyone working on an improvement, if that is in fact possible?
I make a comic with no image files and you should read it. While there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free. -Eugene Debs
Posted: 7/4/2008 7:56 AM
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MUGG
Editor, Expert player (2328)
Joined: 5/15/2007
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Location: Germany
Gameboy TASer of 2015 NES TAS of 2013 Gameboy TASer of 2011 Gameboy TASer of 2010
alden wrote:
"Voted yes", liked the movie a lot. This game is really neat and I appreciated seeing more of it this time. Not too many "extra"ordinary events, but certainly it appears to be fast. So is anyone working on an improvement, if that is in fact possible?
There's a newly discovered time saver. But even without it, this movie could be improved by some seconds. Using the time saver, I'm currently in level 2. But I only TAS it when I'm bored. Personally, I think this game needs a run completely without corner-boosts or other time-savers that take away from entertainment, though. (You could open ?-blocks instead of slightly missing them and jump around and kill enemies instead of ducking every 8 frames)
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Posted: 7/4/2008 8:12 AM
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Twelvepack
Joined: 5/2/2006
Posts: 1020
Location: Boulder, CO
Using the J rom for something as mundane as ~2 seconds of boss animations a few times in the run is silly. The game mechanics are the same, and all this selection does is frusterate the people watching your runs. only use a non-(u) rom if you have a good reason to do so. Voting no for bad rom choice.
Has never colored a dinosaur.
Posted: 7/4/2008 9:34 AM
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Soulrivers
Former player
Joined: 12/27/2006
Posts: 532
Location: Göteborg, Sweden
Twelvepack wrote:
Using the J rom for something as mundane as ~2 seconds of boss animations a few times in the run is silly. The game mechanics are the same, and all this selection does is frusterate the people watching your runs. only use a non-(u) rom if you have a good reason to do so. Voting no for bad rom choice.
How does it frustrate anyone? There is only text in one place, and that is the title screen. Everything else is the same, even the credits! I don't see the big issue. It's not like you don't know what game is being played because: 1. You downloaded it off TASvideos, you probably read the game name... 2. You can see it's Mario on the Gameboy, look it up dammit? Aside from these reasons, I can't see any more reasons to why the J rom was a bad choice here. Please elaborate your decision. Did you even watch the run, by the way?
My published movies [03:45:05] <Naohiro19> Soulrivers: ... [03:45:19] <Soulrivers> ? [03:46:35] <Naohiro19> <Soulrivers> No! <Naohiro19> So? <Soulrivers> Yes! [03:46:48] <Naohiro19> joke
Posted: 7/4/2008 9:39 PM
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Xkeeper
Banned User
Joined: 12/23/2004
Posts: 1850
Use the (U) version of a ROM unless there is a good reason not to (as an example a shortcut/trick which only works in a different version, or superior music), or the version does not exist. If you decide to start to a run using a version other than (U), make a post on the forum detailing why — this is to prevent future complications.
I was always under the impression that using another version simply for "shorter cutscenes" was not a good reason, but whatever. I haven't watched the movie and I am not voting (yet).
Perma-banned
Posted: 7/5/2008 7:16 AM
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Twelvepack
Joined: 5/2/2006
Posts: 1020
Location: Boulder, CO
I watched it, and it was both well made and enjoyable.
Everything else is the same, even the credits!
This is the exact reason the (u) rom should have been used. It is clearly stated in the site rules. That said, it might be a bad reason to refuse the run outright, but using weird roms (other then the ones used in previous attempts) is a major pet peeve of mine. If there is a good reason for the switch, by all means do so, but doing it for shits and giggles it just plain irritating. So that said, the run should probably be accepted, but a note should be made that because gameplay is identical, future runs should use (u) version. (in accordance to site rules)
Has never colored a dinosaur.
Posted: 7/5/2008 10:27 AM
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Soulrivers
Former player
Joined: 12/27/2006
Posts: 532
Location: Göteborg, Sweden
Shits and giggles? I beg to differ, the run is ~6 seconds shorter because of this. I quote adelikat from IRC:
[23:45:13] <adelikat> faster cutscenes/text is not a good reason [23:45:16] <adelikat> for J rom [23:45:29] <adelikat> however, what you describe the submission text doesn't sound like cutscenes [23:46:01] <Xkeeper> The reason why I picked the (J) ROM is simple. When a boss dies, it flies up, and then down, quite slowly. In the (J) ROM, if the boss is sent outside the screen on its way up, the battle will end there, saving ~2 seconds each fight it's applicable (Moon boss and the three pigs). There is close to no text in this game anyway, so no entertainment value is cut off. [23:46:08] <Xkeeper> adelikat: slightly shorter animation in any case. [23:46:15] <adelikat> but not a cutscene [23:46:31] <Xkeeper> what do you define "cutscene" as [23:46:38] <adelikat> I think the rule had something in mind related to shorter text = shorter text scenes
Don't take this as official though, I'm just saying what he said.
My published movies [03:45:05] <Naohiro19> Soulrivers: ... [03:45:19] <Soulrivers> ? [03:46:35] <Naohiro19> <Soulrivers> No! <Naohiro19> So? <Soulrivers> Yes! [03:46:48] <Naohiro19> joke
Posted: 7/5/2008 1:19 PM
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Xkeeper
Banned User
Joined: 12/23/2004
Posts: 1850
Soulrivers wrote:
Shits and giggles? I beg to differ, the run is ~6 seconds shorter because of this.
I am just going to say that I don't think anybody considers this a "shortcut" that was removed from the US; I think that was made with things like Rygar (which had a huge warp glitch in only one version) in mind. I don't see how saving 6 seconds because of a shorter animation is any different than saving 6 seconds by, say, a shorter conversation with Dr.Light or whatever. You're not actually doing anything to save time other than loading a different ROM. But that is my opinion and I am not a judge, so take it however you want. (Printing it out and using it as a ball for trashcan basketball is always an option.)
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Posted: 7/5/2008 1:29 PM
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Soulrivers
Former player
Joined: 12/27/2006
Posts: 532
Location: Göteborg, Sweden
Xkeeper wrote:
Soulrivers wrote:
Shits and giggles? I beg to differ, the run is ~6 seconds shorter because of this.
I am just going to say that I don't think anybody considers this a "shortcut" that was removed from the US; I think that was made with things like Rygar (which had a huge warp glitch in only one version) in mind. I don't see how saving 6 seconds because of a shorter animation is any different than saving 6 seconds by, say, a shorter conversation with Dr.Light or whatever. You're not actually doing anything to save time other than loading a different ROM. But that is my opinion and I am not a judge, so take it however you want. (Printing it out and using it as a ball for trashcan basketball is always an option.)
I personally have no problems with anybody using a J ROM as long as it's faster, in any way. Though I do understand why people dislike the usage of a J ROM if it only makes conversations faster, as you might want to read the conversation, right? Though in this case, I don't understand it at all. It actually removes a sprite movement which isn't important at all anyway. It also further strengthens that it is a TAS doing impossible actions, as it's virtually impossible to do on a real Gameboy (it has to be frame perfect, with many button combinations).
My published movies [03:45:05] <Naohiro19> Soulrivers: ... [03:45:19] <Soulrivers> ? [03:46:35] <Naohiro19> <Soulrivers> No! <Naohiro19> So? <Soulrivers> Yes! [03:46:48] <Naohiro19> joke
Posted: 7/25/2008 11:46 PM
Post subject: Movie published
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TASVideoAgent
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Posts: 15537
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This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [1147] GB Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins by Soulrivers in 25:38.72
Posted: 7/26/2008 4:09 AM
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eternaljwh
Joined: 3/11/2008
Posts: 583
Location: USA
Interesting Tidbit: for one frame around 23:16 [...83 803ish, I found it using avi so this might be a little high due to encoder logo] the Mario coin changes to the Macro coin, so that two of that are visible. I wonder why that is...
Posted: 7/26/2008 5:35 PM
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thegreginator
Former player
Joined: 6/4/2006
Posts: 267
Location: CO
I think this run is faster. It says it completes it in 25:38.25 Part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=LQnYmaVUBZ8 Part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yzqd_5aI08k Part 3: http://youtube.com/watch?v=vjKWcJPB7U8 EDIT: Nevermind, gocha already posted this.
Posted: 7/29/2008 1:35 PM
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SwordlessLink
Active player (498)
Joined: 1/12/2007
Posts: 682
Gameboy TAS of 2010 TAS of 2007 N64 TAS of 2007
Soulrivers asked me to upload his run onto my YouTube account, since his has the retarded 10 minute limit. Here's the link: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uRvpqP9WJjk
Posted: 7/30/2008 1:08 PM
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ZeXr0
Joined: 8/27/2006
Posts: 883
Near 17:00, you get two hit, to get inside a wall, and then you have to wait for the two wooden spike to go down and up, wouldn't it be faster if you got hit by those two spike instead of waiting ?
Posted: 7/30/2008 3:42 PM
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Soulrivers
Former player
Joined: 12/27/2006
Posts: 532
Location: Göteborg, Sweden
ZeXr0 wrote:
Near 17:00, you get two hit, to get inside a wall, and then you have to wait for the two wooden spike to go down and up, wouldn't it be faster if you got hit by those two spike instead of waiting ?
I suspect it wouldn't. By the time I get there by going the intended way, the spikes would already be up. Mario sinks very slowly.
My published movies [03:45:05] <Naohiro19> Soulrivers: ... [03:45:19] <Soulrivers> ? [03:46:35] <Naohiro19> <Soulrivers> No! <Naohiro19> So? <Soulrivers> Yes! [03:46:48] <Naohiro19> joke
Posted: 6/28/2013 2:40 AM
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MarbleousDave
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Posted: 6/28/2013 1:37 PM
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WST
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