Submission Text Full Submission Page
  • Emulator used: FCEUX 2.1.5
  • Aims for fastest completion
  • Abuses poor collision
  • Takes damage to save time
Being my first full TAS, I really didn't know what to expect. I felt like working on some game that probably wouldn't get done. I've been working on this for several weeks. Quite a bit of planning has gone into this, specifically route planning. I've had to draw out the map of the game and where each of the clues are located many times. My first attempt was 69990 frames, while this one is down to 69467, a 523 frame improvement.
Dick Tracy is a detective. This game has you collecting clues in order to find out who has committed a crime in multiple cases. There are five cases, each containing multiple clues. You start out with a clue, and have to find others based off of the given clue.
The main improvement has been timing on jumps. A jump that would normally overshoot a platform can be used to jump again and maintain speed. Another improvement is intentionally taking damage. At the end of each case, the health is restored, allowing eight hits to be taken during each case. Other glitches include:
  • Holding left and right slowly moves to the left
  • Holding up and down when going up a ladder causes you not to jump when you reach the top
  • Jumping from underneath a platform causes another jump to be performed instantly
  • Jumping underneath a platform perpendicular to a wall allows you to clip through the wall
  • Consistently taking damage allows temporary invulnerability

ledauphinbenoit: adding YT encode

DarkKobold: This movie was well done, but the end result is still a lackluster, uninteresting movie. Even many of the yes voters claimed they got fairly bored through it. Sadly, I think the NES library is pretty tapped out of good titles worthy of publication. Sorry, rejecting for bad game choice. However, I hope to see more TASes from you in the future!

adelikat: Unrejecting this submission for consideration into the Vault tier

Abahbob: Canceling because this isn't nearly as fast as possible. I'll TAS it again, but it'll be a bit faster, and hopefully I can throw in some entertainment value as well.


TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #3576: Abahbob's NES Dick Tracy "any%" in 19:15.88
Joined: 6/4/2004
Posts: 284
Dick Tracy was based on a comic strip. The movie came later. Voting no due to ignorance of this basic fact. Except yes.
Player (34)
Joined: 3/8/2012
Posts: 398
Location: Windfall Island
Sorry, I didn't look into it. I was basing off of what I had remembered from that old AVGN video. I changed my submission, thanks for informing me.
IronSlayer wrote:
Your counterargument would be like me saying that the Earth is round and then you telling me that I need to show it's flat so I can "prove us all wrong".
Seems legit.
Joined: 8/2/2011
Posts: 39
The games were released as tie-ins the movie, which was based on the comics.
Samsara
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I'm not too familiar with the game, but I recently rewatched the AVGN review. Are you getting the clues in order? I'm unable to tell based on the run but the review says they can be obtained in any order as long as the arrest comes last. A couple more things: Would frame-precise jumping cancel out the landing animation? Seems like a fair amount of time could be saved by constantly jumping in certain places. It might look a little odd or get annoying, so I understand if it's just an aesthetic choice. Could the heart be obtained in a way that would take less time to get and use than it would to avoid damage in the sidescrolling sections? I've always wanted to see a run for this game just because of the AVGN review, and I think it's quite well done for a first TAS! Hopefully those potential improvements will be of some help. An improved version would get a yes from me.
TASvideos Admin and acting Senior Judge 💙 Currently unable to dedicate a lot of time to the site, taking care of family. Now infrequently posting on Bluesky
warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
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It looks like a lot of work was put into this. Unfortunately, it's just too repetitive. If it were less than ten minutes, I might vote yes, but over 20 minutes of the same thing over and over again got very tedious. I won't vote no, as I do like all games to be represented if possible, but I can't vote yes either. Therefore, meh...
Editor, Experienced player (570)
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Posts: 4036
This did get a little repetitive and boring, but I liked the music and the style of gameplay. It's different from any game I've played or watched, and I think it deserves to be published. Good job! Voting Yes.
Editor, Skilled player (1439)
Joined: 3/31/2010
Posts: 2108
Interesting TAS there. The game seems to be really limiting you in many places, but the run itself was entertaining enough. Yes vote here.
XTREMAL93
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This TAS enough boring, but i vote yes.
Player (34)
Joined: 3/8/2012
Posts: 398
Location: Windfall Island
Samsara, I did get the clues out of order. The only limitation for the order is at the end, where the clue is a keyring and must be obtained before being able to receive a clue at the bank. I repeat the bank because it is necessary to receive both the clues there. With jumps, even a frame perfect jump reverts to landing speed. When I keep speed, it is achieved by landing right past a ledge and jumping while over said ledge. Also, with the heart, I haven't looked into it. I have pondered getting it, but it seems that it would take longer to get than save time. As I said, I really haven't looked into it.
IronSlayer wrote:
Your counterargument would be like me saying that the Earth is round and then you telling me that I need to show it's flat so I can "prove us all wrong".
Seems legit.
Experienced player (520)
Joined: 11/2/2010
Posts: 359
I ended up voting Meh. I would be fine with it being published as it would be another, seemingly, technically sound movie to be posted for the NES but voted Meh instead of yes because it was damn boring. I made it about 10 minutes in before I began hopping around until the end.
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Extremely boring and repetitive. Voting NO.
Joined: 1/8/2011
Posts: 74
Location: Saturn Valley Medical Center
Pretty long and repetitive, good music and gameplay. Voting meh.
Samus plays the SA-Xaphone
mklip2001
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Location: Georgia, USA
Oh wow, this is one of those games that I almost forgot I played as a kid. Honestly, since some of the fun/frustration of the game for me was getting lost finding which address to visit, some of the entertainment was lost on me (I may just be strange though). Nevertheless, this run makes the game more fluid than it really is. It also is amusing how Dick Tracy will shoot lots of bad guys, but yet he insists on properly locking up the actual culprits. I'm voting Yes, but I imagine a lot of that vote is nostalgia.
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.
Experienced player (520)
Joined: 11/2/2010
Posts: 359
mklip2001 wrote:
I'm voting Yes, but I imagine a lot of that vote is nostalgia.
I really enjoy your descriptions of why you make the votes you make. Makes it clear and concise why the decision was made. This is the first time in my memory where I didn't vote the same as you either before or after reading your descritpion. It feels strange.
Cooljay
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Bad game choice really. 19 minutes is too much for a TAS like this.
TASVideosGrue
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om, nom, nom... want more!
Post subject: Re: #3576: Abahbob's NES Dick Tracy in 19:15.88
Experienced player (520)
Joined: 11/2/2010
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DarkKobold wrote:
Sadly, I think the NES library is pretty tapped out of good titles worthy of publication.
We will see about that. Challenge accepted
Post subject: Re: #3576: Abahbob's NES Dick Tracy in 19:15.88
AnS
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Joined: 2/23/2006
Posts: 682
DarkKobold wrote:
Sadly, I think the NES library is pretty tapped out of good titles worthy of publication.
If such idea crosses your mind when judging, you should abstain from judging new NES games. Pessimistic expectations is one kind of bias.
Post subject: Re: #3576: Abahbob's NES Dick Tracy in 19:15.88
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@ AnS
DarkKobold wrote:
Fortunately, I think the NES library is full of good titles worthy of publication.
Fixed. ;)
Post subject: Re: #3576: Abahbob's NES Dick Tracy in 19:15.88
AnS
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@ jlun2
DarkKobold wrote:
Fortunately, I think the NES library still has lots of hidden gems worthy of publication.
Fixed.
Player (34)
Joined: 3/8/2012
Posts: 398
Location: Windfall Island
Honestly, I feel the NES library still has a lot to offer. I'm currently working on two other games, one of which I feel is promising. We just need a list of games without TASes. This game just seemed interesting because of how much bad rep it had gotten. An open mind is the start of TASing, and I plan to keep working until I make a dent in the remaining NES games.
IronSlayer wrote:
Your counterargument would be like me saying that the Earth is round and then you telling me that I need to show it's flat so I can "prove us all wrong".
Seems legit.
Mitjitsu
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Why is Dick Tracy racist in this game?
jwstorm
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I realize I'm making this post quite some time since this TAS submission was cancelled, however at least 20 seconds can be saved by jumping in the water immediately after acquiring the clues in the 9th & F and 9th & J pier stages, since doing so ejects you from the stage but still gives you credit for getting the clue. I also realize this is probably not enough of a time saver to justify creating a new TAS for it, but I figured it was still worth mentioning.
Dimon12321
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jwstorm wrote:
I realize I'm making this post quite some time since this TAS submission was cancelled, however at least 20 seconds can be saved by jumping in the water immediately after acquiring the clues in the 9th & F and 9th & J pier stages, since doing so ejects you from the stage but still gives you credit for getting the clue. I also realize this is probably not enough of a time saver to justify creating a new TAS for it, but I figured it was still worth mentioning.
1 frame is already an improvement. Thank you for mentioning this!
TASing is like making a film: only the best takes are shown in the final movie.