I met a guy on Omegle, and he actually said something that I was trying to argue with and failed, so I wanted to see what you guys thought.
Stranger: Hey there
You: hey
Stranger: How are you?
You: Pretty good, you?
Stranger: I'm doing well, thanks
Stranger: So what brings you to Omegle?
You: Trying to find a friend!
You: A good friend!
You: Who I can share interests and stuff with!
You: What about you?
Stranger: I guess I'm just here to talk to someone :P
You: Oh!
Stranger: So, what makes you a nerd?
You: I like Tool-Assisted Speedrunning!
Stranger: Okay, so basically illegally downloading video games and cheating at them?
You: LOL
You: So you have seen them before?
Stranger: I've seen my fair share
You: I make them, except I have submitted none to TASVideos yet!
Stranger: What games do you do runs of?
You: I'm working on
You: Donkey Kong Country 3 for GBA
You: Pokemon Leaf Green also for GBA
You: Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga for GBA
You: and Adventures in the Magic Kingdom for NES
Stranger: So, what kinda tools do you use?
You: Emulators, Savestates, Slowdowns.
You: I haven't any idea how to use programming and hex-editing to do TASing yet!
Stranger: I'm fine with all of those aside from slowdowns
You: Why not slowdowns?
Stranger: Because save states and rewinds are like check points, it gives you another chance, but slowdown just removes so much challenge and negates the reflex and skill you need in order to actually be good at games
Stranger: Any good Tool Assisted run of a game would never use Slowdowns
You: Well, not true.
You: Almost all the best TASes use slowdowns.
You: If you don't, it's barely a TAS anymore...
Stranger: Well in that case TAS is not something I'd be interested in
Stranger: I watch dudes like Protonjon
Stranger: These guys are actually good at games
Stranger: Not only that but they provide very interesting commentary
You: So you enjoy speedruns on their own?
Stranger: TAS
Stranger: He uses rewinds, save states and such
Stranger: But if you use Slowdown it's basically because you suck
You: Then you're saying the whole TAS community sucks!
Stranger: That's not at all what I'm saying
You: Because all of us that have common sense use slowdowns and frame advance.
Stranger: I've seen quite a few without slowdown
Stranger: common sense?
You: Okay.
Stranger: You're hiding behind that as an excuse for you lack of reflexes
Stranger: If you're not fast enough to react in time to make precision jumps then just admit it
You: Hold on, I will link you to the page.
Stranger: Nah, I'm good
You: Read this.
You:
http://tasvideos.org/WelcomeToTASVideos.html
Stranger: Why>
Stranger: *?
You: It explains what a TAS is
Stranger: I'm well aware of what they are
You: "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.
Stranger: If you use an emulator then you know what they are
Stranger: Yeah, did I not just say several times over that I know what they are?
Stranger: Yet you still feel blaring that at me is necessary?
You: Nono, I just...want to enjoy myself. TASing is a lot of fun.
Stranger: Okay, let's use this logic
Stranger: If you can't make a series of jumps in Donkey Kong Country, let's say the Mine Cart level, then you don't have good enough reflexes to do it, you're simply not good enough
Stranger: If you need to use slowdowns to beat it then you suck, you honestly do and that's not such a hard thing to take because those games are fucking difficult
Stranger: There's no shame in being bad at them
You: You don't NEED to use slowdowns to BEAT it. Any old fool could beat the level
You: BUT
You: the question is
You: how FAST can you beat it?
You: how ENTERTAINING can you beat it?
Stranger: Just keep practising until you're good enough to do it rather than tarding the game down
Stranger: How much SKILL do you have?
Stranger: Not very much if you use slowdowns
You: People speedrun the same games they make TASes of with that same skill.
You: Such as Super Mario 64
You: People speedrun AND TAS the game very well, and some particular people do both TAS and non-TAS
Stranger: Then good for them, if they're good enough to make all the jumps, handle all the challenges and beat the game normally, then they don't need slowdowns
You: Well, what I'm trying to say is that it's not that you NEED slowdowns to make the leve
You: l
You: *beat the level
You: I'm saying that in order to make everything frame perfect
You: It can only be done with frame advance.
Stranger: ooooooooo
Stranger: Stranger you were so close
Stranger: You were so fucking close to winning this argument
Stranger: But at the last second you fucked it all up
You: ?
Stranger: "It can only be done with frame advance."
You: Okay
Stranger: Bullshit, I've seen so many fucking perfect runs without that
You: How do you KNOW for FACT they didn't use slowdowns? People can lie.
You: It is less efficient to keep on going back and going back until you get the frames right.
Stranger: I'll point you to Protonjon yet again
Stranger: Less efficient? Maybe, but it also, y'know, shows that you're good at a game?
Stranger: If you pull it off right then you made it, you're good, if you slowed it down to make then you fucking suck, you couldn't do it on your own
You: Yes I could...
Stranger: Then prove it
Stranger: Prove that you're any good at a game and do it without slowdowns
You: That's already happened
You: Hold on
Stranger: Otherwise you're doing what literally any kid with half an attention span and an emulator could do
Stranger: I'm not asking for one of your videos
Stranger: Don't link me
Stranger: I'm making a point about slowdowns in general, not you in specific, not others in specific
