Game objectives

  • Aims for fastest time
  • Manipulates luck
  • Uses game-breaking glitches
  • Achieves credits early

DelayFFObjectGlitch

DelayObject is taken out from bank2 (usually bank6, instead) when NMI interrupts the process of objectFF. Object 00-FF appears in the Iceman stage. FinalFighter discovered that $600 was executed, when DelayObject55 appeared. We increase the number of instructions executed in one frame by manipulating music, drop items and Rockman's action so that NMI interrupts the particular process in the frame.

Instructions

ObjectFireDelay is manipulated by DropItems. $23 increases every frame, and DelayObject55 may appear when $23 is 55.
$002355
$060054F8504D54F8F8
$065000AC21006B1700
$06F01B3C3E1B3D3C20
DelayObjects is taken out
$002356
$060054F8504D54F8F8
$06503CAD221F6C1800
$06F0033C3E013D3C55
DelayObject55 calls $600
0600: 54 F8 NOP F8,X               ; Y of Rockman = 54
0602: 50 4D BVC $0651              ; Y of Rockbuster1,2 = 50,4D
0650: 3C UNDEFINED (NO USE)        ; ObjectFireDelay of DelayObject3 = 3C
0651: AD 22 1F LDA $1F22 = #$0A    ; ObjectFireDelay of DropItems = AD,22
                                   ; ObjectFireDelay of DelayObject1 = 1F
0654: 6C 18 00 JMP ($0018) = $C460 ; (instruction of StageClear)
                                   ; ObjectFireDelay of DropItems = 6C,18
                                   ; ObjectFireDelay of DelayObject55 = 00
                                   ; Input of Controllers = $0018 = 60,C4
C45E: A9 00 lda #$00
C460: 85 31 sta $31(CurrentStage)  ; <-- Jumped here
C462: 4C 0C C1 jmp $C10C

History

  • 11/01/21 - FinalFighter found DelayObjectFFGlitch.
  • 14/04/29 - FinalFighter read about the article of SMB3 ACE TAS. [dead link removed]
  • 14/04/30 - FinalFighter remembered that some objects had called a RAM address. http://www.yuko2ch.net/rockman/JumpAddressList.txt
  • 14/05/01 - Creation of LuaScripts. FinalFighter and pirohiko confirmed by some cheats that DelayEnding in IceManStage was possible.
  • 14/05/08 - We began to work on a new TAS.
  • 14/05/13 - New TAS completed!

Detailed article with some pictures (written in Japanese)

[dead link removed]
こちらには日本語による詳細な解説・図説があります。

Special Thanks

  • Shinryuu - He looked at and encouraged our TAS.
  • cstrakm - He discovered the DelayWaterCurrent. It led to the discovery of DelayObjectGlitch.
  • Inzult - He verified DelayObjectGlitch with the real NES.
  • Tekepen - Explanation of 6502 was helpful.
  • Kureyuni - Explanation of undefined code of 6502 was helpful.
  • AlphaBeta, NinjyaSuperK, Vagla, Bisqwit - Rockman1's analysis data were helpful.
  • adelikat, Nach, Dwedit - The problem of Old PPU of FCEUX was solved by them.
And...
  • Thank you, everyone of TASVideos.

P.S.

Rockman went to the Iceman stage and felt like going back home. It'll come out after the credits that Rockman actually doesn't complete the game. Press start after the credits, and you'll see...
The next is renewal of Rockman2!

Nach: So this is quite a TAS to deal with. No matter how I handle it, someone is going to want to strap a bomb to my car. I'm surprised I even have the guts to judge this run, as some of the comments leave me feeling the heat of the fire and gasping for air. Hopefully, now you'll understand why I did not rush to judge this, and I'm sorry for the delay.
On the one hand, most of the gameplay is cut, and all we're left with is a quick jump to the ending credits. On the other hand, only a single icy level is played (with a different single level marked as completed). This run crashes part of the game mechanics as the previous run does, albeit a bit differently, and that run's glitch usage's doesn't beat the game in a flash.
Now, unless you were living under a rock, inside a bubble, or in a wood shed for the past few years, you saw the previous run, loved it, and don't want the previous movie obsoleted. The completion state is also controversial, as to whether the game is really completed or not, and possibly this run should be rejected.
I personally tango to my own metal, and like to handle things in a shocking and most electrifying manner, although fairly so. I find the cool thing to do in this situation would be to create a new branch, but being mindful of the issues, not the one you were thinking. This is setting a new precedent, one which may require further recategorization of existing movies, and that's okay.
I deem the following branches viable:
  • All levels completed using every technique available (the currently published run).
  • All levels completed without using the magnet beam, which incidentally is responsible for most of the glitches seen in the above branch, and is also deemed impossible by the creators.
  • A quick as possible run (this run).
This kind of branching also helps with other problematic games we've seen like Super Mario World, Super Mario Land 2, Super Metroid, and Kirby Super Star, which incidentally, all those games actually report some sort of completion percentage.
Accepting this run for the new low completion branch for this game (which also happens to be game-end glitch or whatever we're currently calling it).
Guga: Processing...


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WHY YOU RUINED IT :( ? Poor Game. Poor No so YES!
Current: Rayman 3 maybe? idk xD Paused: N64 Rayman 2 (with Funnyhair) GBA SMA 4 : E Reader (With TehSeven) TASVideos is like a quicksand, you get in, but you cannot quit the sand
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Dear Lord in Heaven...
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We can set whatever value we like to $5D ($5D = arm flag, or boss defeat flag). (However, we have to sacrifice many frames to rewrite 4 more bytes of RAM into some code.) But I don't think that it's necessary for the game completion, and I think that the condition for the game to be completed is watching the ending. The reason why I think so is that any other TAS'es didn't set (or even care about) flags for the second play until now. For example, Super Mario Land 2 : The 6 coins flag are not set. :)
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Oh, by the way, after reading the submission text, I notice that this movie actually belongs to the category "executes arbitrary code", since it involves jumping into RAM section that contains user-manipulable bytes. It is not just calling a "game-end" object into existence.
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If our two-minute TAS of A Link to the Past constitutes as completing the game even though it is far from complete when you reload the game, I fail to see why this wouldn't count. Short, and entertaining. And it includes ACE on the NES which is impressive. Though... should it obsolete the other run? The other run uses some sketchy RAM corruption to end stages early, which is awfully similar to this.
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FinalFighter has already shown the authors' standpoint above. Well, I'm sorry if the submission description (or in particular, the joke in P.S.) is confusing to you. That's my bad translation, and I think there may be some information lost in translation. When you have any questions, it would be so helpful if you ask them in rather easy/plain English. It's hard for us to follow such sensitive discussion. Thanks. :)
Retired because of that deletion event. Projects (WIP RIP): VIP3 all-exits "almost capeless yoshiless", VIP2 all-exits, TSRP2 "normal run"
ars4326
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すごいですよ。 Outstanding work. Looking forward to your new Rockman 2 run!
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It is sad to see so much gameplay being cut. But I already told Shinyruu and I will tell it here: I think each TAS of this game that has been done is a great watch on its own. I think it is really funny to see so much ACE going on in 2014. This is perfection, I guess. Good job!
Fog
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Bisqwit wrote:
Oh, by the way, after reading the submission text, I notice that this movie actually belongs to the category "executes arbitrary code", since it involves jumping into RAM section that contains user-manipulable bytes. It is not just calling a "game-end" object into existence.
ACE (Arbitrary Code Execution) only gets applied to runs that don't jump to the end credits. Otherwise, we consider it a "game end glitch"
Glitcher
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Fog wrote:
But it doesn't actually beat the game.
The whole point of a standard TAS is to reach the credits of a game. Since this run does it in two minutes, I'd say it counts. And man, obsoleting one of the most TASed games on this site by ten minutes? Hell, yeah! It seems memory corruption glitches are becoming more frequent around here.
Fog
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Glitcher wrote:
Fog wrote:
But it doesn't actually beat the game.
The whole point of a standard TAS is to reach the credits of a game. Since this run does it in two minutes, I'd say it counts. And man, obsoleting one of the most TASed games on this site by ten minutes? Hell, yeah! It seems memory corruption glitches are becoming more frequent around here.
Was pointing out the notes in his submission.
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JMP $C10C    ;    jump to yes vote routine
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finalfighter wrote:
We can set whatever value we like to $5D ($5D = arm flag, or boss defeat flag). (However, we have to sacrifice many frames to rewrite 4 more bytes of RAM into some code.) But I don't think that it's necessary for the game completion, and I think that the condition for the game to be completed is watching the ending. The reason why I think so is that any other TAS'es didn't set (or even care about) flags for the second play until now. For example, Super Mario Land 2 : The 6 coins flag are not set. :)
When things are glitched to death, like here, it's really hard to define if the game was beaten technically or not. So we use the method that makes the most sense to the most people:
JudgeGuidelines wrote:
Glitched runs need certain verification on whether the ending really occurs. It can be done by comparing how the game acts after it ended normally, with how it acts after it was glitch-ended. Missing some critical ending routines would mean it was not really completed.
Since #3903: Masterjun & FractalFusion's GBC Pokémon: Yellow Version "save glitch" in 01:10.47 didn't make the game behave like it normally does after being completed, we had to reject that run. On the other hand, SMW doesn't do anything at all after being completed, so a run glitching to the credits, where the game keeps doing nothing, is similar to normal completion, and accepted. After figuring out the ending routine, I think this submission is legit as is: The example above is about routines that are parts of the real ending. Marking the stages beaten is not part of Rockman's ending, they are just marked so because it's part of the gaming process, and they are beaten separately. In that case, I consider the ending "broken", but legit.
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.
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Guys,the fact the stages don't look completed is a skip in itself,the ending has been reached anyway.You either have a all stages TAS from now on,or you just go directly to ending screen like this one.This game has no post-game material in order to make it feel more or less complete. Super yes vote.
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>Mr.feos I am confused to the definition of Ending. I consider 5 patterns to your guidelines. :) 1:All Stage Clear->Wily defeated->goto Ending 2:Ice->DelayGlitch->jump to WilyStage->Wily defeated->goto Ending 3:Ice->DelayGlitch->$31(stage) is 0x0B(Ending)->Death->goto Ending 4:Ice->DelayGlitch->$5D is mad(We get all arms)->goto Ending 5:Ice->DelayGlitch->goto Ending(this case)
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For the second,andif it is possible to perfectly honest,I'm a bit boring of"total control"TASesme.It`s not as fun really able to see the 30-second video of the players jump around, ending suddenly.I prefer a full playthrough much,I feel it is cheap when it`s memory corruption It is especially bad to me,that they`re considered of these games the "mainbranch". REGULAR Tool Assisted run dead?
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keatingX5 wrote:
For the second,andif it is possible to perfectly honest,I'm a bit boring of"total control"TASesme.It`s not as fun really able to see the 30-second video of the players jump around, ending suddenly.I prefer a full playthrough much,I feel it is cheap when it`s memory corruption It is especially bad to me,that they`re considered of these games the "mainbranch". REGULAR Tool Assisted run dead?
I don't know any case where the ACE run obsoleted the regular run, or where the only run that exist use ACE. The existence of ACE in a game doesn't mean that normal gameplay is dead.
I problably made mistakes, sorry for my bad English, I'm French :v
adelikat
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Wouldn't this be such a case? The difference between the glitch used in this run and the glitched prominently used in the 12 minute movie is what?
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Pressing start after ending, in my opinion, is already second time play through. If one talks about the completion, this is the wrong place because the goal of this run is not about completion. If Masterjun's SMW game glitch end run can coexist with the warp run, I don't find any reason to reject this run.
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Old TAS 1:ObjectF5 calls worng address($C0BD). 2:DelayStageClear NewTAS: 1:Object55 call worng address($600). 2:The code written by us is executed.($600) Perhaps, I think that these have a difference of genre. :)
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feos wrote:
The example above is about routines that are parts of the real ending. Marking the stages beaten is not part of Rockman's ending, they are just marked so because it's part of the gaming process, and they are beaten separately. In that case, I consider the ending "broken", but legit.
I agree with this. Rockman doesn't do anything special when the game ends except roll the credits. The stages wouldn't be marked completed unless you actually went and beat the bosses during the game. (Though I'm assuming Cutman's stage was marked completed sometime during the ACE.) I think this should be published, and as a separate branch from the really cool currently published run.
adelikat wrote:
The difference between the glitch used in this run and the glitched prominently used in the 12 minute movie is what?
The difference is DelayEnding. This run uses it, executes arbitrary code and warps to the credits, while the other run uses many comparatively minor glitches to skip a few stages but ultimately play through everything until beating Dr. Wily. Someone (maybe feos?) said recently that ACE TASes are in a whole different category from other types of runs, and I feel this is one of those cases.
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finalfighter wrote:
>Mr.feos I am confused to the definition of Ending. I consider 5 patterns to your guidelines. :) 1:All Stage Clear->Wily defeated->goto Ending 2:Ice->DelayGlitch->jump to WilyStage->Wily defeated->goto Ending 3:Ice->DelayGlitch->$31(stage) is 0x0B(Ending)->Death->goto Ending 4:Ice->DelayGlitch->$5D is mad(We get all arms)->goto Ending 5:Ice->DelayGlitch->goto Ending(this case)
Case 1 only happens when one beats all bosses and Wily, so it would just be a normal run. Case 2 is virtually similar to the published run, that already skips some stages, but still beats the game normally by killing the final boss. Between the rest 3 we would need to choose whichever is the fastest, since it's basically the same thing - beating the game without beating the final boss. And it happens so that none of those cases has anything to do with setting the "bosses beaten" flags, as normal ending routine doesn't do it either. So we end up with the "raw" result, similar to what the game normally does. Hence this submission is a legit glitched game completion.
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.
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adelikat wrote:
Wouldn't this be such a case? The difference between the glitch used in this run and the glitched prominently used in the 12 minute movie is what?
Not skipping to the ending :) Post #356300 That alone makes it for a completely different content. In fact, the ending glitch here actually cuts out all the fun people were having with one of our highest rated TASes that won several awards. So it in no way obsoletes all the Star content of the current run. All its content is actually included in that published run, but it's the fastest possible itself, so not obsolete either. As for technical borderline, it doesn't matter too much, since skipping to the end may be done who knows how many ways, and not doing so does look different enough, and unique.
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.
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Thanks Mr.feos. I understand very much. :)
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Didn't the same thing happened in mario land 2 and KSS? I don't see why this can't be published... at least in my opinion.
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