There were only 3 people on the team that made this amazing game. Yukio Horimoto intentionally reproduced the gameplay style of Zelda II. Like Zelda II, the game has a superspeed glitch when you use L+R. In The Battle of Olympus, you have to build up maximum right speed before you can switch to maximum left speed.
Before I started this TAS, I made my goal 09:59.99 or better, even though I had thought it was impossible. The final time of 10:01.43 gives me motivation for another attempt at some point in the future. Right now, I need time to psychologically recover from olive collecting.
This TAS was a solo project, but nesrocks deserves legacy authorship credit for creating the route and some techniques. The table below tells you exactly how I improved compared to the currently published movie.
ScreenFrames savedTotal frames savedComments
Character Names4848Named Helene 'y' instead of '9.'
Arcadia 1048
Arcadia 2048
Arcadia 3048
Arcadia 4048
Arcadia 5048
Arcadia Portal 1048
Arcadia Bull048
Arcadia Zeus65113Kyman's unfinished WIP was the first to use the trick to maintain full speed. It exploits the fact that Orpheus maintains his current speed while attacking.
Arcadia Bull (2)0113
Arcadia Portal (2)0113
Arcadia 5 (2)0113
Pelo 1-3110Different jumper spawn causes a delay reaching max speed.
Pelo Portal 10110
Pelo 22112Better speed control.
Pelo 34116Better exit.
Pelo Portal 20116
Pelo Bush1117Used better speed control instead of changing directions.
Pelo Portal 30117
Pelo 40117
Pelo Hydra0117
Pelo Sword-Hydra-Continue4121Shorter character name and better sword pickup.
Pelo Harp4125
Pelo Cyclops126251Improved damage boost, movement, and fighting.
Olive Collection591842It is difficult to collect olives. Far more difficult than any other part of the game. Most of the real time that I spent was on collecting olives. It is not fun. I collected all of my olives on only two screens, whereas nesrocks spread out the collecting in his run.
Laconia 31843More speed.
Laconia Portal 10843
Laconia Dark0843
Laconia Ocarina4847
Laconia Dark (2)2849
Laconia Portal 1 (2)0849
Laconia 3 (2)0849
Laconia 1 (2)6855
Laconia 2 (2)9864
Laconia 40864
Laconia Siren-4860I had significantly worse luck at the start of the fight. The Siren used her song early; I couldn't get a fast initial hit on her. The Siren's song changes your speed and magnetically draws you toward her. It's difficult to control Orpheus.
Laconia Graeae27887Better manipulation of the spawn positions.
Laconia 1 (3)-1886Bad monkey spawn.
Laconia 2 (3)3889Reduced lag.
Arcadia 1 (2)0889
Arcadia 2 (2)0889
Arcadia Portal 20889
Arcadia 66895Little bear.
Arcadia 72897Different exit.
Argolis 115912Controlled room entry and exit better.
Argolis Portal 12914Jumping instead of walking through a portal exit usually saves 2 frames.
Argolis 21915
Argolis Portal 22917
Argolis 31918
Argolis Portal 32920
Argolis Love17937
Argolis Portal 3 (2)0937
Argolis 3 (2)41978I refer to this screen as 'a beautiful suicide.'
Argolis 1 (2)2980Pegasus won't catch Orpheus if Orpheus jumps too high.
Attica 1471027It's faster to build superspeed to the right than to walk slowly to the left.
Attica Key91036
Attica 1 (2)01036
Attica 231039
Attica Portal 101039
Attica 321041
Attica Gaia11042Gaia is the ugliest girl I've ever seen.
Phthia 1401082No eagle in the way on the stairs.
Phthia 2 Centaur101092Monkey manipulation.
Phthia 341096
Phthia 421098
Phthia Love201118
Phthia 4 (2)01118
Phthia 3 (2)81126Died faster.
Phthia Pegasus11127
Laconia 2 (4)91136Speed and lag.
Laconia 4 (2)01136
Laconia Siren (2)21138
Crete 101138
Crete 2 Talos21140Talos can hit Orpheus with the axe even while stunned.
Crete Portal 101140
Crete 371147
Crete 4231170Better speed buildup.
Crete 511171
Crete 601171
Crete Minotaur61177I maintain max speed throughout the fight for a quicker exit.
Crete Portal 201177
Crete Love121189
Crete Portal 2 (2)01189
Crete Minotaur (2)31192You can't suicide out of Crete. You have to take the proper exit and have all 3 Fragments of Love to open Tartarus. I tested thoroughly when I made my 100% Let's Play.
Crete 6 (2)01192
Crete 5 (2)-11191Intentionally used a slower exit to set up the gains on the next screen.
Crete 7291220Entered moving left instead of right.
Crete Portal 301220
Crete 2 Talos (2)61226
Crete 1 (2)11227
Tartarus 1-2-3-401227
Tartarus Cerberus431270Improved the start of the fight and getting Cerberus turned around.
Tartarus 5111281
Tartarus 601281
Tartarus 71181399This room is so smooth now. I don't have to fight the eagles. I clip through the wall without slowing down at all. The precision required leaves no room for error.
Tartarus 8131412Better speed and exit.
Tartarus 9101422Better entry.
Tartarus 1001422
Tartarus 1171429Slicker movement.
Tartarus 1201429
Tartarus 13
Tartarus 14
Tartarus 15
Tartarus 16
Tartarus 17
Tartarus 188592288Surprise route change! I use the staircase glitch to move one room over to the right. It works in this room because you can get under the floor. I've tested every staircase for usefulness.
Tartarus 1902288
Tartarus 2002288
Tartarus Hades112299Improved the first two attacks.
Tartarus 20 (2)32302

Samsara: Claiming for Olympus.
Samsara: Looks like olive that hard work has paid off well. Accepting as an improvement to the currently published run.
fsvgm777: Processing.


TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 15643
Location: 127.0.0.1
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #5088: Arc & nesrocks's NES The Battle of Olympus in 10:01.43
Editor, Skilled player (1826)
Joined: 8/25/2013
Posts: 1200
Saw the old TAS. This one looks just as good. Yes vote.
effort on the first draft means less effort on any draft thereafter - some loser
nesrocks
He/Him
Player (247)
Joined: 5/1/2004
Posts: 4096
Location: Rio, Brazil
So many improvements! And yay for a lot less time collecting olives. I share your nightmares. Loved the improvement in style as well, showing off tricks whenever possible. Brilliant use of the staircase glitch, I couldn't find that one no matter how hard I tried. This trend in co-authoring makes me feel guilty for all the runs I've obsoleted in the past. It is a good feeling so it must be a good trend. Yes vote of course.
Editor, Active player (297)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Congratulations on finishing the arduous task! I just hope there was no situation in this TAS where you accidentally forgot to pick up an olive before you scrolled it off-screen. :) Man that 30fps YouTube video is nasty to watch at these scrolling speeds.
Arc
Editor, Experienced player (827)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 534
Location: Arizona
Disappearing olives weren't much of an issue. A more annoying problem was the olive counter. The count typically increments by 3-5 olives at a time. One time it went up by 6 (from 8 to 14). The game needs some sort of break from the continuous input in order to update the counter. It becomes a problem when you're ready to leave the screen. If you collect an olive but the counter hasn't updated when you go through the door, the olive won't count. So when I was ready to leave the screen, I had to slow down for a few frames so that the last olive I collected could register. Yeah, I've been recording with Camtasia for about 12 years. It still can't do 60 FPS. I concur that 30 FPS sucks.
Editor, Active player (297)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Arc wrote:
Yeah, I've been recording with Camtasia for about 12 years. It still can't do 60 FPS. I concur that 30 FPS sucks.
Thanks for the reply. But FCEU(X) has a built-in AVI recording feature you know.
Joined: 4/3/2005
Posts: 575
Location: Spain
I feel very weird when I listen to Bach Toccata e Fugue in D minor in those Greek temples.
No.
Joined: 8/1/2006
Posts: 428
That isn't the proper opening to the Toccata; compare it to the version in Dark Castle.
Trying 127.0.0.1... telnet: connect to address 127.0.0.1: Connection refused telnet: Unable to connect to remote host
Skilled player (1674)
Joined: 7/1/2013
Posts: 453
JSmith wrote:
That isn't the proper opening to the Toccata; compare it to the version in Dark Castle.
It's proper enough. Though not as cool as the version in Gyruss. :)
Editor, Active player (297)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
JSmith wrote:
That isn't the proper opening to the Toccata; compare it to the version in Dark Castle.
It is an appropriate rendering that follows both the limitations of NES (two square wave channels + 1 triangle wave channel) and the musical style of the game though :)
Post subject: Movie published
TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 15643
Location: 127.0.0.1
This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [3122] NES The Battle of Olympus by Arc & nesrocks in 10:01.43