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NESnake 2 is a homebrew snake game for the NES. This run is an improvement on the existing publication, where a points item is accidentally collected along with the number '9' in level 7, resulting in a longer score countdown. This submission fixes that error and is also console verified.
This game is interesting in that it polls input an incredible number of times. In fact the input latch file contains nearly as many inputs as SMB 3 warpless, despite that movie being 40 minutes longer and itself polling input multiple times per frame. It's around 300K polls. Somehow the bot is able to keep up in this case despite having trouble in other games that poll very often/quickly. My guess is that refilling the input buffer just happens to line up with times the game isn't polling in a convenient way.
Also, this run was created almost entirely with Basic Bot.
feos: Claiming for judging.
feos: Accepting over [2353] NES NeSnake 2 "Extreme Quest" by MESHUGGAH in 03:06.86.
EZGames69: Processing...

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Posted: 3/21/2022 9:20 PM
(Edited: 4/15/2022 2:14 AM)
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TASVideoAgent
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This topic is for the purpose of discussing #7359: MESHUGGAH & Alyosha's NES NESnake 2 "Extreme Quest" in 03:05.53
Posted: 3/21/2022 10:25 PM
(Edited: 4/15/2022 2:14 AM)
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MESHUGGAH
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Okay, this is embarassing that I've drawn the input by hand when I first made the original TAS out of spite it was easy to monitor the Y / Column memory value and fine tune with random inputs, now you automated the manipulation, good job as always Alyosha! And you even saw a mistake I did and fix it which I didn't knew about... At this point, I'm not even sure if I should be stay as an author or even as a co-author. I think there is nothing unique in my strategy of completing this game. I'm very glad for another improved TAS to be released, so I would be 100% OK if Alyosha would remove me from authorship after reconsidering the situation. Because of the nature of the final level, the final numbers should be manipulated as many as possible while cutting the input as early as possible, however the game tries to not place number next to the snake head. Have you tried improving it (for example ending the movie at number 6 while "magically"... after using Basic Bot, luck manipulation letting us spawn 7, 8, 9 in front of our snake)? Just asking out of curiosity
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Posted: 3/22/2022 1:38 AM
(Edited: 4/15/2022 2:14 AM)
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Alyosha
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I did consider ending input early on the last level, but I tried by hand for a bit to to get the '9' to appear in the right place after getting the '8' without success. Basic Bot doesn't have a way to turn off input after a certain point while continuing to run, so I would need to make a custom LUA script for it, which I didn't feel like doing. NESHawk is pretty slow for that type of heavy luck manipulation across many frames, so such a script would probably have to run for a very long time. I'm not that interested, getting the '9' as quick as possible is good enough for me.
Posted: 3/22/2022 4:56 AM
(Edited: 4/15/2022 2:14 AM)
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MESHUGGAH
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(For your information, Lua scripts, not LUA) It's understandable. I think I will try a simple Lua script and try to shorten the final numbers by starting with manipulate the last 2 numbers without input, then last 3 numbers without input and so on, as long as it's possible. This is mostly "just" time and CPU power dependent once the script runs. edit: also, 300K polls in a single frame? edit: nah, throughout the TAS it's 300K but still WOW! I know that the original first versions of NESnake had the ghost input on real consoles (unpressed (IIRC) left or A button registered as a press), so I assume the developer used this code https://www.nesdev.org/wiki/Controller_reading_code#DPCM_Safety_using_Repeated_Reads but I couldn't find that thread now for correct information edit2: oh, the thread is here https://forums.nesdev.org/viewtopic.php?p=36686#p36686 which mentions switching from Blargg's input polling method. For the judge who will handle this submission, the free download link is on the next page of this post I've linked in edit2 which might require you (I had) to open the site of the file's location.
PhD in TASing 🎓 speedrun enthusiast ❤🚷🔥 white hat hacker ▓ black box tester ░ censorships and rules...
Posted: 4/15/2022 2:14 AM
Post subject: Movie published
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TASVideoAgent
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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. ---- [4631] NES NeSnake 2 "Extreme Quest" by MESHUGGAH & Alyosha in 03:05.53
Posted: 9/7/2024 3:53 AM
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CloakTheLurker
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Link to the game's fixed version: https://forums.nesdev.org/viewtopic.php?p=63999#p63999
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