This topic is for the purpose of discussing #8215: MrTASer's NES Sprilo in 01:16.07

MrTASer, What you have presented here looks pretty good from a standpoint of optimal play/movement. Unfortunately, I have two problems with this run that I think you should consider addressing before I issue judgement: 1) This run is incomplete, in my opinion.

• There are 4 different tracks selectable from the main menu. I feel that all four tracks should be completed to consider this game 'complete'.
• As this game isn't endless/looping, but also doesn't have a technical 'endpoint', a suitable endpoint needs to be determined.
• Completing only 1 track just seems to ignore the other tracks.
• Completing all 4 tracks would exhaust the unique content of this game and make for a more concrete 'endpoint'.

2) Even the one track that is presented is improvable (in a way).

• On the main menu, three difficulty levels are offered: Easy, Medium, and Hard--with Medium being the default. Harder difficulties allow for the car to go faster; thus yielding shorter potential race time.
• Here's a screenshot of a test I did of the same track as this submission except using Hard difficulty. It shows that it's possible to beat Track 1 by 5 seconds over the submission.

While doing the run on Medium (default) difficulty isn't an outright reason for rejection; a run that did use a harder/faster difficulty would potentially obsolete the lower/slower difficulty. So, if you're goin to be adding the other three tracks, it seems prudent to go ahead and update to Hard difficulty for this track also. Something to remember for your future TAS work is that going immediately with a game's default settings is not always ideal when aiming to create an optimized TAS. Always strive to do some basic research on the game you're wanting to TAS before actually starting to make your TAS; then, while actively TASing, try different options/approaches to determine which methods will truly yield the fastest/best TAS.

Thanks for pointing that out. I will make a complete TAS as soon as I can do. Should I cancel this submission?

Thanks for pointing that out. I will make a complete TAS as soon as I can do. Should I cancel this submission?

You can if you want to. But it’s not absolutely necessary, if you think you’ll be completing it in the near future. I can update the submission movie with the completed version if you upload the new one to userfiles.

While trying to make my own version, I found additional RAM addresses:

0016 lap number
0017 laps
001B frames
001C seconds
001D tens of seconds
001E hundreds of seconds

Which means you can complete three laps of the first track on Hard mode in 16.32 seconds. Except you can select six or nine laps, should the maximum be chosen here as well?

While trying to make my own version, I found additional RAM addresses:

0016 lap number
0017 laps
001B frames
001C seconds
001D tens of seconds
001E hundreds of seconds

Which means you can complete three laps of the first track on Hard mode in 16.32 seconds. Except you can select six or nine laps, should the maximum be chosen here as well?

It's not necessary to select a higher number of laps for an any% run. A run that chose to do more laps may potentially be acceptable, but it would depend on whether or not the staff/judges felt that a TAS of the game with races of 9 laps each would be considered Full Completion as a distinct branch. If so, it may be publishable along side an any% run. If, however, it was decided that 9 lap races weren't distinct enough for a Full Completion branch, the shorter run would be the desired run for publication.

User movie #638174334118482775 The 4 round version with hard difficulty. Link to video

Should I end input at the frame which could barely make the car complete a lap or at the frame where the lap completes fastest? When I stop input on frame 4573, the transaction begins at frame 4631. When I stop input at frame 4587, the transaction begins on frame 4623.

Should I end input at the frame which could barely make the car complete a lap or at the frame where the lap completes fastest? When I stop input on frame 4573, the transaction begins at frame 4631. When I stop input at frame 4587, the transaction begins on frame 4623.

This is a stylistic choice. If you do the one with slightly longer input that finishes the race faster, and someone submits a run that was identical except with the shorter input at the end; it would not obsolete yours. They would have to find other improvements in addition to simply stopping the gas earlier on the last lap.

It turns out that both ways give an IGT of 13.40 seconds for the fourth track, so I think it's fine to end input early. I'd finish at the last frame the internal frame counter stops updating, but that's just me. Also, you can press R+D+S at the same time to change the difficulty to Hard and start faster. Or you can press L+D+S, it looks like the arrows don't matter in the menu, for some reason...

Also, you can press R+D+S at the same time to change the difficulty to Hard and start faster. Or you can press L+D+S, it looks like the arrows don't matter in the menu, for some reason...

Hmm, going to make it in the newer version.

https://tasvideos.org/UserFiles/Info/638175808003016961 Done with the trick founded by BlackWinnerYoshi. Thanks for providing with the new ideas. ;)

So I think that's as optimized as it can be, unless a bot finds something (maybe not). It's just the case of whenever we want to end input early or aim for IGT, since it's a difference between 13.62 and 13.04 seconds on the last track. I'm aiming for IGT, but I'm also taking time to make it a 9-lap run instead.

Well, I finally finished it: User movie #638177078672416870 I think track four might be slightly unoptimized at the cone parts, but I think it's good enough for a Judge to decide whenever three and/or nine loops are acceptable. I still wonder if I can save at least three frames on track four for sub-38, and/or (much less likely) at least ninety frames total for sub-3. IGT IL: 46.72, 53.98, 42.75, 38.03 - IGT total: 3:01.48

This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [5230] NES Sprilo by MrTASer in 01:16.07