It took me a long time to work out what was going on with the Q of D. (Hands together like a prayer looked to me like some cleavage or hands behind her or something...)
Not exciting but fun to watch while it lasts and another great example of the level of optimisation that could only be TASd.
Very impressive. Nice work.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
The L5 bosses and ending bosses were specially insane.
I felt that it would have been more entertaining if the game were maybe 2 or 3 stages shorter. But your efforts remain astounding.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
Personally, I enjoyed this run. It's short enough. Each level is solved fairly differently. As mentioned, the 'sequence breaking', even though it might not always be obvious to me (since I've not played Kaizo) adds to the feeling that the player is playing the game rather than vice versa. I definitely feel, looking at it, that there must have been a good deal of experimentation with different methods of going through.
Engaging throughout. A hack that I've heard of many times and was interested to watch. Yes vote.
Spikestuff wrote:
Radiant wrote:
HappyLee wrote:
There are hacks like Item Abuse and VIP series that are way more well-designed than this one, and their TASes looks very amazing.
Could you give us a link to these TASes, so that those of us less versed in SMB editing can look at the difference?
Conversely, the above video bored me. I watched only 1/2 of it tbh (skipping ahead) and whilst jumping with the items or jumping on items in mid-air is interesting to see a few times, it seemed as if the same techniques were being used over and over and over again to finish the game, exactly as the author intended. I couldn't really see alternative paths that weren't taken and whilst part of the fault may be with me for not knowing all possibilities, given the use of glitches, Kaizo's intelligible nature just makes it more fun to watch.
edit: I think that a good TAS should probably have things to marvel at, no matter how well you know the game.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
The run was a enjoyable to watch, since I'd read a bit of the background. But the enjoyment came mainly from being impressed by your endeavours and the technical background. I love the fact that you have done this and are striving to perfect this new goal.
However, when taken on its own merits, from the perspective of someone who is not aware of the background, the video is not fun to watch.
BUT, I don't believe that prior knowledge should never be a prerequisite - after all, with most games, we need to be aware of the normal limitations of the game to be astounded by the subversions. Gamers might be aware of common rules across platformers, for example, so whilst they don't know that particular game, they can still enjoy watching it do obviously unintentional things.
I nearly always find that I enjoy watching a TAS more after reading the author's comments and maybe read a bit about the bg of the game and the tricks being used.
So, I think that we should consider this run in its totality - not just the final product of what we see in the encoded video but also the pleasure of witnessing the end-product of a new form of goal and its place in our current history.
I think that this run is an impressive feat and would have voted yes, for what it's worth.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
I'm strictly against uncapped weighing, as it provides some people with unreasonable swaying power. In my opinion the difference between lowest unpenalized class's and the reference class's rating weight should never exceed 3:1 or so.
I agree with this sentiment.
I believe that knowing your vote is worth a tiny fraction of another user's vote will dissuade some from even voting. (It would annoy me, certainly, if I knew I was 'worth' 1/20th of another user. Maybe there's some ego attached but unfortunately, that seems only natural.)
The 3 points mentioned can all be argued and there will always be exceptions to any rule. But as long as each factor (voting behaviour, submissions, posting) is calculated separately it all seems perfectly reasonable to me.
To me, I don't understand how anyone could argue AGAINST a submitter having a more valid opinion, if all other factors are equal.
I like the idea of each variable being 'added' to your voting power, which is then capped. That way, someone could theoretically rise to the cap through one of the 3 'paths' (but in actuality, probably no-one would do so - everyone at the cap having a voting strength comprised of all 3 factors).
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
if it weren't for the flunchers, people would be calling it one of the most creatively difficult hacks out there (which some people are already, but more people would join in).
Thank you very much for the links and explanation. (And thanks gbreeze)
A google search suggested you may be self-censoring your swearing...
The links explained it all away. I had no idea they were even called munchers.
Personally, I don't really see the issue with 'flunchers'. I mean, in this surreal world that Mario inhabits, who's to say that they CAN'T float? Just because SMW only has them lying on grass shouldn't be taken as a sign that they can't behave differently in different environments.
Personally, I disagree with the linked-to suggestion that you make your own gfx. Surely if you were going to do that, it'd start becoming less of a Mario game? It's better - I think - to use the same objects.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
That was fun to watch. Right from the start, it was a clearly superhuman run of the game.
I wonder how these runs would end though - when the score counter is maxxed? I imagine that would take a long time and that it'd get boring to watch before that happens.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
if it weren't for the flunchers, people would be calling it one of the most creatively difficult hacks out there (which some people are already, but more people would join in).
What's a fluncher?
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
I'm still catching up with the suggested stuff on p20 but here are some comments I wish to make before I forget:
I agree - being groundbreaking/inspirational shouldn't be grounds for a star. If stars are meant to highlight things to newcomers for the sake of their entertainment, then historical significance should have nothing to do with it. Maybe a separate page could be made of the 'history of TASing' with a list of movies that push any boundary and some commentary. But in a list of recommendations, you wouldn't, for example, recommend the first NES Tas purely because it's the first. Each movie should stand up on its own merits today.
Having said all that, X/X2 is very cool. But I disagree that a 50-game-TAS wouldn't be incredible to watch (assuming it's at a good resolution. ;-)
Mario 64 should regain its star. Seriously, I just checked the list and was confused by the omission. What happened? What was the thought process? When I first came to the site, Mario 64 was a game I would never have searched for. (I prefer shorter TASs and assumed that Mario 64's TAS would be 30-60 minutes.) However, having clicked on it, due to the recommendation and alarming length, I was gobsmacked. Here is an example of pushing a game to breaking point and far beyond. It's short enough that anyone watching will be entertained, with almost nothing in the way of repitition. It's a game that most will be familiar with and even those that aren't can appreciate. It's also an example of a 3D game being TASd. Out of everything I've seen on this site, I'd say that Mario 64 deserves a star far more than any other.
King's Bounty comes 2nd for me.
I approve of recommendations. Like the MM X/x2 description that links to MM 3,4,5,6. Maybe more starred games could do something similar - a puzzle game could link to a list of the puzzle game recommendations, scrolling shooters refer to a list of recommended scrolling shooters etc. Brain Age could link to Family Feud.
The list has too many 2D platformers/2D action games and maybe too many long movies. I understand that the 2D games may be where lots of technical tricks can be done but as an 'outsider', it just seems a bit repetitive and a newcomer may feel that these kinds of games are all the site offers. Yes, MM has completely different tricks than Sonic or Castlevania but having more games of completely different genres or styles would show more diversity and get folk more excited. I would suggest dropping a couple of the 2D action-platformers for Mario 64 and King's Bounty.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
I felt this was really fun to watch. The worst part is the unavoidable first 30s. :-p
The warps were cool, of course. I liked how during the final boss fight, the inactive player is so frequently 'getting hit'. And then you just wait between two fall-sites, which I didn't think was possible.
Some of the jumps were nice - flirting with danger and skirting close to the hitbox of dangerous obstacles. Diddy's speed was cool too.
My favourite part was probably the way you play about with the ostrich, doing 'impossible' things...
The background info was interesting, even though I didn't understand every detail. I'll need to reread at some later point.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
I definitely enjoyed this more than TMNT. No slight on the latter - both are doubtless the result of a lot of hard work by skilled people.
I liked this more because the characters and bgs seem a bit more diverse. The TMNT graphics are certainly better drawn from a technical POV but these graphics were just a tad more varied. I liked the dream stage.
The objects thrown about did spice it up and even though the elevator bit forced a slower section, I enjoyed seeing marge and homer rolling around. I think that Lisa's 'made you look' was because she was standing still for a while? And Marge similarly says something at one point... during the elevator section, would it have been possible to elicit all 4 characters to say their 'pause' catchphrase?
The co-ordinated attacks on the bosses, even though I now realise they were to maximise damage, lend the run a feeling of 'perfection' that's probably relatively easy to attain. If enemies don't become invincible after one attack, I think having multiple characters attacking simultaneously, or maybe in some sort of pattern one after another if the former can't be done, would be more fun to watch in any multiplayer scrolling beat 'em up runs.
I specially enjoyed seeing all 4 characters win. It's probably a big 'what if' moment for fans of the game.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
la mammal, thanks for the info! However, I wasn't meaning from a narrative point of view - more that I had no idea what was going on there from a game-mechanics viewpoint. I assume that Elmyra is a repeating boss... but how is she overcome and what triggers the door to appear?
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
I need to congratulate you for breaking boundaries with this 4 player run, presumably pushing the limits of prior TASing.
I did enjoy seeing the continual progress through areas that should presumably stop you for a minute whilst you actually expend time and energy fighting.
But all that excellence seems par for the course in TASs - after a while, it just started to feel rather repetitive.
If I'd seen this game before or was at all attached to the TMNT, I'd surely have enjoyed it more.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
The new glitch (deleting tiles from the bottom) really adds to the narrative. It took a few deletions until I noticed that the pieces had all somehow shifted down about 8 lines. When stuff was shifting, I thought that was an encoding issue!
Crazy!
I was really enjoying watching the 2nd setup with a bit of understanding about what was going on, then the tetris after tetris made for a twist in the end.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
That was definitely one of the more-fun 2D platfomer TASs I've seen. My favourite bit was 10:50 - seeing the cat bound up that last bit at an insane speed!
I also enjoyed the first stage, the way that all the enemies heads were 'chained' up to the exit.
At 9:30ish I was confused why he'd stopped. Had to rewatch that section to realise he's grabbing the statues...
The bits with the girl (Esmerelda?) still confuse me though. What's going on, there?
bo... bo...
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
Obviously, I'm just a bystander. But I feel that it would make much more sense to either say 'avoid pause glitch' or 'uses pause glitch' and then make the fastest run you can within those rules. If you're going to say you use the pause glitch for every 2nd race or whatever, then for those who find the repetition of the glitch annoying, you'll still have ended up irritating them on every odd (or even) race. Maybe their favourite track is 'skipped' - something that would add frustration.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
Oh, boo. Sorry to hear that.
I definitely wasn't wanting more jumps - just assumed that when you jump over the two dogs you could cut it finer. Shame to hear you can't.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
That options menu is indecipherable when navigated at TAS speeds.
I assume this is the hardest difficulty? I hope the action picks up...
Since there's not many hazards just now, maybe you could jump either at the first possible frame or the last possible frame, just to make it look a tad more exciting? Though if this is just a 'training' level such things may not be absolutely necessary, I always appreciate touches like that.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
Ah! Spirou! The classic comic-book character!
The Snes fan that I am, I advocate work - and subsequent publication of - runs of every Snes game. I'll admit, though, that this is one of the few games I don't own so I know relatively little about it. I still support you wholeheartedly though!
Keep us posted!
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
This is practically up there with M64 as one of the astounding sequence breaks on this site. Congratulations on being able to lead the charge on this new entry!
Hmm I don't see the resemblance M64 just glitches past the requirements. This manipulates memory to get the requirements, which really reminds me of the OoT any%.
I'll admit not having seen the OoT run yet.
But to me, the totally extreme sequence breaking places this in a similar category to M64, even if the backward long jump 'requirement skipping' technique is completely different to the 'requirement getting' technique used here.
I've just not seen any other runs (that I can think of) that break the intended sequence of events so utterly. That was my main reaction.
Also, I suppose they're similar in that both still play all the boss stages, skipping most else.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
Support does seem to be in favour of it, judging by the yes/no list.
And though I wasn't going to say anything, I was kinda disappointed that this got rejected - it seems like the kinda oddball thing that widens the site's appeal and increases variety.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
Thanks again Warepire - I get it now. So the counter is advanced whilst on the box but items are only actually recieved when an enemy is destroyed or a box is broken! I think I understand!
See, this is the thing about TASs - for me, watching is only a fraction of the enjoyment, the remainder coming from reading the discussion or commentary until I at least have a tenuous grasp of what's going on.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.
Thanks for that explanation!
So it sounds like by bouncing for longer, you'd get all the gems and colored gems necessary for a 'best ending' run. I understand the only difference may be in extending the bouncing at the start, the delay in recieving the items and in the ending but it seems worth doing.
Because c'mon, it's the 'best ending'.
As I don't want to sound ungrateful, I'll just say again that this is an astounding run.
I'm just some random guy. Don't let my words get you riled - I have my opinions but they're only mine.