Hello TASvideos :)
For my first TAS, I choose one of my favourite game and one that will keep me busy for a while.
It's now complete and features a little more than a 22 minutes improvment over the japanese TAS from niconicovideo. I hope you'll enjoy it.
About the TAS itself.
Emulator used : Psxjin v2.0.2 svn0
RNG :
We have a pointer located in 0x7b720 and the table related from 0x7b724 to 0x7b92f.
Everytime a random number is needed, the game look at 0x7b720 and pull out the number related in the table.
When the pointer reached 0x7b92f, the table is renewed and it goes back to 0x7b724.
Usually the pointer moves at his own speed depending on what screen your on, but sometimes there's things you can do to make it go faster or slower.
Outside battles :
- Sometimes moving makes the pointer go faster than standing still.
This is for exemple used in Alexandria Castle where you have to wait for the rotating platforms.
- When you exit a screen, standing still on the last frame will usually make the pointer go one step further, while walking on the last frame will make it stop one step before, without wasting time.
- If there's a character animation during a dialogue scene, sometimes delaying your entrance to the screen may shortened the animation and thus allow to reach earlier RNs.
In-Battle :
- The RNG bumps ahead everytime a random number is needed. In consequence, you can do some apparently unnecessary actions to make it go faster.
This is for exemple used in Ipsen Castle where I hit myself twice (one for the right steal, one for inflicting status).
Random Encounter :
Except when you enter the screen where you have a little bit more time, the game perform a check every 9 steps to see if there's a battle.
First it checks the field value (0x7954F,1u). If it's 0 then no battle is possible (like in town). If not :
it checks the Distance Variable and the RNG. If Distance Variable / 8 > RNG there's a battle.
In the World Map there's no other choice than Stop and Go technique to avoid a battle. Also entering or exiting a forest reset the encounter check.
Elsewhere there's 3 possibilities. Stop and Go (wastes 2 frames), walking (if done once, no time loss, twice loses 2 frames), or running along walls.
In-Battle specifics:
Size of the ATB : (60-Speed)*160
Starting ATB : [RN*257] Mod (Size of the ATB)
It fills up by 14 every frame at max speed.
When attacking, you can cancel the animation of your character by pressing L1+R1. This saves around 20 frames each time.
Critical hit :
Depending on the Spirit.
With a Spirit < 24 you can't Critical. Which is why I stole the Leather Wist in the Evil Forest. To boost Zidane's Spirit.
With a Spirit between 24 and 27, the odds are 6/256. With a Spirit between 28 and 31 like in the end of the TAS the odds become 9/256.
Miss :
Same as Critical.
Counter :
If Spirit >= RN Mod 100, you Counter
Stealing :
Two checks are performed.
1) If RN MOD (Lvl + Spr) > RN MOD (Enemy Lvl) then the steal will be succesful.
2) Then if RN = 0 you steal the Very rare item. if 1 < RN < 16 you steal the rare one. 17 < RN < 64, the uncommon. RN > 64 the common one.
Trance Bar :
Has a size of 255 and fills up by [Spirit-[RN*7]] Mod (Spirit) everytime you get hit.
Quina's Limit Glove :
Will deal 9999 damage if Quina's HP = 1. Deal 1 otherwise.
Zidane's Lucky Seven :
Will deal 7,77,777, or 7777 damage if Zidane's HP end with a 7, depending on RN mod 4. If = 0 then deal 7, if 1 deal 77, ...
Steiner's Charge! :
Makes all the characters in Critical HP, attack the ennemy.
Notable battles or tricks:
- Escape from the Evil Forest :
I manipulate the Plant Spider to only target Zidane while still having the best outcome to fill his Trance Bar, so I wouldn't have to wait for Black Waltz 1 to fill it.
To make Dagger appear in the Weapon shop you have to visit 3 places first. However there is a bug which allow you to go twice in the pub and still counts as two places.
- Black Waltz 3 (1st round) :
I set up BW3 first attack to be Thundara (all). However he can only perform that while in the air, and he gets in the air only if attacked by a physical hit.
So by not attacking him right away, his attack failed and his ATB is reset to 0. Then as soon as his ATB is refilled, I attack him with Zidane, so his taking off takes priority and is attack is send to the bottom of the queue line.
That way he didn't even had a chance to attack ^^
I manipulate the Antlion's first attack to be Sandstorm. Attack who lets everybody with 1<HP<10. So Quina could Limit Glove right away.
It's faster than just killing and reviving him/her.
Stealing the Ice Brand from her here is way faster than picking it up in Alexandria Castle.
Also this is the first time I switched Characters position so the trade their RNG. I needed Zidane to have the second RN in order to act before Beatrix.
- Alexandria Castle's Beatrix :
The characters can counter even if the ennemy misses. As Steiner can't survive a hit but deal a whole lot of damage. It turns out to be pretty useful.
After passing the last axe, if you go back toward the monster, you'll trigger his spining animation faster than if you just wait for him. This saves about 50 frames.
You can bring Dagger to the Eidoleon Wall before actually being asked to. This save a back and forth trip.
There are 3 "easy" ways to kill undead ennemies. Phoenix Down, Life, Elixir. In order from the fastest to slowest.
However Phoenix Down has only 1/11 chance to kill. So it's use as much as possible but not all the time.
Also Vivi is killed so Zidane get more Exp. and reach level 17 by the end of Disc 2. That way when he'll equip the HP+20% ability, his max HP will end by 7 and allow him to Lucky Seven.
This is the only place in the run, where auto-firing X and square makes the RNG go further than it normally would.
It doesn't look clean but it's needed.
- Tetra Master Tournament :
Having two cards fighting each other is extremely time consuming. Flipping a card also cost time.
As I needed to win the 3 matches, I had to turn at least one of the opponent's card.
Winning the 3 matchs reward you with a Rebirth Ring which will be extremely needed in Disc 4.
- Mistodons in Alexandria :
By tricking the first Mistodon I managed to avoid the first battle. On the second screen, there's supposed to be a mandatory fight.
However, the loading zone of the fight and the exit of the screen are very close. By walking for one frame and standing still on the last frame possible, you reach both zone at the same time.
And the exit takes priority.
Taking the bloodstone, desactive the Boss (Valia Pira) defense enhancement, so Freya can deal a lot of damage.
Otherwise she would only do 70 damage. The Shield Armor is a good bonus though.
Amarant has Venom has added Status to his Claws, so he can stop the ennemy. If all the ennemies are stopped, the fight end.
- Ipsen Castle's Boss (Taharka) :
Taharka is vulnerable to heat which happens to be the added effect of Steiner's Flame Saber.
When affected by heat, any attack will suicide the character. That's it for a quick death. ^^
It takes 2 Lucky Seven + 33 damage from Quina to get this boss under 25% of his max HP.
Which is the limit under which Quina can eat the ennemy.
Eating is less time consuming than a Limit Glove.
To trigger the FMV, you need to visit all outside places with Eiko. Going back and forth in the third one is way faster than taking the grand detour.
- Pandemonium (the blue light you activate with a switch):
Normally passing close to a blue light triggers a fight. But by pressing the opposite side for one frame, you're out of the trigger zone and can go straight to the exit.
Here is the most complicated fight of the TAS. To kill him I needed 3 characters attacking first. One doing a Critical. Nova Dragon not countering any attack (which he does a lot).
His 2 attacks needed to be Psychokinesis on Amarant + Aerial Slash that would leave my character in Critical HP.
That was a lot to manipulate. Needless to say I was happy when it worked.
This Boss is particular in the way of you had to kill his 2 arms first. They both have 10000 HP but you can't kill them with Charge, just arm them.
So I had to make Charge target one time each arm and twice the middle, then finishing the arm phisically.
- Final Fantasy IX Final Boss (Necron) :
Another particular ennemy. This one got 4 ATB and can attack with 2 of them whichever come first.
Useful adresses :
0x7b720 : Pointer of the RNG
0x108F28 : ATB Char. 1
0x108FF8 : ATB Char. 2
0x1090C8 : ATB Char. 3
0x109198 : ATB Char. 4
0x109268 : ATB Ennemy 1
0x109338 : ATB Ennemy 2
0x109408 : ATB Ennemy 3
0x1094D8 : ATB Ennemy 4
0x7AE10 : Target of the ennemy
0x109264 : Life Ennemy 1
0x109334 : Life Ennemy 2
0x109404 : Life Ennemy 3
0x1094D4 : Life Ennemy 4
0x8B02C : In Game Timer
0x7AE50 : Distance Variable
0x7954F : Field Value
That's it for now. That was all I had in mind.
I'll add more info if something come on my mind or if any question need to be answer ;)
Enjoy the run !
Or maybe this one, showing how good the characters are as early as the end of disc 1:
But the "See? It can go faster. Good job!" might be nice too if I can find it.