The game lags for 1 frame every 6 frames in NTSC mode, and runs smoothly in PAL mode. This is possibly designed to make up for the timing difference in these two modes. This run uses the NTSC mode.
Comments
There are 20 levels in this game. The goal in each level is to control and take each robot to an activated exit that hasn't been occupied by other robots.
You can press A or B to switch the robot to control in predefined order. You may switch to a robot once and move it at the same time without losing any frames, but if you want to switch more twice in a row, 1 frame has to be lost.
Different kinds of robots have different abilities:
Red Robot: can push blue blocks if no other blue blocks are stacked upon them.
Robot with Glasses: can stomp on blue blocks to destroy them.
Green Robot: can stomp on special pavement to destroy it.
Blue Robot: can float freely in the air, and when it moves away from any inactive exits, it will turn them into solid blocks.
Pink Robot: can activate inactive exits when it moves away from them.
All robots except Blue are affected by the gravity and unable to jump (except when the Green one or the one w/ Glasses uses the "stomp" ability, which can be regarded as a limited jump), but can use other robots as ladders to reach higher places. Robots used as lower part of ladders can't move. The Blue Robot just floats without using a ladder and thus can't use the "Climb-through" glitch described below.
In some levels, there are items that can transform a robot into a particular type depending on the type of the items. Each transformation item can only be used once.
Glitches
The game is generally easy compared to the "brain-teasing" puzzle games, but some levels could pose quite some challenge. Most levels can be solved in more than one way. With help of glitches, we are able to beat the game even more quickly.
"Stomp" glitch: The "stomp" ability works in such a way that when a Green Robot or a Robot with Glasses uses the ability on the block to destroy, it first jumps up one-block high, then falls down back on the block, removes the block (by replacing it with a "blank" BG tile) and continues to fall through the blank space. This procedure however can be interrupted, by landing the robot on a ladder or solid floor. When this happens, the robot regains control and can move freely as usual, but the game still schedules "to replace a tile underneath a robot with blank" whenever any one robot moves down. This opens up some major shortcuts in some levels.
"Climb-through" glitch: When a robot uses other robots as a ladder, it ignores collission-detection and can move through solid blocks. This opens up some minor shortcuts in some levels.
"Push-in-place" glitch: The Red Robot usually moves along with the pushed block until the block stops or falls down in the air, even if the block was supporting other robots. However, if the Red Robot is supporting other robots as a ladder when pushing a blue block, the block will be pushed away while the Red Robot will be constrained in place. This can sometimes save time avoiding backtracking.
Memory: Optimization of this game looks very good, everything seems well planned out.
This movie had some fairly mixed reception from the audience. I personally feel the lack of music really hurts this run, and it's not quite that visually stunning compared to some other games that suffer from similar issues. I liked the amount of planning visible here, but it's not enough to overcome some serious flaws.
Joined: 11/14/2014
Posts: 933
Location: South Pole, True Land Down Under
klmz and aiqiyou, great job on this run.
I decided to analyze your submission, side-by-side with the most recent WR (7/12/2020)...which seems to have been prompted by your submission. :)
Link to video
At first glance, the TAS looks trivial. As it progressed, that point became mute. By the 7th puzzle, the strength of this TAS started to show.
Even though the goal for each puzzle appears to be the same, in regards to human runs, the way of solving each starts to divert by the 7th puzzle.
The biggest point that I can surmise about the quality of this run, is the fact that the delay in switching robots is eliminated over human capabilities. Furthermore, the use of these 3 mentioned glitches also impresses me, where time is recovered by exploiting the "free movement" supplied by one of these tricks. For instance, the "Push-in-Place" is a fascinating trick for the prevention of backtracking. For humans, I'm not so sure how viable glitches like "Stomp" glitch is for humans, but it seems to be more of a headache to plan or think about using them..in terms of RTA. This is where considerable differences are demonstrated over human capabilities and allows this TAS to "stand out".
Even though there are many different types of movements to exploit for optimization, I believe that this run is vault material...since over the past 6 days, little interest has been shown in the threads and voting also supports this. Yet! It is certainly is a dazzling puzzle game...which is a love of mine.
Yes vote.
I recently discovered that if you haven't reached a level of frustration with TASing any game, then you haven't done your due diligence.
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SOYZA: Are you playing a game?
NYMX: I'm not playing a game, I'm TASing.
SOYZA: Oh...so its not a game...Its for real?
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Anybody got a Quantum computer I can borrow for 20 minutes?
Nevermind...eien's 64 core machine will do. :)
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BOTing will be the end of all games. --NYMX
Joined: 11/13/2006
Posts: 2822
Location: Northern California
Great run of what looks like a fun little game... If it wasn't for the sounds, I'd have enjoyed watching it a lot more, though. Voted Meh. Definitely deserves a place on the site, but the sound effects make it a bit of a hard watch.
TASvideos Admin and acting Senior Judge 💙 Currently unable to dedicate a lot of time to the site, taking care of family.
Now infrequently posting on BlueskywarmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
I like the design concept of the game. But as said, the music of the game is the biggest failure. I enjoy the process of finding a faster route, which is the biggest charm of PUZ. With a couple of glitch's discoveries, the process of collaboration was very enjoyable. Although the content it presents in the end is not brilliant.
The good result is that it's accepted by the site.
This movie has been published.
The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie.
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[4241] NES Multidude by klmz & aiqiyou in 05:08.43
