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So, as far as I'm aware, stuff... happened, as in 22 seconds of improvement. Everything moved so quickly I still haven't had a chance to look at everything lol. Anyway, I'm excited about potential further improvements and to actually have a look at what crazy developments have happened over the past 18 hours
LoganTheTASer
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i agree, this tas should be resubmitted as a megacollab. NES Blob Quest in 03:13.91 by MarioAtWork, Samsara, ThunderAxe31, Alyosha
YouTube: @LoganL2008 Discord: sneakers_o_toole Watch my TASes here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmcAd4CTuEymf4qWKIE0Pv_NlA031cYR1&si=m1hP9qz9c8Ip35Ur
Samsara
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Link to the game: https://forums.nesdev.org/viewtopic.php?t=22108 Most recent WIP at time of posting: Post #517822 - User movie #638052456916377304 BlobQuest got me feelin' like CJ. Here we go again.
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warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
Skilled player (1114)
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https://tasvideos.org/UserFiles/Info/638052531392804420 20 further frames from minimal slowdown around frame 5700 (19 frames) and 1 frame from a random improvement
Samsara
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User movie #638052602369230343 149 more frames from further movement optimization and a route improvement: Take Squishy before Spinny, then deathwarp back to the big drop room.
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warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
Alyosha
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https://tasvideos.org/UserFiles/Info/638052702456742027 Can probably be improved a bit, heading towards the 3 minute mark.
Samsara
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User movie #638052733235219393 EDIT2: User movie #638052771012729097 - Fast dropping after collecting ruby 6 is ever so slightly faster. Um, we're below 11k frames now. I kinda maybe may have sorta accidentally found a way to zip part of the way to ruby 6. I'm going to investigate this further. EDIT: Sadly this isn't as broken as I thought. It might only be applicable in that corridor. From what I can tell, I just managed to find a way of catching that corner with some careful positioning. Slightly different positioning there will actually reverse the direction of the zip using the corner. It could possibly be used elsewhere, but I do feel it's a lot more limited than any of us would like. $038B looks to be the value that governs when you're grounded. 0 when you are, 1 when you aren't. Since this allows for jumping and sticky usage (i.e, zipping when you're in midair), it should be helpful for figuring out better zips and maybe more of that positional wizardry to save more time elsewhere.
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warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
Alyosha
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-superseded- swap order of orbs 4 and 5, saves some waiting, probably can still save a few frames. -superseded- removed some slowdown. Only about 100 frames to sub 3
Samsara
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Alyosha wrote:
Only about 100 frames to sub 3
How about a shade under 200 frames? 638052882934840949 Went back to ThunderAxe's original deathwarp improvement due to the ruby 1 route change. Also, double jumping is kinda sorta a thing! EDIT: 638052959474238860 EDIT2: User movie #638052978679163627 126 132 more, using a double jump in the Spinny room and a couple other minor movement optimizations. I couldn't get a faster double jump that would make it all the way up, it seems to be another weird corner positioning thing and doesn't always work. Really glad I found that grounded value now, this would've been a nightmare to check manually.
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warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
Alyosha
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^ cool new tech. -superseded- new route! Still pretty sloppy and I couldn't seem to get by the 3 spike balls without waiting anymore for some reason. Probably another ~100 frames to save in basic optimization.
Skilled player (1114)
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https://tasvideos.org/UserFiles/Info/638053418611548204 117 just from the final two rooms. Haven't fully looked at the rest of the run yet. Coming worryingly close to sub 10k frames EDIT: 42 more from other areas. That's all I can see for now
Samsara
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I've got confirmed sub-10k in progress, tightening everything up and adding in more double jumps to save time. Will upload and edit in a userfile when I'm done. EDIT: User movie #638053447918419088 This should have everything from MAW's latest file, though I was working off of the previous one. I went through and checked to make sure, but it's possible I could have missed something.
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warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
Alyosha
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Samsara wrote:
EDIT: User movie #638053447918419088
LGTM. I have no more ideas, so I don't think I'll be putting more time into this.
Samsara
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I'll give it one final pass tonight or tomorrow, barring further improvements from MAW or Axe. EDIT: User movie #638053661055993684 Mainly improved the penultimate room with more zipping and less waiting, though there's at least one more small improvement with a double jump earlier on. Also, just barely below 9900 frames now.
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warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
dr1ox1
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It has been really fun following the progress. It blows my mind how creative you are, and how fast you find new ways of getting through rooms. Most of the strats are unrealistic to use in a speedrun, but I have implemented some of the "easier" ones and the route change (old ruby 1 later and squishy before spinny). I don't think the newest route change (ending on old ruby 2) is very RTA friendly. Your work has made me drop the RTA record from 4:05 to 3:56. Thank you so much! I've also learned that I should tell TASers about every little thing/weird behavior I encounter. I've had both the fast drop and double jump happen on accident several times. Next time/game!
Samsara
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dr1ox1 wrote:
I've also learned that I should tell TASers about every little thing/weird behavior I encounter. I've had both the fast drop and double jump happen on accident several times. Next time/game!
Absolutely! It's a mutually beneficial relationship. 638054419804613165 - One more wait removed near the very beginning, using a double jump, and a small improvement later on using a squishy dash instead of a normal dash to affect hitboxes. Not sure where else to go from here, honestly. I don't think I'll be touching this again unless something jumps out at me. EDIT: User movie #638054521435456416 - Improved ruby 4 by finding a way to maintain zip while collecting it, leading to a faster death.
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warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
Samsara
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User movie #638055339408078444 Final optimization pass from me, -8 frames. Assuming no one wants to look any further, this should be ready for submission.
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warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
Skilled player (1114)
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I couldn't find any more improvements either but just in case: is it known what allows for a double jump to happen? I've got an idea that may save some time
Samsara
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MarioAtWork wrote:
I couldn't find any more improvements either but just in case: is it known what allows for a double jump to happen? I've got an idea that may save some time
It's catching the very edge of a corner during a jump so that the game sets the flag for you being on the ground ($038B = 0) while you're still airborne. It's limited in that you're not always in the right position to be able to make that happen, and as soon as you start descending from the jump the game will consider you airborne again.
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warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
Skilled player (1114)
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In that case, my idea does not work. Unless someone else can find some other spots for improvement, I, too, think this is ready for resubmission
Samsara
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MarioAtWork wrote:
In that case, my idea does not work. Unless someone else can find some other spots for improvement, I, too, think this is ready for resubmission
I tested a lot of different places where double jumping could save time, and I think in nearly every case the positioning just wasn't right. Resubmission should be on you. My hands are off the run and Alyosha's moved back to GB resyncs, just need to see if Axe has anything left to add and we'll be golden.
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warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
Editor, Reviewer, Skilled player (1358)
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Sorry for the wait! Have a 19 frames improvement: User movie #638058544201255055 And then golden we are.
my personal page - my YouTube channel - my GitHub - my Discord: thunderaxe31 <Masterjun> if you look at the "NES" in a weird angle, it actually clearly says "GBA"
Skilled player (1114)
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I started working on a deathless route recently and this is what I've got so far: [red] Get jump [orange] Get bounce [yellow] Get pipe [green] Get the ruby then spin dash [light blue] Get squish [dark blue] Get ruby at bottom of map then sticky [purple] Get ruby in upper left then middle top. Get ruby bottom left then the one a couple screens above. Finish on ruby near jump. The main goal of the route is to get dash, spin and sticky for zipping as soon as possible, much like the any% route and I think this route is fairly similar to it. I do think this can be improved a bit. Perhaps missing some of the earlier rubies for later would be better or maybe even the opposite: getting some of the rubies lower down on the map earlier before getting sticky. I'll start working on a draft now