OK, so I've tested this game on DeSmuME 0.9.4, and it works. However, there are a few problems at the moment:
1. It slows down a lot (that's not the big issue)
2. The graphics become corrupted during OW->battle transition and during transition from Bowser to the Mario Bros and vice-versa (mostly the case in boss battles, also the big issue)
3. For several battles (including Giant Bowser vs his own castle), the emulator needs to be set with a 90° rotation (View->Rotation->90), which would require an encode divided into three parts if a run of it gets published.
4. Some of the sound samples sound a bit glitchy.
With that being said, my conclusion is that the game is currently unTASable. Sorry.
Thanks to AnotherGamer for the additional information.
I hope that changes soon. Seeing someone managing to make Mario, Luigi and Bowser have the highest possible attack stat will be cool. Also, there will be no chance of missing or failing to get an "excellent" reaction.
3. For one battle (Giant Bowser vs his own castle)
You really haven't played the game much, have you?
Also there's a mandatory several minute wait perioid late in the game but apparently it can be bypassed with a button press code. Wonder why they put that in.
I beat the game already and I was actually thinking of planning a route for this game too. I think abusing "Lucky" is needed so that you can focus all stat increases on Power.
However, there should be a limit to how far you try to increase the power. Having RPG elements, I think the biggest decision is the equipment you need to have.
For example, you can go out of your way for a minigame to get the Daredevil Boots, but the minigame will take a while but the 2x may or may not make up for it.
Then there are DX power gloves which provide 20% power boost which can make up for the enemies you most likely would not fight.
Then you can get D-star wear for both brothers (one from a block and one from the Dark Star) which provide +80 power.
Now for Bowser, maybe abusing Fury during boss battles can work? Many power increasing equipment are found in blocks for Bowser so his journey should not be too sidetracked. (Power Fangs X from Blizzard Midbus and Power Band + from a block)
Excellent! badge with Powerful Badge provides 2x power can be helpful.
Stylus action should not be a problem during the multiple Giant Bowser battles. And the minigames should be a breeze with TAS rapidfire and TAS accuracy.
Another concern I might have is the running out of SP. Starting a battle with lower levels can drain SP quickly.
But still, this game can be a good game to TAS
OK, so I've tested this game on DeSmuME 0.9.4, and it works. However, there are a few problems at the moment:
1. It slows down a lot (that's not the big issue)
2. The graphics become corrupted during OW->battle transition and during transition from Bowser to the Mario Bros and vice-versa (mostly the case in boss battles, also the big issue)
3. For several battles (including Giant Bowser vs his own castle), the emulator needs to be set with a 90° rotation (View->Rotation->90), which would require an encode divided into three parts if a run of it gets published.
4. Some of the sound samples sound a bit glitchy.
With that being said, my conclusion is that the game is currently unTASable. Sorry.
Thanks to AnotherGamer for the additional information.
I've tested it on desmume_0.9.2+ for this game and this is what I think.
1. The overworld slows down a bit (but since its a TAS, it should be too big a deal), but the battles do not lag (doesn't matter as much since it is a TAS).
2. The corruption of graphics is nothing major, to be honest. People will notice it, but it is not going to stop people from enjoying a run.
3. This is not really a problem. People can just turn their head sideways. Or you can just edit the .avi midway, then you can have only one encode.
4. I think the sound only sounds glitchy because of the lag.
With that said, in my opinion, I think the game is TASable unless you have to see perfect graphics during the run.
I think the notion of turning your head sideways is a good one; I've been playing the game and it seems from the placement of meta-information on the DeSmuME screen that internally there is no difference between holding the DS horizontally or vertically.
Another problem however may be blowing into the microphone, but perhaps that's why the raw sample option is available...
Another problem however may be blowing into the microphone, but perhaps that's why the raw sample option is available...
This shouldn't be a big problem either because, if I remember correctly, optimizing the mic actions if a TAS would be made would (90% of the time) involve holding the blowing to get Excellent. Then other times (one or two times) would involve a sharp strong breath to finish quicker.
Also there's a mandatory several minute wait perioid late in the game but apparently it can be bypassed with a button press code. Wonder why they put that in.
Toadbert wrote:
...and time was passing reeeeeally slowly, but from somewhere I heard ABXYLRYXBA being pressed and then everything sped up again.
It seems that Bowser's dash punch (or whatever it's called) is slightly faster than walking when done perfectly. So that will be annoying to watch :D Plus all the cut scenes. I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to a run... though it's been fun to play so far.
^I think it's called the "Falcon Punch"
arflech wrote:
I think the notion of turning your head sideways is a good one; I've been playing the game and it seems from the placement of meta-information on the DeSmuME screen that internally there is no difference between holding the DS horizontally or vertically.
Another problem however may be blowing into the microphone, but perhaps that's why the raw sample option is available...
It turns out the latest SVN builds allow you to use a button to turn on the microphone.
It seems that Bowser's dash punch (or whatever it's called) is slightly faster than walking when done perfectly. So that will be annoying to watch :D Plus all the cut scenes. I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to a run... though it's been fun to play so far.
I don't know if this is true, but I think the punch is faster in short bursts. Later on, you get Bowser to roll into a ball and move pretty fast. In long distances, the cool-down of Bowser Punch would make it slower than the Bowser Roll overall.
It's pretty close, and I didn't test with memory addresses, but in the same amount of time it took to punch and cool down Bowser is able to normal walk just slightly less of a distance. Haven't gotten to the Bowser Roll yet :)
How will the leveling be managed? I know avoiding enemies will save time, yet will make the playable trio weaker in comparison.
Though, using tool-assist, you can always get the highest amount on the first rotation. Moreover, dodging, countering, and damage boosting will be easy as well, no?
I think these Gears could come in handy:
NAME: EXP Socks
GOTTEN: Block - Flab Zone
STATS: No Damage EXP Booster
Gives 1.3x EXP for no-damage wins.
NAME: Excellent Ring
GOTTEN: Drop - Crawful
STATS: Excellent SP Restorer
Restores 10% SP with Excellent strikes.
Why, oh, why do I even <i>try</i> to understand my own species?
Having a hard time figuring out the determiner of Lucky hits or the determiner of damage, but I found some useful addresses such Enemy Health, overworld movement speeds, and Mario/Luigi/Bowser stats.
Its in this .wch file. Hope this helps.
http://www.archive.org/download/MarioAndLuigiWchFile/4162-MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStoryuxenophobia.nds.wch
By the way, I'm probably going to start a new game later during my semester break to determine a route for a possible TAS.
v9.4. I've also made a more optimized WIP with v9.5.
fixed
Looks pretty good. Just a question. Is it possible to enter a room faster; sometimes it looks like you can enter a room earlier (like on the way to the meeting room, is it possible to move upward at an earlier frame?).
Anyways, can't wait to see how the final draft would turn out. Maybe I can help in something later on.
I don't think so(from what I've seen of the memory adresses) but it's hard to figure out both "Bros Movement" stats(memory values)
BTW, thanks for the wch file! It's doing great things! I found out that during the "tutorial" part of the Bowser fight, Bowser's health is locked at 20. So I should intentionally fail some jumps to speed things up.
EDIT: My new WIP is here!
I don't think so(from what I've seen of the memory adresses) but it's hard to figure out both "Bros Movement" stats(memory values)
BTW, thanks for the wch file! It's doing great things! I found out that during the "tutorial" part of the Bowser fight, Bowser's health is locked at 20. So I should intentionally fail some jumps to speed things up.
EDIT: My new WIP is here!
Do you mind sending me the configuration of your desmume. I can't see the full WIP because it tends to desync for me (more specifically, the input from the dsm file falls behind what is displayed on the screen which makes me think that desmume on your computer has a bit more lag). What I see so far, however, is pretty good.
Thanks in advance .
