SwedenAnd for the TAS, we need to find some more frames to save for sub 33 :D Current time (at constant 60fps) from player select to first frame of the phone check animation (and start of the fadeout) at the end is 33,010833 minutes. To complete blackness of the fade out is 33,0144, so almost a second still needed
I looked into the Helicopter fight on Gallimimus and it's not really the weapon used but the timing of destroying the cage that matters. Normal mode is the same number of shots required as on hard. The helicopter always leaves screen to the left when the cage is destroyed. In the old TAS I destroyed the cage too early (with shotgun) which made the helicopter leave screen too quickly. In the latest version I allow the cage some time on the return cycle to keep the helicopter on screen long enough for a 1,5-cycle kill. I ended up using one shot of the bazooka and the rest shotgun, both to avoid damage from the explosions and to skip ammo pick ups (up to 5 frames. initial 2 frames for not holding forward + 3 lost frames that I think is some minor acceleration/deceleration). Sometimes you've got to lose frames to make seconds, as they say. I'm sure someone says that.
I'm still working on optimizations and handling cascade (the unpredictable effects and desync later in the run after a change) but Galli should end at least 279 frames earlier but I may have lost count somewhere because I ended up cutting exactly 420 frames from the screen between Galli and Scout.
Scout desyncs more than many other levels even though there are no clear RNG-elements. Both second and third zones often need frames added or removed after changes earlier in the run. Third zone has extra weird stuff going on, like the flying compsognathus.
Congrats on the official sub 40!
I've never done anything like that (this being my first TAS), but the tools I use have ways to monitor the RAM during play. I imagine the way to attempt ACE or wrong warps is to check where the game stores for instance the data for the next area to load and track it to see if that same space is used for anything other than targetArea, that we can change somehow, or make other data use more bits than it's supposed to be able to and hope the game writes it anyway and overwrites other data. Something like that.
Apart from monitoring RAM, a brute force way could be to try to overload the game somehow. Get a lot of sprites on screen at once. Try to get all your raptor friends together at the same time and hope something weird happens (: Other candidates could be red birdos (Dimorphodon) or flamethrowers. Any enemy that follow you around. I'll play around with it when I have more time to spare!
Edit: Some BazookaBoyz sometimes follow you a bit too I think
Could changing the order of the standard levels be beneficial to use that weapon in unexpected places? Can't think of much. Maybe the fans on Blockade, but there are no convenient ammo pickups there?
:D That's sub 33 right there! Does it only work on the cage or did you switch due to ammo? Imagine shooting the helicopter in the first fly-by earlier in the level :P I think it's untargetable then but I'm not trusting any of my assumptions anymore. Not sure if you actually have to kill the cage? I think it was just faster to do it than not, with ordinary weapons that is
Interesting! I had to do a quick TAS-check and it's actually 23 frames faster :D Plus probably easier as you say, those ladder jumps past the grenadier are tight.
I noticed in your runs that you don't do the vineless T-rex escape (jumping off the car directly to the platform. It's barely faster but it's fun. I found that in a real run so it's not too precise. Trick is to stand far forward on the hood, turn right to force the camera to pan and jump up from below ground-level. Camera pans just in time to let you on the platform. Might take some practice and it has definitely ended some runs but still worth it
Yep that's how I remember it being. I think those things we pick up are batteries to bring to the incubator room. Not much to work with to get a clip through the door but it would be a massive skip if possible. Don't really know how to do it but in theory I could look at where the game stores the data of which batteries have been picked up and track if that is used for something else in the game and can be manipulated.
By the way on a technical level I have found that while the game runs at 60 fps, many checks seem to be done at 30/second, which might be the reason many tricks are 2-frame. This also shows at the end of each section where a change of a single frame during the section makes the transition to next section (doors etc) either 1 frame earlier or 1 frame later than expected. So 1 frame saved or lost often becomes 2 or 0. On some occasions I have had loading times / transitions between zones change by more than 2 frames but I still don't know why.
Haha nice! Do you still have to pick up the last one? I thought I tested that. NOT shooting the two guards at the end was one or two frames faster for the record (if you pick up/disarm the bomb) :) I also THINK I've tried ignoring the pickups on Incubators a long time ago but might be worth checking these things again?
Route change on APS ended up saving 159 frames in itself + cascading effects such as faster power switch combination (-13 frames) at the end of the level and some shorter loading times. Very close to 3 seconds faster TAS-wise. However I ended up having to kill one of the red birdos with lethal weapons so I will henceforth refer to it as the evil route.
TAS overall is getting closer and closer to sub 33!
Looking forward to see you get sub 40 soon too! :D
Yep! The time I messed it up I think I was holding a bit left+down instead of straight down because I tried rushing it. With just some practice it will be very consistent. By the way I noticed that on normal fans can be destroyed with 2 shots RPG and 1 shot SMG if preferred. Is there a difference on hard? 3 shots RPG still seems best in most cases so it doesn't matter much.
I have no problem with it at all so far. Got three in a row but rushed and messed up the fourth attempt. Just holding straight down until jump, then just sliding my thumb quickly to the right seems to do it. This needs a better name though. I suggest calling this the FallenHero clip (since we each found about half of it + it's all about a falling Alan Grant)
I got it first try! :D First manual attempt that is. I also managed to get past the fan without being hit. Important to know that if you are too close to the ladder when you blow the fan you can't get to the right at all. Need to get just a bit towards the fan before blowing it.
It's around 60 fps*. So compare 2 frames to a frame perfect trick in 30 fps. It's tough but it's just one input changing so muscle memory should be able to handle it. Maybe just slide to the right as fast as possible when pressing jump could become consistent with practice?
*I'm not an expert on the specifics but I think color NTSC is just below 60 fps. Some formats are slightly above? And PAL which is the only actual console version I've played is 50 fps.
From what I can tell looking frame by frame is that the bump right happens if we jump down while holding only down+jump, then after exactly one or two frames start holding right. We can keep holding down+jump or stop, doesn't matter, but there are 2 frames when pressing (and holding) right gives the bump.
Grabbing the ladder from outside like I imagined doesn't seem to work so we have to get back in bounds between the ladders, with optional HP-pickup
At some point missing the clip will mean instant reset but there is still so much time to save all through the run. To me the most important aspect is the fun and flashy-ness of it! So much of the game is just keep holding forward so I'm very happy we found it!
It looks like you start falling before you drop through. Does it have to do with the timing of releasing down? Like release down just before you press jump? Not sure I tested that. When you get past the first edge, isn't it possible to stay OOB all the way down and grab the ladder at the end instead of taking fall damage and pick up hp?
Amazing! I never got the bump like that. Have to play around when I get home! I have found a way to get to the right with the fan destroyed however! Plus a another mostly useless TAS-only way to hover near fans (:
Exactly one fan seems to be needed to get pulled or possibly pushed through collision. The other has to be destroyed. Also, after clipping into the floor, the fan still needs to be intact to get us forward until we are in the base of the fan.
Generally getting back in bounds have been easier. If (!) we can get far enough right to fall to the final room, we will most likely fall back in bounds where we can grab one of the long ladders.
There are invisible objects preventing us from moving to the right just when drop out of bounds. No idea how to get through them
