@ReddyLion and I work on comparing emulators and we have some interesting result to share. It's already known that emulator are faster than the console, but from the 2 tests we did, we found out the new BizHawk 2.10-rc1 with Genplus-gx is same speed or very close to the console

Test 1 - Intro & Demo

Start the game and let the intro and demo to roll out for 3 cycle:

• Frame 0 is the last frame the sword shot is in static position.
• Frame 1 is the first frame the screen starts scrolling.
• Last Frame when the 6th bag becomes a card in the clouds level, after after Mickey and Donald get hit by a tornado

Results

• Genesis 1 (model 1601): 19304 frames (5m 21s 733ms)
• Bizhawk 2.10-rc1 (Genplus-gx): 19301 frames (5m 21s 683ms) -> -0.050s
• Bizhawk 2.8 (Genplus-gx): 19288 frames (5m 21s 467ms) -0.266s
• Fusion 3.64: 19258 frames (5m 20s 967ms) -> -0.766s
• Retroarch (Genesis Plus GX): 19204 frames (5m 20s 067ms) -> -1.666s

Last boss with Donald without doing anything

• Frame 0: where all the columns are still aligned at the bottom, right before start moving.
• Frame 1: first frame you see far left column start rising.
• Last frame: after 4 minutes of fight, the first frame where Pete starts opening his right hand, the 2 ghosts are in the places pointed by the red arrows, and the columns are in the formation show in the image below.

Results

• Genesis 1 (model 1601): 14524 frames (4m 02s 067ms)
• Bizhawk 2.10-rc1 (Genplus-gx): 14524 frames (4m 02s 067ms) -> -0.000s
• Fusion 3.64: 14506 frames (4m 01s 767ms) -> -0.300s
• Retroarch (Genesis Plus GX): 14460 frames (4m 01s 000ms) -> -1.067s

• Bizhawk 2.10-rc1 (Genplus-gx) is the closest speed to the console.
• Retroarch (Genesis Plus GX) is the less accurate emulator, maybe something wasn't setup right?

I think it's time to update the rule now we found this ladder glitch. Also I think it should be a good time to improve them.

This is what I'm proposing:

General

• The run video must have sound and must include a reset.
• Playing on emulator is allowed, share the name and version when submitting.
• Using save state is not allow.
• Pressing Left + Right at the same time is not allow.

Timer

• Starts when selecting "Game Start" on the main screen, first frame when the screen starts to fade
• Stops when the character is thrown out of the chariot in the colosseum, first frame when asterix/obelix jump out

Is there anything we should add or change, let discuss here before asking a mod to update the rule

did a rom hack to go straight to the level select, more details here:

https://www.speedrun.com/batman_returns_sms/resources/nryk4

Also implement wrapping around level but the arrow doesn't change. Let me know if you have some ideas :)

I've made a rom hack for practicing the game, more info here: https://www.speedrun.com/The_Smurfs_SMS/resources/43xlv

Let me know if there is anything you would like for this rom hack :)

I've posted a rom hack for enabling level select easily: Black Belkt - Level Select Rom Hack

This would be useful for practice or or people without access to save state (e.g. everdrive X3)

Let me know what you think or if there are other thing I can do :)

UPDATE (Nov 11, 2024)

• Bizhawk must be set "Tool Assisted Speedrun" profile to be accurate

Here is the video with the correct profile

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TL;DR - no difference between Bizhawk & Kega Fusion. The console is 2 frames slower for 20 second game

I was curious if there is any significant difference between the real console and some famous emulator. Now that I got the console at home I was able to record it and compare.

For my test I've played the first level and hold right the all time. Then I frame count from the first frame when life bar is bright red until the first frame the player start running animation.

• SMS console = 20.587 (2 frames late)
• Bizhawk 2.9.1 = 20.553
• Fusion 3.64 = 20.554

For a 11:20 run (680s) that means the console would be 1s behind. As it is today it's fine, the top 2 runs are done on emulator, but we should take that in consideration whenever someone has a 11:21 run done on the console.

(for some reason, in the video the fusion part is one frame later and I couldn't adjust it)

I got fun to work on rom hack to practice directly on the console. I've posted 2 of them in the Resources section:

• Jurassic Park (SMS) - Practice Rom Hack
• Jurassic Park (SMS) - Bosses Practice Rom Hack

I would love to completely remove the car level, that would make thing super fast. I wanted to start the level with 1 life but it didn't work as expected, like potion and medical kit don't work.

Let me know what you think or if you have ideas of rom hack I can do.

I've upload a rom hack: https://www.speedrun.com/headdysms/resources/q0mtm

Let me know if I can add something to the rom hack that would help. stuff like infinite life or remove animation.

While trying the game after a while, I've realize I wasn't able to finish the game because I'm very used to the speed power up.

I was thinking it would be interesting to make it as a category, we cannot outrun enemies so it would be a total different strategy and more challenging. Without the red scroll (big shuriken) it would be more difficult to clear the screen.

Until there is a run, we don't need to worry about different sub-category.

It's a game I want to finish casually or without too much reset, I might do this category at someone. Anyone is free to submit a run in this category, I will create it.

About the rules? same as Any%, just no power up scroll (red & blue)

Updates

as metioned, the game already has a level select, so I've made a rom hack to enable it:

https://www.speedrun.com/aztec_adventure/resources/zrv11

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Old

I've added a rom hack to select any level from the title screen!

https://www.speedrun.com/aztec_adventure/resources/eyapa

I think it's useful for anyone using everdrive or for the first practices when the runner doesn't have any save state yet

Because I don't have save states with my Everdrive X3, I've decided to make a rom hack to be able to select any level when the game is started.

Looking around, I found some useful RAM address:

• 0x09C5 and 0x09C6 are flags for the completed levels
• 0x09C7 and 0x09C8 are flags for map progess (shortcut, color on levels, ...)
• 0x0086 flags for mickey power ups

Using Emulicious I could locate where things are initialized and checked in the code. Here are all the changes I've done for the rom hack without going into the technical details:

• let mickey walk anywhere and enter the level
• unlock all the progress so the map looks complete and no need to plant the magic bean
• give mickey all the power up and 3 stars
• allow to play the level again after beaten, some level plays a cutscene
• able to use the flute to skip the level any time

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16Nm3K7L2DFANkEjaOHIVgGxjD9pTd2Xw/view?usp=sharing

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Updates! I've made a V2

• use the flute in boss room
• load the first part of the level 2 (lower water)
• don't loose life when dying
• remove animation to make things faster (overworld map, flute, death, ...)
• reset flags when starting level (chests, final door)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19OC1g5IiyvBYVAdwvAlfE8W9pBeupfLq/view?usp=sharing

Working on some retro achievments (coming soon), I've made a "Round 1 only arrows".

Then I was thinking, why a category where we only use arrrows? to be honest it's a big challenge, it would require to not die so arrows can be saved and avoid enemies shot.

I leave that here I would be curious to see if some people wants to try this challenge or if they have other challenge in mind?

Another category would be "Pacific%" where no enemies can be killed except for the end screen, very challenging for round 5

This leaderboard seems to be for every plateform. Would we have a SMS category?

going through the leaderboard, I've realized SauloAndrade's run is an SMS run. https://www.speedrun.com/klax/runs/znpo9ovm

Can we have one moderator to add SMS as a console? also, it would makes more sense to have separate categories for the port, the time would be different.

Playing around with the RAM to manipulate the scroll, I found that the last level (horse autoscroll) has a fix scroll count of 8. It means after the game scrolls for 8 full screens, the level automatically ends.

If we ignore all the lags, regardless Asteris's position on the screen, the cutscene will start at the same moment.

But, this is an in game cutscene where Asterix runs to the right and obelix enter the screen to run with him. If we look at the moment when the screen fully fade too black, the time would be different depending on where you are on the screen before the start of the cutscene.

Using an emulator (Bizhawk) I counted the frames between the moment Asterix start to jump out of the chariot and the screen turns all black.

being on the very far right, you would save approximately one second. Once the background turn black, it seems to be a constant 48 frames.

I'm not saying we must update the game rule but it would make sense to stop the timer when the next screen shows up (obelix smashes the colosseum), or when the final screen shows up (everyone around a table at night).

Some games stop the timer at the final screen, for example TAZ on SMS. In my opinion it's a way to say "I've beaten the game"

I'm using Bizhawk 2.9.1 and since the game was only released in Europe, it's automatically set to be PAL (50hz). But then when I looked at the current WR, it seems faster.

So when I compare the score screen for the end of the jeep part ("stage clear"), I'm frame counting 8.317 s on my side and I'm counting 6.933 s on the WR video.

We can assume the runs should be done on NTSC (60hz)? If we are ok with that, we should update the rules so it's clear for everyone

Not sure if someone found that before: if you pause before getting hit and use the medical kit, after unpausing you get damage but your keep your full life.

Here is an example of doing it to damage through the 2nd tornado in round 1. I don't know why the quality is bad but you get the idea

This game is not easy casually but it has a big perk: it's 2 players! and it's one of the few for the SMS library with a co-op mode.

@RadManFromMars and I had a chance to try some 2 players run during the Sega Crew Live (May 27, 2023). unfortunately one of us die at stage 3, we haven't figure out a strat yet

We can always create the category a simple set of rules. Probably we can agree that both players needs to go through the final gate at the end of level 6, or simply no game over for both player.

Same as the 1 player category, both console and emulator are accepted. Not sure if it has been done before but probably we can allow some plateform to allow 2 players online? for example fightcade, Netplay, Parsec, ....

There are already some maps in SMS power but just 3: https://www.smspower.org/Maps/Asterix-SMS?gallerypage=Round+1-1+%28Asterix%29

I've decided to continue the work and focus on levels that might have potential improvements. there are 3 maps ready here https://www.figma.com/file/C50QalEF62MMz7DQRE8Zcd/SMS---Asterix?type=design&node-id=14%3A39&t=lY2Gv8CujO9iVM5o-1

it's a bit time consuming, I'm taking many screen shot and assemble them in figma. If I want to remove asterix/obelix I need to crop a part of the map and align on top of the character (longest part)

I've already post in SMS Power, but it seems slow to have them uploading on the website plus I need to make sure it looks good. https://www.smspower.org/forums/14917-AsterixMapRipping#126450

personally I prefere to have a space between levels, it helps to see potentional skip from the top (like in 4-3) and I really don't mind having multiple asterix/obelix in the map. for example this one:

4-3 level

I think it's better to add the map we currently have here, better than not having it. I can export them in a zip

What's next? I'm thinking to look at hacking the game to disabled colision and allow double jumps, this way I can explore the all map. Also I will try this Screenshot Autostitcher software to generate a map

few days ago I found out obelix can jump above the tornado at the beginning of the stage. At the edge of the pit, there is a way to jump in the the tornado and bounce the other side to grab the key

for now the safest way is stay at the edge, way for the right moment and do a very long jump. While recording I've also found another setup where the tornado bounce at the very edge of the pit and reach the otherside