Tag: TAS

What Is A TAS: Tool-Assisted Speedruns Explained
11Aug By NWB SpeedrunsNo Comments
Speedruns, TAS

What Is A TAS: Tool-Assisted Speedruns Explained

If you’re reading this article, you’re probably wondering what a tool-assisted speedrun is. The answer is quite simple, but I’m aware that it can seem more daunting than it is. In short, a TAS is a tool-assisted speedrun. The tool assistance can include assigning specific inputs to automatically play out throughout the game, frame-by-frame advancements, and even unintended button presses such as up and down or left and right at the same time. TAS are built, but not performed by humans either for entertainment or examination of a video game's limits. A TAS is often used to see how fast a game can theoretically be beaten. This is different from a normal speedrun where a speedrunner will strive to beat a game as fast as humanly possible. How do they achieve this extreme theoretical s...
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Speedrunner Miniland Ties Super Mario Bros. TAS to World 8
16Jul By thegoodjakewardNo Comments
Personal Bests, Speedruns, TAS

Speedrunner Miniland Ties Super Mario Bros. TAS to World 8

Speedrunning Super Mario Bros. 1 on NES The original Super Mario Bros for the NES has an incredibly long and rich history when it comes to speedrunning. Its history includes the efforts of a handful of talented runners who have pushed the game to its absolute limits. Early runners like AndrewG, Darbian, and Kosmic helped bring the world record down to an astonishing time of 4 minutes and 55 seconds. In recent years, two runners have been pushing this game to an entirely new level, namely, Niftski and Miniland. Niftski and Miniland were the first and second runners, respectively, to break the 4:55 barrier. These two speedrunners traded the record back and forth before Niftski eventually reclaimed the top spot. He currently has the world record speedrun of 4:54.881. Niftski’s accomplishm...
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7 TAS Videos You Need to Watch
15Dec By Sam RoweNo Comments
Speedruns, TAS

7 TAS Videos You Need to Watch

What TAS Means (Tool-Assisted Speedrun) To launch things off, let's do a quick overview of what makes a TAS different from a normal speedrun. A TAS run uses special tools to manipulate the game in a way that is impossible for real-time speedrunners (RTA). A TAS has access to save states and frame-by-frame advancing or rewinding. This means that the TASer (the person who creates the TAS) can choose exactly which inputs to perform on every single frame of the game and use save states to go back and correct any mistakes. In a sense, this means a TAS run could be theoretically perfect. Every known strategy and trick is implemented to perfection. In short: A TAS is a Tool-Assisted Speedrun. TAS use save states, fast-forward, rewind, and any other tools available to showcase a perfect ...
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